English Premier League: Why it is so much better than the MLS

Now I know that this Manchester United vs. Manchester City game is taking place as I write this. And it may be the biggest Premier League game ever, but I am writing for one reason: I enjoy soccer. Especially English Premier League soccer. It is the best soccer in the world besides when the Wold Cup takes place, but then it is just the same players, just representing their countries. I understand that there aren’t very many prominent soccer fans in the US and let me tell you why, I could possibly play for an MLS team. The MLS teams compared to say, a Manchester United, is like comparing the New York Yankees to a little league baseball team, it is just unfair. Fans get very excited every time one of these English Premier League teams make an appearance in the states. And for good reason they get to actually watch some very quality soccer. The biggest problem with these games is that none of the prominent players from these Premier League teams ever plays. Normally, you will get the backups or the “JV” players per-say who still are able to dominate the MLS clubs.

I remember I went to Gillette Stadium to watch Manchester United play the New England Revolution, not really knowing what to expect, I was very excited to see Wayne Rooney and many of the other start players that United had. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any of them, I was able to see their backups win the game 6-1. Not don’t get me wrong it was still great soccer to watch, but it just isn’t the same. I wish the MLS games had some of the same atmosphere that these Premier League teams have. It is amazing to see how many people go to these soccer games and watch, but not only watch, they’re standing and cheering the entire game and don’t miss a second. Soccer is like a religion across the world and that is our biggest problem in the US, we just don’t care for it as much. That is why the US has never won a World Cup, let alone come very close.

The English Premier League attracts the greatest players in the world to play for their respected clubs. And for great reason. Very few professional soccer players get paid well to play the sport they love. But that is what the English clubs have over these MLS teams. These English clubs and Premier League teams have the ability to pay the best players what they deserve. The USA just doesn’t support the MLS like it does say, the NFL, where teams are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. It is not only the money that attracts these players to these teams it is the atmospheres that they play in. One of the most famous stadiums in the world, Old Trafford Stadium, where Manchester United plays, is known for having the greatest, craziest fans on the planet. As an athlete I know I love to play in front of big crowds and I know that these players are no different, and the MLS can not compete with this.

With all of that said, I would love to see soccer become a bigger sport in the US. I love to watch English Premier League soccer because it is the best soccer in the world. And don’t get me wrong, I am a football, basketball, and baseball guy at heart, but watching a quality Premier League game is something I love to do. It is just an awesome sport to watch, especially with the atmosphere that the players play in.

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What the hell happened in the Clippers game last night?

What happened?

As I was dozing off in my bed at school, I decided to flip on ESPN and watch a little bit of the Clippers vs. Grizzlies game. Well, that ended quickly, the Clippers were down 21 points in the 4th quarter and it looked as if the Grizz would be taking game 1. As I woke up this morning, again I tuned into ESPN, reading the bottomline, I saw Clippers 99 Grizzlies 98. I squinted my eyes to see if I had read it correctly and sure enough the highlights came on right after it. I’m not going to lie, I was a tad upset I had missed one of the greatest comebacks in NBA playoff history, but on the other hand I’m not a huge Clippers fan anyway. But as a basketball fan you always love to see a huge comeback, despite a team playing so poorly throughout the game. And the result of it was another Clippers comeback — one of the greatest in NBA playoff history.

Games like this make you realize that you can never count out a team no matter the deficit. I know that about 98.5% of the time, the team dow 20 points is going to lose, but there is always that 1.5% that gives them a chance. It changes the way you watch sporting events. Instead of changing the channel, it gives you a glimmer of hope that you may watch something historical happen. This may be a drastic comparison, but it’s like what the Red Sox did in 2004. As a huge fan, I had even counted them out and started talking about how the Yankees were going to drill the Cardinals in the World Series. I know it is a little different, but it just shows you that you can never count anyone out.

The Grizzlies had a chance to take game 1 handedly last night and let it slip away. “Obviously, we gave it away, and everybody’s kind of down,” Rudy Gay said. “We’re still into it. It’s a long series, and we’re ready to fight. That’s all this means. We’ve got to fight hard.” After being up 21 points in the 4th quarter, the Grizzlies allowed the Clippers to slowly fight back. How did the Clippers come back from down 21 entering the 4th quarter? They made 8 more FG including 4 more 3-pt FG and grabbed 13 more rebounds than the Grizzlies. “We just got careless,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. “We just lost a little bit of our discipline from a defensive perspective. But offensively, we just started walking it up and trying to throw it into the post instead of running it in. We ran earlier. We attacked. We were in transition earlier. We just stopped doing that and got conservative and it cost us.” It sure did cost them, it cost them game 1 of a crucial series. But like I said in my Western Conference overview, this will be the most fun and entertaining series to watch, and game 1 proved that.

