Since there is a game tomorrow involving a ranked team, I'm posting my weekly football picks a little early. I'm including all games that feature a team ranked in the AP poll or my own personal rankings, and any game which I feel will be an upset is listed in italics.
Thursday
(16) South Florida at Pittsburgh - Bulls by 7
Saturday
Rutgers at Syracuse - Scarlet Knights by 25
(14) Texas A&M at (18) Arkansas - Aggies by 22
Minnesota at (19) Michigan - Wolverines by 39
Northwestern at (24) Illinois - Illini by 14
Kentucky at (1) LSU - Tigers by 63
Kent at Ohio - Bobcats by 33
Nevada at (4) Boise State - Broncos by 29
Auburn at (10) South Carolina - Gamecocks by 25
(21) Georgia Tech at North Carolina State - Yellowjackets by 30
Bowling Green at (22) West Virginia - Mountaineers by 6
SMU at (20) TCU - Horned Frogs by 14
(15) Baylor at Kansas State - Wildcats by 18
Washington State at Colorado - Cougars by 24
(13) Clemson at (11) Virginia Tech - Hokies by 2
Ball State at (2) Oklahoma - Sooners by 28
(17) Texas at Iowa State - Cyclones by 11
Washington at Utah - Utes by 24
Notre Dame at Purdue - Irish by 26
(3) Alabama at (12) Florida - Gators by 1
(8) Nebraska at (7) Wisconsin - Badgers by 16
UCLA at (6) Stanford - Cardinal by 48
Oregon State at (25) Arizona State - Sun Devils by 23
Sunday
Buffalo at Cincinnati - Bills by 6
Carolina at Chicago - Bears by 5
Tennessee at Cleveland - Titans by 12
Detroit at Dallas - Cowboys by 5
Minnesota at Kansas City - Vikings by 12
Washington at Saint Louis - Redskins by 25
New Orleans at Jacksonville - Saints by 12
San Francisco at Philadelphia - 49ers by 14
Pittsburgh at Houston - Texans by 16
Atlanta at Seattle - Seahawks by 1
NY Giants at Arizona - Cardinals by 8
Denver at Green Bay - Packers by 11
New England at Oakland - Raiders by 10
Miami at San Diego - Chargers by 1
NY Jets at Baltimore - Jets by 1
Monday
Indianapolis at Tampa Bay - Buccaneers by 15
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
NFL Rankings - 27 Sep
There are only three undefeated teams left in the NFL after week 3, and two of them are huge surprises, teams that haven't made the playoffs in more than a decade. The other is the defending Super Bowl champion, which is fitting. On the other side, two of last season's playoff qualifiers are among the five teams that have yet to win a game, which just goes to show what a difference one major injury can make.
TW - LW - Team - Record
1. (2) Oakland (2-1)
2. (1) Green Bay (3-0)
3. (4) NY Jets (2-1)
4. (6) Buffalo (3-0)
5. (3) New Orleans (2-1)
6. (7) Dallas (2-1)
7. (10) Baltimore (2-1)
8. (12) New England (2-1)
9. (5) Detroit (3-0)
10. (9) Tennessee (2-1)
11. (15) Houston (2-1)
12. (11) Denver (1-2)
13. (21) San Francisco (2-1)
14. (22) Washington (2-1)
15. (8) Cincinnati (1-2)
16. (13) Chicago (1-2)
17. (16) Carolina (1-2)
18. (17) Arizona (1-2)
19. (19) Jacksonville (1-2)
20. (14) Tampa Bay (2-1)
21. (26) Pittsburgh (2-1)
22. (28) NY Giants (2-1)
23. (27) Miami (0-3)
24. (25) Minnesota (0-3)
25. (24) Cleveland (2-1)
26. (23) Atlanta (1-2)
27. (20) San Diego (2-1)
28. (30) Seattle (1-2)
29. (18) Philadelphia (1-2)
30. (29) Indianapolis (0-3)
31. (32) Kansas City (0-3)
32. (31) Saint Louis (0-3)
The Oakland Raiders took over the top spot even though they already have a loss, but that one loss came on the road to the Buffalo Bills, the only remaining undefeated team in the AFC. That loss was by 3 points, and since home field advantage is currently worth about 3.2, that game basically counts as a draw for the Raiders. What propelled them past Green Bay was their 10 point win over the Jets, who are once again one of the best teams in the league. And in case you missed it, I correctly predicted the Raiders upset.
Buffalo surprised everybody but me with their last-second win over New England this weekend, but they have beaten two of the top teams in the league already, and their 34-point win over Kansas City to open the season was an omen of things to come for both teams. It may seem strange that they are one of the final unbeatens, but they have shown that they are a real threat this year, even in the super strong AFC East.
The Philadelphia Eagles, who were supposed to be unbeatable heading into this season, are looking like mere mortals after losing two straight games to underachieving teams. Their season-opening victory over the Rams isn't looking that great anymore either, since St. Louis is not looking at all like the team that was expected to win the weak NFC West.
The state of Missouri is the laughingstock of professional football, with its two teams starting a combined 0-6 and being outscored by an average score of 34-10 so far. Kansas City made the playoffs last season as division champs, but injuries have them preparing for the draft already, and St. Louis has had a very difficult early season schedule, although they haven't even come close to beating any of those teams which they could potentially have met in the playoffs.
Prediction Results
NFL: 13-3 (.813) 32-16 overall (.667)
Upsets: 5-0 (1.000) 13-19 overall (.406)
TW - LW - Team - Record
1. (2) Oakland (2-1)
2. (1) Green Bay (3-0)
3. (4) NY Jets (2-1)
4. (6) Buffalo (3-0)
5. (3) New Orleans (2-1)
6. (7) Dallas (2-1)
7. (10) Baltimore (2-1)
8. (12) New England (2-1)
9. (5) Detroit (3-0)
10. (9) Tennessee (2-1)
11. (15) Houston (2-1)
12. (11) Denver (1-2)
13. (21) San Francisco (2-1)
14. (22) Washington (2-1)
15. (8) Cincinnati (1-2)
16. (13) Chicago (1-2)
17. (16) Carolina (1-2)
18. (17) Arizona (1-2)
19. (19) Jacksonville (1-2)
20. (14) Tampa Bay (2-1)
21. (26) Pittsburgh (2-1)
22. (28) NY Giants (2-1)
23. (27) Miami (0-3)
24. (25) Minnesota (0-3)
25. (24) Cleveland (2-1)
26. (23) Atlanta (1-2)
27. (20) San Diego (2-1)
28. (30) Seattle (1-2)
29. (18) Philadelphia (1-2)
30. (29) Indianapolis (0-3)
31. (32) Kansas City (0-3)
32. (31) Saint Louis (0-3)
The Oakland Raiders took over the top spot even though they already have a loss, but that one loss came on the road to the Buffalo Bills, the only remaining undefeated team in the AFC. That loss was by 3 points, and since home field advantage is currently worth about 3.2, that game basically counts as a draw for the Raiders. What propelled them past Green Bay was their 10 point win over the Jets, who are once again one of the best teams in the league. And in case you missed it, I correctly predicted the Raiders upset.
Buffalo surprised everybody but me with their last-second win over New England this weekend, but they have beaten two of the top teams in the league already, and their 34-point win over Kansas City to open the season was an omen of things to come for both teams. It may seem strange that they are one of the final unbeatens, but they have shown that they are a real threat this year, even in the super strong AFC East.
The Philadelphia Eagles, who were supposed to be unbeatable heading into this season, are looking like mere mortals after losing two straight games to underachieving teams. Their season-opening victory over the Rams isn't looking that great anymore either, since St. Louis is not looking at all like the team that was expected to win the weak NFC West.
The state of Missouri is the laughingstock of professional football, with its two teams starting a combined 0-6 and being outscored by an average score of 34-10 so far. Kansas City made the playoffs last season as division champs, but injuries have them preparing for the draft already, and St. Louis has had a very difficult early season schedule, although they haven't even come close to beating any of those teams which they could potentially have met in the playoffs.
Prediction Results
NFL: 13-3 (.813) 32-16 overall (.667)
Upsets: 5-0 (1.000) 13-19 overall (.406)
Sunday, September 25, 2011
College Football Rankings - 25 Sep
There were very few upsets across the college football landscape this week, with only two teams upsetting higher-ranked teams, Clemson and Arizona State, both for the second time this season. While that meant very little movement in the national rankings, there was still plenty of movement in my rankings, because I rank teams based on performance rather than just wins or losses. Because of that, you will see a number of new teams on the list this week, and a good number of the nationally ranked teams will not be appearing.
TW - LW - Team - Record - AP
1. (1) Stanford (3-0) (6)
2. (2) LSU (4-0) (1)
3. (6) Oregon (3-1) (9)
4. (7) Oklahoma State (4-0) (5)
5. (5) Wisconsin (4-0) (7)
6. (3) Oklahoma (3-0) (2)
7. (10) South Florida (4-0) (16)
8. (8) Boise State (3-0) (4)
9. (9) Alabama (4-0) (3)
10. (4) Texas A&M (2-1) (14)
11. (14) Washington State (2-1) (NR)
12. (13) Georgia Tech (4-0) (21)
13. (11) Ohio (3-1) (NR)
14. (NR) Utah (2-1) (32)
15. (NR) Notre Dame (2-2) (36)
16. (NR) Michigan (4-0) (19)
17. (12) Florida State (2-2) (23)
18. (NR) Iowa State (3-0) (29)
19. (NR) Kansas State (3-0) (31)
20. (NR) Pittsburgh (2-2) (NR)
21. (22) San Diego State (3-1) (NR)
22. (NR) Iowa (3-1) (NR)
23. (20) South Carolina (4-0) (10)
24. (NR) Rutgers (2-1) (NR)
25. (15) Clemson (4-0) (13)
Dropped Out
(23) Navy (2-1) (38)
(24) TCU (3-1) (20)
(17) Mississippi State (2-2) (40)
(18) Arkansas (3-1) (18)
(19) Bowling Green (3-1) (NR)
(25) UCF (2-2) (NR)
(21) Auburn (3-1) (28)
(16) Utah State (1-2) (NR)
Ranked Teams by Conference
Big 12 - 5
Pac 12 - 4
SEC - 3
Big 10 - 3
Big East - 3
ACC - 3
MWC - 2
MAC - 1
Ind - 1
LSU passed another huge road test by beating the West Virginia Mountaineers on their home turf, which jumped them to #1 in the AP poll and #2 in the USA Today, but even with all they've done, I still can't say that they've done quite enough to put them ahead of Stanford, which has won all three of their games by at least 27 points with two of those coming on the road. That doesn't mean the Tigers won't take over the top spot in the future, but it would take a huge win over Kentucky next week, or a Stanford slip-up.
