2012-13 NBA preview

 Lakers House, Staples Center from NBA 2K13

So tonight we kick of the 2012-13 NBA season with a couple of pretty interesting games on TNT. First the Celtics travel to South Beach to take on the defending champions, Miami Heat followed by the Dallas Mavericks being hosted by my Los Angeles Lakers. I’ll be looking into the favorites for this season, surprises and other things to expect during the basketball year.

This is one of those seasons where I don’t expect many contenders for the title. There are maybe 3 teams who I give a legit shot at the O’Brien trophy. Miami, LA, OKC are top contenders (according to my sports book the Heat are the favs at only +120, while LA and the Thunder are at +200); two other teams that could be interesting to watch are the Celtics and the Spurs. Beyond that I can’t see anyone even coming close to these 3 big ones.

My main focus will be those 3 teams starting with the defending champs. It’s no secret I hate the Heat with passion but there is no denying they are a great team, not for nothing the won it all last year. The core of the team, LeBron, Wade and Bosh, remains intact and they’ve added some interesting pieces, mainly Rashad Lewis and Ray Allen. While these 2 won’t put up All Star numbers they will be of great help off the bench, one of their few weaknesses last season, and will help keep the Big 3 rested and in top form for when they are required to perform. LeBron is the greatest physical specimen in the league, I still doubt his mental toughness but last year he proved he has enough of what it takes to be a champion.

The Oklahoma Thunder had a coming out party in the playoff series vs the Spurs last year; they are true contenders and will be great this year. The topic of recent conversation regarding them was the departure of James Harden, the thing was Harden (who has the greatest NBA beard ever) wanted more money in a shorter period of time and the Thunder would not give it to him, so they set up a deal this past weekend with the Houston Rockets that sent Harden, Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook and Lazar Hayward to H-Town for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, two 1^st round draft picks and a 2^nd rounder. All in all it was a good deal for both sides; the Thunder didn’t really lose THAT much, got a solid player in K-Mart and a gamble on Lamb, plus the draft picks; also Harden got his extension with a 6 million upgrade as to what OKC offered him. This being said I don’t think this changes the Thunder’s chances at a title, neither does Vegas; Westbrook and Durant are spectacular, Ibaka is a monster on D and they will be in serious contention for the title but will wind up coming up a bit shot.

Now on to the Lakers. Did any team have a better offseason? Ever? They only lost often injured and yet to fulfill his potential Andrew Bynum in the deal that got them Dwight Howard. Any smart NBA follower will tell you this is a steal, and it is! While Howard is a diva, you know you’ll get 15-15 night in and night out and a huge post presence that few teams have. Then you get Steve Nash who is not nearly what he was 5 years ago but will be a huge upgrade to any PG the Lakers have had in recent memory, he will be great for the pick and roll and will create a ton of shots for Kobe. The impact of Nash is beyond description, the amount of energy Kobe expends to fight for a shot is astonishing and Steve will be of huge help with this. So all in all you get a hall of famer PG, a future HOFer Center in addition to Kobe, Gasol and Metta World Peace, can’t get much better in a 5 month span. Will the Lakers win it all? Will everything work to perfection in year one? Not sure on both questions, we could have a case of what happened to Miami in year one of the Big 3. Still LA should win the West with ease.

As I said before, these are the only 3 teams I give a chance to win the title. That is not to say that there won’t be other fun teams & surprises. For one, the Portland Trailblazers will be a really entertaining team night in and night out; they won’t win more than 40 games but all 82 will be real enjoyable. Denver is another one of those fast paced, don’t care about defense teams who always provides some fun TV time. Chicago will be fun to watch, and depending if D-Rose returns could be a contender for the title; I see an interesting scenario where the Bulls are 6 or 7^th in the East and Rose comes back around March and they make a serious run at the Heat. Also the Houston Rockets will be pretty solid.

Who will take the main individual awards this year?

• MVP: Kevin Durant; barring a long setback due to injury he will be a monster in 12-13


• Scoring champ: KD will take this one for the 3^rd straight year


• Defensive player of the year: Dwight Howard, closely challenged by Serge Ibaka


• Rookie of the year: Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Hornets

As you can see the main awards will be distributed between Lakers and Thunder, thus my prediction of them having great years.

Now the million dollar question, who will reach the NBA Finals and win it all? I’m going with pretty much everyone else’s prediction: Los Angeles Lakers vs Miami Heat. The winner? Logic says it will be the Heat but I’m going with my Lakers –actually saw a NBA 2K13 simulation of the whole season and it predicted the same outcome with LA winning the Finals in 7 games (for the article click here)

Who is your team? Who do you expect to win it all?

Mr Khakbaz out!

Go Lakers!

2012 World Series Preview

Baseball is a real special sport for me for so many reasons. Played it a while even though I sucked, have spent a ton of time at the ballpark with friends and family, have had some great times with my old man playing catch back home Nd have had the chance to interact with fans of lots of teams at 10 or so ballparks I've had a chance to catch games. So on the eve of the start of the World Series I'd like to share my thoughts on the 2012 postseason and how I believe the Fall Classic will unfold.

