by Roz Juarbe

It’s no surprise veteran quarterback Jeff Garcia was scooped up by the Eagles. Capable backup QBs, particularly veterans, are a huge asset that some teams don’t pay that much attention to. The Patriots were lucky last year that Matt Cassell played so well; Garcia was 5-1 three years ago and helped lead the Eagles to the playoffs after Donovan McNabb got hurt.

Spreaking of quarterbacks, the Lions are building from scratch under HC Schwartz as rookie QB Matthew Stafford was named the starter. He looked like a rookie in Game 1, throwing 3 picks against the Saints. Rome wasn’t built in a day and the Lions won’t be rebuilt in one season. Stafford was still confident in the wake of his rocky first start — 16-for-37 for 205 yards.

Tight end Brandon Pettigrew never got a chance to silence the critics who think the Lions should have gone with a defensive player, instead of him, with the No. 20 overall pick in this year’s draft. Pettigrew was passed over in favor of Casey FitzSimmons in most passing situations and wasn’t targeted once by Stafford.

Finally, the Lions have had such lousy defenses of late they are trying a new strategy this season: GETTING MEAN! Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham helped build the 1990s Chiefs into a phsycial, effective defensive team as their defensive coordinator, starting in 1995. “Gunther is an old-school coach and he demands the dog out of you. By the end of the day he wants 11 dogs out there that are all going to growl and get the job done,” one defensive player said.

Despite a wild win Sunday, the Denver Broncos look bad on offense: Denver managed just 75 yards on the ground against a weak Bengals defense and 6 points before a miracle TD at the end.

Watch the Clemson offense closely early in the season, as Billy Napier is the new offensive coordinator and they are working with redshirt freshman QB Kyle Parker. Veteran QB Kevin Craft or freshman Richard Brehaut will fill in for injured UCLA QB Kevin Prince this weekend. They host Kansas State.

Check up on the war of words between Florida and Tennessee for this week’s football tilt in the Swamp. Lots of fireworks from offseason comments by new coach Lane Kiffin! “I don’t like anyone talking about coach Urban Meyer,” Tim Tebow said. Jonathan Crompton against Tim Tebow? An off the charts edge to the Gators! “When the offense plays poorly, they get more critics than they deserve,” said one Tennessee player. Either way, all eyes will be on the quarterback again this week at The Swamp.

As for the game plan, Florida coach Urban Meyer made it clear how the Gators hope to beat Tennessee on Saturday: “To win this game on defense, we’ve got to stop the run,” Meyer said. Crompton had three interceptions in last week’s game. UF offensive coordinator Steve Addazio said the Gators will try to keep an eye on where defensive back Eric Berry is for the Vols before running plays.

Penn State is 29-2 SU, 19-10 ATS its last 31 at home. Penn State plays the Owls Saturday and won at Temple a year ago, 45-3. Ohio State’s Jim Tressel is catching fire after the 18-15 loss to No. 3 USC. He still will call the offensive plays.

For tonight’s game, here are a few ATS tidbits to keep in mind: Georgia Tech is 4-0 ATS the last 4 meetings with Miami. Georgia Tech is also 11-4 (8-4 ATS) since Paul Johnson took over as head coach. Miami is 20-14 under the total the last three+ years, and 19-29 ATS the last four+ seasons. Enjoy the games this weekend! ALL of them!

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by Roz Juarbe

Historically, teams that hit the most home runs are not always the dominant ones. On base percentage can have a greater influence on runs scored, while the top pitching teams are the ones that usually are in pennant races. For 2009, the top home run teams also happen to be in first place or in tight pennant races: Rangers, Yankees, Phillies, Rays and Red Sox.

Can we make a correlation between the top pitching staffs and winning? Not as much as you might think, with the Giants, Dodgers, Mariners, Cardinals, Cubs, Braves and White Sox rounding out the Top 7 in team ERA. And get this: the Angels have a winning record and a shot at winning the AL West again, yet their pitching staff ranks 27th in team ERA. 2009 is shaping up as an oddball year in some areas.

