Lakers Close Out Series

The Los Angeles Lakers have closed out their second round series against the Utah Jazz by beating them 108-105 in Utah on Friday. The Jazz, who has made the playoffs for two straight seasons, now end their season in the second round. Last year, they made it to the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs and lost in five games. The Lakers outplayed them in Game 6 in Utah for the first three quarters. The Jazz made a late surge to make the game close, but it wasn't enough. The Lakers have now made it to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2004, when they beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in six games to advance to the NBA Finals. They lost to the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals in five games, and have not gotten past the first round since their loss in the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers in points and assists with 34 points and 6 assists. Deron Williams led the Jazz with 21 points and 14 assists. The Jazz trailed by 19 at halftime and 16 at the end of the third quarter. In the final three minutes of the game, the Jazz began to chip away at the Lakers' double digit lead. Andrei Kirilenko of the Jazz hit two three pointers in the final minute to lead the surge but the Lakers never gave up the lead. The Jazz made their run too little, too late as they head into their offseason. The Lakers will play the winner of the series between the San Antonio Spurs and the New Orleans Hornets, who will play Game 7 on Monday in New Orleans. Will the Lakers defensive rebounding troubles come back to haunt them against the Spurs or Hornets? Are the Lakers capable of taking it all the way and winning the championship?

Pistons Eliminate Magic

The Detroit Pistons have eliminated the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, beating them 91-86, to win the series in five games. The Pistons now advance to the conference finals for the sixth straight time. That has not happened since the New York Knicks been to the Eastern Conference finals six years in a row from 1969-1974. The Pistons did not win easy though. They only shot 36% from the field, but they only committed three turnovers the entire game. The three turnovers in the game was the lowest amount of turnovers in a playoff game in NBA history. Richard Hamilton led the Pistons with 31 points and Antonio McDyess had a team high 11 rebounds. Dwight Howard grabbed 17 rebounds and 14 points, but has been non-existent in this series. The Pistons will now wait for the winner of the series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics. This is the only series so far where the road team has won in the second round. The Pistons did that with a Game 4 victory in Orlando. The Pistons have been eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals the past two seasons with home court advantage. If the Celtics win their series against the Cavaliers, the Celtics will have home court advantage. If the Cavaliers win, the Pistons will have home court advantage. The Pistons had home court advantage against the Cavaliers last year and lost the series in six games. Will the Pistons get to the NBA Finals? Will they win another championship?

Bryant Wins First MVP

Kobe Bryant, guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, has been named MVP for the 2007-2008 NBA season. Bryant has been in the NBA for 12 seasons and has been to many All-Star games. He has also won three championships with the Lakers in the early part of the decade. But he hasn't won one thing before and that came today. This is Bryant's first MVP award in his storied NBA career, after leading the team in scoring and placing second on the scoring list this season. However, it didn't look like Bryant would be in a Lakers' uniform this year after demanding last offseason that he wanted a trade. He told Lakers' management that he wanted a trade because they did not get the players necessary to win a championship. A lot of things changed this season. Derek Fisher left the Utah Jazz and came back to the Lakers, where he also won three championships. It provided a veteran leader at the point guard position and Smush Parker, last year's point guard, was not needed. The emergence of young center Andrew Bynum also helped the Lakers to the #1 seed as well. But the management made the biggest move of all. On February 1, Pau Gasol, All-Star of the Memphis Grizzlies was traded to the Lakers for four players. That trade satisfied Bryant a lot and he was able to share the ball with the weapons he had. Other MVP candidates included Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets, who came in second, Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics, who came in third, and Lebron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who came in fourth. Does Bryant deserve the award, considering the weapons he had around him? How far will the Lakers go in the playoffs? Will this be Bryant's only MVP award?

Harrison Involved in Shooting

Marvin Harrison, wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts, has been under investigation, for a shooting that has happened in North Philadelphia. This happened on April 29, where Harrison and a guy in a bar owned by Harrison, supposedly got into an argument. It was reported that as the guy was trying to leave, Harrison followed him outside of the bar and then shots were fired. The guy was hit in the hand and a 2 year old boy was hit under the eye with a piece of flying glass. The victim who was hit in the hand did not identify the shooter, and it was reported that a Belgian gun was used in the shooting. Harrison admitted to police that he does own such a gun, but it never left his home in a suburb of Philadelphia. A Belgian gun was found at the site of a car wash when investigators were interviewing Harrison about a half mile away from the bar. The car wash is also owned by Harrison. The gun that was found in the car wash was proved with ballistics tests that around seven shots were fired from that gun. No one has been arrested and there have been no deaths, but the investigation is pending. Harrison has been one of the most productive wide receivers in NFL history. He is one of only four wide receivers with more than 1,000 receptions in history. What will happen to Harrison? Will this mess up the rest of his career? Will Harrison serve a prison term?