As always October brings us the most exciting baseball all year; most people don't get the sport and think it is to slow, well when you've never given yourself a chance to go to the ballpark and understand that baseball goes way beyond to what happens on the field, well then you'll never get it.

The Oakland A's made the playoffs when in April no one gave them a chance, and rightfully so. They were in a division with 2 teams that were, in the eyes of many, favorites to win the AL Pennant, the Angels and Rangers. While their playoff run was nothing memorable, their play during the season was a thing of beauty.

Something I will never forget is the EPIC collapse of the New York Yankees. I mean, seriously, how can that happen? You've got Cano, A-Rod and Granderson who just were erased right of the map; first I kind of enjoyed it them I felt bad for these guys. What will 2013 have in store for the Yankees? I believe Jeter will be back, Granderson is liked and will be back. A-Rod has never really clicked with the NY crowd even when he put up MVP caliber numbers; his contract is a nightmare but I really think he needs a fresh start and will be moved to another team. Cano is a real mystery to me, he has all the tools but always seems to collapse at the clutch moment, he is too young and has a great upside thus he will be back.

I expected a bit more out of the Orioles since the Yankees couldn't hit a lick, but somehow they were not able to grind out a series win. In my book the season was really good but the postseason will be remembered as a disappointment, if remembered at all.

On to the Tigers and Giants. Two teams that have a similar build and play to similar strengths. What I'll do is try and break down the different areas of the game and see who has the "advantage" based on that.

Hitting. This is a clear advantage for the Tigers since they have the eventual MVP Miguel Cabrera, Prince Field and Delmon Young who always seems to have big playoff series. The Giants rely on timely hitting lead by Buster Posey but are not as explosive as Detroit. Advantage Detroit.

Starting pitching. When you have Justin Verlander on your staff and you can count on him going out there in games 1, 4 and 7 if needed you must feel pretty good, and a guy like Max Scherzer and you are in great shape. The Giants have Matt Cain, bust Barry Zito -who has been really good recently- and Madison Bumbgartner, and somewhere lost in the shuffle Tm Lincecum, who from what I hear will not be in the rotation. Both rotations are solid as heck and a huge part of why these teams have gotten so far. Again, advantage Tigers.

Bullpen. No need to get into much detail here, the advantage goes by far to the Giants.

Managing. I guess I'll be a bit biased since Giants' manager Bruce Bochy was the manager of my Padres for 12 years and I really like the guy. Jim Leyland is one of those guys that will always put the team in a position to succeed, he is as good as they come, doesn't overthink stuff and just lets his guys go. Bochy is very similar in those aspects but I believe he has a deeper relationship and knowledge of his player that could prove to be the difference in the tight games we'll have. Advantage Giants.

Intangibles. Luck. Call it what you want but so many things have gone the Giants way it's amazing. A simple example is that double Hunter Pence got last night with the bases loaded; thanks to Fox's 300 FPS camera we got to see how the bat broke and actually made contact with the ball 3 times! Never have I seen that happen. Just timely hits, a bounce there, and you find a way to sneak into he finals. But then again, luck is usually on the side of better prepared, more talented teams and people.

The final tally is 3-2 in favor of the Giants; but I still believe the 2 areas where the Tigers are favorites are the most important ones. Sports books seem to agree as Detroit is at -170 and SF is at +140 to take it all.

My prediction is that the Detroit Tigers will take it all in 6 games. My heart wants the Giants to win it all, hoping they can close it out at AT&T Park since it's one of the best venues to catch a game (was lucky enough to catch 4 games in the summer of 04 while at Stanford) and they have some of the best fans around.

Regardless of the end result I hope we get some real exciting games with great pitching, timely hitting and just all around, fun to watch ballgames.
Who do you think will take it all?

Mr Khakbaz out!

Making sense of the Chargers mess

So it’s been a while since I blogged at all, I guess it has to do with being so active on twitter (@MrKhakbaz). After all it is considered a micro-blogging site and in a way it’s a means to talk, share thoughts or just vent on any random topic. So what brought me back? A horrible performance by the San Diego Chargers.

If you follow me on twitter, or on really old posts, you know I’m a huge sports fan, specially the Chargers; historically they have been a pretty crappy all time record (395-388-11, prior to this season), recently they have been “better” yet are one of those franchises that every year it seems they are on the brink of greatness and something gets in the way; whether it be injuries, draft mistakes, a fumble here or a pick there they always come close yet always seem to fail.

Yesterday I heard a ton of stuff on the Chargers demise. Some I thought was right, some I thought was pure bullshit trying to have some cheesy material for people to listen to or to write about. A couple of my favorite sports writers are Colin Cowherd (@ESPN_Colin) and Mike Wilbon (@RealMikeWilbon) have some very interesting points.

Cowherd, while may be a little extremist and someone I don’t always concur with, had the point of “why should I care to talk about the Chargers?”. At first I simply thought “you’re a sports writer, you should talk about them” but then he explained that if the organization didn’t care about the results why should he. He went into more detail talking about how AJ Smith was so full of himself and would never acknowledge that hiring Norv Turner was a mistake from the get go. That is as big a certainty as there is. Smith fired Marty Schottenheimer after a 14-2 record in 2006, you must expect the replacement to perform the same –maybe not a 14-2 record but at least to be better in the playoffs, right?- move on from 2007 till the present day, Turner has a 11-5, 8-8, 13-3, 9-7 & 8-8. While that is a better overall record than Marty (52-34 vs. 47-33) the context is totally different. Marty took over a team that was laughable while turner took over a 14-2 team!

