2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The puck will drop on the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs this week. If you're a hockey fan, it doesn't get better than this. Once again, the Pittsburgh Penguins are the favorites to hoist the cup. The Pens have battled injuries of late, but certainly have the most talented roster on paper. Pittsburgh and and the President's Trophy-winning Chicago Blackhawks have been the two best teams all season. I picked these two to square off in the Stanley Cup Finals before the season began. I am sticking with that, despite the knowledge that the best team in the NHL rarely walks away the champion. There are a number of teams that have the potential to knock off the Penguins or Blackhawks, I just don't see it happening until they face one another. Here is a look at how I expect the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs to play out.

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

      
1 Pittsburgh (-450) vs. 8 NY Islanders (+350)

The Islanders exceeded everyone's expectations this season and slipped into the playoffs. Their reward? Playing the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pittsburgh is the favorite to win the Stanley Cup according to the experts in Las Vegas. The Islanders haven't won a playoff series in 20 years. The Pens will extend that drought and show why they are the favorites by breezing through this series.

Prediction - Pittsburgh over NY Islanders 4-1

      
4 Boston (-240) vs. 5 Toronto (+190)

How great is this? Two of the most storied franchises in the NHL playing against each other in the playoffs. Boston seized control of the Northeast division toward the end of the year, but a couple late losses cost them the division crown and backed them up to a 4-seed. Toronto hasn't made the playoffs in nearly a decade and want to extend their visit. This series is going to be a lot of fun, and will have an old school feel to it.

Prediction - Boston over Toronto 4-2

      
3 Washington (-110) vs. 6 NY Rangers (-110)

The Washington Capitals played miserable hockey at the beginning of the season. They picked it up in time to win the atrocious Southeast division and get into the playoffs. They will meet the New York Rangers who played underwhelming hockey throughout much of the year, but turned it on late as well. The winner of this series could be very dangerous in the East.

Prediction - NY Rangers over Washington 4-2

      
2 Montreal (-155) vs. 7 Ottawa (+135)

It is always exciting when two Canadian cities square off against one another. The Senators may not be the premier team north of the border, but they still represent Canada well. They are poised to pull off an upset. The Canadiens surpassed expectations this year and want to make a deep run in the postseason. Montreal has had the better season, but something tells me Ottawa will have the longer season.

Prediction - Ottawa over Montreal 4-3

Western Conference Quarterfinals

      
1 Chicago (-425) vs. 8 Minnesota (+325)

The Chicago Blackhawks had a historic start to the season. And though they cooled off a bit, they still finished with the best record in the NHL and won the President's Trophy. I picked them to win the Stanley Cup before the season began, and they haven't disappointed me yet. Minnesota is looking to win their first playoff series in a decade. They made the major offseason signing of Zach Parise and it paid off. But will it deliver a playoff series victory? I doubt it.

Prediction - Chicago over Minnesota 4-1

      
4 St. Louis (-110) vs. 5 Los Angeles (-110)

This is the most evenly matched series of the opening round in my opinion. The Blues are playing their best hockey of the year. The Kings are the defending Stanley Cup champions. LA knows how to win in the playoffs, and they will put an end to Saint Louis's recent hot streak.

Prediction - Los Angeles over St. Louis 4-2

      
3 Vancouver (-120) vs. 6 San Jose (+105)

The Vancouver Canucks are at it again. They won their 5th consecutive Northwest division title this year. In all of those seasons, they have yet to walk away winners of the Stanley Cup. They will be on a mission to make a deep run this year. San Jose wasn't supposed to be very good this season, but here they are in the playoffs for the 9th consecutive year. These two franchises have been as consistent as they come. Unfortunately one of them has to go home early.

Prediction - Vancouver over San Jose 4-3

      
2 Anaheim (-140) vs. 7 Detroit (+120)

Anaheim was probably the most surprising team in hockey this season. The Ducks came out of nowhere to claim the Pacific division title and the 2-seed in the West. The up and coming Ducks will face off with the old and crafty Red Wings. Detroit scratched and clawed to get into the playoffs for an amazing 22nd straight season. Now that they are in, they can make some noise.

