UFC 82 Predictions

Keefe & Besse

Anderson Silva vs. Dan Henderson

RK: Here it is. A dream match up of sorts as the UFC Middleweight Champ (Silva) takes on the 185 pound Champ from Pride (Henderson). You’re probably thinking, didn’t Henderson just fight in another unification bout back in September. The answer is yes. He held 2 Pride titles, and lost a hard fought 5 round decision to UFC Light Heavyweight Champ Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The UFC middleweight division is garbage so Henderson gets the call to take on Silva without even fighting at 185 in the cage since coming from Pride.

One reason the middleweight division looks so bad is the effortless victories that the Spider has wracked up over the “big” names. Silva is 5-0; with wins over Chris Leben, Rich Franklin (2), Travis Lutter, and Nathan Marquardt. 4 of those wins came by KO with 3 of them in the very 1st round, while the other was a submission victory over a ju-jitsu expert in Lutter. Despite facing the top fighters in his weight class Silva has yet to be really tested. This, I feel is going to change Saturday night.

Dan Henderson has never been knocked out. Read that again. And who’s to say if Silva will be the first. He’s been in the ring/cage with the likes of Rampage, Wanderlei Silva, Ricardo Arona, and Vitor Belfort to name a few. Hendo is fighting at his more comfortable weight class. How can he get knocked out now? But how can you bet against Anderson Silva at this point? I’ve been looking forward to this fight for a long, long time. Final verdict: Henderson gets rocked a few times, Silva gets pushed to the limits and wins in a close decision for the first time in his UFC career.

RK: Anderson Silva by decision.

TB: I agree and disagree with you here, Keefe. Silva has yet to be challenged in the UFC, part of the reason everyone discredits any depth the middleweight division may have. But Henderson is a top-2 fighter in two weight classes in the world, and his game is tailored to be more successful against a fighter of Silva’s caliber and expertise.

Against Rampage, he showed how well rounded he is against a naturally bigger, stronger opponent. It was a close decision that could have gone either way, a classic battle of attrition. Silva has technical striking, but Hendo may hit harder (he knocked Wanderlei out cold). Silva’s Muay-Thai is lethal (just ask “Ace”), but Henderson’s is in close, thus neutralizing it. Silva is a jiu-jitsu black belt, but Henderson is an Olympian Greco-Roman wrestler and is one of the best at submission defenses.

Silva, however, hasn’t been past the 2nd round since joining the UFC. I expect he’ll rock Hendo early, possibly have him in trouble. But “Dangerous” Dan will survive and take this into the 3rd, 4th and 5th rounds, imposing his will while “Spider” gasses down the stretch.

TB: Henderson by decision.

Chieck Kongo vs. Heath Herring

RK: Intriguing heavyweight battle here with Kongo coming off his greatest victory ever over Mirko Cro Cop, and Herring fresh off what could have been his greatest, losing a decision to now Heavyweight Interim Champ Big Nog. Herring has been a disappointing 1-2 since entering the octagon, while Kongo just elevated his career with that decision win over Cro Cop. But how valuable is that win now? Cro Cop has bolted out of the UFC after a couple losses. Both guys have a lot to prove. All three of Herring’s UFC fights have gone to decision, and I don’t think this one will be any different.

RK: Herring by decision.

TB: So yesterday I was fairly convinced Kongo would win an absolute snoozer by split decision. But last night I tuned into the replay of UFC 82 Countdown on SpikeTV. The second half of the countdown profiled Herring and his re-dedication to the sport. He hired a new team and moved out to Vegas. He's working with a nutritionist full-time and his conditioning has improved immensely. Meanwhile, it's well known thanks to his loss to Carmelo Marrero that any one of us could beat Cheick Kongo on the ground. You can point to Herring's inability to put away Nogueira as an example why the fight won't go there. But I beg to differ. Just ask Tim Sylvia. If you see Big Nog laying on his back, it's advised you don't come within a zip code of him. He'll submit you that easily. So in hindsight I don't blame Herring for getting up. I thought Kongo looked lackluster in his decision win over Cro Cop, and his last three fights have gone to decision. That won't happen here. Herring's experience gives him the edge in what become some violent exchanges. He'll catch Kongo, then finish him on the mat, re-establishing himself as a top contender in the UFC and a legitimate beef with the current champ for a re-match.

