Well, its about that time. The first round of the NBA Playoffs begins on Saturday and in my not so humble opinion, it should be one of the most interesting playoffs in recent memory. I think that the field is more wide open than it ever has been, and there is certainly no dearth of teams that could win the NBA title. With that being said, let’s get right into the first round predictions.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
1.) San Antonio Spurs vs 8.) Memphis Grizzlies: Memphis purposely tanked the last few games of the season in order to avoid the Lakers and play the top seeded Spurs instead. A curious move to be sure, but it looks like it may have the potential to pay off. Manu Ginobili injured his elbow in the season finale, so he won’t be 100%. The Grizzlies will be without Rudy Gay, who got hurt earlier in the season. The Grizzlies should win their first playoff game in franchise history and will be a very game opponent. Game enough to be competitive, but not game enough to advance. It would serve San Antonio well to win this series as quickly as possible to rest for the winner of the Thunder/Nuggets series, but I think this is going to be a hard fought series. Spurs in 6.
2.) Los Angeles Lakers vs 7.) New Orleans Hornets: This is the biggest gimme of the first round, as the Hornets stand no chance of beating the Lakers four times. If they win more than one, I would be stunned. Without David West, New Orleans is basically a one man show run by Chris Paul. On another note, the Lakers have the easiest road to the Finals out West, as the Hornets are by far the weakest of the teams in the playoffs in the conference. Then, the Lakers avoid the Spurs/Thunder/Nuggets until the Conference Finals and would only play the Dallas/Portland winner in the second round. The Bulls (more on this later) are the only other team with such an advantageous position. Lakers in 5.
3.) Dallas Mavericks vs 6.) Portland TrailBlazers: I said it the other day and I’ll say it again - the Mavericks are done by round 2 at best. Dirk is the only one doing anything offensively, Terry is a midget, and Jason Kidd appears to be decomposing before my very eyes. Portland has the right combination of size and wing scoring to give Dallas fits. Every year, the Mavs are built for regular season success and flop in the playoffs. This year, unless LaMarcus Aldridge and Nic Batum spontaneously combust and Brandon Roy doesn’t give them anything at all, will be no different. I’m going with the upset and Blazers in 6.
4.) Oklahoma City Thunder vs 5.) Denver Nuggets: This is going to be the most exciting series of the first round by far. I could imagine either team winning this one. Denver has been on an absolute tear since trading Carmelo Anthony and OKC has one of the best young teams in the NBA and are the team I think most capable of beating the Lakers in a seven game series. Of course, that doesn’t mean anything since they have struggled with the Nuggets all season. I think, however that the combination of Durant and Westbrook on offense with Serge Ibaka’s ungodly defense and Kendrick Perkins being the intimidator will be too much over seven games. Thunder in 7.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
1.) Chicago Bulls vs 8.) Indiana Pacers: It brings me intense joy to be writing the Bulls in as a number 1 seed. Chicago gets the Lakers treatment out East, where they have the easiest first round match and then avoid the Heat or Celtics until the Conference Finals. Danny Granger of the Pacers said this was the best match for Indiana. Granger must be nuts, as they lost three of four to the Bulls, while beating the Heat three times. Chicago is considerably better than Indiana and should make quick work of them. Bulls in 5.
2.) Miami Heat vs. 7.) Philadelphia 76ers: Before Lou Williams got hurt, Philly would have been the team that no one in the East wants to play in the first round. The Celtics purposely let themselves fall to three, presumably to avoid a tougher first round match with a 76ers squad that has played them close all season. That being said, Philadelphia has no chance against the Heat. LeBron is the king of the first round and has made a living off of beating inferior teams. I think Philly will play hard, but will ultimately be the victim of a sweep. Heat in 4.
3.) Boston Celtics vs. 6.) New York Knicks: As glad as it makes me to write Chicago in as the 1 seed, it hurts just as much to see the Knicks even in the playoffs. If you’re a Knick fan, this is the worst possible pairing for your team. The Heat or Bulls would have been a much more preferable match for New York, as the Bulls don’t close out well on the perimeter and the Heat are prone to getting involved in a long range shooting. Boston has no problem with bullying and playing tough on them. Amar’e thought the Spurs were dirty in the playoffs? Wait until he gets punched by Garnett. Even without Shaq or Perkins, Boston is tougher than they are. I do think the Knicks will win a couple of games, before it ends up being Celtics in 6.
4.) Orlando Magic vs 5.) Atlanta Hawks: I’m having a hard time picking this one. I don’t like either team and they have both been maddeningly inconsistent this season. Historically, the Magic have owned the Hawks, especially in the playoffs. This year however, the Hawks have won three of four against the Magic and have stymied Dwight Howard by using Jason Collins, of all people. Both teams are more than capable of losing badly in the first round, but could also make a run to the Conference Finals. Dwight Howard is the best pllayer in the series, and the most consistent to boot. Atlanta has the better overall team with Joe Johnson, Al Horford and Josh Smith but Horford is the only one to play with any consistency. Factoring all that in, I’m going to say Magic in 7, but it could really go either way.
For those of you keeping track, that means I’m predicting the second round to look like this:
WEST
1.) Spurs vs 4.) Thunder
2.) Lakers vs 6.) TrailBlazers
EAST
1.) Bulls vs 4.) Magic
2.) Heat vs 3.) Celtics
Feel free to opine in the comments section or on facebook with your predictions, or why mine are right on, or completely off base, or whatever.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
NBA Regular Season Awards, As Selected By Me
As of yesterday, the NBA regular season has officially come to a close. With that comes two things: the playoffs and the handing out of awards. I’m going to post a playoff preview with my picks for the first round sometime in the next 24 hours, so this post is going to be dedicated solely to the regular season awards. Let’s get right into it.
Comeback Player of the Year: Elton Brand, Philadelphia 76ers - Just a few seasons ago, Brand was a 20-10 machine and one of the best power forwards in the NBA. Then, injuries and poor play the last couple of years made Brand an afterthought and highly overpaid. He seems to have bounced back from last year’s 13 and 6 to a solid 15 and 8 while helping to lead the upstart 76ers to a surprise seventh seed in the East. He is once again relevant as a player and deserves some kind of recognition for coming back from the dead and contributing to playoff basketball in Philly.
Most Improved Player: LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trailblazers - Kevin Love is most likely going to win this award due to the fact he was a double double machine this season, but when you get down to it his improvement seems natural given the facts that A) He is only in his third season, so he should continue to improve, B) His production was in line per minute with his stats previously; he just received adequate minutes this year, and C) Plays for Minnesota and someone there has to score and rebound for them. Aldridge is in his fifth season and has shown a marked improvement in two areas in which he was lacking in his prior four seasons: rebounding and interior scoring. He averaged four points more than his career PPG and one more rebound per game. He also doubled his career average by getting 1.2 blocks per game. Plus, he played nearly every game and carried an injury depleted Trailblazers squad to a sixth seed in the Western Conference. He got snubbed for the All-Star Team and is going to miss out on an All-NBA Team appearance, so the least he could get is the MIP Trophy.
Rookie of the Year: Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers - Was this one even in doubt? Blake has easily been the best first year player in the NBA this season, averaging a beastly 22.5 and 12.1 a game. Blake Superior has probably been one of the five best players at the power forward position all year and has made the Los Angeles Clippers something other than a joke for ESPN to report on. To boot, Blake has probably been one of the three most exciting players to watch this year. I can’t wait until he leaves the Clips in a few years and goes to a real team.
Sixth Man of the Year: Glen Davis, Boston Celtics - Odds are Jason Terry or Lamar Odom wins this award, but I think Davis deserves it more despite having less impressive stats. Odom started nearly half the games this season, making him ineligible in my book. Jason Terry has played well, but all he really does is score (mostly just in the fourth quarter since someone other than Dirk has to shoot it from time to time). Davis has had a career year and does all the little things that don’t show up in the stats. He relieves both Garnett and whatever the Celtics throw up at center, plays most of the fourth quarter, hits clutch shots, hustles harder than any man in the league, and led the NBA in charges taken. He does all this while being drastically outsized in the height department. If you take Odom and Terry off of their respective teams, both the Lakers and Mavericks still make the playoffs. I don’t know that the Celtics do without Davis.