I understand many of you will not understand what these last numbers mean, let’s do a quick exercise: who is a better coach, Bill Parcells or Wade Phillips? Pretty sure any football fan with half a functioning brain will say Parcells, right? It’s a simple answer, but if you go to the numbers Tuna has a .570 winning percent vs. a .573 by Phillips (which will go higher now that he is with Houston) yet the context is totally different. Parcells took over horrible teams and built them from scratch and won 2 Lombardi Trophy’s while Phillips is considered a defensive genius who has been hired  / upgraded from a specialty coach to a head coach of pretty good teams and done nothing! Sound familiar?

Wilbon talked about how that Chargers are “nappers”. Could not put a better adjective; this goes from owners all the way to the 3^rd string defensive backs, the team has seemed disinterested, not really caring and assuming that eventually the talent they have would be enough to win a couple of games and slide into the playoffs. How has that gone the last couple of years?

This may seem as a Norv Turner bashing post, while to a certain degree it is it also is a Chargers organization bashing. From top to bottom this organization is a joke. From the owners who aren’t willing to spend bucks in complimentary players and expect a economically depleted city to spend cash on a new stadium that will only benefit them! What kind of stupid logic is that? The General Manager is a clown who is not willing to admit his most profound mistake, hiring Turner, who in turn has taken a pretty talented team and turned them into the worst coached, most unprepared team I have seen in years –only comparable to what Jason Garret has done with the Cowboys-. I’m a huge Phillip Rivers fan and believe he has a ton of talent but numbers, in this case, don’t lie; he has gone down in every single category –well, up if you count interceptions- from 2008 where 7.1% of his passes where TDs and in 2009 where 1.9% of his passes where picked off to a 4.6% and 3.4% respectively in 2011.

What happens now? Well, they are 3-3 going into the bye week but regardless of what happens the rest of 2012-13 the Chargers problems run much deeper than a 10-6 or 8-8 record it goes way beyond this. I try to look at the big picture and what happens in the long run, I seriously hope they do bad and eventually fire coaches and the GM –but am not sure it will, should have happened this past offseason-; I know it’s not the way a fan should think that way but I truly think it’s the only way they will finally change things for the better.

I’m not even sure the past 867 words made any sense; I think it was a way for me to make some sense on what happened this past Monday, which is hard to understand. I didn't even mention Peyton Manning in this post, while Denver's return was possible in a big way because of #18, it would have never been possible if it no were for the brutal performance the Chargers put on.

What are your thoughts on the Chargers debacle or your teams current performance?

Khakbaz out!

NBA Finals

And the there were 2 (yeah I've been watching to much Seinfeld), we are finally down to the final two teams in the NBA Playoffs, that means it's NBA Finals time.

We've got the Miami Heat taking on the Dallas Mavericks, starting out Tuesday at 9PM ET on ABC



Both teams come in as hot a possible at predicting this will be a tough one, so lets break each team down to see who has a possible advantage at winning it all.

Dallas Mavericks

Without a doubt Dirk Nowitzki has been the player of these playoffs. No one has been more reliable, made bigger shots and carried the team on his shoulder. He has been a force in the paint, from mid-range and from behind the 3 point line, all in all averaging 28.4 points a game (2nd only to Kevin Durant). Oh and what can I say about his free throw shooting, he is 130 out of 140; that translates into a 92.9%. Just all in all a great player, and from what you hear in press conferences and interviews, a great team leader. He has been often regarded as a soft player due to his laid back attitude, I believe nothing is further from the truth and these 15 games have proven that

Along with Dirk's spectacular play, 38 year old Jason Kidd has played his part really well. While he doesn't have the speed he had 94 years ago he arrived at the NBA, he makes up with smarts and experience. He is averaging 7.7 assists per game and has averaged 2.2 steals per game; along with all the intangible he brings to the court.

To complement Kidd come Jason Terry and JJ Barea. Terry, the only other survivor along with Nowitzki from that 2006 team, we know about and know what he is capable off -great player off the bench, provides a spark, can run with the best of them, and when he gets hot he can take over a game -if not, ask the Lakers what happened after he was burning them up and ended the game 9 for 10 from behind the arc. Barea we, or casual fans, didn't know much about, but he has been an incredibly valuable asset; his speed and aggressive style provide a change of pace from what defenses see from J-Kidd and the JET, he has been a huge spark for the team and has really come into his own come playoff time -even with the huge cheap shot he took from Andrew Bynum-.

Inside the paint we've got Tyson Chandler and Shawn Marion, both of whom haven't put great individual numbers but represent what the Mavs are all about, getting the best result for the team regardless of who scores the basket.

Dallas comes off beating Portland 4 games to 2, sweeping the Lakers 4-0 (the most dominant playoff series win in a long, long time), and finally ousting the OKC Thunder 4-1 in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Miami Heat

There is no secret that I loathe the Heat, to me they are the furthest definition of what a team should be. They are just a gathering of All-Stars who have no idea on how to play as a team. I was convinced they wouldn't make it far due to this, yet they got to the final step of the way. Could it be enough or has their luck run out?

