For years, NBA fans have been asking the question, “When will LeBron James win an NBA championship.” He had clearly made himself into the best basketball player in the world, and had MVP trophies to back that up. However, the one glaring thing missing from his resume was that he did not have an NBA title to his name. That all changed last June, when the Miami Heat beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games to capture the championship.
That brings us to the current year, where there are no shortage of contenders for the NBA title, which brings up interesting decisions if you are doing online betting (click here) at TopBet. If you look at last year’s NBA standings, you see that three teams – the Miami Heat, OKC Thunder, and San Antonio Spurs looked like the main contenders. This year, you can add the Los Angeles Lakers to the mix as well.
The Heat have to be considered the favorite because they still have LeBron. He is the best and most talented player in the league, and makes everyone around him better. In addition to Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the Heat also picked up Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen, which should make their offense even more dangerous. Now that they have embraced some small ball with James playing the four, they are tough to beat.
The Thunder will be the top challenger, as they were a threat to win it last year, and should be even better with another year of experience. Kevin Durant is the second best player in the NBA, and he has some talented guys alongside him. The Lakers look to be their main competitors, after the addition of Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. They may have the most talented starting lineup in the league, but it will be interesting to see if they can fit all of the pieces together, and whether they will have enough depth to win it all. The Spurs are another team that people always want to count out, but they always seem to be in the thick of the race.
It will be an exciting NBA season, with more legitimate contenders and elite teams that I can remember heading into a year. The Heat are the favorites, but it will be a great year in the NBA.
Selasa, 23 Oktober 2012
Got A Guess?
Have you entered the Guess the Attendance contest yet? You can learn more here – or over there to the right. Or simply send your guess for the attendance at Saturday's game against Harvard to guesstheattendance@gmail.com. The closest guess without going over will win a $100 gift certificate to Molly's Restaurant & Bar in Hanover courtesy of a charter Big Green Alert subscriber. Remember, Harvard
Stephen Colbert's Threat Down: College Football Edition
"Nation, I've always been a big fan of Michigan State football coach and scowling man most likely to tell kids to get the hell off his lawn, Mark Dantonio. His enduring sportsmanship, like getting into public feuds with 21 year old college kids by mocking their height, along with always looking out for the health and best interests of his players, evidenced by holding them out at least two plays when they get an on-field concussion, have made him a role model Spartan fans can be proud of before, during and after the burning of their couches.
Dantonio consistently displays the kind of prune-faced bravado I like to see from the coach of a Big Ten school that hasn't been to the Rose Bowl since the Reagan Administration. From shepherding players directly from the jail cell to the sidelines if they get released right before a big game, to defining WWE moves as a "clean game" because what happens in the pile stays in the pile.
That's why I applauded Dantonio last April when he was asked about Michigan's resurgence by ESPN.com and replied, 'We're laying in the weeds. We've beat Michigan the last four years. So where's the threat?'
Unfortunately, last Saturday, Dantonio found out. Which brings me to threat number one... long-haired kickers and forgotten slot receivers.
Shame on you, Michigan, for getting rid of the coach with the worst three-year record in the history of U-M football which opened the door for Dantonio in the first place, and then adding a defense that didn't also double as a noodle strainer. Where's the sport in that?
And look at your calendar -- it's 2012 not 1972. Real teams play games with scores like 45-44. Win or lose. It doesn't matter. It's all about the "O". They don't grind out 12-10 victories. BORING.
So get with the times. Before you go back to beating MSU each and every year and threaten the job status of MSU's Mr. Personality... just as you've done to each and every other Spartan coach for the last 40 plus years."
Dantonio consistently displays the kind of prune-faced bravado I like to see from the coach of a Big Ten school that hasn't been to the Rose Bowl since the Reagan Administration. From shepherding players directly from the jail cell to the sidelines if they get released right before a big game, to defining WWE moves as a "clean game" because what happens in the pile stays in the pile.
That's why I applauded Dantonio last April when he was asked about Michigan's resurgence by ESPN.com and replied, 'We're laying in the weeds. We've beat Michigan the last four years. So where's the threat?'
Unfortunately, last Saturday, Dantonio found out. Which brings me to threat number one... long-haired kickers and forgotten slot receivers.
