Basketball

It’s Time Chris Paul

For Chris Paul’s sake, the Los Angeles Clippers need to win tonight. Despite pretty much being the best point guard in the NBA ever since the moment he was drafted (ok, that’s a little much, but he’s always been top 3 in the position. Only Nash and Rose can say they were better at one point), CP3 has fallen short in the one (somewhat flawed) metric that seems to matter to everyone these days: winning. I had a conversation with someone who told me they thought John Wall was just as good as CP3 because they both went to Round 2. That’s nuts.

But there’s some merit to this as well. How much a player wins in a team game usually tells a story about that player. Did that player take over (see Jordan, Michael)? Did that player shut down an opposing key player (see Olajuwon, Hakeem) that swung a series? Or did that player provide the key leadership aspect that allowed the team to become something greater than their parts (see Garnett, Kevin or Duncan, Tim)? Or lastly, did a player take a team of clearly overmatches players (other than himself) and will them to something greater than expected (again, Jordan, Duncan, Olajuwon).

At one time Chris Paul fell into that last category. CP3’s performance in a six game loss to the Lakers in the 2011 playoffs was one of the best examples of a top player going against a team by himself (CP3’s supporting cast: Carl Landry, washed up Emeka Okafor, Trevor Ariza and Marco Belinelli, when your starting lineup looks like a decent bench, that’s a bad sign). CP3 otherwise always seemed to run into other top players: Durant and Westbrook’s Thunder last year (7 game loss), a determined Grizzlies team anchored by Marc Gasol in 2013. The Spurs got a sweep in 2012. The Kobe Lakers in 2011. The last great Chauncey Billups year and Carmelo’s best playoff year in 2009…and then 2008.

2008. CP3 submits the perhaps greatest PG season ever, gets robbed of the MVP and takes care of business in round 1, pretty much establishing that Jason Kidd and the Mavericks were yesterday’s news. Paul’s supporting cast is a solid David West, a great two way player in Tyson Chandler (yes, even then Chandler was a crazy efficient offensive player), and washed up but still good shooting Peja. The Hornets went toe to toe with the Spurs, who were looking to defend their NBA Title. The Spurs, with one of the best defensive players of all time anchoring the middle, had no answer for Paul. Game 1: 17-13, Game 2: 30-12, Game 3: 35-9, Game 4: 23-6-5, Game 5: 22-14, Game 6: 21-6-8. That being said, it was only good enough for 3 wins.

It came down to Game 7 in New Orleans…and the Spurs prevailed. Paul played well of course, but it wasn’t enough. But hey, he was only 22 years old. There was more than enough time. This was in 2008.

It’s 2015 now. It’s Game 7. We’re on CP3’s home court again. It’s against The Spurs. It’s against Duncan, Parker, Manu, Pop (and now featuring Kawhi). He’s 29. It’s time CP3.

 

Hockey

RDT’s Not-So-Serious 2015 Stanley Cup Playoff Predictions – Round 2

Western Conference

#4 Minnesota Wild vs. #3 Chicago Blackhawks

The series goes with my rule of going against the post 1998 teams (sans the Jets), and going for the big market teams. So it should be obvious who pick here. I used the same rule for the Nashville-Chicago series and Chicago pulled that out. I don’t know how big of an upset the Wild beating the Blues was.

Something worries me though. Could Nashville have won the series? If Nashville had won, my head would have exploded having to pick between them and Minnesota. Two games went to multiple overtimes between Chicago and Nashville, meaning Nashville could have easily won this series as well. The Wild meanwhile were tied 2-2 and won crucial Game 5 on the road before closing it out in Game 6. I’m starting to scare myself into picking them! Go big markets!

Chicago in 7.

#3 Calgary Flames vs. #1 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim

I guess the Sedin Twins weren’t a factor. Anywho, something else I don’t really like about the Flames: their name is the Flames. Wouldn’t that be a detriment in ice hockey?

Sadly the Jets rolled over just like the Atlanta Thrashers would have (note: I have no idea if that’s true, I just wanted to take another shot at the Thrashers). Perhaps I underestimated the Ducks. Afterall, this is a team once owned by Disney! And Disney has a big movie coming out soon. Age of Ultron? Age of the Ducks is more like it?

In somewhat seriousness, I’ll just assume the #1 seed who got a 1st round sweep is actually pretty good.

Ducks in 4.

Eastern Conference

#2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. #1 Montreal Canadiens

This sounds like to me that this is the top player (Stamkos) against the historical top team (24 Cups for Montreal).

Let’s look at each team’s 1st round quickly. Montreal won the first three games of the series, all by one goal (two in overtime). A glancing look makes me feel like Montreal took care of business, but had some luck on their side.

Tampa Bay just won a tough seven game series where they were actually shut out twice by Detroit 3-0 and 4-0.

Plus Montreal has Carey Price!

Montreal in 5.

#2 Washington Capitals vs. #1 New York Rangers

It’s Alexander the Great against the defending Eastern Conference Champs who just throttled the big star power Penguins. Sounds just like the type of series the Capitals have always lost. Plus I’m not going against a New York team here.

Rangers in 5.

 

NASCAR

This Day In Sports 4-29: Rusty Wallace wins on Dale Earnhardt’s Birthday (2001)

The 2001 Daytona 500 still goes down as the darkest race in NASCAR’s history. With the death of Dale Earnhardt, NASCAR had been changed forever.

Everyone remembers Dale Jr.’s emotional victory at the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. What’s less remembered is Rusty Wallace‘s 54th career victory at Fontana on what would have been Earnhardt’s 50th birthday.