TB: Herring by KO in the 2nd round.

Chris Leben v. Alessio Sakara

TB: This is Sakara’s first fight since dropping down from light heavyweight and Leben’s first since signing a new deal with the UFC. Both are dangerous strikers who love to throw. Leben’s last fight against Terry Martin symbolized why he is such a big draw and exactly why he is on the televised portion of the card over the likes of Josh Koscheck, Diego Sanchez and former Heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski. He was wearing bombs from Martin and trailing on all cards before charging forward and throwing a beautiful left hook on the button that sent Martin to sleep. While Sakara can strike, he can’t do it with accuracy like Anderson Silva, who blew Leben out of the ring. For that reason, Sakara will likely control the striking but not be able to put Leben away. Leben keeps coming until scoring a TKO midway through the second.

TB: Leben by (T)KO in second round.

RK: Leben is one of my favorite fighters, since moving to and training in Hawaii he has vastly improved his cardio and overall game. In a middleweight division that has Silva and now Henderson at the clear cut top, Leben could make his way back into title contention. If Silva wins does he fight Franklin for a 3rd time? Does Franklin want to get back in there with him? Not saying Leben gets a title shot, but with a win here over a big 185er he’s on his way. I still picture Sakara getting worked over by a dangerous Houston Alexander, a fighter Besse can’t watch with the lights off. In the end Leben continues his way back up the middleweight ladder, and starts his new contract with a KO.

RK: Leben by KO in 1st round.

Evan Tanner v. Yushin Okami

TB: The former middleweight champion returns after a long layoff with drugs, alcohol and various other sins of which we can only imagine. Yushin Okami continues his quest to prove he deserves a title shot. If this were Tanner in his prime, I’d say he grounds and pounds his way to a (T)KO. But he’s going to have “cage rust” and Okami is the middleweight version of Lyota Machida: nothing spectacular, but continues piling up wins. Tanner will have his moments, but Okami will position himself better throughout the fight, much like he did against Mike Swick.

TB: Okami by decision.

RK: Ok Tanner hasn’t fought in nearly 2 years I know that, but I think he’s got something left in the tank. He’s well rested. Right? Okami, like Bess said, is not the most exciting fighter to watch, but piles up wins. Tanner will probably have ring rust. He’s a crafty veteran though, so I think he will overcome it in a huge upset, and a shakeup that the middleweight division (which is on grand display on this card) really needs. Okami will be put to sleep, just before he was about to do the same to the audience. In a shocker…

RK: Tanner by submission 3rd round.

Jon Fitch v. Chris Wilson

TB: Here’s the first example of what I don’t like about this card. A few notable, marketable studs fighting guys we’ve never heard of. Nothing against Chris Wilson, he may shock everyone on Saturday night for all we know. But Fitch should be fighting Parysian for a mandatory title shot, bottom line. He’ll take care of business here, landing on his feet to set up a takedown and ground and pound before locking in a rear naked choke.

TB: Fitch by submission in the 2nd round.

RK: I agree completely with you Bess. Karo is on the Fight Night card? And you have Fitch, Koscheck, and Diego all on this card, but not fighting each other? The UFC is in a lose-lose scenario here. If all this guys win, good they’re supposed to. If any of them lose, there goes one of the big name welterweights. It’s an opportunity for Chris Wilson to make a name for himself… don’t count on it. Fitch is riding a 14 fight win streak with the last 7 in the UFC, he’ll make it 15 and 8.

RK: Fitch by submission in the 1st round.

Preliminary Fights

Diego Sanchez v. David Bielkheden
TB: Sanchez by submission in 1st round.
RK: Sanchez by TKO in 2nd round.

Jake O’Brien v. Andrei Arlovski
TB: Arlovski by KO in 2nd round.
RK: Arlovski by TKO in 1st round.