Celtics Dominate Hawks, Move On

The Boston Celtics, the team with the best record in the NBA, defeated the Atlanta Hawks 99-65 to advance to the second round on Sunday. This was a Game 7, which was a surprise to everyone who had predictions for this series. A lot of people picked the Celtics to sweep the Hawks, who came into the postseason despite a 37-45 record. The Celtics won all of their home games in dominating fashion, but couldn't display the dominating play against the Hawks in Atlanta. The Celtics came out in Game 7 and put all doubts that people had about the Celtics. The Celtics separated themselves early, building a double digit lead in the first quarter and holding an 18 point lead at halftime. Their lead ballooned to over 30 in the second half, and Atlanta couldn't get anything going. Marvin Williams for the Hawks was ejected in the third quarter after a flagrant 2 foul on Celtics' guard Rajon Rondo. That was the only big news for the Hawks, who shot 29% from the field throughout the entire game. Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 16 points, and those points didn't come very easy. Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 22 points, and Kevin Garnett had a double double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. He only played 27 minutes because of the big lead. The Celtics will now play the Cleveland Cavaliers, who wrapped up their series against the Washington Wizards on Friday. Will the Celtics and Cavaliers series be easy for the Celtics? Will the Celtics win the NBA championship?

Cavaliers, Jazz Close Out Their 1st Round Series

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Utah Jazz closed out their first round series on Friday with wins over the Washington Wizards and the Houston Rockets, respectively. The Cavaliers beat the Wizards in convincing fashion, beating them 105-88 in Washington D.C. to close out the series. This series had all kinds of side shows, with Wizards' guard Deshawn Stevenson calling Cavaliers' superstar Lebron James "overrated." James put up his usual performance in the series, and he had a triple double in Game 6 with 27 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists. The Cavaliers have now eliminated the Wizards in the first round in three straight years. The Cavaliers will now play the winner of the series between the Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks, which will be going into a Game 7 on Sunday. The Jazz closed out their series against the Rockets in convincing fashion as well, beating them 113-91. This is the second straight year the Jazz have eliminated the Rockets in the first round. Tracy McGrady, superstar for the Rockets, scored 40 points and had 28 points at halftime. But no one else contributed for the Rockets and McGrady continues to have bad luck in the first round of the playoffs. McGrady is now 0-7 in the first round, although his performances in the playoffs have been outstanding. Deron Williams, guard for the Jazz, scored 25 points, with 13 of them coming in the decisive third quarter, where the Jazz outscored the Rockets 27-11. The Jazz will now play the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round. How far will the Cavaliers and the Jazz go in the playoffs? How much of a chance does the Jazz have against the top seeded Lakers?

Pistons Close Out Series

The Detroit Pistons closed out their first round series against the Philadelphia 76ers with a 100-77 victory on Thursday. The Pistons won the series 4-2, which wasn't really expected. A lot of people expected the Pistons to dominate the 76ers, but the 76ers came out fighting. The 76ers won Game 1 in Detroit, and it caught the attention of a lot of people and the Pistons. The 76ers also won Game 3 in Philadelphia by 20 points, and some believed that the 76ers can pull off an upset. The Pistons made sure that didn't happen, and after halftime of Game 4, the Pistons were untouchable. They were down 10 in that game and they outscored them by 19 in the second half to win. They won by double digits as well in Game 5 and closed out the series by double digits in Game 6. Richard Hamilton had 24 points, with 13 of them coming in the first quarter in which the Pistons outscored the 76ers 30-12. Chauncey Billups also had a solid game with 20 points, and the Pistons never looked back after that dominating first quarter. The Pistons will now play the Orlando Magic in the second round. The Magic closed out their series earlier in the week against the Toronto Raptors in five games. Who will win this second round matchup? Is there concern from the Pistons about their performance in the first three games?