The Oregon Ducks, who lost in their season opener to LSU, have come back strong in the last three games, scoring at least 56 points and winning by at least 25 points each time. Even that early loss to LSU won't necessarily keep Oregon from a return trip to the title game, especially if they can beat Stanford again and win the inaugural Pac 12 title.
Oklahoma State had the toughest road game of any this week, and they looked stale early as they fell behind 20-3 in the first half at Texas A&M before roaring back with 27 straight points in the second half to silence the crowd at College Station and pick up a huge win that has them looking like the best team in the state, even with the Sooners still undefeated.
South Florida had another strong performance and continued to surprise people with a 4-0 start to the season, including a big win at Notre Dame to open the season. They have their toughest remaining road game this week when they visit Pittsburgh, which should say a lot about whether this team will take the Big East's BCS bid.
Utah made a big leap into the rankings without even playing, but it's a residual effect off of their huge victory at BYU a week ago. BYU looked much stronger in beating UCF this week, which in turn makes Utah look like they may have another good season in them. Because they play in the Pac 12 South, they only have one ranked opponent on their schedule, #25 ASU, so they really could end the season with only one or two losses.
Prediction Results -
College Football - 16-9 (.640) 78-23 overall (.772)
Upsets - 1-6 (.143) 8-19 overall (.296)
The upset picks are not going so well early in the season, but things are looking up with today's slate of NFL games, in which I've nailed every upset I predicted so far.
TW - LW - Team - Record - AP
1. (1) Stanford (3-0) (6)
2. (2) LSU (4-0) (1)
3. (6) Oregon (3-1) (9)
4. (7) Oklahoma State (4-0) (5)
5. (5) Wisconsin (4-0) (7)
6. (3) Oklahoma (3-0) (2)
7. (10) South Florida (4-0) (16)
8. (8) Boise State (3-0) (4)
9. (9) Alabama (4-0) (3)
10. (4) Texas A&M (2-1) (14)
11. (14) Washington State (2-1) (NR)
12. (13) Georgia Tech (4-0) (21)
13. (11) Ohio (3-1) (NR)
14. (NR) Utah (2-1) (32)
15. (NR) Notre Dame (2-2) (36)
16. (NR) Michigan (4-0) (19)
17. (12) Florida State (2-2) (23)
18. (NR) Iowa State (3-0) (29)
19. (NR) Kansas State (3-0) (31)
20. (NR) Pittsburgh (2-2) (NR)
21. (22) San Diego State (3-1) (NR)
22. (NR) Iowa (3-1) (NR)
23. (20) South Carolina (4-0) (10)
24. (NR) Rutgers (2-1) (NR)
25. (15) Clemson (4-0) (13)
Dropped Out
(23) Navy (2-1) (38)
(24) TCU (3-1) (20)
(17) Mississippi State (2-2) (40)
(18) Arkansas (3-1) (18)
(19) Bowling Green (3-1) (NR)
(25) UCF (2-2) (NR)
(21) Auburn (3-1) (28)
(16) Utah State (1-2) (NR)
Ranked Teams by Conference
Big 12 - 5
Pac 12 - 4
SEC - 3
Big 10 - 3
Big East - 3
ACC - 3
MWC - 2
MAC - 1
Ind - 1
LSU passed another huge road test by beating the West Virginia Mountaineers on their home turf, which jumped them to #1 in the AP poll and #2 in the USA Today, but even with all they've done, I still can't say that they've done quite enough to put them ahead of Stanford, which has won all three of their games by at least 27 points with two of those coming on the road. That doesn't mean the Tigers won't take over the top spot in the future, but it would take a huge win over Kentucky next week, or a Stanford slip-up.
The Oregon Ducks, who lost in their season opener to LSU, have come back strong in the last three games, scoring at least 56 points and winning by at least 25 points each time. Even that early loss to LSU won't necessarily keep Oregon from a return trip to the title game, especially if they can beat Stanford again and win the inaugural Pac 12 title.
Oklahoma State had the toughest road game of any this week, and they looked stale early as they fell behind 20-3 in the first half at Texas A&M before roaring back with 27 straight points in the second half to silence the crowd at College Station and pick up a huge win that has them looking like the best team in the state, even with the Sooners still undefeated.
South Florida had another strong performance and continued to surprise people with a 4-0 start to the season, including a big win at Notre Dame to open the season. They have their toughest remaining road game this week when they visit Pittsburgh, which should say a lot about whether this team will take the Big East's BCS bid.
Utah made a big leap into the rankings without even playing, but it's a residual effect off of their huge victory at BYU a week ago. BYU looked much stronger in beating UCF this week, which in turn makes Utah look like they may have another good season in them. Because they play in the Pac 12 South, they only have one ranked opponent on their schedule, #25 ASU, so they really could end the season with only one or two losses.
Prediction Results -
College Football - 16-9 (.640) 78-23 overall (.772)
Upsets - 1-6 (.143) 8-19 overall (.296)
The upset picks are not going so well early in the season, but things are looking up with today's slate of NFL games, in which I've nailed every upset I predicted so far.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Top 100 NBA Players: #27
Dwyane Wade
(Simmons: #53, BBR, #35)
Dwyane Wade is one of the greatest current players in the NBA, and he has the accolades to prove it. He is an Olympic Gold Medalist, NBA Champion, former scoring leader, and Finals MVP. In his eight seasons in the NBA, he has ranked as one of the top 5 players five times, which includes every season in which he was not a rookie and did not suffer a major injury.
Wade's career highlight came in his third season, when he led the Heat to their only NBA Championship as the team's best player, which earned him the Finals MVP award. John Hollinger rated his performance as the best in NBA Finals history, even better than anything that Michael Jordan ever did. Here are his numbers from those playoffs:
Wade - 28.4 pts, 5.9 reb, 5.7 ast, 2.2 stl, 1.1 blk, .497 FG%, .378 3P%, .808 FT%
In addition to the overall totals, Wade had some amazing performances in the Finals. In three straight games he scored at least 36 points, all leading to Heat victories, which were much needed after they began with an 0-2 deficit. There was no doubt that Wade was the reason they were able to overcome the Mavericks and win the title, even with Shaq, the most dominant player of the past decade, playing beside him.
Wade spent a good portion of the next two season on the injured list, leading many to think that he was destined to become the next Penny Hardaway rather than the next Michael Jordan, but he has bounced back strong, missing six games or less in each of the last three years and ranking in the top 5 players in the league.
Last season, Wade relinquished his role as the best player in Miami in order to bring LeBron James into the fold, and the move paid off, as Miami finally returned to the NBA Finals, losing in six games in a rematch with the Dallas Mavericks. Although he was only the #2 player on his team, he was also the #2 player in the league during the regular season, behind LeBron, although in the playoffs, Wade regained his role as the best Heat player and was the biggest reason for their run to the Finals. Here are his and LeBron's stats for the regular season and the playoffs:
Wade (Regular) - 25.5 pts, 6.4 reb, 4.6 ast, 1.5 stl, 1.1 blk, .500 FG%, .306 3P%, .758 FT%
Wade (Playoffs) - 24.5 pts, 7.1 reb, 4.4 ast, 1.6 stl, 1.3 blk, .485 FG%, .269 3P%, .777 FT%
James (Regular) - 26.7 pts, 7.5 reb, 7.0 ast, 1.6 stl, 0.6 blk, .510 FG%, .330 3P%, .759 FT%
James (Playoffs) - 23.7 pts, 8.4 reb, 5.9 ast, 1.6 stl, 1.2 blk, .466 FG%, .353 3P%, .763 FT%
Overall, Wade played at almost exactly the same level in the playoffs as during the regular season, while James saw large dips in both scoring and shooting percentage, both very important categories for a team's leading scorer. Over the next several years we'll be able to see if Wade's penchant for performing in the big moments escalates him into the ranks of the greatest players of all time with his boyhood idol, Michael Jordan.
Hayes was a lot more durable than Wade early in his career, never missing more than 2 games in any season during his career, and he was the best player on three teams that made the NBA Finals, one more than Wade can currently claim. Wade, however, rose to the occasion in the Finals, while Hayes shrunk from the spotlight. Wade has also spent more time as a top 5 player than Hayes, who was content to be top 15 for the majority of his career, so Wade's desire to be the best puts him one step ahead of Hayes.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Football Predictions - 23-26 Sep
Overall, my picks last week weren't too bad, but I'm still not up to my normal level in picking upsets. I suspect that it will improve as the season goes forward and I have more data to work with, since I've never done picks on early-season games before. Here are my picks for all of the NFL games and each of the important college football games of the weekend.
