Mr Matt's Sports Blog

I know the playoffs have already started and every game 1 is now in the books so I'm cheating on my predictions. I would have blogged about it sooner but I've been busy. So Here it Goes: EASTERN CONFERENCE 1) Cleveland vs. 8) Chicago Cleveland in 5. Too much LeBron, too much Shaq and too much depth for the Bulls to handle. I think they could win one game in Chi-Town if Derrick Rose just goes off, but even that might be pushing it. 4) Boston vs. 5) Miami Miami in 7 Oh this is going to get better and better by the game. I can't remember a Game 2 in the 1st round with more leading up to it. The KG suspension means the Heat have a great chance to steal one in Boston. The Heat completely dominated the Celtics for 2 and a half quarters in Game 1 then just let it slip away before the incident in the final minute of the game. The Heat proved they could outplay with the Celtics, but can they do it for a full game? They will need scoring from others not just DWade. 2) Orl...

1. CLV (61-17)-The Cavs are in cruise control after locking up home court and after LeBron locked up his second straight MVP. 2. ORL (55-23)-Boston's struggles and Atlanta's inexperience lead many to believe it will be a rematch between the Cavs and Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. 3. LAL (55-22)-I'm still not sold. They lose 3 of 4 then they get a must win at home against a very good Utah team but then follow that up with a 19 point loss at home to the Spurs. Kobe and Pau have been great, it's time for Odom and Artest to step up. 4. PHO (51-27)-They won 10 straight then lost at Milwaukee on Saturday but rebounded with a good win Wednesday against the Spurs. Since the all-star break Amare has been the best big man in the NBA without question. This could be Nash's last chance at a ring if Amare leaves this off-season. 5. Utah (51-28)-They are one of four 51 win teams battling for that #2 seed in the West. Their remaining schedule is favorable, they play ...

It was crazy how this year sort of came full circle for a lot of teams. -Many teams with high expectations heading into the year had less than great regular seasons but then made up for it in the NCAA tournament (Michigan St., Tennessee,Washington, and even California to an extent). -On the other hand many teams started the year great only to finish terrible (UNC, Texas, and Villanova). - Duke and Butler provided a great title game and had high aspirations entering the year but no one expected them to end up in the title game. -Kansas, Kentucky and Syracuse dominated the season only to lose in the tournament. -With Texas and Oklahoma struggling, Kansas St., Baylor and Texas A&M stepped it up in the Big 12 to have great seasons -Many mid-majors came out of nowhere to be put on the National Scene (Northern Iowa, Cornell, St. Mary's, Murray St., UTEP, and Ohio when they beat Georgetown) but I was surprised that Siena actually took a step back by not winning their 1st round game fo...

Last night's championship game between Duke and Butler was one of the greatest games of basketball I have ever seen. From tip off, until that final shot by Butler's Gordan Hayward, basketball fans were treated to a masterpiece. It was like watching a heavyweight fight. Both teams going back and forth. Just when it looked like one team was about to take control, the momentum was pushed the other way. It was only fitting that this game would come down to a last second shot. Hayward almost put Butler ahead with just over 3 seconds to go but his shot which was contested by Duke's Brian Zoubek barely missed. Zoubek got the rebound and was then fouled. Zoubek hit one of two free throws. Then it Hayward raced down the court and heaved a half-court shot that barely missed off the backboard. Duke won 61-59 to claim their fourth National Title as a school. It was also the fourth title for Coach K, which ties him for second all time along with Adolph Rupp (surpassing Coach K's col...

A small school from Indiana goes for the title against a well-known powerhouse. That's where the comparison ends between this year's Butler team and fictional Hickory High School in the movie Hoosiers. Butler coach Brad Stevens is not old school coach Norman Dale played by Gene Hackman. Stevens is only 33 years old and is one of the best young coaches in college basketball today. This Butler team is good. Very very good. They have won 25 straight games and haven't lost in the 2010 calendar year. They have a record of 33-4. The Bulldogs are far from underdogs. Just ask any team in the Horizon League. They can beat the big boys too. In fact, if they beat Duke tonight, they will have a win against a team from every BCS Conference except the SEC (they didn't play any teams from the SEC this year). But more than anything else, the casual fan will go into this game with the misconception that Butler is a team of corn fed Indiana white boys who will have to make up for ...