Thursday, June 28, 2012

Mission [Not Yet] Accomplished

The poor saps who wrote Death to the BCS said their book is bound for the clearance bin. Yes, the Cartel and Presidential Oversight Committee have finally agreed to a playoff, but we still have a long way to go. I celebrate the initial victory by looking at this new system that has yet to see all the wrinkles ironed out.

Other than the fact that they expanded to some sort of playoff, I'm not a huge fan of this new system in terms of how it's implemented. With the system as is currently envisioned I think it is a decent Band-Aid. With 4 teams I can live with the semifinals being played within the context of the current BCS bowls but for the future plan I still want the higher seeded teams in the playoffs to host the games up through the title game.

I'm for a selection committee as well, at least in theory. The scenario I fear has several big conference big wigs on the committee and their potential to be biased towards the power conference schools as opposed to the mid majors who have long threatened the money grab. Everyone deserves an equal shot at these playoffs and the committee needs to take this into account. By design strength of schedule will (unfortunately) tilt towards the bigger schools, but we can't see unbeaten schools get left out without a VERY GOOD reason.

The reason I critique this proposed revamp is because there are still too many holes. I have long been and continue to be for a 16 team playoff. I agree that of those 16, probably only 4 a year would have a realistic shot at a title.

That argument from people in favor of the status quo or the revamp continues to be a big thorn in the side of playoff pundits like me, but their continued argument about the "sanctity "of the regular season baffles me. This past season already ruined the "sanctity" of the regular season. Regardless of whether or not LSU and Alabama were the best two teams (in a vacuum, makes sense), Bama got a shot in the regular season and couldn't take advantage... and because they were so close (plus a tough road double overtime loss by Oklahoma State) they got a rematch.

And that's part of why a playoff is so important. I don't mind a rematch for a national title... as long as the participants earn their way there by playing some of the best teams that season. Take the 11 conference champions and fill the bracket with other deserving teams. Every undefeated team will automatically get in by virtue of the conference champions provision except the Notre Dame's of the FBS, but would get in on my watch regardless for running the table. Most, if not all the at large bids will likely be big conference teams anyway, though not always.

There will be debate and bitterness, sure. But primarily using conference champions means the regular season matters- for everyone. Right now a mid major could go 11-1 and they'd get left out for not beating anyone of significance and for their one loss. In the current system, "Every game counts", except it really doesn't. Even out of conference games will retain importance as they can really help with seeding. And since my ideal system rewards the best teams with home field for one or two or even three weeks, what incentive would teams have for not running the table? Say Ohio State is 11-0 going into its last game against Michigan and no other team has fewer than 2 losses. OSU is pretty much assured of a berth in the B1G title game, but they're playing Michigan. Why throw that game? Why would LSU or Alabama rest guys against each other? Or Texas and Oklahoma? I don't see the NFL pattern of resting guys happening. If you can leave no doubt that you're a #1 seed, take advantage of that opening and guarantee games at your campus for as long as you're in the playoffs until the title game, not to mention likely facing the Sun Belt (or similar conference) champion right away, all but a guaranteed early win.

The revolution is not yet done. We have a rough concept of what we want, but it will take time before it fully takes shape. Support your teams, but yearn for a day when we finally have a fair system to determine a battle tested champion.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Raging Heat

I'm on vacation, but this is unfortunately a big deal. I couldn't even watch the end of this game. I had to listen to it on my phone, but I can't watch Miami celebrate.

Two years ago the NBA got its villain in the Heat and a team for the country to hate. Last year they couldn't handle that constant bullseye. This year many continued to say that they couldn't handle the pressure. But this year's incarnation is different.

The theme with every NBA champion in terms of the layout of their team is simple. You have one definitive alpha dog superstar, one or two wingmen and several role players. Miami got it figured out this postseason. LeBron made the leap starting in Game 4 of the Indiana series and Wade moved into the second banana role. Having Bosh back helped, and he played the role they needed him to. But it was also the role guys that stepped up. Haslem played good defense. Shane Battier played out of his mind in the Finals. Mike Miller got hot in this finale. Mario Chalmers was great, and Norris Cole was good off the bench. That's 8 guys, that's what's needed to win.

