Grand Finale
And what a GRAND one it was. After a ho-hum Elite 8 and Final Four we finally got what we wanted - a tremendous matchup of two high-octane teams.....and the icing on top - an overtime game.
Far too much debate going on around, "did Memphis lose it or did Kansas win it" - give me a break. Did Memphis miss key free throws? Yep. Did Memphis fail to capitalize on a few very crucial offensive boards? Yep. BUT, did Kansas make an unbelievable 3 at the end to send it to overtime? Did Kansas come out with more intensity in the overtime? Yes to all. Kansas deserves credit so don't deny them that credit - they played very well.
With that said you think Calipari is regretting his "we'll make them when they count" comment about free throws? Yea, I think so. Either way, losing 2 games the entire year (and both to very good, highly touted teams) is nothing to scoff at - Memphis had a great year...and how much money did Derrick Rose make for himself during this tournament? A lot!! What a tournament he had. I imagine we'll see his name being called sometime in late June by David Stern..."and with the third pick of the 2008 NBA draft...."
THIS JUST IN:
Bill Self has evidently lost his freaking mind! It's being reported that he has turned down Oklahoma State's offer of enough money to never worry about sub prime disasters and recessions (not that he's worried about it now). Still, $4 million a year over 10 years with a $6million signing bonus spells 2 things to me: 1) financial security, and 2) a sweet buy-out clause should you tank in the first 3 years. I swear, there's not a better position to be in than to be a head coach at a big-time university (or pro team) and get fired with 3+ years on your contract - how do I get that kind of gig?
All in all, great season of college basketball. Horns fans can sit back and patiently wait for Mr. Augustin to make his decision.
NBA:
Well, we're heading into the final 3-4 games of the season with playoffs starting next weekend...and it's about time. I'll do everyone a favor and keep the talk on the East to a minimum - I mean, it all comes down to Boston and Detroit. Period.
The West on the other hand comes down to, well, everyone. And as you would all expect by now, I gotta start with my Lakers. Ohhhhh those Lakers....where do I begin.....
First off, Friday night's win over the Hornets was HUGE for them and could not have come at a better time. The good news is they give points for wins and losses only (not how you win them). They're in a situation now (and have been in this situation the past couple of games) where they MUST win out. You may be thinking, "chill out dude, they've clinched their division and can get no less than a 3 seed". Correct, but for this team it's about momentum. To be able to beat the Hornets on Friday, the Spurs on Sunday and then the Kings on Tuesday would give them some tremendous momentum heading into the "real" NBA season - especially with two of those wins coming against the best of the west.
Here are my concerns for the Lakers - the role players have not been playing with any real consistency since their last road trip about 10 or 12 days ago. And I'll tell you exactly when it started and when you started see some shakiness in their confidence - after dropping back-to-back home games against Memphis and Charlotte - 2 bottom-feeder teams in their respective conferences. Those losses were the difference between Lakers being atop the West and fighting for their lives to get a 2 seed. Trust me my friends, that difference is huge in this year's playoffs. Another thing that worries me is in the Hornets game on Friday, they were up by 30 points....and let them climb back to within 1. Unacceptable. In the playoffs you absolutely must put teams away. The problem on Friday was that they got lazy on defense (Lakers are a tremendous defensive team, but have this tendency way too often) and in the 3rd quarter, when they were up by 20, they shot 13 3-pointers. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Have to play smarter than that. With that said, still very happy with this win and will be watching/hoping on Sunday when the defending champs come to town.
Other NBA Notes (Enough about those Lakers):
Well, my master plan (no pun intended) to watch all four rounds of the Masters has hit a snag....because I didn't watch any of the first two rounds. Oh well, Sunday is all that matters I guess. I cannot for the life of me understand why golf fans can't watch an entire round of a major tournament. I wouldn't suggest televising all rounds of all tournaments, but the majors? How hard is that? And isn't there a GOLF CHANNEL???? What a crock.
Well, Tiger certainly has his work cut out being 7 shots back. The good news? The top 2 spots are held by Trevor Immelman and Brandt Snedeker - rrriiiight. The bad news? Some of the other names between him and the 2 leaders include Stewart Cink, Steven Ames and Phil Mickelson. Those guys are good and seasoned players. As a Mickelson fan you have to be happy with where he is now.
Either way, I fully expect to see Mr. Woods "in the hunt" on Sunday and frankly, I wouldn't bet against him. Here's hoping he makes another exciting comeback to make Sunday some killer golf watching. Don't laugh.
Non-Sports Thoughts for the Week:
Far too much debate going on around, "did Memphis lose it or did Kansas win it" - give me a break. Did Memphis miss key free throws? Yep. Did Memphis fail to capitalize on a few very crucial offensive boards? Yep. BUT, did Kansas make an unbelievable 3 at the end to send it to overtime? Did Kansas come out with more intensity in the overtime? Yes to all. Kansas deserves credit so don't deny them that credit - they played very well.
