Mini Synopsis of end of Bulls-Cavs series

Honestly, the Bulls have no business going home right now. This series should have arguably been over already, with them heading to the Eastern Conference Finals. So much had to happen for them to lose Games 4 and 5. Just poor luck, and some poor execution in big moments.


Cavs luck out once again with Kyrie Irving going down, helping their defense and allowing them to move the ball and space better offensively. Aaron Brooks is also complete garbage defensively. Not difficult for Matthew Dellavadova to knock down shots when nobody is guarding him. For all of his short comings defensively, Tristan Thompson's unbelievable effort on the offensive boards was a huge part of them moving on, as the Bulls couldnt finish off defensive possessions with a rebound.

Otherwise, LeBron totally carried them once again, and somehow willed them to winning a series they had no right to win. With Atlanta still beat up with injuries, LeBron may luck into a 5th consecutive Finals appearance...Seriously though...how much luck can 1 organization possibly have?

Golden State May Actually Be In Trouble

Right now, Golden State isnt playing anywhere near the way they did all season. They are feeding directly into what Memphis wants. This looked like it would be a really tough matchup for GS heading in, but there is no reason that they should lose this series. Memphis is using their postseason experience to overwhelm them right now.

Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes need to get in the post more. Klay Thompson needs to back Tony Allen down b/c right now, he is letting him destroy him on the perimeter. They should feature Harrison Barnes a little more as well. The Warriors arent moving the ball the way they have all season either. Too many times have they taken poor shots, pulling up for 3s, or isolating on the perimeter. You cant do that against a defensive team like Memphis. Also, way too many bad turnovers. That was a problem for GS in the past, but this year it hasnt been there. They need to fix that. There is zero reason for Memphis to have 21 fast break points in any game. If GS can do those things better, and stay in the rebounding battle, they should win. Right now, they have an unfortunate injury to deal with, as Marreese Speights went down. This probably means that its time for David Lee to give them such huge minutes. He has been on the bench all year, and obviously hasnt been much of a fan of that. Now is his opportunity to show why he is still currently their highest paid player, in the biggest minutes he has ever played in his life. Otherwise, GS may actually be in some big trouble in this series

Mini Game 2 Preview Cavs-Bulls

I didnt get a chance to type up a full synopsis of the 1st round, nor have I had the chance to post my 2nd round predictions. Hopefully, I'll get that chance in the next day or so. For now, here is a mini preview for Game 2 of the Cavs-Bulls series

As I mentioned, if the Cavs continue to play the way they did against the Celtics, and really for the entirety of the regular season, they will be swept by the Bulls. They have failed to use LeBron James correctly all season. Now, they need to change that. LeBron needs to be at the 4, and Mike Miller and Shawn Marion need to play more. Surrounding LeBron with shooters will help them space the floor, and they may have some issues rebounding the ball, but playing smaller lineups will also allow them to switch pick and rolls defensively. As for their issues scoring in the half court, they need to get LeBron in the post. They need to get him (or Kyrie) the ball on the move. They need to run actions for him at the elbow. This will allow him to get to the free throw line more, as well as get easier opportunities. Having LeBron (or Kyrie) try to run the offense off the dribble on every single play, while they get the ball 35 feet from the basket, and their teammates stand and watch, isnt going to be very consistent. Sometimes it may work, as we saw against Boston, but that is just b/c LeBron and Kyrie are such great scorers.

LeBron knows that he has to do everything for them if they are going to advance. That has to start tonight. Otherwise, dont be surprised if they get swept or lose in 5 games, and you cant blame the loss of Kevin Love on that

That being said, the Bulls had some stretches of stagnant offense themselves in Game 1. They were able to get by with some perimeter shots, but they cant rely on that in Game 2. Derrick Rose didnt take a single free throw in Game 1. He made some jump shots. He definitely needs to be more aggressive in Game , and they cant allow themselves to be flat on the perimeter. I felt that they missed some mismatch opportunities. Any time James Jones is guarding Pau Gasol in the post, you obviously need to feed Gasol

Mini Synopsis of the 1st round of the NBA Playoffs

Since I'm dealing with an issue with my eye, I wasn't able to post my full analysis on the 1st round match-ups. With that being the case, here is a poorly formatted mini synopsis ahead of today's games.