Fairly or not, this series will be overshadowed by the poor officiating throughout the playoffs. I didn't see much of Game 5 tonight, but I found myself screaming at my TV on Tuesday about missed calls. I saw on Facebook more complaints tonight. It had its impact on this series, but at the end of the day Miami won the Finals and Oklahoma City lost. The Thunder couldn't play a complete game all series long, and Miami knew how to close out games.

As I type this, the Heat just officially closed it out. I'm upset, but they earned the title. LeBron showed all postseason long that he had developed the heart of a champion and he absolutely deserves to be the Finals MVP.

As angry as this makes me, congratulations to the Miami Heat. They made a nice run this spring. The next question: Can they defend the title?

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Happy Father's Day

To a Dad who, from an early age, tried to instill in me a love of sports.

To a Dad who tried (but failed... ha ha Dad) to get me to root for his team by dressing me in Minnesota Vikings clothes as a baby, only to see me pick not only a division rival (as well as skip over the hometown team), but to pick both teams' archrival. (And be rewarded with 2 Super Bowls and counting in my lifetime).

To a Dad who got me active in sports from a young age, playing Park District soccer and being a coach for my first 2 seasons, while being a supportive parent at games for years afterward.

To a Dad who loved playing basketball, football, or whiffleball in the driveway or the yard with a young, energetic me and tried to teach me love for the game.

To a Dad who got me to and from countless basketball practices in junior high and high school, and made it to games watching me evolve from a kid version of Brian Scalabrine, to a destitute homeless man's Moses Malone, back to Brian Scalabrine (2009 Boston version), to a poor man's Omer Asik, back to Brian Scalabrine again after I nearly walked away from a game I loved. And it's largely thanks to him that I came back to basketball.

To a Dad who took me to the Metrodome in the early 90's to see Kirby Puckett and the Twins play, only to have me want to leave near the end of the game. To a Dad who since then has taken me to Wrigley Field countless times and added in fun road trips, including several treks to Milwaukee, a few more to Minnesota, and long road trips to Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati as well as St. Louis and Kansas City. To a Dad who taught me the art of scorekeeping, something I've continued to do at nearly every Major League game I've been to, occasionally amazing some older fans that a young kid was continuing a dying art.

To a Dad who supported me wearing holy colors in an unholy land and living to tell the tale.
To a Dad who made an effort to listen to games I called when my playing career ended and I got involved at WONC, then later on at WROK and at iHigh.com for a Christmas tournament. To a Dad who also takes time to read my work on here and offer occasional advice and criticism, as well as flat out enjoying the occasional story I tell.

But most importantly, to a Dad who, together with my wonderful Mom tried their hardest to raise me and my brother and guide us along the straight and narrow, and who, after all life has thrown at him, does everything he can to continue to raise us and be a shining example of what a man, husband, and father should aspire to be.

I hope in a few years, when I'm married and have kids of my own, I can be in the same ballpark of the kind of father he has been to me.

Happy Father's Day, Dad, and to all dads out there.

Friday, June 15, 2012

We Have a Finals!

It can be a little tiring, but I've been able to catch 2nd halves of several NBA playoff games, including both games of the Finals so far. When you take officiating out of the equation (overall, a sham in these playoffs), the games have been fantastic. So it comes as no surprise to me that the Finals shifts to Miami that we're tied at one game apiece.

Game 1 could have been something of a classic with the way Oklahoma City came back to win and in how they closed out the win. Game 2 saw Miami jump out to an early lead and made it a big lead. That's been the biggest problem for the Thunder: they start really slow and have to come back. Durant and Westbrook epitomize this the most; both guys have started really slow shooting in both games so far. And Miami has brought it in both games. The scary part is that it's not just LeBron and to a lesser extent Wade going off. Yesterday Bosh has a monster game (16-15) and Shane Battier looks like North Central's offense when they were putting Wheaton away in the CCIW title game. I thought he wouldn't be able to replicate his outside shooting from Game 1, but he's looking like what Bulls fans wanted from Keith Bogans last year. It's been incredible.

