NBA Playoff Round 1 predictions

Philadelphia vs Chicago

Most would think this is your standard 1 vs 8 seed match-up. However the Bulls are an intriguing team, they’ve played well with and without Derrick Rose all season. I can’t remember a team winning the #1 seed after having their star player out for so long.

Now none of that changes things and the Bulls should make quick work of the 76ers.

Bulls in 5.

New York vs Miami

Players might have changed but a New York/Miami playoff series still draws me in. Talk about star power you have 3 of the top 10 players in the league and 5 of the top 30. This is what you expect to see in the playoffs, just not normally in round 1.

The Knicks can pull out some games in the series but they’ll have to get great shooting performances from J.R. Smith and Steve Novak. Melo will do his thing but Amar’e needs to step it up and put on a consistent show each and every game. Even then it’s tough to envision the Knicks winning a series against the Heat.

Heat in 6.

Orlando vs Indiana

Hmm well, I don’t think there’s much to say here. The Pacers are the strange team that you don’t think can win in the playoffs since their best player is Danny Granger, but they got themselves the best possible match-up.

The Magic are a deep shooting team based off Dwight Howard’s play, of course Howard isn’t playing so…not sure what they're going to do.

Pacers in 5.

Boston vs Atlanta

Do the old/experienced, depending on your preference, Celtics continue their late season surge and move past the first round? Or do the surprisingly consistent Hawks, even without Harford, beat the vets?

I can see this going either way, but I think Pierce, Allen and Mr. tough guy want to show everyone that they’re not done yet.

Celtics in 6.

Dallas vs Oklahoma City

A rematch of last years Western Conference Finals in team name only. The Thunder all seem to be there assuming Harden’s brain isn’t broken. The Mavs on the other hand are year older not as good defensive team and not as good at knocking down threes. But then again they seem to know what their doing in the playoffs. But, yes there’s a lot of buts, can you rely on Vince Carter? No you can’t.

Thunder in 6.

Utah vs San Antonio

Ooooo, this could be a good one. The Spurs surprised everyone, not that anyone should’ve been surprised, with taking the 1 seed. They had the 1 seed last year but lost to the front line heavy Grizz. The Jazz well…have a great front line too. I like the Jazz, they have 4 real front line players, that’s 4 more than some teams.

The Spurs on the other hand, aren’t dumb and don’t tend to make the same mistakes more than once. I think they’ll learn from last year and won’t want to lose in the first round as a 1 seed two years in a row.

Spurs in 7.

Denver vs Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers are too old and they complain too much and they have a crappy coach and have an impact player out for the next six games. Denver is young and plucky and can score and can defend. Sounds like a miss match to me. Buuuuuuuutttt then again this are the Lakers with a huge front line and one of the most clutch players in history who despite playing what seems like 48 mins a game everyday for the last 10 years is playing like he found the fountain of youth.

Lakers in 6.

Los Angeles Clippers vs Memphis

What? The Clippers in the playoffs? Oh yeah sorry that was my thought process the last 30 years of my life. Sure they went out and got Chris Paul and it paid off. They made the playoffs, too bad their going to get clobbered in the first round.

Memphis surprised a lot of people last year in the playoffs, but they were built for a slowdown playoff series. The difference between now and then, they added Rudy Gay back into the mix, giving them flexibility to play big or small or fast or slow.

Oh yeah, who’s Blake Griffin going to guard and not foul out?

Grizzles in 5.

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2012 Seattle Mariners, Week 3

I'm a bit late writing this week's blog on the S.S. Mariner, probably because I had to figure out how to not include several profanities.  Actually, the whole Mariners week was a profanity.  So...good, bad, ugly?

The Good:  Nothing.  Alright, they did manage to not blow one game during the 1-5 week...by a hair...against Cleveland.  Felix was light's out for 8 innings of one-run ball with 12 K's and got a no-decision  (League lost in the 9th).  I suppose it is good that it is over.

The Bad:  Everyone not named Hernandez, Beavan, Seager, Montero or Ichiro.

The Ugly:  See The Bad.  Millwood:  13 ER in two starts.  Noesi:  1-1/3 innings of batting practice against the White Sox giving up 6 ER.  No one can hit with runners in scoring position.  Olivo and Figgins just plain can't hit, and Ryan isn't doing much better.  The Mariners had leads in most of these games, except for the game Saturday when Humber of the White Sox (a pitcher I had never heard of) threw a perfect game against them.  The bullpen blew at least three games, including spoiling King Felix's gem.  The good news is, it is still early and the M's stand at 7-10.  Eventually, Wedge will pull his head out and start Jaso against RHP, designate Figgins and Olivo for assignment, play Kawasaki against RHP instead of Ryan and bring up Carlos Peguero and another infielder.  The Mariners start a 10 game road trip in Detroit on Tuesday.  Let's hope for some better pitching and *some* offense.