Box Score

Celtics Couldn’t Have Been Worse, But That Could Be A Good Thing

Rondo may be out, but not all is bad for the Celtics

Yesterday may have been the worst I have ever seen the Celtics play. But when you really look at it, for them to play as bad as they did and only lose 83-74, there are a few positive signs. The Celtics were able to hang with the Hawks throughout the entire game, which if you look at it is somewhat of a miracle. Starting shooting guard Ray Allen was unable to suit up due to the same injury that has been nagging him for a while now, and the Hawks looked like they were playing in an NBA Jam game catching fire, watching everything go in. What made that even worse was the Celtics couldn’t have hit water if they fell out of a boat, two mixtures that ultimately made them fall in game 1. And yet, amid all the commotion, the Celtics nearly stole a game they had absolutely no business winning and, despite the frustrations, the team rallied around the notion that it’s merely one game — as abysmal as it looked for the visitors. The veteran Celtics knew that this was only game 1 of a 7 game series and they still know they can win the series. Game 1 was a disaster and there were about 15 times the team could have packed it in. Instead, the Celtics came back with charge after charge, almost climbing out of the enormous hole they had dug for themselves in the first quarter. I give the Celtics credit, they showed me that they aren’t going to give up or give in to any team throughout the playoffs.

The biggest story of game 1, unfortunately, was the ejection of PG Rajon Rondo. In an integral part of the game, Boston had rallied to within 4 with less than a minute to play when Rondo got the heave for vehemently arguing a foul call and (intentionally or not) bumping referee Marc Davis. Many people have argued the point that Rondo did not intentionally bump referee Marc Davis, which I somewhat have to disagree with. It had looked as if Rondo was trying to bump Davis, trying to show how “tough” he was. I agree that he had made a bad call and Rondo had reasoning to be upset but to bump the referee in a close game, that the Celtics could have won, is just unacceptable.  As a Celtics fan, I am just hoping that Rondo is not suspended for game 2. If the Celtics can steal one in Atlanta, they have a great chance of taking the series and moving on.

With all of this said I still have great confidence in the Celts. I still see them taking this series in seven and moving on to the next round. I just hope the seven games don’t wear out these old vets and cause them to play poorly in the next round. Because when all is said and done, this could be the last time the Celts make a run for a long time, and will be the last run many of these players are able to make.

Box Score 

I Love the NBA Playoffs

Best time of the year!

The NBA Playoffs may be my favorite time of the year. It is like a holiday for any basketball fan. When you think of it any big basketball fan has two favorite times of the year, March Madness and now, and right now is a great time to watch television. What is so great about the playoffs? You might ask. Well I have a great answer for you, the players actually care and they actually try now. They want to win, the ultimate goal of any NBA player is to win an NBA title and get a ring. During the season every good team  just coasts through the season knowing that they will make the playoffs. Once they get there, it is like a flip is switched. For good reason,  because fans base success off of how many championship rings you have. Michael Jordan, the greatest player of all time, has all the individual accolades you could think of. But what do more people know about him, he won 6 titles. LeBron James is another great example of just how important championships are to the fans of basketball. LeBron James may be the best basketball player on the planet right now, but people despise him and call him a “quitter”, “choke artist” and just a straight up loser because he hasn’t been able to win the big one.

Which brings me back to my original point of why the NBA Playoffs are the best part of the year. You have players giving their all to try and win the title. They are willing to do anything to win and it truly shows with the way that each player plays. From here until that last game 7 is over, I will be parked on my couch at night, watching as many games as I possibly can.