Bitter rivals on the track and great friends off it, Earnhardt and Wallace battled throughout the late 80s and early 90s, competing for Winston Cups. Earnhardt ultimately won that battle, but Wallace more than held his own.

Rusty paid tribute to Earnhardt on his birthday with a polish victory lap while waving the famed #3.

Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey

Should I Bandwagon the 2015 Mets?

1 Comment

I haven’t seriously watched baseball since 2007. Being a New York Mets fan left me with an obvious feeling of inferiority living in the New York City area, as everyone and their mother rooted for the Yankees. Heck, even later in 2009 I found myself cheering on the Yanks in their quest to win the World Series. Being a Mets fan just brought upon struggles that really didn’t seem worth it to be a dedicated fan. 2007 of course was the nail in the coffin, when Tom Glavine didn’t come through and the Mets completed an epic collapse to miss the playoffs. That killed it for me. At the time all my teams were either struggling or irrelevant, and it felt like the Mets were all I had left (Knicks were terrible, Jets were whatever, I lost interest in the NHL and Chris Benoit nearly destroyed wrestling).

So I detached myself from the Mets. Sure I was still annoyed about yet another late season collapse to miss the playoffs, but I didn’t care as much as I used to. The whole Wilpon-Madoff scandal flew right by me, and it was nice not to care. The only thing that peaked my interest and had me still following the Mets from a distance was Matt Harvey. But the Mets, and baseball as a whole (yeah, the whole steroid-era deal disgusts me even today, as I built my fandom then) just wasn’t worth the trouble.

So…is it time to bandwagon the Mets? The 2015 Mets were expected to be terrible…and have shot out to a 13-3 record and an 11 game winning streak. A similar situation came up in 2012 for me, as I had lost most of my interest in the NHL in the late 2000s. In 2012 though, the Devils made a run and went all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. I decided it was okay to bandwagon them for a few reasons. First, my favorite player, Martin Brodeur was still the starting goalie. Second, I did get a little into hockey over the few years prior thanks to Sidney Crosby, and did attend a Devils game earlier in 2012 before they even looked like a Stanley Cup contender. Lastly, there were several instances where I really saw just how many bandwagon fans there are for teams.

I always thought that the Yankees and Lakers (and Celtics) just had a strong fanbase for decades. In about 2011 I realized most Yankee fans from my era were full of it when the Yankees finally had to rebuild. Most of those Yankee fans disappeared because the Yankees stopped winning. It’s the same deal with the Lakers…now that Kobe’s done and they are terrible, fans have left in droves or even converted to the Clippers (including you Jack!). Ditto for the Celtics, I don’t think I’ve seen a piece of Celtic apparel all year. This works the opposite way too. I once met a Clipper fan who I said he was a Clipper fan since he was a kid, but didn’t know who Elton Brand was. The Brooklyn Nets suddenly became the cool team when they moved, but all I know is no one was sitting with me in Newark when I attended Nets games, and once it was realized that Deron Williams is one of the most overrated players in recent NBA history and the team as a whole wasn’t anything special, fans again left in droves. Don’t get me started on the Miami Heat either. Going into other sports, football always has a legion of bandwagoners, especially when it comes to the New York Giants. The list goes on and on.

My favorite bandwagon story actually involved me being called a bandwagoner. The one team I’ve always stuck by has been the New York Knicks, and it hasn’t been a pretty century. I was (am) a pretty big opponent of the Carmelo Anthony trade. In 2012 the Knicks were floundering with Melo. But when Linsanity saved the Knicks that season, everything changed. I made sure I had a Lin jersey and everything. One early Sunday, after Linsanity had cooled, the Knicks lost a pretty important game against the Sixers (I think). I remember walking through NYC afterwards and someone called me a bandwagon fan because of the Lin jersey. He was wearing a Melo jersey of course. And while it may not be the case, I’d be willing to bet that this particular fan didn’t go through Marbury and Francis, or Rose and Curry. I’m willing to bet he became a fan when Carmelo showed up. Ironic, isn’t it?

So I’ve made a list of rules that I consider to be the Book of Bandwagoning. Yes it’s okay to be a bandwagoner, as long as you abide by these rules.

  1. You don’t pretend to know more than you do about the team. If you are bandwagoning this Mets team, don’t pretend to know about the 1986 Championship team just to fit in.
  2. You don’t flip flop. If you are leaving a team you are sick of, don’t run back to them when they get good again and pretend you never left. For example, the Phoenix Suns became my 2nd favorite team because my favorite player, Steve Nash, joined them. But if you asked me who would I want to win a hypothetical Finals between the Knicks and Suns at that time, I’d pick the Knicks. If your answer there is the Suns, then you’ve officially given up your Knicks fandom.
  3. You can become a real fan if you stick with the lows. For example, if you are still a LA Laker fan now, then you’re a real fan and not a bangwagoner anymore.
  4. You don’t call out others for bangwagoning. I absolutely hated seeing Giants fans call out Eagles bandwagon fans all over Facebook over the last few years. Of course, then both of those fanbases went after Dallas. Division rivalries are great without tons of fake fans. By the way, Yankee fans did this to Red Sox fans in 2004 too.
  5. You admit you are a bandwagon fan. Perhaps the most important rule. If you are a bandwagon fan, say so. Everytime I talk about the 2012 Devils, I start with “I bandwagoned them”. Because I did. And I enjoyed it. And it was fun. And I can’t even name a Devil right now.

There are some exceptions to whether or not you are a bandwagon fan. It’s perfectly fine to become a fan of a team if you are a fan of a particular player (like Peyton Manning and Chris Paul fans…or nearly like me and Nash) as long as you explain it.

