NFL: Choi Blitz! - Plaxico BurrASS

WHY!?

As a die-hard Giants fan I ask:  Why Plaxico Burress did you bring a gun into a nightclub and how did you shoot yourself in the leg?

Is it me or isn't this insanely absurd and downright stupid.  This guy is a professional athlete.  Not only a professional but one of the most popular, talented, winning professionals today.  Since Plax has signed with the Giants, him and Eli Manning have the most TDs for a QB/WR duo in the NFL.  He scored the go-ahead touchdown to win the Super Bowl against the undefeated Patriots.  He just got rewarded with a huge contract extension.  And he just shot himself in the leg in a nightclub.  One word:  idiot.  

The only thing I, or anyone, can say in his defense is that a high-profile athlete like himself needs protection.  That doesn't mean that you have to carry a gun, you could have a body guard or two with you when you go out, and then can hold a gun to protect you.  Fellow WR Steve Smith has just come out with a statement saying that he was robbed at gunpoint for all his money and jewelry a few weeks ago.  This scare led other members of the team to up their security and protection but Plaxico was the only one dumb enough to carry a loaded gun with him for it.

Throughout all the distractions including the latest one by Burress, the Giants have still remained the top team in the NFL and have been very resilient.  They've gotten it done without Plax before, and somehow are pulling off win after win, in blowout victories.  I can only hope that they can fight through this one but I'm not 100 percent sure they can this time.  Not only has Burress hurt himself but he's hurt the team and members of the team.  He's brought linebacker and defensive captain Antonio Pierce into the mess, and that is someone the Giants can't win without.  Third string RB Ahmad Bradshaw has also been asked for questioning involving the matter.  Bringing other players into this will hurt the team.  Bringing a ton of negative media attention to the team will hurt the team.  Shooting yourself in the leg has not only hurt yourself, but it has hurt the team.  

The Giants have suspended Plax for 4 games and put him on the non-football injury list, making him unavailable in the postseason.  Fellow WRs Amani Toomer, Steve Smith, and Dominik Hixon will have to step up their production and make up for Burresses stupid mistake.  In their last game without Plax (he was out due to a hamstring injury prior to the incident) Hixon and Toomer had big games in a 23-7 crushing of division foe Redskins.  With Eli playing with a lot of confidence, the WR corps making plays, and the run game at the top of the NFL, the offense seems like they'll do fine without BurrASS.  I don't know if this whole situation is enough to bring down such a great Giants team but I can see them using this as motivation to play even harder.  They will be playing with a chip on their shoulder, with many pundits writing them off already, the G-Men will play to prove that they can fight through anything.  

NBA: For Real? Or Not? - Eastern Conference

Who is this year's Beast of the East?

We pick up where we left of last season as the Boston Celtics sit atop of the Eastern Conference, yet again.  Not too much has changed in the East, as the top seeds from last year's Eastern Conference playoffs remain strong.  

The Celts will surely make the playoffs again, and look like they will make a big run in the playoffs for the second straight year but who will stop them?  Maybe the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by superstar icon Lebron James, or who I like to call THE BEAST.  

The Cavs have looked superb this season, starting off 15-3 and blowing out teams left and right.  In past seasons analysts have said this team will go nowhere if the Cavs can't get LBJ any help on the court.  Enter Mo Williams.  Mo Williams is a grizzly ol' vet that can dish the ball and create better opportunities for not only James, but the rest of the team who relies on good point guard play.  The Cavs have their defensive and rebounding weapons in 4-time Defensive MVP Ben Wallace, scrappy Anderson Varejao, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who's also offensively gifted for a 7-footer.  They have their 3-point machines in Daniel "Boobie" Gibson and Wally Szczerbiak.  They have their reliable, veteran point guard Mo Williams and a sufficient backup in Delonte West.  And ofcourse, THE BEAST.  It's no wonder they've been absolutely destroying teams this season, and it's very apparent that they've finally found their formula for success and has developed their most competitive team with Lebron.  I see the Cavs upsetting the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals and will represent the East in the NBA Finals.  

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS:  FOR REAL

One team that has not lived up to their hype is the Washington Wizards.  Having lost all-star offensive stud Gilbert Arenas to injury, and their physical center under the boards in Brandon Haywood for the start of the season, the Wizards have looked like one of the worst teams in the NBA.  

Washington was beat by the Cavs in last year's playoffs for the 2nd year in a row.  The Wizards then signed Arenas to a contract extension and believed that they could make it to the 'ship with their own "big three" in Arenas, and Forward Antawn Jamison, and Guard Caron Butler.  Last year's 5th seed is now 3-13, and last place in the East.  Arenas has even come out and said that they don't look like they're making playoffs this year so they might as well try for a high draft pick in the lottery.  He got a lot of heat for that comment so early on in the season but I see truth to it.  The Wizards haven't even looked half-decent in almost all their games without Arenas and Haywood.  They haven't been able to show resiliency when facing challenges and obstacles.  It's just a losing attitude and poor demeanor that has taken this team down even further.  I don't know how much worse this team can get but I don't want to know.  The Wizards are giving up the 5th most points per game to opposing teams.  Opposing teams are also picking a part their defense, as they've let up the most assists per game in the league.  There is no team, it's just a bunch of individual players shooting the ball and a team can't win games like that, let alone make the playoffs.  