What Derrick Rose’s ACL means to the Bulls and Gosh, the Knicks are bad…

This torn ACL could mean problems for the Bulls

Throughout the entire game between the Chicago Bulls and the Philadelphia Sixers, Derrick Rose was dominant. Scoring 23 points, dishing out 9 assists and snatching 9 rebounds. On his way to a triple-double and a game one win. Then tragedy struck. The arena fell silent as Rose wailed and wallowed, lying on the floor in obvious pain. It was with 1:22 left in the game, when Rose was attacking the hoop and his knee locked up on him and he collapsed to the ground .The Bulls were on their way to a relatively easy victory and many now question whether it was even worth Rose being in the game. They continued on to a 103-91 win. But everyone’s question was still looming, can the Bulls survive without their superstar Derrick Rose? Head Coach Tom Thibodeau was very stoic with his answers after the game. “It’s a part of the game,” he said. “There’s going to be injuries. A guy can get hurt in practice, he can get hurt in the first five minutes of a game, he can get hurt at the end of a game. He can get hurt at any time and you’ve got to deal with it. That’s part of this game. He’s had a lot of injuries this year. It’s been unfortunate. But we do have more than enough to win with it. So whatever the circumstances are, we’ll deal with it.” Through all of this adversity, I still believe the Bulls will be able to survive. Rip Hamilton came off of a great performance last night, and Luol Deng continues to play well. I have faith that the Bulls can survive for two reasons: Tom Thibodeau and the way they play defense. They were 18-9 during the regular season without him, including victories over playoff teams Miami, Boston, Orlando, Atlanta, New York and Philadelphia, those were obviously not best-of-seven series. And the Bulls were not looking to survive a round but to take the next step, presumably beating the Heat and playing for the NBA title. But considering the way the Bulls play defense and work well as a team, I still believe they can survive through the playoffs.

The Knicks need to change something up to compete with the Heat

Last Night, the New York Knicks put together one of the worst performances in playoff history. They scored a total of 67 points, and LeBron James outproduced all of the Knicks starters. They tied a franchise record for turnovers in a playoff game and the 33-point loss to the Heat is their 4th-largest margin of defeat in playoff franchise history. Overall, is wasn’t the greatest performance by the Knicks. They couldn’t stop LeBron James, who shot 10-14 from the field and totaled (32,4,3,4). J.R. Smith was the best player for the Knicks yesterday, he had (17,4,2,2). Another tough break for the Knicks came when Iman Shumpert tore his ACL and was lost for the year. “They played really well,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said, “and we played awful.” That quote pretty much summed up the night for the Knicks, who play tomorrow, Monday, April 30th. Hopefully they will be able to turn it around.

 

Why Kevin Durant should be NBA MVP

KD should be MVP

Kevin Durant. #35 on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Arguably the best pure scorer we have seen since Michael Jordan, should be the 2012 NBA MVP. KD has been absolutely dominant this past season, leading the Thunder to a league best 47-19 record and has been playing like a man amongst boys. Enjoying his most efficient season (28-8-4, 50/38/85) , Durant has been helping his team in a variety of ways. What truly makes Durant special are not his numbers on the court but just how much he cares about winning. When your best player cares the most, plays the hardest, works the hardest, pulls for everyone else and doesn’t care about his own numbers, you’re always going to be in good shape. And it has showed throughout the season. Many people have complained that Durant could be putting up bigger numbers than he is if he didn’t have score-first PG Russell Westbrook on the club. And you know what I have felt the same way throughout the entire season, but Durant even said, “We’re worse when I take more shots…But we’re better when he (Westbrook) does do that and he’s aggressive. And I’m better when I’m out there facilitating, rebounding, defending and being more efficient on my shots with less shots.” But to truly look at the numbers Durant’s efficiency has not dwindled because of Westbrook it has actually gotten better this past season, last year he posted (27-6-3, 46/35/88) respectively.

As of yesterday, Durant took the NBA scoring title averaging an even 28.0 ppg for the third year in a row. And has become the youngest scoring title winner, the next youngest was guess who, Kevin Durant. He is averaging the most rebounds and assists he has ever averaged in his career, and is on the winningest team in basketball. How much more do I need to say. Well, there is one more thing, Durant just won’t let his team lose. He is a born winner and I believe that may put him ahead of his toughest competitor, cough-cough, Lebron James. A great example was when the Thunder played the Memphis Grizzlies. Westbrook shot a ghastly 0-13 and Durant took him and the team on his shoulders to get the win. Durant is a winner, and puts his team first. Never mind the mind-blowing numbers he is putting up, Durant should be the NBA MVP.

Why Lebron James should be NBA MVP

Is LeBron James the MVP?

