I am glad to see folks back in the blogosphere...
(1) I wish that I could say my absence was due to anticipation for a sweet professional basketball playoffs. I was anticipating basketball playoffs to be sweet, but of the undergraduate sort - and I was severely disappointed yesterday. Onto the pros.
(2) I really like the way that the East is shaping up. First, the team that comes out of the East WILL have a chance of winning. And perhaps it will not be the PISTONS. Jake mentioned one potential first round matchup whose repercussions will send shockwaves all the way to Berkley, but I think that MIAMI/WASHINGTON and more importantly BULLS/RAPTORS both are extremely sweet first round matchups. I hope it sticks this way.
(3) I DO NOT like the way the West is shaping up. The first round is going to be stupid. There are 4 good teams in the west, but they are easily ranked in order (as was apparent by Suns/Mavs game on Wednesday). At this point I predict NO 7 game series in the West and NO upsets. I may back down on that later
(4) College basketball starts again in 1.5 hours. Yesterday, Ben e-mailed me something about PENN and I assumed that it had to do with COLLEGE BASKETBALL PENN (who at the time I received the e-mail had just tied Texas A and M). It did not.
(5) Who is Linas Klieza?
5 comments:
I'm sorry to disappoint you there, Simon. The sad truth is that I haven't cared about college basketball for about five years, strangely enough since most fans consider the college game to be a lot more fun. I guess I just don't have anyone to root for? Akron should have won the conference championship game, but the selection committee(s) still snubbed them. Not even the NIT? Bah!
The Miami/Washington matchup in round one will be OK. Washington is such a joke in my mind. I can't envision them getting past a deeper, better-rounded Heat team, regardless of age and probable Wadelessness.
The Toronto/Chicago matchup will be INCREDIBLE. Two ascendant, dynamic teams who matured during the year, who have multiple scoring threats and play pretty good D besides. Either of them could legitimately get past Cleveland or Detroit.
Toronto has a big test tonight against Houston.
"(5) Who is Linas Klieza?"
I think he's from PEANUTS.
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re: NCAA -- phoebe was crushed to find out that this year's tourney has no BIG BABIES. I am deciding to root for the Badgers for the first time since I moved out of Madison (1987, y'all). But, as far as general bball watching goes, I think last year was uncharacteristically spectacular in the 1st and 2nd round, and so it didn't surprise me to see a regression to the mean yesterday -- NO upsets other than Duke. That was awesome. But, as I was trying to fill out my brackets, I was trying my hardest to look past the #1 and #2 seeds when picking a final four, and I might suggest that this tournament has the weakest #3/#4 and #5 seeds I have seen in a while . . . I am counting on some great games, though -- I just hope I happen to be watching the right ones when they happen.
Also -- I might have to close my eyes when the pistons play phoenix and dallas this week. I think we match up just fine against them, it's just, somehow, I'd rather just see it happen in June and not see this kind of "vision of the near future" kind of game. If they can win 1 of those 2 games, then it won't curse their confidence. I know they like being under the radar right now. A clean sweep would put them majorly in the public eye and then they'd lose to the hawks and bobcats right after. And if they lose both, it will be kind of embarassing and they'll lose to some random team in the 2nd round of the playoffs because they're still sulking. damn. GUYS: seriously, it's not too early to think about trying to meet up in a random city in may or june to try to get playoff tickets for any one of many very theoretically mutually interest-worthy series'.
Whoa. I'm ALREADY GOING TO BE IN DETROIT the weekend of April 28/29/30 for Matt Buckman's going-away party, at which point the Pistons will PROBABLY HAVE A HOME GAME AGAINST THE KNICKS.
I WOULD PAY ANY MONEY.
wow -- that's actually a bad weekend for travel for the MOD SQUAD, as phoebe has the MCAT may 16 and I have my thesis final draft due may 2nd. we were thinking of later rounds in the playoffs . . . but, yeah -- that would be incredible. we'll see...
I agree with the MOD SQUAD that a little later would be better for me (like after may 16th?) but am super excited about this idea. Also - college basketball redeemed itself a little bit, but THERE IS NO PARITY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL (despite what everyone says)
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