Opinions?

[Giantsfan]

Hi guys, i would very much appreciate your thoughts on these two pieces i wrote at about 1am last night watching the Minnesota San Antonio game, amazing when things pop into your head to write! And yes i was sad enough to be up at 1am watching an NBA game in December, but then living in England, you have to take advantage of days where you do not have to be up in the morning!
Merry Chrsitmas and thanks for reading if you do....

[Giantsfan]

He had been biding his time, waiting, plotting, always ready to strike. Now, at long last, Santa Claus thinks he has his revenge on the city of Philadelphia for booing him all those years ago. Some one needs to get him a message though; the Eagles play in the National Football Conference.
Santa’s Christmas gift to the city of Brotherly love was a seemingly crushing blow, a potentially season ending injury to the Eagles star receiver Terrell Owens. T.O’s ankle injury, sustained on a takedown by Cowboys defender Roy Williams, will force him to miss the season’s final two regular season games, as well as potentially all of the playoffs. Eagles head trainer Rick Burkholder believes that in the ‘best case scenario’ Owens could be able to run in a minimum of five weeks, the weekend of the NFC Championship game. This being unlikely though, it seems that Philadelphia will have to do without its star at least until the weekend of the Superbowl on February 6th, should the team make it that far. Owens underwent an MRI scan on Monday that revealed a “tremendous amount of damage” to the ankle. A screw will be inserted into his leg later this week when he undergoes surgery.
Many believed Owens, who joined the Eagles from San Francisco during the summer (via Baltimore), was the key for unlocking the door to the Superbowl. The team has lost its previous three NFC title games, once in St. Louis and then at home to Tampa Bay and last year to the Carolina Panthers. Until last week, that plan was working like a charm. Critics who claimed Owens would be a bad influence and would rock the boat in Philadelphia have been silenced as the receivers play has earned him serious consideration as an MVP candidate. Combining with Donovan McNabb, the Eagles offence is ranked third in the NFC, and Owens is third in receiving. The real story though is the teams 14-1 record, tied best in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and their domination of the NFC. Philadelphia wrapped up the NFC East crown what seems like a season ago, and has assured itself of home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Home field has not helped the team for the past two years, and with the catalyst for this years run now missing, many will argue the Eagles will fall at the last hurdle once again. Those people are wrong, with or without Terrell Owens, this Eagles team is going to the Superbowl.
Look around the NFL, there are a number of good teams out there who all have a legitimate shot of beating the Eagles. Pittsburgh, New England, Indianapolis, San Diego, Jacksonville or even the New York Jets and Baltimore. Take a closer look though and a pattern appears to emerge out of the mud, yes that is it, you have got it now haven’t you? Those teams all play in the AFC, that other conference full of teams who at 5-9 are not still chasing the playoffs. Before everyone jumps off the Eagles bandwagon, take a look at the NFC, or as it has become, football’s version of the NBA’s Eastern Conference. A magical place where bad teams, with losing records, can dream night after night, week after week, loss after loss, of still making it to the Superbowl.
