Tim Duncan Calls It A Career

After 19 of the most successful seasons in NBA history, Tim Duncan officially retired yesterday via a team press release. No ticker tape parade, no call to attention, this legend just decided he was done and let the team handle it for him. While I would have loved to see him go out on top, I certainly am impressed by his illustrious career. IMO, Tim Duncan is the 2nd greatest player to ever play the game of basketball. He is at least the 2nd best during my lifetime. His consistent greatness is something that will never be matched. Another thing that won't be matched is his selfless team play and team first attitude. The Spurs philosophy worked because Duncan was a selfless superstar. The NBA is losing a lot in Duncan's departure, and I am not sure basketball fans realize just what we are losing. Just look at some of his accomplishments listed below and you will see why.

Duncan Accomplishments

5 NBA Championships

2 League MVPs (Should Have Been More, but Nash etc.)

3 Finals MVPs

1072 Wins (1 of 3 in NBA History w/ 1000)

Only Player in NBA History w/ 1000 wins for 1 Team

701 Wins By A Trio (Most All-Time W/ 2nd Round Pick Ginobili, and last pick of Rd. 1 Parker)

.710 Winning Percentage (Best in NBA History)

19 Consecutive Seasons with 60% Wins (Only Player in History Across 4 Major Sports)

19 Consecutive Playoof Appearances 

150 More Wins Than Any NBA Franchise During His Career

Only Player to Start & Win Title in 3 Different Decades

26,000 Points, 15,000 Rebounds, 3,000 Blocks (1 of 2 Players in NBA History)

15 All-NBA Selections (T- Most All-Time)

15 Defensive All-NBA Selections (Most All-Time)

At 40 years Old Led the League in Defensive Rebounds Per Minute

1998 NBA Rookie of the Year

15 Time All-Star

Spurs All-Time Leader in Points

Spurs All-Time Leader in Rebounds

Spurs All-Time Leader in Blocks

Spurs All-Time Leader in Games

Spurs All-Time Leader in Minutes

3rd Most Assists in Spurs History (As a Power Forward!)

5th in NBA History in Double Doubles

5th in NBA History in Blocks

6th in NBA History in Rebounds

14th in NBA History in Points

Only Player in NBA History with 9000+ Playoff Minutes

Most Post Season Double Doubles

Most Post Season Blocks

3rd in Post Season Rebounds

6th in Post Season Scoring

251 Postseason Appearances (2nd All-Time)

1 of 3 Players in NBA History to Spend 19 years w/ One Franchise

1,001 Wins For Duncan and Popovich (Most All-Time for Player Coach Duo)

To me though, his most impressive accomplishment was at 37 years old after one of the most devastating Finals losses of all-time, he led the Spurs back to the 2014 NBA Finals and they won it. That is the legacy of Tim Duncan, but don't take my words for it, look at his peers messages....

Duncan Farewell Messages

The Admiral Who Duncan led to 2 NBA Titles

The Great Sean Elliot Who Duncan Led to an NBA title despite Elliot's Kidney Disease

NBA Commisioner Adam Silver

Former Teammate George Hill

Manu Ginobili Who Played With Duncan For 14 Seasons

Longtime Rival & Friend Dirk Nowitzki

Young Stud Andrew Wiggins

LeBron

NBA Legend Scottie Pippin

Young Spur Kyle Anderson

Former Teammate & Current Warriors Coach Steve Kerr

Danny Green: Teammate for 5 Seasons

1/2 of the Greatest Player Coach Duo Ever (Gregg Popovich)

#ThankYouTD

-Noland

2015-2016 NBA Season Review

This NBA season was filled with a lot of ups and downs for me. There were some spectacular moments, some cool moments, and some not so cool moments. It is all up for review here.

Let's start with the main team that this blog has focused on, the San Antonio Spurs...
The Spurs had a monumentally successful regular season. San Antonio won 67 games this year, which is a franchise record. However, the team was shocking ousted in the 2nd round by a younger and seemingly hungrier Thunder team. It was great to see the regular season and Duncan still being a contributor at his age, while hoping for him to get another ring and go out on top. It was cool to see the transformation to it being Kawhi's team and to see Leonard emerge as a true MVP candidate. Seeing Popovich's unselfish system continue to thrive is never a bad thing either...

So what happened in the playoffs?
The Spurs like I said, were outworked by a younger and hungrier team. It seems that everything was clicking all the way through Game 1 of the second round. This team dismantled the Thunder in Game 1. Then Father Time caught up with San Antonio in a big way for the rest of the series. Tim Duncan looked terrible all series until the deciding Game 6 when he tried to give it one last hurrah. It was painful to see at times. The knees and back were affecting his play and he just seemed to be losing it. For someone that has seen Duncan dominate for so long it was sad. It was sadder in knowing that this is probably it for Duncan and that he likely will not get to 6 championships now. A class individual and class player like Duncan should get to go out on top for the classiest organization in sports. Not meant to be though. The Thunder wanted it more and deserved the Western Conference Final appearance more. While it is sad that Duncan is likely done, the future is bright for Kawhi Leonard and possibly for the San Antonio Spurs still because of Leonard.

Now to the team that ousted the Spurs....
I have not focused too much on the Thunder here at ran. I don't think most of the people that read my stuff care too much. However, the Wizards fans care about Durant and the team has intrigue because they knocked out the Spurs. Kevin Durant is perhaps the most likable guy in the league and him leading the Thunder to knock out the Spurs is good for him and probably for the NBA. Getting more eyeballs on him and Westbrook is great for the NBA. Speaking of Russell Westbrook, I'm happy to see the haters starting to go away. The guy is an elite NBA player. Easily top 10 in the game and probably top 5. He needs to be treated as such. Glad to see Westbrook finally get that respect. The 1,2 punch of Durant and Westbrook will likely stay. Sorry for all of the #KD2DC fans out there. This combo is too great to break up.

The combo also has one of the best coaches in the NBA. As a die-hard Nole, I cannot tell you how excited it makes me that Billy Donovan is coaching the Oklahoma City Thunder instead of coaching in Gainesville. This guy just knows basketball. He is one of the elite basketball minds on the planet. Assuming that Durant stays with the Thunder (I assume he will), this team has future NBA Champs written all over it.