Josh Koscheck v. Dustin Hazelett
TB: Koscheck by Decision.
RK: Koscheck by submission 1st round.

Luigi Fioravanti v. Luke Cummo
TB: Cummo by submission in 3rd round.
RK: Cummo by decision.

Jorge Gurgel v. John Halverson
TB: Gurgel by hometown decision.
RK: Gurgel by submission in 3rd round.

Why the Colon signing makes sense

I must admit that I laughed when I read the Sox signed Bartolo Colon to a minor-league deal. What are the odds he was on round 3 at the Golden Corral. This guy may miss the strike zone an awful lot, but he certainly never misses a meal.

But the more and more I think about it, the signing comes at a perfect time. Boston just found out a few weeks ago that Schill used 'em for a cool $8M. I still envision they'll take him to court and the judge will rule he be awarded 8 schillings, instead. At least we know from his less than impressive stint on Celebrity Jeopardy that he's aware of what they are. Despite losing a fading #3 pitcher at best, it gives Clay Bucholz and Jon Lester an opportunity to saddle in at 4 and 5 behind Beckett, Dice-K and Wakefield. While there's no solid "starter" depth beyond that, I feel confident that the likes of Kyle Snyder, Devern Hansack and David Pauley could fill in quite fine until Theo finds help.

This, for Colon, is perfect. He reportedly has shown up to camp looking like Butterbean at a weigh-in - with no concern for a weight limit and the miscontrued theory that fatter=better. Although the Sox were impressed with his ability to pick up a baseball and throw it 120 feet, we had kids in Little League who were throwing it over the center field fence from home plate. What's the big deal in that? Pitching coach John Farrell admitted they were unhappy with his less than aesthetically pleasing body.

Brief side bar here: The Metro's Joe Haggerty reported that Manny Delcarmen shed 15 lbs this offseason. He claims to have with his brother at an area Gold's Gym. Any chance he's lying to cover up the fact that Colon actually just ate the weight off of him? I'm just saying...

Anyway, there's no denying that Colon is a proven commodity when healthy. He has a fastball in the mid-to-upper 90's who had a great stretch from '98 to '05. He threw over 200 innings in seven of those eight seasons and had an ERA under 4.00 in six of them. Lest we forget, the guy won 21 games and the Cy-Young just three years ago. Since then, he's had a myriad of injuries and hasn't hit the 100 inning plateau in either of the last two seasons. The guy was gassed in the fifth inning of his final outing in the Caribbean Series.

The Red Sox and its medical staff seem to do well bringing back players, particularly pitchers, from injuries at a pace that allows them to fully recover and maximize their performance. Just look at Schilling, Beckett, Okajima, Timlin and Lester in '07, plus Wakefield every year. Foulke was an exception, but nobody cared after his Burger King comment anyway. The key here for Colon will be to adhere to their medical and professional advice and follow the pitching program to a "T". In no way do I expect to see this guy on the Opening Day roster. They won't need him until June. If he stays in extended spring training, they can help him shed that weight like a dog's coat of fur. Hopefully he doesn't leave it all over the place, though.

After the season starts, he'll have the chance to work his way through a few "rehab" starts, gaining confidence in locating his fastball and splitter again while building stamina before a return to the major leagues. Chances are, we've seen the last of Curt Schilling. And even moreso, chances are that all five projected starters won't last the entire season without missing a start or two. The Sox have capable, temporary solutions already in place, but this no-risk, high-reward scenario with Colon is an ace up the sleeve. Don't use it because you have it; use it when you the time is right, and you'll maximize production.

Western Conference Outlook

-Keefe

The Western Conference is as loaded as Tony La Russa behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. 10 teams post winning records, with 9 of them having 33+ wins as of February 21st. Only 5 games separate the team in 1st (New Orleans) and the team in 9th (Golden State). If the season ended today the Warriors would miss the playoffs, but if they were in the Eastern Conference, the Bay Area would be hosting a first round match up. The West was already wild, but all these trades have made it impossible to pick a favorite.