First and foremost they have Lebron James. Possibly one of the most gifted player since... nah I'm not going to compare him to a true legend. A great all around player who has only one thing on his agenda, himself. Just the other day I tweeted with my Beachbody coach (@katiechoudary, check her out even if you don't work out, she motivates the heck out of you to make every day count) and we were talking about players with class, she mentioned Derrick Rose and I was totally with her on the point that the kid shows class in every thing he does on and off the court; another example would be Ray Allen and Doc Rivers who showed the utmost class when the Heat were celebrating the win as if it was a Title, they stayed on the court to shake their hands and acknowledge they were beaten by the better team. On the other hand Lebron has no such attribute, from his infamous "The Decision" special, to his comments and all around attitute; they just scream out ASSHOLE. All that being said, there is no doubt he is on of the best players on the court today.

Along with James we've got D-Wade, who in my opinion is the most complete player there is in the world -there, I said it-. He plays every aspect of the game at a high lever, he may not be the best in all of them but when you put all the pieces together you get the most well rounded player there is. He is one of my favorites in and out of the arena and it's a shame that people boo him just because he is associated with Lebron.

Along with those 2 come Chris Bosh, Mario Chalmers, Mike Bibby and a whole cast of players that will no doubt play a huge role on how the series will evolve.

The Heat come into the Finals after beating Philadelphia 4-1 in the 1st round, the Celtics 4-1 in the 2nd, and finally the Bulls 4-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Final(s) Breakdown

• Both teams have a 12-3 record


• Dallas has the bigger series win (4-0) over the Lakers


• Dallas has a better scorer in the Playoffs with Dirk's 28.4 PPG compared to LeBron's 26.0 PPG


• Dallas has a better assist man in Jason Kidd with 7.7 APG during the playoffs


• As a team Dallas has been scoring 99.7 PPG to Miami's 92.9 (8.8 point difference)


• Miami has better team defense as they allow 88.3 PPG to the Mavs' 92.5 (4.2 PPG difference)


• Dallas still has the better difference between PPG scored vs PPG alloved with +7.2 to Miami's +4.6 (second place these playoffs, not a coincidence)


• Dallas has a better FG% 46.3% to the Heat's 44.3%


• Miami's Defensive FG% is better with 41.9% vs the 44.6% posted by Dallas


• 3PT FG% is owned by Dallas with 38.8% against Miami's 32.2%


• The arena noise, from what I've heard on TV (I've only been to the American Airlines Center in DFW  and it LOUD even in a mid-season game) is some much more of a factor in Dallas. I feel bad when the game starts in Miami as you see a ton of empty seats.

From the bullet points (not taking in account the crowd factor) Dallas has a 7-2 lead yet when it comes to picking a real winner it is so much harder that just these stats. The series opens in Miami and most betting sites have the Heat a 4.5 point favorite with a 187.5 point O/U. That is much bigger of a difference than what I expected. Also they are putting Miami as the favorite as you have to bet 17.5 dollars to win 10 while Dallas pays you $14.50 for every 10 you bet. That is so one sided.

Who you got? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this or any other topic in the comments section

With all that said, my final pick to win the 2011 NBA Title is:

Dallas Mavericks in 6 games.

P.S. If Dallas wins the 1st game I will say it's over right on the spot. Let's see how it goes and I'll post my thoughts on Game 1 tomorrow night or early Wednesday.

For now...

Mr Khakbaz out!!!

NBA Conference Semifinals

>Well we're off with a bang in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. To say that we have had some incredible games is an understatement. Basically every series was competitive to some degree and without a doubt we've gotten some see-to-believe finishes.
16 teams started, we had some favorites get the early boot (Spurs I'm looking at you!), some teams no one gave 2 cents about moving on (Grizzlies), and some teams who may not have made it still fought to the end and provided us with some fun games (Pacers, Hornets). Well, with no further ado, let's go straight into the 2nd round preview.

Eastern Conference
#3 Boston Celtics vs #2 Miami Heat

This series is one that everyone wanted to see. I, for one, had picked the Heat to win their 1st round matchup with the 76ers in 5 games, which they did in that exact number of games and in convincing fashion. On the other hand we get the Celtics who I expected to lose against the Knicks in 6 games, and boy was i wrong and badly wrong, they just ran over the Knicks who made it interesting in the first two games but after that it was all Celts who swept to advance into the second round.
Without a doubt these are the two teams people are most interested in from the Eastern Conference -the Bulls are the 3rd one, and my pick to advance to the NBA Finals but that is for another time- and wanted to get this matchup. Boston brings to the table their 3-headed monster: Ray Allen -the best pure shooter in the history of the game, still is at the age of 35-, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, while Miami has it's on trio in the form of Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade. Man to man I think the Heat's Big 3 are a bit better than those of Boston but in the playoffs I still side with experience and true team playing.
Role player-wise both teams have some interesting players. Rondo had a huge triple-double vs NY but has a tendency to disappear in big games and is always a question mark in my book. You've also got players like Delonte West (Lebron James' mom favorite player), Jeff Green and Big Baby. Anything Boston can do will hugely depend on what role players can do, every series you have these guys winning one or two games and that makes a difference.
Miami has some great players other than the Big 3: Big Z, James Jones, Mario Chalmers and Mike Bibby. I really expect Jones to be a huge factor in this series as Boston can be a little slow in transition defense and Jones will have some open looks from 3-point land.
I believe the Heat have the talent advantage while the Celtics have the experience edge. I really want LeBron to lose and take his talents on vacation, but I'm reluctantly going to pick the Heat to win in 6 games.
Pick: Miami Heat in 6 games.

