2012 NBA Playoff Predictions
Conference Quarterfinals
(E1) Chicago Bulls over (E8) Philadelphia 76ers
(E5) Atlanta Hawks over (E4) Boston Celtics
(E2) Miami Heat over (E7) New York Knicks
(E3) Indiana Pacers over (E6) Orlando Magic
(W1) San Antonio Spurs over (W8) Utah Jazz
(W5) Los Angeles Clippers over (W4) Memphis Grizzlies
(W2) Oklahoma City Thunder over (W7) Dallas Mavericks
(W6) Denver Nuggets over (W3) Los Angeles Lakers
Conference Semifinals
(E1) Chicago Bulls over (E5) Atlanta Hawks
(E2) Miami Heat over (E3) Indiana Pacers
(W1) San Antonio Spurs over (W5) Los Angeles Clippers
(W2) Oklahoma City Thunder over (W6) Denver Nuggets
Conference Finals
(E1) Chicago Bulls over (E2) Miami Heat
(W1) San Antonio Spurs over (W2) Oklahoma City Thunder
NBA Finals
(E1) Chicago Bulls over (W1) San Antonio Spurs
Twitter has once again shown that it is truly the place for cowards to throw darts at people who they wouldn’t dare confront in real life. After Brittney Griner’s amazing performance at the NCAA women’s basketball championship Tuesday, twits started questioning the 6’8” athletes’ sex due to her low voice and athletic ability.
Why it is that when a woman is exceptionally good at a sport her sexual preference is put on blast as if it has anything to do with her talent? I believe it goes back to when we were kids and to be told that you play “like a girl” was an incredible insult. Being male or female has nothing to do with the talent that you were blessed with. It’s beyond sad that an amazing basketball player like Griner can’t get the respect she deserves for perfecting her gift because some feel that women who are great at sports must secretly be a man.
Awesome court design for the Women’s Final Four.
(Screen-grab by @cjzero)
(Photos by Chang W. Lee/The New York Times and Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
Former Kent State quarterback Gene Steratore is now a referee, having simultaneously officiated for 15 seasons in NCAA basketball and six seasons in the NFL.
“I’ve had people say I’m the Deion Sanders of referees, and I always tell them that it’s true, except I’ll never be in a video game.”
Steratore began his officiating career when he was about 11, he said, working YMCA basketball games near Pittsburgh “for a quarter and a chocolate pop.” He played quarterback in high school and at Kent State before beginning his officiating career in earnest in 1983.
For Two-Way Referee, It’s N.F.L. One Day, College Basketball the Next - NYTimes.com
I attempted to create a formula that would project which March Madness underdogs have the best chance of a first-round upset. It uses scoring margin and strength of schedule. I sorted them from best chance to worst chance. We’ll see how successful it is.
#13 Ohio over #4 Michigan: 1.03
#14 Belmont over #3 Georgetown: 0.89
#13 Davidson over #4 Louisville: 0.61
#14 BYU over #3 Marquette: 0.44
#12 Harvard over #5 Vanderbilt: 0.18
#11 Texas over #6 Cincinnati: -0.27
#9 Southern Mississippi over #8 Kansas State: -0.46
#14 South Dakota State over #3 Baylor: -0.75
#9 Connecticut over #8 Iowa State: -0.78
#15 Lehigh over #2 Duke: -0.85
#10 Virgnia over #7 Florida: -0.91
#9 St. Louis over #8 Memphis: -0.91
#10 Xavier over #7 Notre Dame: -0.93
#13 New Mexico State over #4 Indiana: -1.19
#11 North Carolina State over #6 San Diego State: -1.32
#9 Alabama over #8 Creighton: -1.59
#14 St. Bonaventure over #3 Florida State: -1.61
#12 South Florida over #5 Temple: -2.05
#12 Long Beach State over #5 New Mexico: -2.12
#13 Montana over #4 Wisconsin: -2.16
#10 West Virginia over #7 Gonzaga: -2.67
#10 Purdue over #7 St. Mary’s: -3.18
#11 Colorado over #6 UNLV: -3.43
#16 UNC-Asheville over #1 Syracuse: -3.50
#12 VCU over #5 Wichita State: -4.43
#11 Colorado State over #6 Murray State: -4.84
#15 Detroit over #2 Kansas: -5.31
#16 Vermont over #1 North Carolina: -6.23
#16 Long Island over #1 Michigan State: -6.30
#15 Norfolk State over #2 Missouri: -6.62
#15 Loyola (MD) over #2 Ohio State: -7.68
#16 Western Kentucky over #1 Kentucky: -11.71
Here’s my latest Daily Kent Stater column - about why I disagree with arguments that the NBA’s Latin heritage nights should offend white people.