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Brandon Roy One Year Ago

It seems strange to be talking about game 4 of a playoff series right now, but the NBA lockout has caused the 2012 regular season to bleed into what would normally be the middle of round 1. But that doesn't matter, what matters is today April 23, 2012 is the one year anniversary of the last great Trail Blazer moment and what would turn out to be the last great performance of one of Portland's all time greats.

After a January knee surgery, Brandon Roy was regulated to minimal minuets and a bench role. The one time savior of the franchise was held scoreless in a game two defeat and was not shy about expressing his displeasure over his role. While game three showed us SOME vintage Roy the forth quarter of game four showed us what we all missed.

Thanks to Pinwheel Empire for the video.



I listened to excerpts of Brian Wheelers call today and couldn't help but get chills. This happens sometimes to sports fans, whether it's a timely Kirk Gibson homerun or a Miracle on Ice. After that euphoric feeling I thought "Wait, that was only a year ago?" That seemed strange to me. Think about what has happened since then. Roy only played in two more games for the Blazers then retired another proposed pillar of the franchise, Greg Oden, had his umpteenth knee surgery and was cut from the team to find room for trade-away castoffs. And the Nate McMillan was fire mid season.

Not only has the team changed dramatically in one year more upheaval is on the way. It may be a long time before Blazer fans have something like Brandon Roy and and his fourth quarter again. Thanks Brandon.

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2012 Mariners, week 2

The second week of the Mariners 2012 season is complete, and some things are clearing up while others aren't so clear.  I think I'll stick with the good, bad and ugly theme I started last week.  Overall, the M's stand at 6-5 on the year, dropping 3 of 4 in Texas and winning 2 of 3 against Oakland at home.

THE GOOD:  Starting pitching has been as good as advertised, if you throw out Hector Noesi's disastrous first start against Texas.  They've been keeping the team in the game and pitching consistently into the 6th or 7th inning.  That's all you can ask from a starting staff.  Speaking of Noesi, he followed that awful game in Texas with a gem against Oakland at home, pitching 7 innings in a 4-0 shutout.  Blake Beavan followed up his hard-luck 1-0 loss in Texas with another outstanding effort on Sunday in the Mariners 5-3 win.  The offense continues to be sparked by Kyle Seager, newcomer Jesus Montero and Ichiro.  Chone Figgins' fast start seems to have cooled off, but he's still getting on base and playing well in the outfield.  In other good news, Mike Carp is off the DL, and will be back in the lineup soon.  That means Casper Wells is likely to be sent down to Tacoma, as Alex Liddi is more versatile and is actually hitting.  Despite losing three of four to Texas, the Mariners kept battling in every game and did not roll over.  This should send a message to the Rangers and Angels that they are going to have to earn every win against them this year.  With a consistent offense, we would have had at least a split in that series.  In the bullpen, Rule-5 pickup Luetge and Brandon League have both been outstanding so far.

THE BAD:  The offense was inconsistent at best last week.  They jumped out to a 5-2 lead against Yu Darvish and the Rangers after two innings, but were unable to put anything else on the board in an 11-5 thumping.  They were also shut down by the A's Bartolo Colon for the second time in three tries against him this season.  Mariners bats were quiet all week for the most part.  Justin Smoak may lead the team with 2 HR's at this point, but he's being overly aggressive and not taking pitches when it matters.  In the game against the Rangers' Derek Holland, he had runners on with 2 out and a 2-0 count.  Holland threw a great Change-up on the black at 86 mph.  A professional hitter should know to take that pitch, tip his cap and look for a fastball to drive on 2-1.  Smoak took a wild hack and hit a weak tapper back to the mound.  Casper Wells has been ineffective in limited AB's and needs to be sent down for some consistent playing time to work on timing and his confidence, in my opinion.  Another issue is the number of times the guys are striking out looking, especially on fastballs on the inner-half.  Those should be mistakes to turn on.  You can't be up there guessing.  See it and hit it!

THE UGLY:  Steve Delabar.  Three HR's in 3 appearances.  George Sherrill is on the 15-day DL with elbow problems.  Franklin Gutierrez is still weeks away from returning from his pectoral injury.  The ugliest thing?  Miguel Olivo's batting average.  This guy barely hit over .200 last year, but was kept for his "defense."  This season, he's struggling to keep that BA over .100.  You can't have that in the middle of the lineup from an almost everyday player.  Let Montero catch on the days they are facing a lefty and let's see what the left-handed hitting Jaso can do against righties.  He can't do any worse!  Are you listening, Mr. Wedge, oh-he-of-the-ever-changing lineups?  Could any part of the offensive inconsistency *possibly* be because the batting order and lineup changes on a daily basis?  Yes some tinkering is necessary, but this went on all of last season and has continued this season.

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Mariners News-Week 1 In Review

Hi baseball fans!  It was a good week for the Mariners, taking 3 out of 4 from the A's in both Tokyo and Oakland.  We've hopefully seen a preview of the season to come, so I will breakdown some things that were good, bad and ugly from the action so far.