Friday
UCF at BYU - Knights by 5
Saturday
(23) USC at Arizona State - Trojans by 10
Tulsa at (4) Boise State - Broncos by 16
Colorado State at Utah State - Aggies by 46
Ohio at Rutgers - Bobcats by 12
San Diego State at (22) Michigan - Aztecs by 7
Louisiana Tech at Mississippi State - Bulldogs by 20
Bowling Green at Miami-Ohio - Falcons by 38
Florida Atlantic at Auburn - Tigers by 55
North Carolina at (25) Georgia Tech - Yellowjackets by 38
Portland State at (20) TCU - Horned Frogs
(11) Florida State at (21) Clemson - Tigers by 7
(7) Oklahoma State at (8) Texas A&M - Aggies by 6
South Dakota at (6) Wisconsin - Badgers
(13) Virginia Tech at Marshall - Thundering Herd by 11
(14) Arkansas at (3) Alabama - Crimson Tide by 23
Western Michigan at (24) Illinois - Broncos by 4
UTEP at (18) South Florida - Bulls by 22
(15) Florida at Kentucky - Gators by 1
Rice at (17) Baylor - Bears by 19
Vanderbilt at (12) South Carolina - Gamecocks by 13
(9) Nebraska at Wyoming - Cowboys by 44
Missouri at (1) Oklahoma - Sooners by 54
(2) LSU at (16) West Virginia - Tigers by 17
(10) Oregon at Arizona - Ducks by 9
Sunday
New England at Buffalo - Bills by 13
San Francisco at Cincinnati - Bengals by 20
Miami at Cleveland - Browns by 13
Denver at Tennessee - Titans by 7
Detroit at Minnesota - Lions by 15
Houston at New Orleans - Saints by 18
NY Giants at Philadelphia - Eagles by 19
Jacksonville at Carolina - Panthers by 9
NY Jets at Oakland - Raiders by 6
Arizona at Seattle - Cardinals by 17
Baltimore at Saint Louis - Ravens by 25
Kansas City at San Diego - Chargers by 28
Green Bay at Chicago - Packers by 5
Atlanta at Tampa Bay - Buccaneers by 14
Pittsburgh at Indianapolis - Steelers by 6
Monday
Washington at Dallas - Cowboys by 21
Friday
UCF at BYU - Knights by 5
Saturday
(23) USC at Arizona State - Trojans by 10
Tulsa at (4) Boise State - Broncos by 16
Colorado State at Utah State - Aggies by 46
Ohio at Rutgers - Bobcats by 12
San Diego State at (22) Michigan - Aztecs by 7
Louisiana Tech at Mississippi State - Bulldogs by 20
Bowling Green at Miami-Ohio - Falcons by 38
Florida Atlantic at Auburn - Tigers by 55
North Carolina at (25) Georgia Tech - Yellowjackets by 38
Portland State at (20) TCU - Horned Frogs
(11) Florida State at (21) Clemson - Tigers by 7
(7) Oklahoma State at (8) Texas A&M - Aggies by 6
South Dakota at (6) Wisconsin - Badgers
(13) Virginia Tech at Marshall - Thundering Herd by 11
(14) Arkansas at (3) Alabama - Crimson Tide by 23
Western Michigan at (24) Illinois - Broncos by 4
UTEP at (18) South Florida - Bulls by 22
(15) Florida at Kentucky - Gators by 1
Rice at (17) Baylor - Bears by 19
Vanderbilt at (12) South Carolina - Gamecocks by 13
(9) Nebraska at Wyoming - Cowboys by 44
Missouri at (1) Oklahoma - Sooners by 54
(2) LSU at (16) West Virginia - Tigers by 17
(10) Oregon at Arizona - Ducks by 9
Sunday
New England at Buffalo - Bills by 13
San Francisco at Cincinnati - Bengals by 20
Miami at Cleveland - Browns by 13
Denver at Tennessee - Titans by 7
Detroit at Minnesota - Lions by 15
Houston at New Orleans - Saints by 18
NY Giants at Philadelphia - Eagles by 19
Jacksonville at Carolina - Panthers by 9
NY Jets at Oakland - Raiders by 6
Arizona at Seattle - Cardinals by 17
Baltimore at Saint Louis - Ravens by 25
Kansas City at San Diego - Chargers by 28
Green Bay at Chicago - Packers by 5
Atlanta at Tampa Bay - Buccaneers by 14
Pittsburgh at Indianapolis - Steelers by 6
Monday
Washington at Dallas - Cowboys by 21
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Top 100 NBA Players: #28
Elvin Hayes
(Kalb: #35, Simmons: #49, BBR: #30)
You don't often hear Elvin Hayes' name mentioned among the all-time greats of the game, but when you look at his all-time ranks, you realize that he was a great player, although he did have one big weakness that may be the reason he is often overlooked.
When Hayes came into the league, it was as the #1 pick in the draft and as the defending AP National Player of the year, and his rookie season was no disappointment. The more popular Wes Unseld won both the MVP and Rookie of the Year that season, but probably deserved neither. The best overall player that season was Wilt Chamberlain, and the best rookie was definitely Hayes. Here are their stats for the 1968-69 season:
Chamberlain - 20.5 pts, 21.1 reb, 4.5 ast, .583 FG%, .446 FT%
Hayes - 28.4 pts, 17.1 reb, 1.4 ast, .447 FG%, .626 FT%
Unseld - 13.8 pts, 18.2 reb, 2.6 ast, .476 FG%, .605 FT%
Chamberlain led the league in field goal percentage and rebounds, while Hayes led all players in scoring. None of the three was a good free throw shooter, but it was clear that Hayes was better than Unseld, especially considering that he averaged twice as many points per game. There's also no competition between Wilt and Unseld for the MVP, but that's for a later article.
After a few seasons with the Rockets at the beginning of his career, the team was tired of the lack of playoff success and the selfishness of Hayes, so he was traded to the Bullets for a lesser player. While playing in Washington, Hayes' teams made three trips to the NBA Finals, winning a championship in 1978. He was the best player on each of those teams, but that doesn't mean that he was the reason for their success.
Hayes was infamous for disappearing during the fourth quarter, especially in important games. In game 7 of the 1978 Finals, Hayes ended up with only 12 points, and fouled out with ten minutes to play, after which the rest of the Bullets took over and led Washington to the title. Of the 145 points he scored in the Finals that year, only 19 came during the fourth quarter, certainly not the mark of a champion.
One thing Hayes had going for him was that he was very durable. In 16 seasons he never missed more than 2 games in a season. He is #3 all-time in minutes played, with exactly 50,000, #4 in all-time rebounds, and #8 in all-time points scored. His overall career numbers cannot be ignored, despite his shortcomings.
In terms of playoff success, Hayes and Kidd were basically equals, and in terms of longevity the slight edge goes to Kidd. What sets Hayes apart was how good he was for so many years, and especially his peak years, which were far above Kidd's peak. Hayes was the best player on an NBA champion, while Kidd needed better players around him before he was able to grab a ring, which gives Hayes the edge.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
NFL Rankings - 20 Sep
Week 2 of the NFL season was full of surprises, with quite a number of teams suddenly becoming good and many others heading in the opposite direction, with only a few of the old standbys remaining on each end. There were some amazing comeback victories, like Tampa Bay over Minnesota, and some huge blowouts, like Detroit over Kansas City. All in all, it was a very entertaining weekend of football. Here are the newly updated rankings, with current ranking followed by previous ranking, team name, and overall record.
TW - LW - Team - Record
1. (7) Green Bay (2-0)
2. (17) Oakland (1-1)
3. (11) New Orleans (1-1)
4. (13) NY Jets (2-0)
5. (8) Detroit (2-0)
6. (3) Buffalo (2-0)
7. (14) Dallas (1-1)
8. (12) Cincinnati (1-1)
9. (18) Tennessee (1-1)
10. (1) Baltimore (1-1)
11. (25) Denver (1-1)
12. (2) New England (2-0)
13. (5) Chicago (1-1)
14. (22) Tampa Bay (1-1)
15. (4) Houston (2-0)
16. (31) Carolina (0-2)
17. (29) Arizona (1-1)
18. (6) Philadelphia (1-1)
19. (19) Jacksonville (1-1)
20. (10) San Diego (1-1)
21. (15) San Francisco (1-1)
22. (9) Washington (2-0)
23. (21) Atlanta (1-1)
24. (26) Cleveland (1-1)
25. (16) Minnesota (0-2)
26. (23) Pittsburgh (1-1)
27. (20) Miami (0-2)
28. (24) NY Giants (1-1)
29. (27) Indianapolis (0-2)
30. (30) Seattle (0-2)
31. (28) Saint Louis (0-2)
32. (32) Kansas City (0-2)
The defending champion Green Bay Packers took over the top spot this week after they were able to hold off a much-improved Carolina Panthers team on the road and come away victorious. They were also helped out by the great performance put up by New Orleans in taking down the Bears, because the Saints played a close game with the Packers in Week 1.
Oakland and Buffalo, two teams that have not been good in a long time, played an epic game on Sunday, with multiple late lead changes making it the game of the week, and the winner, Buffalo, ended up undefeated after two weeks, something they haven't seen since their run of four straight Super Bowl losses in the 90's.
The Detroit Lions are also 2-0, just one season removed from a 2-30 mark over two seasons, and it is not a fluke. They were a good team in a tough division last year, which kept them from winning enough games to qualify for the playoffs, but after beating Tampa and Kansas City to open the season, the most recent game by 45 points, it appears that they are for real.
The Carolina Panthers are 0-2 yet again, but there's no reason to think that they will wind up with the worst record and the #1 pick again this season, not with the way their most recent #1 pick is playing. Cam Newton has thrown for over 400 yards in the first two games of his professional career, and has had the Panthers within one possession of beating each of its first two opponents. Maybe he really was ready for the NFL.
Kansas City is floundering, and it appears that it will only get worse, with star running back Jamaal Charles likely out for the season due to a torn ACL. It looks like they will not be repeating last year's surprising run to the playoffs, unless they are able to find another star-caliber running back quickly, because their passing game isn't enough to do it all alone.
TW - LW - Team - Record
1. (7) Green Bay (2-0)
2. (17) Oakland (1-1)
3. (11) New Orleans (1-1)
4. (13) NY Jets (2-0)
5. (8) Detroit (2-0)
6. (3) Buffalo (2-0)
7. (14) Dallas (1-1)
8. (12) Cincinnati (1-1)
9. (18) Tennessee (1-1)
10. (1) Baltimore (1-1)
11. (25) Denver (1-1)
12. (2) New England (2-0)
13. (5) Chicago (1-1)
14. (22) Tampa Bay (1-1)
15. (4) Houston (2-0)
16. (31) Carolina (0-2)
17. (29) Arizona (1-1)
18. (6) Philadelphia (1-1)
19. (19) Jacksonville (1-1)
20. (10) San Diego (1-1)
21. (15) San Francisco (1-1)
22. (9) Washington (2-0)
23. (21) Atlanta (1-1)
24. (26) Cleveland (1-1)
25. (16) Minnesota (0-2)
26. (23) Pittsburgh (1-1)
27. (20) Miami (0-2)
28. (24) NY Giants (1-1)
29. (27) Indianapolis (0-2)
30. (30) Seattle (0-2)
31. (28) Saint Louis (0-2)
32. (32) Kansas City (0-2)
The defending champion Green Bay Packers took over the top spot this week after they were able to hold off a much-improved Carolina Panthers team on the road and come away victorious. They were also helped out by the great performance put up by New Orleans in taking down the Bears, because the Saints played a close game with the Packers in Week 1.
Oakland and Buffalo, two teams that have not been good in a long time, played an epic game on Sunday, with multiple late lead changes making it the game of the week, and the winner, Buffalo, ended up undefeated after two weeks, something they haven't seen since their run of four straight Super Bowl losses in the 90's.