Heck they almost won this year. The Thunder were up 3-1 on the team with the best record in the NBA during the Western Conference Finals. Did it all come crashing down?
Yes. It came crashing down when the Warriors made the proper adjustments and their two best players finally started playing like they had all season. Klay Thompson took over the series and the Warriors ended up winning. The team had the best regular season record in NBA history for a reason. Still, the Thunder had them down 3-1. That says a lot about the potential of Oklahoma City.

The Thunder certainly upgraded over Scott Brooks with Billy Donovan. However, Brooks was a good coach that helped the Thunder get to the next point. He helped develop two young superstars. Brooks is a great hire for the team that I do regularly talk about, the Washington Wizards. Hired just a few weeks ago, Brooks looks to improve on his career 62% winning percentage in a weak Eastern Conference. There is absolutely no excuse for the Wizards being as horrendous as they are, and Brooks has the potential to mold this team at least into a consistent playoff contender. With Brooks, they should at least make the playoffs every year. With some solid roster movement, this team can contend in the Eastern Conference.

Which leads me to my next topic, the underachieving Bradley Beal. This guy is supposed to be offered a max contract this offseason. Why?
Beal played in just 55 games this season and his injury prone status is a large reason why this team underachieved so much. Do they really want to make the playoffs only when an injury prone guy is healthy?
Beal has played in just 247/328 regular season games in his career. The career just started and its been filled with injuries. This is the guy you want to offer the max to. The guy you want to make Wall's 2nd best option. Sure he has a pretty 3 point shot, but why risk it. Can't we go with a safer and more reliable alternative here to giving Beal 22 million?
He says he is past the injury thing, but is he really?
The dude derailed the Wizards season and they missed the playoffs in a weak Eastern Conference. That he averaged 17.4 is of no consequence, he played in just 55 games. There are a lot better ways to spend 22 million. He has a nice shot, but he isn't a great defender and rarely can create his own shot. Not to mention that he has the 39th worst turnover rate among NBA guards. The guy doesn't play and when he does, he turns it over. I just don't see why this guy deserves a max deal. If you want to bring him back, fine, but structure the deal in a way that the team still has financial flexibility. A team with two injury prone max guards will stay a fringe playoff contender. That playoff status will continue to remain on the backs and legs of two injury prone guys. Not how I want to spend my time as an NBA fan. If you give Beal the max, you deserve the broken player you get. Here is a solid article on what the Wizards should offer Beal.

Speaking of the weak Eastern Conference.....

LeBron certainly continues to dominate the pathetic conference. However, as a hater of the LeBron narrative, I thought it was worth pointing out that the Miami Heat pushed the Raptors (that gave LeBron fits in the Finals) to 7 games the series before. They did it with largely the same team LeBron had, just minus LeBron. They also did it injured. Guess they are solid help and I guess Wade did have plenty in the tank, just like I said. The biggest difference between this Heat and LeBron's Heat in my opinion is that this Heat did not include Chris Bosh either. They must have some pretty solid contributing parts. Led by a pretty fantastic guard in Dwayne Wade.....

Stay tuned next week, for more from the world of sports...

-Noland

2014 A Great Year In Sports

There is one thing that is for sure, 2015 has not started off like 2014...
Looking back at 2014 the year in sports will always be special for me. Just about everything in that year went right. It started in early January with my favorite team of all, Florida State football took care of business and secured the National Title.
The whole season was epic, but securing that title really put the bow on it. That would have made 2014 an awesome sports year, but then Florida State Football went on to win all of their games in the calendar year during the fall. An amazing streak that would stretch all the way to 29 wins. Jameis Winston, who has taken so much nonsense for very little reason, led the Noles through perfection. Although I would have obviously liked them to close out this season with another title, I am thrilled with the performance of the Noles and excited for what Jameis and Jimbo have prepared for our future. It really does not get any better than this past year especially with all the hate our program has received. The hate makes it that much better and as Seminoles we have learned to embrace that hate. We have embraced the most hated team in recent memory and wear that as a badge of pride. Everyone hates us, but we love our team and are proud of our team that deserves 0 hate and 0 backlash.

Let's stick with FSU for a second. As an FSU fan for me it is football, track, baseball, basketball, and then the other sports. However, I love absolutely every sport at FSU and I have been to every sport as a student. It really was a great year for all of Seminole athletics. This fall in particular was spectacular. FSU Volleyball advanced to the Sweet 16 and FSU Soccer won a National Championship. Our fall sports were simply dominant. Men's Golf is actually a spring sport, but they had some Fall action and the Noles are #1 in Men's Golf. FSU happened to secure the FGCU Classic in late October to stay #1 and look quite strong for this season. Track is looking strong heading into 2015 and had a fantastic season in 2014. FSU Softball advanced to the College World Series in 2014 and baseball once again was a National Seed. All FSU programs represented the school brilliantly in 2014, and while it is over 2015 looks strong as well. That should not stop us from remembering what I believe is our best year to date though. Two national championship wins in a calendar year is impressive for any school. Great job Noles.

After the Seminoles, my favorite team is the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles were actually the first team I loved and the 1st sport I loved was baseball. This is a team I grew up watching and my entire immediate family loved. They were our local team growing up and when the Nationals came to town, I kept my allegiance to the Baltimore Orioles. During those years as an Oriole fan since my birth in '87 they have been awful the overwhelming majority of the time. However, this year they won the AL East (which I have seen twice) and they advanced to the ALCS (which I have also only seen twice). I have never seen them advance past where they did this year. This is also only the 4th postseason appearance period of my lifetime for this team. When you consider all of these factors and the fact that this team overcame so much, I am so proud of their 2014. AL East Champs and advancing to the American League finale is something I will gladly take from my Baltimore Orioles!

The Orioles didn't win it all, but I was happy with the result. On Halloween, I wrote a piece about the greatness of two of the players that did win the World Series. While neither of those players are on the Orioles, I would take each one in a heartbeat and I am not upset that they won. The fact that one of them is a former 'Nole and my favorite current athlete helps. Add in that the Giants are managed by Bruce Bochy and you have another successful element of 2014. So another element of the best sports year being 2014, has to be two former Noles winning the World Series for the Giants.