Johnson Is Fired

Avery Johnson, head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, was fired on Wednesday, a day after the Mavericks were eliminated from the playoffs by the New Orleans Hornets. Johnson led the Mavericks to their first ever NBA Finals appearance in his first full season as head coach in 2006. They lost to the Miami Heat, which some say the Mavericks should've won the series. He led them to a franchise best 67 wins the next season, but they lost in the first round to the Golden State Warriors in what many call the greatest upsets in NBA playoff history. Many thought the Mavericks would come out this season and prove their doubters that they are a better basketball team. They made a midseason trade acquiring Jason Kidd, and they let go two key components in Desagana Diop and Devin Harris. The Mavericks ended up with the #7 seed, where they were torched in their series against the Hornets. Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban had his differences with Avery Johnson, and he decided that it was time for a change in coaching for the franchise. Johnson's regular season record was very impressive at 194-70. But their play in the playoffs was not what many people expected, and Johnson has taken the fall for it. Many expect more changes to come for the Mavericks. Who will be the next head coach for the Mavericks? Will the Mavericks get back to the NBA Finals? Can they possibly win a championship with a new coach?

Hornets, Spurs Close Out Series

The New Orleans Hornets and the defending champion San Antonio Spurs closed out their first round series on Tuesday with home victories. The Hornets beat the Dallas Mavericks, 99-94, to win the series in five games. Chris Paul had a triple double, scoring 24 points, dishing 15 assists and grabbing 11 rebounds. Paul has been effective all series long, clearly outplaying Mavericks' point guard Jason Kidd. David West led the Hornets with 25 points, as he was knocking tough shots all game long. He has also been very effective for the Hornets in the series as well. Jannero Pargo also was a key contributor in the series, and he scored 17 points in the series decisive game. Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 22 points, but it has been another disappointing postseason for the Mavericks. The Mavericks were eliminated in the first round last year when they were the #1 seed with the best record in the NBA. They were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in six games in which they were outplayed. The Spurs, meanwhile, locked up their series victory with a 92-87 victory over the Phoenix Suns. They also won their series in five games. The Spurs were led by Tony Parker's 31 points and 8 assists. Tim Duncan also chipped in with 29 points and 17 rebounds. The Suns cost themselves the game and the series with bad turnovers in the fourth quarter. They were playing good in the third quarter and the early part of the fourth. But the Spurs forced them to commit costly turnovers, which decided the victory for the Spurs. The Spurs will now face the Hornets in the second round. Who will win this second round matchup? Which position possesses the top matchup of the series?

Magic, Lakers Close Out Series

The Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers closed out their respective series on Monday with wins. The Magic defeated the Toronto Raptors, 102-92, to win the series in five games. Dwight Howard had his usual great game, scoring 21 points and grabbing 21 rebounds. This is his third game of the series where he had at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in the same game. The Magic, after a fantastic Game 1 where they were very efficient from the 3 point line, were not close again. They were 9 of 32, but they knocked them down late in the game. Howard's defense on Raptors' forward Chris Bosh was also key. Bosh only had 16 points and 9 rebounds. He missed 12 of his 19 shots attempted. The Magic will play the winner of the series between the Detroit Pistons and the Philadelphia 76ers. The Lakers also closed out their series with a win over the Denver Nuggets, 107-101, to complete a four game sweep. The Lakers have now won their first series since winning the Western Conference Finals in 2004, when they beat the Minnesota Timberwolves. Kobe Bryant had 31 points, and 14 of them came in the last six minutes of the fourth quarter. Pau Gasol added 21, and the Lakers now continue to be dominant since acquiring Gasol. The Nuggets, meanwhile, have now lost in the first round of the playoffs in five straight seasons. While they won one game in each of the last four first round exits, they didn't win a game this year. Carmelo Anthony had 21 points and Allen Iverson had 22. J.R. Smith led the Nuggets in scoring off the bench with 26 points. The Lakers will now play the winner of the series between the Utah Jazz and the Houston Rockets. How far will the Magic go? How far will the Lakers go? Are the Lakers serious contenders?