The Detroit Lions are also 2-0, just one season removed from a 2-30 mark over two seasons, and it is not a fluke. They were a good team in a tough division last year, which kept them from winning enough games to qualify for the playoffs, but after beating Tampa and Kansas City to open the season, the most recent game by 45 points, it appears that they are for real.
The Carolina Panthers are 0-2 yet again, but there's no reason to think that they will wind up with the worst record and the #1 pick again this season, not with the way their most recent #1 pick is playing. Cam Newton has thrown for over 400 yards in the first two games of his professional career, and has had the Panthers within one possession of beating each of its first two opponents. Maybe he really was ready for the NFL.
Kansas City is floundering, and it appears that it will only get worse, with star running back Jamaal Charles likely out for the season due to a torn ACL. It looks like they will not be repeating last year's surprising run to the playoffs, unless they are able to find another star-caliber running back quickly, because their passing game isn't enough to do it all alone.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
College Football Rankings - 18 Sep
ESPN dubbed this past weekend Road Test Weekend, because 12 of the top 25 teams were taking to the road in week 3, and of those 12, four failed their road tests, and several others came a little too close for comfort, while a couple came out looking as good as advertised. Here are my newly updated raking after the wild weekend, with current ranking followed by previous ranking, team name, record, and AP rank.
TW - LW - Team - Record - AP
1. (1) Stanford (3-0) (5)
2. (2) LSU (3-0) (2)
3. (4) Oklahoma (2-0) (1)
4. (8) Texas A&M (2-0) (8)
5. (18) Wisconsin (3-0) (6)
6. (5) Oregon (2-1) (10)
7. (14) Oklahoma State (3-0) (7)
8. (3) Boise State (2-0) (4)
9. (7) Alabama (3-0) (3)
10. (9) South Florida (3-0) (19)
11. (15) Ohio (3-0) (NR)
12. (11) Florida State (2-1) (11)
13. (NR) Georgia Tech (3-0) (25)
14. (NR) Washington State (2-1) (NR)
15. (21) Clemson (3-0) (21)
16. (20) Utah State (1-1) (NR)
17. (12) Mississippi State (1-2) (44)
18. (6) Arkansas (3-0) (14)
19. (NR) Bowling Green (2-1) (NR)
20. (10) South Carolina (3-0) (12)
21. (NR) Auburn (2-1) (27)
22. (NR) San Diego State (3-0) (47)
23. (24) Navy (2-1) (52)
24. (19) TCU (2-1) (20)
25. (NR) UCF (2-1) (NR)
Dropped From Rankings
(13) Florida (3-0) (15)
(16) Arizona State (2-1) (46)
(17) Virginia Tech (3-0) (13)
(22) Northwestern (2-1) (NR)
(23) Nebraska (3-0) (9)
(25) Michigan State (2-1) (26)
Ranked Teams by Conference
SEC - 6
Pac 12 - 3
Big 12 - 3
MWC - 3
ACC - 3
MAC - 2
Big 10 - 1
Big East - 1
WAC - 1
Ind - 1
CUSA - 1
Passed With Flying Colors
Stanford went down to Tucson to face what was supposed to be a high-powered offense, but they held the Wildcats to 10 points, all in the second quarter, and ran away with the game in the second half, once again proving that they deserve the #1 spot in my weekly rankings, which they have owned since the preseason.
It wasn't quite as pretty, but LSU also passed their road test on Thursday, going up against a ranked team, the Mississippi State Bulldogs, and holding them to a pair of field goals over the entire game. Their offense wasn't great, but they did just enough to make sure there would be no last-gasp comeback.
Oklahoma played in the most-hyped game of the week, going to Tallahassee to face the #5 Seminoles, but Florida State never even held a lead in the game, as the Sooners answered every time they scored, with a couple more tacked on for good measure.
I expected Wisconsin to struggle this week, since they were leaving the state for the first time all season to face a team that was very underrated last year, but this year's Huskies are not of the same caliber as the ones from last season. Wisconsin won by at least 34 points for the third straight game to start the season, and the Big 10 is looking like it already belongs to the Badgers.
Failed Miserably
Ohio State went down south to Miami after struggling to beat Toledo a week ago, and their play down there showed that the previous week was not a fluke. Miami is a pretty good team, but the truth is that the Buckeyes are the worst they have been in years, thanks to the recent scandals that have come out, and have left the national rankings for the first time in 7 years.
Arizona State entered the national rankings last week for the first time in years after upsetting Missouri in overtime, but the same problems that nearly cost them the game against the Tigers killed them against Illinois, without the benefit of their home crowd cheering them on to victory, and their stay in the top 25 lasted only one week.
Auburn had made a habit out of pulling out close games right at the end, but after they raced to a big early lead against Clemson, the other Tigers went to work and held Auburn to just 3 points in the final 3 quarters, making it impossible for last year's champions to pull out another last-second miracle and ending their winning streak at 17.
Michigan State was looking strong after two games, but they went down to South Bend to face a Notre Dame team that was embarrassed after two close losses to open the season, and the result was an Irish butt-whipping, with the Spartans looking like they never knew what hit them right from the beginning of the game.
Prediction Results - 15-17 Sep
College Football: 19-6 (.760) 62-14 overall (.816)
Upsets: 3-4 (.429) 7-9 overall (.438)
TW - LW - Team - Record - AP
1. (1) Stanford (3-0) (5)
2. (2) LSU (3-0) (2)
3. (4) Oklahoma (2-0) (1)
4. (8) Texas A&M (2-0) (8)
5. (18) Wisconsin (3-0) (6)
6. (5) Oregon (2-1) (10)
7. (14) Oklahoma State (3-0) (7)
8. (3) Boise State (2-0) (4)
9. (7) Alabama (3-0) (3)
10. (9) South Florida (3-0) (19)
11. (15) Ohio (3-0) (NR)
12. (11) Florida State (2-1) (11)
13. (NR) Georgia Tech (3-0) (25)
14. (NR) Washington State (2-1) (NR)
15. (21) Clemson (3-0) (21)
16. (20) Utah State (1-1) (NR)
17. (12) Mississippi State (1-2) (44)
18. (6) Arkansas (3-0) (14)
19. (NR) Bowling Green (2-1) (NR)
20. (10) South Carolina (3-0) (12)
21. (NR) Auburn (2-1) (27)
22. (NR) San Diego State (3-0) (47)
23. (24) Navy (2-1) (52)
24. (19) TCU (2-1) (20)
25. (NR) UCF (2-1) (NR)
Dropped From Rankings
(13) Florida (3-0) (15)
(16) Arizona State (2-1) (46)
(17) Virginia Tech (3-0) (13)
(22) Northwestern (2-1) (NR)
(23) Nebraska (3-0) (9)
(25) Michigan State (2-1) (26)
Ranked Teams by Conference
SEC - 6
Pac 12 - 3
Big 12 - 3
MWC - 3
ACC - 3
MAC - 2
Big 10 - 1
Big East - 1
WAC - 1
Ind - 1
CUSA - 1
Passed With Flying Colors
Stanford went down to Tucson to face what was supposed to be a high-powered offense, but they held the Wildcats to 10 points, all in the second quarter, and ran away with the game in the second half, once again proving that they deserve the #1 spot in my weekly rankings, which they have owned since the preseason.
It wasn't quite as pretty, but LSU also passed their road test on Thursday, going up against a ranked team, the Mississippi State Bulldogs, and holding them to a pair of field goals over the entire game. Their offense wasn't great, but they did just enough to make sure there would be no last-gasp comeback.
Oklahoma played in the most-hyped game of the week, going to Tallahassee to face the #5 Seminoles, but Florida State never even held a lead in the game, as the Sooners answered every time they scored, with a couple more tacked on for good measure.
I expected Wisconsin to struggle this week, since they were leaving the state for the first time all season to face a team that was very underrated last year, but this year's Huskies are not of the same caliber as the ones from last season. Wisconsin won by at least 34 points for the third straight game to start the season, and the Big 10 is looking like it already belongs to the Badgers.
Failed Miserably
Ohio State went down south to Miami after struggling to beat Toledo a week ago, and their play down there showed that the previous week was not a fluke. Miami is a pretty good team, but the truth is that the Buckeyes are the worst they have been in years, thanks to the recent scandals that have come out, and have left the national rankings for the first time in 7 years.
Arizona State entered the national rankings last week for the first time in years after upsetting Missouri in overtime, but the same problems that nearly cost them the game against the Tigers killed them against Illinois, without the benefit of their home crowd cheering them on to victory, and their stay in the top 25 lasted only one week.
Auburn had made a habit out of pulling out close games right at the end, but after they raced to a big early lead against Clemson, the other Tigers went to work and held Auburn to just 3 points in the final 3 quarters, making it impossible for last year's champions to pull out another last-second miracle and ending their winning streak at 17.
Michigan State was looking strong after two games, but they went down to South Bend to face a Notre Dame team that was embarrassed after two close losses to open the season, and the result was an Irish butt-whipping, with the Spartans looking like they never knew what hit them right from the beginning of the game.
Prediction Results - 15-17 Sep
College Football: 19-6 (.760) 62-14 overall (.816)
Upsets: 3-4 (.429) 7-9 overall (.438)
Friday, September 16, 2011
Top 100 NBA Players: #29
Jason Kidd
(Kalb: #28, Simmons: #42, BBR: #28)
Earlier this spring, Jason Kidd became the oldest starting point guard ever to win the championship, and although he is still a good player, he is nowhere near the level he was at a decade ago, when he was one of the best players in the NBA, and one of the all-time great point guards.
It's hard to pinpoint exactly when Kidd hit his peak, because he played at such a high level for so long, but he was probably at his best during his first two seasons in New Jersey, when he led the Nets to the NBA Finals two straight times, even though the team didn't even have another All-Star caliber player on the roster. Statistically, those seasons look like a lot of others for him, but for a point guard it's still amazing to his these stats:
Kidd (2001-2003) - 16.7 pts, 6.8 reb, 9.4 ast, 2.2 stl, .403 FG%, .331 3P%, .831 FT%
Those seasons came in the midst of a streak of nine years that Kidd was named to the All-Defensive Team, and during the time that he led the league in assists 5 times in 6 seasons. Even with how good he was in the regular season, he stepped it up in the playoffs, and the Nets would have had no chance without him, so these numbers are the reason they got as far as they did:
Kidd (Finals runs) - 19.8 pts, 8.0 reb, 8.6 ast, 1.8 stl, .409 FG%, .263 3P%, .817 FT%
As good as Kidd was, he wasn't good enough to win a title by himself, and he was never given a star to play with, but even at age 37, he was still a major contributor to the Dallas Mavericks, who went on to win the NBA Championship, and allowed Kidd to leap two spots in these rankings to become one of the top 30 players of all time.