My other hometown team I loved from VA was the Washington Wizards. I have not seen many great years with the Wizards, but that was different in 2014.The Wizards made it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2014 and have started the 2014-2015 season very strong. Much like the Orioles, the Wizards have been traditionally terrible in my lifetime, and this is the furthest I have seen Washington advance. The Wizards looked good doing it too as this team looked quite capable of knocking off the Pacers in Round 2. Washington looked so good to close out last season that I picked them to win the Eastern Conference this year. No doubt this has been the best time in my lifetime to be a Washington Wizards fan.

My next favorite team is actually another NBA team in the San Antonio Spurs. I followed David Robinson when I was young because he shared most of my name and because he went to the Naval Academy which I thought was awesome. In college I really enjoyed the fundamental play of Tim Duncan who naturally became my favorite basketball player when the Admiral retired. I stuck with liking Duncan and the Spurs post Robinson due to my admiration and respect of Duncan and Popovich. San Antonio is the best example of team sports play and they are an absolute thrill to watch. They put on a clinic this past season and you cannot complain about any of it if you like the Spurs. Tim Duncan is also finally getting some of the much deserved respect for his fantastic career. In 2014, Duncan added a 5th championship ring to his resume. He could well be starting the run to his 6th ring this season.

Finally, we get to the NFL. I used to be a Redskins fan, but dumped them like a bad habit when they got rid of a family friend and Snyder took over. I refused to even consider going back when they brought in Steve Spurrier and loaded up on Gators. That was the last straw for me. I went to the Bucs at that point because they had my two favorite Noles (Warrick Dunn and Derrick Brooks). They also had a strong Christian Head Coach in Tony Dungy and an exciting defense. I was a good Bucs fan until they handled Dungy inappropriately and then I went back and forth between the Texans, Ravens, and Bucs. I am not even going to lie about my NFL allegiance. These past few seasons it has been root for the team with more Noles and against the team with players I do not like. It has worked out pretty well. Now, what does this have to do with 2014? The Buccaneers, the team I want to root for, has a golden opportunity for 2015 based on their play in 2014. They can secure the best player in the 2015 NFL Draft because they tanked in 2014. Tampa Bay can draft Jameis Winston (assuming he goes pro) and I can be a Bucs fan forever. Of course, they could screw it up take Marriota and go with the status quo, but I prefer to think positively. I like Lovie and will love the Bucs if they get Jameis. There will be some meaning of this year in the NFL so that this truly can be my best sports year ever,

Regardless of that though, it still was the best year. 2014 was a banner year in sports. Here is to more of this stuff happening in 2015. Go Noles! Go Orioles! Go Wizards! Go Spurs! and Go Bucs?

-Noland

NBA Season Preview

The NBA season is less than a week away and basketball fans are excited. They want to see what the defending champs will do and if Duncan can match Jordan with 6 rings. Lebron James has returned to Cleveland with much anticipation as well. This will be one of the most anticipated seasons in league history. So there is only one thing left to do, I must give my predictions for what will happen.
Here is my NBA Season Preview for the 2014-2015 season.

My Predicted Playoff Field
Eastern Conference
1 Chicago Bulls
2 Cleveland Cavaliers
3 Washington Wizards
4 Toronto Raptors
5 Miami Heat
6 Atlanta Hawks
7 Charlotte Bobcats
8 Boston Celtics

Western Conference
1 San Antonio Spurs
2 Dallas Mavericks
3 Los Angeles Clippers
4 Portland Trail Blazers
5 Golden State Warriors
6 Oklahoma City Thunder
7 Los Angeles Lakers
8 Houston Rockets

League MVP
Dirk Nowitzki

I think Dirk has one more teriffic run in him and I honestly think he and the Mavs are the biggest threat to a San Antonio repeat. KD is hurt to start the year and it will take LeBron some time to gel with his new teammates. That makes the race for MVP wide open. Do not be surprised if Kobe is a serious threat to the award. Stef Curry will also be a force in the race as will (gasp) Joakim Noah. John Wall will be a strong finisher in this race and Derrick Rose is another name to watch.

6th Man
Taj Gibson

Gibson is the best player off the bench for anybody. He will put up the best numbers, and his team could easily finish with the top record in the East. This guy will certainly contend for this award again if nothing else.

Coach of the Year
Brad Stevens

The Celtics 2nd year coach will get coach of the year for leading the young Celtics to the playoffs against expectations. Once the Brooklyn Nets fall apart again without their best player, Paul Pierce, the Celtics will fill a spot in the wide open East. This is something that is not widely predicted and being the biggest surprise should land Stevens in this spot as frontrunner for Coach of the Year.

Rookie of the Year
Jabari Parker

Parker IMO is the best rookie, in a good situation to succeed and therefore will have the biggest impact. This guy is going to be really good for a really long time.

5 Other Bold Predictions
1) Not only will Jabari Parker win rookie of the year, but he will also be an all-star
2) Milwaukee however with Jason Kidd as Head Coach will be a bottom 5 team
3) The closest race in the league will be between the Celtics and the Knicks for the final playoff spot in the East
4) Kobe finishes top 5 in scoring again
5) After the season a loud portion of Lebron's fans will claim that he needs more "help" and I will be able to add to this article

Conference Finals
Spurs over Mavs
Wizards over Heat

I forsee a Derrick Rose injury late in the year after the Bulls clinch the one seed. That injury opens it up for the 4/5 seed to possibly upset the 1 in the postseason. The veteran Heat take advantage and force the issue to get in. The Wizards ultimately end up being too much for the Heat.
The Spurs in Mavs are destined for another epic postseason clash. The only question is when that clash will happen in this postseason.

Who Wins It All?
San Antonio Spurs

Honestly, they are the best run team and the best team period. If these guys stay healthy, this thing really should not be that close. They are a fantastic team from top to bottom and as long as they got 21, I am not picking against these guys.