Prediction - Detroit over Anaheim 4-3

Here are my picks for the remainder of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs:

Eastern Conference Semifinals
1 Pittsburgh over 7 Ottawa 4-1
6 NY Rangers over 4 Boston 4-3

Western Conference Semifinals
1 Chicago over 7 Detroit 4-1
3 Vancouver over 5 Los Angeles 4-3

Eastern Conference Finals
1 Pittsburgh over 6 NY Rangers 4-2

Western Conference Finals
1 Chicago over 3 Vancouver 4-3

Stanley Cup Finals
1 Chicago over 1 Pittsburgh 4-3

2013 NFL Mock Draft 4.0

1. Kansas City - Luke Joeckel  OT/Texas A&M
2. Jacksonville - Ezekiel Ansah  DE-LB/BYU
3. Oakland - Sharrif Floyd  DT/Florida
4. Philadelphia - Dion Jordan  DE-LB/Oregon
5. Detroit - Eric Fisher  OT/Central Michigan
6. Cleveland - Dee Milliner  CB/Alabama
7. Arizona - Lane Johnson  OT/Oklahoma
8. Buffalo - Chance Warmack  G/Alabama
9. NY Jets - Berkevious Mingo  DE-LB/LSU
10. Tennessee - Jonathan Cooper  G/North Carolina
11. San Diego - Star Lotulelei  DT/Utah
12. Miami - DJ Fluker  OT/Alabama
13. NY Jets - Geno Smith  QB/West Virginia
14. Carolina - Sheldon Richardson  DT/Missouri
15. New Orleans - Jarvis Jones  LB/Georgia
16. St. Louis - Tavon Austin  WR/West Virginia
17. Pittsburgh - Tyler Eifert  TE/Notre Dame
18. Dallas - Sylvester Williams  DT/North Carolina
19. NY Giants - Bjoern Werner  DE/Florida St.
20. Chicago - Desmond Trufant  CB/Washington
21. Cincinnati - Kenny Vacarro  S/Texas
22. St. Louis - Eric Reid  S/LSU
23. Minnesota - Justin Hunter  WR/Tennessee
24. Indianapolis - Xavier Rhodes  CB/Florida St.
25. Minnesota - Manti Te'o  LB/Notre Dame
26. Green Bay - Matt Elam  S/Florida
27. Houston - DeAndre Hopkins  WR/Clemson
28. Denver - Alec Ogletree  LB/Georgia
29. New England - DJ Hayden  CB/Houston
30. Atlanta - Jamar Taylor  CB/Boise St.
31. San Francisco - Cordarrelle Patterson  WR/Tennessee
32. Baltimore - Datone Jones  LB/UCLA

2013 NBA Playoffs

The 2013 NBA Playoffs tip off on Saturday afternoon. There are four new teams crashing the party this year, which means twelve teams return from last year's playoff field. Brooklyn, Golden State, Houston, and Milwaukee went from lottery to playoffs this season. But do any of them have a chance to contend for a title? Probably not. Miami will enter as the prohibited favorite to repeat as champs. The reborn New York Knicks are the biggest threat in the East to dethrone them. Should the Heat breeze through the East, their biggest competitors coming from the West will most likely be Oklahoma City and San Antonio. Don;t sleep on Denver, Memphis, or the Clippers though. Let's take a look at how I see the playoffs shaking up.

For the opening round I have listed all of the individual matchups in each series with the player/team I give the advantage to in bold.

