Top 10: Sports Moments & Games from the First Half of 2008

Well it has been a while since we rolled out a new version of the Top 10. Now I know this is a bit overdue, but I have compiled a list of the top sporting moments and games from the first half of the 2008 season. I will be sure to complete this list when the end of the calendar year rolls around.

So without further hesitation, let's get to the countdown!...

10. Ken Griffey Jr. hits his 600th career Home Run against the Florida Marlins

09. LSU defeated Ohio State in the BCS Championship Game to become the champion of college football.

08. Detroit Red Wings defeated the young guns of the Pittsburgh Penguins to become the Stanley Cup Champions

07. Fresno State in one of the greatest upsets in sports wins the College Baseball World Series

06. Brett Favre retires and cries during his press conference to assure everyone he is done for good...

05. Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon Final which could possibly signify a changing of the guard in the Tennis world

04. Tiger Woods defeated Rocco in a sudden death round of golf to win the 2008 US Open championship

03. Mario Chalmers hit a 3 to send the game into overtime as the Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Memphis Tigers to become college basketball champs

02. The Boston "Three" Party is able to reclaim basketball supremacy for at least a year in Beantown as the Celtics win the 2008 NBA Title.

01. The 18-0 New England Patriots were upset by the underdog New York Giants who won the 2008 Super Bowl in a game which could be symbolized by the catch of David Tyree

Celtics are Champs

Congrats to the Boston Celtics for winning the title, and big props go to Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce for getting their rings (and oh yes you too Sam Cassell). But first thing is first, and I must eat some crow.



On a post dated 11/01/2007, I wrote the following...



"Green Kool*Aid
Don't Sip the Kool*Aid on the Boston Celtics this year!Before the Celtics tip off their season, I just want to put it out there that I am not going to sip on that green kool-aid, celtic flavor. I do not think the Celtics will win the NBA Championship, nor do I think they will win the East. Sure, the Celtics will be a tough team to play against, but they draw similar comparisons to the '03-'04 LA Lakers. The Lakers team that included Kobe, Shaq, Karl Malone,and Gary Payton."





Boy, was I wrong.



Not only was this team the complete real deal composed of 3 superstars who each scaled back their egos and games to compliment each other, but their role players were ideal for this team. Savy Vets like Cassell and PJ Brown, lock-down defender like James Posey, 3-point threats like Eddie House and Tony Allen, and young big men like Leon Powe, Big Baby, and Kendrick Perkins and oh yes an ever improving point guard in Rajon Rondo all contributed significantly to the title run.



I did predict the Celtics to win the finals and I did feel that they were not receiving enough credit against the Lakers, and the C's basically exploited every Laker weakness and forced Kobe into countless uncomforatable offensive situations.

These are the finals the NBA wanted and I do not think it is to far-fetched to predict a repeat finals next year. This was one of the most compelling NBA seasons in recent memory with the parity in the West, the return on Celtic basketball, the Hornets, Chris Paul emerging, Lebron continuing to improve, new stars like Kevin Durant and Brandon Roy, and oh yes the NBA still has a guy named Greg Oden waiting to debut.

More thoughts on the Finals to come. But for now, I wanna hear your thoughts on the Finals!

Kobe Bryant <, >, or = Michael Jordan

So apparently, prior to the NBA Finals everybody was ready to put Kobe Bryant and the same dinner table as Michael Jordan in terms of greatest ever in the NBA. People were ready to assume he was going to go into Boston and take the title and let Phil also make claim as the greatest coach of all-time, surpassing Red.

Coming off of his MVP season, and relatively easy playoff run to the finals, who was going to doubt Kobe Bryant? The team had taken a relative 180 since opening night when he was shown the boo's from the home crowd, that was until they ran into Boston.

I will admit I was one of the first to doubt how successful the Celtics would be going into the season and again going into the playoffs having never played with each other before. I also did feel that they were significantly underrated going into this series. The Celtics were not 25-5 against the West by accident or 2-0 against the Lakers.

The main point here is that Kobe Bryant still does not deserve to be in the conversation with Jordan as the best ever. Considering a lot of opinions the list reads something like this...

1. Michael Jordan

2. Wilt Chamberlain

3. Bill Russell

Do not get me wrong, Kobe is the best current player in the NBA today, but I would like to see him with this title before people start giving him it without playing the series. Sure, he has not gotten a lot of help from "Mr . Softee" Pau Gasol or until last night Lamar Odom, but we are talking about the MVP here. His shooting so far has been dismal, in Game 4 he shot 6-19 and Game 1 09 of 26. To his credit Kobe did have 10 assists in Game 4. From what I gathered in last night's game it just seemed like Kobe was not getting involved early on and tried to turn it on to late, something similar to what Jordan would do. But if your team is up by 24 points Kobe, you should be trying to put the nail in the coffin and make sure your team does not lose that game! Was it not only 2 games earlier where the Lakers came back from a 24 point deficit to get within 2 points of leading the game??