In conclusion, I’m not bandwagoning the Mets yet. It’s too early. But if they are in the mix come September, don’t be surprised to see me with a Mets cap on once again.

Pro Wrestling

RDT Reviews ECW Heatwave ’98

Heatwave ‘98
August 2, 1998
Dayton, OH

There’s nothing special about ECW anymore.

Okay, that’s not exactly true, but with WWF Attitude changing the landscape of wrestling suddenly ECW looks bush-league. If anyone randomly caught ECW at 2 AM or whenever they were on, they would probably think it was a WWF rip off show. While it wasn’t their worst year, or even a bad year, 1998 was the year ECW lost its unique place in wrestling and ultimately the year where ECW stopped changing the business and just purely survived.

It didn’t help that quality wise, ECW was lacking. While still having many great performers, a terrible PPV back in May was something ECW could ill-afford. I assume Paul Heyman knew it too, because new talent was brought in for Heatwave ’98. There’s no random Bam Bam Bigelow vs. New Jack match here (what was Paul E. thinking with that one?) ECW still could survive at this point, it just needed to show it could put on a show at the level of the big leagues.

The Card

The Hara Arena looks pretty big for an ECW arena, which is a pretty good look.

ECW World Champion Shane Douglas is hurt, so he’s doing color commentary with Joey. Douglas being hurt for most of 1998 was another strange dynamic. The 1998 Triple H look in yellow isn’t doing Douglas any favors.

We get an f-bomb from Douglas right away. He hypes up the Taz vs. Bigelow rematch. Taz of course was chasing Douglas at this point.

Joey gets his face rubbed on Francine’s chest. Sure why not.

Justin Credible vs. Jerry Lynn

Jerry Lynn had put over Justin Credible for the better part of 1997 and most of 1998. I always felt the Credible-Lynn series did a good job elevating both guys to bigger things: Credible to the ECW main event and Lynn to the RVD feud. Joey hypes this as the rubber match to this feud, which means while Credible won all the house shows, Lynn and Credible must have split the big show matches.

Credible has an interesting group with him: Chasity, Nicole Bass and Jason.

Slight timing error for Lynn, but Lynn makes up for it with a nice twisting crossbody.

It’s hard not to notice how many ripoff characters we have here. Credible is a poor man’s X-Pac, Bass is a poor man’s Chyna and Jason is a poor man’s Buff Bagwell…and maybe a stretch but Chasity is a poor man’s Luna Vachon.

This match is pretty good so far though. A very good back and forth.

Pretty nice Bossman Slam from Credible.

Hurricanrana from the top rope through a table on the floor by Jerry Lynn? Nice!

Credible’s band of freaks gets owned by Lynn when they saved Credible. Bass gets a low blow and a chair shot, and Chasity gets Tombstoned.

Justin Credible pins Jerry Lynn in 14:36. That’s Incredible Piledriver from the top rope ends Jerry Lynn for the pin. Great finish to a very good opener. Heatwave is off to a great start. I think Lynn carried things here…but Credible did hold up his end of the bargain, and that’s all you need.

They also sell the finish like death for Lynn too, as they should, it being a tombstone off the top and all.

We must have skipped something on the Network because we go straight to the next match.

Chris Candido vs. Lance Storm

A well booked feud here. Storm tried to join the Triple Threat, but was double crossed by Candido. The only thing that really kept Storm and Candido from destroying one another was the fact they were tag team champions. They lost those belts (well, Candido and replacement partner Douglas) to RVD and Sabu. So now all that’s left is for them to go one on one.

Tammy Lynn Sytch is here with Candido too. Remember, at Living Dangerously Storm thought it was a good idea for Sytch to be his mystery partner. So that plays into this too. I assume Sytch had been fired from the WWF at this point.

Storm’s non-extreme style was perfect for him as a heel later.

Chris Candido has to be up there with most underrated wrestlers ever.

Suplex on Candido to the floor from the apron just looks like it hurts bad with the concrete floor in play.

Chris Candido pinned Lance Storm in 11:00. Sytch provocatively shoves Storm on the top rope and crotches him. Ref gets involved and accidentally pulls Sytch’s top off, which gets a big reaction. Blonde Bombshell finishes Storm, which is an awesome finish. Another really good match here.

Apparently The Dudley Boys and Jack Victory beat the crap out of New Jack in the parking lot earlier. That should tell you how that match is ending later.

Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka

AKA: the match that proved Paul E. needed to go into a new direction and did so.

RVD sneezing ”Hakushi” for some reason was hilarious to me when referring to Jinsei Shinzaki for some reason.

If seeing these two stiff the hell out of one another is what you want, this match is for you.

Tanaka no sells a release German where he landed on his head. Tanaka always seemed to do stuff like that and truthfully I never got it.

When someone the size of Mike Awesome does a springboard axehandle smash into the crowd, it’s hard not to be impressed, even if the landing wasn’t the great.

Tanaka no sells some chair shots. Again, I never really got it. It’s also quite cringe worthy today.

Tanaka drops Awesome right on his head through a table on the concrete floor from the ring. Sometimes I’m amazed I loved this stuff once. To me now it’s just scary.

Masato Tanaka pins Mike Awesome in 11:49. Tornado DDT on two chairs wins it. Very good brawl and the match of the night so far. I can’t stand Tanaka’s no-selling (it’s part of his character, not something he does maliciously) and Awesome seems to half-ass any moves that doesn’t involve killing his opponent (like clotheslines, big boots), but everything else was stiff as hell and it made a very good match. 3/3 for Heatwave so far! This was the future of ECW, believe it or not.