Some of you, those who believed in the curse of the Bambino probably, will point to the Falcons as a team that can go into Lincoln Financial Field and win. Why do I compare the Falcons to the curse of the Bambino, simple, they are both fraudulent. Atlanta’s 11-3 record will be shown up come playoff time, because this team has absolutely no shot at beating the Eagles. Vick may be exciting, but look at his numbers. Vick has season high passing touchdowns in a game of two, eighteen completions and 252 yards, not exactly gaudy numbers. Vick is not in the NFC’s top ten passers, even Tim Rattay makes that category. He is seventh in rushing, but the Eagles are third in the league in overall defence, and third against the run. Tampa Bay proved in the playoffs two years ago Vick can be stopped, and Atlanta’s eighth ranked offence will not scare Jevon Kearse and company.
Atlanta’s wins have come against teams mostly the quality of New Orleans and below. Their best win was last week’s comeback victory at home to the surging Panthers, but bare in mind, the Panthers are still just a 6-8 football team. The offence scored zero points in Tampa Bay when it could have secured the division, and the much talked about defence gave up 56 to a Chiefs team that was in freefall when they played each other back on October 24th. The Falcons finish at New Orleans and at home to Seattle in two meaningless games from their perspective, but even if they win out and go 13-3, this team cannot beat anyone good in the playoffs. This means they cannot beat the Eagles.
The fact that only one other team can even enter in to the discussion of elite NFC teams proves the Conference overall weaknesses. The 8-6 Packers have the same record as the 8-6 Vikings, but it would be patronising for me to explain why Minnesota cannot win, because if you do not know then you should head back behind your rock. Should Green Bay lose on Christmas Eve then they also forfeit their opportunity to be involved in this discussion, but assuming they will win and improve to 9-6, they merit a mention. Brett Favre can never be counted out, but after his ‘passes’ against Jacksonville last week, can he be counted on anymore. Favre threw several picks, including two in the end zone costing his team the game despite a late charge. Ahman Green can shoulder the load for the offence though and the Packers can be a dangerous team, even if their aura of invincibility at Lambeau Field in December has been broken. Critically for Green Bay, they have the thirteenth ranked defence in the NFC, and that does not get you to the Superbowl. Philadelphia destroyed a hot Packers team 47-17 on December 5th, and losing Terrell Owens will not create a 30-point swing.
Yes, the mood right now is down in Philadelphia, and McNabb showed with his running last week he does not yet have full confidence in his receivers. Yes, Todd Pinkston is short arming balls and taking a lot of criticism, yes the loss of Owens does leave many of the same receiving group who were not good enough last year. Fact is though, this Eagles team is far better than it was last year, and a dominating playoff win prior to the Championship game, whomever that be against, will raise their confidence. The fans can worry and cry all they want, but this team has four weeks until it has to play it’s Divisional Round game, by which time they will have realised, ‘hey, we really are that much better than every other team in this conference.’ The Eagles are strong, and they will overcome and reach the Superbowl in Jacksonville. There, they may be absolutely ripped apart, but then, that was not the question was it?