Coach of the Year: George Karl, Denver Nuggets - I was torn on this one between three men: Doug Collins in Philadelphia, Tom Thibodeau in Chicago, and Karl. It was really a toss-up between those three, and even Popovich in San Antonio is a deserving candidate. If any of those four men won this honor, I wouldn’t be surprised or upset. In the end, I went with Karl. He kept the Nuggets in the playoff race while all the drama swirled around Carmelo Anthony, and he has them playing even better without ‘Melo. Since the All-Star break, Denver has had one of the best records in the NBA and has been one of the most fun teams to watch. They have the potential to give several of the teams in the West a good scare in the playoffs. All this after missing most of last year with cancer. That being said, I had a really hard time not going with Collins or Thibs. I didn’t think Collins had what it took to coach anymore, but he has a starless Philadelphia playing much better than anyone expected. If not for the Lou Williams injury, they could have played spoiler to Miami or Boston. And Thibs has remade Chicago into a defensive juggernaut and managed to get the Bulls to the best record in the NBA despite Boozer and Noah missing significant amounts of time. In the end, I went with Karl because of his success despite the aforementioned drama and cancer.
Defensive Player of the Year: Grant Hill, Phoenix Suns - Dwight Howard is going to win this easily for the third straight season and it isn’t entirely undeserved. He is the only player to defend on an Orlando squad that can’t play a lick of D. But, Howard is still interested in stats and highlight reel blocks more than winning defense. He doesn’t have to swat the ball into the twentieth row. He could just block it to one of his teammates and start a fast break. This play was essentially Bill Russell’s entire career. I instead chose to give my nod for this award to Grant Hill, who has been the best individual defender in the NBA this year even though that stats don’t show it. Hill is about 130 years old, but night in and night out has taken it upon himself to guard the opposing team’s best player without regards to size and age. He’s matched up against everyone from Derrick Rose to Blake Griffin and has performed admirably. And he does this on a Phoenix team that plays even less defense than the rest of Orlando. Hill has had a late career renaissance and this commitment to defense has been very impressive.
Most Valuable Player: Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls - I touched on this the other day, but Rose is absolutely the MVP of this season. He has done everything he said he would, from improving his shooting range and committing to playing tougher defense. His advanced stats don’t make him look as impressive as LeBron or Howard, but Rose is the only guy on his team that can create his own shot. Of course LeBron would be more efficient; he plays next to two other All-Stars, making his life a lot easier. Howard is a center and if you’re his size, there is a problem if you are not efficient. Rose has been the best fourth quarter player this season and has pushed the Bulls to the best record in the NBA. He’s been a leader and kept the Bulls going, thriving even, while Boozer and Noah missed significant chunks of time. Rose has taken it upon himself time and again this season to make sure the Bulls don’t lose and constantly puts the pressure on himself to make them better every game. I don’t think you can honestly say that about LeBron or Howard. Plus, he averages 25 and 8 every night so its not like he isn’t putting up great numbers.
Stay tuned for playoff predictions in the near future.
Comeback Player of the Year: Elton Brand, Philadelphia 76ers - Just a few seasons ago, Brand was a 20-10 machine and one of the best power forwards in the NBA. Then, injuries and poor play the last couple of years made Brand an afterthought and highly overpaid. He seems to have bounced back from last year’s 13 and 6 to a solid 15 and 8 while helping to lead the upstart 76ers to a surprise seventh seed in the East. He is once again relevant as a player and deserves some kind of recognition for coming back from the dead and contributing to playoff basketball in Philly.
Most Improved Player: LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trailblazers - Kevin Love is most likely going to win this award due to the fact he was a double double machine this season, but when you get down to it his improvement seems natural given the facts that A) He is only in his third season, so he should continue to improve, B) His production was in line per minute with his stats previously; he just received adequate minutes this year, and C) Plays for Minnesota and someone there has to score and rebound for them. Aldridge is in his fifth season and has shown a marked improvement in two areas in which he was lacking in his prior four seasons: rebounding and interior scoring. He averaged four points more than his career PPG and one more rebound per game. He also doubled his career average by getting 1.2 blocks per game. Plus, he played nearly every game and carried an injury depleted Trailblazers squad to a sixth seed in the Western Conference. He got snubbed for the All-Star Team and is going to miss out on an All-NBA Team appearance, so the least he could get is the MIP Trophy.
Rookie of the Year: Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers - Was this one even in doubt? Blake has easily been the best first year player in the NBA this season, averaging a beastly 22.5 and 12.1 a game. Blake Superior has probably been one of the five best players at the power forward position all year and has made the Los Angeles Clippers something other than a joke for ESPN to report on. To boot, Blake has probably been one of the three most exciting players to watch this year. I can’t wait until he leaves the Clips in a few years and goes to a real team.
Sixth Man of the Year: Glen Davis, Boston Celtics - Odds are Jason Terry or Lamar Odom wins this award, but I think Davis deserves it more despite having less impressive stats. Odom started nearly half the games this season, making him ineligible in my book. Jason Terry has played well, but all he really does is score (mostly just in the fourth quarter since someone other than Dirk has to shoot it from time to time). Davis has had a career year and does all the little things that don’t show up in the stats. He relieves both Garnett and whatever the Celtics throw up at center, plays most of the fourth quarter, hits clutch shots, hustles harder than any man in the league, and led the NBA in charges taken. He does all this while being drastically outsized in the height department. If you take Odom and Terry off of their respective teams, both the Lakers and Mavericks still make the playoffs. I don’t know that the Celtics do without Davis.
Coach of the Year: George Karl, Denver Nuggets - I was torn on this one between three men: Doug Collins in Philadelphia, Tom Thibodeau in Chicago, and Karl. It was really a toss-up between those three, and even Popovich in San Antonio is a deserving candidate. If any of those four men won this honor, I wouldn’t be surprised or upset. In the end, I went with Karl. He kept the Nuggets in the playoff race while all the drama swirled around Carmelo Anthony, and he has them playing even better without ‘Melo. Since the All-Star break, Denver has had one of the best records in the NBA and has been one of the most fun teams to watch. They have the potential to give several of the teams in the West a good scare in the playoffs. All this after missing most of last year with cancer. That being said, I had a really hard time not going with Collins or Thibs. I didn’t think Collins had what it took to coach anymore, but he has a starless Philadelphia playing much better than anyone expected. If not for the Lou Williams injury, they could have played spoiler to Miami or Boston. And Thibs has remade Chicago into a defensive juggernaut and managed to get the Bulls to the best record in the NBA despite Boozer and Noah missing significant amounts of time. In the end, I went with Karl because of his success despite the aforementioned drama and cancer.
Defensive Player of the Year: Grant Hill, Phoenix Suns - Dwight Howard is going to win this easily for the third straight season and it isn’t entirely undeserved. He is the only player to defend on an Orlando squad that can’t play a lick of D. But, Howard is still interested in stats and highlight reel blocks more than winning defense. He doesn’t have to swat the ball into the twentieth row. He could just block it to one of his teammates and start a fast break. This play was essentially Bill Russell’s entire career. I instead chose to give my nod for this award to Grant Hill, who has been the best individual defender in the NBA this year even though that stats don’t show it. Hill is about 130 years old, but night in and night out has taken it upon himself to guard the opposing team’s best player without regards to size and age. He’s matched up against everyone from Derrick Rose to Blake Griffin and has performed admirably. And he does this on a Phoenix team that plays even less defense than the rest of Orlando. Hill has had a late career renaissance and this commitment to defense has been very impressive.
Most Valuable Player: Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls - I touched on this the other day, but Rose is absolutely the MVP of this season. He has done everything he said he would, from improving his shooting range and committing to playing tougher defense. His advanced stats don’t make him look as impressive as LeBron or Howard, but Rose is the only guy on his team that can create his own shot. Of course LeBron would be more efficient; he plays next to two other All-Stars, making his life a lot easier. Howard is a center and if you’re his size, there is a problem if you are not efficient. Rose has been the best fourth quarter player this season and has pushed the Bulls to the best record in the NBA. He’s been a leader and kept the Bulls going, thriving even, while Boozer and Noah missed significant chunks of time. Rose has taken it upon himself time and again this season to make sure the Bulls don’t lose and constantly puts the pressure on himself to make them better every game. I don’t think you can honestly say that about LeBron or Howard. Plus, he averages 25 and 8 every night so its not like he isn’t putting up great numbers.