Taz was money on the mic in ECW and I’m surprised that didn’t translate to the WWF.

ECW World Tag Team Championship
Rob Van Dam and Sabu© vs. Jinsei Shinzaki and Hayabusa

Heyman brought in Tanaka, Awesome, Shinzaki and Hayabusa to draw for Heatwave (Well Tanaka and Awesome were there earlier) after the disaster that was Wrestlepalooza. And it worked, this match has a huge match feel for it and I’m surprised it didn’t main event.

Real sloppy start from RVD and Hayabusa. Two early botches, one off a roll up and the other off a springboard clothesline by Hayabusa.

There are some really smart spots in this one too. RVD with a cocky backflip to dropkick when Hayabusa was trapped in the Camel Clutch…but when he played to the crowd Shinzaki took him out with a springboard dropkick of his own.

Beautiful Asai Moonsault from Hayabusa!

Bow and Arrow by RVD on Shinzaki…then Sabu comes off the top with a chair!

Awesome twisting splash from RVD! The camera angle made it seem like he flew out of nowhere!

Perfect 450 from Hayabusa!

Van Daminator when Hayabusa was straddled on the top rope. Funny enough, Hayabusa no sells it.

RVD and Sabu when Sabu pinned Shinzaki pin at 20:51. It gets messy at the end, but Sabu and RVD drive Shinzaki and Hayabusa through a table and get the win. Sabu shoves RVD away for the pin, which a great little nod to their story. I know a lot don’t like this match because it boils down to such a spotfest…but it’s a damn fun spotfest and I loved most of it. I’d say it’s a great match, but it was quite sloppy at many points and some of the spots don’t quite hit the mark. But fun is fun.

FTW World Championship
Taz© vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

The FTW World Title is the title Taz said meant he was the real World Champ because he couldn’t get to Douglas.

In Taz’s big monster push, Bigelow was the only man to beat him…at Living Dangerously when he put Taz through the ring. Bigelow is Douglas’ right hand.

I’m surprised this isn’t main eventing either.

We’re told that this is Falls Count Anywhere, which kinda gives away the finish.

Taz just no sells an immediately hard powerbomb from Bigelow which is whatever to me. That’s not a move that should be no sold.

We’re already brawling on the outside and Taz gets a kick that knocks Bigelow off the ramp into the crowd, which seems pretty dangerous for the fans.

This has been 70% in the crowd. This was the wrong way to go about this match.

Taz with a tornado DDT through the rampway, and this time I think it’s overdone. It was just done to go one step further from the finish at Living Dangerously.

Taz wins by submission in 13:21. Bigelow emerges from the hole…but so does Taz! Taz locks in the Tazmission and Bigelow seemingly reaches for the ropes, which is considered a tap out. Uh…even that was pretty terrible, since it seemed clear he was reaching for the ropes. I thought this match absolutely sucked. This should have been Taz suplexing Bigelow around the ring for 10 minutes and choking him out clean. And what’s the deal with two straight Bigelow matches on PPV that did a tour of the arena? Why are we wasting Bam Bam Bigelow here?

Dudleyville Streetfight
Bubba Ray, D-Von and Big Dick Dudley vs. Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman and Spike Dudley

I loved the feud. The Dudleyz hit Beulah McGillicutty with 3D when Tommy Dreamer was handcuffed to the ropes. Beulah never came back. To say I bought the hatred Dreamer had for the Dudleys would be an understatement.

We get about 20 minutes of Bubba Ray and Joel Gertner promos/intros, followed by the Sandman, Spike and Dreamer’s entrance. I’m sorry, but that was a huge waste of time there.

Surprisingly good wrestling sequence with D-Von and Dreamer that doesn’t make any sense within the context of the story, but I’ll take it.

We actually get a bit of a wrestling match for the first half of this. Bubba throwing around Spike is always fun.

Once the Sandman got in there, all wrestling ended. It’s now a pier six.

Spike Dudley comes off a huge ladder in the ring and flies into many on the floor! Cool moment for Spike!

Somersault senton by the Sandman on the ladder. Some interesting ladder spots for 1998, messy as they are.

Bubba hits his own 2nd rope senton with Dreamer under a ladder. Bubba was huge then!

Somehow we get Judge Jeff Jones piledriving a blow up doll to mock Beulah. Dreamer spikes him for that.

Dreamer, Sandman and Spike win when Dreamer pins Bubba Ray in 14:26. DDT on a ladder gets it done. Jack Victory shows up and takes out Dreamer…and here comes New Jack of course! The Dudleys get the crap kicked out of them to end the show. Anyway, it’s just garbage wrestling, but I had no problem with any of this. An ugly old fashioned street fight where Tommy Dreamer got his revenge and some Dudleys got beat up. That’s ECW in a nutshell, isn’t it? There’s also a really cool visual at the end with Jack, Spike, Dreamer and Sandman all on ladders with their hands raised.

ECW needed a good PPV badly, and they delivered. The next step, Douglas vs. Taz, was set up. Dreamer can move on now (not sure if he does though), RVD and Sabu teased their eventually break-up. Credible and Lynn helped one another. Awesome and Tanaka injected some much needed new blood. This is easily the best ECW PPV so far.

I can’t put it in the A range, Bigelow vs. Taz was a mess and the time between that and the Dudleyville Street fight was absolutely wasted, killing the flow the show had. Why not give Candido and Storm a little more time?

But it was close and the right step for ECW.

Final Grade: B+

Other (DC, Marvel, Disney etc.)

