2013-14 NBA PREDICTIONS

 

EAST                                                                                                     WEST

 

1)    Miami                                                                                             1)  Oklahoma City

2)    Chicago                                                                                          2)  San Antonio

3)    Brooklyn                                                                                        3)  Los Angeles C

4)    Indiana                                                                                           4)  Houston 

5)    New York                                                                                      5)  Memphis

6)    Detroit                                                                                            6)  Golden State

7)    Cleveland                                                                                       7)  Denver

8)    Boston                                                                                            8)  Dallas

                                                                                                                                                      

9)    Atlanta                                                                                            9)  Minnesota

10)  Toronto                                                                                          10)  Portland

11)  Washington                                                                                    11)  Los Angeles L

12)  Philadelphia                                                                                   12)  Utah              

13)  Charlotte                                                                                        13)  New Orleans

14)  Milwaukee                                                                                     14)  Sacramento

15)  Orlando                                                                                          15)  Phoenix

 

Season Awards

MVP- Kevin Durant

Rookie- Trey Burke

Defensive- Josh Smith

Most Improved- John Wall

Sixth Man- Tyreke Evans

Coach- Mark Jackson

 

NBA PLAYOFFS

 

1st Round

 

MIA def BOS                                                                                        OKC def DAL

CHI def CLE                                                                                         DEN def SA

BRK def DET                                                                                        LAC def GS

IND def NY                                                                                           MEM def HOU

 

Conference Semifinals

 

MIA def IND                                                                                         OKC def MEM

CHI def BRK                                                                                         LAC def DEN

 

Conference Finals

 

CHI def MIA                                                                                          OKC def LAC

 

2014 NBA FINALS

 

Oklahoma City def Chicago

 

Finals MVP- Kevin Durant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



2013-2014 NFL Predictions

2013-2014 NFL Predictions

 

 

Ah the cold breeze is in the air which can only mean one thing: IT'S FOOTBALL SEASON. My Yankees are doing better than expected but I'm still not too high on their hopes so it's time to start focusing more attention on football and my beloved Detroit Lions.... ugh. Last year I correctly predicted the Baltimore Ravens to win the Super Bowl (just check the archive on the right) so I'm trying to go back to back years here... Well here's on how I predict the upcoming NFL season to play out.

 

 

AFC EAST                                                                           NFC EAST

 

New England        11-5                                                         New York                11-5

Miami                     8-8                                                         Dallas                       10-6

Buffalo                  3-13                                                        Washington                8-8

New York             3-13                                                         Philadelphia             4-12

 

AFC NORTH                                                                        NFC NORTH

 

Cincinnati              10-6                                                       Green Bay                 12-4

Cleveland                9-7                                                        Chicago                    10-6

Baltimore                8-8                                                        Detroit                        7-9

Pittsburgh               7-9                                                        Minnesota                  6-10

 

AFC SOUTH                                                                       NFC SOUTH

 

Houston                  12-4                                                     New Orleans               11-5

Indianapolis            10-6                                                     Atlanta                        11-5

Tennessee               6-10                                                     Tampa Bay                   7-9

Jacksonville            4-12                                                     Carolina                      5-11

 

AFC WEST                                                                         NFC WEST

 

Denver                    13-3                                                    San Francisco               13-3

Kansas City              7-9                                                    Seattle                           9-7

San Diego               5-11                                                    St. Louis                       8-8

Oakland                  4-12                                                    Arizona                         4-12

Division Breakdown
AFC EAST- The Patriots will win by default though I question the quality of this football team. The offense will still score as long as number twelve plays but their defense is shoddy and questionable. Miami just isn't quite there yet. I'm not a believer in Tannehill to lead them to the playoffs. The loss of Reggie Bush will hurt them and Lamar Miller isn't likely going to be a good replacement. A team receiving worthless hype. As for the Bills and the Jets, well at least the Bills have a good running back in C.J. Spiller.  I wonder how the Jets will win games but they will find a way. They will not get any quality wins against good teams and it's just a matter of being better than the other team three times out of sixteen.