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

      
1 Miami (-30000) vs. 8 Milwaukee (+8500)

PG - Mario Chalmers vs. Brandon Jennings
SG - Dwayne Wade vs. Monta Ellis
SF - LeBron James vs. Ersan Ilyasova
PF - Udonis Haslem vs. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
C - Chris Bosh vs. Larry Sanders
Bench - Miami vs. Milwaukee
Coach - Erik Spoelstra vs. Jim Boylan

The Heat went on one of the most amazing runs in NBA history this season as they won 27 consecutive games at one point. Their regular season accomplishments will mean nothing if they don't follow it up with another championship. Milwaukee just doesn't have the talent to put up a fight in this series. The Bucks could steal a game, but five games is the max I expect to see this series go.

Prediction - Miami over Milwaukee 4-1

      
4 Brooklyn (-140) vs. 5 Chicago (+120)

PG - Derron Williams vs. Kirk Hinrich
SG - Joe Johnson vs. Marco Belinelli
SF - Keith Bogans vs. Luol Deng
PF - Gerald Wallace vs. Carlos Boozer
C - Brook Lopez vs. Nazr Mohammed
Bench - Brooklyn vs. Chicago
Coach - PJ Carlesimo vs. Tom Thibodeau

This will be a battle of wills and styles. The Nets are a finesse team, while the Bulls are a hard-nosed team. Brooklyn has underachieved a bit this season, despite making their first playoff appearance since 2007. They have a deep and talented roster that is looking to gel in time to make a postseason run. Chicago has overachieved. They managed a 5-seed in the East despite battling the injury bug which includes being without MVP Derrick Rose all season. It doesn't look like Rose will be returning for the playoffs which means that Chicago will be getting bounced in the East Quarters again.

Prediction - Brooklyn over Chicago 4-2

      
3 Indiana (-350) vs. 6 Atlanta (+425)

PG - George Hill vs. Jeff Teague
SG - Lance Stephenson vs. Devin Harris
SF - Paul George vs. Kyle Korver
PF - David West vs. Josh Smith
C - Roy Hibbert vs. Al Horford
Bench - Indiana vs. Atlanta
Coach - Frank Vogel vs. Larry Drew

This series will probably get the least amount of attention of all the Quarterfinal matchups, but it could be the most evenly matched. For most of the season, Indiana was thought to be a threat to beat Miami, but a recent stretch of poor play has many questioning how far they can go. Atlanta is back in the playoffs even without Joe Johnson. Josh Smith and Al Horford have stepped the pay up this year, and look to get the Hawks to play better than in past postseasons.

Prediction - Indiana over Atlanta 4-2

      
2 New York (-320) vs. 7 Boston (+400)

PG - Raymond Felton vs. Avery Bradley
SG - Pablo Prigioni vs. Courtney Lee
SF - Iman Shumpert vs. Paul Pierce
PF - Carmelo Anthony vs. Brandon Bass
C - Tyson Chandler vs. Kevin Garnett
Bench - New York vs. Boston
Coach - Mike Woodson vs. Doc Rivers

It's always exciting when these two cities square off in any sport. This should be no different. Both teams had some ups and downs throughout the season. Currently, New York is on an extreme upswing and Boston is on an extreme downswing. The Knicks rattled off 12 straight wins in recent weeks and the Celtics had to fight just to break .500 for the season. The Celtics will scratch and claw through this series, but I think time may have finally run out on this team.

Prediction - New York over Boston 4-2

Western Conference Quarterfinals

      
1 Oklahoma City (-1800) vs. 8 Houston (+1200)

PG - Russell Westbrook vs. Jeremy Lin
SG - Thabo Sefolosha vs. James Harden
SF - Kevin Durant vs. Chandler Parsons
PF - Serge Ibaka vs. Greg Smith
C - Kendrick Perkins vs. Omer Asik
Bench - Oklahoma City vs. Houston
Coach - Scott Brooks vs. Kevin McHale

Oklahoma City and Houston have been linked at the hip all season. They were partners in a blockbuster trade just a couple nights before the season started, that sent James Harden to the Rockets and Kevin Martin to the Thunder. There were many critics that said that this move could cost Oklahoma City a championship. The Thunder still won 60 games without Harden, while Harden became an All-Star and lead the Rockets to the playoffs. It turns out that this trade could have actually benefited both teams. Unfortunately for Harden, he doesn't quite have the supporting cast to get him past his former team.