The only glaring weakness in Kidd's game has been his shooting percentage, which is always among the worst in the league, hovering around 40%, which would have been acceptable 50 years ago, but is almost unheard of today. That one weakness, even with his greatness in so many other facets of the game, held him back from being the best point guard of all time, but there is no denying that he belongs in the conversation as one of the 5 best ever.
Jason Kidd and Patrick Ewing were both recognized as great players who could never win the big one, but Kidd finally broke through this year and got his title, even if he wasn't the star player. Kidd made it to the Finals in his prime one more time than Ewing, and was just as big a star at his peak as Ewing was, but what really sets him apart is that he's still good enough to be a starter on most teams in his 17th season, while Ewing was warming up the bench for Orlando at that point of his career.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Football Predictions - 15-19 Sep
Upset picks are in italics.
Thursday
(3) LSU at (25) Mississippi State - Tigers
Friday
(4) Boise State at Toledo - Broncos
Saturday
(22) Arizona State at Illinois - Fighting Illini
Northwestern at Army - Wildcats
(21) Auburn at Clemson - Clemson Tigers
Navy at (11) South Carolina - Midshipmen
Marshall at Ohio - Bobcats
(18) West Virginia at Maryland - Terrapins
Louisiana-Monroe at (23) TCU - Horned Frogs
(24) Texas at UCLA - Bruins
Tennessee at (16) Florida - Gators
(15) Michigan State at Notre Dame - Spartans
Washington at (10) Nebraska - Cornhuskers
(7) Wisconsin at Northern Illinois - Huskies
Missouri State at (12) Oregon - Ducks
Arkansas State at (13) Virginia Tech - Hokies
Florida A&M at (20) South Florida - Bulls
Stephen F Austin at (19) Baylor - Bears
Idaho at (9) Texas A&M - Aggies
Troy at (14) Arkansas - Razorbacks
North Texas at (2) Alabama - Crimson Tide
(17) Ohio State at Miami - Hurricanes
(1) Oklahoma at (5) Florida State - Sooners
(8) Oklahoma State at Tulsa - Cowboys
(6) Stanford at Arizona - Cardinal
Sunday
Arizona at Washington - Redskins
Oakland at Buffalo - Bills
Kansas City at Detroit - Lions
Baltimore at Tennessee - Ravens
Cleveland at Indianapolis - Colts
Tampa Bay at Minnesota - Vikings
Chicago at New Orleans - Bears
Jacksonville at NY Jets - Jets
Seattle at Pittsburgh - Steelers
Green Bay at Carolina - Packers
Dallas at San Francisco - 49ers
Cincinnati at Denver - Bengals
Houston at Miami - Texans
San Diego at New England - Patriots
Philadelphia at Atlanta - Eagles
Monday
Saint Louis at NY Giants - Giants
Thursday
(3) LSU at (25) Mississippi State - Tigers
Friday
(4) Boise State at Toledo - Broncos
Saturday
(22) Arizona State at Illinois - Fighting Illini
Northwestern at Army - Wildcats
(21) Auburn at Clemson - Clemson Tigers
Navy at (11) South Carolina - Midshipmen
Marshall at Ohio - Bobcats
(18) West Virginia at Maryland - Terrapins
Louisiana-Monroe at (23) TCU - Horned Frogs
(24) Texas at UCLA - Bruins
Tennessee at (16) Florida - Gators
(15) Michigan State at Notre Dame - Spartans
Washington at (10) Nebraska - Cornhuskers
(7) Wisconsin at Northern Illinois - Huskies
Missouri State at (12) Oregon - Ducks
Arkansas State at (13) Virginia Tech - Hokies
Florida A&M at (20) South Florida - Bulls
Stephen F Austin at (19) Baylor - Bears
Idaho at (9) Texas A&M - Aggies
Troy at (14) Arkansas - Razorbacks
North Texas at (2) Alabama - Crimson Tide
(17) Ohio State at Miami - Hurricanes
(1) Oklahoma at (5) Florida State - Sooners
(8) Oklahoma State at Tulsa - Cowboys
(6) Stanford at Arizona - Cardinal
Sunday
Arizona at Washington - Redskins
Oakland at Buffalo - Bills
Kansas City at Detroit - Lions
Baltimore at Tennessee - Ravens
Cleveland at Indianapolis - Colts
Tampa Bay at Minnesota - Vikings
Chicago at New Orleans - Bears
Jacksonville at NY Jets - Jets
Seattle at Pittsburgh - Steelers
Green Bay at Carolina - Packers
Dallas at San Francisco - 49ers
Cincinnati at Denver - Bengals
Houston at Miami - Texans
San Diego at New England - Patriots
Philadelphia at Atlanta - Eagles
Monday
Saint Louis at NY Giants - Giants
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
NFL Rankings - 13 Sep
Professional football is back, and while some things haven't changed, a few things are very different. The Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots are still among the top teams in the league, but Peyton Manning missed the first game of his entire career and is in danger of missing the entire season with neck problems, which could jeopardize the Colts' chances of extending their postseason streak. Here are the team rankings after week 1, with each team's name followed by its record and last season's final rank.
TW - Team - Record - LW
1. Baltimore (1-0) (5)
2. New England (1-0) (1)
3. Buffalo (1-0) (27)
4. Houston (1-0) (17)
5. Chicago (1-0) (8)
6. Philadelphia (1-0) (7)
7. Green Bay (1-0) (2)
8. Detroit (1-0) (12)
9. Washington (1-0) (23)
10. San Diego (1-0) (6)
11. New Orleans (0-1) (15)
12. Cincinnati (1-0) (21)
13. NY Jets (1-0) (4)
14. Dallas (0-1) (19)
15. San Francisco (1-0) (25)
16. Minnesota (0-1) (20)
17. Oakland (1-0) (13)
18. Tennessee (0-1) (14)
19. Jacksonville (1-0) (26)
20. Miami (0-1) (18)
21. Atlanta (0-1) (9)
22. Tampa Bay (0-1) (16)
23. Pittsburgh (0-1) (3)
24. NY Giants (0-1) (11)
25. Denver (0-1) (29)
26. Cleveland (0-1) (24)
27. Indianapolis (0-1) (10)
28. Saint Louis (0-1) (28)
29. Arizona (1-0) (31)
30. Seattle (0-1) (30)
31. Carolina (0-1) (32)
32. Kansas City (0-1) (22)
The best team to lose in week one was the New Orleans Saints, who lost on opening night by one yard against the defending champion Green Bay Packers, which is nothing to be ashamed of. They certainly looked like a team that can still be a major player when the playoffs come around again, and with Drew Brees running the show, they have nothing to worry about.
The worst team to win on opening weekend was the Arizona Cardinals, which narrowly escaped with a 7-point victory against the Carolina Panthers, which was easily the worst team last year. Both teams looked somewhat improved over last season with their new quarterbacks, but obviously still have work to do.
The biggest surprise of the weekend was the Buffalo Bills, which went on the road to Kansas City and won by 34 points, the largest loss the Chiefs have suffered at home in decades, and the largest win the Bills have seen in quite some time. By beating Kansas City, which made the playoffs last year, the Bills showed that they may finally be ready to compete after years of ineptitude.
San Francisco's domination of Seattle showed that a new team is ready to take control of the league's weakest division, the NFC West. Ted Ginn, Jr. returned two kicks for touchdown in the fourth quarter, which may have also helped ease people's doubts about the league moving kickoffs five yards closer to midfield and thereby reducing the number of runbacks.
Prediction Results - 8-12 Sep
NFL: 10-6 (.625)
Upsets: 3-3 (.500) 4-5 overall (.444)
TW - Team - Record - LW
1. Baltimore (1-0) (5)
2. New England (1-0) (1)
3. Buffalo (1-0) (27)
4. Houston (1-0) (17)
5. Chicago (1-0) (8)
6. Philadelphia (1-0) (7)
7. Green Bay (1-0) (2)
8. Detroit (1-0) (12)
9. Washington (1-0) (23)
10. San Diego (1-0) (6)
11. New Orleans (0-1) (15)
12. Cincinnati (1-0) (21)
13. NY Jets (1-0) (4)
14. Dallas (0-1) (19)
15. San Francisco (1-0) (25)
16. Minnesota (0-1) (20)
17. Oakland (1-0) (13)
18. Tennessee (0-1) (14)
19. Jacksonville (1-0) (26)
20. Miami (0-1) (18)
21. Atlanta (0-1) (9)
22. Tampa Bay (0-1) (16)
23. Pittsburgh (0-1) (3)
24. NY Giants (0-1) (11)
25. Denver (0-1) (29)
26. Cleveland (0-1) (24)
27. Indianapolis (0-1) (10)
28. Saint Louis (0-1) (28)
29. Arizona (1-0) (31)
30. Seattle (0-1) (30)
31. Carolina (0-1) (32)
32. Kansas City (0-1) (22)
The best team to lose in week one was the New Orleans Saints, who lost on opening night by one yard against the defending champion Green Bay Packers, which is nothing to be ashamed of. They certainly looked like a team that can still be a major player when the playoffs come around again, and with Drew Brees running the show, they have nothing to worry about.
The worst team to win on opening weekend was the Arizona Cardinals, which narrowly escaped with a 7-point victory against the Carolina Panthers, which was easily the worst team last year. Both teams looked somewhat improved over last season with their new quarterbacks, but obviously still have work to do.
The biggest surprise of the weekend was the Buffalo Bills, which went on the road to Kansas City and won by 34 points, the largest loss the Chiefs have suffered at home in decades, and the largest win the Bills have seen in quite some time. By beating Kansas City, which made the playoffs last year, the Bills showed that they may finally be ready to compete after years of ineptitude.
San Francisco's domination of Seattle showed that a new team is ready to take control of the league's weakest division, the NFC West. Ted Ginn, Jr. returned two kicks for touchdown in the fourth quarter, which may have also helped ease people's doubts about the league moving kickoffs five yards closer to midfield and thereby reducing the number of runbacks.