-Noland

Looking Back At My Sports Predictions

Before making predictions for the upcoming season, I believe that it is important to look at the predictions that I have made in the past. This helps for accountability purposes and as a good frame of reference for the next set of predictions. I will go over the major hits and misses and the close calls in this piece. Hope you enjoy.

March Madness Predictions
Here is my 2013 March Madness Prediction. My most confident pick to make it to the final four that season was Georgetown and they were upset early. Since, I have vowed to never pick Georgetown to advance far again. I missed on several picks. However, I did pick Louisville to win the National Championship and still won my pool.

My 2014 predictions were not posted on this blog. I picked Michigan State to win it all in my main bracket, but did have UCONN winning one of my brackets. I was not even close on Kentucky this past season. My biggest mistake by far though was being so critical of the selection committee on their selection of Dayton. The selection committee really does a great job and proved the haters (including me) wrong once again. Dayton made the Elite 8 and played a great tournament. I still think UVA got an unfair shake with a loaded bracket though.

NCAA Football Predictions
I actually already did a recap of my college football predictions for 2012 late in the season that year. It can be found here. I predicted Georgia would win the National Championship that season and they came so close, but eventually fell to Alabama. I absolutely love that I hit on the rise of Duke football and the return of FSU to the BCS. Both predictions were certainly not universal. FSU fell a little short of my expectations that season, but took a valuable step forward.

My 2013 predictions were better in some spots and a lot worse in some spots. Those predictions were not ones that anybody else was making though. I don't like following the script.
I picked FSU to go undefeated and win their bowl game, but I did not think they would be selected for the National Championship. Then FSU went out and completely destroyed every team they played and I was pleasantly surprised.
Stanford won the Pac 12 in impressive fashion as I predicted, but did not finish undefeated.
Louisville did not win the American Conference losing a head-to-head game with the University of Central Florida. Central Florida came out of nowhere and even won a BCS Game.
Texas and Nebraska didn't come close to the National Championship Game. This is the worst prediction I have had to date. Texas was so bad last year it was not even funny.
South Carolina had a strong year, but didn't win the SEC. They did beat Clemson though which is one game that I had wrong. Their best player played injured the entire season and did not sniff the Heisman as I predicted. Who could have predicted a Freshman QB to win the Heisman though?
I was wrong about Clemson beating SC, but I did have them winning a BCS game and they did just that knocking off Ohio State!
My other big misses were that Virginia Tech was not a Top 15 team and Michigan State was a Top 5 squad. I had Michigan State finishing ranked 22nd.
Sometimes you are glad to be wrong though and these predictions are proof of that.

Major League Baseball Predictions
My 2013 season predictions were okay.
We will look at the American League first. I picked the Boston Red Sox to finish last in the AL East largely due to their breakdown the year before and they won the World Series. I did not think that Napoli and Victorino would get them that far. Apparently, I underestimated the ability of a healthy Shane Victorino, because that team exceeded expectations for sure. The 2014 Red Sox have him hurt and Jacoby gone and they are in last place. Cleveland got a wild card and I also predicted them to come in last place. Anaheim and Baltimore did not come through as division champs for me either. Albert Pujols was far from an MVP candidate.
It was not all bad though, I predicted Tampa Bay to win the wild card game and had the bottom two teams in the AL West correct as well. Additionally, I had the easiest pick in the league which was the Detroit Tigers winning the AL Central. There were a couple other teams I had correct like Minnesota in 4th, Texas in 2nd etc., but its more important to get the playoff teams right and I was not too accurate at that.
For the National League, I fared a little better. This league I got most of the playoff teams correct. While I missed on the Nationals in the playoffs and had them winning the division, I didn't pick them as far as many others. There were several people picking the Nationals to win the World Series. I foolishly picked St. Louis to finish 4th though. What a horrible miss. St. Louis would obviously make the playoffs like they do every year. I also predicted the incredibly consistent Giants to win the entire National League and they missed the playoffs. They have been so good with Posey in the lineup though that it was hard to resist. There are 5 playoff teams and I missed on 3, but I was incredibly close. I missed on the Nationals who were the next team out, the Giants who are always in the fight, and the Pirates who I correctly predicted would finish 2nd in the division.
Like I said about the National League I was pretty good. I correctly had Atlanta and Cincinnati in the playoffs. I had Pittsburgh and the Dodgers in contention as well and they both made it. The last place teams in the National League Central and East were also correct. The National League Cy Young was obviously going to Clayton Kershaw if he stayed healthy and I nailed that prediction. I flip flopped San Diego and Colorado in my predictions, but they were at the bottom of the National League West as predicted. I also correctly predicted that Milwaukee would not be a factor, but I had them in 3rd place and not 4th. I missed my predictions on the Mets and the Phillies standing order by 1 game too. I don't think that's bad at all over 162 game season.

For the 2014 season I did not make any predictions on this blog. I would have picked the Dodgers to win the World Series though and Clayton Kershaw to win the Cy Young again. In the American League I would have picked Felix Hernandez because he's the next best pitcher in the game. The American League Champions I would have picked would have been the Angels. I have been counting on Hamilton and Pujols to have bounce backs for a while now, so we will see if they finally do it. There is a lot of baseball still to be played.

NBA Predictions
I have yet to make season predictions for the NBA, but here are predictions I have made about the NBA. In this piece after Lebron won his 1st title, I predicted that the Spurs would win another title before the Heat trio came close to catching them. It was another Duncan vs. LeBron piece and it was largely correct.
Here I incorrectly predicted the Spurs to win the NBA title in 2012 as the playoffs were getting underway. However, I still dispute some of the Thunder's comeback in the Western Conference Finals that year. There were quite a few Joey Crawford shenanigans. I also incorrectly predicted though that the Heat would not make the finals and that they would be knocked out by the Celtics. Very wrong!
Way back in December of 2012, I guaranteed that as soon as David Stern or Joey Crawford retired, the Spurs would win the next NBA Championship. Stern retires mid-season and the San Antonio Spurs won the NBA Championship. It was easy to predict because the Spurs were screwed out of multiple titles by Joey Crawford. Duncan has 5 rings and should have at least 7 by now.
After the Thunder won that 2012 Western Conference Finals, I predicted that the Spurs dynasty was not done and was proven right.
I also called for the removal of Joey Crawford again after that season, but didn't make any new predictions. I just talked about how the Spurs got robbed and Crawford needed to stop doing Spurs games.
You see most of these predictions were centered around the NBA being similar to pro-wrestling and Joey Crawford and Stern needing to go. Crawford didn't do a deciding game this year and Stern is gone and magically the Spurs are NBA Champs! Who could have guessed?