I have GS in 5 or 6 (the match-up is actually somewhat decent for NO if they get certain contributions, and they do have the best player in the series). Then I have Houston in 6 (I personally would have gone with 5, but I don't like Houston's offensive style in the playoffs. I don't think they can score in the half court. Obviously, it can also be argued that Dallas isn't exactly the team they were before making a bad trade for Rajon Rondo). I have Memphis in 5 or 6 b/c of Portland's injuries, though if Portland can get anything from their bench, they have a shot to win the series). I have the Spurs in 5 or 6 as well. I just think the Clippers are missing another 3 and D wing player, a backup PG, and a rim protecting big off the bench (which they have, but don't play him). If they win the rebounding battle (both teams are poor rebounding teams), that gives them a shot, but they're going to need a big series out of Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan to knock down some foul shots, and obviously, they need CP3 to be CP3. In the East, I would say I don't like the fact that Atlanta lost Sefolosha, and I think they have an issue rebounding the ball, similarly to GS issue. That being said, they should beat Brooklyn in either a sweep or in 5 games, but if Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson go off, it could become interesting, at least if GS doesn't knock down shots. That Toronto-Washington series isn't the kind of series I would have thought it would be before the season. These are 2 very bad teams right now. Its a toss up, but I'm going with Washington in 6, as they are deeper. I've got the Cavs in 6 or 7 actually. I liked the Bucks or Heat match-up better, but Boston matches up well with them. I'm interested to see how the Celtics perimeter defenders effect Kyrie Irving. The Cavs are going to need to play through LeBron in the post A LOT, and they're going to have to take care of the ball. I'm really looking forward to that series to be honest. Finally, I have Chicago in 6 games, assuming they are healthy. I really like Milwaukee's length and athleticism, and they could end up being very disruptive, but I think that Chicago's bigs, and MCW being a poor shooter are going to be the difference in the series

Quick View: GS (5 or 6)
                      Houston (5)
                      Memphis (6)
                      Spurs (5)
                      Hawks (5)
                      Wizards (6)
                      Cavs (6 or 7)
                      Chicago  (6)

Despite the fact that some of the match-ups that I wanted to see wont be happening, it still looks like a potentially exciting 1st round. Definitely cant wait



Full analysis will be up at some point in the next couple of days, provided my eye recovering from removing the loose stitch I had in there for a couple of weeks, and unfortunately causing an infection

Revised win totals after trade pre opening day:

Revised win totals after trade pre opening day:

Atlanta Braves (78-84)
San Diego Padres (87-75)

2015 MLB ST Predictions (post injuries and pre opening day)

Revised 2015 MLB ST predictions (pre opening day):

AL EAST                                 AL CENTRAL                         AL WEST
1. Boston Red Sox(90-72)      1.Detroit Tigers  (89-73)            1.Seattle Mariners (92-70)
2. Baltimore Orioles (87-75)    2.Cleveland Indians (85-77)     2.Oakland A's (88-74)
3. New York Yankees (84-78) 3.Chicago White Sox (84-78)   3.Los Angeles Angels (87-75)
4. Toronto Blue Jays (83-79)   4.Kansas City Royals (83-79)  4.Houston Astros (76-86)
5. Tampa Bay Rays (78-82)   5.Minnesota Twins  (73-89)       5.Texas Rangers (74-88)

NL EAST                                         NL CENTRAL                       NL WEST
1. Washington Nationals (94-68)  1.Pittsburgh Pirates  (93-69)   1.Los Angeles Dodgers (90-72)
2. Miami Marlins   (89-73)           2.St Louis Cardinals (90-72)   2.San Francisco Giants (87-74)
3. New York Mets (85-77)            3.Cincinnati Reds (84-78)       3.San Diego Padres (86-76)
4. Atlanta Braves(81-81)              4.Milwaukee Brewers (83-79) 4.Arizona Diamondbacks (75-87)
5. Philadelphia Phillies(68-94)     5.Chicago Cubs     (82-80)       5.Colorado Rockies   (72-90)

AL Cy Young - Felix Hernandez
NL Cy Young - Clayton Kershaw
AL MVP - Mike Trout or Mookie Betts (obviously a bold prediction)
NL MVP - Bryce Harper or Andrew McCutchen 

Originial 2015 MLB Predictions pre Spring Training (pre injuries)

These were the picks I had going into ST. With the slew of injuries, and some player movement, I will be updating this before Opening Day. There are definitely some changes

Original 2015 MLB ST predictions:

AL EAST                                 AL CENTRAL                         AL WEST
1. Boston Red Sox(90-72)      1.Detroit Tigers  (89-73)          1.Seattle Mariners (92-70)
2. Tampa Bay Rays (86-76)    2.Ceveland Indians (87-75)     2.Oakland A's (88-74)
3. Baltimore Orioles (84-78) 3.Chicago White Sox (84-78)   3.Los Angeles Angels (87-75)
4. Toronto Blue Jays (83-79)   4.Kansas City Royals (83-79)  4.Texas Rangers (83-79)
5. New York Yankees (82-80)   5.Minnesota Twins  (77-85)   5.Houston Astros  (76-86)

NL EAST                                         NL CENTRAL                       NL WEST
1. Washington Nationals (97-65)  1.Pittsburgh Pirates  (93-69)   1.Los Angeles Dodgers (91-71)
2. Miami Marlins   (87-75)           2.St Louis Cardinals (90-72)   2.San Francisco Giants (88-74)
3. New York Mets (85-77)            3.Cincinnati Reds (84-78)       3.San Diego Padres (86-76)
4. Atlanta Braves(81-81)              4.Milwaukee Brewers (83-79) 4.Arizona Diamondbacks (78-84)
5. Philadelphia Phillies(71-91)     5.Chicago Cubs     (82-80)       5.Colorado Rockies   (74-88)