Hello friends! Just like with the NBA what started with 30 teams went down to 16 then went down to 8 then went down to 4 and now down to the final 2! Tomorrow night the Boston Bruins and the Vancouver Canucks begin their quest for Hockey's holy grail Lord Stanley's Cup! So with that here are my thoughts on what I think should be 1 heck of a series!
Stanley Cup Finals: Boston Bruins vs. Vancouver Canucks
Before I get started with my preview I would like to go on the record and call this a David vs. Goliath series and here's why! 1st you have Boston as the David as they are the lovable underdogs who have won the hearts of the nation as for the 1st time since 1990 New England has Stanley Cup fever as the Bruins exercised their demons from the last 3 years of playoff heartbreak as in 2008 when they were a #8 seed and took #1 seed Montreal to Game 7 only to lose 5-0, then came the infamous Scott Walker OT goal that put Carolina over Boston in the 2nd round in 2009, and then of course the most heartbreaking of them all when they blew a 3-0 series lead and a 3-0 game lead in Game 7 against the Philadelphia Flyers in what I consider the biggest collapse since my New York Yankees blew a 3-0 series lead against the Boston Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS but anyways. Now the B's are just 4 wins away from their 1st cup since 1972 when they beat the NY Rangers in 6 games and are in my honest opinion the team of destiny right now as this team right now is at an all time high because in the 1st round they beat their most hated rivals the Montreal Canadiens in 7 games, then they got their revenge against the team that had embarrassed and humiliated them the year before the Philadelphia Flyers by sweeping them 4 straight before being taken to the limit by the upstart Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals before Boston finally won in 7 games! However on the other side of the coin you have the Vancouver Canucks as the Goliath as they were not only the best team in the NHL all season long but they were also the biggest, baddest, and scariest team as well! OK now on to the preview! Boston won the only regular season meeting between these 2 teams 3-1 in Vancouver back on February 26th! For Boston to win this series they need to do these 2 things! 1. Improve on the Power Play as this has been their achilles heel this postseason and they will need to score quite a few Power Play goals if they are going to have a chance against the mighty Canucks! 2. Continued good play from Tim Thomas as Thomas has literally stood on his head this postseason especially in Game 2 against Philly and in Games 5 and 7 against Tampa and if he can have 4 games like that then the B's will most likely be raising the cup when all is said and done! For Vancouver to win they need to do these 3 things! 1. Keep scoring on the Power Play as unlike Boston this team is dangerous on the Power Play! 2. The Sedin twins both need to have big series along with Ryan Kesler and Kevin Bieksa! 3. Roberto Luongo has to stand on his head and show why he is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy along with Tim Thomas as Luongo led the league with 38 wins during the regular season but has been rather Jekyll and Hyde this postseason while Thomas has been darn near brilliant! So who wins? Wow this is a tough 1 for me if I'm being honest! Why? Because my gut is telling me to go with Vancouver to win their 1st ever Stanley Cup while my heart wants to see Boston win their 1st Cup since 1972 and snap their long cup drought just like the Chicago Blackhawks did last year! 1 more thing before I give you my pick and that is remember I went against Vancouver in the last series and they not only made me look stupid but they also left me with egg on my face as well! OK like I said this 1 is very hard for me but 9 times out of 10 the team of destiny goes on to win the championship and right now I consider the Boston Bruins a team of destiny just like the Red Sox were back in 2004 when they finally broke the curse of the bambino and won the World Series for the 1st time since 1918! So with that I am going to take a chance here and go with my heart and pick the Boston Bruins to break their curse if you will and win this series in 6 games and bring the Stanley Cup back to New England for the 1st time since Bobby Orr and company did it back in 1972 and if that should happen then for the 1st time in a long time New England will not be a Patriots town, New England will not be a Red Sox town, and New England will not even be a Celtics town because if the Bruins win the Stanley Cup then New England will finally be a Bruins town once again as this team has been an afterthought in New England Sports for the last decade because of the Patriots 3 Super Bowls, the Red Sox 2 World Series, and the Celtics NBA Championship win back in 2008!
Winners: Boston Bruins 4 games to 2
Well friends those were my thoughts on this year's Stanley Cup Finals thanks so much for reading and be sure to join me back here on Saturday June 11th when I give you my predictions for the TNA Slammiversary PPV so until then you know the routine everybody! Thumbs up talk to you later! YEAH!!! Bye bye for now!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
2011 NBA Finals Preview
Hello friends! What started with 30 teams then went down to 16 then went down to 8 then went down to 4 and now at long last we are down to the final 2! Tomorrow night the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat will meet in a NBA Finals rematch 5 years in the making! So with that here are my thoughts on the 2011 NBA Finals!