#5 Atlanta Hawks vs #1 Chicago Bulls

In my last blog I predicted the Hawks to beat Orlando in 6 games which I got right. Also picked the Bulls to dispose in 5 games of the Pacers that was also right. I wrote that the winner of the Hawks-Magic series would not make it passed this second round against the Bulls and I'm keeping that prediction.
While the Bulls were pushed to the limit in the first 3 games by Indiana, and to be realistic they played pretty bad in the 1st 2 and still won; that is a testament of a great time, to be able to somehow win a game you did not deserve to win.

I'm not going into deep detail for this series as I expect the Bulls to take it pretty easily led by soon-to-be League MVP Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah. This trio somewhat reminds me of the 90's Bulls that had Jordan (Rose plays his role, NOT SAYING ROSE IS AS GOOD AS JORDAN, but he plays his role), Deng is the Pippen of this team and Noah is like Rodman who was all over the place, fought every ball to the death, didn't have the best technique but his heart is bigger that anyone on the floor.
Pick: Chicago Bulls win this series in 5 games.

Western Conference
#8 Memphis Grizzlies vs #4 Oklahoma City Thunder

This is a series never in my wildest dreams expected to happen. Memphis had a date with the #1 seed San Antonio Spurs in the first round which I expected the Spurs to take easily but what happened on the court was a totally different story. The Spurs were outplayed, out matched, out hustled by the Grizzlies, who showed a ton of heart after that brutal loss in game 5 (the one with the Manu 3 (2) pointer, and the Gary Neal game tying 3 pointer as time expired to send it to overtime) to rebound and take it in game 6 in dominant fashion. The Thunder kicked the Nuggets out of contention in 5 games of what was a pretty fun series and gave us some entertaining games but in the end was dominated all the way by OKC.
For the second series in a row, Memphis will be the huge underdogs but without a doubt will go down fighting. I expect this to be a lot closer than what many people think, with the Zach "Blue Collar" Randolph led Grizzlies pushing Durant, Ibaka and Russell Westbrook to the limit.
Every game the Grizzlies win extends what has already been an improbable playoff run. Randolph has been superb and will need to continue to give Memphis a chance, he may have his way inside due to the lack of inside size for the Thunder. With all that being said, I think OKC has too much young talent, a great coach and lots of poise to make-up for the lack of experience.
Pick: Oklahoma Thunder in 7 games.

#3 Dallas Mavericks vs #2 Los Angeles Lakers

It is no secret that I'm a huge Laker fan so you can predict who I want to win , but I'll try to be as objective as possible. Mavs won a hard fought 6 game series with the Blazers (I had it in 7 games), while the Lakers were given there moneys worth by the Hornets with also a 4-2 series win.
As always Dallas is a contender in the West but they are, as always, lacking the IT factor. The don't have that inside dominant position; Kidd (at 38) and Nowitzki are amazing talents but a two man team will come up short at some point, or for the last 5-7 years.
The Lakers will have a huge size advantage with Bynum and Gasol on the inside. My question is, will we get the Gasol from game 1 against NO or the on from the final games in the regular series? That will be a deciding factor on who this series goes. You know Kobe will do his part, Fisher and Blake will do their thing, Odom will get it done, but Bynum and Gasol could make this a 4 game sweep or push the series deep.
Lakers weren't impressive in the 1st round against New Orleans but I believe they will be much more dominant against Dallas as they match up so much better against them. CP3 gave the Lakers fits as they don't have anyone fast enough to defend him but the Mavs don't have a threat like that. Without a doubt LA must win game 1 to take control of the series and not be forced to win game 2. That being said...
My pick: Lakers in 5 games.

After a spectacular first round in the NBA Playoffs I hope we get more of the same great ball...

Who you got? Who's your favorite

Mr Khakbaz out!!!

NBA Playoff picks

>Now that if finished my first round predictions I give you my playoff bracket where I pick put the teams I picked in the next round and so on and so forth until I predict my NBA Champion for the 2011 season.



For more detailed breakdown on every matchup check out My Eastern Conference blog and my Western Conference blog.

On next NBA blog I'll compare my predictions to what happened and lets see how it goes.

Who are your favorite teams to win it all in 2011???

For now...

Mr Khakbaz out!!!