Oh yes, and this supposed corner that Kobe has turned, let me point out that he was the one who left the court last night with 3 seconds left in the game and also made comments after the game saying, "A lot of wine, a lot of beer, couple shots...maybe 20 of them, digest it and get back to work".

http://www.truveo.com/Kobe-After-Game-4-I-Need-A-lot-Of-Beer-Tequila/id/124681640

What are your thoughts on Kobe Bryant? Where does he rank in terms of all-time greats?

NBA Finals Preview!

LAKERS VS CELTICS

So, I am going to take a break from my 4-part series for a moment to take a look into the NBA Finals which kicks off tonight! As I am sure everyone knows by now, the Finals wil pit the Boston Celtics and the LA Lakers with Boston having the home-court advantage in a 2-3-2 format.

After doing some research, it appears a lot of the so-called experts are predicting the Lakers to win in either 5 or 6 games. Did I miss something? Did the Celtics not have the best record in all of basketball this past season? Sure, they have played 5 more playoff games than the Lakers and absolutely did the Atlanta Hawks make the Celtics look pretty damn vulnerable. But if you want to compare previous playoff matchups, I would have the say the Lakers had a bit of an easier task than did the Celtics. The Nuggets play absolutely ZERO defense, and seemingly backed their way into the playoffs. Let's be serious, the Jazz were never a legitimate contender in the West and failed to offer any real offensive threat. The Lakers did make the Spurs look like anything but a defending champion to their credit.

Let's take a brief look, position by position at the matchups going into Game 1...

POINT GUARD:
Derek Fisher v. Rajon Rondo
Fisher definitely provides the experience and the clutch shooting, while Rondo provides explosiveness and has impressed a lot of people by how much he has improved his game through out the season. However, I think Fisher with the Finals experience will be the better player in the series. Advantage: Fisher

SHOOTING GUARD:
Kobe Bryant v. Ray Allen
Well Kobe Bryant is the best player in the league right now, basically enough said. Ray Allen is a classic sniper and when his shot is on, he's one of the best shooters of all time from beyond the arc. The problem is IF Allen is on, and even then Kobe is not the league MVP for nothing.
Advantage: Bryant

SMALL FORWARD:
Vladimir Radmonavic v. Paul Pierce
Radmonavic is an outside shooter, who should not be more than a 3-point specialist off the bench role player, does not offer much for the Lakers. Pierce aka "The Truth", has undoubtably been the emotional leaders of the Boston Three Party and the Celtics. Pierce provides great defense and seems to be the go to guy when the game is on the line for the Celtics.
Advantage: Pierce

POWER FORWARD:
Lamar Odom v. Kevin Garnett
I do believe that Odom is one of the most underrated players in the NBA, and could basically be labeled as the X Factor for the Lakers. Odom can provide 20 points, 10 boards, and 5 assists on any given night with some sound defense. Garnett is much the same in that he provides everything for the Celtics and that also includes top flight defense and a presence that scares many from coming through the paint.
Advantage: Garnett

CENTER:
Pau Gasol v. Kendrick Perkins
Gasol was arguably the biggest steal of the season and has been the perfect compliment to MVP Kobe Bryant. Kendrick Perkins has improved by leaps and bounds this year and has given the Celtics exactly what they needed from a young player like him. Gasol will prove to be one of the key players in the series.
Advantage: Gasol


After breaking down the series position by position, it would appear the Lakers have the edge, not to mention when you factor coaching and Phil Jackson versus Doc Rivers. I think it terms of a bench, the group of Turiaf, Farmar, Vujacic, and Walton compare similarily to Posey, Brown, Big Baby and Cassell. I will have to also note that the Celtics bench does have some Finals experience to help compensate for the lack of experience from the big three.


FINALS PREDICTION: CELTICS IN 7.

Why 7 games? Well I think this has been one of the most entertaining and best NBA seasons in a while and I figure why not end the season on a classic historical 7 game matchup, with the Celts prevailing (And yes I was not sipping the green kool-aid early on).


Who do ya got in the Finals? Comment Below.

A few videos worthy of posting...

TERRELL OWENS CRYING!!

For everyone out there, especially Eagles, 49ers, and Ravens fans (basically teams T.O. has burned in the past) and basically fans of the NFL, here is an epic video of proportions for you to enjoy. After the Giants did everyone a favor and showed how much of fraud Wade Phillips is.

My favorite quote is, "I've always had a great relationship with my quarterback..." PLEASE ask Jeff Garcia and Donovan McNabb about that comment....PLEASE! Hell even ask Drew Bledsoe, who TO was ready to throw under the bus quickly when he wanted Tony out there at Q.

Oh yeah, if Hillary Clinton appeared stronger and more passionate because of her crying performance after winning the projections in New Hampshire, perhaps T.O. will look more passionate as an athlete after this display.

Moving on to my second NEW favorite video...

VOTE FOR CHRIS W. BOSH!