The Giants may not have any offense, but they would be fun to see in the postseason with the dynamic one-two punch of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, a pair of 10-game winners at the break. Lincecum carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning of the Giants 9-3 win against San Diego on Thursday night. The last Giant to throw a no-hitter was John “The Count” Montefusco 33 years ago! Amazing that the Giants have a trio of Cy Young winners on the staff in Lincecum, Barry Zito and Randy Johnson. But can they overcome that awful offense, ranked last in on base percentage?

The Yankees have been on a tear with C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett anchoring the rotation, which appears to have solidified the pen. They have caught the Red Sox, who are on a skid coming into the break. It was supposed to be an easy stretch for Boston, playing a long home stand, including cupcakes like the Mariners and Royals. Yet, they lost two straight at home to Seattle and coughed up a 4-0 lead to the Royals, an 8-6 defeat. What is going on?

Forget about Boston trading for Roy Halladay. They don’t really need him with their pitching depth and this front office hates to give up good prospects. The more pressing short and long term need is a big bat, with Jason Bay eligible to walk and David Ortiz slowing down. If Boston makes any kind of major move, it will be for a big bat.

Even Halladay coming off the DL hasn’t saved the Blue Jays season, losing 11 of 14 games. They are already cost cutting. They released B.J. Ryan from his five-year contract with $15 million guaranteed remaining. Here’s what the Jays got for five years, $47 million: 155 games, 75 saves, 155 1/3 innings and a 2.95 ERA. That is 15 saves per year! Ouch. I wonder if general manager J.P. Ricciardi is next?

by Roz Juarbe

Think the players care for interleague games? “I am not a big fan of it,” said Boston first baseman Kevin Youkilis (who batted .190 this interleague season.) “I don’t think it is fair when you are battling for a wild card and you do not play some of the teams you are battling with.” Well relax, Kevin, as the 2009 interleage season is over with.

Now we can get back to division races and division play. The Yankees and Rays are hoping to pick up some ground on Boston. However, the Yankees have a road trip next week heading to Minnesota and Los Angels before the break, tough places to play. New York also has 2 more West Coast trips to make, while the Red Sox do not have any.

Tampa Bay has been strong at home again and ends the first half of the season on a 6-game home stand. Right after the All-Star break: A 10-game road trip, and later one more West Coast swing. Boston has a cushy home stand before the break, facing the Mariners, Oakland and Royals, and no more West Coast trips the rest of the season.

Speaking of which, did you know Boston slugger David Ortiz was named the best defensive first baseman in 1996 in the Single A Midwest League?  Ortiz had to play first in some interleague games, and did fine, but teammates were stunned recently to learn that tidbit. “Is that true Papi?” CF Jacoby Ellsbury asked incredulously. He weighed much less (and hit for less power) then. But what a glove!

Do you prefer pitchers who have power or control? Yankee lefty C.C. Sabathia had his best fastball of the year this week, hitting 97 MPH…..and he got pounded in an 8-4 loss to Seattle as a minus-275 favorite. Fastball speed is overrated, location and change of speeds is far more important.

Watch for the circus in San Diego tonight: Manny Ramirez is back after a 50-game suspension. The Dodgers are still atop the standings in the National League and little changed from the day he was banned. After squeaking past the Colorado Rockies, 1-0, at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers finished with a record of 29-21 during the Manny absence.

Speaking of LA on a different sport, is was interesting that an LA Times columnist ripped the Lakers for letting go of Trevor Ariza for Ron Artest this week. I think it is still too early to weigh in on it. Many times problem players go to a different environment and excel (Randy Moss, Rasheed Wallace, Dennis Johnson, Dennis Rodman). It depends on the coach, whether the team is winning and at what stage in a career the player is (Artest is 29 years old). Hard to believe the NBA season is just four months away!

by Roz Juarbe

They can only dream in Orlando. The Magic came oh-so-close to stealing Game 2 in LA before losing in overtime, then suffered one of the biggest collapses in NBA Finals history in Game 4, blowing a game in the final 10 seconds they seemingly had in the bag. So in a series Orlando could be up 3-1 and at the very least should be 2-2, they are down 3-1. And history.