Prediction Results - 8-12 Sep
NFL: 10-6 (.625)
Upsets: 3-3 (.500) 4-5 overall (.444)
Monday, September 12, 2011
Top 100 NBA Players: #30
Patrick Ewing
(Kalb: #38, Simmons: #39, BBR: #29)
Patrick Ewing is remembered for never having won an NBA title, but he was one of the top centers in the entire league for a decade, and he never missed more than 6 games in a season over that span, during which the New York Knicks made the playoffs every year with Ewing as their star player.
Ewing hit his peak in 1989-90, when he ranked as the third-best player in the entire league and the top center, falling behind only Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley in overall value. He was 27 years old at the time, and he appeared to be the next dominant center, although he never did dominate the game the way many expected. Here are his stats from his best season:
Ewing - 28.6 pts, 10.9 reb, 2.2 ast, 1.0 stl, 4.0 blk, .551 FG%, .775 FT%
You read that right. Besides averaging over 28 points and 10 rebounds every night, he was blocking 4 shots on average in every game. From there he kind of plateaued, maintaining his standing as one of the top 10 players in the league, but falling behind fellow centers David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Shaquille O'Neal in production. Overall, he was still very impressive over the six seasons from 1989-1995, and those stats are below:
Ewing - 25.3 pts, 11.3 reb, 2.3 ast, 1.0 stl, 2.8 blk, .515 FG%, .749 FT%
That is what the Knicks were able to expect from Ewing every night for 6 straight years, quite impressive considering that no center today comes close to those numbers in a single season. For all the numbers he put up and all the seasons that they made the playoffs, Ewing still never saw big playoff success. The Knicks won their first round series nearly every season, but lost in the second round almost every time. The only two exceptions were 1993 and 1994, when they made the Eastern Conference Finals once and the NBA Finals after that, where they were beaten in 7 games by Houston.
Ewing hung around for a long time after his peak, but became less and less effective and was no longer the focal point of the Knicks' team, so when he finally made it back to the NBA Finals in 1999, he was more of an afterthought on a team featuring Latrell Sprewell, Allan Houston, and Marcus Camby. He never did get that elusive ring, which is the biggest reason that he's only at #30 all time.
Ewing was never as big a star as Rick Barry was, but Ewing did not cut out the prime years of his career like Barry did, so while Ewing was able to reach his peak and maintain it for a long period of time, Barry left at his peak, then had to regain momentum upon his return. Barry won a championship, but did little else in the playoffs, so Ewing's playoff failings aren't enough to drop him behind the old-time Warrior on this list.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
College Football Rankings - 11 Sep
Week 2 has now passed, and another week with minimal upsets is in the books. Even without many upsets, we learned a lot about some teams, some of which struggled against supposedly inferior competition, and others who wiped out foes who were supposed to be strong. Here are the fresh new rankings, with current ranking followed by previous ranking, team name, record, and AP rank.
TW - LW - Team - Record - AP
1. (1) Stanford (2-0) (6)
2. (4) LSU (2-0) (3)
3. (2) Boise State (1-0) (4)
4. (5) Oklahoma (1-0) (1)
5. (15) Oregon (1-1) (12)
6. (9) Arkansas (2-0) (14)
7. (6) Alabama (2-0) (2)
8. (10) Texas A&M (1-0) (9)
9. (11) South Florida (2-0) (20)
10. (8) South Carolina (2-0) (11)
11. (12) Florida State (2-0) (5)
12. (3) Mississippi State (1-1) (25)
13. (14) Florida (2-0) (16)
14. (NR) Oklahoma State (2-0) (7)
15. (NR) Ohio (2-0) (NR)
16. (7) Arizona State (2-0) (22)
17. (19) Virginia Tech (2-0) (13)
18. (18) Wisconsin (2-0) (7)
19. (22) TCU (1-1) (23)
20. (NR) Utah State (1-1) (NR)
21. (24) Clemson (2-0) (NR)
22. (23) Northwestern (2-0) (32)
23. (20) Nebraska (2-0) (10)
24. (NR) Navy (2-0) (NR)
25. (NR) Michigan State (2-0) (15)
Dropping Out
(16) Arizona (1-1) (NR)
(17) Ohio State (2-0) (17)
(13) North Carolina State (1-1) (NR)
(21) Minnesota (0-2) (NR)
(25) Miami (0-1) (NR)
Ranked Teams by Conference
SEC - 6
Big 10 - 4
Pac 12 - 3
Big 12 - 3
ACC - 3
MWC - 2
Big East - 1
MAC - 1
WAC - 1
Ind - 1
Stanford and LSU each recorded large victories in week 2, outscoring their opponents by at least 30 points, but Stanford played an FBS school, while LSU played an FCS opponent. Stanford also went on the road, while LSU played on their familiar home field. LSU was still able to move ahead of idle Boise State, who should get a boost later in the season if TCU can remain ranked.
Oregon's huge victory over Nevada showed that last week's loss was probably a combination of a very good opponent (LSU) and very slippery fingers (3 fumbles lost). They looked like the Ducks that played for the title last season again, and that means Stanford won't be able to relax at all this season.
Mississippi State should have taken care of Auburn, but it took them a while to get it going, and they ended up losing by one yard on the final play and taking a tumble back down the rankings that they climbed so quickly last week. I'm still not sure if Auburn is really that good this year, but they've found a way to start 2-0.
Oklahoma State reappeared in the rankings after basically winning their game against Arizona in the first quarter. Their departure last week for a subpar performance may have been a little hasty, and they showed that they still have a high-powered offense that has to be taken seriously.
#15 is not a misprint. Ohio University is in the top 25, replacing their more famous in-state rivals, the Ohio State Buckeyes, who were lucky to survive a home game against Toledo on Saturday. Ohio's opening win over New Mexico State looked a little more impressive after the Aggies beat Minnesota, and Ohio nearly shut out Gardner-Webb this week. The MAC is looking stronger than ever this year, with Toledo and Northern Illinois also looking like contenders.
Arizona State pulled off their first win over a top 25 team in several years, but fell several spots in my rankings because of the way they won. I predicted a big win for the Sun Devils, and for a while it looked like it was headed that way, but they did everything they could to lose in regulation before pulling it out in overtime. They are still a good team and the favorite to win the Pac-12 South, but they need to play better from now on.
Prediction Results (8-10 Sep)
College Football: 19-5 (.792) 43-8 overall (.843)
Upsets: 1-2 (.333)
Friday, September 9, 2011
Top 100 NBA Players: #31
Rick Barry
(Kalb: #22, Simmons: #26, BBR: #46)
Rick Barry is today most remembered for his unique style of free throw shooting, but he was one of the best players in the NBA for many years, and if he hadn't jumped to the ABA for five years, he could have been one of the 10 best players in NBA history.
Barry started out his career with the San Francisco Warriors, where he won the Rookie of the Year award after averaging 25.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game at only 21 years of age. The next season he was even better, putting up one of the best seasons in history for a non-MVP. Here are his stats from that year, along with those of Wilt Chamberlain, who was the MVP that season:
Barry - 35.6 pts, 9.2 reb, 3.6 ast, .451 FG%, .884 FT%
Chamberlain - 24.1 pts, 24.2 reb, 7.8 ast, .683 FG%, .441 FT%
You can see that Wilt was the better player that season and deserved the MVP, since he led the league in rebounding, minutes played, and field goal percentage, while Barry only led the league in scoring. The two players led their respective teams to the Finals, where Wilt and the 76ers beat Barry and the Warriors in six games, proving that the MVP was awarded properly.
After that season, Barry had a disagreement with the Warriors over incentive bonuses, so he left to sign a contract with the Oakland Oaks of the ABA. Barry was not allowed to play the next season because of a clause in his Warriors contract, but when he made it to the league he was pretty good, although not as good as in his NBA days. After four seasons, a judge ruled that Barry's original contract with San Francisco was still binding, and that he could not play for anyone else, so he went back to the Golden State Warriors, who had changed their name in his absence.
He had an immediate impact upon his return, leading Golden State to the Western Conference Finals and leading the league in free throw percentage, but he was still building up to his second career peak in 1975, when he started to look like the Barry of old at age 30, once again establishing himself as the #2 player in the league, although this time he ranked behind Bob McAdoo, who rightfully won the MVP. Here are their stats from that year:
Barry - 30.6 pts, 5.7 reb, 6.2 ast, 2.9 stl, .464 FG%, .904 FT%
McAdoo - 34.5 pts, 14.1 reb, 2.2 ast, 2.1 blk, .512 FG%, .805 FT%
Barry was the league leader in steals and free throw percentage, while McAdoo led in scoring, but McAdoo's awesome rebounding average and field goal percentage were the big reason he was a better player that year, and it helped that he was 7 years younger. Barry had the last laugh in the playoffs, however, as McAdoo's Braves lost in the first round, while Barry and the Warriors swept the highly-favored Bullets in the Finals for the franchise's third championship and first in California.
Barry was named the MVP of the Finals, and although he wasn't as good as in the regular season, there was no other choice for this award. The second best player on that team was probably Jamaal Wilkes, who was a rookie, and here is a comparison of their playoff stats from 1975:
Barry - 28.2 pts, 5.5 reb, 6.1 ast, 2.9 stl, .444 FG%, .918 FT%
Wilkes - 15.0 pts, 7.0 reb, 1.6 ast, 1.5 stl, .446 FG%, .702 FT%
There was definitely no disputing why the Warriors won the title. This was one of the few teams to ever win a title without two verifiable star players, so that title has a lot of weight in Barry's placement among the all-time greats. By giving up 5 years during what should have been the prime of his career, he hurt his standing greatly, but he was still one of the best of all time with just ten seasons on the court.
You can see that Barry's missing years occurred right during Iverson's peak years, and there's no doubt it would have been the same for Barry, but immediately before and after his disappearance, he put up seasons that Iverson would have killed to have (literally). Barry's championship also helped him immensely, since Iverson's lone trip to the Finals ended in defeat, so Barry has to be recognized as the better player overall.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Top 100 NBA Players: #32
Allen Iverson
(Kalb: #33, Simmons: #29, BBR: #37)
Allen Iverson was an incredibly talented player, the shortest man ever to win the scoring title, which he did four times, and a player who fell just as quickly as he rose to prominence. Other than his shooting percentage, he was a very solid all-around player.
