2012 NBA PLAYOFFS: STREET FIGHTER II TURBO


It is down to the final four!  The dark shadow of the Miami Heat looms ever nearer to the Finals once again this year with the Celtics serving as the one remaining team barring their path in the East.  The Celtics success seems unlikely, however, given their performance in the playoffs this year.

The Heat's trip to the Finals seems inevitable at this point, meaning that the one hope for humanity lies in the West upon the shoulders of either the Spurs or the Thunder.  Now, talk about a great match-up!  Both teams are very similar in terms of playing ability and yet they couldn't be more different.  The Spurs are the older team, with players nearing the end of their careers.  However, they have years of EXPERIENCE playing together in tough playoff situations.  The Thunder are a YOUTHFUL team of young bucks, full of energy and endurance.  They, however, lack experience playing together as a team in the NBA.  The series is like something straight out of a John Wayne movie where the young cow picks a fight with the older bull for dominance of the herd.  In those movies, at least, the older cow always won...

Eastern Conference


Heat vs. Celtics
My prediction: Heat in 4

(Click on image to enlarge)

Western Conference

Spurs vs. Thunder

My prediction: Spurs in 6

(Click on image to enlarge)

2012 NBA PLAYOFFS: STREET FIGHTER II TURBO


Well, the Mavs were swept by the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs.  On the one hand it was frustrating, especially since three out of the four games really could've gone either way, but at the same time I am relieved to see this tumultuous season finally come to an end!


This year will be remembered as the first time in which Dirk began to show his age; his shots just weren't where they have been in previous seasons.  The good news is that he and his shooting coach are using the off-season to completely readjust his game in order to optimize his on-court performance in response to the physical wear and tear, which accompanies a player of his age.  With that in mind, I am confident that Dirk won't be leaving the spotlight anytime soon!


Of course, this year was marred by the pathetic performance of Lamar Odom.  Odom, who seemed more interested in the amount of airtime he received on the E! network than on ESPN this year, was an utter disappointment and really threw a wrench in the Mav's season.  The Mav's traded away valuable ballplayers in order to procure Odom, with the expectation that he was worth the money and was going to deliver the goods!  I understand that he had personal issues at the beginning of the season but the effort that he put forth, or lack thereof, was inexcusable and the way he behaved when he finally left the team was classless and disgusting to any fan of the game, Maverick or not.  


So with the Mavs out of the playoff picture, I have decided to root for the Spurs.  I must admit that I have a lot of respect for a team that can keep the same core group of players together for so long, especially in this day and age where teams seem to swap players every other week.  The Mavs are certainly guilty of this to some degree but are nowhere as bad as the Heat.  Really, at this point I'm not rooting for any team, I'm just rooting against the Heat.  Someone had better beat them!


Here are the match-ups for Round Two:


Eastern Conference


Pacers vs. Heat
My prediction: Heat in 4

(Click on image to enlarge)

76ers vs. Celtics

My prediction: 76ers in 6

(Click on image to enlarge)

Western Conference

Lakers vs. Thunder

My prediction: Thunder in 6

(Click on image to enlarge)

Clippers vs. Spurs

My prediction: Spurs in 5

(Click on image to enlarge)

2012 NBA PLAYOFFS: STREET FIGHTER II TURBO

After a shortened regular season, we have arrived at the NBA Playoffs!

Although many sports fans may disagree with me, the defending champion Dallas Mavericks have as good a shot as any team this postseason.  They've had a topsy turvy year and had to deal with all that Lamar Odom crap but as long as they can bring their A Game then I think they've got the talent to win it all, AGAIN!

There has been no single team that really stood out or dominated league play this year, despite what ESPN and Sports Center would have you believe about the Thunder and Heat.  This was due in part to the compressed regular season schedule, which saw teams playing 3 games in 3 days straight, never really allowing them to catch their breaths.  After all that craziness, the normality of the playoffs will undoubtedly be a pleasant respite from the crammed action of this past season!

The playoffs are certain to be full of excitement and so without further ado here are the match-ups for the first round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs!

Eastern Conference

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Chicago Bulls
My Prediction: Bulls in 5

(Click image to enlarge)

Atlanta Hawks vs. Boston Celtics

My Prediction: Celtics in 6 

(Click image to enlarge)

Orlando Magic vs. Indiana Pacers

My Prediction: Magic in 5

(Click image to enlarge)

New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat

My Prediction: Heat in 5

(Click image to enlarge)

Western Conference

San Antonio Spurs vs. Utah Jazz

My Prediction: Spurs in 4

(Click image to enlarge)

LA Clippers vs. Memphis Grizzlies

My Prediction: Clippers in 6

(Click image to enlarge)

Denver Nuggets vs. LA Lakers

My Prediction: Lakers in 6

(Click image to enlarge)

Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

My Prediction: Mavs in 6

(Click image to enlarge)

POKE'MADNESS 2012!!!: CHAMPIONS

Congratulations to this year's winner of Poke'madness, the Kentucky Wildcats!

POKE'MADNESS 2012!!!: CHAMPIONSHIP

We are down to the final two teams competing for the National Championship in this year's Poke'madness Tournament!

POKE'MADNESS 2012!!!: FINAL FOUR

Here are the Final Four match-ups!

POKE'MADNESS 2012!!!: ELITE EIGHT

Here are the Elite Eight match-ups!

THE SOUTH:

THE WEST:

THE EAST:

THE MIDWEST:

POKE'MADNESS 2012!!!: SWEET SIXTEEN

Here are the Sweet Sixteen match-ups!

THE SOUTH:

THE WEST:

THE EAST:

THE MIDWEST:

POKE'MADNESS 2012!!!: ROUND TWO/THREE

Here are the match-ups for Round Two (Or Three, depending on how you look at it...) of POKE'MADNESS 2012!

THE SOUTH:

THE WEST:

THE EAST:

THE MIDWEST:

POKE'MADNESS 2012!!!: ROUND ONE

Well, it's that time of year again; that time of year of course being when I draw Pokemon characters to represent NCAA basketball teams in order to help Johnny understand how sports tournaments work!

That's right everyone, it's...

Without further ado, here are the match-ups for Round One of POKE'MADNESS 2012!

THE SOUTH:

THE WEST:

THE EAST:

MIDWEST:

For as many teams that made the tournament there were...well a lot of teams that didn't.  Here are a few teams that will be watching this year's tournament from the sidelines.

SIDELINES TEAMS:

Well, that's it.  Stay tuned for Round-by-Round updates over the next few weeks!