Complete NBA - Eastern Conference Preview

Here is how I see the Eastern Conference breaking down. The 8 playoff teams have (#) next to their names, with the number representing the seed I expect them to get.

Atlantic
1. Boston Celtics (1): They have the best 1-2-3 punch in the league. The problem is their bench will keep them out of the NBA Finals.

2. New Jersey Nets (6): Carter has a contract and age hasn't bothered JKidd yet. Look for them to compete again for a playoff spot.

3. Toronto Raptors (7): Chris Bosh is the best young PF/C in the league. He is going to be a superstar before his career his over, I guarantee it.

4. New York Knicks: I think they have the worst coach in the league, Isiah Thomas. If they fire him they can make it to the playoffs.

5. Philadelphia 76ers: The new AI in town is pretty good. The problem, no one else is.

Central
1. Chicago Bulls (2): If they get Kobe, they'll be #1 in the East for sure. If they don't get Kobe, they'll still be in the running for the #1 seed.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers (4): LeBron will continue to grow, however the Cavs refuse to surround him with talent. Last years title run was a joke, don't expect it again.

3. Detroit Pistons (5): Is it just me or does this team bore everyone?

4. Indiana Pacers: Jermaine O'Neal doesn't want to be there. One unhappy All-Star doesn't bode well for this team.

5. Milwaukee Bucks: Michael Redd is good, and T.J Ford has a chance to be a great PG. Other than that, say goodnight to the Bucks.

Southeast:
1. Miami Heat (3): They are still an old team, and they are nowhere near the team that won the title a couple of years back. But they are a division winner so they'll get the 3rd seed.

2. Orlando Magic (8): This is a team I like a lot. They have some good talent, and Dwight Howard is a great young center. However, can they hold it together or will they collapse again?

3. Washington Wizards: The problem is other than the big three who is on this team? One injury to them, and this team is done.

4. Charlotte Bobcats: Michael Jordan is my idol, but what the hell was he thinking trading Branden Wright for Richard Jefferson???

5. Atlanta Hawks: Another meaningless season for the Hawks.

Patriots - Colts Matchup

Not only do the Patriots win games, but they punish teams. No other team would go for 4th and 1 when you're already up by 5 touchdowns, but the cocky, arrogant Patriots don't care. They have the tools, the cameras, the signals, the non-trustworthy faces, and any other means to win. However, if there is one team (and only 1 team) that can and has been proven to beat the Patriots, that is the Colts.

If the Colts should lose this weekend, I wouldn't be surprised. After all, the Patriots were so angry from losing to the Colts last year that they went out and got some of the best players. The Patriots need to put up 40 points a game to prove to America they are the best. The Colts don't have to prove anything to America because America already knows they are the best because they won the Super Bowl.

Offensively, both teams can score at will. There is no difference in the passing game. A Brady bomb to Moss or Welker is the same as a Manning bomb to Wayne or Harrison. However, their running games are very different. The Patriots have no running game, making them one-dimensional. The Colts, on the other hand, have the little guy Addai who can squeak through any defense and thus enable the Colts to control the clock. In addition, the Colts defense has improved greatly over the year and it can match up to the Patriots defense which actually lost players.

In the end it will be a great game and I will grant this to both teams: Whichever team wins this game will most likely go undefeated for the rest of the season

Joe Torre in as Dodgers Manager

From one of my recent posts I said Joe Torre is one of the greatest managers in baseball. This statement must be true because no sooner did the Dodgers' manager step down did the Dodgers organization jump on the chance to acquire Joe Torre as their manager. Torre will fit in well with the Dodgers (well actually he'd fit in well anywhere except NY) and things will look even better for Torre if A-Rod comes to the Dodgers.

Jets Lose 5th Straight // Giants win in London

The Jets lost their 5th straight game with their loss to the Bills last Sunday and Mangini at this point looks like he needs therapeutic help to aid him in coping with the QB situation. Who does he start? It might as well be left up to a coin toss at this point. Pennington is accurate, sorta, but can not throw long enough for consistent first downs. Clemens, who has been named their starter for this Sunday, is still in the working stages and can not seem to muster a win. I'll grant him the fact that his receivers drop wide open passes, as if to say they do not like him and they would rather have Pennington back in. At this point, Pennington has failed and is too injury prone, so I would begin working on building Clemens' career if i was Mangini. Oh yea, and the Thomas Jones acquisition over the summer was such a waste.