With that said you think Calipari is regretting his "we'll make them when they count" comment about free throws? Yea, I think so. Either way, losing 2 games the entire year (and both to very good, highly touted teams) is nothing to scoff at - Memphis had a great year...and how much money did Derrick Rose make for himself during this tournament? A lot!! What a tournament he had. I imagine we'll see his name being called sometime in late June by David Stern..."and with the third pick of the 2008 NBA draft...."
THIS JUST IN:
Bill Self has evidently lost his freaking mind! It's being reported that he has turned down Oklahoma State's offer of enough money to never worry about sub prime disasters and recessions (not that he's worried about it now). Still, $4 million a year over 10 years with a $6million signing bonus spells 2 things to me: 1) financial security, and 2) a sweet buy-out clause should you tank in the first 3 years. I swear, there's not a better position to be in than to be a head coach at a big-time university (or pro team) and get fired with 3+ years on your contract - how do I get that kind of gig?
All in all, great season of college basketball. Horns fans can sit back and patiently wait for Mr. Augustin to make his decision.
NBA:
Well, we're heading into the final 3-4 games of the season with playoffs starting next weekend...and it's about time. I'll do everyone a favor and keep the talk on the East to a minimum - I mean, it all comes down to Boston and Detroit. Period.
The West on the other hand comes down to, well, everyone. And as you would all expect by now, I gotta start with my Lakers. Ohhhhh those Lakers....where do I begin.....
First off, Friday night's win over the Hornets was HUGE for them and could not have come at a better time. The good news is they give points for wins and losses only (not how you win them). They're in a situation now (and have been in this situation the past couple of games) where they MUST win out. You may be thinking, "chill out dude, they've clinched their division and can get no less than a 3 seed". Correct, but for this team it's about momentum. To be able to beat the Hornets on Friday, the Spurs on Sunday and then the Kings on Tuesday would give them some tremendous momentum heading into the "real" NBA season - especially with two of those wins coming against the best of the west.
Here are my concerns for the Lakers - the role players have not been playing with any real consistency since their last road trip about 10 or 12 days ago. And I'll tell you exactly when it started and when you started see some shakiness in their confidence - after dropping back-to-back home games against Memphis and Charlotte - 2 bottom-feeder teams in their respective conferences. Those losses were the difference between Lakers being atop the West and fighting for their lives to get a 2 seed. Trust me my friends, that difference is huge in this year's playoffs. Another thing that worries me is in the Hornets game on Friday, they were up by 30 points....and let them climb back to within 1. Unacceptable. In the playoffs you absolutely must put teams away. The problem on Friday was that they got lazy on defense (Lakers are a tremendous defensive team, but have this tendency way too often) and in the 3rd quarter, when they were up by 20, they shot 13 3-pointers. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Have to play smarter than that. With that said, still very happy with this win and will be watching/hoping on Sunday when the defending champs come to town.
Other NBA Notes (Enough about those Lakers):
- Team that may scare me more than any other team in the West - Utah. If the season ends right now, the Hornets would have to contend with them (assuming both get through the first round)
- Here's predicting that last year's finals teams (San Antone and Cleveland) both get ousted within the first two round - although that's a longer shot for San Antonio
- I still think Denver could knock off New Orleans in a 7-game series (that's a 1-8 matchup for those keeping score at home)
- So after Dirk hit a buzzer-beater 3 to win their game a few days ago (can't remember who they were playing) - great shot. BUT, in glancing at the message boards I can't tell you how many times I read, "Dirk is so clutch.." No...he's really not that clutch. Dallas won't get out of the first round this year and Avery will be out of a job.
- The NBA is so weird - you can have a better seed than your opponent, but not have home-court advantage because your opponent may have more wins. Someone explain that one to me.
Well, my master plan (no pun intended) to watch all four rounds of the Masters has hit a snag....because I didn't watch any of the first two rounds. Oh well, Sunday is all that matters I guess. I cannot for the life of me understand why golf fans can't watch an entire round of a major tournament. I wouldn't suggest televising all rounds of all tournaments, but the majors? How hard is that? And isn't there a GOLF CHANNEL???? What a crock.
Well, Tiger certainly has his work cut out being 7 shots back. The good news? The top 2 spots are held by Trevor Immelman and Brandt Snedeker - rrriiiight. The bad news? Some of the other names between him and the 2 leaders include Stewart Cink, Steven Ames and Phil Mickelson. Those guys are good and seasoned players. As a Mickelson fan you have to be happy with where he is now.
Either way, I fully expect to see Mr. Woods "in the hunt" on Sunday and frankly, I wouldn't bet against him. Here's hoping he makes another exciting comeback to make Sunday some killer golf watching. Don't laugh.
Non-Sports Thoughts for the Week:
- Add the FAA to the list of the most incompetent organizations on the face of the earth - move over and make room UN and IOC - welcome your new brethren. Are you or are you not responsible for regulating the airline industry?
- Why the IOC you ask? How in the world did anyone allow that country (China) to host an Olympics. And now the head of the IOC is starting to backtrack saying "in hindsight, it may have been a mistake." Oh really, you think?
- I went through the roof when Michael Johns was booted off of American Idol last week - ridiculous that he's gone and 2-3 others that aren't close to being in his league are still there. Ugh.
posted by The Bearden Wonder at 5:37 PM
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