Stay tuned for playoff predictions in the near future.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Odds and Sods
Strikeforce ran their first major show since their acquisition by Zuffa a few months ago. In the main event, Nick Diaz and Paul Daley had a pretty exciting fight that ended with a Diaz TKO victory. After this, there really is no one left for Strikeforce to match their welterweight champ Diaz up against. I think its time to bring him back into the UFC and unify the two titles by matching him up with Georges St. Pierre. This especially makes sense considering that it doesn’t appear as if the GSP-Silva superfight will happen. Of course, this is all contingent on GSP beating Jake Shields this month. If Shields wins, the odds are against him fighting close friend and training partner Diaz.
The NBA regular season is drawing to a close and there is a rather contentious debate over who the MVP should be. Derrick Rose is considered the frontrunner, but stat hounds act like anything other than a victory for LeBron James or Dwight Howard would be an egregious wrong. I’ll get into this more later when I do my awards picks, but anything other than a D Rose victory is a bit absurd. He led the team to the best record in the East (and 2nd best in the NBA), doesn’t have a superstar like D Wade playing next to him and isn’t a liability in the clutch or getting suspended all the time like Howard. I know I’m partial because I would be willing to take a bullet if it meant the Bulls would win the title, but Rose deserves the award. Have you seen the Bulls try to score without Rose on the floor, or even try to dribble the ball? It isn’t pretty.
According to his mentor and trainer Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Anderson Silva will be defending his middleweight title in August at the UFC show in Brazil against Yushin Okami. Okami was the last man to beat Silva, back in 2006 via a controversial disqualification. This would seem to point to a fight with GSP not happening at all, especially when combined with this other tidbit from Big Nog: After the Okami fight, Anderson will be moving up to 205 lbs. permanently. This would presumably set up a match between Anderson and the winner of the match between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans for early next year. That means Anderson will be doing battle with Bones Jones early next year. As a fight fan, this excites me. As a Silva fan, this terrifies me. Both men legitimately have what it takes to decisively beat the other, and with Silva being considerably older and Jones having a massive size advantage, this fight could mean either the end of Anderson’s undefeated streak or another notch in his resume as the greatest fighter of all time.
And in the occasional pro wrestling story, my brother tells me that WWE Superstar Edge has announced his retirement due to a reaggravation of the neck injury he suffered back in 2003. The internet sites are reporting that this is a legitimate retirement and not a work. If this is true, it marks the end of another Attitude era star and one of the few established names remaining on their talent roster. He had a nice run near the top of the company over the past six years as a heel. One of my favorite moments in WWE history came from Edge. In 2005, my roommate and I went to the live taping of the pay per view New Year’s Revolution. At the end of the show, after John Cena had retained the WWE title to the chagrin of the Albany fans, Edge cashed in his Money in the Bank title shot and beat John Cena for his first world title victory. The fans went nuts, Edge went nuts, my roommate and I went nuts. It was pretty wild, and preserved on DVD forever if you don’t believe me about my celebration.
In the final bit of news, it appears Strikeforce is going to air a live pay per view event this summer and its main event will apparently be Dan Henderson vs Fedor Emelianenko. Originally, the talk was that this was going to be for Henderson’s light heavyweight title, but it is looking more like it will be fought at a 220 lb. catchweight. If this is so, this fight puts Hendo at a major disadvantage. He is small for 205, as evidenced by the fact that he is also capable of fighting at 185. Fedor is a small heavyweight, coming in around 225-230 lbs and he is doughy at that weight. Only having to cut ten pounds while Hendo has to try to gain near fifteen is unfair. I think a 215 catchweight makes more sense for both men. Fedor still would have a size advantage, but I don’t think it would be as glaring at that weight, plus it better situates him for a run at light heavyweight if he wins this fight. For Henderson, he wouldn’t have to bulk up as much so he wouldn’t be in the same position as his fight against Big Nog in Pride where he gave up around thirty pounds and lost.
That does it for this installment of Odds and Sods. Check back for posts previewing the NBA Playoffs and Awards, the tribute to Pride, and predictions for this month’s UFC pay per view.
The NBA regular season is drawing to a close and there is a rather contentious debate over who the MVP should be. Derrick Rose is considered the frontrunner, but stat hounds act like anything other than a victory for LeBron James or Dwight Howard would be an egregious wrong. I’ll get into this more later when I do my awards picks, but anything other than a D Rose victory is a bit absurd. He led the team to the best record in the East (and 2nd best in the NBA), doesn’t have a superstar like D Wade playing next to him and isn’t a liability in the clutch or getting suspended all the time like Howard. I know I’m partial because I would be willing to take a bullet if it meant the Bulls would win the title, but Rose deserves the award. Have you seen the Bulls try to score without Rose on the floor, or even try to dribble the ball? It isn’t pretty.
According to his mentor and trainer Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Anderson Silva will be defending his middleweight title in August at the UFC show in Brazil against Yushin Okami. Okami was the last man to beat Silva, back in 2006 via a controversial disqualification. This would seem to point to a fight with GSP not happening at all, especially when combined with this other tidbit from Big Nog: After the Okami fight, Anderson will be moving up to 205 lbs. permanently. This would presumably set up a match between Anderson and the winner of the match between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans for early next year. That means Anderson will be doing battle with Bones Jones early next year. As a fight fan, this excites me. As a Silva fan, this terrifies me. Both men legitimately have what it takes to decisively beat the other, and with Silva being considerably older and Jones having a massive size advantage, this fight could mean either the end of Anderson’s undefeated streak or another notch in his resume as the greatest fighter of all time.
And in the occasional pro wrestling story, my brother tells me that WWE Superstar Edge has announced his retirement due to a reaggravation of the neck injury he suffered back in 2003. The internet sites are reporting that this is a legitimate retirement and not a work. If this is true, it marks the end of another Attitude era star and one of the few established names remaining on their talent roster. He had a nice run near the top of the company over the past six years as a heel. One of my favorite moments in WWE history came from Edge. In 2005, my roommate and I went to the live taping of the pay per view New Year’s Revolution. At the end of the show, after John Cena had retained the WWE title to the chagrin of the Albany fans, Edge cashed in his Money in the Bank title shot and beat John Cena for his first world title victory. The fans went nuts, Edge went nuts, my roommate and I went nuts. It was pretty wild, and preserved on DVD forever if you don’t believe me about my celebration.
In the final bit of news, it appears Strikeforce is going to air a live pay per view event this summer and its main event will apparently be Dan Henderson vs Fedor Emelianenko. Originally, the talk was that this was going to be for Henderson’s light heavyweight title, but it is looking more like it will be fought at a 220 lb. catchweight. If this is so, this fight puts Hendo at a major disadvantage. He is small for 205, as evidenced by the fact that he is also capable of fighting at 185. Fedor is a small heavyweight, coming in around 225-230 lbs and he is doughy at that weight. Only having to cut ten pounds while Hendo has to try to gain near fifteen is unfair. I think a 215 catchweight makes more sense for both men. Fedor still would have a size advantage, but I don’t think it would be as glaring at that weight, plus it better situates him for a run at light heavyweight if he wins this fight. For Henderson, he wouldn’t have to bulk up as much so he wouldn’t be in the same position as his fight against Big Nog in Pride where he gave up around thirty pounds and lost.
That does it for this installment of Odds and Sods. Check back for posts previewing the NBA Playoffs and Awards, the tribute to Pride, and predictions for this month’s UFC pay per view.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Three Up, Three in the Middle, Three Down
Time for the second, and final installment of Three Up... of the regular season. Let’s get right into it.
Three Up
Chicago Bulls: The Bulls are still rolling and clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference. They have been the team to beat since the All-Star break and have played the most consistent basketball the past few months. At this point if Derrick Rose doesn’t win the MVP, it’ll be a robbery. All the Bulls need now is for Noah’s ankle to heal up and be ready for the playoffs.
Oklahoma City Thunder: The Thunder have won eight of their last ten, and could be poised to make a nice run in the playoffs. The addition of Perkins has given them some much needed low post toughness and helped them to beat their likely first round opponent and team that just missed out on the three up this week in the Denver Nuggets. Denver has been surging since the ‘Melo deal and that win is a big one for OKC. If they can pass Dallas for the three seed, the Thunder have a good shot at a run to the conference finals.
