NBA Playoffs

Spurs-Mavs: Dallas leads 2-1

I pick this series to be Spurs in 6. The Duncan vs Dirk grudge match adds drama which will make this a tough series for the Spurs.

Thunder-Grizzles: Series tied 2-2

I  pick this series to be Thunder in 7. The Thunder don't match up well with the Grizzlies toughness. The Grizzlies drain every ounce of talent from the opponent and work the post. Ultimately I pick the Thunder because Westbrook will sit at some point and allow Durant to dominant like he did during the season. If he doesn't sit the Grizzles will win in 6.


Clippers-Warriors: Series tied 2-2

I pick this series to be Clippers in 6. However the recent scandal with owner Donald Sterling could become an Achilles heel for the Clips.  I have generally not been impressed with the Clippers during the playoffs in recent years but they proved in games 2 and 3 that they can play with the same spirit they play with in the regular season in the playoffs. Something the Clippers have to do is make a deep playoff run in order to show Donald Sterling that they will still play as a team and for each other rather than allow him to overshadow a great season they have had so far.

Rockets-Blazers: Portland lead 3-1

I pick this series to be  Blazers in 6. Lamarcus Aldridge completely owns Dwight Howard and the rest of the Rockets big men. To add to the Blazers favor the Rockets refuse to play with their play makers and run pick n' pops with Harden and Lin around the perimeter.



Pacers-Hawks: Atlanta lead 3-2

I pick this series to be Pacers in 7. We can only speculate as to why the Pacers suddenly collapsed the second half of the season, however Paul George still has the ability to take over a series. Larry needs to talk to his team if they want to have any chance of competing with Miami in the Eastern Conference.

Heat-Bobcats

Series Over: Miami 4-0


Raptors-Nets: Series tied 2-2

I pick this series to be Nets in 6. The Raptors have had a good run and will put up an effort all of Canada can be proud of but they won't make it out of the first round. The Nets are tough, spread out on Offense and have too much of a veteran presence for the young Raptors.

Bulls-Wizards: Washington lead 3-1

I pick this series to be Wizards in 6. Unless the Bulls start showering 5 hour energy's I serious see Nene and Gortat destroying them. I suggest coach T try to play more of his bench.

-Chris Schlierman

4 Corner's NBA Award picks

M.V.P.

Candidates
Joakim Noah- Has become an all around passer, scorer, rebounder and possibly best big man in the game.
Kevin Durant: Has gone on a scoring tear mainly in part of Russel Westbrook's knee.
*Al Jefferson: Has worked miracles for the Bobcats of all teams.
Lamarcus Aldridge: Has doubled his production this year with a Trail Blazers team that showed improvement this season.

Defensive Player of the Year

Candidates
Roy Hibbert: Has been a defensive power for much of the season.
Chris Bosh: Still hangs out behind Wade and LeBron.
*Andre Iguodala: Has single handedly turned the Warriors into a defensive monster.
Kawhi Leonard: Is the defensive captain on the best defensive team.

Rookie
The rookie of the year award goes to the first year player who has solidified his role in the League.

Candidates
Miles Plumlee: Has become a serious role player for the Nets
*Michael Carter Williams: Was the only highlight for a terrible 76er's team.
Matt Dellavedova: Has been the most productive Cav since Lebron. Bench player with positive +/-



6th Man
The Leagues 6th man award goes to the player who has made the most significant impact coming off the bench.

Candidates
*Jamal Crawford: Has won this award multiple times but is still the best bench player in the league.
Taj Gibson: Has become a threat off the bench and a fan favorite in Chicago.

Improved
The Leagues most improved goes to the player has most significantly change their status in the league. Most commonly done through more playing time and increased stats.

Candidates
X Henry: Went from bust to household name on a dreadful Lakers team.
*Kendall Marshall: Was in the D League to start the season and ended up starting for the Lakers.
Terrence Jones: Has gone from bench warmer to starting Power Forward for the Rockets.
Andre Drummond: Went from Pistons 6 man to starting Center with impressive numbers.
-Chris Schlierman

All Things Dodgers: Season Preview

As baseball season kicks off I get reminded constantly by my peers as to why they believe it is the most boring sport to watch. One thing everyone seems to forget, is that baseball season marks the end of Winter and the beginning of Summer. Now that baseball is back, its time to bring out the BBQ's and lawn chairs and kick the Summer off right.

This Dodger season has started rocky with injuries to AJ Ellis and Yasiel Puig who are key components to their success. Ellis, who tore his left meniscus during Saturdays game rounding third base later stated that the same knee had been bothering him all through spring training. Ellis had arthroscopic surgery Tuesday afternoon and is expected to return to the line up somewhere around four to six weeks, but could be as long as eight weeks as this is the second knee surgery for Ellis in the past 18 months.  While this affects the Dodgers offensively, where they will really take a hit is with their pitching and defense. 

Yasiel Puig is an entirely different issue that might hurt the Dodgers more than the injuries. The 23 year old Cuban outfielder who shocked the baseball world last year exploding onto the scene and immediately making his presence known has been arrested twice in the past year since joining the Dodgers last June. Puig's 2014 season has started slowly as he has looked unmotivated and less energetic. His off field antics have put him not only in skipper Don Mattingly's dog house but the entire organization as well. Mattingly has gone on record saying that Puig blames his performance on a different injury after every at bat. By the looks of it the Dodgers have some work to do with their up and coming star. It should be exciting to see how everything plays out and where the club will end up come playoff time.  