[Giantsfan]

Christmas Day, a time for family, a time for celebration, a time for peace on Earth and goodwill among men, but in the NBA it seems, a time for a Corvette to crash into a brick wall. Then, should that even surprise us anymore, probably not, 2004 has not really been the greatest of years for that most family friendly of professional sport leagues, the NBA. The league has suffered so much in the PR department that is hard to even choose a starting point from which to attack it from, there are just so many juicy options. You have the Kobe Bryant Rape Trial, the Kobe Bryant/Shaquille O’Neal feud, Kobe Bryant running Phil Jackson out of town, and of course, Kobe Bryant and his anger at Karl Malone for alleged flirting with his wife….whom Bryant cheated on. Seems like maybe Kobe Bryant might just be the place to start this article from.
In case you had not guessed by now, a certain young man who was raised in Philadelphia and currently plays basketball for the Los Angeles Lakers has been in the news an awful lot in 2004, and that is as much on the CBS Nightly News as ESPN News. Kobe Bryant, the player set to take over from Michael Jordan, the good kid who everybody loved and had the world at his feet was on trial for rape. His alleged actions in a Colorado hotel room are not for discussion here, what is important though, are the many rippling effects his adultery had on the people around him. The NBA’s image has not been what you would call family orientated in recent years, as it grew closer and closer to the hip-hop culture. Nothing wrong with that of course (I have been known to ‘jam down’ a few ‘fly beats’ myself), but the league failed to anticipate that the culture had its own negative side. Older people, by which I mean people with the money to buy season tickets and luxury boxes, do not feel at home with the youthful, selfish and arrogant views displayed by many of the leagues stars. Kobe Bryant was different though, he was the kid who the housewife could watch and like, he was the player who was an accepted role model to young children, he transcended the NBA market. So when Bryant’s reputation went south, the NBA’s reputation was destined to fall deeper along with it. It really does not matter that Bryant was never found guilty of rape, he had admitted to cheating on his wife, and whole new, much less pleasant side of the leagues pinup boy was revealed to the public at large.
Even with all of this going on, fittingly in Los Angeles, the Lakers soap opera saga continued its route into the NBA finals where they met a rough physical team from the East in the Detroit Pistons. While the Lakers fell apart, Coach Larry Brown symbolised everything good about the NBA, a famous old coach who tried to coach the game the ‘right way’, with a team that played good hard basketball. Detroit’s five game sweep of the Lakers, which in essence it was, propelled the JV league into a Championship, and signalled the end of the run for the Lakers. Shaq would bolt for Miami, kicked out by Kobe, and Phil Jackson would also leave, again at least in the public’s eyes, kicked out by Kobe. Bryant had turned from fan favourite into a Piñata, bashed at every opportunity. Still, Bryant did little to help himself. His claims late in the year that Karl Malone (all round good guy and Bryant’s ‘big brother’ on the team last year) flirted with his wife through a cell phone call during a game created yet more controversial news – exactly the kind of thing he should have been trying to stay away from. Kobe then did the media circuit, trying to clear up his reputation, and claiming he had nothing to do with the Malone story going public, but true or not, by that point it was all too late. The damage has been done to Kobe’s rep, and although in time he may recover, for now Kobe can be a symbol of part of the NBA’s problems. Problem’s though, are not hard to find in this league.
Latrell Sprewell has always been associated more with his choking of a coach than his basketball skills, but he seems to have found even more ways to amaze people with his idiocy. Sprewell claimed this year that, despite making over $14 million in the final year of his contract with the Timberwolves, the team should either trade him or sign a new contract because “I’ve got my family to feed.” The remark drew criticism from Commissioner David Stern, who later suspended the player for vulgar comments made towards a female heckler in the stands. The Sprewell attitude, to most fans, is typical of many players in the NBA.
The ultimate disaster for the NBA though came on a night that should have seen the two favoured teams in the East go head to head as the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons battled at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Pacers star Ron Artest had asked earlier in the season for time off because he was exhausted after the promotion of his rap single. After this night, Artest would get all the time off he wanted and a lot more. Near the end of the game Artest fouled Pistons big man Ben Wallace as he went to the basket, causing Wallace to shove Artest. A coming together of players then ensued, as Artest moved away to lie down on the scorers table. What followed was the NBA’s worst nightmare. Artest was hit by a beverage thrown by a fan in the stands, he responded by running into the crowd, and throwing punches at what turned out to be an innocent fan. Teammate Stephen Jackson joined in the attack, as fans and players brawled in the stands. The fight then came onto the court, where Artest again got into a fistfight with a fan, Jermaine O’Neal blinsighted a fan with a powerful running punch to the jaw, and a chair was thrown which hit several people in the head. The sight of a young boy crying at the hideous violence he had just seen break out at an NBA game said all that needed to be said about this blackest of days in the leagues history. Artest was suspended for the season, and many others also received suspensions.
How the NBA will recover from this year is a question left unanswered, one thing that can be said is Commissioner David Stern is trying his best. Head coaches around the league too remain mostly blameless (see Larry Brown, Doc Rivers, coaches are still popular), and ex players such as Charles Barkley are still well respected amongst sports fans. The problem, it appears, stems from the perception of the players, a perception that was not only unaltered, but got worse during 2004. Christmas Day in the NBA, is the perfect way for the league to finish the year, as I alluded to earlier.
Which are the two marquee games are on Christmas Day, why the Lakers against the Heat and the Pistons against the Pacers of course. What day could be better to see the trash talking between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal come onto the court, and when else would we want to sit down with the family and watch the rematch between two teams involved in possibly the ugliest event in sports history? Larry Brown called the leagues advertising of the rematch between his Pistons and Pacers as ‘sick’, a view many will subscribe too. The league could use a great rivalry, this could be it, as could Shaq Kobe, but Christmas day just is not the time to be playing these games, and the NBA is proving to everyone it is not the league for parents to take their kids too. How fitting a way to end the year.