New Orleans Hornets: I was going to pick Denver or Memphis here, but the Hornets deserve some props. Their second best player in David West went down with a torn ACL, but the Hornets have scrapped their way to a 7-3 mark over their past ten games in a tough bottom half of the Western Conference. Despite the injury and an up and down season, the Hornets have managed to hang tough. That deserves some props, even if it means they are just going to get mauled by the Lakers or Spurs in the first round.
Three in the Middle
New York Knicks: The Knicks have managed to recover from losing four straight by reeling off seven wins in a row. They still don’t have much depth, but it appears as if the team is starting to mesh a little better than it was a few weeks ago. It looks like they’ll end up against Miami (so long as Boston doesn’t continue their freefall) in the first round and that could be a competitive series.
Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers would have been in the three up, but they have gone from looking like worldbeaters again to losing five in a row, including ones to possible playoff opponents Portland and OKC. Of course, none of this matters once the playoffs start, but it has to be disconcerting to not be playing your best ball at this point of the year.
San Antonio Spurs: They almost made the three down part, but have recovered from their swoon now that Tim Duncan is back from injury. They managed to clinch the one seed in the West, but part of that is due to the Lakers suddenly falling apart. Unfortunately, I don’t know that the Spurs can make it very far. Memphis would be a tough first round matchup, but they could squash the Hornets. In the second round, the Thunder could bounce them, but they could beat Dallas or Denver. If the Lakers lose early, the Spurs could make a run to the Finals.
Three Down
Dallas Mavericks: Dallas is done. Dirk is the only one playing well right now, and there is no solid second option. To boot, Chandler is playing hurt and Jason Kidd is pretty much done. If the Hornets somehow make it to the six seed, Dallas could earn their way to a second round exit courtesy of the Lakers. Otherwise, its going to be another first round bow-out for Dallas at the hands of Portland or Denver.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Minny are losers of twelve straight and are tied with the Cavs for worst record in the NBA. They aren’t even competitive at this point, unlike the beginning of the year where they at least played teams close. Rambis is an abyssmal coach, clinging to the Triangle Offense despite the fact the personnel needed to run it is not present. They are terrible, to the point where they might end up with an even worse record than Cleveland and that’s saying something.
Boston Celtics: What the hell is going on in Boston? They are getting trounced by everyone now and it appears that they have lost all that swagger they had heading into the season. Rondo has played poorly, the rest of the team has been inconsistent, Shaq has been MIA, and the chemistry has hit an all-time low since the Perkins trade. Since February, they’ve fallen from one to three in the East and it looks like it isn’t even a matter of biding their time and staying healthy until the playoffs. Of course, as with the Lakers, once the playoffs start anything could happen.
Three Up
Chicago Bulls: The Bulls are still rolling and clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference. They have been the team to beat since the All-Star break and have played the most consistent basketball the past few months. At this point if Derrick Rose doesn’t win the MVP, it’ll be a robbery. All the Bulls need now is for Noah’s ankle to heal up and be ready for the playoffs.
Oklahoma City Thunder: The Thunder have won eight of their last ten, and could be poised to make a nice run in the playoffs. The addition of Perkins has given them some much needed low post toughness and helped them to beat their likely first round opponent and team that just missed out on the three up this week in the Denver Nuggets. Denver has been surging since the ‘Melo deal and that win is a big one for OKC. If they can pass Dallas for the three seed, the Thunder have a good shot at a run to the conference finals.
New Orleans Hornets: I was going to pick Denver or Memphis here, but the Hornets deserve some props. Their second best player in David West went down with a torn ACL, but the Hornets have scrapped their way to a 7-3 mark over their past ten games in a tough bottom half of the Western Conference. Despite the injury and an up and down season, the Hornets have managed to hang tough. That deserves some props, even if it means they are just going to get mauled by the Lakers or Spurs in the first round.
Three in the Middle
New York Knicks: The Knicks have managed to recover from losing four straight by reeling off seven wins in a row. They still don’t have much depth, but it appears as if the team is starting to mesh a little better than it was a few weeks ago. It looks like they’ll end up against Miami (so long as Boston doesn’t continue their freefall) in the first round and that could be a competitive series.
Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers would have been in the three up, but they have gone from looking like worldbeaters again to losing five in a row, including ones to possible playoff opponents Portland and OKC. Of course, none of this matters once the playoffs start, but it has to be disconcerting to not be playing your best ball at this point of the year.
San Antonio Spurs: They almost made the three down part, but have recovered from their swoon now that Tim Duncan is back from injury. They managed to clinch the one seed in the West, but part of that is due to the Lakers suddenly falling apart. Unfortunately, I don’t know that the Spurs can make it very far. Memphis would be a tough first round matchup, but they could squash the Hornets. In the second round, the Thunder could bounce them, but they could beat Dallas or Denver. If the Lakers lose early, the Spurs could make a run to the Finals.
Three Down
Dallas Mavericks: Dallas is done. Dirk is the only one playing well right now, and there is no solid second option. To boot, Chandler is playing hurt and Jason Kidd is pretty much done. If the Hornets somehow make it to the six seed, Dallas could earn their way to a second round exit courtesy of the Lakers. Otherwise, its going to be another first round bow-out for Dallas at the hands of Portland or Denver.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Minny are losers of twelve straight and are tied with the Cavs for worst record in the NBA. They aren’t even competitive at this point, unlike the beginning of the year where they at least played teams close. Rambis is an abyssmal coach, clinging to the Triangle Offense despite the fact the personnel needed to run it is not present. They are terrible, to the point where they might end up with an even worse record than Cleveland and that’s saying something.
Boston Celtics: What the hell is going on in Boston? They are getting trounced by everyone now and it appears that they have lost all that swagger they had heading into the season. Rondo has played poorly, the rest of the team has been inconsistent, Shaq has been MIA, and the chemistry has hit an all-time low since the Perkins trade. Since February, they’ve fallen from one to three in the East and it looks like it isn’t even a matter of biding their time and staying healthy until the playoffs. Of course, as with the Lakers, once the playoffs start anything could happen.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Review: UFC Best of 2010, Disc 1
This is yet another new feature here, a DVD review. The item up today is the new release UFC Best of 2010. I'm not going to focus on the specs or anything like that, just a review and recap of the fights and segments on the disc. The fight reviews aren't going to be blow by blow recreations, but my general opinion of what's going on and how I thought each round went. I'm going to be more blatantly subjective about the fights and fighters than I normally would be. For the purpose of this DVD, I'll also state whether or not I believe the fight was worthy of inclusion on the Best of list. So, in the words of Mike Goldberg, "Here we go..."
The DVD begins with an unknown voice welcoming us to the DVD and telling the viewer about the rise and fall of fighters and the transcendent power and thrill of competition set to a montage of footage from throughout the year. After this, it leads into some of the overall highlights of the year, from new markets for shows to the top fighters of the year.
The next topic: Frankie Edgar's rise to the top of the lightweight title at the expense of longtime champ and 155 lb. legend BJ Penn. This sets up a highlight package for Penn-Edgar 1. Luckily they don't show this whole fight as it would only serve to infuriate me. Edgar won a unanimous decision victory based mainly on the fact that he looked busier, but the truth is that it was at best an even fight that I thought could have went either way. This is followed up with highlights from Penn-Edgar 2, a clear decision win for Edgar. I still don't get how BJ blew both of these fights so badly. Prior to these fights, he hadn't lost at lightweight in eight years and had looked more dominant than ever, but Frankie Edgar beats him twice?
The narrator then goes over Edgar's new foe: Gray Maynard. Brief clips of his split decision win over Nate Diaz and his boring decision win over Kenny Florian follow.
After about twelve minutes, we get our first fight of the DVD: Evan Dunham vs. Sean Sherk from September's UFC 119.
Round 1: Disclosure - I hate Sean Sherk and his baby T Rex arms and the fact he tested positive for roids a few years back. I've never seen Dunham fight before this DVD. Sherk holds an advantage through most of the first round with some takedowns and minor ground and pound from the guard position. With about a minute and a half left, Dunham throws a pretty swank choke on Sherk, who eventually reverses position into open guard, where he lands a nasty elbow that busts Dunham open badly above the eyebrow. First round is 10-9 Sherk in my book.
