Heat Impressive Again

Miami was very impressive again Saturday night in their rout of the Hawks to win game three . And if they continue to play at this level it is not out of the question that they can give Cleveland a run for their money in the second round. That of course assuming Miami can continue to play at this high level and put the Hawks away.

Don’t get me wrong, I do not think the Heat can win 4 games against Cleveland but they can certainly steal a few. All five starters finished last night’s game in double figures, and for the second straight game Jermaine O’Neal looked like he belonged in the NBA instead of the D league. Starting James Jones at small forward has proven to be a big key in the series, and he is a player that could be a real x factor moving forward.

After starting only one game all season, right after the trade for O’Neal and Moon, Spoelstra decided to start Jones in the playoffs. His knockdown shooting has given teams more hesitation in bringing a quick double-team to Wade at the top of the key, because they know that Jones is a knockdown shooter when given even a little space. Beasley has also helped in this same way even though he struggled from the field in game three shooting only 1-9 from the field.

But when you look at a possible matchup with Cleveland the biggest problem from the start has to be who guards Lebron James. Wade can not afford to spend all of energy at the defensive end, the team has proven that they simply cannot win with this young squad without Wade scoring big. But if the Heat can get there, and it looks like they could, the series will certainly be interesting after watching Miami played complete games on both ends of the floor the last two games. Do you guys think Miami can give Cleveland trouble, or are they just that much better and more experienced in the playoffs than the Heat?

How terrible is college bball officiating?

If anybody just watched the end of the Tennesse/Miss. St. game I would love to hear if you think the officiating at the end was sufficient and left you feeling like the game was played by the players. There was a phantom foul on Tennesse, a questionable five second call, and several times when the clock never even started. One of these times the play was never even looked at, and no time ran off the clock when clearly at least 1-2 seconds should have ran off.

And this was all within the last 30 seconds. Did anybody else watch that game? And if so did you think it was as bad as I do? That game was huge, now Mississippi State is in the tournament, and it leaves one less at large bid for a team that deserves one. Not to say the outcome would have gone the other way, but it’s hard to swallow a team making the tournament in the final 30 seconds of a game in which the officiating seemed to be very poor. Championship game, busch league officiating.

Miami needs to apologize

Every Hurricanes fan, and really anybody forced to watch today’s game against Virginia Tech should be personally apologized to by Frank Haith and the entire team.  

It was truly the poorest display of execution you may ever see at this level. The team stressed getting the ball inside and exposing Tech’s weakness in the paint. Instead Miami missed an uncountable number of easy shots underneath, and supplemented it by missing any other shot as well. The defense was absolutely pathetic, any team that can actually make wide open threes could have beaten the Canes by 50 easily. 

It was the story of the entire year wrapped into one excruciating performance. A terrible start (the team’s trademark) followed by a great run that gave fans a glimmer of hope. Then they tried as hard as possible to let everybody down in the most embarrassing way possible. Last week it was a loss against a bad Georgia Tech team, a game which was never even close after the first five minutes. Today it was jacking up terrible shots and watching the Hokies run up and down the floor on a 14-0 second half run. 

Today it was everything imaginable. Missed free throws, turnovers, not closing out on three point shooters, no transition defense, and no offensive period.  

Lets face it the team was just not very good. Hurdle proved last year was an admiration, and Collins was nowhere to be found in the middle on either end of the floor. These were supposed to be some of the leaders. McClinton won games with his ability alone. The struggles offensively all year were pure lack of exectuion. Does the team have a bunch of players who just are not very good? Or just a bunch of players who have no idea how to execute an offensive after three or four years in college? Or is Frank Haith just a very good recruiter and a terrible coach? 

Either way it made for an embarassing end to the most dissappointing coaching and playing performance in the team’s recent memory.

Duke Might Be Ready To Disappoint Again

For the second time this year Duke played a great first half against North Carolina, just to see it all come crashing down quickly in the second half. In the first meeting in Durham the Blue Devils led by eight at the end of the first half, and yesterday they held a one point halftime advantage. Both times they were unable to hold the lead, and Tyler Hansbrough celebrated his senior night with another win against Duke.