Riley Resigns, Brown Joins Bobcats

In two expected moves, the Miami Heat head coach Pat Riley has resigned after the Heat went 15-67 this past season. The Heat are two years removed from winning the franchise's first NBA title, and this season, they completely collapsed. Riley will stay with the Heat as the team's president, and assistant head coach Erik Spoelstra has taken over. This move was expected, as Riley probably didn't want to tarnish his hall of fame coaching career with another bad season. Riley has quit as the Heat head coach before, back in 2003, right before the season started. Stan Van Gundy took over, and he quit during their championship season. Riley took over during that season and led them to a NBA title. In other news, Larry Brown has decided to become the next head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats, a couple of days after firing Sam Vincent. Vincent was only the head coach for one season, and it is widely speculated that the Bobcats fired him because Brown quit his job with the Philadelphia 76ers and expressed his desire to coach again. For Brown, this will be his ninth head coaching job in the NBA. He has been very successful at the NBA ranks and the college ranks, winning championships in both. His most recent head coaching job, however, was horrible. He went 23-59 with the New York Knicks in his only season there and he was constantly battling with management. He never wanted to end his coaching career like that, but a lot of people didn't expect him to take the Bobcats' job. With that being said, will Riley ever coach again? How will Brown do with the Bobcats? How many years will he be with the Bobcats?

Pacman Dealt To Cowboys, Allen Dealt To Vikings

The Tennessee Titans have traded suspended defensive back Adam "Pacman" Jones to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth round draft pick in Saturday's draft. Jones is currently serving a suspension that was handed down by commissioner Roger Goodell last year for his numerous troubles with the law. There are certain conditions attached to this trade though. If Jones plays a significant amount of time with the Cowboys in the upcoming season, the Titans will receive another draft pick from the Cowboys in the 2009 NFL Draft. If Jones does not get reinstated by Goodell, the Cowboys will receive the Titans' fourth round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. Jones is also restructuring his contract in where he will receive a four year deal with no guaranteed money. In another trade in the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs traded defensive end Jared Allen to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for the Vikings' first round choice and two third round picks. Both teams also swapped their sixth round picks in the trade. Allen led the NFL in sacks this past season with 15 1/2 sacks. The Vikings are trying to bolster their defense after Kenechi Udeze got leukemia. The Vikings had Pro Bowl defensive linemen in Pat Williams and Kevin Williams. They hope that Allen can make their defensive line the most productive in the NFL next season and provide them with an opportunity at making a Super Bowl run. Was it smart for the Cowboys to acquire Jones, considering the fact that they have Terrence Newman and Anthony Henry? Will Allen help the Vikings overcome the Green Bay Packers for the NFC North division championship and a deep run in the playoffs?

NBA Playoffs

The NBA Playoffs got underway on Saturday with the Washington Wizards playing the Cleveland Cavaliers and there were a couple of interesting Game 1's. In the Wizards-Cavaliers Game 1 matchup, it looked like a heated rivalry between the two teams. These two teams have played each other in the first round for three straight years now, with the Cavaliers winning the previous two first round series. Wizards' point guard Gilbert Arenas said in his blog that the Cavaliers will not beat the Wizards for a third straight time and the Wizards will come out victorious. Cavaliers' superstar forward Lebron James did his part to ensure the Cavaliers a Game 1 victory, scoring 32 points in the Cavaliers' 93-86 victory. In the following game, the Phoenix Suns played the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. The Suns were in control of this game for the first three quarters, building a 16 point lead. But the Spurs came back in the fourth quarter and sent the game into overtime on Michael Finley's three point basket with 15 seconds left. Tim Duncan scored 40 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, but no play was better than his three point basket with 3 seconds left in the first overtime to send the game into double overtime. Steve Nash hit a three pointer with the Suns down three in double overtime to tie the game but Manu Ginobli scored the game winning layup with 1.8 seconds left to seal the Spurs' 117-115 victory. The New Orleans Hornets defeated the Dallas Mavericks and the Utah Jazz defeated the Houston Rockets in the day's two other games. In an upset, the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Detroit Pistons 90-86 in the Palace of Auburn Hills to take a 1-0 series lead. The Pistons had a 15 point lead in the third quarter but the 76ers didn't go away. Led by good defense and turnovers from the Pistons, the 76ers were able to chip away at the Pistons' lead and they eventually took the lead in the fourth quarter. The Pistons also missed some critical free throws, with Chauncey Billups missing three of four in the fourth quarter. In the other Game 1's on Sunday, the Orlando Magic defeated the Toronto Raptors, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics defeated the Atlanta Hawks. Which series looks like the most interesting so far? If there is an upset, which series is it more likely to come from?