Round 2: As the round begins, Dunham's cut is still bleeding. Sherk spends a solid 30 seconds working on a takedown that Dunham turns into a guillotine. Sherk escapes, then spends another minute and a half shooting for a takedown that leads to nothing. Dunham looks for a guillotine the whole time. Rogan and Goldberg make the point that Sherk may win this round just because Dunham is bleeding a ton, like that's a sign of effectiveness. The last minute and a half or so consists of some kickboxing that Dunham clearly gets the better of, landing a few kicks and like three knees to Sherk's mug. 10-9 Dunham, as he landed most of the significant offense, stuffed Sherk's takedowns, and had a few submission attempts that nearly worked.
Round 3: This round would determine the winner for me. Dunham drops Sherk early with a head kick, but Sherk recovers and pushes Dunham against the cage for an eternity, looking for a takedown that only happens for a second before Dunham gets back to his feet. Basically two minutes of the round consisted of Sherk's takedowns getting stuffed. They stand and trade for a bit, where Dunham lands a lot more than Sherk, who responds by whiffing on uppercuts since he has the reach of a twelve year old and then pushing Dunham into the cage for a takedown. They trade some more and Dunham gets him against the cage with some nasty kicks and knees to the mug. Another 10-9 round for Dunham. That makes it 29-28 Dunham to me. Pretty good fight, I must say. The judges give it to Sherk by split decision. Wow, Dunham got robbed.
The DVD then goes into another lightweight fight, this one from UFC 110 between George "G-Sots" Sotiropoulos and Joe "Daddy" Stevenson.
Round 1: I saw this one live when it happened and remember it being pretty good. Sotiropoulos gets a bit of lee way with his trunks, wearing knee pads and ankle wraps underneath that in essence give him pants (which are illegal). I do not approve. G-Sots gets an early takedown and works to pass Joe Daddy's guard, but Stevenson stops his progress. That is literally all that happens for about sixty percent of this round. G-Sots eventually lands some punches from up top, but receives a vicious upkick to the grill for his trouble. Joe Daddy almost gets him in an arm triangle, but Sotiropoulous ends up in the mount and lands some ground and pound and nearly gets Stevenson in an armbar to end the round. 10-9 G-Sots.
Round 2: G-Sots gets some good shots in while they box and Rogan claims that Stevenson is in trouble. I like Rogan, but he acts like any flush blow puts a dude on queer street. Stevenson was just losing in the stand up, he was at no risk of being knocked out. They end up on the ground, where Sotiropoulos goes for a several submissions, none of which land. His ability to transition and attempt different submissions is very impressive. The round ends with Stevenson being caught in an anaconda choke. The grappling in this fight has been very impressive. Closer round, but still clearly 10-9 for G-Sots.
Round 3: Goldberg makes sure to tell the viewer that G-Sots loved Bruce Lee movies as a kid, like it is relevant to the action going on. Rogan jumps in and explains the grappling going on and why Sotiropoulos is so good at it. Goldberg says Stevenson "needs to unleash." Rogan goes back to doing the play by play and color commentary. My recap of this round hasn't been too detailed, but it has mostly been a lot of ground transitions and both men looking for submissions. Stevenson has landed a couple takedowns, but gets tied up and can't get the finish he would need to win. The round could have gone either way, but I'll give it to Stevenson and make it 10-9 for him, and 29-28 Sotiropoulos overall. The judges score it 30-27 for Sotriropoulos.
After G-Sots, a montage of clips for lightweight Jim Miller follow. He won all four of his fights in 2010 and also positioned himself as contender for the 155 lb. belt. Melvin Guillard is the next lightweight to receive a montage, as the narrator discusses the Young Assassin's newfound maturity both in and out of the cage. He won all three of his fights last year and is another potential contender. The last WEC Lightweight Champion, Anthony Pettis, is the last lightweight to earn a montage headlined by his "Showtime kick" on Ben Henderson.
This segues into a bit on the addition of the WEC into the UFC. A highlight reel of my boy Jose Aldo annihilating everything in sight follows, as well as highlights of several of the other exciting bantam and featherweights.
Georges St. Pierre is the star of the next segment. Going into 2010, GSP had won twenty straight rounds. He fought twice last year. His first fight was against Dan Hardy and it was a five round exposition of positional control by GSP. To be fair, he did try several submissions that would normally have ended another fighter's night, but Hardy is tough as hell. The thing that bothers me about GSP is that he sticks so heavily to his gameplan. He was all over Hardy and could have just pounded his head in, but he was so focused on submissions and not taking chances that the clearly overwhelmed Hardy was allowed to survive. His next fight was against Josh Koscheck, where he dominated again for another five rounds. He put on a boxing clinic and broke Kos' orbital in the first round. It really should have been stopped, but instead it was allowed to continue.
Matt Hughes was the 2010 inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame. They run down his resume, which includes his awesome submission win against Frank Trigg, so that's cool. This leads into Hughes-Penn 3 from UFC 123. This should be a short review.
Round 1: I saw this one live as well, and it was exciting while it lasted. Both men start to trade and BJ levels Hughes back into Iowa in about twenty seconds. That pretty much settled their rivalry. BJ is wicked pumped after the fight, in true BJ Penn fashion. When the doctors check out Matt, you can see him ask "What happened?" As a huge BJ fan, this almost made the two losses to Edgar worth it since it led to this massacre.
The focus on welterweights continues with Carlos Condit, the former WEC Welterweight Champ. This leads to UFC 115's Condit vs. Rory MacDonald.
Round 1: This is the first time I've ever seen this fight. These two dudes are just going at it in this round and seem to be pretty evenly matched in the stand-up. MacDonald probably gets a slight advantage because he blocked a couple of kicks and turned them into some takedowns. Neither man was really dominant and there wasn't a lot to say about it. I'll go 10-9 MacDonald, but it was really close.
Round 2: MacDonald and Condit continue to trade blows and both men land some takedowns on each other. On Condit's, MacDonald gets a nice reversal and ends up in the guard. Rogan is yammering about how MacDonald has dominated this fight and dictated where it takes place and is clearly winning, but I feel like it's still pretty even. MacDonald lands some nice strikes and Rogan goes nuts, but stays silent when Condit lands a knee square in MacDonald's face and a nice leg kick. Goldberg and Rogan are acting like MacDonald is GSP reborn. Right at the end of the round, both men land push kicks at each other and Condit slips. Rogan acts like MacDonald levelled him, but he didn't. Close again, 10-9 MacDonald if I had to guess what the judges would say.
Round 3: Wow, Greg Jackson went apeshit in Condit's corner before it started. Never seen Greg Jackson do that before, screaming about it being "a fucking war." Who knew Mr. Positive could be so intense? Condit gets top control and lands some monster blows to the dome of MacDonald. Condit is just teeing off from top position, but MacDonald gets up with about half the round left. Condit proceeds to pummel him and get him back down and land some more ground and pound. MacDonald looks like he's done. If this was Pride, Condit would win a decision based on this round alone. Most dominant round of the fight thus far for either man. Jesus, Condit is just all over him and MacDonald is gassed. Goldberg then starts talking about how great MacDonald has done in this fight. What the fuck is he talking about? If he wins, its solely based on the inadequacy of MMA judging. With ten seconds left, the ref stops it and gives Condit a TKO win. MacDonald is gassed and his right eye looks like it is has been obliterated. Rogan continues to put over how good MacDonald is, and not that Condit just threw a massive beating on MacDonald in that round.
A brief package about welterweight contenders follows, highlighted by Condit levelling Dan Hardy and the debut of Jake Shields in the UFC. Highlights of his "win" over Martin Kampmann are shown. This was a total bullshit win for Shields, as I had Kampmann winning. Oh well, GSP is going to beat him anyways. Jon Fitch is another contender for the title and boring highlights of his boring decision victories remind me that Jon Fitch is the most boring man in the history of MMA. There's some other people like Chris Lytle and Rick Story that are hyped as contenders, but that ain't happening anytime soon. And that ends the disc.