NFL Predictions
In 2012 my predictions for the NFL season were decent. I did not have the Redskins making the playoffs and was surprised at the success of two rookies there. The New York Giants are who I predicted to win the division and that team ended up finishing 9-7. I did not have the Minnesota Vikings making the playoffs and figured they would struggle coming off of Peterson's devastating injury. I had the Rams getting the wild card though instead of the Seahawks. The only AFC Team I missed in the playoffs was the Indianapolis Colts (who had a rookie QB), I foolishly picked Buffalo, but surely I wouldn't make that mistake again....
Correctly, I predicted the Green Bay Packers to win the NFC North, but so did everyone else. Additionally, I had the Atlanta Falcons winning the NFC South correctly. The San Francisco 49ers also won the NFC West as I predicted. I got the order of all the AFC playoff teams right with the exception of Houston having home field and as I said the Colts making it. 5 out 6 playoff teams is pretty dang good though if you ask me. Although some of those predictions were pretty easy.
The playoffs were not quite as good to me as I had the Houston Texans advancing to and winning the Super Bowl. I figured that Denver would eventually fold in the playoffs given Peyton's playoff history, but did not expect Joe Flacco's dominance in the playoffs. Flacco was amazing during this postseason and knocked everyone out. The Falcons made a good run at the Super Bowl too, but San Francisco was too strong and it was hard to deny the all brothers coaching match-up. These predictions were pretty solid though other than the Greg Schiano one. That was an awful pick. Not as awful as my 2013 NFL predictions though.

For the 2013 NFL season I had a disaster as far as predictions. There was not a lot I had right. I predicted the wrong team to win every division in the NFC. I had Washington, Minnesota, New Orleans, and San Francisco. The latter two were actually solid predictions, but those first two were colossal misses. I also had Atlanta making the playoffs and Carolina finishing in last place. There were only two correct playoff teams for the NFC (San Fran and New Orleans). I once again thought the Rams would break through and I still believe they are incredibly close, but they fell just short. That NFC West is so loaded that I am not embarrassed by that pick at all. Washington, Minnesota, and Carolina though were horrible misses. Picking San Francisco to win the Super Bowl was also a really good prediction. Those guys were so close and were the second best team in the NFL all year long. They came the closest to knocking off the champs.

The AFC saw me pick slightly better for the playoff teams, but I made two major mistakes. One I am not embarrassed about is picking the New England Patriots to fall out of the playoffs. This is a team that had an awful last season and it was reasonable to think they would struggle mightily. The Bills having the injury to EJ Manuel also effected the race a little bit in my opinion. He missed out of several valuable snaps. Tom Brady is absolutely terrific though and deserves the benefit of the doubt. The other awful mistake in the AFC was once again picking the Texans to make it to the Super Bowl. Two swings and misses on that prediction. I was not the only person to make that pick, but they had an awful season. I got 3 of the 6 playoff teams right and actually picked San Diego to have a better record than they did. San Diego was the next team closest to a playoff berth in my predictions.
For the individual awards and predictions I had mixed results. EJ Manuel was hurt for a majority of the season so my prediction on him winning the rookie of the year was off. Keenan Allen, and Eddie Lacy had fantastic years and one may have beaten him anyway though. Eddie Lacy ended up winning the award, but I would have picked Allen and Manuel being a factor may have changed the votes. Another Sam Bradford injury prevented Jeff Fisher from his coach of the year, but I still think that was a decent pick. Picking Adrian Peterson to be MVP back-to-back was pretty foolish now that I think about it. Having that many carries in consecutive seasons would have ruined him. There was no way he'd produce at that high a level either with the other teams watching more film. Which leads me to the guarantee about Ponder. Not a smart call on the Ponder guarantee. My last dumb guarantee was my bonus guarantee about CJ Spiller. Spiller didn't even sniff the yardage I was assuming. This guy has got to start producing soon or I consider him a huge draft bust. He has been nowhere near as good as advertised yet. Vernon Davis did have double digit touchdowns though with 13 in the regular season. He also had 2 in the playoffs. Finally, Mario Williams was top 5 in sacks as well as I predicted. Mario Williams was 4th in the league and 2nd in the AFC in sacks. The only person that beat Mario Williams in sacks in the AFC was Robert Mathis who has since tested positive for PED use. Mario Williams is an absolute monster.

-Noland

Spurs Win 5th NBA Championship

The San Antonio Spurs proved to be one of the best teams of all-time with a dismantling of the Miami Heat in the 2014 NBA Finals. These Spurs absolutely blasted the Heat in these past three games. Last night, the withstood a 22-6 barrage to start the game and won the game 104-87. The Heat were so dejected at the end of the game that Lebron visibly quit with about 5 minutes left in the game and the Big Three was removed with 2 minutes left. This "super team" couldn't handle the unselfishness and passing ability of the team. San Antonio is the ultimate team with their unselfish play. It never mattered who got the headlines (as it hasn't for the entire Duncan-Popovich era), just that they came out on top. This team was destined to finish on top and all of this was by design, I will tell you how this championship was won.

Tim Duncan Is Historically Great

It is time we start finally appreciating Tim Duncan for all he has accomplished in this league. The guy just won his 5th championship. He has three Finals MVPs, he has two regular season MVPS (robbed of at least two more), 14 all star appearances (12 starts), and yet is underrated. Nobody ever talks about Lebron as one of the truly all-time greats. Lebron and Kobe get compared to Jordan, but not Duncan and it doesn't make sense to me. For the record, Jordan is the best-ever, but Duncan might be the 2nd best I have seen, and no I am not kidding.