Rockies, Padres Goes to 22 Innings

The National League defending champion Colorado Rockies and the San Diego Padres played 22 innings on Thursday night in which the Rockies won 2-1. This was the longest baseball game that was played in the last 15 years. On August 31, 1993, the Minnesota Twins beat the Cleveland Indians 5-4 in 22 innings as well. The game lasted more than 6 hours and the game was scoreless until the 14th inning, when the Rockies scored when Brad Hawpe drew a bases loaded walk. But the Padres came right back in the bottom of the 14th, when Josh Bard hit an RBI single to tie it. The game would go another 8 innings until the 22nd, when Troy Tulowitzki hit an RBI double to take the lead again and the Rockies were able to hold onto it for the victory. 15 pitchers combined were used in this game, and 658 were thrown. The starting pitchers in this game were magnificent, not allowing a run. Defending Cy Young award winner Jake Peavy pitched for the Padres while Jeff Francis pitched for the Rockies. There were three seventh inning stretches during the game, one in the 7th, 14th and 21st innings respectively. Is this the best baseball game so far? Will this be the best baseball game all year? Is the Rockies and Padres matchups developing into a rivalry?

NBA Playoffs Is Ready

The conclusion of the regular season in the NBA has come and now the playoffs will begin. There are a couple of teams that have been good stories who will appear in the playoffs. The Boston Celtics won 23 games last season and has increased their win total by 43 wins and now they are the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. It has been helped by the trades Danny Ainge has made acquiring All-Stars Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. They will face the #8 seeded Atlanta Hawks, who has been under the radar and very surprising. They still have a losing record, with a 37-45 record. The Golden State Warriors, who ended the season with a 48-34 record, didn't even make the playoffs. The Denver Nuggets are the #8 seed with a 50-32 record and they will face the #1 seeded Los Angeles Lakers, who were very surprising. The San Antonio Spurs, who are the #3 seed, will face the #6 seeded Phoenix Suns in a rematch of the physical second round matchup the Spurs won en route to their 4th championship. The New Orleans Hornets, who are the #2 seed, will face the #7 seeded Dallas Mavericks, who had the best record in the NBA last year. The Utah Jazz and the Houston Rockets will face off in a rematch of last year's first round series. The Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers will also face off in a rematch of last year's first round series. The Detroit Pistons will play the Philadelphia 76ers and the Orlando Magic will play the Toronto Raptors. Which conference will the championship come from? Who will make it to the NBA Finals from the Western Conference? Who will win the overall title?

Kansas Takes National Title

The Kansas Jayhawks are the national champions of college basketball after defeating Memphis 75-68 in overtime Monday night at San Antonio's Alamodome. Kansas was able to survive regulation and send the game into overtime thanks to Memphis' miscues and a miraculous three pointer. Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis' leading scorer, missed three straight free throws and Derrick Rose missed one of two free throws. That set up the final basket in regulation, which happened to be Mario Chalmer's three pointer to tie the game with 2.1 seconds left. Memphis did not call a timeout, and Robert Dozier ended up tossing a shot at halfcourt at the buzzer. In overtime, Kansas clearly had the momentum, as they only limited Memphis to five points in the overtime session. Kansas is a team that has failed itself in the NCAA Tournament in recent years. They lost to Syracuse in the national championship game in 2003 when they were favorites. Under Bill Self, they lost in the first round of the tournament two consecutive years to Bucknell and Bradley respectively. Now Kansas has played their best basketball in this tournament, beating Davidson, who seemed unstoppable at that point, North Carolina, the #1 team in the country, and Memphis, who seemed to be on a roll with convincing victories. Did Memphis mess up their opportunity or did Kansas outplay Memphis in the final minute? With Memphis missing their free throws down the stretch, was that something they should've paid attention to more during the season?

Memphis, Kansas in Title Game

The Memphis Tigers and the Kansas Jayhawks will play in the national championship game on Monday after the Tigers defeated the UCLA Bruins and the Jayhawks defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels. Memphis beat UCLA 78-63 in what many consider to be very surprising. Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 28 points while freshman sensation Derrick Rose scored 25. Other players contributed outside of the scoring column. That was evidenced by Joey Dorsey, who didn't score but grabbed 15 rebounds in the win. The Tigers are now 38-1, and their 39th win will give them the most wins in a college basketball season. Kevin Love, the freshman sensation from UCLA, only scored 12 points and Memphis was able to limit his offensive productivity. In the other Final Four game, Kansas beat North Carolina 84-66. Kansas went ahead early 40-12 in surprising fashion but North Carolina was able to make a huge comback, cutting Kansas' lead to 4 points in the second half. But the Tar Heels were too tired to make another run and Kansas was able to pull away again. Brandon Rush scored 25 points and grabbed 7 rebounds for Kansas, while AP Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough scored only 17 points and 9 rebounds. Who will win the championship? Does Memphis athleticism give them an advantage over Kansas? Does Kansas tougher schedule give them an edge?