Shaq and Jason Kidd are both 0-1 in their debuts from last night. It’s going to take a little time for both of them to adjust. Shaq seems like a square piece in a round hole. He did play 29 minutes in just his first game in Phoenix, scoring 15 and pulling down 9 rebounds. Not a bad first showing, but they did allow 130 points and lose. Kidd had only 5 assists and 8 points for Dallas, as Chris Paul straight owned him.

Here are the 10 teams above .500 in the West, core players, with new acquisitions in bold. (In order of current standings.)

New Orleans Hornets:
Chris Paul, David West, Tyson Chandler, Peja Stojakovic, (Mike James, Bonzi Wells, if trade goes through).

Chris Paul is my MVP as of right now. Last night he had 31 points, 11 assists, and 9 steals against J-Kidd and the Mavs. He’s averaging 21-11 and shooting a pretty good percentage. West and Chandler can do all the dirty work and Peja is back shooting from deep. I’m not sure they can hold on to the top spot in the West or win the whole thing, but certainly not a team you would want to face. Can Paul carry them to the Finals?

Los Angeles Lakers:
Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, Derek Fisher, and the bench mob.

Right now I’m leaning towards picking the Lakers to win the West. And I’m a Celtics fan and hate the Lakers. The addition of Gasol, or should I say the thievery that was the Gasol deal has put this team over the top. Lakers are 7-1 with Pau. It’s going to be interesting to see how he and Bynum play together, but suddenly they have Odom playing a role that he is much more comfortable with. They don’t need to count on him to score, but he still does. Kobe is Kobe, and these guys look like they are headed to the NBA Finals.

Phoenix Suns:
Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Shaquille O’Neal, Grant Hill, Leandro Barbosa, Raja Bell, Boris Diaw.

You can’t get crazy about last night no matter what happened in Shaq’s debut. It’s going to take more than 1 game to see how the deal will play out. Amare is going to put up ridiculous numbers (37-15 last night), but it does not matter if they lose 130s to 120s. Who’s playing defense on this team? Raja Bell? He gave up 40 last night to Kobe. Nash, Amare, and Shaq at this stage of his career, are not going to scare you at the defense end. I’m looking forward to Friday when Boston comes to town. Shaq’s first 3 games in Phoenix: Lakers, Celtics, Pistons. They could go 0-3. When they sent Marion to Miami they were the number 1 seed in the West. Now I don’t think they host a 1st round series. I know they had not made the Finals with the current Big 3 of their own (Nash, Amare, Matrix), but this year with the make up of the West I thought they could have. We’ll see.

Utah Jazz:
Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko, Mehmet Okur, Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer, Paul Millsap, Matt Harping.

It doesn’t get a whole better for a 1-2 punch in basketball than Williams and Boozer. The addition of Korver has given the Jazz a whole new element to their attack. I love the combination of talents they have here, with bangers like Boozer and Millsap, shooters in Okur and Korver, slashers in AK-47 and Brewer, and of course one of the top point guards in the game in Williams. This is just another team in the West that you could not be shocked if they won it all. Early prediction is that the Jazz lose in the conference finals to the Lakers.

San Antonio Spurs:
Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Bruce Bowen, Michael Finley, Damon Stoudamire, Kurt Thomas.

No one is talking about the Spurs. Maybe we should be. As soon as you count them out you’ll see Tim Duncan holding the Championship trophy in the air for 5th time in his career. But still, like everyone else, I’m not convinced they will be there. They have been winning it every other year, so maybe it’s not meant to be. What a great gift for a top 4 seed it would be to have to face the Spurs. Good luck.

Dallas Mavericks:
Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Jason Terry, Jerry Stackhouse, Brandon Bass, Eric Dampier.

I’ll be honest I liked the Kidd deal, and I don’t think that they gave up too much to get them. Devin Harris and what else? The two first round picks will be low and a guy like Antoine Wright is only 24 and will be better than anyone they could get at the end of this years draft. Kidd still has something left in the tank, his rebounding and assists numbers are huge this year even though he has struggled shooting from the field. I did not think they could win the whole thing prior to the Kidd trade, now they at least have a chance.