NBA Finals: Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat
In the regular season the Mavs averaged 102 Points Per Game against the Heat while Miami averaged 95.5 Points Per Game. The Mavs shot 45.3% from the field while the Heat shot 40.9% from the field. Finally the Mavs averaged 49 total rebounds in the 2 games against Miami this year while the Heat averaged 43.5 total rebounds. Not only did the Mavs win both regular season meetings with the Heat but the Mavs have also won 14 straight regular season meetings against the Heat which is the 2nd longest winning streak between teams in the NBA Finals! The other 4 teams to enter the Finals with at least a 5-game winning streak against their opponent have gone on to win the title! Hmmm interesting! However on the other side of the coin let me ask you all a little question if I may and that question is this! What do Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and Celtics head coach Doc Rivers have in common? Well I'll tell you! Before inheriting their respective "big 3's" neither coach had won a playoff series. In the 1st year with their respective Big 3's, both Spoelstra and Rivers advanced to the NBA Finals with Rivers winning an NBA title in 2008. OK now to my pick! When it comes to starting 5's the Heat clearly have the edge mainly because of who else the big 3 of LeBron, Wade, and Bosh! However I give the Mavs a slight edge in bench players because of Jason Terry, Peja Stojakavic, and perhaps 1 of the league's best kept secrets in JJ Barea who has come out of nowhere in this postseason! In terms of coaching Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle has the edge when it comes to experience while Heat head man Erik Spoelstra has done a rather nice job coaching this team through all the hype and media scrutiny the Heat have faced really since LeBron's infamous decision special last July! For the Mavs to avenge their finals collapse against Miami back in 06 the other starters and more importantly the bench players really have to step up and put up some big numbers because let's not kid ourselves here friends Dirk cannot do all the work by himself! In addition the Mavs have to do what Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago couldn't do in these playoffs thus far and that is they have to keep LeBron and D-Wade away from the basket and the free throw line! For Miami to win this series of course the big 3 need to keep dominating and putting up points aplenty like they have done all season long, their bench players such as James Jones, Udonis Haslem, and Mike Miller also need to contribute, and of course LeBron and D-Wade have to dominate the points in the paint and get to the free throw line as much as possible! So who wins? Well as much as I would like to see Dallas avenge their loss to Miami back in 2006 I really and honestly don't see that happening as I see Miami winning this series in 7 games as I think the big 3 will be too much for the Mavs to handle and if Miami does win then expect LeBron to be named Finals MVP!
Winners: Miami Heat 4 games to 3
Well friends those were my thoughts on this year's NBA Finals thanks so much for reading and please join me right back here tomorrow night as I will preview this year's Stanley Cup Finals between the Boston Bruins and the Vancouver Canucks so until then you know the routine everybody! Thumbs up talk to you all later! YEAH!!! Bye bye for now!
NBA Finals: Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat
In the regular season the Mavs averaged 102 Points Per Game against the Heat while Miami averaged 95.5 Points Per Game. The Mavs shot 45.3% from the field while the Heat shot 40.9% from the field. Finally the Mavs averaged 49 total rebounds in the 2 games against Miami this year while the Heat averaged 43.5 total rebounds. Not only did the Mavs win both regular season meetings with the Heat but the Mavs have also won 14 straight regular season meetings against the Heat which is the 2nd longest winning streak between teams in the NBA Finals! The other 4 teams to enter the Finals with at least a 5-game winning streak against their opponent have gone on to win the title! Hmmm interesting! However on the other side of the coin let me ask you all a little question if I may and that question is this! What do Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and Celtics head coach Doc Rivers have in common? Well I'll tell you! Before inheriting their respective "big 3's" neither coach had won a playoff series. In the 1st year with their respective Big 3's, both Spoelstra and Rivers advanced to the NBA Finals with Rivers winning an NBA title in 2008. OK now to my pick! When it comes to starting 5's the Heat clearly have the edge mainly because of who else the big 3 of LeBron, Wade, and Bosh! However I give the Mavs a slight edge in bench players because of Jason Terry, Peja Stojakavic, and perhaps 1 of the league's best kept secrets in JJ Barea who has come out of nowhere in this postseason! In terms of coaching Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle has the edge when it comes to experience while Heat head man Erik Spoelstra has done a rather nice job coaching this team through all the hype and media scrutiny the Heat have faced really since LeBron's infamous decision special last July! For the Mavs to avenge their finals collapse against Miami back in 06 the other starters and more importantly the bench players really have to step up and put up some big numbers because let's not kid ourselves here friends Dirk cannot do all the work by himself! In addition the Mavs have to do what Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago couldn't do in these playoffs thus far and that is they have to keep LeBron and D-Wade away from the basket and the free throw line! For Miami to win this series of course the big 3 need to keep dominating and putting up points aplenty like they have done all season long, their bench players such as James Jones, Udonis Haslem, and Mike Miller also need to contribute, and of course LeBron and D-Wade have to dominate the points in the paint and get to the free throw line as much as possible! So who wins? Well as much as I would like to see Dallas avenge their loss to Miami back in 2006 I really and honestly don't see that happening as I see Miami winning this series in 7 games as I think the big 3 will be too much for the Mavs to handle and if Miami does win then expect LeBron to be named Finals MVP!
Winners: Miami Heat 4 games to 3
Well friends those were my thoughts on this year's NBA Finals thanks so much for reading and please join me right back here tomorrow night as I will preview this year's Stanley Cup Finals between the Boston Bruins and the Vancouver Canucks so until then you know the routine everybody! Thumbs up talk to you all later! YEAH!!! Bye bye for now!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
WWE Over The Limit 2011 Predictions
Hello friends! With WWE Over The Limit set to take place later tonight I am going to give you my thoughts and predictions for each match. So with that let's get started!
Sin Cara vs. Chavo Guerrero
In my opinion this should be the 1st fight of the night because the key to a successful PPV is getting the crowd hot early and I can't think of a better match to do so than this 1! I expect this to be a fun little spotfest opener and a possible sleeper pick for fight of the night! Who wins? Well I'm going to go with Sin Cara to win this fight because let's face it the guy is uber over right now and for him to lose here would be a big mistake in my opinion!
Winner: Sin Cara
WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The Big Show and Kane vs. CM Punk and Mason Ryan
When it comes to this card this is 1 of the matches that I am really not looking forward to because I have a terrible feeling that this is going to be a bad TV match at best. But since I have to pick a winner here I will go with the champs to retain but in all honesty Punk and Ryan need the win more mainly because if WWE wants to establish the new Nexus as a dominate stable then they really need to win the belts here but for right now I just have this feeling that Show and Kane hold on to the belts for now.
Winners: The Big Show and Kane
Kiss My Foot Match: Jerry "The King" Lawler vs. Michael Cole
No question about this 1 as I expect this to most likely be the worst fight of the night because let's face it friends both of their matches have been godawful and I don't expect this 1 to be any different! As for who wins well I like Lawler to finally go over Cole here in what me and my fellow diehard Wrestling fans hope is the end of this tired and played out feud!