THE GOOD:  The offense was stellar, especially in Oakland.   Both teams struggled in the Tokyo series but there were moments, such as Ackley's clutch HR in the 11th inning of the opener.  In the two games in Oakland, the Mariners piled up 15 runs on 26 hits.  Every Seattle starter had at least one hit in Saturday's game.  Chone Figgins seems at home in the leadoff role, with back-to-back three hit games.  If he continues to produce like that, it will make the past two seasons worth of awful play a distant memory.  Dustin Ackley, Saunders and Seager continue to look good at the plate and Ichiro is looking like Ichiro again!  From a pitching standpoint, Vargas was incredible in both starts.  I hope he can sustain that after the All-Star Break, because he seemed to run out of gas late last season.

THE BAD:  In the first two games in Tokyo, the Mariners were awful with runners in scoring position, and it seemed like a reprise of last season.  Bartolo Colon limited them to three hits in the 4-1 loss in game two of the series.  The bullpen has been disappointing so far, with only League seeming solid at this point.  Felix Hernandez pitched very well in the opener in Japan, but lost focus after the 4th Inning on Saturday, nearly blowing a 7-0 lead.  Without the Saunders HR in the top of the 7th, this is one that could have gotten away.  Hernandez was charged with 6 earned runs in 6-1/3 innings, but two of those six scored on the Cespedes 3-run HR off of Delabar in relief.

THE UGLY:  The Mariners gave up three HR's to Cuban rookie sensation Orlando Cespedes that went over 1300 combined feet.  Jason Vargas was lit up twice (one a 462-foot moon shot) while Steve Delabar served up the other.  Felix Hernandez currently owns a 1-0 record but an ERA of 8.63.

DEBUT TIME:  Rookie LHP Lucas Leutge (pronounced LOOT-gee) made his debut Saturday, striking out the only batter he faced.  Japanese rookie Munenori Kawasaki also made his ML debut on Saturday, going 1-4 with an RBI single and scored a run in the M's 6-run 4th inning.  Rookie RHP Hector Noesi makes his Mariners debut in Texas tonight, hoping to spoil the Major League debut of Japanese league star Hu Darvish.

NOTE:  I will likely post a weekly review on Mondays during the season.  I would welcome any feedback on my posts or what you would like to hear concerning the Seattle Mariners.

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How About Those Mariners?

     Barry here, and the new M's season has gotten underway, in case you missed it.  This season will answer a lot of questions for the Mariners, and I believe there will be surprises in store!  Cactus League play has wrapped up, with the M's at 14-9-1.  They've played very well during the spring.  The Mariners have set their final 25-Man roster.  A few surprises there, already.  Rule 5 draft pick Lucas Luetge and rookie LHP Erasmo Ramirez have made the team as lefties out of the pen.  Charlie Furbush, a starter late last year, was sent down despite posting an 0.87 ERA over 11 2/3 spring innings.  The starting rotation is headed by Felix Hernandez, followed by Jason Vargas, Hector Noesi, Kevin Millwood and Blake Beavan.  They opened the season in Tokyo last week, and did not play particularly well, dropping both exhibition games to the Hansin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants before the opening split with the A's.  Hernandez took a no decision in the Mariners 3-1 Extra Inning victory over the A's in the opener, with Vargas pitching very well (also a no-decision) in the 4-1 loss the next day, with the bullpen serving three HR's in the late innings to break a 1-0 Mariners lead. 
     On the offensive side of the ball, the injury bug has bitten the M's early once again.  Mike Carp (LF/DH) and Franklin Gutierrez (CF) both open the season on the 15-day DL.  In case you haven't heard, Ichiro has been moved to the #3 spot in the order; a move that I'd been calling for for the past four seasons.    The lineup will be as follows, to start the season:  Figgins (LF), Ackley (2B), Ichiro (RF), Smoak (1B), Montero (DH/C), Olivo (C), Seager (3B), Saunders (CF), Ryan (SS).  As usual, manager Eric Wedge will be using a lot of different lineups and bench players.  Casper Wells will see a lot of playing time in the OF and newcomer Munenori Kawasaki will fill in at SS and 2B.  Also making the team is Alex Liddi, who will see time at 3B, 1B and DH.  Joining Olivo behind the plate are off-season acquisition Jon Jaso and the aforementioned Montero.  Once Carp and Gutierrez return from the DL, I think the lineup gets a whole lot better.  One of the other big questions is how long Wedge sticks with Chone Figgins, who has been a bitter disappointment since coming over from the Angels.  He's back in his familiar spot in the leadoff role, but will that be enough to spark him at the plate?
     The Mariners season will live or die with the offense.  If they can average over 4 runs per game, they have a shot to challenge even the mighty Rangers and Angels.  With the addition of Jesus Montero in the middle of the order, and the re-vamped lineup, this is a group than can do some damage.  If they struggle again to hit with runners in scoring position, it will be another 90 loss season.

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