NBA Playoffs Western Conference

The NBA season is finally over and it's time for the playoffs. For any NBA fan this is the best time of the year as we are down to the best teams of the year get to show their skills against the other best teams in games that actually mean something. I'll take a look at each Western Conference playoff series, the teams, players, injuries and what I expect the outcome to be. (to check out my my Eastern Conference blog click here)

#1 San Antonio Spurs vs #8 Memphis Grizzlies 

In my opinion the Spurs have been, by far, the best team in the NBA this season; that being said they aren't the favorite to move on to the NBA Finals, mostly because the have to go through the Lakers to get there and they aren't 100% healthy. Still I see them as favorite to take this series against the Grizzlies who have been a nice surprise this season; heck they are the 8th seed and are 10 games over .500 so they aren't a bad team yet they don't have that one great player that can take over a game. I expect the Spurs to take it in 5. And really hope they move on deep into the playoffs, more into that in a bit.

#2 Los Angeles Lakers vs. Now Orleans Hornets

If you have read other blog entries you know I'm a Lakers fan so there is not much secret who my favorite will be in this series. Right about now I'm pretty scared as to how far the Lakers can go in the playoffs, it all depends on Andrew Bynum's knee; when the Lakeshow had their amazing run after the All-Star break Bynum was playing to his full potential and better than at any point in his young -albeit injury-filled- career and the Lakers were leaps and bound ahead of everyone else. While LA's doctors said Drew's injury was only a bone bruise I'm not sure about that as he has had a history of right knee issues;that being said, if Bynum can be effective the Lakers are the top title contenders. New Orleans is a solid, discrete team lead by Chris Paul and David West, their problem this series is their lack size to take on the Lakers, who even without Andrew are far bigger than the Hornets.
I really want the Spurs and Lakers to go deep into the playoffs for 2 reasons: first, this could be one of those epic historic series that people will talk about for years to come; and second, I would have the chance to go up to SA and watch a couple of games live. I'm not a fan of the LA crowd as it's mostly composed of Hollywood starts who are there more to get on camera than because they care about the team, on the other hand the San Antonio crowd is amazing, every game they play seems like a playoff game (you can check out my to blog on the Miami Heat - San Antonio game or the Los Angeles Lakers - San Antonio Spurs where I get more into depth on that topic.)
I'm taking the Lakers in a 4 game sweep.

#3 Dallas Mavericks vs #6 Portland Trailblazers

This is a pretty interesting series, I enjoy watching both teams as they play some pretty exciting ball. The Mavs are led by Dirk Nowitzki while the Blazers rely on a team of young players led by LaMarcus Aldrige along with Brandon Roy who was a superstar in the making that could never live up to full potential due to bad knees. While both teams are entertaining I don't see them making it deep into the playoffs due to a lack of depth. This series is kind of a toss-up since they are pretty evenly matched up and both teams play really good at home, therefore I expect the Mavs to take this in 7.

#4 Oklahoma City Thunder vs #5 Denver Nuggets 

This is, by far, my favorite matchup of the 1st Round in the West. While I root for the Lakers the Thunder are a favorite of mine to watch, they are a young team that has grown a lot the last couple of years and still have a ton of potential to grow more; you've got Kevin Durant, who doesn't get enough praise and publicity for the great player he is, along with Serge Ibaka, Russell Westbrook, Kendrik Perkins, Thabo Sefolosha and a bunch of great young talent, they are a great team that will only get better. On the other hand we have the Denver Nuggets who have been, in my opinion, a big surprise after the Carmelo trade; I know they got some great players in return but I did not expect them to fit in George Karl's system so fast. Both teams are quick, score a lot, shoot well, have an average defense and have great crowds that always make the games that much hotter. This series is really hard to pick but I'm taking the Thunder in 6, this pick is based on my desire for OKC to advance and nothing more.

Who are your favorite teams to win it all in 2011???

For now...

Mr Khakbaz out!!!

NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference

The NBA season is finally over and it's time for the playoffs. For any NBA fan this is the best time of the year as we are down to the best teams of the year get to show their skills against the other best teams in games that actually mean something. I'll take a look at each Eastern Conference playoff series, the teams, players, injuries and what I expect the outcome to be. (to check out my Western Conference blog click here)

#1 Chicago Bulls vs. #8 Indiana Pacers

So we have the best team in the East led by Derrick Rose taking on the Pacers who frankly have no players I know by name, still the must be doing something good enough to get to the playoffs -well not really because they ended the season 37-45 and to have a team with 8 more losses than wins have a chance to win the Title is bullsh*t, I'm all for a change in the NBA and reduce the number of playoff teams to 4 o 6 (a la NFL) but that is for another blog-. Chicago has been dominant all season led by Rose -my MVP pick- along with Noah, Boozer, Brewer and other guys and will easily take this matchup in 5 games, still I'm not totally sold on the being a championship team although I'm pushing so much for them because I enjoy watching them play and Chicago was so much overdue for a winning team.

#2 Miami Heat vs #7 Philadelphia 76ers

Miami taking their talents into the playoffs is no surprise, heck it was an obligation for a team with that much talent and all of the acquisitions they made. Philadelphia is another of those teams that makes the playoffs because of the system and really has no chance to win this series. LeBron, Wade -THE most important player for the Heat-, Bosh will prove to much even if they underachieve as they have done a good part of the season. I've got the Heat taking it in 5.