Houston Rockets:
Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, Shane Battier, Skip to my Lou, Luis Scola, Bobby Jackson (if trade goes), Luther Head, Carl Landry.

I think the Rockets end up missing the playoffs. Even if they get in you can’t like T-Mac’s chances of advancing. Looks like they might be parting with Mike James and Bonzi Wells, and bringing in veteran point guard Bobby Jackson. (Jackson would be great in a Celtic’s uniform.) Despite being just 4.5 games out of first the Rockets will be fighting to make the playoffs for the rest of the year.

Denver Nuggets:
Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby, Kenyon Martin, Anthony Carter, J.R. Smith, Linas Kleiza.

Is there a more talented starting lineup in the league? Maybe not. But they have always had a hard time putting it all together. I think they do get in the playoffs even though they are one of the only teams in the West not to make a move. (As of now). These guys can obviously beat anyone on any given night, but what about 4 out of 7? You know they will score enough points. The question remains, is Camby enough on defense?

Golden State Warriors:
Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson, Monta Ellis, Al Harrington, Andris Biedrins, Chris Webber, Matt Barnes, Keleena Azubuike, Mickael Pietrus.

The Chris Webber addition doesn’t look like it’s going to be much of a boost. He starts sure; I don’t see him as a major factor however. The way they shoot the 3, early and often, they can certainly beat anyone. Like the Nuggets it will be difficult for the Warriors to advance far in the playoffs. I know they beat the Mavs last year in the 1-8 match up. I say they do get in the playoffs led by Baron Davis, but it ends in the 1st round this year.

Portland Trail Blazers:

Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldrige, Travis Outlaw, Jarrett Jack, Martell Webster, Steve Blake.

It was a nice run early in the season; they just could not keep up with all these great teams in the West. At 28-25 they have still surpassed expectations without Greg Oden. Definitely keep an eye on this team going forward. Brandon Roy has been great to watch and they play team basketball. Of the 10 teams on this list I have the Blazers and Rockets missing out on the playoffs in the end.

This list could get a shake up as the NBA trade deadline is minutes away. Players like Vince Carter, Zach Randolph, Ron Artest, Ben Wallace, and more could be moving around. Who else will make a move? The next couple of months will be great, a lot of questions still left to be answered.

Crisp trade is necessary but can wait...a little while.

Coco Crisp addressed the media today at the Red Sox spring training facility, speaking on his team’s current CF controversy. QB controversies seem to pop up everywhere in the NFL, but in baseball, legitimate position controversies are few and far between. Perhaps it’s because of the flexibility of athletes in MLB compared to the NFL, switching positions or use of the DH. In the NBA and NHL, there are plenty of minutes to go around because guys often need to catch a blow on the bench, so they are fairly rare there, as well.

But the position the Red Sox are currently in is a unique one. On the surface, you might ask what the problem is; the team has a talent-rich outfield that is arguably six deep (Ramirez, Drew, Ellsbury, Crisp, Kielty and Moss). Obviously they’ll only keep four, maybe five, so there’s going to be some shifting around come the end of spring training. But when four of those players are legitimate starters in this league, with only three positions in-game and the DH spot already tied up in Ortiz, that can be an adverse problem.

After Crisp’s comments today, it’s the clear that’s what the Red Sox have.

Here’s my solution:

Three years ago, a solid MLB outfield by the nombre Jay Payton was “that guy”, sitting fourth on the depth chart of another talent rich outfield including Ramirez, Damon and Nixon. The reality was Payton can start in this league. Unfortunately, it wasn’t going to be in Boston. While the team insisted he was vital as a fourth outfielder in case someone went down or as a late game replacement, he wanted to start. For the record, Payton played 142 games for Oakland in ’06, hitting .296, and 131 games for Baltimore last year, hitting .256. Again, he can start in this league.

Basically, Payton didn’t want to be in Boston given those circumstances. He voiced his concern and after nothing was done, tension built up and boiled over during a dugout confrontation with Francona leading to his dismissal and subsequent trade for Chad Bradford.