Winner: Jerry "The King" Lawler
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Wade Barrett vs. Ezekiel Jackson
Like the Sin Cara/Chavo Guerrero match here's another pick for sleeper fight of the night as this has potential to be 1 of the better big man matches in recent memory! Zeke really needs the win more if WWE really wants us to take him as a serious threat but in my honest opinion I have to go with Barrett to retain here with help from his Corre mates Gabriel and Slater which will lead to some sort of rematch at the newly named Capitol Punishment PPV next month!
Winner: Wade Barrett
Rey Mysterio vs. R-Truth
OK over the last month or so R-Truth went from being somone who annoyed me very much mainly because of his tired and played out gimmick to someone I have actually enjoyed watching ever since WWE turned him heel on Raw last month in London England! To be quite honest Truth needs the win more while Rey really doesn't and that is why I am going to take a chance here and go with R-Truth to win this match and hopefully this will lead to bigger and better things for Truth down the line!
Winner: R-Truth
World Heavyweight Championship Match: Randy Orton vs. Christian
For me this has fight of the night written all over it mainly because of the awesome match they had on Smackdown a few weeks ago! No storyline in WWE has been more fun and entertaining as this 1 because of the fact you have Randy Orton the 2nd biggest name in WWE today only behind John Cena and then on the other side of the coin you have Christian a man who has worked and waited for 17 years to finally win the big 1 which he did at Extreme Rules 3 weeks ago! Really tough to pick a winner here because my gut tells me to go with Orton to retain as I really don't see WWE taking the belt off of him so quickly but then again they took the belt of Christian after only 2 days so! If Christian were to win then it would somewhat devalue the World Heavyweight Title while if Orton retains then it would somewhat bring some credibility back to the title! So who wins? Well as much as I would like to see Christian win the belt again I just don't see that happening as I have Orton just barely retaining in what will be a very fun and entertaining match from start to finish!
Winner: Randy Orton
WWE Divas Championship Match: Brie Bella vs. Kelly Kelly
If not for the Kiss My Foot match then I would've had this as my worst fight of the night. Since I have to pick a winner here I am going to take a chance once again and go with Kelly to win the belt as I expect Kharma to get involved in this match and maybe help Kelly win the belt and then shortly there after take the belt off Kelly and make the diva division somewhat credible again.
Winner: Kelly Kelly
I Quit Match For The WWE Championship: John Cena vs. The Miz
Without question the easiest match to call as I expect Super Cena to retain going away in what I think will be the 2nd best fight of the night! Expect this to be the blowoff for this feud and then the question becomes who's next for Cena? Good question I don't know! Maybe Alberto Del Rio but I don't really see that happening until SummerSlam in my book. Personally I don't really know who Cena's next challenger will be at Capitol Punishment but for now we'll just have to wait and see!
Winner: John Cena
Overall it looks like a middle of the road PPV as I expect the 2 World title matches to steal the show while I expect the Sin Cara/Chavo Guerrero, Rey/R-Truth, and Barrett/Jackson matches to be solid at best! Sadly though this PPV has 3 candidates for worst fight of the night in Lawler/Cole, the Diva title fight, and the Tag title fight!
Well friends those are my predictions for Over The Limit thanks so much for reading and be sure to join me on my Tony Rant blogsite tomorrow night as I will have a complete recap of Over The Limit and also be sure to check out my buddy Derek Ferreira's YouTube channel (slb200809) as he will have a video recap of Over The Limit as well and then be sure to join me back here on this blogsite within the next week or 2 when I preview the Stanley Cup and NBA Finals! So until then you know the routine everybody! Thumbs up talk to you later! YEAH!!! Bye bye for now!
Sin Cara vs. Chavo Guerrero
In my opinion this should be the 1st fight of the night because the key to a successful PPV is getting the crowd hot early and I can't think of a better match to do so than this 1! I expect this to be a fun little spotfest opener and a possible sleeper pick for fight of the night! Who wins? Well I'm going to go with Sin Cara to win this fight because let's face it the guy is uber over right now and for him to lose here would be a big mistake in my opinion!
Winner: Sin Cara
WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The Big Show and Kane vs. CM Punk and Mason Ryan
When it comes to this card this is 1 of the matches that I am really not looking forward to because I have a terrible feeling that this is going to be a bad TV match at best. But since I have to pick a winner here I will go with the champs to retain but in all honesty Punk and Ryan need the win more mainly because if WWE wants to establish the new Nexus as a dominate stable then they really need to win the belts here but for right now I just have this feeling that Show and Kane hold on to the belts for now.
Winners: The Big Show and Kane
Kiss My Foot Match: Jerry "The King" Lawler vs. Michael Cole
No question about this 1 as I expect this to most likely be the worst fight of the night because let's face it friends both of their matches have been godawful and I don't expect this 1 to be any different! As for who wins well I like Lawler to finally go over Cole here in what me and my fellow diehard Wrestling fans hope is the end of this tired and played out feud!
Winner: Jerry "The King" Lawler
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Wade Barrett vs. Ezekiel Jackson
Like the Sin Cara/Chavo Guerrero match here's another pick for sleeper fight of the night as this has potential to be 1 of the better big man matches in recent memory! Zeke really needs the win more if WWE really wants us to take him as a serious threat but in my honest opinion I have to go with Barrett to retain here with help from his Corre mates Gabriel and Slater which will lead to some sort of rematch at the newly named Capitol Punishment PPV next month!
Winner: Wade Barrett
Rey Mysterio vs. R-Truth
OK over the last month or so R-Truth went from being somone who annoyed me very much mainly because of his tired and played out gimmick to someone I have actually enjoyed watching ever since WWE turned him heel on Raw last month in London England! To be quite honest Truth needs the win more while Rey really doesn't and that is why I am going to take a chance here and go with R-Truth to win this match and hopefully this will lead to bigger and better things for Truth down the line!