This video is pure genius and it definitely earned a vote from me for Chris Bosh into the All-star game. It will be almost impossible to surpass Lebron and KG to become a starter, but averaging 21.7 ppg and 9.3 rpg, I think he is worthy of an all star nod.

A few other issues of note...

* The Baltimore Ravens hired Eagles secondary and former special teams coach John Harbaugh as the successor to Brian Billick. Interesting hire here to say the least. I have personally seen what Harbaugh can do as he has been with the Eagles organization for a bit of time and I have been impressed with his talents there, however I am not quite sure how this will translate into a head coaching position. It's definitely a gamble for Baltimore and it may pay off going with a youthful coach, IF they are committed to rebuilding in key positions with youth at QB and WR among others.

* Even though the Celtics has slipped up a bit lately, I am beginning to retrack my thoughts on the Celtics not making it to the Finals (and yes since this is my blog, I can change my mind!). KG is one of the most unselfish players in NBA, and it can be said that Pierce and Allen are unselfish as well. They are getting what they need from Rajon Rondo at point and James Posey and Eddie House are the type of role players this team should be content with. My only question about the Celts is if they need a veteran point guard to backup Rondo and step up if he ever becomes hurt. Free Agent PG Gary Payton anyone?

*There are only two remaining coaching vacancies left in the NFL, the Washington Redskins and Atlanta Falcons. Obviously, the Falcons job is not very attractive and with Jason Garrett, Tony Sparano (no no not Tony Soprano) and Pete Carroll essentially out of the picture, I'm not really sure where the Falcons should look next. They better look away from any old timers such as Marty Schottenheimer and avoid knuckleheads like Mike Tice. They need a whole new attitude in there, but perhaps a GM should be hired first. Now for the Redskins, a prediction would be for them to go out there and hire some flashy name like Steve Spurrier or someone from history like Joe Gibbs, but when it comes down to it they were a playoff team, so they should go with someone who could build on the current team and not change the whole team philosophy. The solution: Gregg Williams. P.S. Norm Chow is available and I think a good offensive mind (Dolphins? Ravens? Falcons?)

* Sunday's Conference Championship games should be a lot of fun, not only for the team matchups but for the potential of the weather conditions in both games. I will check back in with predictions before kickoffs.

....til next time

-E

Australia-Bound!

Mates:

I will be taking out for Australia tomorrow until the 17th of January. Not to sure how much I will be able to "chime" im but I hope to give some thoughts on a cricket match or the tennis tourny taking place in Sydney if the opportunity is there.

I'm Just saying....

...Roger Clemens is a moron for the fact that all he has to do is deny he ever took "PEDs" or claim he only took them to recover from an injury. THERE IS NO PROOF EXCEPT HEAR-SAY!

...Johan Santana will not be traded to either New York team and I got a fever he will be headed to Boston.

...Eddie Sutton and the San Francisco hoops program is a joke. To let this guy come back as an interim coach for his 800th victory after having to retire because of a DUI is a bit odd and ridiculous.

...Tom Brady will most likely win MVP, but shouldn't Brett Favre be more deserving? A Brett Favre-less Packers team finishes 4-12.

...Mike McCarthy should win Coach of the Year. Before week 16 my vote would have gone to Romeo Crennel.

...the Tampa Bay Bucs have a legitimate shot at winning the NFC.

...the New York Giants do not.

...The Jacksonville Jaguars will be scary in the playoffs and Fred Taylor has found a second life.

...Donovan McNabb should be starting in Philadelphia next season, not Chicago, Minnesota or Miami.

...The NFL Pro Bowl is a joke and it's a joke Mario Williams, Marques Colston, and Fred Taylor did not make it and Marion Barber III did.

...Kevin Durant will be very good once he has a "NBA" body.

...The Bulls will get it together and make the playoffs.

...The Miami Heat are T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E and Shaq is cooked.

...NBA East All star starters should be Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett, Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Jason Kidd

...NBA West All star starters should be Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, and Carmelo Anthony

...The Celtics are legit

...The Blazers have some good players.

....The suns and warriors are the most fun teams to watch in the NBA


Off to the Land Down Under...

...til next time

-E

Taking my first sip...

So as it goes the Celtics are 5 - 0 and I am pondering the whole "open mouth, insert foot" thing. The Celtics have won by an average of 16.6 points a game, which is RE-DIC-U-LOUS.

So as I sit here, I am going to take my first sip of the green kool*aid and will continute to moniter this fascinating team as the NBA season unfolds.

3 Teams left without a W on the season...
Golden State
Minnesota
Seattle

Who is the last team to win a game? Well its simple...

- It's not going to be Golden State, it's only a matter of time before the Warriors get on track or Don Nelson may pull the ole "personal reasons" excuse and get the hell out of dodge...

So the answer...whoever loses the December 14th between these two teams who helped form the monster that is known as the Boston Celtics!

...'til next time

-E

p.s. Seattle Say So long to the Sonics