Fast forward to ’07 and the emergence of Ellsbury in the Red Sox lineup. Given, this is more of a controversy with the amount of talent between Ellsbury and Crisp. Both possess terrific speed (edge to Ellsbury), outstanding defense (edge to Crisp on experience), mediocre throwing arms (push) and great baserunning ability (edge to Ellsbury based on going 2nd to home on a pastball). At the plate, Crisp has not been the same since injuring his finger two years ago. His average and power have taken a nose dive, and quite simply, he just hasn’t gotten better.

But let’s not forget, he young and has played over 100 games in only four seasons. His first two years in Cleveland were still as a rising prospect, but in ’04 and ’05, he absolutely broke out, leading the Sox to acquire his services as the successor to Damon. But it hasn’t panned out, and while there is still time in his young career to turn things around, it’s also time for the Sox to begin the Ellsbury era in CF.
Last season, he hit .353 in 33 games with nine stolen bases. While there was no significant power numbers nor were the SB’s eye-opening, it was his game speed that really impressed. I saw first hand how his speed could change a game, whether beating out an infield grounder, the aforementioned 2nd to home or running down a fly ball in the gap like a seasoned vet, this kid showed he’s a serious gamer. Raw as he may be, he’s got the tools, poise and moxy to be a formidable player at the major league level.

Not to mention he hit .438 in the World Series and was my pick to be WS MVP over Mike Lowell. But that’s a whole other article…

Moving forward, the Red Sox should continue to see how Ellsbury develops in spring training. As long as he doesn’t take a nose dive, use Crisp as trade bait for a team looking to add a starting outfielder right before opening day. You can keep him as insurance throughout spring training, but once Ellsbury pans out, deal away Crisp to fill another void that has opened and become more apparent before the team breaks camp. Much like Payton did in ’05, Crisp has voiced that he will not settle for a non-starting role. He wants to play, and because both are full of talent, it’s going to be hard to keep one out of the lineup. Ellsbury brings more to the table in my opinion and should be handed the reigns.

And so, come Opening Day Coco Crisp should no longer be a member of this team. His patience has worn thin with the media, and while he claims to understand the decrease in PT at the end of last season, he wasn’t happy with it. He’s bitter and will not tolerate being a 4th outfielder on this team. Simply put, that’s not a guy you don’t want in your clubhouse. I don’t care if we’re talking about the most dysfunctional clubhouse in the game, no team needs a player venting about his situation publicly. Jay Payton did it in 2005 and eventually forced the hand of the Red Sox. It wasn’t good, but they were able to use him to fill a void. Theo should do the same thing, but with less agony.

Ideally, Ellsbury and Crisp will both be in the lineup on Opening Day. Except that they should be starting for different teams.

Eastern Conference Outlook

-Keefe

The NBA's Eastern Conference is more top heavy than Dolly Parton. Only five teams have a winning record, only three teams score more than 100 a night, while six give up over a century. Despite the five teams above .500 only two have a legitimate shot at winning the whole thing. Boston (41-10) and Detroit (39-14) are running away and hiding from the rest of the conference. Orlando, Toronto, and LeBron (going forward I will refer to the Cleveland Cavs as LeBron) all think they have a chance to win the East, but they would need a MC Hammer type collapse from the Celtics or Pistons to do so.

Washington is a bit of an x-factor right now. Antawn Jamison has been playing by himself and putting up great numbers, but if he can get a healthy Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas back they could be a tough out in the playoffs. I also want to see how the Hawks play with Mike Bibby. I really like the move. A lineup of Bibby, Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, Josh Smith, and Al Horford could create a minor shakeup in the East. Keep an eye on these guys. But let's look at the real contenders.

Boston Celtics: They came out of the gates hotter than Rose McGowen in Planet Terror, and kept it going. Tough schedule coming out of the All-Star break, they just lost and gave up a season high 124 points last night to the Denver Nuggets, but did get Kevin Garnett back after he missed 9 games (C's went 7-2 in that span). C's have the Warriors tonight, Suns and Shaq on Friday, Portland Sunday, and the Clippers before heading home. It's going to be a great test for a Celtics team that won their first 16 against the West.