Winner: R-Truth
World Heavyweight Championship Match: Randy Orton vs. Christian
For me this has fight of the night written all over it mainly because of the awesome match they had on Smackdown a few weeks ago! No storyline in WWE has been more fun and entertaining as this 1 because of the fact you have Randy Orton the 2nd biggest name in WWE today only behind John Cena and then on the other side of the coin you have Christian a man who has worked and waited for 17 years to finally win the big 1 which he did at Extreme Rules 3 weeks ago! Really tough to pick a winner here because my gut tells me to go with Orton to retain as I really don't see WWE taking the belt off of him so quickly but then again they took the belt of Christian after only 2 days so! If Christian were to win then it would somewhat devalue the World Heavyweight Title while if Orton retains then it would somewhat bring some credibility back to the title! So who wins? Well as much as I would like to see Christian win the belt again I just don't see that happening as I have Orton just barely retaining in what will be a very fun and entertaining match from start to finish!
Winner: Randy Orton
WWE Divas Championship Match: Brie Bella vs. Kelly Kelly
If not for the Kiss My Foot match then I would've had this as my worst fight of the night. Since I have to pick a winner here I am going to take a chance once again and go with Kelly to win the belt as I expect Kharma to get involved in this match and maybe help Kelly win the belt and then shortly there after take the belt off Kelly and make the diva division somewhat credible again.
Winner: Kelly Kelly
I Quit Match For The WWE Championship: John Cena vs. The Miz
Without question the easiest match to call as I expect Super Cena to retain going away in what I think will be the 2nd best fight of the night! Expect this to be the blowoff for this feud and then the question becomes who's next for Cena? Good question I don't know! Maybe Alberto Del Rio but I don't really see that happening until SummerSlam in my book. Personally I don't really know who Cena's next challenger will be at Capitol Punishment but for now we'll just have to wait and see!
Winner: John Cena
Overall it looks like a middle of the road PPV as I expect the 2 World title matches to steal the show while I expect the Sin Cara/Chavo Guerrero, Rey/R-Truth, and Barrett/Jackson matches to be solid at best! Sadly though this PPV has 3 candidates for worst fight of the night in Lawler/Cole, the Diva title fight, and the Tag title fight!
Well friends those are my predictions for Over The Limit thanks so much for reading and be sure to join me on my Tony Rant blogsite tomorrow night as I will have a complete recap of Over The Limit and also be sure to check out my buddy Derek Ferreira's YouTube channel (slb200809) as he will have a video recap of Over The Limit as well and then be sure to join me back here on this blogsite within the next week or 2 when I preview the Stanley Cup and NBA Finals! So until then you know the routine everybody! Thumbs up talk to you later! YEAH!!! Bye bye for now!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
2011 NBA Playoff Preview (Conference Finals)
Hello friends! Tonight the NBA Conference Finals begins as the NBA Playoffs just like the Stanley Cup Playoffs are heading towards the home stretch! So with that here are my thoughts on both Conference Final series!
Eastern Conference Finals: (1) Chicago Bulls vs. (2) Miami Heat
This marks the 2nd time that these 2 teams have met in the Eastern Conference Finals with the other meeting coming back in 1997 which da Bulls won in 5 games. Chicago swept the regular season series with Miami 3-0 but each game was close and down to the wire. 1st off don't expect either team to win in 5 as I expect this series to go the distance! For Chicago to win this series Derrick Rose needs to keep playing like the MVP that he has been all season long, Carlos Boozer really needs to have a big series here because he has been basically almost non-existent in the 1st 2 rounds, and most importantly the Bulls defense really needs to keep LeBron James and Dwayne Wade away from the basket and away from the free throw line which is much easier said then done. For Miami to win this series of course the big 3 need to keep dominating and putting up points aplenty like they have done all season long, their bench players such as James Jones also need to contribute, and of course LeBron and D-Wade have to dominate the points in the paint and get to the free throw line as much as possible! So who wins? Well I will admit I am a diehard Bulls fan and I would love nothing more than to see Chicago win this series and advance to the NBA Finals for the 1st time since they won their last title back in 1998! However I am very scared of this Heat team because they have been playing very well as of late especially in their 5 game series win over the Boston Celtics. My gut tells me to go with Miami to win this series but I'm not going to listen to my gut because I'm going to listen to my heart and go with Chicago to win this series in 7 hard fought games because they have the home court advantage and oh by the way they had the best home record during the regular season and they've only lost once at home in this postseason! Enclosing, the main reason why I am going with Chicago to win this series is that this has been such a magical season for da Bulls and they have worked too hard to get this far only for them to blow it now and after everything that this team has been through since Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Phil Jackson left this team deserves it now more than ever!
Winners: Chicago Bulls 4 games to 3
Western Conference Finals: (3) Dallas Mavericks vs. (4) Oklahoma City Thunder
For the 1st time since their only Finals appearance in 2006 the Dallas Mavericks are in the Western Conference Finals while the Oklahoma City Thunder are in this round for the 1st time since they were the Seattle Supersonics that went to the NBA Finals back in 1996! The Mavs won the regular season series from the Thunder 2-1 with the road team winning each game. The Mavs are coming off a stunning and shocking sweep of the 2 time defending champion LA Lakers including what I have dubbed the Mother's Day beatdown in the clinching game 4 while the Thunder are coming off a hard fought and physical 7 game series with the Memphis Grizzlies! For the Mavs to win this series they will need to rely on their bread and butter this postseason which has been solid play from their bench players along with clutch and timely shooting! Also Dirk Nowitzki needs to play like the MVP he was back in 2007. For the Thunder to win this series Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook need to play like they did against Memphis in game 7. Westbrook needs to penetrate to the bucket and find Durant and James Harden open for big shots! So who wins? Well I am going to take a chance here and go with Oklahoma City to win this series in 6 games as I expect Durant and Westbrook to both have big series and I think the long layoff may hurt Dallas in the long run!