Bonus Fights
Cole Miller vs. Dan Lauzon (sometime in 2010): I've never seen this one before. Miller and Lauzon trade some big shots from the standup, ground, and the clinch through the first few minutes. Miller lands some kind of funky inverted triangle/kimura submission in the first round to win. Pretty cool fight while it lasted.
Melvin Guillard vs Waylon Lowe: I believe I saw this fight back when it happened, but the highlights in the main feature showed the finish to this one. Waylon shoots for a takedown early and Melvin shows good takedown defense. While up against the fence, Guillard lands several monster knees to Lowe's mug. Lowe is using way too much energy going for a takedown that just isn't gonna come. They dance around and when Lowe shoots for another takedown gets a hard knee to the solar plexus and crumples. KO win for Guillard in Round 1.
Dan Hardy vs Carlos Condit: This one won't be very long. I remember it taking place in England and the Brit fans being rabid for Hardy. He seemed so pumped to be in front of the home crowd and the energy while watching it live was incredible. The two engage in a pretty good kickboxing contest through the first few minutes and then it happens. About four and a half minutes through the round, both men throw a left hook. Hardy's hook just misses Condit's jaw, Condit's lands right on the button and puts Hardy out cold. Nasty knockout.
Dennis Siver vs Andre Winner: I think I've seen this one before, but I wouldn't bet my life on it. The first round is all standup, with the edge going to Siver. With about two minutes left, Siver floors Winner and puts him in a read naked choke to win it by submission.
George Sotiropoulos vs Joe Lauzon: Man, the bonus fights don't do any favors for the Lauzon family. Lauzon starts well in the first few minutes, landing some decent strikes standing. G Sots is not heavily layered in gear, so no shady advantage for him. They end up scrambling on the ground and Lauzon ends up on top, for a little while, before G Sots ends up on top. He ends up in the mount and almost gets an armbar before the round ends, but Lauzon ends up on top and lands some strikes right before the bell. Round 1 would be 10-9 Lauzon, but close. Lauzon is much more fatigued to start Round 2. He is getting tagged with a lot more punches now and eats some Muay Thai knees. Sotiropoulos ends up on top and almost lands an armbar. Lauzon is gassed and Sotiropoulos lands a nice kimura for a submission win.
Jim Miller vs. Charles Oliveira: I think I saw this one. Oliveira came into this one as a highly regarded prospect and throws some head kicks to start. Miller gets a takedown, but Oliveira is very active from the bottom, trying several submissions. Miller somehow rolls him into a kneebar and gets a submission win. Pretty crazy fight for its whole two minute duration.
That does it for Disc 1. I'll try to do Disc 2 sometime this week.
The DVD begins with an unknown voice welcoming us to the DVD and telling the viewer about the rise and fall of fighters and the transcendent power and thrill of competition set to a montage of footage from throughout the year. After this, it leads into some of the overall highlights of the year, from new markets for shows to the top fighters of the year.
The next topic: Frankie Edgar's rise to the top of the lightweight title at the expense of longtime champ and 155 lb. legend BJ Penn. This sets up a highlight package for Penn-Edgar 1. Luckily they don't show this whole fight as it would only serve to infuriate me. Edgar won a unanimous decision victory based mainly on the fact that he looked busier, but the truth is that it was at best an even fight that I thought could have went either way. This is followed up with highlights from Penn-Edgar 2, a clear decision win for Edgar. I still don't get how BJ blew both of these fights so badly. Prior to these fights, he hadn't lost at lightweight in eight years and had looked more dominant than ever, but Frankie Edgar beats him twice?
The narrator then goes over Edgar's new foe: Gray Maynard. Brief clips of his split decision win over Nate Diaz and his boring decision win over Kenny Florian follow.
After about twelve minutes, we get our first fight of the DVD: Evan Dunham vs. Sean Sherk from September's UFC 119.
Round 1: Disclosure - I hate Sean Sherk and his baby T Rex arms and the fact he tested positive for roids a few years back. I've never seen Dunham fight before this DVD. Sherk holds an advantage through most of the first round with some takedowns and minor ground and pound from the guard position. With about a minute and a half left, Dunham throws a pretty swank choke on Sherk, who eventually reverses position into open guard, where he lands a nasty elbow that busts Dunham open badly above the eyebrow. First round is 10-9 Sherk in my book.
Round 2: As the round begins, Dunham's cut is still bleeding. Sherk spends a solid 30 seconds working on a takedown that Dunham turns into a guillotine. Sherk escapes, then spends another minute and a half shooting for a takedown that leads to nothing. Dunham looks for a guillotine the whole time. Rogan and Goldberg make the point that Sherk may win this round just because Dunham is bleeding a ton, like that's a sign of effectiveness. The last minute and a half or so consists of some kickboxing that Dunham clearly gets the better of, landing a few kicks and like three knees to Sherk's mug. 10-9 Dunham, as he landed most of the significant offense, stuffed Sherk's takedowns, and had a few submission attempts that nearly worked.
Round 3: This round would determine the winner for me. Dunham drops Sherk early with a head kick, but Sherk recovers and pushes Dunham against the cage for an eternity, looking for a takedown that only happens for a second before Dunham gets back to his feet. Basically two minutes of the round consisted of Sherk's takedowns getting stuffed. They stand and trade for a bit, where Dunham lands a lot more than Sherk, who responds by whiffing on uppercuts since he has the reach of a twelve year old and then pushing Dunham into the cage for a takedown. They trade some more and Dunham gets him against the cage with some nasty kicks and knees to the mug. Another 10-9 round for Dunham. That makes it 29-28 Dunham to me. Pretty good fight, I must say. The judges give it to Sherk by split decision. Wow, Dunham got robbed.
The DVD then goes into another lightweight fight, this one from UFC 110 between George "G-Sots" Sotiropoulos and Joe "Daddy" Stevenson.
Round 1: I saw this one live when it happened and remember it being pretty good. Sotiropoulos gets a bit of lee way with his trunks, wearing knee pads and ankle wraps underneath that in essence give him pants (which are illegal). I do not approve. G-Sots gets an early takedown and works to pass Joe Daddy's guard, but Stevenson stops his progress. That is literally all that happens for about sixty percent of this round. G-Sots eventually lands some punches from up top, but receives a vicious upkick to the grill for his trouble. Joe Daddy almost gets him in an arm triangle, but Sotiropoulous ends up in the mount and lands some ground and pound and nearly gets Stevenson in an armbar to end the round. 10-9 G-Sots.
Round 2: G-Sots gets some good shots in while they box and Rogan claims that Stevenson is in trouble. I like Rogan, but he acts like any flush blow puts a dude on queer street. Stevenson was just losing in the stand up, he was at no risk of being knocked out. They end up on the ground, where Sotiropoulos goes for a several submissions, none of which land. His ability to transition and attempt different submissions is very impressive. The round ends with Stevenson being caught in an anaconda choke. The grappling in this fight has been very impressive. Closer round, but still clearly 10-9 for G-Sots.
Round 3: Goldberg makes sure to tell the viewer that G-Sots loved Bruce Lee movies as a kid, like it is relevant to the action going on. Rogan jumps in and explains the grappling going on and why Sotiropoulos is so good at it. Goldberg says Stevenson "needs to unleash." Rogan goes back to doing the play by play and color commentary. My recap of this round hasn't been too detailed, but it has mostly been a lot of ground transitions and both men looking for submissions. Stevenson has landed a couple takedowns, but gets tied up and can't get the finish he would need to win. The round could have gone either way, but I'll give it to Stevenson and make it 10-9 for him, and 29-28 Sotiropoulos overall. The judges score it 30-27 for Sotriropoulos.
After G-Sots, a montage of clips for lightweight Jim Miller follow. He won all four of his fights in 2010 and also positioned himself as contender for the 155 lb. belt. Melvin Guillard is the next lightweight to receive a montage, as the narrator discusses the Young Assassin's newfound maturity both in and out of the cage. He won all three of his fights last year and is another potential contender. The last WEC Lightweight Champion, Anthony Pettis, is the last lightweight to earn a montage headlined by his "Showtime kick" on Ben Henderson.
This segues into a bit on the addition of the WEC into the UFC. A highlight reel of my boy Jose Aldo annihilating everything in sight follows, as well as highlights of several of the other exciting bantam and featherweights.