Rajon Rondo has made major strides in his second season, running the show surrounded by three superstars. The unselfishness of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett has been well documented. The only worry concerning those three is injuries, particularly Allen and KG. In Garnett's absence players like Leon Powe and Big Baby Davis really emerged. In fact as a Celtics fan I would much rather have Powe on the floor over starting center Kendrick Perkins. Perk is taller, but doesn't score, rebound, or defend as well as Leon.

The bench has been better than expected. Like the supporting cast in Ocean's 11, you got your Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, (Pierce, KG, and Allen... that's how I see it too), but what really makes the movie is the rest of the team, (Rondo, Powe, Perk, Davis, T.Allen, House, Posey, Scal... only included Scal to add up to 11). Anyway these guys have all been solid, but the question remains, do they need a back up point guard? They don't need a starter, Rondo has shined. Can Tony Allen and Eddie House bring the ball up and set up the offense when Rondo is out of the game? So far Danny Ainge seems to think so.

Detroit Pistons: The Pistons once again have the league's best scoring defense (89.9, Celtics are 90.1). Also once again they are lead by Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, and Tayshaun Prince. Somehow they are #1 in Marc Stein's power rankings. I don't see it. They just got killed last night by the Orlando Magic, but similar to the Spurs, they are built strictly for the playoffs. And in the East they do not have to bust their ass all season to get home court for the first couple of rounds.

Rookie Rodney Stuckey, Jason Maxiell, and Antonio McDyess will help out the 4 big guns as they try to return to the Eastern Conference and NBA finals. Can Flip Saunders lead them to the promise land? He's gotten them to two conference finals but not over the top, including a shocking 4-2 loss to LeBron last year. However, I would be equally surprised if this year it is not the Celtics and Pistons playing for the right to represent the East.

No other team deserves their own breakdown. Quick takes on the rest of the East that could win a playoff series...

Orlando Magic: Dwight Howard is a monster (shoots below 60% at the stripe), Hedo Turkoglu and Rashad Lewis both putting up solid numbers. But the Magic shoot more 3's than anyone in the East, they strike me as a team in the NCAA tourny who could shock a team, but no way could they win a best-of-7 with Detroit or Boston. PG play is weak as well; they miss the playoffs if they were in the West.

Toronto Raptors: Chris Bosh is one of the best players in the conference, and they have one of the best point guards in the East in Jose Calderon, but they might not even get out of the 1st round. Home court would be huge for them especially if they're facing LeBron.

LeBron: No Jason Kidd, no Mike Bibby, no chance to make it back to the Finals. The LeBron-factor has to scare some teams, but the Pistons will be ready this year and the Celtics won't lose 4 games in a series to him.

Wiz/ Hawks = sleepers. I mentioned it at the top these teams, when healthy have a ton of talent, and if they can put it together they could take out the Magic, Raptors, or LeBron.

I will break down the Western Conference 2nd half outlook tomorrow, which will include 10 of the best 12 teams in the NBA. Also I will have a chance to see Shaq play in a Suns uni, albeit his first game. I'm looking forward to seeing how all these trades pay off in the Western Conference. It's hard to pick a favorite right now. Hornets, Suns, Lakers, Jazz, Spurs, Mavs, Rockets, Nuggets, Warriors, and Blazers... it's going to be fun.

NBA 2nd Half

-Keefe

The NBA's All-Star weekend is in the books. Congradulations to the Sophomores, Deron Williams, Jason Kapono, Dwight Howard, and the Eastern Conference for their performances the past few days. The fun is are over now as the teams prepare for their final 30+ games of the year. In the coming days I will break down the contenders from each conference as they hit the second half. The West has 10 competitive teams while the East has just 5 teams above .500, and 1 team less than 10 games back of the Celtics. I think it's fair to say that one entry will be a bit longer than the other.