AFC NORTH- This simply is the Bengals to lose. Too much talent on offense and defense to not win this division. The addition of James Harrison should help if he doesn't do something stupid. Balanced attack in the air and the ground and a quality defense equals a quality football team they should host and win their first playoff game this year. My sleeper of the year also comes from this division: The Cleveland Browns. Yup, with an improved defense and development of Brandon Weeden who has an absolute hose of an arm, this team will get into the postseason. This is also due to the lack of quality teams in the AFC which will help them. The Ravens have lost too much not only talent but leadership which is why they miss out by a game and Pittsburgh is getting old and ther talent has depleted having lost Mike Wallace to Miami and really not having any quality running backs.

AFC SOUTH- While Denver is the sexy pick of the AFC, I think Houston is sort of flying under the radar. A fantastic upgrade in acquiring Ed Reed from the Super Bowl Champion Ravens, adding to an already quality defense definitely keeps this team in contention. They just need to stay healthy. Indianapolis is an interesting team. They have the talent to make the playoffs but do they still have the heart? They seemed to play with an extra chip on their shoulder with Chuck Pagano surviving cancer but will they keep it up. I say yes but they are very iffy considering their lackluster defense and if they can get a little more "Luck". Tennessee is not close though I predict CJ2K to make a return to relevance (on my fantasy team). I don't know if Fitzpatrick or Locker is really the right choice and their defense is nothing. Jacksonville is just plain awful but they get some sneaky wins in there. They need to find a way to get rid of Gabbert and Henne and get ready to draft a quarterback whether it's Bridgewater from Louisville or whatever the next best Quarterback comes up considering they will likely be the first ones to draft one.

AFC WEST- Denver has all the right pieces to win it all. They should be a breeze to win the division and possibly claim the #1 overall seed throughout the playoffs. It's just going to come down to winning the big game for them which something tells me they wont since they are everyone's favorite. Kansas City is overrated and will not likely live up to the hype(again). San Diego is garbage but Phillip Rivers pulls out a few pointless wins even if Ryan Matthews improves and stays healthy. Oakland is even worse. I honestly don't know what to say about this team that's positive except for the potential, and I say potential that Darren McFadden can stay healthy.

NFC EAST- Before I start on this division the common theme that will occur for the upcoming teams is that there is a ton of tough competition in the NFC. There are a handful of teams that if they were in the AFC will probably make the playoffs. having said that, we shall start in the East. The Giants are getting no respect from analysts and experts and all the hype is going to the Cowboys and Redskins while all the drama goes to the Eagles. The Giants will fly by all of them to claim the division crown behind Eli and crew but they need to make improvements on defense to contend for a championship. Dallas in my opinion is really the only ones who have a chance to overcome the Giants because of the talent on paper, but that's what it always comes down to with the Cowboys. Not being able to deliver when is counts. They will fail again as usual. Now I'm not usually one to predict injuries but I think it's pretty obvious Robert Griffin III will get hurt again. He doesn't have Cam Newton build but has his game. He may go down as the best player to never fully get a shot due to injuries on a Ken Griffey Jr. scale, shame but "hey" that's the game of football. I also don't think they have the talent around him offensively to really keep it up. Philadelphia is a rebuilding process. Chip Kelly is a good coach for this team and LeSean McCoy should have a monster year but their defense is abysmal and Michael Vick is done and again will likely get hurt again.

NFC NORTH- My favorite division in football. Rough and tough history and oh my favorite team resides in this division. Having said that it's hard to go against the Packers to win the division again. On paper they have the talent but they need to find a way to beat the 49ers. Their defense needs to step up as well. I think the Bears squeak in but by the luck of tiebreakers over Dallas. I question their defense and question their health but if they are healthy they have a good football team despite losing Lovie Smith. Now here's my Lions.... They have just about as much talent on offense as any team in the league however they didn't really improve their secondary which is always the issue along with their offensive line. Much improved record wise but they fall short mainly because the quality of team theme. Minnesota is your one and done of last year. Ponder is trash, they lost Percy Harvin and Greg Jennings needs a good quarterback to play good. Adrian Peterson can't carry this team again in the best division in football.