Love him or hate him LeBron James is the best player in the National Basketball Association. The statistics don’t lie, and better yet neither does the tape. In his second season with the Miami Heat, James has been the most effective in his nine year career. James is shooting an astounding 53% from the floor, which is mighty impressive for a wingman. How good? Kobe Bryant a two time MVP winner has never shot over 46%. Although LeBron does most of his work inside the perimeter, LBJ is also shooting a career best from behind the arch at 36%. What’s more impressive than James’ offensive statistics is his versatility and abilities to defend the opponent’s best player regardless of what position he plays. There is no stat to prove how important James is to the Heat on the defensive side of the ball. LeBron gives other players fits with his freakish athleticism, length and quickness. In his last game against Kevin Durant on April 4th he forced KD to a season high 9 turnovers, and earned his club the victory 98-93. James has been doing more than Durant, with less. I understand the Heat did bring in “The Big Three” but they have been battling injuries and when healthy, is the Heat roster minus LeBron better than the Thunder roster without Durant? The answer is no. Durant has prolific offensive weapons with Westbrook and Harden. Not to mention Durant plays with one of the best defensive players in the league Serge Ibaka. The Thunder can win games with Durant remaining quiet throughout the entire game because of Russell Westbrook’s ability to score the pumpkin and get everyone in the offense involved. On some nights Westbrook is the MVP of the Thunder not Durant. Durant takes 19 shots a game only 3 more shots a game than his teammate Westbrook.  LeBron has been winning games for the Heat even while the rest of the big three have been out of the lineup. James in fact thrives when Wade or Bosh are absent. Wade has missed 14 games this season, the Heat are 13-1 this season with Wade out of the lineup. Westbrook on the other hand, hasn’t missed a game. Although Durant might be a better scorer than LeBron but LeBron does more. We have begun taking LeBron’s stats for granted because he puts up ridiculous numbers nightly. Averaging 27.1 point per game, 7.9 rebounds per, and 6.2 assists. Put LeBron James on any team in the league and I guarantee you that team would make it to the playoffs. Put LeBron on the Charlotte Bobcats they would make the playoffs, he is that good. This year will be LeBron’s third time taking in the award, however King James won’t care much about this award unless if he gets the job done in the postseason.

Conner Patch @connerpatch68

NBA Playoffs 1st Round: Western Conference

Today, I’ll be taking a look at all of the playoff match ups, Eastern and Western Conference, giving you my take on who will win and what it will take.

Western Conference:

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (8) Utah Jazz

Last year the aging Spurs made a surprise run heading into the playoffs, almost like they did this year, but fizzled immediately in the 1st round against the younger, more athletic Memphis Grizzlies. In fact, the Spurs have won only a single playoff series in the past three postseasons. The Spurs have been champions before, but these Spurs have not. We will see what they can bring to the table this year, to try and make one last run at the title.

The Utah Jazz have been blessed with the 8th seed and one year after trading Deron Williams, they should consider it an achievement. Al Jefferson will be the key to the Jazz competing throughout this entire series, and the entire playoffs. He has pushed them into a postseason spot, but will he be able to carry them in this series?

What I think:

This series will now be decided defensively. The Spurs and Jazz are the second- and fourth-highest scoring teams in the league, respectively, and both rank in the lower half for points allowed. The Spurs hold the most significant home-court advantage of any first-round series. They were 28-5 at home this season (tied with the Miami Heat for best in the league), and Utah couldn’t get within 10 points of them in its two games played in San Antonio. The Spurs have always been strong at home and another thing that will help them is there depth off the bench. The Spurs have eight players averaging nine points or better. That doesn’t even include valuable contributors Matt Bonner or Kawhi Leonard. In the three games the Spurs won against the Jazz this season, their reserves were plus-58, while the Jazz’s reserves were minus-90.

• Spurs in 6

(2) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (7) Dallas Mavericks

The Thunder have the ability to run through the playoffs if they can get past this first round matchup. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and co. have the talent and tenacity to get to the title game without a problem. But I think that the defending champion Mavericks will have something to say about that. But in my eyes, the Thunder are the only team that can beat the Thunder. They have had late game execution issues and have been saved multiple times by my MVP pick Kevin Durant.

The mavericks have undoubtedly gotten worse over the year and lost key contributors from last years championship team.They let Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea leave in free agency, then acquired and jettisoned a moping Lamar Odom. Jason Kidd is coming off his worst season in his career and Dirk is coming off his lowest shooting percentage since his rookie season (.45%).

What I think:

I honestly think that the Thunder should be able to get through this series without a problem. A real question that is never asked about the Mavericks is, Can they score enough points? The Thunder have a very stingy defense and have the league leader in blocks on their side, Serge Ibaka. The Mavericks truly don’t have what they had last year, which helped them make the run last year. I think the Thunder just have to much offensively to be stopped by the Mavs.

• Thunder in 5 or 6

(3) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Denver Nuggets

The Lakers have been playing solid basketball all year and have been riding the back of Kobe Bryant, who has played the most minutes per game in his entire career this year, and they have been producing pretty well. Andrew Bynum has really come on as of late and has helped take a little of the load off of Kobe. The biggest match up in this series though is not between two players but the two coaches, George Karl and Mike Brown. Karl will be getting the checkmark in many of the matchup previews, and if Mike Brown is significantly out coached, we could see a notice looking for a new Lakers coach for next year.