Duke shot well over 50% in the first half which allowed them to have a one point lead despite getting thoroughly dominated on the boards. But just as in the first game they went completely cold from the field for a stretch in the second half that allowed UNC to take a lead that they would never relinquish. It was almost the exact same story as the first time they played, only this time Duke was at least able to stay close until the very end.

But this is why Duke is primed for a potential first or second round upset in the tournament. Without a legitimate low post threat they can get beat on any given night more easily than a team like Pitt, UConn, or UNC who each have a big man to play through.

Without a low post presence the Blue Devils are forced to rely extremely heavily on perimeter shooting. Although they have some knockdown shooters, teams can not always shoot lights out. When this happens they have nobody in the middle to play through that can get inside to draw fouls and get to the line. The lack of size also nets them few second chance opportunities and allows opponents to do damage on the offensive glass.

It also happened earlier this season against Miami. The difference was they shot well in the second half after an atrocious  first half. When a team is forced to rely on the outside game almost exclusively there is no way around these types of ups and downs. This makes Duke one of those teams that is very tough to predict what will happen to them in the tournament. 

If the team can shoot well all the way through they have the potential to be an elite eight or final four team. But, if they begin to struggle some from the field do not be terribly surprised to see the Blue Devils get upset or at least be tested very early on. Their reliance on the outside shot is certainly a gamble that can pay off big, they can be one of the toughest teams to stop if they are making shots. But if they are going to be a more consistent offensive team they need to find an inside game, or risk another potential early round exit.    

Is this the best college basketball year in recent memory?

This year has to be one of the most roller coaster rides of a season that has come about in a long time in college basketball. Last week there was little doubt throughout the country about the number one tournament seeds. It seemed as though UConn, Pitt, UNC, and Oklahoma were running away with the four top spots. But within the last week all four have lost, two of them to seemingly inferior opponents.

UConn was thoroughly dominated by Pitt. last weekend. Dejuan Blair dominated Thabeet and Pitt looked to be hitting on all cylinders. The Panthers followed that victory with a rout of Depaul. Then they inexplicably looked lost last night en route to losing to Providence. North Carolina lost on Saturday to Maryland, and blew a 16 point second half lead in the process before being completely outplayed in overtime. The Sooners have now lost two straight, with Blake Griffin sitting on the sideline after suffering a concussion. This probably strengthens his argument for player of the year, as the team isn’t even close to the same without him on the floor. 

January saw four number ones come and go as well. So far this year college basketball has the parity that the NFL is looking so hard for with the salary cap. There have been so many shakeups in the standing if you don’t keep up every week there will likely be a new list of teams that are at the top. Is there anything better in sports than the unpredictability that college basketball has displayed this year? Rooting for the underdog is natural, and hey this year whoever it is probably has a good chance to win even if they are 15 point underdogs.

NBA Travelling-MUST WATCH

For years people have complained that a lot of travels in the NBA do not get called. Especially against some of the top players in the league. Corey Maggette is certainly not a top player in the league but I strongly suggest everyone watching this video. He travels SIX TIMES in one play. The video even slows it down and points each one out in case you can’t see them. Then he fouls out of frustration. I can’t decide if this is funny or just sad that they aren’t called . Although I laughed so I suppose its funny. The video was found on the TrueHoop blog on espn.com.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN_ljDfevB0

This one may be worse, good old Dan Majerle.

Overlooked Part of the Heat/Timberwolves Trade

Just a quick note, Miami also acquired a future first-round draft pick in the deal with Minnesota. They did a really great job for the future in this trade, with O’Neal’s big contract ending next season to clear cap space as well. And according to ESPN Jamario Moon will be starting at the three, and O’Neal starting at the five tonight so it is definitely significant when two of the five starters have changed. 

Heat trade Marion to Toronto

Shawn Marion is no longer a member of the Miami Heat. According to league sources Marion, along with Marcus Banks, were traded to Toronto for Jermaine O’Neal and Jamario Moon Friday morning. The deal is waiting on league approval and should be official later today. 