There is a silver lining however, the Dodgers, despite injuries and drama, are an above .500 team right now and have a very promising pitcher in Zach Lee who might make his first big league appearance later this month.
Stay tuned for more Dodger coverage in the coming weeks.

-Chris Schlierman

Manziel Or Clowney? Who Will Go Number 1?

With the 2014 NFL draft just about a month away, an all to common question begins to take center stage: who will be taken number 1 overall? Many are debating whether Texas A&M Quarterback Johnny Manziel or South Carolina Defensive End, Jadeveon Clowney will be given the honor of first overall pick.  Manziel who had a stellar Freshman year and capped off a great season with a historic Heisman Trophy win entered his Sophomore year that started with a suspension. Manziel opted to enter the NFL draft after just two years at Texas A&M. The Texans, who recently traded one franchise quarterback Matt Schaub to the Oakland Raiders and hold the first overall pick in this years draft, need a quarterback desperately. After a dismal 2013 season and losing Matt Schaub, the Texans seem like a lock to pick a quarterback at the number 1 spot. As Manziel’s draft stock continues to heat up, questions are starting to go unanswered; is Johnny Manziel mature enough for the NFL? Is he too undersized? 

Many of the questions are valid and to “Johnny Football’s” credit he did answer some of them after his pro day. However, Manziel’s pro day was quickly overshadowed by Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney, who is best known for his monster hit on Michigan Running Back, Vincent Smith in the 2013 Outback Bowl, apparently shocked many scouts at his pro day and was even compared to NFL legend Lawrence Taylor. 

Clowney is clearly the best player in this years draft, whose insane athletic ability has wowed much of the sports world for the past two years. Taking Manziel or even Blake Bortles over Jadeveon Clowney would be a huge mistake for the Houston Texans. Adding Clowney to a pass rush that is already dangerous with J.J. Watt would make the Texans a nightmare for any offensive line in the league. The Texans cannot afford to miss this opportunity; especially when there are no must-get quarterbacks in this years draft. While the question of who will be the first pick lingers, one thing remains clear, Jadeveon Clowney is the best athlete in this years draft and is the obvious first pick for the Houston Texans come May 8th.

-Derick Riggs 

What the DeSean Jackson Signing Means for the NFC East

The sports world has been buzzing with news that recently cut wide receiver DeSean Jackson has found a new home. Jackson who was in the headlines earlier for reportedly butting heads with current Eagles coach Chip Kelly and rumors of off the field issues. Whether these prove true or not one thing remains clear; the Washington Redskins are now a threat in the NFC East. 

A team that was 3-13 last season has suddenly become a contender to win a Division Title. Robert Griffin III has already proven that he can be an effective quarterback throughout his rookie season, leading the Redskins to a 10-6 record and a division championship. After a disappointing season in 2013, the Redskins overhauled their coaching staff and are making moves in order to be back on top of the NFC East, and obviously the biggest one so far is the acquisition of 2-time Pro Bowler DeSean Jackson.

What does this mean for the rest of the NFC East? To start, it means that the Philadelphia Eagles are going to play Jackson and the Redskins twice in the upcoming season and one begins to wonder how emotional Jackson’s return to Philadelphia will be. As for New York, the Giants have been quietly rebuilding a defense that struggled in 2013 and are hoping the team doesn’t get off to such a horrendous start in 2014. The Cowboys seem to be on the outside looking in. While losing Demarcus Ware and Miles Austin are not total losses, the players they have added are nothing to get excited about. The Cowboys signed quarterback Brandon Weeden earlier in March, who was drafted 22nd overall in 2012 by the Cleveland Browns.

Weeden who was given the starting job for the first game of his rookie season and threw four interceptions with an eye opening 5.1 passer rating has proven why he will merely just be a backup for most of his career. At first glance the Redskins seem to be the obvious favorite to win the NFC East title, however if the Giants continue to have a good off season they could be scary come October.

-Derick Riggs

Final Four Break Down and Prediction

So, how bad does your bracket look? Mine has so many red slashes I feel like i'm back in High School english.

Regardless of how bad your bracket appears to be it's time for the real show. You know what i'm talking about. THE FINAL FOUR.

Florida takes on under dog UCONN this saturday at 6pm EST and Wisconsin take on Kentucky at 8:45pm EST on CBS. 

FLORIDA VS UCONN

My prediction is a UCONN victory. Florida is the tournament's top seed but they looked very weak last week against UCLA. Allowing UCLA to hang around until the 5 minute mark of the second half, they're only highlight was Michael Frazier's 5 three pointers. Florida gave up 12 turnovers to a weak UCLA defense. Granted the best UCONN game I've seen this year was against Michigan ST, but if Shabazz Napier plays like he did Sunday, Florida is toast. 

Wisconsin VS Kentucky 

This one goes to Wisconsin but it's not going to be pretty. Kentucky's rise is noticed and Julius Randle is a legitimate threat, but Wisconsin plays a Chicago Bulls style of offense and defense. The Badgers like to push for turnovers and high percentage shots. I'm excited to watch the Kentucky freshmen play "man" basketball, however I pick Wisconsin because they play a gritty style of basketball that will challenge Kentucky's freshman.

-Chris Schlierman