I’m Worried About Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice

If I had to pick between Marvel and DC, I’m on the DC side. It’s more about what I grew up with than anything else. I grew up with Batman. The only Marvel properties I enjoyed as a kid were X-Men and Spider-Man, but neither of those were Batman. Iconic villains, a bad ass hero, an awesome animated series (I was never a comic book reader), Batman had everything. It took until the Justice League animated series for me to appreciate any other DC heroes (Flash, Green Lantern etc.), but even then I would avoid episodes that didn’t really feature Batman.

I hated Superman. I found Superman to be perhaps the most boring superhero of them all with just about nothing capturing my interest. When watching The World’s Finest, a three part Batman/Superman Animated Series crossover, I cheered each time Batman (and The Joker) would outsmart the overpowered alien. I was frustrated when Superman easily dispatched a robot Batman struggled with. It’s interesting how looking back on it, Batman is actually more overpowered than Superman considering he’s outsmarted every being in the world, which really doesn’t make any sense. But I don’t care. I just hated Superman. And up until Man of Steel, I hated Superman.

The only way Batman could beat Superman
The only way Batman could beat Superman

Man of Steel’s direction was a riskier proposition than perhaps all fans realize, and here’s why. As X-Men and Spider-Man were dominating the big screen with light hearted, yet serious films, Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins rebuilt the Batman franchise from the pit that the awful and nearly genre killing Batman and Robin left it in. Before Batman Begins, the Batman franchise experienced massive success with two exceptionally dark films, the 1989 version of Batman and its sequel Batman Returns. Batman Begins went back to the dark Batman, drawing inspiration from Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One. And it was an incredible film. Suddenly, the talk wasn’t about Spider-Man or X-Men. It was about Batman again. The hype for Begins’ sequel, The Dark Knight was incredible. And then the film itself delivered like nothing else. DC found its stride as the brooding dark world Nolan gave DC a leg-up in the film business.

The Scarecrow was just one example of the darker tone Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy used
The Scarecrow was just one example of the darker tone Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy used

But something else happened along the way. Marvel figured out the big screen superhero movie better than DC ever could. The reason? Outside of the hardcores, no one really cares about DC heroes other than Batman or Superman (and maybe Wonder Woman). Sure the Flash and Green Lantern are cool, but they aren’t Batman. It didn’t help that the Green Lantern film bombed in every way as well. Marvel had a roster of heroes that all fans could get into. Suddenly, after a series of successful films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel had the whole Avengers team going up against Nolan’s last Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises. Marvel had created 6 or 7 characters the casual fan cares about. DC still had one. And now at least a couple of them could draw on par with Batman at the box office (well, that’s stretching it for Captain America, but certainly Iron Man was at that point). If you were looking at this as a pair of basketball teams, DC were the late 80s Bulls, with Michael Jordan and not much else. Marvel had become the mid 80s Celtics or Lakers, with multiple top guys and real top guys like Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

avengersvsjl
There’s just more big box office money on the Marvel side right now

 

Marvel had also provided a more kid friendly action packed film experience as well. Surely no one would describe Rises that way. So it seemed the lines were drawn, Marvel had the colorful over the top super hero experience, and DC had the dark, realistic (for a lack of a better term) Batman. And Nolan, Warner Bros. and DC continued that route with Man of Steel. Was Superman that type of hero? Man of Steel’s visuals are excessively dark, and while I enjoyed Superman for the first time, many others didn’t. It turns out the dark thing is a Batman gimmick, and it just didn’t click for Superman. And now for the risk factor: Marvel, which has done pretty much everything right in terms of creating a cinematic universe that is critically acclaimed, has also turned to the dark. Age of Ultron not only looks like the MCU’s darkest film yet, it looks a hell of a lot better than DC’s last film, which was Man of Steel. With other Marvel properties doing the dark thing quite well (X-Men: Days of Future’s Past was great), what DC specialized in is something they are now behind in. (It should be noted DC went a different direction seven years earlier with 2006’s Superman Returns…which didn’t work either and also had a strange, dark tone to it)

Have no fear though, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is probably going to be the darkest installment ever seen for a superhero film (which is saying something…again, just look at DOFP or Nolan’s trilogy). Just look at this trailer.

It’s admittedly pretty awesome. But I’m still worried. I’m worried we’re going to see Age of Ultron…and next year’s Captain America: Civil War and just see BvS playing catch-up. It’s trying to be darker. It’s trying to gain ground on Marvel. Worst part is DC knows that it’s doing this. The other fear I have for BvS, is that they are trying to cram way too much into this universe into one film. The only established characters for this film so far are Superman and Lois Lane. This is a new Batman, and apparently a Batman inspired by Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, which is a problem for me as that storyline should be something that should be at the end of the Justice League, not before it. In the midst of all this, Wonder Woman is in there to be established as well. Marvel smartly had the Black Widow play a supporting character in many different Marvel films to establish her where she actually could have her own film and I could buy it. Here, we have to establish Wonder Woman to the point where she can have her own film. At first glance it seems like a distraction. There’s also the rumor of Carrie Kelley, the female Robin, which would make sense as she was Robin in the Dark Knight Returns. There’s just a lot going on here. Funny enough, this Dorkly Bits video pretty much sums up my feelings.

I didn’t even get into the fact that Civil War has Spider-Man in it. I mean just how can DC regain the advantage? Can DC pull ahead while playing catch-up and without overcompensating? I just don’t see it. I’m worried. But I still stand by Batman. Always have, and hopefully always will.