Superman Dwight Howard finished with 16 points and 21 rebounds in Game 4 but was just 6-of-14 at the line. Howard was a monster on defense, blocking an incredible nine shots and ripping down 21 rebounds. But who will remember that? Instead, we will remember a horrendous night in which the Magic missed 15 free throws (22-of-37), led by the bricklaying Howard. A note to Superman — even Clark Kent would not have missed 8 free throws, even with his glasses off.   Then there was more questionable decision making from Stan Van Gundy, playing off Derek Fisher on his game-tying three-pointer.  “In retrospect, we gave Fisher too much space to shoot the ball. We played like we were trying to protect a layup. We just did not play Derek Fisher. Yes, I regret it now not fouling. That play will haunt me forever.”

It was the first time since 1984, when Magic Johnson’s Lakers and Larry Bird’s Celtics hooked up, that two games in a finals have gone to overtime. The Lakers improved to 7-0 following a loss in the postseason. As a footnote, Howard is in the record books with an NBA Finals record 9-blocks, but remember that blocked shots were not kept as stats during the 1950s and 60s. Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain likely had multiple playoff/NBA Finals games with 10 or more blocks.

It is clear what the legacy of the 2009 Magic will be — folding at crunch time. They blew Game 1 against Philadelphia despite a huge second half lead; they blew Games 4 and 5 against Boston, both late, and one an amazing collapse. They blew Game 2 at Cleveland on the incredible shot by LeBron James at the buzzer (what no one mentions is that Van Gundy did not have anyone in the face of the Cavalier inbounding the pass. What were they thinking?). And now a shocking Game 4 Finals collapse. Is this a series the Magic will have lost more than the Lakers will have won? Hard to say, but at this point it appears to be a little of both. Little things do make a difference — like preparation, work ethic, flexibility –  in athletic competition and sports handicapping.

by Roz Juarbe

Game 1 of the NBA Finals was ugly. Men against boys, a young team with big eyes against a tall and talented team that was in the NBA Finals a year ago (and lost as a favorite). That is the impression after the first game and Orlando has a lot of work to do to prove otherwise.

Orlando had a +15 edge in points from three-point land (a solid 34.8%), which is their game, and even led 38-33 in the second quarter. But they missed free throws (8, 71%), shot 29.9% from the field and got killed on the glass, 55-41. More bad news is that the Lakers shot a respectable 46% (though not lights out) and were just 3-of-9 from long range….and still won by 25. L.A. pushed the margin to 26 at 82-56 near the end of the third quarter as Kobe recorded 18 in the period.

Bryant scored 12 points in the second quarter, including the last basket of the period, to push the Lakers’ lead to 53-43 at halftime. The Magic have a few days to try to figure out how to deal with match-up issues, chiefly L.A.’s interior defense, rebounding and, of course, Kobe. Bryant made 16-of-34 shots and added eight rebounds and eight assists.

Offensively, the three stars of the Magic, Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu, combined to hit just 6-of-27 shots, including Howard going just 1-of-6 from the floor. Forget about Jameer Nelson and his impact on the series. This series is going to be decided by two things: 1) The big frontcourts; and 2) whether Orlando has anyone in the backcourt to harrass Kobe.  After Game 1, the answers are “Lakers” and “No.”  LA dominated up front and Kobe did whatever he wanted on offense.  Those are bad signs for the young Magic.
When asked if the Magic might be intimidated by all the hoopla, General Manager Otis Smith said, “Stage fright? Us?” One the one hand, this team was great on the road all season and won as underdogs against Boston and Cleveland. On the other hand, they may have run up against a bigger and better team. The Magic have been playing the disrespect card all postseason.