The best part about this series is that both games have been decided in the 4th quarter. Kevin Durant has been saving his best for the final few minutes of each game. He's got 34 points in the 4th quarters of the 2 games combined. It's been incredible. When he's needed to hit a big shot, he's hit it with the exception of that last shot with about 10 seconds left (more on this later).

On the other side of the coin, LeBron hasn't been daunting in the final frame still, shooting 3-9 in both 4th quarters with some turnovers. He's had 30 and 32 in these games, a drastic change from previous Finals. But last night LeBron had the 4 most crucial points for the Heat. His banker late extended Miami's lead to 5 (and it was a tough shot). He also had those icing free throws at the end that, the argument could be made, he shouldn't have taken.

When Durant took that shot on the baseline at the end, the entire Chesapeake Energy Arena was up in arms. So was Twitter. In real time I thought nothing of the shot, but watching the replay, LeBron has quite a bit of an arm bar on Durant. In most universes, that's a foul. I don't know if they missed it, wanted to "let the players play", or if the fix is in. I don't think I believe option 3 is true, so I don't know what happened. I think it was a foul. But that didn't decide the game.

I thought OKC made this game closer than they maybe should have in that they had a huge deficit to overcome. They waited too long to assert themselves and try to tie or take the lead. With probably about 4 minutes left I knew Miami was winning. The Thunder just didn't want that and made it a photo finish.

The pressure here is clearly on Oklahoma City. Game 3 is not must-win for them, but they need to grab 2 out of 3 in Miami to have the best shot at winning the title. To do that, they need to get an earlier jump on the Heat. That means attacking the basket, reestablishing the defense, trying to get the ball in transition, and rebounding the ball.

No matter what happens, this has the makings of a great series. And the superstars of each team are the front runners for Finals MVP.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Turn Up the Heat, Crank Up the Thunder

It certainly wasn't how we all thought it would happen. But one of the most expected Finals matchups coming into the playoffs ended up happening.

I had a chance to watch decent chunks of a lot of the conference finals games these past couple weeks. And really, these series were both really entertaining, albeit possibly tainted by officials. That being said, I'm convinced the two best teams will battle it out in the Finals.

Oklahoma City Thunder
These guys have learned well from the years of San Antonio's success. This is a team that knows how to play team basketball, and they have a lot of firepower. We're seeing Kevin Durant grow up before our eyes. This team has run through a veritable gauntlet on its way to the Finals after sweeping through Dallas (who, to be fair, was nowhere near championship level after winning it all last year), taking care of business against the Lakers (with Durant out-clutching Kobe) and surviving those early losses to the Spurs before taking over.

It's hard not to love this team. Kevin Durant reminds me a lot of our own superstar here in Chicago in his humility but dominance on the court. Russell Westbrook can be a little bit of a Teen Wolf at times, which is a problem, but I think he's handled everything well this postseason. And it's hard not to love a guy like James Harden, who is willing to come off the bench because it helps the team. Beyond that, the role players here are going to have to bring it. Kendrick Perkins isn't much on offense, but he needs to figure out how to take advantage of the likes of Joel Anthony down low. And Thabo Sefolosha will have his hands full on defense (most likely on Wade).

I think the Thunder can do it, but that supporting cast needs to continue to step up. Having home court advantage helps too.

Miami Heat
I would probably be in the group of people a lot of folks (read: Heat "fans") who think I'm a "hater". I don't like LeBron James because of his perceived arrogance on the court, and I hate Dwayne Wade for his crybaby antics and dirty play (the regular flopping and I'm still not happy about that flagrant-that-wasn't against Indiana). They play more like individuals sometimes than as a team unit, and throw off the dynamic of what basketball is supposed to be about.