Shame on you, Michigan, for getting rid of the coach with the worst three-year record in the history of U-M football which opened the door for Dantonio in the first place, and then adding a defense that didn't also double as a noodle strainer. Where's the sport in that?
And look at your calendar -- it's 2012 not 1972. Real teams play games with scores like 45-44. Win or lose. It doesn't matter. It's all about the "O". They don't grind out 12-10 victories. BORING.
So get with the times. Before you go back to beating MSU each and every year and threaten the job status of MSU's Mr. Personality... just as you've done to each and every other Spartan coach for the last 40 plus years."
Senin, 22 Oktober 2012
Bronson Green Honored
He was critical of himself in the postgame press conference Saturday but apparently Bronson Green impressed others. He's been named the Ivy League defensive player of the week. From the Ivy release:
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Dartmouth junior linebacker Bronson Green (Los Angeles) was one of three Big Green players to make 10 stops in the 21-16 road win at Columbia. Green's biggest
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Dartmouth junior linebacker Bronson Green (Los Angeles) was one of three Big Green players to make 10 stops in the 21-16 road win at Columbia. Green's biggest
Welcome Home, Paul!
In the wake of Michigan's heart-stopping victory over MSU, our ol' blogging pal Andy made some wallpapers for the MZone faithful. Enjoy. Share. Go Blue!
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McM III
A thorough Google search didn't turn anything up, but when older brother Timmy '11, a three-time Dartmouth captain, confirms after the Columbia game that Danny McManus has committed to the Big Green, it's a lot safer to believe than Internet chatter ;-)
Danny McManus is listed at 5-foot-10, 175 pounds. Most of his highlight video shows him playing in the secondary, but like Timmy and middle
Ferrum's Mission: Just Win
With three games left, Ferrum (5-2- 3-1) has but one job...get 8 regular season wins. That means that they must win three more. They cannot concern themselves with how the other teams finish, they just have to win. Going into this past Saturday, there were 5 teams tied for the conference lead. At the end of the day, It was just CNU, Ferrum, and LaGrange.
North Carolina Wesleyan surprised Greensboro, and Maryville lost a close game to LaGrange. So the conference standings look like this:
While the above standings show Ferrum in first place, this is solely based on the better overall record. The overall record has nothing to do with the conference championship. The conference race could end in a tie, and if that happens, the USA South tie breaker works like this:
a. Head-to-head competition.
The likelihood is that it will be determined in step a. If however there is still a tie, Ferrum's chances get worse. Regional rankings (step d.) will work against Ferrum as they played one game out of their region (Southern Virginia University).
A little help from those Battling Bishops would be nice, but regardless, Ferrum has to beat Greensboro....not as easy as it has been in the past. They are a much improved team, and have a very strong passing game. Ferrum will still be the favorite in this game.
Go Panthers!
North Carolina Wesleyan surprised Greensboro, and Maryville lost a close game to LaGrange. So the conference standings look like this:
| SCHOOL | CONFERENCE | OVERALL |
| Ferrum | 3-1 | 5-2 |
| Chris. Newport | 3-1 | 4-3 |
| LaGrange | 3-1 | 3-4 |
| Greensboro | 2-2 | 4-3 |
| Maryville (Tenn.) | 2-2 | 3-4 |
| Methodist | 1-3 | 2-5 |
| N.C. Wesleyan | 1-3 | 2-5 |
| Averett | 1-3 | 1-6 |
While the above standings show Ferrum in first place, this is solely based on the better overall record. The overall record has nothing to do with the conference championship. The conference race could end in a tie, and if that happens, the USA South tie breaker works like this:
a. Head-to-head competition.
b. Performance against higher-rated teams in Conference.
c. Common opponent records.
d. In the event of a three-way tie, the NCAA regional ranking following the final games will be used to break the tie between the three teams. This will determine the Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
e. Coin toss.
The likelihood is that it will be determined in step a. If however there is still a tie, Ferrum's chances get worse. Regional rankings (step d.) will work against Ferrum as they played one game out of their region (Southern Virginia University).
A little help from those Battling Bishops would be nice, but regardless, Ferrum has to beat Greensboro....not as easy as it has been in the past. They are a much improved team, and have a very strong passing game. Ferrum will still be the favorite in this game.
Go Panthers!
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