WASHINGTON WIZARDS:  SOOOOOOO NOT FOR REAL!!!

NBA: For Real? Or Not? - Western Conference

How will the West be won?... and who will win wit?

I know the NBA season is just one month in, but let's see if a few of the playoff teams of last year are for real... or not.  

Let's start with last year's 1 seed in the Western Conference, and my favorite NBA team, the Los Angeles Lakers.  Lead by the regular season MVP, Kobe Bryant, the Lakers were the downright favorites to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals and they did but fell short of a championship, losing in 6 games to the Boston Celtics in an embarrassing meltdown.  

Not much has changed for the Lakers as they sit atop of the Western Conference once again with a 15-2 record.  The Lakers have simply looked amazing in their first 17 games, with Kobe playing like the superstar he is, Pau Gasol playing his natural position at Power Forward, and Andrew Bynum coming back from injury.  Not to mention the rest of the players that have played a big role in their success including guards Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar & Sasha Vujacic and forwards Lamar Odom, Vladmir Radmonovic, & Trevor Ariza.  With their studs playing like studs, the role players doing their job, the bench players outworking the opponent's bench, and Phil Jackson coaching and running the team very efficiently, this Lakers team looks unstoppable.  Gasol and Bynum are owning the boards and killing it with points in the paint.  Fisher and Farmar aren't turning the ball over too much, playing good defense, and running the offense smoothly.  Odom, now the 6th man, and Ariza have thrived playing on the 2nd unit.  This team has put up the most points per game in the NBA, and is 5th in the West in opponents' ppg.  All said and done, this team is FOR REAL.  We'll be seeing Kobe and the Lakers in, not only the playoffs but, the NBA Finals for the 2nd straight year.  

LA LAKERS:  For Real

Next, up the Denver Nuggets.  The Nuggets last year were the 8th seed in the Western Conference playoffs but were swept by the 1 seed Lakers.  Not many believed that Denver would make any "noise" in the playoffs, as they've lost in the first round for the past 5 seasons with a total record of 4-16.  

This team felt that they needed change and needed it now in order to "make noise" in this year's playoffs.  That's why they traded away perennial all-star guard Allen Iverson for "Mr. Bigshot" himself, Chauncey Billups.  Billups, the former Piston, brings playoff experience, having won the 2004 Finals over the Lakers and was voted MVP.  He also brings tenacious defense and clutch shooting, something the Nuggets are not used to seeing.  With the addition of Billups, the Nuggets have won games with defense in low-scoring affairs, and are playing with swagger they lacked in prior seasons.  Even after trading their best defensive player in Marcus Camby, players like Nene have stepped it up and the team is on the verge of greatness.  On the court, this team brings superior athleticism in J.R. Smith, prolific offense with Carmelo Anthony, gritty defense and rebounding with Nene and Chauncey Billups, and a winning attitude.  

For years Denver has been the joke of the Western Conference playoffs, and teams have breezed by them in past seasons but this year won't be the same.  The Denver Nuggets will finally move on to the 2nd round of the playoffs and quite possibly might make it to the conference championship if they keep up the D and if Billups can hit a clutch game winner here and there.  

DENVER NUGGETS:  FOR REAL

The last west team I'll be talking about tonight are the Dallas Mavericks.  In last year's playoffs, the Mavs lost in the first round to the 2 seed NO Hornets.  It was only 2 seasons ago when Dallas was up 2-0 in the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat.  The Mavs broke down and the Heat stepped up to beat up an ugly Mavs team to win 4 games straight for the championship.  They've never recovered since.  Last season owner Mark Cuban pursued a trade for veteran point guard Jason Kidd, and like usual he got what he wanted.  The Mavs traded young up-and-coming star Devin Harris and 2 first round picks for Jason Kidd, who is 3rd all time in most triple-doubles in a career, only behind Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson.  With this trade, the Mavs felt they added that all-around burst of efficiency they needed to clean up their mess.  It ended up that the mid-season trade only created more confusion on the court and left them in the dump.  

So far the Mavs are 9-8 the season, barely over .500 after firing Coach Avery Johnson, replacing him with Rick Carlisle.  In their 17 games, they've yet to have impress any pundits of the game.  They haven't blown out teams or won any big games.  They've lost games where they've led by double digits throughout the game.  It seems that the Mavs can only beat teams that are down and out, and haven't been able to show any true greatness thus far.  Kidd has slowed down their team and has made the offensive less productive.  Josh Howard has been finding himself in the media and internet for acting like an idiot and has been a huge distraction for the team.  Their bench... just sucks.  The only bright light I see on this team is Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry, but they can't do it by themselves!  Dirk is always going to put up his numbers and Terry is always going to get a good matchup, but they can't rely on their teammates to come through when they need them the most.  I see this season as the beginning of the end.  The Dallas Mavericks will miss the playoffs for the first time in 8 years.  The upcoming offseason will be a busy one for this team as they need change and need it fast.  The changes they've made already have only made things worse, and management needs to clean up this sloppy mess of an NBA franchise.  Mark Cuban, I beg you to let someone who knows what they're doing to take over for you; you are not able to bring a championship to Dallas, sir.  

DALLAS MAVERICKS:  NOT FOR REAL.