Winners: Oklahoma City Thunder 4 games to 2
Overall I am looking forward to the East Finals a little more than the West but I do expect both series to be close, physical, and hard fought. 1 final thought and that is my partner in crime Mike Flecha had the Bulls and Thunder going to the NBA Finals at the start of the playoffs which I really didn't think was a possibility mainly because of Miami, Boston, and Orlando in the East and the Lakers, San Antonio, and Dallas in the West but now that da Bulls and the Thunder are now this close to the Finals I think they just might get there after all and if that's the case then that's a series I will really look forward to watching because that would be 1 heck of a series if it comes down to that but for now we'll just have to wait and see!
OK friends those are my thoughts on the NBA Conference Finals thanks so much for reading and don't forget to join me on my Tony Rant blogsite for my TNA Sacrifice PPV recap later tonight and I'll be back on this blogsite on Saturday night with my predictions for the WWE Over The Limit PPV so until then you know the routine everybody! Thumbs up talk to ya later! YEAH!!! Bye bye for now!
Eastern Conference Finals: (1) Chicago Bulls vs. (2) Miami Heat
This marks the 2nd time that these 2 teams have met in the Eastern Conference Finals with the other meeting coming back in 1997 which da Bulls won in 5 games. Chicago swept the regular season series with Miami 3-0 but each game was close and down to the wire. 1st off don't expect either team to win in 5 as I expect this series to go the distance! For Chicago to win this series Derrick Rose needs to keep playing like the MVP that he has been all season long, Carlos Boozer really needs to have a big series here because he has been basically almost non-existent in the 1st 2 rounds, and most importantly the Bulls defense really needs to keep LeBron James and Dwayne Wade away from the basket and away from the free throw line which is much easier said then done. For Miami to win this series of course the big 3 need to keep dominating and putting up points aplenty like they have done all season long, their bench players such as James Jones also need to contribute, and of course LeBron and D-Wade have to dominate the points in the paint and get to the free throw line as much as possible! So who wins? Well I will admit I am a diehard Bulls fan and I would love nothing more than to see Chicago win this series and advance to the NBA Finals for the 1st time since they won their last title back in 1998! However I am very scared of this Heat team because they have been playing very well as of late especially in their 5 game series win over the Boston Celtics. My gut tells me to go with Miami to win this series but I'm not going to listen to my gut because I'm going to listen to my heart and go with Chicago to win this series in 7 hard fought games because they have the home court advantage and oh by the way they had the best home record during the regular season and they've only lost once at home in this postseason! Enclosing, the main reason why I am going with Chicago to win this series is that this has been such a magical season for da Bulls and they have worked too hard to get this far only for them to blow it now and after everything that this team has been through since Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Phil Jackson left this team deserves it now more than ever!
Winners: Chicago Bulls 4 games to 3
Western Conference Finals: (3) Dallas Mavericks vs. (4) Oklahoma City Thunder
For the 1st time since their only Finals appearance in 2006 the Dallas Mavericks are in the Western Conference Finals while the Oklahoma City Thunder are in this round for the 1st time since they were the Seattle Supersonics that went to the NBA Finals back in 1996! The Mavs won the regular season series from the Thunder 2-1 with the road team winning each game. The Mavs are coming off a stunning and shocking sweep of the 2 time defending champion LA Lakers including what I have dubbed the Mother's Day beatdown in the clinching game 4 while the Thunder are coming off a hard fought and physical 7 game series with the Memphis Grizzlies! For the Mavs to win this series they will need to rely on their bread and butter this postseason which has been solid play from their bench players along with clutch and timely shooting! Also Dirk Nowitzki needs to play like the MVP he was back in 2007. For the Thunder to win this series Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook need to play like they did against Memphis in game 7. Westbrook needs to penetrate to the bucket and find Durant and James Harden open for big shots! So who wins? Well I am going to take a chance here and go with Oklahoma City to win this series in 6 games as I expect Durant and Westbrook to both have big series and I think the long layoff may hurt Dallas in the long run!
Winners: Oklahoma City Thunder 4 games to 2
Overall I am looking forward to the East Finals a little more than the West but I do expect both series to be close, physical, and hard fought. 1 final thought and that is my partner in crime Mike Flecha had the Bulls and Thunder going to the NBA Finals at the start of the playoffs which I really didn't think was a possibility mainly because of Miami, Boston, and Orlando in the East and the Lakers, San Antonio, and Dallas in the West but now that da Bulls and the Thunder are now this close to the Finals I think they just might get there after all and if that's the case then that's a series I will really look forward to watching because that would be 1 heck of a series if it comes down to that but for now we'll just have to wait and see!
OK friends those are my thoughts on the NBA Conference Finals thanks so much for reading and don't forget to join me on my Tony Rant blogsite for my TNA Sacrifice PPV recap later tonight and I'll be back on this blogsite on Saturday night with my predictions for the WWE Over The Limit PPV so until then you know the routine everybody! Thumbs up talk to ya later! YEAH!!! Bye bye for now!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
TNA Sacrifice 2011 Predictions
Hello friends! Here are my predictions for tomorrow night's TNA Sacrifice PPV!
Robbie E vs. Brian Kendrick
My guess is that this is a #1 contenders match for the X-Division Championship and if that's the case then I will go with Robbie E to win this match! Should be a decent opener at best.
Winner: Robbie E
Mexican America vs. Ink Inc.
To be honest I think that this is going to be the worst fight of the night right here as I expect this to be a bad Impact match at best and since I have to pick a winner here I will go with Mexican America mainly because they're more over right now but to be quite honest I've already grown sick and tired of this stable and quite frankly I wish they would just go away but for right now TNA will keep on shoving them down our throats! UGH!!!