The Nuggets can already claim a small victory for their way by virtue of their 38-28 record and No. 6 seed, both of which are better than the 36-30 and No. 7 seed posted by Anthony’s Knicks. If anyone has emerged as a star in Denver it is Karl, who has pulled this team together despite a tremendous turnover problem. The Nuggets swapped four players with the Knicks in the Carmelo trade then added seven players who weren’t on last season’s roster. If the Nuggets can pull it together with their turnover problem, and can slow down Kobe Bryant I believe that they will be able to compete throughout this series.

What I think:

I just think that Andrew Bynum will be to much for the Denver Nuggets to handle. The Nuggets just don’t have the personnel to defend Bynum and he might be a serious problem. Then there is the “Black Mamba” who knows that his days are slowly coming to an end and this may be his last serious year at a title. But if the Nuggets can play their up-tempo style they may be able to hurt the Lakers, who are a very methodical team. If the Nuggets turn it into an up and down game, they may have a chance.

• Lakers in 6

(4) Memphis Grizzlies vs. (5) Los Angeles Clippers

It’s a team trying to live up to its trendy status versus a team trying to end a downward trend that goes back decades. The Grizzlies have become a regular in the playoffs as of late. The Grizzlies became the chic pick for Team Nobody Wants To Face In The Playoffs. They have the youth and the talent to compete with anyone in the league. In the process, the Grizzlies won as many playoff series in the 10 years they’ve been in Memphis as the Clippers have won since moving from San Diego to Los Angeles in 1984.  Rudy Gay, Z-Bo, and Mike Conley Jr. have the abilities to play and compete against anyone that they want. And that’s the only problem, they play when they want to, which could be their biggest problem against a talented, athletic Clippers team.

Has there been any franchise as desperate to shed its past as the Clippers, yet one that seems to never be able to do it? The regular-season finale was a classic example. Chris Paul has led the Clippers to their best winning percentage ever and made them a team to be reckoned with. If he had been able to play against the Knicks in the season finale, their biggest game in years, I believe they would be the ones holding home court advantage in this series. The pressure is on for the Clippers though. Their fans are expecting a lot out of this team and a first round exit would just shatter everything they had worked for.

What I think:

The Grizzlies put a premium on disrupting passing lanes and getting steals. They forced the most turnovers in the NBA. The Clippers, on the other hand, had the second-lowest turnover rate in the league, largely because Paul has the ball so often. Chris Paul is the engine to the Clippers car, everything starts with him. He had the second best assist-turnover ratio, and turnovers have never been a problem with him. But I have a feeling that if the Grizzlies are able to fluster him and get him to turn the ball over, they will be able to compete. The Grizzlies aren’t stylish. They like it grimy. The byproduct of their style is that their games are usually close. It’s tough for them to blow anyone out, and it’s tough to blow them out. The Clippers are the stylish team in these playoffs, converting more alley-oops then any other team in the league. This series may not be the prettiest, but I believe it may be the best and most competitive.

• Clippers in 7

Draft Day: Patriots 1st Round Picks

I thought I’d never see the day that Belichick and the Patriots organization would trade up to get a player. Year after year, the Patriots have been known to keep trading down to the point where you knew they weren’t going to use the next pick. But I really liked what I saw last night, the Pats trading up to fill positions they need. You can always use help defensively and I think that the Pats tried to fill a hole that has been there achilles heel for years now, the defensive line. Chandler Jones, a defensive end from Syracuse, brings a pass rusher to a defense that hasn’t had one since the Richard Seymour trade. Jones, is considered a good run defender, has good initial quickness and does a nice job of anticipating the snap count… a physical defender who competes through the whistle on every snap… size, strength and scheme versatility…Took on more of a leadership role in 2011, taking extra time to help coach up teammates from every defensive position on the team’s scheme and expectations, says CBSSports.com writer Rob Rang. Jones is a player that will be able to fit the Patriots system and could possibly fill a void right away.

The Patriots second pick in the first round, Dont’a Hightower, is a high motor linebacker who can play all over the field. Hightower, like Spikes, was the mental and emotional leader of a National Championship defense. Both played under Bill Belichick disciples and both are known for dishing out the big hits and being powerful inside the tackle box. You can never go wrong with selecting a player that you know will bring his all every time out. Nick Saban, Head Coach of Alabama, said, “Inside linebacker, nickel backer, defensive end and odd rusher, he does all those things very well, he is very smart and he has leadership qualities.”  Hightower will be able to play any of the 3 linebacker spots in the Patriots defense, more than likely filling in for the somewhat aging Rob Ninkovich.

Overall, I am a happy camper and can’t wait to see what Bill does with these two players. I am ready to see these two dominate and hopefully they will be able to step in right away and play. Now, on to day 2 of the draft, where Bill has truly been able to work his magic.