NDonkeyKong Suh

News to you...but not Me!

Point Blank. The Miami Heat SHOULD NOT win this years' NBA Championship.

It just doesn't work like that in the NBA. Information that Miami Heat fans (like myself) just do not want to hear.

If you read my blog (which isn't likely) Growing up in the NBA from June 13, 2009, then you may already know that winning right away just doesn't happen. Yes, the Celtics won in 2008, but that's the exception.

This is different. The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off back-to-back Larry O' Brien trophies. Kobe Bryant is the best player in the game, and wants more badly. Phil Jackson wants his FOURTH 3-peat. Ridiculous by any standards.

The fact is Miami still has to compete with the likes of Boston, Chicago, and even Orlando & Atlanta, and to a lesser extent the New York Knicks.

The #1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs never meant so much. Miami cannot afford to battle either Chicago or Boston in round 2. Better have those two teams fight it out for 7 games. Eastern conference basketball is predicated on defense...currently the Celtics, Bulls, and Heat rank among the top 6 in the NBA in both opponents points per game as well as opponents field goal percentage. A winning combination by any measure.

The grind is nearly over, with the true test beginning. Mid-April to mid-June. This guy is hoping it ends with D-Wade and Co. hoisting up that golden basketball.

I’ll leave you with one last point…

Only 8 teams have won an NBA Title since the 1979-1980 season. That’s it. 31 seasons, 8 winners. That trend looks like it will continue 2010-2011.

• Lakers (10)
• Bulls (6)
• Celtics (4)
• Spurs (4)
• Pistons (3)
• Rockets (2)
• Miami Heat (1)
• 76ers (1)

It's a Team Game

Which sport in the most team intensive? Well, it kind of depends on who you ask, and what team intensive really means. Camaraderie\Chemistry\Confidence are all unquantifiable. The point of my idea is in regards to how one player affects his teammates on a given play.

My list goes like this…Football, Hockey, Basketball, & finally Baseball. I limited my discussion to the four major sports, but others garnering respect include soccer, rugby, and water polo.

From my many discussions on this topic, we come to realize that there is no doubt that Football has the most team-oriented gameplay. For instance, the right guard must block a defensive tackle. Depending on who wins that individual battle affects the Linebackers, Running Backs, and ultimately Quarterback (which trickles out to the skill positions). That single Right Guard-Defensive Tackle matchup can turn a play into a 5 yard loss or a Touchdown!

Many argue that baseball is the most individual sport. Meaning what the Shortstop, let’s say Hanley Ramirez, will do at any given game (on the field or at-bat) will happen, REGARDLESS of what ANY teammate at ANY position does on that same day. Now this goes without saying that players perform differently given a different set of circumstances. But, I attest that Hanley Ramirez is trying to get a hit, or make an out, no matter what is happening on the bases.

A pitcher can have an all-time historical game and most likely with the help of his defense playing behind him. The difference is individual players affecting the outcome of a given single play, in comparison to the other players around him. A fielder in baseball is making his play off of the batter (regardless of the other fielders), which depends on what the pitcher does (not the other fielders). So, this notion that baseball is a “team oriented-game” is entirely off to me. It is a collection of individual game performances masquerading as a team. And yes I do know that a guy on 1^st base does influence who is at-bat, but Hanley is still trying to get a hit if 1^st is occupied or empty. And yes I know a guy on 1st base does influence the pitcher, but Pitcher X is trying to make an out is 1st is occupied or empty.

Baseball plays by a different set of rules because there are so many stoppages of play. Just think about a single at-bat for a moment…Have you ever seen Bobby Abreu? Half the time he just tries to foul off pitches to make the Pitcher work harder. And that is just one of the reasons why baseball is the most individual game. To me, this does not take away from the sport, it only makes it more interesting to those who love it, LIKE ME!

So, what do you think? Which sport is the most team-intense based on the criteria I have used?

Peace, for now until later.

- Aaron

It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you...

Back by nothing less than popular demand!

So what has happened since last time?

Graduation from UF, moving to South Florida, vacation to Nation's Capital, and the Miami Heat lost to the Charlotte Bobcats by an embarrassing 39 points.

I drive more in a day down in South Florida than I would in a week in Gainesville, gas adds up like none other.

I saw the Heat-Celtics game on Jan 6, that should have been a signature win, but Mario Chalmers and Jermaine O'Neal decided otherwise.

I've seen Sidney Crosby score a goal, and the Florida Panthers hold onto a playoff spot just long enough to be the 11th seed, but TWO points out of sixth.

Stay tuned, upcoming post on which sport is really the most team-intensive.

Peace, for now until later

- Aaron

Ughhh, I can't even see the puck.

This is a die-hard's take on the current landscape of the NHL, and the young talent pool that rivals any sport. So take it away Jason...

Well, its November and there’s a draft in the air. No not because of the changing seasons, but because you just walked into the ice arena to root on your favorite NHL team, right! Well not exactly, but here’s a few reasons why you need to get out there and see just exactly what you have been missing.

The season is about 16 games in (I know what youre thinking, HOW COULD I MISS 16 GAMES!!?) and we have the usual going on, Crosby, Malkin, and Ovechkin running away from everyone else in the league. No one compares, do they even play hockey in cities other then Pittsburgh and Washington? Wait, they do? And everything I just said isn’t true? Wow, what a revelation.

Yes ladies and gentleman I was lying, and I would like you all to meet Anze Kopitar, your NHL scoring leader and Phenom in the making, and he plays where? Way out west in the forgotten hockey town of Los Angeles for the Kings, where the likes of Wayne Gretzky once graced the ice. 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points and the lead in the NHL scoring race separates 22 year old Anze Kopitar from the likes of those mentioned above. For some perspective, Crosby known to by many as leagues best, is currently sitting with 9 goals and 7 assists for 16 points, in the same number of games. You must also look out for Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks (pictured at right) as well as Steven Stamkos on the Lightning.

That trend doesn’t end there either, as the defensive scoring race boasts 4 rookies or sophomores in its top 11 players. That includes 19 year olds Drew Doughty and Michael Del Zotto, (NHL’s October Rookie of the Month) and 24 year olds Alex Goligoski and Kyle Quincy making waves for the Kings, Rangers, Penguins, and Avalanche respectively.

Two young goaltenders, 21 year old Steve Mason of Columbus and 23 year old Jonathan Quick of Los Angeles have also played big roles in jump starting their teams to fast starts in the 2009-2010 season.

It's out with the old and in with the new, NHL talent that is,and the only way to do that is by supporting your favorite or local NHL team, and experiencing it all for yourself. The Fastest and "Coolest" game on Earth!!! Get out there and support your team, a new era has begun, don’t be that guy that misses it. You definitely don't want to be that guy.

Thanks, to Smalls (Jason), who can be read @ twolivejews.blogspot.com

Peace, for now until later.

- Aaron