Winners: Mexican America
TNA X-Division Championship Match: Kazarian vs. Max Buck
For me this is my pick for sleeper fight of the night as I expect this to be your typical spotfest match. As for who wins well I'm going to go with Kaz to retain here because I picked Robbie E to beat Kendrick in what I think will be a #1 contender match.
Winner: Kazarian
TNA Women's Knockout Championship Match: Mickie James vs. Madison Rayne
OK before I get to my pick let me just explain the stipulation of this match. The stipulation is if Mickie wins then Tara's contract with Madison Rayne will be null and void which means that Tara would be free and can then do whatever she wants! Which makes my pick all the much easier as I fully expect Mickie to retain not only because of the stipulation but also because Mickie just won the title last month at Lockdown and I really don't see her dropping the belt just yet.
Winner: Mickie James
Abyss vs. Crimson
Just like the tag team match I am not really looking forward to this match either as I expect this to be a slow and boring match throughout. But since I have to pick a winner here I am going to take a chance and say that Crimson pulls the upset mainly because the announcers have been building up Crimson as an undefeated wrestler ala Samoa Joe 5 years ago and because of that I'm expecting Crimson and Joe to throwdown at Slammiversary next month.
Winner: Crimson
TNA World Tag Team Championship Match: Beer Money Inc. vs. Matt Hardy and Chris Harris
This past Thursday on Impact Wrestling Matt Hardy revealed the Wildcat Chris Harris as his mystery tag team partner to challenge Roode and Storm at Sacrifice. Remember Harris and Storm are former partners as part of perhaps the greatest tag team in TNA history America's Most Wanted! For me I think this will be another Impact like match here because we don't know which Chris Harris we're going to get here. The Chris Harris that was 1 of the top performers in TNA or the Chris Harris who was known as Braden Walker and bombed in the WWE. So who wins? Well I'm going to go with the champs to retain here but for some odd reason I've got a sneaking feeling that Harris may turn on Hardy and reunite with his former partner and become the newest member of Fortune. Personally I'd like to see that but I'm just not sure that's going to happen but for now we shall see!
Winners: Beer Money Inc.
Tommy Dreamer vs. A.J. Styles
About 2 weeks ago on Impact Wrestling Tommy Dreamer attacked AJ with a devastating piledriver! Personally I don't know what's going on here because is Dreamer a full fledged heel now or is he the reluctant heel who's only doing Bully Ray's bidding because maybe Ray has something on Dreamer? I don't know but what I do know is that I've got AJ winning this match thus setting up a showdown with him and Bully Ray next month at Slammiversary!
Winner: A.J. Styles
Jeff Jarrett and Karen Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle and Chyna
OK 1st off Chyna looks absolutely amazing in my opinion! Anyways the $1,000,000 question in this 1 is this can Chyna still wrestle? Honestly I'm not sure but I can't wait to see how she looks in there because it's been a very long time since Chyna has wrestled. But none the less I like her and Kurt to win this 1 as the Jarretts have been getting the best of Kurt Angle for the longest time now and Kurt is due for a win eventually and I think that with the help of the 9th wonder of the world he shall finally get 1!
Winners: Kurt Angle and Chyna
TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match: Sting vs. Rob Van Dam
For me this has potential to be the fight of the night as I expect this to be a great World title main event! The winner here will then go on to face Mr. Anderson at Slammiversary after Anderson won a 25 man battle royal this past Thursday on Impact Wrestling! So who wins? Well I'm going to go with the Stinger to barely retain because we've already seen Anderson and RVD throwdown quite a few times already but we have yet to see Anderson and Sting go 1 on 1 and in my honest opinion that's the big money fight in TNA today and that's why Sting and Anderson for the belt at Slammiversary is the better way to go because when it comes to 1 of your major PPV's you want the best main event possible and that's why I have Sting going over here.
Winner: Sting
Overall I expect this to be the typical ho hum middle of the road TNA PPV as I expect the main event matches to steal the show while all of the other matches will probably be bad Impact matches at best.
Well friends those are my thoughts on Sacrifice thanks so much for reading and be sure to join me on my Tony Rant blogsite tomorrow night as I will have a complete recap of Sacrifice and also tomorrow night be sure to check out my buddy Derek Ferreira's YouTube channel (slb200809) as he will have a complete video recap of Sacrifice! 1 last thing and that is please join me right back here on this blogsite tomorrow night as I will preview the NBA Conference Finals so until then you know the routine everybody! Thumbs up talk to ya later! YEAH!!! Bye bye for now!
Robbie E vs. Brian Kendrick
My guess is that this is a #1 contenders match for the X-Division Championship and if that's the case then I will go with Robbie E to win this match! Should be a decent opener at best.
Winner: Robbie E
Mexican America vs. Ink Inc.
To be honest I think that this is going to be the worst fight of the night right here as I expect this to be a bad Impact match at best and since I have to pick a winner here I will go with Mexican America mainly because they're more over right now but to be quite honest I've already grown sick and tired of this stable and quite frankly I wish they would just go away but for right now TNA will keep on shoving them down our throats! UGH!!!
Winners: Mexican America
TNA X-Division Championship Match: Kazarian vs. Max Buck
For me this is my pick for sleeper fight of the night as I expect this to be your typical spotfest match. As for who wins well I'm going to go with Kaz to retain here because I picked Robbie E to beat Kendrick in what I think will be a #1 contender match.
Winner: Kazarian
TNA Women's Knockout Championship Match: Mickie James vs. Madison Rayne
OK before I get to my pick let me just explain the stipulation of this match. The stipulation is if Mickie wins then Tara's contract with Madison Rayne will be null and void which means that Tara would be free and can then do whatever she wants! Which makes my pick all the much easier as I fully expect Mickie to retain not only because of the stipulation but also because Mickie just won the title last month at Lockdown and I really don't see her dropping the belt just yet.