Prediction - Oklahoma City over Houston 4-1

      
4 LA Clippers (-175) vs. 5 Memphis (+155)


PG - Chris Paul vs. Mike Conley Jr.
SG - Willie Green vs. Tony Allen
SF - Caron Butler vs. Tayshaun Prince
PF - Blake Griffin vs. Zach Randolph
C - DeAndre Jordan vs. Marc Gasol
Bench - LA Clippers vs. Memphis
Coach - Vinny Del Negro vs. Lionel Hollins

This is the best series of the entire opening round in my opinion. The Clippers are one of those teams that are capable of beating anyone, but could lose to anyone as well. When you look at the rosters of these teams, there is no doubt that the Clippers have more talent. The Grizzlies will make you work for everything you get though, and will beat the Clippers up throughout the series. I think the Clippers will beat the Grizzlies and advance to the West Semis for the second year in a row, but it will come down to the wire.

Prediction - LA Clippers over Memphis 4-3

      
3 Denver (-400) vs. 6 Golden State (+320)

PG - Ty Lawson vs. Stephen Curry
SG - Andre Iguodala vs. Klay Thompson
SF - Wilson Chandler vs. Harrison Barnes
PF - Kenneth Faried vs. David Lee
C - Kosta Koufos vs. Andrew Bogut
Bench - Denver vs. Golden State
Coach - George Karl vs. Mark Jackson

This is a very interesting series. Denver has gotten a reputation of a good regular season team, but can't put together a playoff run. On the other hand, Golden State has zero reputation. Steph Curry and company is looking to make a move similar to the 2007 and Warriors and put Golden State on the map. The loss of Dinailo Gallinari for Denver evens the two teams up a little bit, but Denver has the deeper, more talented roster in the end.

Prediction - Denver over Golden State 4-3

      
2 San Antonio (-750) vs. 7 LA Lakers (+550)

PG - Tony Parker vs. Steve Nash
SG - Danny Green vs. Jodie Meeks
SF - Kawhi Leonard vs. Metta World Peace
PF - Tim Duncan vs. Pau Gasol
C - Tiago Splitter vs. Dwight Howard
Bench - San Antonio vs. LA Lakers
Coach - Gregg Popovich vs. Mike D'Antoni

This wasn't supposed to be a 1st Round series. At the beginning of the season, many speculated that San Antonio and the Lakers would be two of the league's best teams. In fact, I actually picked the Lakers to win the NBA Finals. The team never gelled though, and struggled through much of the regular season. The team started to find their footing and then Kobe went down with a ruptured achilles last week. The Lakers have shown fight by going 2-0 without the Black Mamba, but fight won't be enough against a team as good as the Spurs.

Prediction - San Antonio over LA Lakers 4-2


Here are my picks for the remainder of the NBA Playoffs (bold team the winner):

East Semifinals
1 Miami over 4 Brooklyn 4-2
2 New York over 3 Indiana 4-2

West Semifinals
1 Oklahoma City over 4 LA Clippers 4-3
2 San Antonio over 3 Denver 4-2

East Finals
1 Miami over 2 New York 4-2

West Finals
1 Oklahoma City over 2 San Antonio 4-2

NBA Finals
1 Miami over 1 Oklahoma City 4-2

As if last season wasn't enough, LeBron and the rest of the Heat can really nail down a place in history by winning back to back titles. I will be honest, there is not a single ounce of me that wants to see this happen. But there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Miami is the best team and the NBA, and the best team usually walks away with the Larry O'Brien trophy. I have no choice but to sway from my preseason pick in the Lakers. The Lakers struggled throughout most of the regular season, and the loss of Kobe Bryant was the final nail in the coffin. In the end it will be LeBron and company hoisting the trophy again and cementing a spot in NBA lore.