As I said above, Iverson won 4 scoring titles, in 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2005, all with the Philadelphia 76ers. He had his highest scoring season in 2006, when he put up 33 per game, but that year he was beaten out by Kobe's 35.4 per game, one of the highest averages in history. Iverson's signature season was the second season in which he was the scoring leader, and his stats from that year's regular season and playoffs are listed below:
Iverson (Regular) - 31.1 pts, 3.8 reb, 4.6 ast, 2.5 stl, .420 FG%, .320 3P%, .814 FT%, 42.0 min
Iverson (Playoffs) - 32.9 pts, 4.7 reb, 6.1 ast, 2.4 stl, .389 FG%, .338 3P%, .774 FT%, 46.2 min
Iverson was everything to the Sixers that season, and led the league in steals as well as scoring. He also led Philadelphia to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Lakers, but he played nearly every minute during the postseason and found a way to increase his already impressive averages. It may have been the only time that he saw any sort of playoffs success, but it was a season for the ages.
Iverson led the league in minutes per game 7 times, scoring 4 times, and steals 3 times, and in each of his first 12 seasons averaged at least 22 points, 3 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.9 steals, and 39.4 minutes played. Those numbers alone are pretty impressive, but those were the minimum numbers he reached in 12 seasons.
One of Iverson's biggest struggles was clashing with his coaches over attitude problems. He is infamous for his distaste of practice, and his feud with Larry Brown was very well chronicled. The 76ers actually traded him during the 2000 offseason, but because of a problem with another player's contract, the deal was cancelled, and Iverson went on to lead the team to the Finals. He finally wore out his welcome in Philly in 2006, then in Denver, Detroit and Memphis over the next three years, before finally disappearing for good one year ago.
Iverson and Pierce were pretty even during their playing careers, with Iverson being a little more up-and-down than the more consistent Pierce. Pierce was the #2 player on two Finalists, while Iverson was the best on one, so that comparison is a wash. The real reason that Iverson takes this spot over Pierce is that he was better in 7 of his first 13 seasons than Pierce, but Pierce is looking like a pretty good pick to be better than Iverson in his 14th year, so this ranking is likely to change by next summer.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Football Predictions - 8-12 Sep
The first weekend of college football is gone, and the opening weekend is coming up for the NFL, so I'm giving you my picks for every one of this weekend's NFL games and all of the college games involving ranked teams (or teams that should be ranked). Last week I got 89% correct on college football. Will I match that this week? Check back to find out. Predicted winner is listed after each matchup, and upset picks are in italics.
Thursday
Arizona at (9) Oklahoma State - Cowboys
New Orleans at Green Bay - Packers
Friday
(21) Missouri at Arizona State - Sun Devils
Saturday
Florida Atlantic at (17) Michigan State - Spartans
Toledo at (15) Ohio State - Buckeyes
Oregon State at (8) Wisconsin - Badgers
(16) Mississippi State at Auburn - Bulldogs
Norfolk State at (19) West Virginia - Mountaineers
Eastern Illinois at Northwestern - Wildcats
New Mexico State at Minnesota - Golden Gophers
(6) Stanford at Duke - Cardinal
(11) Virginia Tech at East Carolina - Hokies
North Carolina State at Wake Forest - Wolfpack
(3) Alabama at (23) Penn State - Crimson Tide
Wofford at Clemson - Tigers
(25) TCU at Air Force - Falcons
Nevada at (13) Oregon - Ducks
(12) South Carolina at Georgia - Gamecocks
Charleston Southern at (5) Florida State - Seminoles
New Mexico at (14) Arkansas - Razorbacks
Alabama-Birmingham at (18) Florida - Gators
Ball State at (22) South Florida - Bulls
Fresno State at (10) Nebraska - Cornhuskers
Brigham Young at (24) Texas - Cougars
Northwestern State at (2) Louisiana State - Tigers
Sunday
Atlanta at Chicago - Bears
Buffalo at Kansas City - Chiefs
Cincinnati at Cleveland - Browns
Detroit at Tampa Bay - Buccaneers
Tennessee at Jacksonville - Titans
Indianapolis at Houston - Colts
Philadelphia at Saint Louis - Eagles
Pittsburgh at Baltimore - Ravens
Minnesota at San Diego - Chargers
NY Giants at Washington - Giants
Carolina at Arizona - Cardinals
Seattle at San Francisco - 49ers
Dallas at NY Jets - Jets
Monday
New England at Miami - Patriots
Oakland at Denver - Raiders
Thursday
Arizona at (9) Oklahoma State - Cowboys
New Orleans at Green Bay - Packers
Friday
(21) Missouri at Arizona State - Sun Devils
Saturday
Florida Atlantic at (17) Michigan State - Spartans
Toledo at (15) Ohio State - Buckeyes
Oregon State at (8) Wisconsin - Badgers
(16) Mississippi State at Auburn - Bulldogs
Norfolk State at (19) West Virginia - Mountaineers
Eastern Illinois at Northwestern - Wildcats
New Mexico State at Minnesota - Golden Gophers
(6) Stanford at Duke - Cardinal
(11) Virginia Tech at East Carolina - Hokies
North Carolina State at Wake Forest - Wolfpack
(3) Alabama at (23) Penn State - Crimson Tide
Wofford at Clemson - Tigers
(25) TCU at Air Force - Falcons
Nevada at (13) Oregon - Ducks
(12) South Carolina at Georgia - Gamecocks
Charleston Southern at (5) Florida State - Seminoles
New Mexico at (14) Arkansas - Razorbacks
Alabama-Birmingham at (18) Florida - Gators
Ball State at (22) South Florida - Bulls
Fresno State at (10) Nebraska - Cornhuskers
Brigham Young at (24) Texas - Cougars
Northwestern State at (2) Louisiana State - Tigers
Sunday
Atlanta at Chicago - Bears
Buffalo at Kansas City - Chiefs
Cincinnati at Cleveland - Browns
Detroit at Tampa Bay - Buccaneers
Tennessee at Jacksonville - Titans
Indianapolis at Houston - Colts
Philadelphia at Saint Louis - Eagles
Pittsburgh at Baltimore - Ravens
Minnesota at San Diego - Chargers
NY Giants at Washington - Giants
Carolina at Arizona - Cardinals
Seattle at San Francisco - 49ers
Dallas at NY Jets - Jets
Monday
New England at Miami - Patriots
Oakland at Denver - Raiders
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
College Football Rankings - 6 Sep
One week is down in the current college football season, and while there were a lot of blowouts, there were also quite a few surprises. Six teams left my rankings, so there are also six new teams, joining the other 19, including a few that lost their opening games. Mississippi State and LSU were the big winners of the opening weekend, both playing much better than expected, one over a top-ranked team, and one over a nobody. Games against teams that are not part of the FBS do not help improve a team's ranking. Each team's current rankings is followed by last week's ranking, the team name, overall record, and current AP rank.
TW - LW - TEAM - RECORD - AP
1. (1) Stanford (1-0) (6)
2. (3) Boise State (1-0) (4)
3. (16) Mississippi State (1-0) (16)
4. (11) Louisiana State (1-0) (2)
5. (7) Oklahoma (1-0) (1)
6. (5) Alabama (1-0) (3)
7. (4) Arizona State (1-0) (26)
8. (8) South Carolina (1-0) (12)
9. (9) Arkansas (1-0) (14)
10. (21) Texas A&M (1-0) (7)
11. (NR) South Florida (1-0) (22)
12. (6) Florida State (1-0) (5)
13. (12) North Carolina State (1-0) (41)
14. (13) Florida (1-0) (18)
15. (2) Oregon (0-1) (13)
16. (15) Arizona (1-0) (44)
17. (22) Ohio State (1-0) (15)
18. (14) Wisconsin (1-0) (8)
19. (18) Virginia Tech (1-0) (11)
20. (19) Nebraska (1-0) (10)
21. (NR) Minnesota (0-1) (NR)
22. (NR) TCU (0-1) (25)
23. (NR) Northwestern (1-0) (30)
24. (NR) Clemson (1-0) (47)
25. (NR) Miami (0-1) (NR)
Dropping out:
(24) Northern Illinois (1-0) (44)
(10) Oklahoma State (1-0) (9)
(25) Missouri (1-0) (21)
(17) USC (1-0) (28)
(23) Notre Dame (0-1) (36)
(20) Auburn (1-0) (27)
Ranked Teams by Conference:
SEC - 6
ACC - 5
Big 10 - 5
Pac 10 - 4
MWC - 2
Big 12 - 2
Big East - 1
Stanford tore up San Jose State in the season opener, outscoring them 57-3, but each of those points was absolutely necessary due to the huge talent gap between the two schools. If just one of those touchdowns had been taken away, I'm not sure you could make a case for them to remain #1, so they did what was necessary.
Boise State went into Atlanta and took down the Georgia Bulldogs, who were not ranked in my initial rankings, but were sitting just outside at #26 and playing a virtual home game. The Broncos did the same thing they've done for the past few seasons, beat a very strong team from a power conference on the road to make a statement, although we'll have to see if it's enough to impress the computers by season's end.
LSU's win over Oregon was double impressive, because the game was played at a neutral site, and Oregon only lost once last season, in the National Championship Game to Auburn. The Ducks are not accustomed to losing, but the Tigers ran all over them, and the game wasn't as close as the score looked.
South Florida pulled one of the biggest upsets of the weekend when they took out Notre Dame in South Bend after a game that took most of the day due to weather delays. The Bulls are coached by Skip Holtz, who is the son of former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz and a former Irish player also, so the upset was especially sweet for him.
Minnesota vaulted into the rankings despite losing its opening game, because they nearly beat a ranked USC team on the road, with the outcome in doubt until the final 40 seconds. The fact that they were in Los Angeles and not expected to perform well made that performance a virtual victory for the Gophers, who took USC's place in my rankings.