The Jason Kidd deal looks as though it could go through after all, this time not involving Devean George or Jerry Stackhouse. How can any of the Mavericks even talk to George right now? I guess if the trade does go through it doesn't really matter, but if Kidd stayed in Jersey? George strikes me as that guy who invites himself over and stays late. It's time to go buddy. And if that wasn't weird enough how he just decided he wasn't going to get traded, but then he starts the next couple of games, even throwing out an 0-11 night. As a former DIII athlete, like George, I wanted to root for him, but first the Lakers, then he refuses to be traded and we miss out on a chance to see Kidd play for a contender. George is making close to $2.5 million this year to average fewer than 4 points and 3 rebounds a night, and now he may have just pouted himself onto another championship run.

No only does LeBron James have to see fellow Eastern All-Star starter J. Kidd, get traded to a team not in Cleveland, but then Atlanta scoops up Mike Bibby from Sacremento. LeBron thought with Kidd running the point he could return to the NBA Finals, that didn't happen. Mike Bibby was still out there as a back up plan. Well, not anymore. A team that is 7 games under .500 and 6.5 games back of the Cavs goes out and makes a big move. What is LeBron thinking now? "When's my contract expire?" comes to mind. 2009-2010 is the answer.

The Hawks see a weak East and the Nets giving up as a chance to get involved. Mike Bibby joins All-Star Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Marvin Williams. Take a look at that. Not a bad 5 in the East.

Let's take a quick look at the Standings before the 2nd half begins.

EAST:
Boston 41-9
Detroit 39-13

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Orlando 33-21
LeBron 29-23
Toronto 28-23

The rest of the East is below .500. Washington, NJ, Philly, Atlanta currently fighting for last spots.

WEST:
1. New Orleans 36-15
1. Phoenix 37-16
3. Lakers 35-17
4. Utah 34-19
5. San Antonio 34-17
6. Dallas 35-18
7. Golden State 32-20
7. Houston 32-20
7. Denver 32-20
10. Portland 28-24

9 teams in the West have 30 or more wins while just 3 teams in the East can say that. I'll break down the top teams this week, and figure out who has the best chance to win it all.

Side note: I would have to strongly veto any NHL talk on this site. The Bruins should have just moved the team instead of trading away Joe Thornton for a bag of pucks and a squid. Sports that are more popular than the NHL: NFL, MLB, NCAA Football, NCAA Basketball, NBA, NASCAR, MMA (UFC), PGA, to name a few. Even poker, boxing, and bowling are on ESPN and other sports stations more than hockey.

An open letter to Bruin1968...

Bruin1968,

First off, thanks for visiting the site.

The objective here at The Sports Brief isn't to win a Pullitzer or write a moving, riveting, heart-warming piece on something the general public absolutely needs to know.

It's a website where we can write reactions, thoughts, opinions and predictions for others to read, enjoy and comment on like yourself.

While we certainly appreciate the comment, I am livid at the fact that you would accuse some start-up website of plagiarizing a Steve Buckley article from the Herald. I challenge you to present us with that article, or have Steve do so himself. I happen to be an acquaintence of Steve's, having worked alongside him at Fenway and played in his OldTime Baseball Game last summer.

It is not uncommon that people often share the same thoughts, nor write about them in a similar fashion, particularly when it is strictly opinion-based. So again, I challenge you to present us with hard evidence that we did in fact commit plagiarism.

As far as the content on this website, we are all from New England and happen to be fans of the Red Sox, Celtics and Patriots, as well as the UFC and MMA in general.

We aren't fans of the Bruins, so if you're looking for an article about the Hub of Hockey, look elsewhere, you won't find it here. Unfortunately, we don't find the team to be of interest to us. Again, that's strictly one's opinion.

In the interim, please continue to visit the site with an open mind. We don't need you coming with your red pen in hand, telling us how we rambled on about a particular subject, or if our grammar needs a bit fine-tuning. I don't know if that's what you do for a living, and frankly I don't care. But we don't issue grades on The Sports Brief. We just write about topics that interest us and hope it will spark interest in those that stumble onto our website and read it.

Apparently we've done that with you. It's just unfortunate you couldn't do it with an open mind and be more supportive of a few guys who are doing this in their spare time merely for kicks and entertainment. That's all it is, just an attempt to entertain those that visit.

Thanks again, and please continue to visit The Sports Brief.

-Bess