Winner: Mickie James
Abyss vs. Crimson
Just like the tag team match I am not really looking forward to this match either as I expect this to be a slow and boring match throughout. But since I have to pick a winner here I am going to take a chance and say that Crimson pulls the upset mainly because the announcers have been building up Crimson as an undefeated wrestler ala Samoa Joe 5 years ago and because of that I'm expecting Crimson and Joe to throwdown at Slammiversary next month.
Winner: Crimson
TNA World Tag Team Championship Match: Beer Money Inc. vs. Matt Hardy and Chris Harris
This past Thursday on Impact Wrestling Matt Hardy revealed the Wildcat Chris Harris as his mystery tag team partner to challenge Roode and Storm at Sacrifice. Remember Harris and Storm are former partners as part of perhaps the greatest tag team in TNA history America's Most Wanted! For me I think this will be another Impact like match here because we don't know which Chris Harris we're going to get here. The Chris Harris that was 1 of the top performers in TNA or the Chris Harris who was known as Braden Walker and bombed in the WWE. So who wins? Well I'm going to go with the champs to retain here but for some odd reason I've got a sneaking feeling that Harris may turn on Hardy and reunite with his former partner and become the newest member of Fortune. Personally I'd like to see that but I'm just not sure that's going to happen but for now we shall see!
Winners: Beer Money Inc.
Tommy Dreamer vs. A.J. Styles
About 2 weeks ago on Impact Wrestling Tommy Dreamer attacked AJ with a devastating piledriver! Personally I don't know what's going on here because is Dreamer a full fledged heel now or is he the reluctant heel who's only doing Bully Ray's bidding because maybe Ray has something on Dreamer? I don't know but what I do know is that I've got AJ winning this match thus setting up a showdown with him and Bully Ray next month at Slammiversary!
Winner: A.J. Styles
Jeff Jarrett and Karen Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle and Chyna
OK 1st off Chyna looks absolutely amazing in my opinion! Anyways the $1,000,000 question in this 1 is this can Chyna still wrestle? Honestly I'm not sure but I can't wait to see how she looks in there because it's been a very long time since Chyna has wrestled. But none the less I like her and Kurt to win this 1 as the Jarretts have been getting the best of Kurt Angle for the longest time now and Kurt is due for a win eventually and I think that with the help of the 9th wonder of the world he shall finally get 1!
Winners: Kurt Angle and Chyna
TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match: Sting vs. Rob Van Dam
For me this has potential to be the fight of the night as I expect this to be a great World title main event! The winner here will then go on to face Mr. Anderson at Slammiversary after Anderson won a 25 man battle royal this past Thursday on Impact Wrestling! So who wins? Well I'm going to go with the Stinger to barely retain because we've already seen Anderson and RVD throwdown quite a few times already but we have yet to see Anderson and Sting go 1 on 1 and in my honest opinion that's the big money fight in TNA today and that's why Sting and Anderson for the belt at Slammiversary is the better way to go because when it comes to 1 of your major PPV's you want the best main event possible and that's why I have Sting going over here.
Winner: Sting
Overall I expect this to be the typical ho hum middle of the road TNA PPV as I expect the main event matches to steal the show while all of the other matches will probably be bad Impact matches at best.
Well friends those are my thoughts on Sacrifice thanks so much for reading and be sure to join me on my Tony Rant blogsite tomorrow night as I will have a complete recap of Sacrifice and also tomorrow night be sure to check out my buddy Derek Ferreira's YouTube channel (slb200809) as he will have a complete video recap of Sacrifice! 1 last thing and that is please join me right back here on this blogsite tomorrow night as I will preview the NBA Conference Finals so until then you know the routine everybody! Thumbs up talk to ya later! YEAH!!! Bye bye for now!
Friday, May 13, 2011
2011 Stanley Cup Playoff Preview (Conference Finals)
Hello friends! Tomorrow marks the start of the Conference Finals as the Stanley Cup Playoffs head towards the home stretch! So with that here are my thoughts and predictions for both Conference Final series!
Eastern Conference Finals: (3) Boston Bruins vs. (5) Tampa Bay Lightning
For the 1st time since 1992 the Boston Bruins are in the Eastern Conference Finals while the Tampa Bay Lightning are in for the 1st time since they won it all back in 2004! The Bruins won the regular season series against the Lightning 3-1. No 2 teams have been hotter right now than these 2! Ever since they lost the 1st 2 games against their hated rivals the Montreal Canadiens at home in round 1 the Bruins have won 8 of their last 9 games including 5 straight while Tampa has won 7 straight after falling behind the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 in round 1 so something will have to give here! For the most part all the talk will be about the big name goal scorers for each side such as Zdeno Chara, David Krejci, and Milan Lucic for Boston and Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis, and Vincent Lecavalier for Tampa but in reality the talk just may be more about the goaltenders Boston's Tim Thomas and Tampa's Dwayne Roloson! Both goaltenders were spectacular in their respective sweeps in round 2 and I expect both goaltenders to have big series here! The only downside is Boston will be without Patrice Bergeron as he suffered a concussion at the hands of Philadelphia's Claude Giroux in the Game 4 clincher. So who wins? Well even though their power play has been rather shoddy for the most part and even though they will be without Patrice Bergeron for the most part I still like Boston to win this series in 7 games as this team is not only at an all time high after not only beating their hated rivals and also excerising their demons against the team that humiliated and embarrassed them last year but also this team is on a mission to win their 1st Cup since 1972 and if they keep playing the way they have been as of late then it just maybe mission accomplished! Enclosing NESN announcer Jack Edwards said it best New England has Stanley Cup fever!