“Our effort tonight, it just wasn’t there,” Dwight Howard said. “Nobody’s effort was there. We didn’t go for any loose balls, we just weren’t fighting. That’s not Magic basketball.”  It is time for the players and coaches to stop talking and get to work, because they did more talking than work in Game 1.

by Roz Juarbe

No one has really talked about experience in big games during these NBA playoffs, as the remaining four teams are relatively young, particularly in the “star power” category. Kobe Bryant and Chauncey Billups are the only stars with any championship rings. The top-seeded Lakers are surely the veteran team, having been in the NBA Finals last season, plus guys like Derek Fisher and Kobe have multiple rings. The Cavaliers were in the NBA Finals just two years ago.

So Orlando and Denver are the relatively young kids on the playoff block. LeBron has been transcendent in these playoffs, one of the greatest runs of all time. In Game 5, James finished with a triple-double: 37 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists, playing 45:30 out of 48 minutes. In a series-for-the-ages in which he already had a 49-point game and hit a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer to avoid going down 0-2, this may have been his best performance. And it is not over yet!

The Cavaliers avoided elimination in the Eastern Conference finals, but more importantly, the Cavs have put the pressure on the Orlando Magic. Orlando wants to win Game 6 at home and close out the series, because Game 7 in Cleveland is the last place the Magic would want to be. Granted, they won Game 7 at Boston, but how many times can you do that?

Youth has been a problem for LA center Andrew Bynum. He has talent, but has been wildly inconsistent. He showed some fire in the post in Game 5 against Denver. He faked Nene into the air with an up-and-under move and finished with a dunk. He also dunked off an alley-oop lob from Kobe Bryant and had another dunk after an over-the-head feed from Pau Gasol. Of course, that was one game, and it was at home. The Lakers have too often been a different team at home than on the road, with guys like Bynum disappearing or sitting.

The officiating stuff has been interesting, with coaches like Phil Jackson and George Karl constantly complaining (which is their jobs).

Commissioner David Stern and his officials appear to be demonstrating that there’s no conspiracy on players, which is where this spring’s wave of technical fouls, flagrant fouls and judicial reviews came from. Denver’s Kenyon Martin has had eight technicals, one more than it takes to be suspended, but three were rescinded. Kobe Bryant is sitting on five, as is Orlando’s Dwight Howard. Do not believe for a second those guys are going to be suspened for a game — or there will be a HUGE cry of conspiracy!

There has been decent defense in the Western Conference Finals, as the under is 4-1. Home court intensity has had something to do with that. “Home is always good, no matter the case, but especially when you’re down 3-2,” Chauncey Billups said. “It’s a difficult position to be in no matter what. But home is always just an added bonus, an extra bonus. You know you’re facing elimination, so you’ve got to come out and do all you can.” He is hoping home court can help force another Game 7. And there is no guarantee the home team wins, as we just saw with the banged up Celtics.

by Roz Juarbe

The first two games of the Lakers/Nuggets series are in the books and both went under the total, though just barely. The real question is: Where is the defense? Denver shot 48% in Game 1, then over 44% in Game 2. Denver did play some defense in the first game, allowing 41% shooting, but what stood out most was how soft the LA defense has been in the paint. That was their big weakness a year ago when Boston knocked them around in the Finals.

LA is 3-3 SU, 2-4 ATS their last six playoff games, getting rapped twice by a depleted, short Houston squad without any star players. They survived Game 1 against the Nuggets, barely, so they are lucky they are not 0-2 heading to Denver. Phil Jackson said that Lamar Odom is the key to the series. Odom has been a beast in the second half of the season and the playoffs, partly because he is in a contract year. However, he has been hurting of late with a back problem. In Game 1 he had 7 points and 8 rebounds in 33 minutes, shooting 3-of-7, and in Game 2 he had 10 points and 9 rebounds in 30 minutes, shooting 4-of-9. The guy hurting the Lakers is veteran guard Derek Fisher,  6-of-22 shooting in the Western Conference Finals.