Prediction Results - 1-4 Sep
College Football: 24-3 (.889)
TW - LW - TEAM - RECORD - AP
1. (1) Stanford (1-0) (6)
2. (3) Boise State (1-0) (4)
3. (16) Mississippi State (1-0) (16)
4. (11) Louisiana State (1-0) (2)
5. (7) Oklahoma (1-0) (1)
6. (5) Alabama (1-0) (3)
7. (4) Arizona State (1-0) (26)
8. (8) South Carolina (1-0) (12)
9. (9) Arkansas (1-0) (14)
10. (21) Texas A&M (1-0) (7)
11. (NR) South Florida (1-0) (22)
12. (6) Florida State (1-0) (5)
13. (12) North Carolina State (1-0) (41)
14. (13) Florida (1-0) (18)
15. (2) Oregon (0-1) (13)
16. (15) Arizona (1-0) (44)
17. (22) Ohio State (1-0) (15)
18. (14) Wisconsin (1-0) (8)
19. (18) Virginia Tech (1-0) (11)
20. (19) Nebraska (1-0) (10)
21. (NR) Minnesota (0-1) (NR)
22. (NR) TCU (0-1) (25)
23. (NR) Northwestern (1-0) (30)
24. (NR) Clemson (1-0) (47)
25. (NR) Miami (0-1) (NR)
Dropping out:
(24) Northern Illinois (1-0) (44)
(10) Oklahoma State (1-0) (9)
(25) Missouri (1-0) (21)
(17) USC (1-0) (28)
(23) Notre Dame (0-1) (36)
(20) Auburn (1-0) (27)
Ranked Teams by Conference:
SEC - 6
ACC - 5
Big 10 - 5
Pac 10 - 4
MWC - 2
Big 12 - 2
Big East - 1
Stanford tore up San Jose State in the season opener, outscoring them 57-3, but each of those points was absolutely necessary due to the huge talent gap between the two schools. If just one of those touchdowns had been taken away, I'm not sure you could make a case for them to remain #1, so they did what was necessary.
Boise State went into Atlanta and took down the Georgia Bulldogs, who were not ranked in my initial rankings, but were sitting just outside at #26 and playing a virtual home game. The Broncos did the same thing they've done for the past few seasons, beat a very strong team from a power conference on the road to make a statement, although we'll have to see if it's enough to impress the computers by season's end.
LSU's win over Oregon was double impressive, because the game was played at a neutral site, and Oregon only lost once last season, in the National Championship Game to Auburn. The Ducks are not accustomed to losing, but the Tigers ran all over them, and the game wasn't as close as the score looked.
South Florida pulled one of the biggest upsets of the weekend when they took out Notre Dame in South Bend after a game that took most of the day due to weather delays. The Bulls are coached by Skip Holtz, who is the son of former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz and a former Irish player also, so the upset was especially sweet for him.
Minnesota vaulted into the rankings despite losing its opening game, because they nearly beat a ranked USC team on the road, with the outcome in doubt until the final 40 seconds. The fact that they were in Los Angeles and not expected to perform well made that performance a virtual victory for the Gophers, who took USC's place in my rankings.
Prediction Results - 1-4 Sep
College Football: 24-3 (.889)
Monday, September 5, 2011
Top 100 NBA Players: #33
Paul Pierce
(Simmons: #54, BBR: #43)
Paul Pierce is best known today as a member of Boston's "Big Three," the three superstars that were brought together in 2007 and brought a championship to Boston in 2008, and he's also known as the one chosen from among those three to win the Finals MVP Award that season, which leads many to believe that before the arrival of Garnett and Allen that Pierce and the Celtics couldn't win, but that isn't exactly true.
Pierce hit his peak as a player from 2001-2003, back when Antoine Walker was also playing in Boston, and the Celtics were actually a pretty good team. They won playoff series in both of those seasons, and even reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2002, with Pierce as the team leader. Here are his combined stats from those two seasons:
Pierce - 26.0 pts, 7.1 reb, 3.8 ast, 1.8 stl, 0.9 blk, .429 FG%, .360 3P%, .805 FT%
Other than the field goal percentage, which was pretty low even for a guard, Pierce was great all-around. He has managed to improve his shooting over the course of the past 8 seasons, and he has kept most of the other numbers relatively close to that level.
He remained one of the better players in the league for the next few seasons, but the Celtics started to slide, so they picked up a couple of stars to help share the load, and the result was their first title in two decades. Pierce was named the MVP of the Finals, but Kevin Garnett should have won it, as the numbers from that year's playoffs show:
Garnett - 20.4 pts, 10.5 reb, 3.3 ast, 1.3 stl, 1.1 blk, .495 FG%, .810 FT%
Pierce - 19.7 pts, 5.0 reb, 4.6 ast, 1.1 stl, 0.3 blk, .441 FG%, .802 FT%
A quick glance at those numbers shows that Garnett was by far the better player, performing better in every key category but one, assists, and that one was pretty close. I believe the reason Pierce won was his "comeback" from a "major injury" in game 1, which exhibited worse acting than a lot of reality shows. He couldn't even get up and walk off the court, but just minutes later he was back and scored 15 points in the third quarter to lead them to victory.
In 2010 Boston made another trip to the Finals, and people once again talked as if Pierce was the star of that team and the driving force behind it, but I showed earlier in my article about Rajon Rondo (#84) that the star power of the team had shifted to the point guard position. That's not to say the Pierce wasn't important on those Finals teams, because any team needs at least two stars to get to the Finals in today's league, and Pierce was one of them on both of those teams.
Pierce has a couple of real advantages over Gervin, the first being his ability to win in the playoffs, which Gervin didn't have, and the other being his longevity, which escaped the Spurs superstar, who left the NBA in his early 30's. Pierce was never the best player in the league, but he did make the top 5 in his fourth season, and he's remained a star in all but one of his seasons since, even playing at an All-Star level this season, at an age when Gervin was already gone.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Top 100 NBA Players: #34
George Gervin
(Kalb: #26, Simmons: #34, BBR: #41)
George Gervin was an amazing scorer and a big star for a number of years, but more than anyone else who reached this high on the list, he was not a winner. He was known for being somewhat selfish, but it doesn't diminish how great he was offensively.
Gervin was a four time scoring leader, and is one of 6 players all-time to win three straight scoring titles. In 1980 he averaged 33.1 points per game, and he eclipsed 30 points again 2 years later, when he again led the league with 32.3 nightly. He was twice the MVP runner-up, in 1978 and 1979, but he probably should have won in 1979, when it was given to Moses Malone. Here are how their numbers stacked up that season:
Malone - 24.8 pts, 17.6 reb, 1.8 ast, 1.5 blk, .540 FG%, .739 FT%
Gervin - 29.6 pts, 5.0 reb, 2.7 ast, 1.1 blk, .541 FG%, .826 FT%
Moses led the league in rebounding that year, and Gervin in scoring, so both were obvious choices. In the other four categories, Gervin was obviously the better player, especially if you know that Gervin was a shooting guard and Malone was a center, because Gervin shot a higher percentage than the MVP that year, and blocked nearly as many shots.
Gervin was the best player on his team for nearly his entire career, but he never saw much playoff success in that role. His best finish was losing in the Conference Finals three times, making him the best player to never play in the NBA Finals, joining Dominique Wilkins, Steve Nash, Alex English, Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady on that dubious list.
For six straight seasons, Gervin was one of the top 3 players in the NBA, but because of his playoff failings he is usually not considered to be on the same level as those who were at his level during those years, including Moses Malone, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. His averages over that time were spectacular, and they are listed below:
Gervin (1977-1983) - 29.2 pts, 5.0 reb, 3.0 ast, 1.3 stl, .514 FG%, .834 FT%
Gervin had the disadvantage of never having a true star for a teammate. As the only star in San Antonio for a long time, he did get them to the playoffs in every season of his career, even though he couldn't get them through to the Finals. His career was still very impressive, even though it only lasted for 10 NBA seasons.
Payton may have been the better defensive player by far, but Gervin's offensive prowess was so great that there is no doubt he was better than Payton. Gervin's first 7 NBA seasons were all at least as good as Payton's best season, so even though Payton lasted much longer, Gervin got much higher. While Gervin was not a great playoff player, Payton's overall playoff success wasn't much better, so Gervin is definitely higher up on the list.
College Football Predictions - 1-4 Sep
These are my predictions for the winner's of each of this weekend's games that involve either a team ranked in the USA Today top 25 or my personal top 25. Last season my winning percentage was around 70%, so let's see if I can match that this season. Predicted winner is underlined.
Thursday
UC-Davis at Arizona State
(20) Mississippi State at Memphis
UNLV at (11) Wisconsin
Friday
Youngstown State at (17) Michigan State
(14) TCU at Baylor
Saturday
Tulsa at (1) Oklahoma
Kent State at (2) Alabama
(3) Oregon vs. (4) LSU
(5) Boise State at (19) Georgia
Louisiana-Monroe at (6) Florida State
San Jose State at (7) Stanford
Louisiana-Lafayette at (9) Oklahoma State
Chattanooga at (10) Nebraska
East Carolina vs. (12) South Carolina
Appalachian State at (13) Virginia Tech
Missouri State at (15) Arkansas
South Florida at (16) Notre Dame
Akron at (18) Ohio State
Miami-Ohio at (21) Missouri
Florida Atlantic at (22) Florida
Utah State at (23) Auburn
Minnesota at (25) USC
Liberty at North Carolina State
Army at Northern Illinois
Northern Arizona at Arizona
Sunday
Marshall at (24) West Virginia
SMU at (8) Texas A&M
No upset picks this week, because very few teams are playing opponents that even have a chance. Check back Monday to see how I did.
Thursday
UC-Davis at Arizona State
(20) Mississippi State at Memphis
UNLV at (11) Wisconsin
Friday
Youngstown State at (17) Michigan State
(14) TCU at Baylor
Saturday
Tulsa at (1) Oklahoma
Kent State at (2) Alabama
(3) Oregon vs. (4) LSU
(5) Boise State at (19) Georgia
Louisiana-Monroe at (6) Florida State
San Jose State at (7) Stanford
Louisiana-Lafayette at (9) Oklahoma State
Chattanooga at (10) Nebraska
East Carolina vs. (12) South Carolina
Appalachian State at (13) Virginia Tech
Missouri State at (15) Arkansas
South Florida at (16) Notre Dame
Akron at (18) Ohio State
Miami-Ohio at (21) Missouri
Florida Atlantic at (22) Florida
Utah State at (23) Auburn
Minnesota at (25) USC
Liberty at North Carolina State
Army at Northern Illinois
Northern Arizona at Arizona
Sunday
Marshall at (24) West Virginia
SMU at (8) Texas A&M
No upset picks this week, because very few teams are playing opponents that even have a chance. Check back Monday to see how I did.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)