Hockey

This Day in Sports 4/18: Wayne Gretzky Plays His Last NHL Game (1999)

Sixteen years ago, hockey’s greatest player played his last NHL Game in Madison Square Garden. Wayne Gretzky, who outright dominated the NHL for pretty much his entire career, played his last game when his Rangers took on the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Anytime two National Anthems have their words changed to include your name, you knew you’ve done something special.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-amAlAtaJyM

Basketball

RDT’s 2015 NBA Playoff Predictions: Round 1

We’ve just completed one of the better seasons in NBA storylines. For the first time in what seems like a while, the NBA Playoffs are moderately unpredictable. There are two teams in the East with a realistic chance of making the Finals, then any one of five (sorry Portland) can do the same. I could even think of conceivable longshot scenarios for the remaining three teams in the West. We’ve had MVP caliber seasons from four different players (Westbrook, Harden, Curry and Davis), and a semi-MVP season (from LeBron). It’s going to be a fun playoffs and we’re just going to dive into round 1 here.

Western Conference

#1 Golden State Warriors (67-15) vs. #8 New Orleans Pelicans (45-37)

It’s really hard to make the case for the Pelicans here. Let’s try. Anthony Davis is ridiculous. Anthony Davis is incredible. Anthony Davis is a once in a lifetime talent. Anthony Davis carried a team with three inefficient overrated players (Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday) to the 8th seed in a loaded Western Conference. And his team beat out a team with the possessed Russell Westbrook to get that spot. It’s quite impressive. Davis just put up a PER that’s only been surpassed by Wilt, Jordan and LeBron. Unfortunately, because of his supporting cast he may just be in a similar situation as David Robinson in the early-90s.

The Warriors are too deep and too good at everything. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson just destroyed the league from the guard positions. Curry, the likely MVP of the league, was the only player this season to boast a WS/48 that was higher than Davis’ this year. The Warriors are also the best defensive team in the league, thanks to Andrew Bogut (fun fact: I knew right there that Bogut for Monta Ellis a few seasons ago was an absolutely steal for the Warriors) and Draymond Green. The Warriors are so good they willing bench David Lee, someone who could still be a 17-9 guy in the league. Then there is this gem from Bill Simmons: The Warriors are one of seven teams to have a .800 winning percentage and a points differential of plus-10. The other six? ’71 Bucks, ’72 Lakers, ’92 Bulls, ’96 Bulls, ’97 Bulls and ’08 Celtics. Two points to note from that. One: That’s three Michael Jordan teams, which is ridiculous. And two: all six of those teams won the title. All of them. It’s going to be hard to not pick the Warriors here.

Davis is worth a win with some crazy 35-17-6-3-3 game or something. But Golden State just isn’t losing here.

Warriors in 5

#2 Houston Rockets (56-26) vs. #7 Dallas Mavericks (50-32)

A very interesting match-up that is a lot closer than it seems.

There are some interesting parallels here. Both the Rockets and Mavericks made controversial mid-season moves, and neither really worked out. Rajon Rondo has feuded with Rick Carlisle and hasn’t fit in with Monta Ellis in the Dallas Mavericks. Josh Smith brought his normal inefficient offense to Houston and didn’t provide the help the injured Dwight Howard and James Harden needed. Both teams have a defensive monster at center…Howard for Houston and Tyson Chandler for Dallas, although one of those isn’t as good as he once was. Both Carlisle and Kevin McHale, the two head coaches, were Celtics. Both teams are from Texas. Ok I’m nitpicking now.

Here’s the thing. The James Harden-led Rockets have yet to win a playoff series. The main pieces of the Mavericks: Carlisle as a coach, Rondo, Dirk Nowitzki and Chandler have all won the title before, and three of those did it in Dallas. Dallas proved to be a tough out (the only one) last year against San Antonio because they have guys who knows that it takes to get the job done in the playoffs.

When you really look at it, how do the Rockets win this series? They are virtually a one man offensive team. The Mavericks are built to stop those types of teams with Chandler in the middle. Dallas played Houston very tough this season as well: Houston won on the road by 7 and at home by 5 and 3. Dallas won one game in Dallas by 11. If Nowitzki gets into his prime form, and Ellis doesn’t shoot them out of games, I don’t know if Houston can contain Dallas.

The problem is Nowitzki regress enough this season to cause concern about taking over a playoff series. I don’t believe in Monta Ellis, and I still don’t see the Rondo fit. Chandler will cause all kinds of problems for Harden, but I don’t think Dallas will be able to pull it out. If this was last year’s Nowitzki, I’d pick them.

Rockets in 7.

#3 Los Angeles Clippers (56-26) vs. #6 San Antonio Spurs (55-27)

Poor Chris Paul. Unfortunately, we’ve seen this script before. Gregg Popovich just knows how to create defensive schemes that limit Paul. In 2008 the Spurs beat Paul’s great Hornets team in a New Orleans. In 2012 the Spurs swept Paul’s Clippers. This is one of those I need to see it happen situations before I can take the Clippers.

The other part of this equation: the Spurs are basketball’s best team this last one-eighth of the season. The ageless Tim Duncan has been on top of his game. Kawhi Leonard is an elite defender…basically the new age Bruce Bowen only with a crazy offensive game to go with it…and perhaps a top 20 player in the league right now. Tony Parker is peaking. Everything is going right for the Spurs.

Maybe this is poor analysis, but I need to see it from the Clippers before I pick them against San Antonio. Great Chris Paul and Blake Griffin seasons be damned.

Spurs in 6

#4 Portland Trail Blazers (51-31) vs. #5 Memphis Grizzlies (55-27)

Portland just hasn’t been the same since LaMarcus Aldridge hurt his hand and Wes Mathews was out for the season. Portland is merely 19-19 in their last 38 games and only got the 4th seed due to the NBA’s weird seeding rules for division champs.