The tough part about following the Lakers is that they can beat anyone when they focus and put their minds to it, as we saw in a six-game road trip (6-0 SU/ATS) this season, even winning at Boston and Cleveland. But they do not show up every game for 48 minutes, for some reason.
Let us give some credit to the Denver fourth quarter defense in Game 2: Trailing 81-80 heading into the fourth, the Nuggets elevated their defense in the biggest quarter of the season, forcing L.A. to shoot just 38.5 percent and holding Bryant to eight points. “The whole thing was there was just a demand that we had to win this game,” Nuggets coach George Karl said of the fourth-quarter defense. “There was an inner spirit. We’re a much more smart and mentally tough team than last year.”

In the East, susprisingly there was no defense in Game 1 of the Magic/Cavaliers series, surprising in that the Cavs have been great defensively in thr postseason after being No. 1 in points allowed in the regular season. Orlando torched them in the post and from beyond the arc for 55% shooting! Orlando shot 59 percent after halftime, went 7-of-13 on threes and outscored the Cavs 59-43. They are now 9-3 in their last 12 games against Cleveland. Keep in mind that the Cavs have not had much success away from home against elite teams this season. Perhaps the anticipated Kobe/LeBron Finals might not be the shoo-in most thought would happen.

by Roz Juarbe

The betting public thought the Lakers were going to win the NBA Finals in 2004 and 2008. They were wrong each time. The Lakers got upset by the Pistons in five games in 2004 as Kobe and Shaq feuded. Then last June, the defensive-oriented Celtics smacked the finesse Lakers around in six games to win another title, with an embarrassing BLOW-OUT win in Game 6.

Oddly, the talented Lakers are still getting embarrassed and tough to figure out. After fallling asleep for Game 4 in Houston against a depleted Rockets team, they blew out Houston by 40 points in Game 5. Then they fell asleep again in Game 6, falling behind 21-3 to start the game on the way to a 15 point loss. That is a 55-point swing between games! What is it with this group?

We will find out Sunday as they play a Game 7 few would have predicted, especially when the Rockets lost Yao Ming, to go along with the losses of Tracy McGrady and Dikembe Mutumbo. “For a team that wants to be champs, they are bouncing us around. It is painful,” Sasha Vujacic said. “Like inside, outside, they were doing what we were supposed to do.”

The Lakers looked lethargic in the first quarter, which is inexcuseable. If they think the Rockets are tough, wait until they play at Cleveland. It is interesting that a pair of kids have reflected the success or failure of the teams. The Rockets were led by in Game 6 by rookie Aaron Brooks, who made 8 of 13 shots to score 26. He torched the Lakers in Game 4, as well. But both those games were in Houston, and Brooks was not a factor in Game 5 at LA, which is not surprising as playing on the road is tough for rookies.

On the LA side, young center Andruw Bynum played well in Game 5 sitting in for Lamar Odom and his ailing back. But Bynum was 0-for-3 with no points, 7 rebounds in Game 6. In the Game 4 disaster he had no points and 2 rebounds (3 fouls) in 12 minutes. Yet, in the blowout win in Game 5 he had 14 points, 6 boards in 20 minutes. So as the kids go will determine the winner? No, it is still up to the star players — and possibly home court.

In the East, the Magic and Celtics hook up for another Game 7 Sunday. Lately it has been the team with the lead late in the game that ends up blowing it. Boston squandered a 10-point lead in falling, 83-75, to the Magic in Game 6. That was after two straight games Orlando led late and choked away Games 4 and 5.  What has stood out of late is the defense. Boston limited the Magic to 36.6 percent field goal shooting in Game 6, slowing the pace down, while shooting only 41% themselves. The last three games of the Celtics/Magic series have gone under the total, as have the last three of the LA/Houston series. Have to believe there will be plenty of defense for Game 7 — as well as two losing teams who are going to look back at so many missed opportunities.

by Roz Juarbe

The Atlanta Hawks are 0-2 SU/ATS in their playoff series against Cleveland (and will be on vacation soon.) It is not simply a No. 1 seed dominating a lesser seed. They have been hurt badly by injuries to key players. Hawks center Al Horford (ankle) and forward Marvin Williams (wrist) have been slowed by injuries. Williams sprained his right wrist in Game 2 of the Miami series and has played sparingly since then, including just 13 minutes in the Tuesday loss.