#3 Boston Celtics vs #6 New York Knicks 

This is the most intriguing match-up in the 1st round of the East. The Knicks (ever since the Carmelo Anthony trade) have been a tough riddle to decipher; some games they seem like a Title contender and other games they seem totally lost. A truth is that even in the game that they have won their defense is lackluster, heck even I think a could drop 25-30 on them any given night. On the other hand the Celtics have a ton of experience so they have an advantage in that aspect, my doubts start after the Perkins trade and their faith on a old and injured Shaq. Both teams have been inconsistent the last couple of months so picking a winner will be hard but I will take a risk and pick The Knicks in 6 games.

#4 Orlando Magic vs #5 Atlanta Hawks

 

This is another tough series to predict. For me the Magic is a team with lots of problems, it basically consists of Dwight Howard and 4 other midgets; while the Hawks are just a team I'm not sold on in any way. But both teams have done something right to earn a spot at 4 & 5. Not to interested in this series as I don't see any these teams going past the next round, for blog sakes I'll take Atlanta in 6.

Who are your favorite teams to win it all in 2011???

For now...

Mr Khakbaz out!!!

San Antonio trip, day 3 – LOS ANGELES LAKERS vs San Antonio Spurs

So after a Saturday of walking around and shopping in San Antonio - boy, I love this place- bought a couple of books, some clothes and a kick ass #24 Lakers jersey/tshirt (for you noobs, #24 is future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant). All in all a great day, but Sunday was the reason for this trip.

So early Sunday I catch some SportsCenter to get up date on everything sports, there is a ton of hype for the Lakers-Spurs game. At 12:30 I'm off to the AT&T Center which is about 5 minutes from the hotel and get my 8 dollar parking, pretty far but the cheapest you can get inside the Crappy Cellphone Carrier Center.

I was accustomed to arenas opening their doors about an hour and a half before game time but they make us wait for a while and open just an hour before tip-off. Waiting time was fun as there were a lot of Laker fans and had some great talks with people around me, even got invited to a party in Austin.

So finally I'm in the arena at 1:30 and a huge "Beat LA" chant starts so us Lakers fans start a "Let's go Lakers!" which was a good way to start gameday. It got even better just a minute later as Spurs cheerleaders were out signing autographs. -didn't care for the signing but looking at those hot women was something nice.

I get my butt up to my seat with a nice hot dog and a cold Bud Light. Again lots of LA fans around me which is always nice... you form this quick bond with fans when you are rooting for the visiting team, kinda like a brotherhood during and after the game.

We get lots of cheers during the player introductions. Kobe gets huge cheers and huge boos (nothing like LeBron on Friday who got booed like crazy as people don't like him nor respect him, unlike Kobe who is hated for being on the opposing team, but is respected for the kind of player he is), Manu gets the most cheers for the local team. That was about the last time the crowd was as hot.

Right from the get-go this on was in cruise-control for LA. Well not exactly as SA started out winning 2-0 but the next 11 minutes and 45 seconds was all Lakers who ended leading the 1st Q 34-13 thus opening a 21 point lead. We get more of the same in the 2Q and the LakeShow go up 28 at halftime.

Time for another beer and more of the same as the LA gets the lead up to 30 points and we see lots of bench players for both squads and the Lakers end up winning 99-83.

Final thoughts

• All in all the Lakers played a near-perfect game and San Antonio had an off night, well overdue after 22 straight home wins.


• Kobe had a nice game ending with 26 points leaving him 12 points behind Moses Malone in the all-time points scoring list (27409 to Kobe's 27397).


• A great experience as I had last seen the Lakers live about 12-14 years ago (they still played at the Forum) and I had never seen them as a visitor.


• I think I'm unbeaten when traveling to see a sporting event. SAN DIEGO @ Dallas (NFL), Charlotte @ DALLAS (NBA), Orlando @ SPURS (NBA), Nets @ MAVS, SAN DIEGO @ Houston (NFL), Charlotte @ HOUSTON (NBA), Heat @ SPURS (NBA), LAKERS @ Spurs (NBA)


• The crowd at the AT&T Center is one of the best in the NBA. Rowdy like crazy in the Miami game; against the Lakers not so much (being down 30 doesn't help) but still had a playoff atmosphere.


• Spurs still have the best record but Lakers are still the team to beat.


• Heat are so overrated.


• Will be back in San Antonio for the Playoffs when, here comes my prediction, my Lakers take on the Spurs in the Conference final. Come to think about it I'll be in San Antonio for Raw in May so maybe I'll make that trip a 2 for 1.

Pictures will be up tomorrow.

MrKhakbaz out

Super Bowl XLV

The best Sunday of the year is 10 days away.

The day that requires most pizza and beer than any other one along the year.

The day that generates the most TV sales than any other day during the year.

The 20 minutes where people flush the toilets the most is almost here.

Damn right! It's almost Super Bowl Sunday!!!

We've got two of the most storied franchises in NFL history.

On one hand the Green Bay (it's only like my favorite bay, Friends reference go to 1:15) Packers are a synonym of championships (NFL Titles and Super Bowls), heck they won with Lombardi the 1st edition of the Super Bowl, they had great years, the had glory years with Favre, Freeman, Mason, etc. Now they got a young coach in Mike McCarthy who has don a great job and got a good group of assistants. A awesome Defensive Coordinator in Don Capers who is just a defensive mastermind to go along with stars like Clay Matthews, AJ Hawk, Charles Woodson, BJ Raji, and Nick Barnett (although he went on IR mid-season); most people won't like this, but I think the Packers D is just a tad better that the Steelers unit. Oh, and not to be forgotten, one of the premier (whether you like it or not) quarterbacks in the NFL. A well rounded, solid, entertaining football team.