It doesn’t help Portland that the Grizzlies are one of the toughest defense teams out there. Marc Gasol is a former defensive player of the year, Tony Allen is always a threat to win the award and Mike Conley is as tough as he comes. There’s the general overall toughness of Zach Randolph too.

Portland is just trending downward. Memphis is just a tough team to beat and Portland’s injuries just makes this way too tough. Damian Lillard needs to have the series of his life for Portland to have chance here. Memphis has home court too, although that won’t even come into play here.

Grizzles in 4.

Eastern Conference

#1 Atlanta Hawks (60-22) vs. #8 Brooklyn Nets (38-44)

The Nets are the sneaky hot team that might get some “upset special” calls. I thought that a bit too, but then that meant I was relying on Deron Williams (washed up at 30 apparently, overrated to begin with), Joe Johnson (anyone notice the Hawks have had a great run since Johnson left them?) and Brook Lopez (always a threat to go back to a good offensive player who somehow can’t rebound despite being 7 foot). The Nets are the 2004 New York Knicks. Congrats.

I’m not a big fan of the Hawks, and I think they may be one of the worst 60 win teams ever, but I can get into that when they are playing the Cavs in the Conference Finals. Until then, let’s just go with the obvious and take the Hawks here.

Hawks in 4.

#2 Cleveland Cavaliers (53-29) vs. #7 Boston Celtics (40-42)

Another easy call here. The Celtics have been super hot and 29-12 in the last half of the season. Isaiah Thomas has been a key asset and the Celtics are just gelling. Brad Stevens has proven to be a great coach.

The Cavs started 19-20. They are 34-10 since. LeBron is in near peak form, which really might be better than anyone else in the league still. Kyrie Irving has improved leaps and bounds. Kevin Love, while not at the level he once was, actually had a good season that no one realizes. Mozgov, Shumpert and JR have been great pieces.

I’ll give Boston one because Thomas might have a nice 30 pointer in there. But…yeah, not yet Boston. Not yet.

Cavs in 5

#3 Chicago Bulls (50-32) vs. #6 Milwaukee Bucks (41-41)

Jason Kidd deserves something for bringing the Bucks to the playoffs. But I mean, this should be as obvious as the other two series we’ve covered so far.

Sure the Bucks will play it tough. But they just don’t have the talent. Michael-Carter Williams is a fun…but probably bad player. Is The Greak Freak ready to have the series of his life? Even so, that may not be enough.

I expect the Bulls to really be tough this year. Pau Gasol provides that Championship experience. Mirotic is a great bench piece. Jimmy Butler is the best player on this team and is probably the front runner for Most Improved Player of the Year. The Bulls don’t need the old Derrick Rose to beat these Bucks.

Bulls in 5

#4 Toronto Raptors (49-33) vs. #5 Washington Wizards (46-36)

Paul Pierce gets to face the Raptors again in round 1!

No one outside of Toronto or Washington cares about this series. The Raptors are 12-16 in their last 28. The Wizards are 13-15 in their last 28. Not inspiring here. John Wall went from fun young player to overrated (as did Bradley Beal, really). Kyle Lowry went from underrated to irrelevant. For DeMar DeRozan, see Beal. The only player I really trust on either of these teams is Paul Pierce, which is pretty telling (I actually like Jonas as well for Toronto, so I’m lying here).

I’ll pick the Wizards though, because they have some playoff experience under their belt…they almost made the Conference Finals last year afterall…and Paul Pierce is the type of veteran that can help here. The Wizards are the best of the rest of the East (outside of the top 3), but that doesn’t mean they are any good. To be honest, it doesn’t mean they were that good to begin with.

But I need a reason to believe in Toronto and I don’t have one. At least I have one with Washington.

Wizards in 6

 

Hockey

RDT’s Not-So-Serious 2015 Stanley Cup Playoff Predictions

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I know very little about today’s NHL game. My peak fandom in the NHL was in the late 90s-early 2000s. Most of my hockey knowledge stems from three video games: NHL ’98, NHL Breakaway ’98 and Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey.  I slipped off when the 2004-2005 season was cancelled and never really recovered. I had two opportunities to get back into hockey but each time it didn’t last. The 2007-2008 season had the Winter Classic (awesome event) and a Penguins-Red Wings Stanley Cup final. The Red Wings were a great team from when I followed and the Penguins had Sidney Crosby, who was basically the LeBron of hockey. I followed a bit the next season as well and even played some Fantasy Hockey (although not well). After the rematch of the Stanley Cup final (to which the Penguins got over the hump and won the title), the NHL didn’t hold my interest. The only notable event that took place in the 2009-2010 season was that Marian Hossa made it to the Stanley Cup finals for the third year in a row with a third different team…only this time he won with Chicago.

It wasn’t until the 2011-2012 that I was drawn back in. I had randomly attended a New Jersey Devils game…the Devils were my team in the time I watched, and they lost to what seemed to be the unbeatable Crosby and Evengi Malkin. The Devils would make a crazy run though, and I attended Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, where the Devils faced the New York Rangers, and won an overtime thriller (playoff hockey is amazing). But again since then, my interest had dropped. My favorite player of all time, Martin Brodeur, left the Devils then retired from the NHL. I could never truly get back into hockey. Maybe one day I will. Probably when they get rid of awarding a point for an overtime loss (one of the worst ideas I can think of: rewarding a team for getting “close”). Shootouts are a fine way to decide games. That’s a different tangent though.

I wouldn’t take these predictions seriously, I admittedly am not taking them serious myself. I barely know any players in the NHL and how good they were or weren’t this season. So let’s go for it! Let’s call this a non-serious Stanley Cup 2015 predictions article!