Now, X-Rays on Joe Johnson’s right ankle were negative and the Hawks leading scorer hopes to play when the Cavaliers come to Atlanta for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal on Saturday. Johnson rolled his right ankle when he had his shot blocked by James in the third quarter and did not return. However, Johnson needed a wheelchair to get to the locker room and wore a walking boot as he met teammates for the flight back to Atlanta on Thursday night. Not good.

“I can’t see me not playing,” Johnson said. “I do not want to let this opportunity go by. We are down 0-2. I want to be out there for my teammates.” But at full strength or not? And will it matter?

The Magic will be without starting point guard Rafer Alston for Game 3 against Boston, but they expect to gain shooting guard Courtney Lee. Alston was suspended one game by the NBA for slapping Celtics guard Eddie House. Boston has bigger depth problems, with Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe out.   In Game 2, the Magic started Alston and J.J. Redick, using Anthony Johnson and Mickael Pietrus in reserve. The Celtics thrived on the matchups, with House finishing with 31 points, Ray Allen with 22, and Rajon Rondo with a triple-double.

Out West, the NBA suspended Laker guard Derek Fisher for one game without pay and he will miss Game 3 of the Lakers-Rockets playoff series. Fisher was suspended for striking Houston Rockets forward Luis Scola with an elbow in the third quarter of last night’s game. Jordan Farmar or Shannon Brown will start in Fisher’s place in Game 3.

Dallas has concerns, down 0-2 SU/ATS to Denver.  Josh Howard’s left ankle, which will need surgery in the off-season, now qualifies as his good ankle. The Mavericks small forward sat out practice. Instead, he rode the stationary bike and received treatment on his right ankle, which he sprained in Game 1 against Denver.  He is their best defender, too, and they need some defense against this red-hot Denver offense.  Said Dirk Nowitzki said, “We definitely need him healthy to have a chance in this series.” More bad news for the Mavs.

by Roz Juarbe

The NBA playoffs offer teams and individual players a chance for redemption. Dwight Howard sat out Game 6 against Philadelphia because of a suspension, but Orlando rose together as a team to win big as a road dog, 114-89. “People questioned our toughness all season. That’s an unfair criticism,” Stan Van Gundy said. “Don’t tell me they aren’t tough.”

There was some redemption for Rashard Lewis, who has been scrutinized since signing a six-year, $118-million contract. Lewis stepped up, scoring 29 points on 11-of-22 shooting. “We wouldn’t be where we are without Dwight, but these other guys want to prove that they can get the job done. They dominated the game from beginning to end,” added the coach.

Boston can use some redemption defensively, as their defense has waned ever since Kevin Garnett went on the shelf. They actually played well for a while without last year’s defensive player of the year, but it’s clear more and more his abscence is a major problem as their defense has been poor in the postseason. The young athletic Bulls are playing them to to toe. The Celtics had seemed on the verge of concluding the series with an 18-0 run over a five-minute span late in regulation in Game 6. But they squandered a 99-91 advantage one the way to a triple overtime loss.

“With an 8-point lead, if you’re a good defensive team, all you have to do is play defense,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “You don’t have to score again. You literally don’t have to score again. But we didn’t do that. We just stopped playing. We had a chance to close it out. We saw that score and we just stopped playing. We let a team shoot, again, close to 50 percent against us. We’re supposed to be a defensive team, we’ve got to be better defensively. I know we scored 127 points; that’s dandy. But if we’re going to win, we’re going to win with our defense.”

Speaking of motivation, how about Lamar Odom of the Lakers? He’s third on the team in scoring, averaging 17.7 points a game, first in rebounds, collecting 8.3, and first in field-goal percentage, making 67.6% of his shots. He’s even made half of his six three-pointers. “It’s what I expect out of myself,” Odom said. “I’m in that groove.” The inside story is that Odom has a lot to play for.
He’s in the final year of a contract that’s on the Lakers books for $14.1 million. Don’t be surprised if he continues to play like a beast the rest of the playoffs — a big contract is at stake.