Final Four Is Set

All four #1 seeds won in the Elite 8, setting up a Final Four that has never happened before. Since the tournament bracket was instituted in the late 1970s, there has never been a tournament where all four #1 seeds reached the Final Four. UCLA beat Xavier 76-57 to clinch their way, and that was followed by a 83-73 North Carlonia victory over Louisville. Memphis, who a lot of people had as the #1 team that was going down before the rest of the #1 seeds, handled their business with Texas, beating them 85-67. The most interesting game was the last one between Davidson and Kansas. Davidson already had three stellar wins up to that point against Gonzaga, Georgetown, and Wisconsin. Stephen Curry, guard for the Davidson Wildcats, has had a spectacular tournament, averaging over 30 points a game. But Kansas was up to the challenge and beat Davidson 59-57, after a potential game winning three pointer by Jason Richards clanked off the glass to end it. It was an extraordinary run by Davidson, but they fell short. In the final four, UCLA will play Memphis in the first game, while North Carolina will play Kansas in the second game. Which team appears to be a lock to win their game in the Final Four? Who is the most vulnerable team right now?

Sweet 16

The round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament had some interesting matchups and another upset. In the first game on Thursday night, Xavier built a 16 point lead on West Virginia. West Virginia was able to make a comeback and send the game into overtime. B.J. Raymond, guard for Xavier, scored all of his eight points in overtime, including two clutch three pointers to help Xavier win. The other three games were blowouts, with North Carolina defeating Washington State, UCLA defeating Western Kentucky, and Louisvile beating Tennessee. On Friday, the blowout them continued. Davidson defeated Wisconsin by 17, Texas defeated Stanford by 20, Kansas defeated Villanova by 15, and Memphis defeated Michigan State by 18. Davidson's win against Wisconsin was an upset, with star Stephen Curry scoring 33 points and 22 in the second half. Curry has scored more than 30 points in all three tournament games. He has also scored more than 20 points in the second half in all three games as well. Davidson's win puts them in the Elite 8 with a matchup against Kansas. Other Elite 8 matchups include Texas against Memphis, Xavier against UCLA, and North Carolina against Louisville. Will Davidson beat Kansas also and make it to the Final Four? Will a #1 seed lose in the Elite 8? If so, which one will it be?

Webber Retires

Chris Webber, power forward for the Golden State Warriors, has announced that he is retiring. Webber signed with the Warriors midway into this season, hoping to play with a team that was able to contend. But Webber just wasn't fit enough to last longer. Webber has been battling chronic knee problems for a while and it has affected his play and his movement the past couple of seasons. Now he cannot deal with the pain anymore. A career that seemed so promising once he was drafted now ends without any championships. Webber is one of just six NBA players in history to average in a career at least 20 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. The others are Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Larry Bird, Billy Cunningham, and Kevin Garnett. Webber has been a 5 time all star and he was on the All NBA First Team once. Webber, although, won't be remembered for the good things he provided on the court. He'll be remembered for not providing a championship at the college or pro level after having so much promise. He was at the University of Michigan for two seasons. His freshman year was a dominant year for Michigan in which they had five freshmen as starters. They blew away the competition during the regular seasons and NCAA Tournaments. But they lost two straight national championship games. The second, against North Carolina, in which he called the famous timeout in which he didn't have any, was his last game as a college basketball player. He played for the Warriors his rookie season and won Rookie of the Year honors. But his dissatisfaction with coach Don Nelson led to his trade to the Washington Bullets. After a couple of seasons with the Bullets, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings, where, along with Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic, and Vlade Divac, formed a team that almost went to the NBA Finals in 2002. Was Chris Webber good enough for the Hall of Fame? Was Chris Webber a true leader on his teams in the pros? What if Webber won a NCAA championship and a NBA title?