Duncan is certainly one of the best defensive players of this generation. He has been rated by basketball reference as a top 5 defensive player every season of his NBA career. This guy rates as the #1 active player and number two defensive player of all-time. For defensive win-shares, Duncan received the highest scores in 5 different seasons. For blocks per game Duncan has the 2nd most active and is #15 all-time. Rebounds per game he is 2nd for active players and #24 all-time. Total rebounds Duncanis #2 currently, and #11 all-time. Total blocks, he is #2 currently and #7 all-time. Duncan has 14 all-defensive 1st or 2nd team awards (5 of those are 2nd team). 

We can add in the offensive statistics to. For points per game, Duncan is no slouch. He has averaged 19.9 points per game over his brilliant career. That is good for 10th among current players and 55th all-time. Despite, being one of the most unselfish players in history, the 5 time champ, has shown he can score when he needs to. Let's not forget the record setting pace for double doubles. Again, according to basketball reference, Duncan is #1 currently for win-shares for the entire league over his career. He is #6 all-time ahead of both Lebron and Kobe. For the record, Kobe is 17 and Lebron is 18.

Look again, I am not saying Duncan is the best ever, but looking at his career and his 5 championships, it is time to put him in the conversation.

Popovich Also All-Time Great

Some people credited Duncan and some people credited Pop. Finally, I think everyone is crediting both of them for this historic amount of success. They are the best organization in sports currently and it starts with those two. The unselfish play of Tim Duncan has to be credited slightly to Pop, and also slightly to his mentor, David Robinson. The unselfish play of the entire team and the system he used has to be credited to Popovich. This guy made this team the most unselfish in sports that I have ever seen. It really is incredible what they have done. While this team was built around Duncan, it was perfected by Popovich and he deserves credit for that. Maximizing talents of guys like Danny Green and Patty Mills is something nobody else has been able to do.

No Excuses About Help

Look this win is about the Spurs and how every player, even the great Tim Duncan, is so unselfish that it doesn't matter who gets the glory. This has never happened with one of Lebron's teams. Lebron always gets the glory. I do not consider myself a Lebron hater, but give it a rest already. The help excuse went out the window when he teamed up with two other current top 10 players to form this Super Team. He said he wouldn't get 1,2,3,4 titles, he claimed he could get more. This guy acted like he could run through the NBA with no resistance now that he finally got help. Also I know that he's old, but they had Ray Allen too. 

Don't forget the important parts though. The personnel moves demanded in Cleveland. Lebron begged Cleveland to get an over the hill Antawn Jamison (a move that strapped Cleveland financially) and give up valuable picks right before he left. He held the team hostage with saying they needed to make moves. His team was never good enough. While he was on Cleveland, they had an all-star in Carlos Boozer and a young guy by the name of Danny Green. None of it was ever good enough for Lebron. Danny Green was so terrible in fact, that he ended up being cut by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Well, look at Green now.

Right behind Tim Duncan, is that same Danny Green. That same Danny Green that Lebron couldn't make better. That same Danny Green who was not good enough. That same Danny Green is a starter for the unselfish team, the San Antonio Spurs.

Kawhi Leonard Has Arrived

Let's not forget what Kawhi Leonard has done. this guy for two straight years has been the answer for Lebron James. Sure, the Heat won last year, but save that miracle finish and questionable officiating in Game 6, Kawhi wins an MVP last year too. This guy was out of this world. He defended Lebron very well for three straight games and outplayed him even. He certainly outhustled Lebron. This guy wanted it more. This team wanted it more.

Now, the rest of the world sees what San Antonio sees and what I have been saying. Kawhi Leonard is a superstar and he has arrived. At 22 years old, he already has one Finals MVP trophy. Don't be surprised if he picks up a few more in his career.

The Other Guys/The Other Effects

Many guys are afraid to admit that they are wrong. Not me. I thought that Manu Ginobili was finished, I thought he played to wreckless at times. However, that was not the case. Manu Ginobili just needed an offseason of rest. The guy plays so much basketball and just needed a break. At 36 years old, Manu has still got it. Manu can still play and after Game 5 of these finals, the NBA was put on notice. This legend is not done yet.

One guy I was not wrong about was Patty Mills. The great Patty Mills has such a great shot and is very useful off the bench. There is nobody that is more likable on this team than Patty. My sister texted me last night, "I love Patty Mills." How can you not love this guy? His energy, his playmaking ability, his demeanor, his selflessness, it is all unmatched. Well unmatched by anyone outside this Spurs organization. In some ways, Patty Mills is the face of this franchise. That is that he never has given up. When counted out, he never gave up. On the court he never gives up. That is the difference between these Spurs and other teams, they never give up on a possession ever.

Finally, I can say that I told you so. I told you that as soon as David Stern retired and they stopped letting Joey Crawford ref closing games the Spurs would win a title. Sure, I didn't go out and say the NBA was fixed, but it looked questionable. Joey Crawford's career reffing Spurs games has been highly questionable. David Stern has long been accused of fixing outcomes. The Oklahoma City-Miami Finals of two years ago was very suspicious. These type of things happened under Stern frequently. However, it didn't happen under Silver. Silver did not try to manipulate the outcome. The NBA is better for not having a meddling owner. This guy could bring a lot of fans back to the NBA, this seemed legit.

This was an awesome season and an awesome outcome. I have very much enjoyed this season and loved last night. The NBA is finally back and I could not be happier. They still got some kinks to work out with the refs, but they are oh so much better. This all just feels right. The Spurs are back where they belong. An unselfish team won the title. Tim Duncan and Greg Popovich got ring number 5. 

The San Antonio Spurs are NBA Champions!

-Noland

Most Underrated Players In the NBA

On Saturday, I did my list of underrated players in the MLB.
Today, I do my list for the NBA.
I love watching the Spurs and the Pacers play because those two teams are filled with unsung guys and underrated players. I could easily make my five man list of players from those two teams, but I didn't do that. However, both of my guards are from those two teams.

