Super Bowl Sunday: Colts Vs Saints

It is Sunday, February 7th which only means one thing for sports fans, it's Super Bowl Sunday. What better place to hold a Super Bowl then in the beautiful city of Miami. The crazy thing is, that in New Orleans they are partying just as hard as the people in Miami right now because it is their first trip EVER in franchise history to the Super Bowl. It is an emotional roller coaster in New Orleans, this has to be the most positive thing for their city since Hurricane Katrina which was a devasting blow. The problem is, they are facing the Colts who have a determined Peyton Manning who is on a quest for his second Super Bowl ring. Manning is arguably, the greatest Quarterback EVER to play this game an his numbers prove that. Manning wants to cement his legacy as one of the All-Time greats with another ring, but Drew Brees is no pushover. He has proven the past few years that he is ONE of the elite Quarterbacks in the game today. You have to factor a few other things when considering who is going to win this game. Dwight Freeney isn't 100% and isn't sure how productive he will be since he hasn't practiced all week, that is a huge blow to the Colts defense as he has proven to be on of the best DE's in the league the past 5 years. See the problem that I have with the Saints is that nobody on that team really has playoff experience and that is why I feel they will lose this game. As much as I feel they deserve the win for their city, I just don't think they are going to be capable of outplaying and outsmarting Peyton Manning, who knows how to manage a game better than anyone in the NFL. Statistically, the Colts have a better defense as well. I feel the Colts are going to have the lead early while the Saints are still trying to get the jitter-bugs out. Then I feel the Saints will rally in the second half but it just won't be enough. I have the Colts winning 31-24

Ray Allen For Monta Ellis? Is It A Good Trade For Boston?

So there are a bunch of rumors swirling around the league about the proposed trade of Ray Allen for Monta Ellis. Is it a good trade for Boston? See in my opinion you have to look at a lot of factors when talking about this deal, if you were to look at statistics, it is clear that Monta Ellis is definitely having the better season. ( 26.5 Ppg, 4.2 Rpg, 5.4 Apg compared to Allen's 15.9 Ppg, 3.4 Rpg, 2.8 Apg ) You also have to factor age when talking considering this deal, Ray Allen is a lot older than Monta Ellis (Allen will be 35 on June 20th while Ellis is only 24) See the problem that I have with this deal is that I'm not 100% sure if Ellis really fits into the scheme Boston has in place right now. We can all agree that both Ellis and Allen aren't the best defenders in the league or on their teams, but offensively they are both gifted in different ways. Allen is known as one of the best shooters of all time in NBA history and gives Boston a great threat from the outside. Ellis has an excellent mid-range game and is an excellent finisher at the basket. I still feel that Allen is a better fit for the Warriors then what Ellis is for the Celtics. Don Nelson loves the run an gun offense which is why he loves Stephen Curry so much. ( a rookie ) If it wasn't for Curry having the successful year that he's having, this trade wouldn't even be considered, but they want to develop Curry and they feel having Ellis there sharing minutes with him is holding Curry back from developing. Allen fits the Warriors offense because that's the style he played when he was in Seattle, pushing it up the floor for pull up 3's. Allen also has A LOT more playoff experience then Ellis does, so when it comes down to Boston playing the elite teams in the East (Hawks, Cavs, Magic) will Ellis come through for the Celtics? There is no question that Ellis will make the Celtics offense more versatile, he is a much better ball handler then Allen and can take some of the pressure off of Rondo, but will he accept the role of being the 3rd or 4th option behind Pierce, KG and Rondo? That is the main concern because if he doesn't, Boston will go from being one of the top teams in the East to a team trying to find a playoff spot. We are just a few weeks away from the trade deadline, so this discussion will linger for the next few weeks, I just hope Danny Ainge knows what he's doing.

The Never Ending Debate: Who's Really Better, LeBron Or Kobe?

The Never-ending question that is one of the biggest debates in the NBA world today is who is the better OVERALL player Kobe or LeBron? Is Kobe considered the better player because he has 4 rings to LeBrons 0? Does LeBron HAVE TO WIN 4 rings to even be considered a better player then Kobe? The constant fact that remains is that LeBron and Kobe are the two best players in the NBA but nobody can decide who's number 1 or number 2 and that is were the debates usually begin. In my opinion, I feel Kobe is the most versatile offensive player in the NBA. He can score in multiple ways and is a threat no matter where he has the ball on the floor. ( Carmelo Anthony is the BEST OFFENSIVE player in the NBA because he makes it look the easiest but he's not as versatile as Kobe ) When it comes to all the other factors ( Rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, making your teamates better ) I feel LeBron does a much better job then Kobe at doing that. So I feel that LeBron is the better OVERALL player but if you needed a last second basket to win the game Kobe has proven to be the biggest clutch player in the league the past few years. The other argument you can bring up is that Kobe had Shaq for 3 of those 4 rings. If you were to put LeBron on the Lakers with a prime Shaq how many rings do you think they would have won together? Let's be honest....... at least 5 or 6 easily especially that year when they had Karl Malone and Gary Payton on the Lakers for one season ( they were embarrassed by the Pistons that year ) If you were to place Kobe on the Cavs right now, they would probably be in the same situation they are in now or even worse. What you need to understand is LeBron is the fresh air in the NBA, he is capable of doing things that nobody has EVER SEEN! When you look at Kobe you can't help but think of Michael Jordan because the way the play the game is similar. ( Jordan was tougher Mentally of course ) You can't compare LeBron to anyone because he is NOT like anyone you have ever seen in the NBA and that's what makes him unique. Forget being a Lakers/Cavs fan for a second, if you are a TRUE fan of the game you respect greatness and these two players define that, but LeBron is the better OVERALL NBA player NOW no matter how many rings Kobe has. I'm just one opinion so this argument will continue in Sports Bars, Barber Shops, Sportscenter, etc for years to come.

Celtics Vs Lakers ( The Rivalry )

I was fortunate to be able to attend the game yesterday afternoon which featured two of the top franchises in NBA history. The Celtics Vs Lakers is a self-explanitory game which always feels like a playoff atmosphere when you attend live. The game was excellent but what I wanted to discuss was that offensive foul that was called on Pierce for a push-off ( Which Artest deserves a grammy for selling that call so well, flying from the free throw line to the third row in the stands SMH ) It is unfortunate that some games are taken out of the players hands and controlled by the refs. I was watching ESPN First Take this morning and I would have to agree with Skip Bayless. He said at that point lil ticky tack fouls like that shouldn't be called when there's 25 seconds left in the game. Ron Artest is known as one of the more physical defenders in the NBA so for him to put on that act and fly from the foul line to the third row is just BULLSH*T!! You can't take away the incredible shot that Kobe Bryant made to give the Lakers the 90-89 victory, but that scenario wouldn't have happened if that offensive foul wasn't called on Pierce ( he made the shot too by the way ) which would have given the Celtics a 91-88 lead. It was a great game overall and the game was worth the price of admission ($160 ) because besides my celtics, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are the only other players worth paying TOP DOLLAR for.