On the other one we have the team that has won the most rings in history, one of the truly well run franchises in the NFL, the Rooneys are the most well talked about owners, they have a huge fanbase in and out of Pittsburgh and have put a pretty darn solid team on the field. Never have been a fan of Mike Tomlin (I think he has not done enough to get the defense younger, still solid and great now but they haven´t prepared for the future). Big Ben has had some off-field issues but still puts up solid numbers, not MVP numbers but finds a way to win which is what counts (cough cough Tom Brady the last 3 years). And the defense, has been and still is THE staple of this team. I'm not a big fan of Steelers games, I don't find them very fun to watch but you can´t argue with results.

Most betting sites have the Packers 2.5 point favorites with a 44.5 over/under. I've been pretty good picking teams these playoffs, I think I'm 8 for 10 or something like that. But this is a really tough call to make; I find the Packers a more solid team but just can't go against Big Ben in big games, he just finds a way to win. Most of the players on the rosters will be healthy come game time, the only big doubt is Pittsburgh's center who got injured in the AFC Championship; as of yesterday he was wearing a walking boot and was not being considered for the game, this could be a big hit for Pitt as we saw what happened on the safety -you are losing that security along with the good blocking of the starter - we'll see how that plays out in the next week.

Putting the on-field action aside for a moment, you know the presentation of the game will be something to watch. Jerry Jones wants to make this the biggest Super Bowl ever so he will go to every extreme to guarantee that. The stadium itself is a site to behold (was there for the Chargers-Cowboys game last December), the screen is awe-inspiring, just an awesome place to watch the game. The Halftime Show with the Black Eyed Peas is gonna be a good good one (catch the drift), good music, a great stage, lighting, the whole ambiance is gonna be great and ensured to give people the time of their life (subtle right). It has to be good as this is one of the things that attracts non-football fans (along with the commercial breaks, which I don't care for as I used the time for bathroom breaks, getting another beer o some more pizza).

Back to the main topic. I can't say I'm not biased towards Green Bay; as a kid they were my second favorite team (behind my local Chargers) I had the chance to be a part of the Super Bowl XXXII (where Denver beat the Packers and Elway had that infamous run and flip) festivities, parties, NFL Experience and I have to say I was pulling for the Packers while wearing my Cheese-Head which I still have today; I also find interesting how the ownership the Packers work, they are basically a publicly owned team. With all that being say, here's my prediction (for now and pending any injuries, off-field stuff and any thing else that can happen -basically a disclaimer that means I can change my pick between now and February 6 at 630pm EST-):

Packers 27 - Steelers 23

I see the Packers starting out strong, the Steelers having to come back from behing. Pitt needs to pressure and hit Rodgers; you saw what the hit by Peppers did to him (by the way Peppers was fined by the NFL more on that here), he got clobbered and was not the same the rest of the game. I see Ben having an average game and not a 503 yard performance like the one he had last year against the Packers (which Pitt won on a last second score), they need to try and establish the run from the beginning as Play-Action passes are a big part of their offense -same goes for Green Bay.

Tight game where Green Bay goes up by 10, Steelers get a FG to get withing 7 points but don't get another chance to tie it up.

And to stay totally unbiased, GO PACKERS!

MrKhakbaz out!

NFL Playoffs - SuperBowl

>So yesterday we had the Conference Championship games.

First off we had Bears @ Packers.

To call this game weird would be an understatement. Packers played a laid back game, Chicago was down by 14 and had defeat written all over, as if it were 42 down. Strange game for Jay Cutler who didn't play most of the second half due to, what the bears called, a knee injury. As a knee surgery patient I'm not gonna judge Cutler, but just found it odd that he did not receive medical attention or did something to get back in the game. What I did find sad was the reaction by LOTS of NFL players calling Jay a quitter and all sorts of bullshit, when they don't know the severity; leave that crap to us mere mortals but players have to be of a higher standard, i just found it disgusting. On a more important note, Packers won the game and are on their way to Arlington. BTW a nice effort by Haine.

The late game was the Jets @ Steelers. This was much more of a steal that what I thought. Jets did not put up a fight in the 1st half, it was as if their game with the Patriots just left the spent. Bad bad defense. The second half was much more tight and, in fact, the jets played better but it was too little to late. In the end the Steelers took the game and are on their way to Cowboys Stadium.

Ironic that 2 of the most storied franchises will play in the stadium of the other important franchise in the NFL.

So it will be Steelers @ Packers (NFC team is the home team this year) at Cowboys Stadium. Vegas opens with the Packers as 2 point favorites. I love the way Rodgers is playing, but i just can´t go against Big Ben in a Big Game. Still have 2 weeks to make up my mind.

BTW the halftime show will be awesome. I love the Black Eyed Peas and you know Jerry Jones will put his effort to make this the most memorable superbowl ever.

MrKhakbaz out!