NFC SOUTH- This has the potential to be a highly competitive division but I believe during the regular season the return of Sean Payton will bring New Orleans back to it's prominent sate of dominance. They have that chip on their shoulder trying to reclaim what they lost from bounty-gate. Atlanta is pretty much neck and neck with New Orleans. An improved running game is a plus and the addition of Osi Umenyiora should help out the poor defense. If the defense steps up this is the most complete team in football. Tampa has a lot of potential but I'm still not a believer in Josh Freeman. Doug Martin is also overrated as a fantasy back because most of his points came from only a couple games last year. They improved their defense but they don't have enough offense to keep up in the competitive NFC. Carolina is a potential sleeper but they need more pieces on defense to support Luke Kuechly and they need to improve that abysmal running game to help out Cam Newton.

NFC WEST- Well it's the media's favorite division in football. San Francisco and Colin Kaepernick are one of the NFC favorites to return to the Super Bowl. A good team overall but I'm not sold on Kaepernick on being what Ron Jaworski claims to be a "potential Hall of Fame quarterback." That's absolutely outrageous. The defense is what keeps them in contention but it does eventually come down to Kaepernick. If he prevails they are likely Super Bowl contenders though I don't think he will. Well in case no one noticed, everyone's favorite team, the Seattle Seahawks, in my predictions, wont make the playoffs, and I highly stand by that. Here crowns the most overrated team in football. I believe Russell Wilson is overrated and their offense is overrated. Every analysts "hot pick" wont make the playoffs. You will see Russell Wilson be no more than a mediocre quarterback and the reason this team is above .500 is because of a high quality secondary and defense. The Rams are a work in progress and Tayvon Austin is going to be interesting to watch but they don't have enough yet to contend. Arizona needs to hit the reset button but I am a believer in Bruce Arians considering what he did with the Colts.
 

REGULAR SEASON AWARDS

 

MVP- Peyton Manning

Offensive Player- Drew Brees

Defensive Player- Patrick Willis

Offensive Rookie- Tayvon Austin

Defensive Rookie- Tyrann Matheiu

Comeback Player- LeSean McCoy

Coach- Sean Payton

 

 

PLAYOFFS

 

Wild Card Round

Cleveland           16                                                        Chicago             13

New England    27                                                        New York         20

 

Indianapolis        13                                                       Atlanta               35

Cincinnati          23                                                       New Orleans      33

 

Divisional Round

New England      20                                                       New York          20

Houston              33                                                      Green Bay         35

 

Cincinnati            17                                                      Atlanta               24

Denver                31                                                      San Francisco     20

 

Conference Championship

Houston              28                                                      Atlanta                 35

Denver                 24                                                     Green Bay             24

 

 

SUPER BOWL XLVIII

 

ATLANTA 28 - HOUSTON 20

 

SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS - ATLANTA FALCONS

 

SUPER BOWL MVP- Matt Ryan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



2013 MLB Predictions

 

 

2013 MLB Predictions

 



It's that time of the year again. Spring is in the air and you know what that means...... BASEBALL IS BACK! Ugh I can only take so much Heat and Laker talk. My March Madness bracket was destroyed and the Rangers stink so my care for hockey has decreased. So I gave the blog a new twist. Its simply a predictions blog now. It's to focus more on what we care about and give you guys a better opportunity to just focus on voicing your opinion. It looks to be an exciting and wide open season and without further ado, here are my predictions for the upcoming baseball season.

 

 

AL EAST                           NL EAST

Rays           92-70              Nationals        95-67

Yankees     85-77              Braves            91-71

Blue Jays   83-79               Phillies           79-83

Orioles       80-82               Mets               76-86

Red Sox     76-86               Marlins           61-101

 

AL CENTRAL                  NL CENTRAL

Tigers        94-68               Reds                 98-64

Royals       91-71               Pirates              86-76

White Sox 79-83               Cardinals           84-78

Indians      72-90               Brewers            73-89

Twins        62-100             Cubs                 66-96

 

AL WEST                         NL WEST

Angels      96-66                Dodgers         101-61

Rangers    87-75                Giants              85-77

Mariners   81-81                Diamondbacks 79-83

Athletics   78-84                Padres             76-86

Astros       56-106              Rockies           73-89

 

AL ANALYSIS:

East- The Blue Jays will be this year's overhyped team. No one in this division stands out for the aspect of the regular season. The Yankees are declining due to what I believe are very questionably bad front office decisions, multiple injuries, and A-(insert insulting comment). I think the Orioles pitching will come back to earth and the Red Sox are clearly rebuilding and I just don't see them having an all out great season but the talent on that team will prevent them from having an abysmal season. The Rays' pitching is too strong. 