Dirk Out Indefinitely

Dirk Nowitzki, all-star forward for the Dallas Mavericks, is going to be out indefinitely after an MRI revealed a high ankle sprain and a mild knee sprain. Nowitzki was injured Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs after landing on Ime Udoka after he blocked his shot. His ankle rolled up underneath him very violently and he was on the floor immediately in obvious pain. It looked a lot worse at first sight, but the MRI revealed that it wasn't a serious season ending injury. The Mavericks are currently in seventh place in the Western Conference playoff race right now. The Golden State Warriors and the Denver Nuggets are right behind them respectively. The Mavericks already lost a game earlier this season without Nowitzki. That was during the Houston Rockets' 22 game winning streak. The Rockets won that game in Dallas 113-98 to win their 17th straight game. The Mavericks have a tough upcoming schedule, with five of their next seven games against Western Conference teams with winning records. How good are the Mavericks without Nowitzki? Will Nowitzki's injury eliminate the Mavericks from playoff contention? Do you think Nowitzki will come sooner than expected?

NCAA Tournament Second Round

The second round of the NCAA Tournament had its share of good games as well. In an upset in Washington D.C., the West Virginia Mountaineers defeated the Duke Blue Devils 73-67 to eliminate the second seeded Blue Devils. West Virginia's strong play came on in the second half, when they outscored Duke by 11 to control the game. The matchup between Marquette and Stanford was a good one as well. Trent Johnson, head coach for the Stanford Cardinals, was ejected in the first half. Stanford ended up winning 82-81 in overtime on Brook Lopez's game winning basket with 1.3 seconds left. Brook finished with 30 points, while his twin brother Robin, scored 18. The matchup between #1 seeded UCLA and Texas A&M was also a good defensive battle. UCLA won 51-49, on Darren Collison's game winning layup with 9 seconds left. Georgetown and Davidson was also a great matchup. Georgetown was up 11 at halftime, when Stephen Curry of Davidson was not knocking down his shots. He started knocking them down in the second half, scoring 25 points in the second half. Davidson beat Georgetown in an upset 74-70 to advance. Butler and Tennessee was also a good game and the first time two 30 win teams have met in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Tennessee had its share of problems but pulled it out in the end, winning 76-71 in overtime. All four #1 seeds made it to the Sweet 16, but two #2 seeds(Georgetown and Duke), lost in the second round. What Sweet 16 matchups are you most looking forward to? Who has been impressive in the first two rounds so far? Who is the most vulnerable team so far?

NCAA Tournament First Round

The first round of the NCAA Tournament provided history and games that were thrillers. The game between Duke and Belmont was an amazing game. Duke, who is the second seed went up against a 15th seeded Belmont team and had lots of trouble. Belmont was knocking down their outside shots and keeping the game close throughout. Belmont led 70-69 when Duke's Gerald Henderson went coast to coast for the layup with 11 seconds left for the game winner. Duke survived and will play West Virginia, who beat Arizona, in the second round game. In the matchup with outstanding freshmen Michael Beasley of Kansas State and O.J. Mayo of USC, Beasley dominated. Beasley was in foul trouble but still ended up with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Mayo had 20, with a couple of them coming in garbage time. Kansas State, with the good play of other players dominated, beating USC 80-67 to advance to the second round and face Wisconsin, who beat Cal St. Fullerton. The second day of the first round provided history. In the four first round games in Tampa, Florida, all four had the lower seeds winning. First, Western Kentucky beat Drake 101-99 in overtime on a buzzer beating three pointer by Ty Rogers. In the biggest upset of the day, San Diego beat UConn 70-69 on a game winning jumper from De'Jon Jackson. San Diego and Western Kentucky will face off in the second round. In the third game from Tampa, Siena beat Vanderbilt in a shocking upset 83-62. In the final game in Tampa, Villanova beat Clemson in an upset 75-69, after Clemson was leading by as many as 18 points. Siena and Villanova will face off in the second round. Has the tournament been exciting so far? Who had the most convincing win in the first round? Which team is in danger of losing in an upset?

Rockets Win Streak Stopped at 22

The Houston Rockets, who had a 22 game winning streak coming into Tuesday night's game against the Boston Celtics, lost to the Celtics to end their winning streak. The Celtics beat the Rockets 94-74, in a dominating defensive performance that saw the Celtics hold Rockets' star Tracy McGrady to only 8 points and only 11 field goal attempts. The Rockets scored a season low 34 points in the second half, as the Celtics defense were able to stop others like Rafer Alston and Shane Battier from having good games when McGrady wasn't playing at his best. This is also the Rockets first loss since center Yao Ming went down for the season with a stress fracture in his foot. The Rockets have found numerous ways to beat their opponents without Yao, until they met the team with the best record in the NBA. The Rockets last loss was on January 27, when they lost a home game to the Utah Jazz, whom they also lost to in the first round of the NBA playoffs last season. Since that loss, the Rockets won 22 straight, winning all of their games in February. They haven't played the best competition, as they have played the New Orleans Hornets twice without David West. They also beat the Dallas Mavericks without Dirk Nowitzki and they beat the Los Angeles Lakers without Pau Gasol. Is this streak from the Rockets impressive? How far will the Rockets go in the playoffs? Are the Rockets a better team without Yao Ming?