Point Guard
George Hill            Indiana Pacers
George Hill being traded to the Pacers from San Antonio is one of those rare trades that works out for both teams. The Pacers got a fantastic point guard and the Spurs got a lockdown defender and great all around player. People still don't give Hill his props though. George Hill is the point guard of the team that took the Miami Heat to the brink. He plays very efficiently and runs a very dynamic team. He is a top 10 point guard, but is rarely mentioned in conversations about who is best. That may start to change soon.

Shooting Guard
Kawhi Leonard      San Antonio Spurs

Did you see what Leonard did in the NBA Finals? Well, that is what he does for the Spurs every night. He plays unselfish, all out basketball and I love watching it. If it wasn't for Tim Duncan, Leonard would be my favorite basketball player. He does all the little things well and is always there when you need him. Naysayers will point to the missed free throw in Game 6, but those people don't pay attention. Leonard was the best player all series long. One missed free throw doesn't change that. The guy is money. I ask those naysayers who scored in overtime for the Spurs? The answer is Kawhi Leonard. In fact, Leonard was the only Spur to score in overtime of Game 6. He scored all 5 of the Spurs overtime shots. He didn't constantly turn over the ball like Manu, he just missed one shot. Kawhi Leonard may be the face of the franchise in the near future and is becoming a superstar right before our eyes. No wonder Popovich gave up George Hill to draft this guy.

Small Forward
Thaddeus Young    Philadelphia 76ers
If we were doing this list before the Eastern Conference Finals I would have certainly told you that Paul George was the most underrated Small Forward. In fact, I would have told you he was the most underrated player in all of basketball. That series though finally really put George on the map. It was mainly George's fantastic play and the Pacers size that pushed Lebron & Co. to 7 games. George was fantastic in that series as he has been all year, and finally started to be seen by most as the superstar that he is. Because many see him as a superstar now, I could not pick him.
The guy I picked is a guy who is seen by most as a solid player, but not as good as he really is. If I had you guess who the most efficient small forward was other than Lebron, Carmelo, KD, and Paul George, who would you say? If you guessed Thaddeus Young you are correct. If you didn't, which is most of you, you can see why Young is the most underrated small forward in the game today.

Power Forward
Tristan Thompson   Cleveland Cavaliers
Tristan Thompson is one of the best young players in the NBA. He is a big reason that many are predicting the Cavs to go to the playoffs this season. Not only are they predicting that, but many are predicting them to get back Lebron and win it all. Players like Thompson increase that possibility. Thompson scored 12 points a game last year and pulled in 9 boards a game. A very solid player for the Cavs.

Center
Greg Monroe          Detroit Pistons

Greg Monroe was a beast last season, but nobody knows it because he plays for Detroit. However, Monroe is their best player and should really be recognized for what he did. Monroe was 11th in rebounding and averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds a game. The guy averaged a double double. His production was off the charts. Everyone knows he is getting it and he still makes it happen. Monroe was a more efficient player last year than Carlos Boozer and Zach Randolph. Nobody knows what he does though outside of hardcore basketball fans. Well now you know.

-Noland

What To Look Forward To In 2013

Instead of looking back and seeing how the year went (it was fantastic by the way in sports!!) I thought I would look forward towards what good will be coming in 2013. I'll look at the 3 major sports for both college and pro and a few of the things that we can look forward to.

Major League Baseball

Nolan Reimold Returns

On this blog I am a big Nolan Reimold fan. He is my second favorite Oriole (now that Andino is gone) and is behind only Nick Markakis on my list of Oriole favorites. Before Reimold went down in May, he was the Oriole's best and most reliable hitter. Look up the stats. Reimold would have been an all-star if he stayed healthy and kept that pace up. This guy can just flat out hit. Imagine the production if he stays healthy. Unfortunately, it is a big if, but we are being optimistic. Oh ya, Markakis returns too!

Full Season of Manny Machado

Manny Machado was brought up late in the year for the Orioles and stabilized their defense. The guy saved the Orioles from what was a disaster at 3rd. Very excited to see what the youngster will do with a full season at 3rd. He is the best non-pitching prospect the Orioles have had in a very long time.

Buster Posey is Back!!!

Buster will try to defend his MVP award in 2013. The guy is an animal. He is also one of the classiest athletes in professional sports. Oh and he is a Seminole! Buster Posey has played two full seasons in Major League Baseball. The Giants have won the World Series in each of Posey's full seasons.

NFL

Christian Ponder Makes Playoff Debut

This may not be very exciting for all NFL fans, but as a CP7 fan and a Seminole alumni, I am psyched for Ponder's playoff debut. The guy is all class and I love that the Vikings are going to the playoffs. Sure, Peterson is the big success story with Minnesota this year, but the Vikings don't beat Houston without that performance from Ponder. Ponder played very well the last two weeks, and I hope it continues this week. This is certainly one game I will be looking forward to this weekend.

Peyton Is Still Great

Peyton Manning is back and almost as good as ever. He led the Broncos to the top seed in the AFC and looks poised to make another Super Bowl run. How can you not be intrigued by this guy's return to the playoffs. A possible game with the Patriots must have ESPN going nuts.

Alfred Morris Is On A Mission

Alfred Morris is a terrific running back and one of the great steals of this past year's draft. He also seems very motivated by his Pro Bowl snub. It will be tough for Seattle to stop Morris and RG3, but they will have to try. This seems to be the game to watch in the 1st round of the playoffs.

NBA

The Spurs Teamwork

Some may call it boring, but I call it the best teamwork in sports. This team is so unselfish and so great and it is something to watch. I cannot wait to see if Pop is able to deliver another title this season. The way this team plays basketball is like poetry in motion. I look forward to more Spurs basketball in 2013.

One Year Closer to David Stern's Retirement

I have not left my feelings for commissioner Stern unknown. Check out my previous entry on him if you want to know more about that. This guy has got to go so the best team can actually win. We can see the Spurs hold that trophy once again if the commish leaves.

College Baseball

#11 Goes For The Title

The Seminoles beloved baseball coach, who I am a big fan of here, goes for that coveted title. This is my #1 team if I had to pick the team I most want to win. Mike Martin is such a loyal and good man. Martin is one of my role models in coaching. A famous quote of his is "there is never a wrong time to do the right thing." A guy like that really deserves to win the big one.

