Winning an NBA championship is kind of like graduation. You work all year to accumulate points and once it's done, you get to enjoy a big celebration in June.

On June 14, 2009, Kobe Bryant graduated from all-star to uber star. He scored an A-plus on his NBA report card and finally completed this master's degree in leadership.

Continue reading "KOBE EARNS MASTERS DEGREE IN LEADERSHIP"

Though the defending NBA champs are still a major driving force in the East, the Celtics' high-powered engine is beginning to leak and their once tireless energy on defense is showing some wear-and-tear. Coach Doc Rivers also hinted the team is severely missing two key cogs from last season's championship run: James Posey and P.J. Brown.

Both were outstanding bench players during the 2008 NBA playoffs, and their absence has exposed the Boston bench and forced Rivers to rely more on Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, who is beginning to show signs of fatigue.

Garnett may not admit it, but he's not the same player. The effort and the intensity is still there but KG's offense has fallen dramatically and his rebounding has become just average. KG still wants to push forward, but his gas tank is running close to empty.

Continue reading "CELTICS GLASS IS HALF EMPTY"

When the Los Angeles Lakers season tipped off, the Odom Meter was running low as all eyes were on Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. The casual fan and longtime basketball experts were curious to know whether the two 7-footers can co-exist when paired in the post in Phil Jackson’s triangle offense. That meant Odom was relegated to the bench, a move he openly accepted but with some reluctance. Trade rumors started flying around Staples Center.

Because of Odom’s massive contract, most in the organization and the basketball community anticipated that the Lakers were not about to keep a double-digit salary player, with reduced minutes, stay on the roster the whole season. That may have been the prevailing thought until….

Continue reading "LAKERS ODOM-ETER IS WAY UP"

When the Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this season, I threw my hands up and cursed the day the Steelers made Roethlisberger their franchise quarterback.

That was in October.

Fast forward to December when the Steelers traveled to Baltimore with the AFC North Division and a first-round bye on the line. All Roethlisberger did was drive the Steelers 90 yards and culminated the game-winning drive by being...well...Ben Roethlisberger when he scrambled left and right, found Santonio Holmes for a touchdown. Game over! I'm sold. That was the night Big Ben showed me HE IS the franchise quarterback and HE IS capable of leading the Steelers to the Super Bowl.

Continue reading "BIG BENS LEGEND GROWS"

Though the highly anticipated matchup chess match between Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who will relay plays into the ear of Warner, and Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, who will relay his signals to linebacker James Farrior, is the sexy choice, I don't consider it as the determining factor in the game. I see this matchup as a wash. Both units will have their moments and will pretty much cancel each other. It's a 50-50 action.

The game will come down to this one question: Can Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense score enough points to put pressure on the Cardinals?

Continue reading "STEELERS OFFENSE WILL DECIDE SUPER BOWL XLIII"

To be considered one of the all-time greats, the Steelers need to dominate in the playoffs. The way the Steel Curtain did in the 1970s, the way the Chicago Bears did in 1986, the way the New York Giants did in 1987 and 1991, and the way the Baltimore Ravens did in 2001.

The 1991 Philadelphia Eagles, headed by Hall of Famer Reggie White, Clyde Simmons, Seth Joyner and Eric Allen, were rated No. 1 all across the board (rush, pass and total defense), but did not win a championship so only the hardcore football fan remembers them.

Continue reading "WINNING SUPER BOWL SHOULD BE ONLY THING ON STEELERS MINDS"

Well, last Sunday night before the largest crowd to ever witness a football game at Baltimore, Roethlisberger earned his cash during money time. From here on out, I'm calling him the "Notorious B.E.N."

With the Steelers down 9-6 in a typical AFC North bloodbath, Roethlisberger manned up and drove the Steelers' offense 92 yards for the winning score. And yes, it was a winning score. Santonio Holmes had possession, both feet in and the ball broke the goal line. End of story, Ravens!

Continue reading "BIG BEN LEADS NOTORIOUS STEELERS COMEBACK"

I don't like the Patriots for obvious reasons. I think Tom Brady is on the juice, the whole team plays dirty and Coach Bill Belichick is a first-class cheater and arrogant SOB.

I don't like the Ravens because they are the Steelers' true archrivals in the NFL. It's not the new Browns. It's not the Bengals. It's the Ravens because they are the old Cleveland Browns. Ever since the Ravens allegedly pissed on Three Rivers Stadium in 2000, I have despised the Ravens. I hated them even more when they won the Super Bowl.

I don't like Ray Lewis, but I respect him. I don't like Ed Reed, but I would love to have him. I never liked Brian Billick, but I miss him because he would add fuel to an already burning rivalry.

Continue reading "STEELERS NEED TO SCORE EARLY ON RAVENS"

Continue reading "LAKERS ARE FUELED BY GASOL"

For whatever reason, the Patriots and Coach Bill Belichick has the Steelers' number. Since 2001, the Steelers are 1-5 against the Patriots and two of those losses came in the playoffs at Heinz Field.

The first happened in the 2002 AFC championship game. The Patriots came into Heinz Field as heavy underdogs behind second-year QB Tom Brady. Brady got hurt in the first half, but backup Drew Bledsoe came off the bench to lead an improbable victory. The defining moments of the game were both turned in by Troy Brown. Brown returned a punt for a touchdown and returned a blocked field-goal attempt for another score to cap off a 24-17 Patriots victory and a trip to the Super Bowl.

It was de ja vu in the 2005 AFC championship game. Earlier in the season, the Steelers routed the Patriots behind rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger. In that game, the Steelers jumped all over the Patriots, 21-3, in the first half and ended New England's two-year winning streak with a 34-20 win. So, entering the AFC title game, the 15-1 Steelers were the No. 1 seed in the AFC and were again favored to defeat New England. However, Brady hit Deion Branch on a long TD early and Roethlisberger was picked off by safety Rodney Harrison right before halftime and he returned it for a TD to give New England a 24-3 lead. Pittsburgh mounted a short comeback in the second half but Branch sealed the Pats' third Super Bowl trip in four years when he scored on a reverse to make it 41-27. The loss was extra painful for the Steelers because the team entered the postseason on a 14-game winning streak and Jerome Bettis had intended to retire after the season.

Continue reading "PATRIOTS HAVE STEELERS NUMBER"