Central- The Tigers are too talented to not win the division but I think they are slightly overrated. They lose Delmon Young who is a quality bat for them and I just don't think the new acquisitions were what they needed. The Royals are my sleeper this year. I think this will finally be the year their youth clicks and with an improved pitching staff with Shields, Santana, and a solid bullpen, they will be the surprise team of the year. Indians will be much improved with Francona and the other additions but they have major pitching issues and I think the same with the White Sox in that their pitching will not be the same as it was last year. As for the Twins, well, Mauer and Morneau trade talks will come arise.

West- I think the Angels, like the Tigers, have too much talent not to win the division. The Rangers offense wont be the same without Josh Hamilton (went to L.A. for those who somehow don't know) and I think their pitching again will get the best of them. Their remaining offense will carry them into the Wild Card game but nothing more than that as this starts for the decline of this powerhouse team. The A's wont be the same team as last year and I think they are a "one and done" (team who makes the playoffs as a surprise, then collapses the year after) just like the Diamondbacks of last year. The Mariners are a sneaky team that can contend behind their ace; Felix Hernandez. And I'll keep this short and sweet for you for this last one. Lookout '62 Mets, the 2013 Astros are coming for you!

 

NL ANALYSIS:

East- A very strong division, perhaps best in baseball will be lead by the next dynasty in the making; the Washington Nationals. Their youth has clicked, strong pitching, strong hitting despite the loss of Morse and solid bullpen (besides Storen). The Braves will be the talented team to come out in second. Major improvements will help this team and it's their turn for their young pitchers to step up because they will need them to. The Phillies are a team that can contend if things go right, however I don't think they will. I think Cliff Lee is done and dried up. Halladay is on a decline although a solid season is very possible. The Mets were going to be one of my sleeper teams, until the baseball gods realized they were the Mets, and now with the Johan injury they will have to wait a year to surprise the league but their future looks promising with Matt Harvey, Zach Wheeler, and Travis d'Arnaud. The Marlins will compete with Houston for the worst record in the majors and regret dumping their talent.

Central- The clear powerhouse in this division is the Reds. I think their pitching is solid and their offense is superb. Their back end of the rotation will decide the fate of this team. The Pirates will finally, after a couple years of looking good, will finally make the playoffs. This is be the year and Andrew McCutchen will lead this team out of misery. I think the Cardinals start to decline despite the resurgence of Adam Wainwright. I'm not a believer in their back part of their rotation and bullpen but their solid offense will allow them to contend for the postseason. The Brewers will struggle to win games with a very bad pitching staff and an offense who's window is closing. The Cubs lack of talent may drive their fans to finally stop showing up to games. They will trade (and need to) Matt Garza and Alfonso Soriano and will look to youth to keep this team from hitting 100 losses.

West- I think the Dodgers will sort of live up to the hype. They have too much talent of players in their prime. If Hanley had not gone down with the early injury I would have him as an MVP Candidate, but Kemp and Adrian Gonzalez will keep this team thriving. Bullpen is their big question along with offensive depth and their run will come down to if Greinke can keep his cool. The Giants will decline a little again as they did two years ago after winning the World Series. Their offense will go back to be below par and I think their rotation has a slight chance to become chaotic with the questionable position of Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito will implode. The Padres are promising but them and the Rockies are years away from contending.

 

Regular Season Awards

AL MVP- Evan Longoria

AL CY YOUNG- Jered Weaver

AL MANAGER- Ned Yost

AL ROOKIE- Wil Myers

 

NL MVP- Andrew McCutchen

NL CY YOUNG- Johnny Cueto

NL MANAGER- Clint Hurdle

NL ROOKIE- Gerrit Cole

 

2013 Playoffs

AL Wild Card

Kansas City defeats Texas

NL Wild Card

Atlanta defeats Pittsburgh

 

ALDS

Los Angeles over Kansas City in 3

Tampa Bay over Detroit in 5

NLDS

Los Angeles over Atlanta in 4

Washington over Cincinnati in 5

 

ALCS

Tampa Bay over Los Angeles in 6

NLCS

Washington over Los Angeles in 7

 

2013 World Series

Washington Nationals defeat Tampa Bay Rays in 6 games

MVP- Ryan Zimmerman