Having said that... Miami has been as resilient a squad as any this postseason, other than Boston, who they just eliminated. They survived the loss of Chris Bosh to hang on and get this far, and they've also survived Wade not playing very well overall. He's had some good games, but he's also had some lousy games. The biggest reason for this? The guy everyone loves to hate: LeBron.

It's seemed like since the Heat went down 2-1 to Indy in the semis, something snapped in LeBron. In the 10 games since, here's his lines (points-rebounds-assists):
  • 40-18-9
  • 30-10-8
  • 28-6-7
  • 32-13-3
  • 34-10-7
  • 34-8-5
  • 29-6-3
  • 30-13-2
  • 45-15-5
  • 31-12-2
For those of you scoring at home, that's 33.3 PPG, 11.1 RPG, and 5.1 APG. I've bolded that pair of 40 point games for a reason; the first was his Game 4 against Indy, and the second was Game 6 against Boston. Those games were the only times the Heat have trailed in a series this postseason. When his team has needed him the most, he's been there. You can say what you want about the lack of 4th quarter chops, but I call these numbers clutch and MVP-caliber. He's raised his game to another level. You'll notice his assists are down from the regular season (4.9 to 3.9 total over the whole playoffs), but his points are going up.

Look at his expression from the past couple of games. He's bringing it all. Some people thought that 48 point game against Detroit in 2007 was his coming out party, though since then we've seen some major postseason meltdowns. This year it's different. This year's Miami team scares me. Wade has not been great and Bosh is still recovering a little bit from his strained abdomen, but LeBron has put the team on his back. But the role players are getting it done too. Mario Chalmers is building on his success from last postseason, and Shane Battier is hitting the open shots while playing good defense. That's what you need your team to do: let the superstars do their work, but you need your role players to step up and make a difference. These guys are doing that this year.

Make no mistake: the Finals will not end in Miami. This series will go back to Oklahoma City for at least one extra game, and I wouldn't be surprised it there are two. I think home court advantage (all OKC as they haven't lost at Chesapeake Arena) and the role players (advantage OKC as well) will play a factor. But most importantly: it's the superstars. The Finals make or break a superstar's legacy. Durant is not even in his prime yet, so his legend is not yet written. LeBron is 0-2 in the Finals so far, but he has a chance to raise his game and make a difference and earn himself a ring. He's earned his way this far. Whichever superstar outshines the other will lead his team to victory.

The Bulls fan in me wants it to be Durant and the Thunder. But if LeBron saddles the load and leads the Heat up the mountain, I hope the jokes stop. They will from me. 2012 is either his coming out party or his resignation back to the Barkley-Malone suite of stars who couldn't win it all. Either way, this will be a Finals to remember.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Unleash the Chaos

It's the beginning of June and we're still a little ways off from the beginning of NFL training camps and the relevance of big time football. But why wait until then for fun football?

Last year I had the opportunity to work as the public address announcer for a minor league football team in their inaugural season in Aurora. The Kane County Chaos fell short of the playoffs in the Great Midwest Football League, a semipro league that has been around since 2007 and gives talented players a chance to continue their dreams of playing football.

Last year's Chaos team was fun to watch; a very good offensive team that returns its major playmakers, including the GMFL's Offensive Player of the Year in quarterback John Nunally, who retains his top wideout in fellow North Central grad Tom McGinnis. They also have a decent ball hawking defense that has allowed just 6 points in its 2 preseason games (both wins).

The 2012 GMFL regular season begins tomorrow, with the Chaos playing at West Aurora High School (their home field) against the Chicago Cardinals. Tickets to the game are just $7, and concessions are fairly cheap. The staff is very friendly, and it's a great experience not just as a sports fan, but as something to take your kids to to enjoy a fun evening out.

I will not be attending the season opener due to Thrice's final Chicago concert, but I'm hoping to make my way out to West Aurora for some of their later home dates to work the PA system again. Go support local sports, and go Chaos!