Note: I barely understand this re-alignment. I assume each division has a #1-#4 seed and they play accordingly. I guess I’m not against that. We’ll do this round by round.

Atlantic Division

#1 Montreal Canadiens (50-22-10, 110 PTS) vs. #4 Ottawa Senators (43-26-13, 99 PTS)

What I know about the Canadiens: They were once the Yankees of hockey with 24 total Cups…but haven’t won in quite a while (research shows 1993). They’ve been a regular playoff team in the last decade. Carey Price was the hotshot young goalie when I played Fantasy Hockey, and he’s still there and I think good.

What I know about the Senators: Admittedly nothing.

Prediction: Canadiens in 6

#2 Tampa Bay Lightning (50-24-8, 108 PTS) vs. #3 Detroit Red Wings (43-25-14, 100 PTS)

What I know about the Lightning: Steven Stamkos is a great young goal scorer and has been basically since he debuted in the NHL. The Lightning also won the last pre-lockout Stanley Cup.

What I know about the Red Wings: One of the great teams from when I watched hockey, and again a great team back in the late 2000s. The last time the Red Wings missed the playoffs I think was somewhere in the early 90s. They boast two players I know: Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. Looking at their roster they seem to have a couple of young guns who are good too.

Prediction: Red Wings in 7

Metropolitan Division

#1 New York Rangers (53-22-7, 113 PTS) vs. #4 Pittsburgh Penguins (43-27-12, 98 PTS)

Basically the main event for me personally here.

What I know about the Rangers: I mean, I live in New York. The Rangers are the defending Eastern Conference (is that what the Conference is even called anymore) Champs. They have a bunch of players who seem good, one of which I know is good in Rick Nash. I feel like Martin St. Louis’ time has passed, but what do I know? They also have Henrik Lundqvist, who I remember as the Iron Man goalie. We also taunted him in 2012!

What I know about the Penguins: Sidney Crosby. Evengi Malkin. Kris Letang. I also have been told that the Penguins are apparently now like the mid 2000 NBA Rockets, with great players up top and a weak supporting cast. No idea if that’s true.

Prediction: Rangers in 7

#2 New York Islanders (47-28-7, 101 PTS) vs. #3 Washington Capitals (45-26-11, 101 PTS)

What I know about the Islanders: They were the last team to win four Cups in a row (unless the Oilers did it). They also have the great John Tavaras. They also are moving to Brooklyn soon, which will be great for them.

What I know about the Capitals: Alexander Ovechkin scores a lot of goals but the Capitals never win anything.

Prediction: Islanders in 7

Wow I’m totally confused here. The Central has five teams in.

Central Division?

#1 St. Louis Blues (51-24-7, 109 PTS) vs.  #4 Minnesota Wild (46-28-8, 100 PTS)

What I know about the Blues: Brodeur retired on their team. Wayne Gretzky also played for them once. And Brett Hull. That alone might make me pick them to win the whole thing.

What I know about the Wild: With an exception, the teams not in any of the NHL ’98 video games barely exist to me. That would be the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators and the Wild. I’ll get to the exception later.

Prediction: Blues in 4

#2 Nashville Predators (47-25-10, 104 PTS) vs. #3 Chicago Blackhawks (48-28-6, 102 PTS)

What I know about the Predators: See Wild, Minnesota.

 

What I know about the Blackhawks: They have two recent Stanley Cup titles! And Hossa. And an injured Patrick Kane! And Jonathan Toews! And they are CM Punk’s favorite team!

 

Prediction: Blackhawks in 4

 

Central vs. Pacific WAR!

#1 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (51-24-7 (109 PTS) vs. #4 Winnipeg Jets (43-26-13, 99 PTS)

What I know about the Ducks: They are really called the Anaheim Ducks now, were once owned (and maybe still are) by Disney. Dany Heatley also played 6 games for them. The Ducks were a part of my last favorite hockey moment when I followed, which was when the Devils beat them in the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals.

 

What I know about the Jets: That they are the exception! I hated the idea of a hockey team in Atlanta, but giving one back to Canada with their original name? Awesome! This franchise hasn’t won a playoff series ever (the Atlanta version), so let’s start here!

 

Prediction: Jets in 6

Pacific Division

#2 Vancouver Canucks (48-29-5, 101 PTS) vs. #3 Calgary Flames (45-30-7, 97 PTS)

What I know about the Canucks: The Sedin Twins (they are twins right) are awesome. I also know the goalie Ryan Miller, but I don’t know if he’s good.

 

What I know about the Flames: They have someone with 70+ points I’ve never heard of in Jiri Hudler.

 

Prediction: Canucks in 5

Basketball

This Day In Sports 4-15: “Havlicek Stole The Ball!” (1965)

The great Boston Celtics dynasty of the 1960s boasted some of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game…and had a little luck along the way. In 1965 Wilt Chamberlain’s 76ers had a chance to get by Boston being down by 1 in a crucial game 7 with five seconds left. Interestingly, had the 76ers pulled it out, this would have been known as the one game where Bill Russell didn’t come through in the clutch. Russell accidentally hit a wire that held up the backboards with an inbounds pass that resulted in a turnover. This allowed the Sixers their one last chance.

There is an interesting story about this play chronicled in Bill Simmons’ Big Book of Basketball. Simmons writes that John Havilcek knew the ball wasn’t going to Chamberlain here, as Chamberlain was deathly afraid of being fouled and being put on the line in this clutch moment. Hall of Famer Hal Greer instead looked toward Chet Walker, and the rest is history. Johnny Most’s iconic call of “Havlicek Stole The Ball!” was perfect for yet another clutch play by the 60s Celtics dynasty.