NBA Playoffs

The NBA playoffs, where anything happens, are here. Even the possibility of a team with a losing record going far isn't unlikely. With over half the teams in, you don't have to be that great to play in the post season, at least not in the east. Detroit's regular season record is 39-43 and is the lowest ranked team to make the playoffs. They will take on the 66-16 Cavs. Since we already know who's going to win, is it really worth playing this one?

At least this wasn't the case in the West where the Suns missed the playoffs with a record of 46-36. It's better to have the problem of a good team not getting in than a bad team getting in but hey, we get both.

The playoffs are great to watch and to many, the beginning of the playoffs is kind of like the end of the regular season. Here are the first round matchups;

In the West:
LA and Utah-This could be Kobe's best chance to win it all without that O'Neal kid from LSU. One thing the Jazz have going for them is their coached by a Hall of Fame coach, but then again, so are the Lakers. LA takes this round in a series sweep.
Chris Paul vs. Nuggets, or New Orleans and Denver- Lets face it, it's going to be the Chris Paul show. The New Orleans Hornets (yeah, still a very bad sounding name) will take this one in five.
Dallas and San Antonio- The battle of the Lone Star State starts in round one. This is probably the best chance of an early upset in all the playoffs. The Spurs are without Ginobli and the Mavs are coming in on a high note. Mavs upset the Spurs in six.
Houston and Portland- Texas got all three of its teams in the playoffs, pretty impressive. Unfortunately though, one of them will knock out the other and the Rockets' chances aren't that great here. Yao needs to step up his game and T-Mac needs to be healthy. Assuming they do that, Rockets win in five.
In The East:
Detroit and Cleveland- Thankfully, this isn't the Browns and Lions. The difference is Cleveland has someone worth watching in Lebron James. He'll be named MVP and will lead the Cavs in a sweep.
Chicago and Boston- No it's not Bird and Jordan. The Celts will likely be without the Big Ticket for the entire playoffs. I don't see them going far without Garnett but I do see them advancing to the second round, beating the Bulls in 6.
Miami and Atlanta- All the Heat have is Dwayne Wade but hey, that'll be enough to win this series in five.
Philadelphia and Orlando- lets not break this one down. Philly doesn't have what takes to upset the No. 3 Magic. Orland wins in five.

Maddenless Football League

OK, not John Madden jokes, but everybody knows by now the Hall of Famer has announced his retirement from the broadcast booth. Madden's broadcasting career lasted for 30 years and will be equally as well known for the Madden NFL video games. He knows a lot about the game of football and always made it that much more entertaining.

The 73-year old said it was just his time to go and he wants to spend some time with his family. “The thing that made it hard is not because I’m second guessing; ‘Is it the right decision?’, but I enjoyed it so damn much,” he said. “I enjoyed the game and the players and the coaches and the film and the travel and everything.”

It's obvious that Madden did enjoy the the players and coaches and some might say he enjoyed one player in particular, and now that he's gone, there's really no point to continuing his own career. "I just did some serious soul searching and I decided, if Brett Favre wasn't going to play, I wasn't going to broadcast because, really, what's the point? If Brett Favre, the greatest athlete in the history of sports in all the universe is retiring, I better retire too because it's kind of pointless. I mean, what is the point? What better time to leave the game than at the same time Brett Favre leaves the game. Now I know what they mean by quit while you're ahead."

Yeah, I know what I said, no Madden jokes, but you didn't actually think I would do it did you? Madden will be missed and he will be replaced by Chris Collinsworth. On a side note (well, almost), if the Madden games do end, he will have ended on a high note seeing as the last player to be on the cover wasn't affected by the curse.

Imaginary Stage Part 2

It's been a while since Imaginary Stage Part 1, but whenever you see Part 1, there has to be a sequel. Well, that's not necessarily true, but hey, in this case, there is a second part. It's a little different though. This time, instead of being in a press conference, I'm opening my imaginary mail. We've seen people like Stuart Scott, Bill Simmons and others do it, but their mail is real. Hey, if mine was, I'd actually read that too. If I don't read your letter, it's because it doesn't actually exist.

Letter One:
Nate, who's your NBA MVP Pick?
Response: Well that was a short letter. As we all know, the names of three guards are being thrown around for this years NBA MVP and not one of them is named Nash. Kobe Bryant, Lebron James or Dwayne Wade will likely take home new hardware that doesn't include the finals. Their teams are nothing without them and might as well be named after them. Imagine watching the L.A. Bryants vs. Cleveland Lebrons in the finals. Alright, that's lame, but you get the idea.
Bryant won it last year but his team fell to a tough Celtic team that also beat Lebron's Cavs earlier. Wade has on finals ring already.If you're saying I'm stalling to answer the question, you're absolutely right. I think Lebron deserves it since the Cavs have the best record so that's the direction I'll go.
Letter two:
Hague Sports (since I don't know your real name), Where do you see Chad Ocho Cinco and Plaxico Burress playing next year?
Reply: First of all, I refuse to call him that. If you want to call him Chad Eight Five that's fine, but I won't give him what he wants. I think one of them will end up in Philly but wouldn't be surprised if Marvin Harrison goes there himself. He's a Syracuse boy who resides in the in the City of Brotherly Love and would be a decent fit. I think Burress will end up in the AFC, maybe with Baltimore or Oakland. How fitting would that be?
Letter Three: Dear Nathan, you have been accepted for a new credit card....
Reply: Crap, how do you think it makes me feel that even my junk mail is fake? OK, that's about all I get.
Letter four: Who's your early season pick for the World Series?
Reply: I can't help but like the Rays. They came out of nowhere and went on that crazy run. I say they'll take it over the Manny and the Dodgers.
Letter five: Your thoughts on this year's NFL schedule?
Reply: I just scanned through it. I know the NFC East is playing the AFC West so that should be interesting.
Letter six: Hey man, you saw the new Cowboys Stadium. What did you think?
Reply: I think it's pretty big. The screen is actually bigger than my dad's so it should be pretty cool. Well that about does it for me. I've done about all the reading I can handle. It's pretty close to dinner time again.