Georges St. Pierre is the star of the next segment. Going into 2010, GSP had won twenty straight rounds. He fought twice last year. His first fight was against Dan Hardy and it was a five round exposition of positional control by GSP. To be fair, he did try several submissions that would normally have ended another fighter's night, but Hardy is tough as hell. The thing that bothers me about GSP is that he sticks so heavily to his gameplan. He was all over Hardy and could have just pounded his head in, but he was so focused on submissions and not taking chances that the clearly overwhelmed Hardy was allowed to survive. His next fight was against Josh Koscheck, where he dominated again for another five rounds. He put on a boxing clinic and broke Kos' orbital in the first round. It really should have been stopped, but instead it was allowed to continue.
Matt Hughes was the 2010 inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame. They run down his resume, which includes his awesome submission win against Frank Trigg, so that's cool. This leads into Hughes-Penn 3 from UFC 123. This should be a short review.
Round 1: I saw this one live as well, and it was exciting while it lasted. Both men start to trade and BJ levels Hughes back into Iowa in about twenty seconds. That pretty much settled their rivalry. BJ is wicked pumped after the fight, in true BJ Penn fashion. When the doctors check out Matt, you can see him ask "What happened?" As a huge BJ fan, this almost made the two losses to Edgar worth it since it led to this massacre.
The focus on welterweights continues with Carlos Condit, the former WEC Welterweight Champ. This leads to UFC 115's Condit vs. Rory MacDonald.
Round 1: This is the first time I've ever seen this fight. These two dudes are just going at it in this round and seem to be pretty evenly matched in the stand-up. MacDonald probably gets a slight advantage because he blocked a couple of kicks and turned them into some takedowns. Neither man was really dominant and there wasn't a lot to say about it. I'll go 10-9 MacDonald, but it was really close.
Round 2: MacDonald and Condit continue to trade blows and both men land some takedowns on each other. On Condit's, MacDonald gets a nice reversal and ends up in the guard. Rogan is yammering about how MacDonald has dominated this fight and dictated where it takes place and is clearly winning, but I feel like it's still pretty even. MacDonald lands some nice strikes and Rogan goes nuts, but stays silent when Condit lands a knee square in MacDonald's face and a nice leg kick. Goldberg and Rogan are acting like MacDonald is GSP reborn. Right at the end of the round, both men land push kicks at each other and Condit slips. Rogan acts like MacDonald levelled him, but he didn't. Close again, 10-9 MacDonald if I had to guess what the judges would say.
Round 3: Wow, Greg Jackson went apeshit in Condit's corner before it started. Never seen Greg Jackson do that before, screaming about it being "a fucking war." Who knew Mr. Positive could be so intense? Condit gets top control and lands some monster blows to the dome of MacDonald. Condit is just teeing off from top position, but MacDonald gets up with about half the round left. Condit proceeds to pummel him and get him back down and land some more ground and pound. MacDonald looks like he's done. If this was Pride, Condit would win a decision based on this round alone. Most dominant round of the fight thus far for either man. Jesus, Condit is just all over him and MacDonald is gassed. Goldberg then starts talking about how great MacDonald has done in this fight. What the fuck is he talking about? If he wins, its solely based on the inadequacy of MMA judging. With ten seconds left, the ref stops it and gives Condit a TKO win. MacDonald is gassed and his right eye looks like it is has been obliterated. Rogan continues to put over how good MacDonald is, and not that Condit just threw a massive beating on MacDonald in that round.
A brief package about welterweight contenders follows, highlighted by Condit levelling Dan Hardy and the debut of Jake Shields in the UFC. Highlights of his "win" over Martin Kampmann are shown. This was a total bullshit win for Shields, as I had Kampmann winning. Oh well, GSP is going to beat him anyways. Jon Fitch is another contender for the title and boring highlights of his boring decision victories remind me that Jon Fitch is the most boring man in the history of MMA. There's some other people like Chris Lytle and Rick Story that are hyped as contenders, but that ain't happening anytime soon. And that ends the disc.
Bonus Fights
Cole Miller vs. Dan Lauzon (sometime in 2010): I've never seen this one before. Miller and Lauzon trade some big shots from the standup, ground, and the clinch through the first few minutes. Miller lands some kind of funky inverted triangle/kimura submission in the first round to win. Pretty cool fight while it lasted.
Melvin Guillard vs Waylon Lowe: I believe I saw this fight back when it happened, but the highlights in the main feature showed the finish to this one. Waylon shoots for a takedown early and Melvin shows good takedown defense. While up against the fence, Guillard lands several monster knees to Lowe's mug. Lowe is using way too much energy going for a takedown that just isn't gonna come. They dance around and when Lowe shoots for another takedown gets a hard knee to the solar plexus and crumples. KO win for Guillard in Round 1.
Dan Hardy vs Carlos Condit: This one won't be very long. I remember it taking place in England and the Brit fans being rabid for Hardy. He seemed so pumped to be in front of the home crowd and the energy while watching it live was incredible. The two engage in a pretty good kickboxing contest through the first few minutes and then it happens. About four and a half minutes through the round, both men throw a left hook. Hardy's hook just misses Condit's jaw, Condit's lands right on the button and puts Hardy out cold. Nasty knockout.
Dennis Siver vs Andre Winner: I think I've seen this one before, but I wouldn't bet my life on it. The first round is all standup, with the edge going to Siver. With about two minutes left, Siver floors Winner and puts him in a read naked choke to win it by submission.
George Sotiropoulos vs Joe Lauzon: Man, the bonus fights don't do any favors for the Lauzon family. Lauzon starts well in the first few minutes, landing some decent strikes standing. G Sots is not heavily layered in gear, so no shady advantage for him. They end up scrambling on the ground and Lauzon ends up on top, for a little while, before G Sots ends up on top. He ends up in the mount and almost gets an armbar before the round ends, but Lauzon ends up on top and lands some strikes right before the bell. Round 1 would be 10-9 Lauzon, but close. Lauzon is much more fatigued to start Round 2. He is getting tagged with a lot more punches now and eats some Muay Thai knees. Sotiropoulos ends up on top and almost lands an armbar. Lauzon is gassed and Sotiropoulos lands a nice kimura for a submission win.
Jim Miller vs. Charles Oliveira: I think I saw this one. Oliveira came into this one as a highly regarded prospect and throws some head kicks to start. Miller gets a takedown, but Oliveira is very active from the bottom, trying several submissions. Miller somehow rolls him into a kneebar and gets a submission win. Pretty crazy fight for its whole two minute duration.
That does it for Disc 1. I'll try to do Disc 2 sometime this week.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Pride is dead, long live Pride!
In the early to mid-2000s, the UFC was not the only popular mixed martial arts organization. It may not have even been the best. Located in Japan, the Pride Fighting Championships played host to some of the most legendary fighters and fights in MMA history. Until its buyout by Zuffa in 2006, the argument could be made that Pride was at worst an equal to the UFC, and at best far superior.
For years, fans of MMA had wondered what would happen when Pride stars showed up in the UFC and fight under the American unified rules. Could Wanderlei Silva beat Chuck Liddell? How would Mirko Cro Cop fare against someone like Randy Couture? Would Shogun Rua continue to be the most dominant light heavyweight in the world?
As it turned out, the Pride stars have been made to look fairly ordinary since the organization folded. The elite names in the company have not fared well. It has all come to a head in 2011, where the following Pride fighters have lost and lost decisively in the past three months: longtime top heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, former top ranked light heavyweight Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, 2006 Pride Grand Prix winner Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, top ten light heavyweight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and former Pride Lightweight Champ Takanori Gomi. It is safe to say that the Pride flame has all but been extinguished.
Although the list there is large, there are still a few other Pride vets to add to the list of legends who are essentially done. Wanderlei Silva, despite a decision win in 2010 against Michael Bisping, is pretty much done. Since joining the UFC, he has gone 2-3 and hasn’t fought since the aforementioned Bisping fight back in February 2010. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has gone 3-2 since joining the UFC, but the two losses were both devastating knock out losses and he looks like a shell of his former self. Prior to the Frank Mir KO in 2007, Nogueira hadn’t ever been finished in any of his 35 prior fights dating back to 1999. He also hasn’t fought since February 2010, when Cain Velasquez knocked him out in the first round. Even someone with some success like Shogun Rua, the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champ, have had middling results post-Pride.
