2012 NBA Playoffs - Eastern Conference Finals

The Eastern Conference looked to open up for the Miami Heat to breeze into the NBA Finals when Derrick Rose went down with a torn ACL. Then they lost a star of their own, as Chris Bosh was sidelined with a strained ab. Miami was down in their series with Indiana 2-1 at one point. Then LeBron James and Dwayne Wade absolutely went off carried the Heat into their second straight Eastern Conference Finals. This is where they will meet the Boston Celtics. Rose's injury also opened things up for the Celtics a bit. Now the Big 4 get one more chance to chase a title. It will be interesting to see how much is left in their tank after a grinding 7 game series with Philly. Here is how I see it shaking out, with a breakdown of who holds the advantage in some positional matchups.



2 Miami (-225) vs. 4 Boston (+185)

PG - Mario Chalmers vs. Rajon Rondo
SG - Dwayne Wade vs. Ray Allen
SF - LeBron James vs. Paul Pierce
PF - Shane Battier vs. Brandon Bass
C - Ronnie Turiaf vs. Kevin Garnett
Bench - Miami vs. Boston
Coach - Erik Spoelstra vs. Doc Rivers

There were doubts about Miami in the minds of many when Chris Bosh was injured and the Pacers took a 2-1 lead in their Semifinals series. LeBron James and Dwayne Wade each decided to average 33 points a game and dominate the final 3 games of the series. Boston must find a way to limit James and Wade and make someone else beat them. That is much easier said than done. For Boston, they are going to need Kevin Garnett to come up big. Miami's weakness is inside. That means KG needs to be aggressive and play physical down low. I think Boston can beat up Miami, but I don't think they can beat them in a series. Miami will march on to their second straight NBA Finals.

Prediction - Miami over Boston 4-2

2012 Stanley Cup Finals

6 New Jersey (+110) vs. 8 Los Angeles (-130)

How they got here:

New Jersey beat - Florida 4-3, Philadelphia 4-1, NY Rangers 4-2
Los Angeles beat - Vancouver 4-1, St. Louis 4-0, Phoenix 4-1

The puck drops on the Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday night in Jersey. For the second year in a row, the team that I predicted to win it all in the preseason is still standing. I picked the LA Kings to hoist the Cup back in October. They certainly did not take the path I expected, but they ended up where I thought they would when the season began. The Devils have exceeded expectations as well. They earned the 6 seed in the East and rode a physical team and an all-time great goaltender to the Cup Finals. The Kings and Devils have the highest combined seeds to ever play in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Los Angeles Kings are attempting to win their 1st Stanley Cup in team history. They have only made it this far once and that was when Wayne Gretzky was in uniform. New Jersey had a great run from the mid 90s until the early 2000s, but are playing in their first Cup Finals since 2003.

At the beginning of the season I thought the Kings would take home their first Cup. They barely made the playoffs and looked like anything but the best team in hockey. They have no doubt been the best team in the playoffs though. This should be a stiff test though. New Jersey has been playing very well. They have been the best forechecking team in the postseason and have Matin Brodeur in net. That is not enough reason for me to waiver from my preseason pick. Lord Stanley's Cup will be heading to the City of Angels.

Prediction - Los Angeles over New Jersey 4-2

2012 NBA Playoffs - Western Conference Finals

The Western Conference Playoffs have virtually been all chalk thus far, save the Clippers minor upset of the Grizzlies. The Spurs and Thunder have been simply dominant. San Antonio has not lost a game in nearly 6 weeks and they are a perfect 8-0 in the postseason. Oklahoma City has been nearly as impressive with an 8-1 postseason record in defeating the last 2 Western Conference champions on their way to their 2nd straight Conference Finals appearance. Many think that the winner of this series will go on to win the NBA Finals. Here is how I see it shaking out, with a breakdown of who holds the advantage in some positional matchups.



1 San Antonio (-180) vs. 2 Oklahoma City (+150)

How they got here:

San Antonio beat - Utah 4-0, LA Clippers 4-0
Oklahoma City beat - Dallas 4-0, LA Lakers 4-1

PG - Tony Parker vs. Russell Westbrook
SG - Danny Green vs. Thabo Sefolosha
SF - Kawhi Leonard vs. Kevin Durant
PF - Boris Diaw vs. Serge Ibaka
C - Tim Duncan vs. Kendrick Perkins
Bench - San Antonio vs. Oklahoma City
Coach - Gregg Popovich vs. Scott Brooks

The Spurs have looked unstoppable to this point. They have a perfect blend of youth and experience and have been clicking on all cylinders. They will be squaring off with the up and coming Oklahoma City Thunder. Both teams will have plenty of rest heading into the series, with the way they have dismantled the competition. These teams are built very similarly which should make for a pretty even matchup. The team whose Big 3 plays the best will advance to the NBA Finals. San Antonio has Duncan, Parker, and Ginboli while Oklahoma City counters with Durant, Westbrook, and Harden. It is awfully difficult to pick against the Spurs right now, but I picked the Thunder to come out of the West before the season started and then again before the Playoffs started. I expect Durant, Westbrook, Harden, and company to come up big and lead the Thunder to their first NBA Finals.

Prediction - Oklahoma City over San Antonio 4-3

2012 MLB Season - Quarter Point

We are now a quarter of the way through the 2012 MLB season. At this point only 1 of the 10 teams (Texas) I picked to make the postseason would be in the playoffs. But as we all know, there is plenty of time for things to change. It is unlikely that Baltimore can continue this pace, and teams like Boston, Detroit, and the LA Angels have way too much talent not to turn it around. As well as the Phillies, who I picked to win the World Series. Philly's lineup has been decimated by injuries, but they still have the best starting rotation in baseball. Here is a look at how the season would shake out based on the preseason projections, current pace, and simulations of the remainder of the year.

AL East
NY Yankees 94-68
Tampa Bay 92-70
Boston 88-74
Toronto 84-78
Baltimore 74-88

AL Central
Detroit 93-69
Cleveland 87-75
Chicago Sox 79-83
Kansas City 70-92
Minnesota 65-97

AL West
Texas 95-67
LA Angels 89-73
Oakland 68-94
Seattle 67-95

NL East
Philadelphia 92-70
Atlanta 90-72
Miami 87-75
Washington 83-79
NY Mets 71-91

NL Central
Cincinnati 87-75
St. Louis 86-76
Milwaukee 79-83
Pittsburgh 75-87
Chicago Cubs 68-94
Houston 61-101

NL West
LA Dodgers 89-73
San Francisco 88-74
Arizona 84-78
Colorado 77-85
San Diego 67-95

AL Wild Card
LA Angels over Boston

NL Wild Card
San Francisco over Atlanta

ALDS
LA Angels over Texas
Detroit over NY Yankees

NLDS
Philadelphia over San Francisco
Cincinnati over LA Dodgers

ALCS
LA Angels over Detroit

NLCS
Philadelphia over Cincinnati

World Series
Philadelphia over LA Angels