College Football

One Year Closer to Louisville in the ACC

This team should help end the hate against the ACC. Losing Maryland and gaining Louisville was a huge get for the conference. Louisville is much more legit than Louisville. This will help stop the strength of schedule questions that plagued the Seminoles this season. Teddy Bridgewater coming to the ACC sounds big. Pittsburgh and Syracuse join next year too which is also exciting. Both are solid enough that they add another legit opponent.

One Year Closer to a Playoff

Personally I wanted to see Notre Dame play Kansas State or Oregon for the national title. The playoff will help determine which one truly deserves the opportunity. Even if it is Alabama or Florida, I prefer it get settled on the field some way. The playoff is coming soon.

Seminoles Look Strong

The Seminoles had the #1 recruiting class 2 years ago, the #2 class last year and will likely add another top 10 class this year. These Noles look pretty good. They are already 1-0 in 2013 too. Must be a good omen for things to come. I sure will miss Lonnie Pryor though.

Nothing excites me about College Basketball right now.

-Noland

David Stern Is A Joke

The more I think of how David Stern is running the NBA, the more I think he is turning the NBA into a laughingstock. This guy has simply got to go to ensure the viability of the NBA as a sports league. I mean this is getting completely out of hand. Most of us understand what Stern is trying to do, but he is going about it the wrong way.

Now you might think that the picture posted is a bit extreme and that Stern isn't that bad, but just consider the case of the San Antonio Spurs. That team (which is the league's most successful since 1999) keeps getting screwed by the commish. Their most recent offense was sitting older players during a brutal road stretch. The team had a 6 game road trip and was in its final game in that trip. They had to play several in a row and needed to rest a few guys, including the 36 year old Tim Duncan.

Let's not forget either that Gregg Popovich kind of knows what he is doing. The guy has 4 NBA Titles to his credit and has kept the Spurs the class of the NBA despite his franchise player being 36 years old. Don't you think Pop knows best when his guys need a rest. Especially the older players like Duncan and Ginobili. Instead, Stern interjected saying the Spurs were going against the interest of the league and the paying fans. Do we really think the folks in Miami care about Duncan playing? Maybe a few of them, but the overwhelming majority of them were thrilled to see a great game, that the hometown Heat won. In fact the 105-100 game is one of the best games so far in this young season. Perhaps, Stern should thank Pop for making it close, but no a punishment came down instead.

A punishment to the tune of a $250,000 fine. Are you kidding me? A fine for resting old players the NBA is setting a horrible standard here. You notice how despite this happening routinely in every sport, the Spurs are the 1st team in any sport to be fined for this action. I guess because they are the Spurs and Stern hates that the non-marquee team keeps looking great.

Maybe that's why he keeps letting Joey Crawford ref Spurs playoff games. The same Joey Crawford that gave Tim Duncan 2 technicals in one game when he was sitting on the bench. The same Joey Crawford that was outed by convict Tim Donaghy as having a vendetta against Tim Duncan. You see Donaghy passed this information off to bookies so that they could bet against the Spurs when Crawford was ref. It just so happens that every series the Spurs have been knocked out of recently, Joey Crawford has been the ref. Pretty interesting.

If that isn't enough, just consider that Crawford and Donaghy were allowed to ref at any point in the league. Crawford still is allowed to ref. If you don't think he is that bad, click on his name in the tab and watch some videos of him as ref.

Side Note: The Spurs may still win a title before Stern or Crawford retire because they are the best team. However, I guarantee that the season that Stern steps aside, the San Antonio Spurs will be NBA Champions.

David Stern is a complete joke. Many people think the NBA is fixed. I agree that certain series seem fixed. If he really wants to help the NBA and make it as successful as the MLB, then he will stop giving off the impression that the league is fixed. Fix that and it will have much greater benefit than who is on the teams. Clean games with good officiating will appeal to the masses. When fans feel their team is cheated, it drives people away.

-Noland

US Olympic Legend David Robinson

There is so much to like about David Robinson. He played for the Naval Academy. Robinson fulfilled his service commitment for 2 years, giving up two great years in the NBA in the process. The Admiral was also a key piece of the US National team for a number of years. He played in three Olympics and also competed in the World Championships and Pan American Games. The guy also spent his entire career with one team, the San Antonio Spurs. Not only that, but he also grew up in Northern Virginia just like me. Robinson is truly a great American and I can proudly say that he is my all-time favorite athlete.

Let's look a little closer at his Olympic record though. Robinson's Olympic journey started in 1988 before professionals were allowed to play in the Olympics. For those Olympics in Seoul, Robinson carried the team with the help of Danny Manning. There are no other really good players from that squad. The only other players that had solid careers were Mitch Richmond, JR Reid, and Dan Majerle. None of those players were spectacular either. Despite that, the Americans went undefeated in group play. They also blew out two opponents in the championship bracket. Unfortunately, they had one loss in the semifinal to Russia and ended up with the bronze medal. This was the last amateur basketball team the US sent to the Olympics. They definitely were quite competitive.

That would be the last time Robinson failed to win Gold at the Olympics. He came back in 1992 as a member of the dream team. Not only was he on the dream team, but a lot of people don't realize that he was the starting Center on the dream team. At the time, Robinson was the best big man in basketball. The guy dominated at these Olympics. Just as America dominated at these Olympics. There will never be an Olympic basketball team as dominate as the 1992 dream team. The admiral had as much to do with that as MJ.

Following the Dream Team was the 1996 Olympic Team that played the games right here in America. This was the last really good Olympic team. During these Olympics the US again ran through the competition and failed to lose a game. None of the games were really close. Robinson played a huge part in this Olympic victory. This Olympic team was very underrated. Go back and look at that roster. To give you a glimpse at how dominant they were, just look at their Centers versus the center this year. In 1996, we had Robinson, Shaq, and Hakeem. This year all we got is Tyson Chandler. The 1996 team was not far behind the Dream Team.

After his playing career was ended, Robinson was inducted into the US Olympic Hall of Fame Class in 2008. Two golds and one bronze for basketball, not too shabby at all.

-Noland