The deal makes senses for Miami on several levels. They were not going to willing to pay Marion so he would have left at the end of the season with the Heat getting nothing in return. And they also were able to deal Banks, who still had two years left on his contract and was not contributing much this season. 

In return they get O’Neal, a quality player if he’s able to stay healthy, which has been a problem for him this season. But a major reason this deal makes a lot of sense for Miami is because O’Neal’s contract will be up at the end of next season. That will give the Heat the cap room they’re looking for to try and get one of the all-star caliber big men that will be available to play alongside Wade.(Wade’s contract is also up in 2010 but it seems almost inconceivable that he will no be re-signed.) Chris Bosh appears to be the apple of the team’s eye so far for 2010, but Yao Ming and Amare Stoudemire will also likely be available. 

Hey, at least we will have a fond final memory of Marion after he slammed the ball with 1.1 seconds remaining to give the Heat a win over the Bulls last night.

Amare Stoudemire to the Heat?

Something to keep an eye on before we all go to the Heat game next week. The trading deadline is next Thursday, Feb. 19. Rumors have been constantly swirling around Shawn Marion and it seems very improbable he will make it thorough the deadline as a member of the Heat. He will be a free agent this summer, and will not resign with the Miami as they look towards the coveted free agent class of 2010. 

It has become clear Miami will be looking to make a move in the 2010 offseason for a big man inside to compliment Dwyane Wade. Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, and Yao Ming are all scheduled to become free agents. And after a lackluster and thoroughly disappointing first half to the season it looks as though the Suns will trade Stoudemire before the deadline. 

Amare Stoudemire being traded to the Heat before the deadline is a real possibility. Shawn Marion would be part of the deal, which may be tough for Suns GM Steve Kerr to swallow after he traded him to Miami last year for Shaq. But IF he can admit he was wrong and make a deal it would likely entail Marion and Beasley for Amare.

This would be interesting in a couple of ways for the Heat. If this did go through and Miami was able to sign Stoudemire to a long-term deal they would be able to begin putting the pieces around Wade and Amare right now, instead of waiting and hoping to sign one of the big men after next season. But on the other hand Miami would be giving up a player in Beasley that the team thinks can develop into a consistent 15 and 10 guy.

Shawn Marion will in all probability not be with Miami in the near future, but who should the Heat trade him for? Do you guys think Stoudemire would be the right move, or is the Jermaine O’Neal trade that has been talked about for weeks still most likely? (O’Neal’s contract expiring in 2010 is something Miami likes)  I would like to know what everybody else thinks should and/or will happen with the Heat before next week’s deadline.

Thank you Brett Favre!

Brett Favre’s agent has told the New York Jets that he is retiring from football, again. And as a Miami Dolphins fan I want to extend my hand and truly thank him for all he has done for the Dolphins, and every other team in the AFC East.

The Jets were locked in on winning right now, and mortgaged their future to try and get it done. They spent $140 million bringing in proven veterans Calvin Pace, Alan Faneca, Damien Woody, Kris Jenkins, and Tony Richardson. And of course, they traded for Brett Favre. 

It didn’t work out so well, with the Jets losing four of their last five games and relying on the ineptitude of J.P. Losman to get that one win. This was in large part due to Favre, who threw two touchdowns and nine interceptions over those last five games. He finished the year with 22 INT’s which was most in the league. 

His arrival in New York also led to Chad Pennington’s arrival with the Dolphins, where he led to team to an 11-5 record and beat the Jets in the Meadowlands to secure the AFC East crown. In that deciding game Favre threw three interceptions, two of which were simply inexcusable throws. 

Now New York has salary cap issues because of all the veterans they picked up last offseason and still no quarterback. Kellen Clemens is first on the depth chart right now but it is unlikely he is their long-term solution. So where do they go from here? It seems likely Jeff Garcia will not be back with the Bucs after they re-signed Luke McCown. But he is 39-years-old and it’s hard to imagine him having being a wise investment.

With an aging veteran team and no solidified quarterback the Jets are in big trouble. Fans of other AFC East teams really should thank Favre for the fiasco he has caused the Jets and the time they wasted on him instead of developing a younger guy. 

 

Oh, and his poor play down the stretch also cost Eric Mangini his job.