The Giants, meanwhile, are flourishing. They have won 6 in a row after an 0-2 start and are nipping at the heels of the Cowboys, who play the Eagles in a division rivalry game this weekend. Last weekend's game should show the NFL what a stupid idea it was to play a game outside the U.S. The rain in London made the artificial grass waste away which severely affected the players' performances. The Dolphins actually had an excuse why they played bad last weekend!

Joe Girardi In // A-Rod Out

Joe Girardi has been named the new manager of the New York Yankees, thus ending the successful Joe Torre era. Before I give my thoughts on Girardi, let me first explain wy Torre failed. It wasn't that he was a bad manager or did anything wrong. On the contrary, he is one of the best, if not the best, managers around. The problem lies in the New York media market who is money-hungry and very gdemanding. To play in NY is completely different than playing in any other state because NY expects positive results and if you don't bring home a championship within a given amount of time NY gets frustrated and you lose your job. Joe Torre could manage the Royals or Pirates for 30 years and still keep his job because nobody expects them to win. However, because NY is such a demanding state, it overlooked all the good Torre has brought to the Yankees and blamed him for the long drought of World Series appearances the Yankees failed to attend to. Therefore, I believe Joe Torre did much more good than harm and being one of the greatest managers of all time, did not deserve to be fired.

With that said, what fool would want to take over the job as the Yankees manager given the current state the Yankees are in and the NY media market? Don Mattingly knew this and thats why he decided not to take this job. In fact, he left the Yankees all together. The new victim to manage the Yankees is Girardi and I see him more as a puppet manager than anything else. Girardi is simply someone to fill in the gap. He only has 1 year of managing under his belt and if he doesn't produce positive results, the media will be on his case too.

A-Rod is much better off without the Yankees than the Yankees are without him. He is arguably the best player in the league. Who can the Yankees acquire or bring up to replace the best player in the league? He attracted tons of fans to Yankee games and that in turn brought in huge amounts of revenue. However, A-Rod playing in another state will take the constant tension off him, enabling him to produce without nervousness. If he goes to the Mets, however, he will be no less scrutinized than he was on the Yankees. With A-Rod's departure, and the possible departure of Posada, Rivera, and others, now is not the time to be the manager of the Yankees.

LeBron James Commerical

In honor of the NBA kicking off another season, here is a video of the latest LeBron James video. I think it is great, and its something people should really listen to. We should strive to be who we are, and not overly concern ourselves with being other people.

Spurs Open Season With a Win

The San Antonio Spurs did what they do best, win basketball games. On the night they were celebrating their most recent NBA Title, they beat the Portland Trail Blazers 106-97.

Going into this game we knew what to expect from the Spurs. More dominance this season, and they are going to be there when it comes time to decide who is playing in the NBA Finals. What I did take out of this game is how good the Trail Blazers can be. Think about the fact that Greg Oden is not there this season. LaMarcus Aldridge is a freak of nature waiting to dominant the pain. Brandon Roy is a fantastic player that needs to be a shooting guard, not a point guard.

This team will not make the playoffs next year, but if they can get a lottery pick, and draft a PG they are going to be a force in the next 2-3 years.

But lets go back to the Spurs. How good is this team? It seems they win over 50 games every year, they make it deep into the playoffs, and throughout the season all we hear about are the Suns and Mavericks. How come they do not get the respect they deserve? This is a team who has been as dominant in their sport as any team has been over the past 8 years. I think they are going to do the same this season. People will over look them and talk about the more flashy teams. But I promise you this. To make it to the Finals, you are going to need to get through the Spurs first.

First Post

Hello and welcome to everyone! This is the first post of hopefully many for the Absolute Sports Report web blog.

The goal of this website is very straight forward. I want myself and any others who may join me along the way to have somewhere they can express opinions. If you want solid facts you can go to ESPN.com or numerous other websites. I will be stating some facts, and I will report breaking news as it happens; however I want writers to express their opinions. Everyone knows the Patriots are 7-0, but why are they this good. Is it cheating, talent, or a combination.

Anyone who reads this blog will have an opportunity to comment on any post. Feel free to comment in the comment section and we will hopefully have a great time together.

It will take a little bit of time to get this blog looking exactly the way I want it to, so please have some patience. Other than that I would like to have this blog up and running within the next week. So feel free to leave me a comment at any time and I will get started with the writing.

Thank you, and I hope to be hearing from you all very soon.