Selection Sunday

The 65 teams who will participate in the NCAA Tournament were revealed today, and there were a couple of surprises in the teams who were selected and the teams who weren't. The Atlantic 10 conference, who has a reputation as a soft conference that doesn't want the mid major recognition, got three teams in the NCAA Tournament with Xavier, conference champions Temple, and St. Joseph's. St. Joseph's was on the bubble because they lost the conference championship game to Temple. It seems as if their resume was enough to get them into the tournament, as they will play Oklahoma in the East region on Friday in Alabama. Another surprise was Villanova. Villanova made it to the tournament, despite bad losses to Rutgers and Depaul. They did win one game in the Big East tournament, which was a rout of Syracuse in the first round. Syracuse previously defeated Villanova in Philadelphia earlier this season. They will play Clemson in the Midwest region on Friday in Tampa. Baylor was another team not expected to receive a bid. They started off strong in the season, but lost a lot of games down the stretch and then lost to Colorado in the Big 12 tournament opener. They will play Purdue in the West region on Thursday in Washington D.C. Teams that may have snubbed from a tournament bid was Virginia Commonwealth. They had a good record at 24-7 but their soft schedule may have cost them a bid. They also lost to George Mason in their conference tournament, costing them a sure bid. The four teams who received #1's were North Carolina, Memphis, Kansas and UCLA. All of these teams made it beyond the Sweet 16 in last season's tournament. North Carolina received the overall #1 spot. Which team will win the tournament? Which teams will upset a good team?

Nuggets Score NBA Season High 168 Points

The Denver Nuggets, lead by Carmelo Anthony's 26 points, defeated the Seattle Supersonics 168-116. This amount of points came in regulation, which is the third highest total amount of points by one team in an NBA regular season game without going into overtime. This game had balanced scoring as well. Allen Iverson had 24 points behind Anthony's leading 26. Kenyon Martin also had 23 for the Nuggets, who have won three in a row by blowouts. They are now one and a half games behind the Golden State Warriors for the final playoff spot in the crowded Western Conference. They also reached 40 wins with the victory, which has been their fastest to 40 wins since the 1987-1988 season. The Nuggets were very efficient as a team from the field, shooting 69 percent from the field in the first quarter and scoring 48 points. They had 84 at halftime, in which they were leading by 26 points. The Supersonics were lead by rookie Kevin Durant, who had 23 points. 15 of those 23 points came in the second quarter, in which the Nuggets scored their lowest quarter point total with 36. The Supersonics, who are among the league's worst NBA teams, have now fallen to 16-51 in their rebuilding season. Are the Nuggets a playoff team? Will they make the playoffs? If the Nuggets do make the playoffs, do they pose a threat to any team in the conference?

Favre Retires

Brett Favre, the Green Bay Packers quarterback who has just come off one of his best seasons in quite a while, has decided to retire. Favre, who led the Packers to the NFC Championship game this past season, has said that he can still play but his desire to prepare for the games is not where it should be. Favre, who was the face of the Packers franchise since the Vince Lombardi era, has played 17 seasons. 16 of those seasons were with the Packers. Favre has started 253 straight games since starting his first game with the Packers back in 1992. This past season, he passed Dan Marino for the most touchdown passes as a quarterback and he also surpassed Marino's career passing yards mark. He also has the most wins as a starting quarterback. Favre has led the Packers back to dominance after they were irrelevant in the 1980's and the early 1990's. He led them to a Super Bowl victory in 1996 against the New England Patriots and also led them to the Super Bowl the next year, when they lost to the Denver Broncos. Favre has been known as one of the most durable quarterbacks in the history of the NFL, as he has battled many injuries and still manages to start every game for more than 15 years straight. Favre is considered one of the greatest quarterbacks to play in the NFL, and now he can wait for the Hall of Fame in 5 years. Was the decision of Favre to retire surprising? How will the Packers do without him next season? Is Aaron Rodgers, the Packers starting quarterback for next season, capable of leading the Packers like Favre?