Winners: Boston Bruins 4 games to 3
Western Conference Finals: (1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (2) San Jose Sharks
For the 1st time since their cinderella run of 1994 the Vancouver Canucks are in the Western Conference Finals while the Sharks are making their 2nd consecutive appearance in this round! The Canucks won the season series 3-1! For me this series is very tough to call and here's why! The Canucks have been the best team in the NHL all season long while the Sharks may have enough to finally win the big 1! For Vancouver to win this series the Sedin twins have to show up because they were basically non-existent against the Nashville Predators in the last round. Also Ryan Kesler has to pick up right where he left off against Nashville in the last round as he scored 6 goals in that series to pretty much carry Vancouver in that series. The 3rd and final thing Vancouver has to do win this series is get a big time performance in net from Roberto Luongo because in round 1 against Chicago he was terrible while against Nashville in round 2 he rebounded rather nicely! For San Jose to win this series they need their Olympic line of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Dany Heatley to step up big time. They also need Antii Niemi to play like he did with Chicago last year and if he does then the Sharks could finally win the big 1! So who wins? Well like I said this series is very tough to call as I have loved Vancouver all season long while at the same time I really want to see San Jose finally get over the hump and advance to their 1st ever Stanley Cup final as I honestly feel that the San Jose Sharks are the best team that has never won a Stanley Cup as of right now! Without question this is a very hard pick for me but in the end I am going to take a chance here and go with San Jose to win this series in 6 games mainly because of the fact that Antii Niemi is starting to play like the Antii Niemi who was in goal for the Chicago Blackhawks during their epic run to their 1st Stanley Cup in 49 years! Enclosing I think this is the most realistic chance that the Sharks have of reaching the Stanley Cup finals for the 1st time ever and if they don't win this series then I seriously doubt that this team will ever win the big 1!
Winners: San Jose Sharks 4 games to 2
Overall I am very much looking forward to both series as I think Boston and Tampa will be more about the goaltenders while the Vancouver/San Jose series will be more of an offensive series. But for now we'll just have to wait and see!
Well friends those are my thoughts on the NHL's Conference Finals thanks so much for reading and I will be back tomorrow night with my predictions for the TNA Sacrifice PPV so until then you know the routine everybody! Thumbs up talk to ya later! YEAH!!! Bye bye for now!
Eastern Conference Finals: (3) Boston Bruins vs. (5) Tampa Bay Lightning
For the 1st time since 1992 the Boston Bruins are in the Eastern Conference Finals while the Tampa Bay Lightning are in for the 1st time since they won it all back in 2004! The Bruins won the regular season series against the Lightning 3-1. No 2 teams have been hotter right now than these 2! Ever since they lost the 1st 2 games against their hated rivals the Montreal Canadiens at home in round 1 the Bruins have won 8 of their last 9 games including 5 straight while Tampa has won 7 straight after falling behind the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 in round 1 so something will have to give here! For the most part all the talk will be about the big name goal scorers for each side such as Zdeno Chara, David Krejci, and Milan Lucic for Boston and Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis, and Vincent Lecavalier for Tampa but in reality the talk just may be more about the goaltenders Boston's Tim Thomas and Tampa's Dwayne Roloson! Both goaltenders were spectacular in their respective sweeps in round 2 and I expect both goaltenders to have big series here! The only downside is Boston will be without Patrice Bergeron as he suffered a concussion at the hands of Philadelphia's Claude Giroux in the Game 4 clincher. So who wins? Well even though their power play has been rather shoddy for the most part and even though they will be without Patrice Bergeron for the most part I still like Boston to win this series in 7 games as this team is not only at an all time high after not only beating their hated rivals and also excerising their demons against the team that humiliated and embarrassed them last year but also this team is on a mission to win their 1st Cup since 1972 and if they keep playing the way they have been as of late then it just maybe mission accomplished! Enclosing NESN announcer Jack Edwards said it best New England has Stanley Cup fever!
Winners: Boston Bruins 4 games to 3
Western Conference Finals: (1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (2) San Jose Sharks
For the 1st time since their cinderella run of 1994 the Vancouver Canucks are in the Western Conference Finals while the Sharks are making their 2nd consecutive appearance in this round! The Canucks won the season series 3-1! For me this series is very tough to call and here's why! The Canucks have been the best team in the NHL all season long while the Sharks may have enough to finally win the big 1! For Vancouver to win this series the Sedin twins have to show up because they were basically non-existent against the Nashville Predators in the last round. Also Ryan Kesler has to pick up right where he left off against Nashville in the last round as he scored 6 goals in that series to pretty much carry Vancouver in that series. The 3rd and final thing Vancouver has to do win this series is get a big time performance in net from Roberto Luongo because in round 1 against Chicago he was terrible while against Nashville in round 2 he rebounded rather nicely! For San Jose to win this series they need their Olympic line of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Dany Heatley to step up big time. They also need Antii Niemi to play like he did with Chicago last year and if he does then the Sharks could finally win the big 1! So who wins? Well like I said this series is very tough to call as I have loved Vancouver all season long while at the same time I really want to see San Jose finally get over the hump and advance to their 1st ever Stanley Cup final as I honestly feel that the San Jose Sharks are the best team that has never won a Stanley Cup as of right now! Without question this is a very hard pick for me but in the end I am going to take a chance here and go with San Jose to win this series in 6 games mainly because of the fact that Antii Niemi is starting to play like the Antii Niemi who was in goal for the Chicago Blackhawks during their epic run to their 1st Stanley Cup in 49 years! Enclosing I think this is the most realistic chance that the Sharks have of reaching the Stanley Cup finals for the 1st time ever and if they don't win this series then I seriously doubt that this team will ever win the big 1!
Winners: San Jose Sharks 4 games to 2
Overall I am very much looking forward to both series as I think Boston and Tampa will be more about the goaltenders while the Vancouver/San Jose series will be more of an offensive series. But for now we'll just have to wait and see!
Well friends those are my thoughts on the NHL's Conference Finals thanks so much for reading and I will be back tomorrow night with my predictions for the TNA Sacrifice PPV so until then you know the routine everybody! Thumbs up talk to ya later! YEAH!!! Bye bye for now!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