Of all the former Pride fighters to continue fighting, only three longtime veterans of that organization have had major success the past five years. The first is Dan Henderson. Hendo came into the UFC holding the Pride Middleweight and Welterweight titles simaltaneously. He had a record in Pride of 12-6 and has gone 5-3 since then. His losses were all in title fights, and in the loss to Anderson Silva he became the first person to win a round against the Spider. That Silva loss in 2008 is also the only time he has been finished since 2005 and he currently holds the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight title.
The second fighter is Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Jackson has gone 7-2 since leaving Pride in 2006 and in 2007 was the first man to knock out longtime UFC Light Heavyweight Champ Chuck Liddell since he did it in Pride in 2003. Rampage was successful in Pride, but has become a bigger star in the UFC and even had a starring role in the A Team remake last year. He is still ranked in the top five at his weight class and could even be challenging for the UFC title again by the end of the year.
The last man is Alistair Overeem, the current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champ. He was only 6-7 in Pride, but has gone 10-1 since 2006. On top of his MMA success, Overeem recently won the K-1 Kickboxing Grand Prix, cementing him as one of the best strikers in combat sports He has the most potential to have the greatest amount of post-Pride success, as heavyweight is one of the weaker weight classes and with his skill level, there are really only a few heavyweights in the world that could really give him problems.
This post is intended to be the beginning of an irregular series of posts over the unforseeable future chronicling Pride. Expect to see pieces about topics such as why Pride fighters have done so poorly over the past several years, great fights and fighters, and maybe even some fantasy matchmaking. Stay tuned for more.
For years, fans of MMA had wondered what would happen when Pride stars showed up in the UFC and fight under the American unified rules. Could Wanderlei Silva beat Chuck Liddell? How would Mirko Cro Cop fare against someone like Randy Couture? Would Shogun Rua continue to be the most dominant light heavyweight in the world?
As it turned out, the Pride stars have been made to look fairly ordinary since the organization folded. The elite names in the company have not fared well. It has all come to a head in 2011, where the following Pride fighters have lost and lost decisively in the past three months: longtime top heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, former top ranked light heavyweight Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, 2006 Pride Grand Prix winner Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, top ten light heavyweight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and former Pride Lightweight Champ Takanori Gomi. It is safe to say that the Pride flame has all but been extinguished.
Although the list there is large, there are still a few other Pride vets to add to the list of legends who are essentially done. Wanderlei Silva, despite a decision win in 2010 against Michael Bisping, is pretty much done. Since joining the UFC, he has gone 2-3 and hasn’t fought since the aforementioned Bisping fight back in February 2010. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has gone 3-2 since joining the UFC, but the two losses were both devastating knock out losses and he looks like a shell of his former self. Prior to the Frank Mir KO in 2007, Nogueira hadn’t ever been finished in any of his 35 prior fights dating back to 1999. He also hasn’t fought since February 2010, when Cain Velasquez knocked him out in the first round. Even someone with some success like Shogun Rua, the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champ, have had middling results post-Pride.
Of all the former Pride fighters to continue fighting, only three longtime veterans of that organization have had major success the past five years. The first is Dan Henderson. Hendo came into the UFC holding the Pride Middleweight and Welterweight titles simaltaneously. He had a record in Pride of 12-6 and has gone 5-3 since then. His losses were all in title fights, and in the loss to Anderson Silva he became the first person to win a round against the Spider. That Silva loss in 2008 is also the only time he has been finished since 2005 and he currently holds the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight title.
The second fighter is Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Jackson has gone 7-2 since leaving Pride in 2006 and in 2007 was the first man to knock out longtime UFC Light Heavyweight Champ Chuck Liddell since he did it in Pride in 2003. Rampage was successful in Pride, but has become a bigger star in the UFC and even had a starring role in the A Team remake last year. He is still ranked in the top five at his weight class and could even be challenging for the UFC title again by the end of the year.
The last man is Alistair Overeem, the current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champ. He was only 6-7 in Pride, but has gone 10-1 since 2006. On top of his MMA success, Overeem recently won the K-1 Kickboxing Grand Prix, cementing him as one of the best strikers in combat sports He has the most potential to have the greatest amount of post-Pride success, as heavyweight is one of the weaker weight classes and with his skill level, there are really only a few heavyweights in the world that could really give him problems.
This post is intended to be the beginning of an irregular series of posts over the unforseeable future chronicling Pride. Expect to see pieces about topics such as why Pride fighters have done so poorly over the past several years, great fights and fighters, and maybe even some fantasy matchmaking. Stay tuned for more.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Lost in Boston
Back in February, the Boston Celtics were the number one team in the Eastern Conference and cruising into the playoffs. Shaq was out, but Kendrick Perkins and Delonte West both had returned from injury and it looked like the Celtics were going to head into the playoffs with a head of steam, rather than limp into them like last season. They held tiebreakers over Miami and Chicago and it looked like they were going to be the team to beat out East.
Then, the Celtics traded Kendrick Perkins to the Thunder for Jeff Green and the Celtics chemistry and motivation up and left. Not to mention, by trading Perkins, Boston decided to put its eggs in Shaquille and Jermaine O'Neals' basket. Jermaine came back last week and has contributed in limited time, while Shaq came back for a total of 6 minutes before getting injured again. The two of them haven't even combined for 60 games played and their other center, Nenad Kristic is hurt as well. Rondo is banged up, and if he is hurt the Celtics offense does not run smoothly.
While the Celtics have struggled, Chicago has become the team to beat in the East and will likely claim the conference title. Miami has passed Boston in the Celtics and if Shaq can't contribute, the Heat would have to be a slight favorite to eliminate them. The Celtics have lost that swagger they had in the beginning part of the season and aren't playing like the team that was six minutes away from winning the title last season. Now, in order to win they would have to do it on the road. The whole point this season was that they wanted to have that extra bit of homecourt advantage into the NBA Finals and now it looks like they won't even have it for the second round.
The Celtics championship window was closing even before this season started, as the Big Three plus the O'Neals only have a limited shelf life before they are not enough as a unit to compete. If Shaq is out and there is no bench, this season could be the last time for a while that Gang Green is a championship contender. Of course, everyone was saying that last year when they tanked the second half of the season and ended up as a four seed. The big difference last year was that Pierce and Garnett had minor nagging injuries going into the postseason. This year, there are some serious depth issues that could impede a run to the title. Pinning your hopes on Shaquille O'Neal made sense in 2002, but doing so in 2011 is suicidal to a team's chances. Cleveland thought Shaq would get them over the hump last year, but it only got them a second round exit. For Boston's sake, history better not repeat itself.
Then, the Celtics traded Kendrick Perkins to the Thunder for Jeff Green and the Celtics chemistry and motivation up and left. Not to mention, by trading Perkins, Boston decided to put its eggs in Shaquille and Jermaine O'Neals' basket. Jermaine came back last week and has contributed in limited time, while Shaq came back for a total of 6 minutes before getting injured again. The two of them haven't even combined for 60 games played and their other center, Nenad Kristic is hurt as well. Rondo is banged up, and if he is hurt the Celtics offense does not run smoothly.
While the Celtics have struggled, Chicago has become the team to beat in the East and will likely claim the conference title. Miami has passed Boston in the Celtics and if Shaq can't contribute, the Heat would have to be a slight favorite to eliminate them. The Celtics have lost that swagger they had in the beginning part of the season and aren't playing like the team that was six minutes away from winning the title last season. Now, in order to win they would have to do it on the road. The whole point this season was that they wanted to have that extra bit of homecourt advantage into the NBA Finals and now it looks like they won't even have it for the second round.
The Celtics championship window was closing even before this season started, as the Big Three plus the O'Neals only have a limited shelf life before they are not enough as a unit to compete. If Shaq is out and there is no bench, this season could be the last time for a while that Gang Green is a championship contender. Of course, everyone was saying that last year when they tanked the second half of the season and ended up as a four seed. The big difference last year was that Pierce and Garnett had minor nagging injuries going into the postseason. This year, there are some serious depth issues that could impede a run to the title. Pinning your hopes on Shaquille O'Neal made sense in 2002, but doing so in 2011 is suicidal to a team's chances. Cleveland thought Shaq would get them over the hump last year, but it only got them a second round exit. For Boston's sake, history better not repeat itself.
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