2026 NBA Finals: New York Knicks vs San Antonio Spurs

Knicks-Spurs kick it off tonight in the 2025-2026 NBA Finals.  It's hard not to be as excited as everyone else about San Antonio and Wemby but the Knicks are good.  Really good.  Led by Jalen Brunson, they are a deep team with multiple players who can shoot and score.  This includes one of the best shooting big men ever, if not the best, in Karl-Anthony Towns.  His play around the 3-point line could make for an interesting matchup for Wemby who likes to sag a lot and can do so against traditional bigs.  But Wemby and the Spurs seem to have an energy right now that might be hard to stop.  And New York doesn't have the defense OKC did. San Antonio needs the ball in De'Aaron Fox' hand to keep down turnovers and to be that calming presence.  Wemby will be flying everywhere on defense which makes it tough for shooters and anyone close to the lane alike.  I like San Antonio in this series.  The Spurs can be streaky though and the Knicks have plenty of scorers so I think it will be close and I expect 6 games.

I did enjoy looking back on the 1999 NBA Finals where Tim Duncan and David Robinson led the Spurs over the New York team with Latrell Sprewell, Allan Houston, Marcus Camby and Larry Johnson in 5 games.  While we knew that Spurs team was good and that Duncan was special, did we really know it would lead to 5 San Antonio Spurs Championships?  I've always been a closet Spurs fan dating back to George Gervin, Artis Gilmore, and Johnny Moore in the early 80s, so I definitely have a rooting interest in this series.
 

Conference Championship Games

 The AFC side of things is pretty straightforward.  Without Bo Nix it is just too much of a stretch to pick the Broncos.  That said, if Denver's defense can force some turnovers and hold New England reasonably, anything is possible.  The Patriots offense hasn't been great in the post season.  They do have a good defense, and I assume they'll try to make Stidham throw the ball and blitz him when he does.  Stranger things have happened, but I have to go with New England.

The NFC is where it really gets tough.  The Seattle Seahawks have a complete team whereas it's hard to bet against MVP favorite Matthew Stafford.  I think I will go with Seattle even though they are dealing with injuries at running back.  I like their defense more than LA's as well.  This should be a fun game.  That's the hope anyway.

Buffalo Bills Lose 33-30 In OT to the Denver Broncos - AFC Divisional Playoffs

 

Buf 30 - Den 33: Another tough loss for Buffalo yesterday.  That game was so stressful.  I'm fine with the late calls.  It really was turnovers and penalties that did them in.  And it's a shame.  The defense played so well in the second half and most of overtime.  As did the offense.  In the second half, it felt like they would win even though it was so close.  These will continue to hurt.  Year after year it feels like wasted opportunities.  The loss isn't on any one player or group really.  Just came up short.  Again.  Hopefully they can come up with some moves to help the defense and the receiving corps this offseason.  Sorry to hear about Bo Nix being out for the rest of the offseason.  They had a real shot of playing in the Super Bowl.

2025 MLB Playoffs Championship Series

 We had some good baseball in the Division Series leaving us with Seattle - Toronto and Los Angeles - Milwaukee in the ALC and NLCS.  It was fun seeing Vlad Guerro Jr. have a great series against the Yankees.  He's so good and nice to see him shine on the big stage.  Seattle's Cal Raleigh got 8 hits in the Division Series overcoming a Detroit pitching staff that had a 2.98 ERA.  I'm looking forward to LA-Mil.  The Brewers just find ways to win with an offense who can seem to score against anyone.

I've said it before but Seattle - Milwaukee would be a great World Series as we'd get to crown a first-time champion.  The network would hate it but man it'd be fun.

2025 MLB Playoffs Divisional Round

 Man, the Red Sox battled but young phenom Schlittler was amazing in game three of their series.  He kept the defense off balance and he deserves all the props he gets for his performance.  The next round gives us some fun matchups.  Divisional rivals Yankees-Blue-Jays and Cubs-Milwaukee adds some spice to the matchups while Dodgers-Phillies should be great.  Detroit-Seattle also looks like a good series.  With my team out I'd like to see a Seattle-Milwaukee World Series.  Neither have won a title and seeing a franchise win their first one is always fun.  Toronto and Chicago would also be good in the World Series.  Who do I think moves on to the next round?  I'll take Seattle, New York, Milwaukee and Philly.  Hoping for good series all around.

Oklahoma City Thunder Win the 2024-2025 NBA Championship

 24-25 NBA Finals:  Congratulations to Thunder.  They deserved this championship, and I love how they did it with a combination of defense and young talent.  Shai was dominant averaging 30 points per game but had lots of help from Jalen Williams (23 ppg) and Chet Holmgren with his defense.  We got a seven-game series, great moments and some really good games.  There were some blowouts as well but that doesn't mean we didn't enjoy the playoff's Cinderella, Indiana, making us believe they could win this series.  OKC is a very young team outside of 30-year-olds Alex Carusso and Kenrich Williams.  They are setup for a long successful run.  I won't put money on more championships, because as we've seen parity is the name of the game in the NBA right now.

2025 NBA Finals: Indiana Pacers vs Oklahoma City Thunder

We get Pacers - Thunder in the NBA Finals.  While I'm sure ABC execs are not excited about having two small market teams in the Finals, I am.  We get two great teams and great players in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton.  OKC was the class of the league the entire season.  Their defense and the play of MVP SGA were overwhelming for teams.  While Denver took them to seven games, the Thunder only took nine games to dismiss the Grizzlies and Timberwolves.  The Pacers were 20-9 after the All-Star break and took out the Cavs, Bucks and Knicks in the playoffs.  They shouldn't be overlooked, and Tyrese Haliburton is the real deal having some amazing games in the playoffs.  I do think OKC wins this series.  Maybe 4-2.  I understand it could even be 4-1 but I have more confidence in Indiana.

Who am I rooting for?  Indiana.  This only their second NBA Finals and they've never won an NBA championship.  OKC has won a championship as the SuperSonics in the '78-79 season.  I also think their window for competing for a championship is longer than the Pacers.  No matter who wins I think it is a win for fans.  These small market teams built their teams through good front office moves in the draft, free agency and the trade market.  There are lots of fun players outside of the stars.  They are both deep.  We should celebrate these teams.  We are getting some "old school" basketball in the playoffs, so it'll be interesting to see how much they let them play.  Enjoy!

NBA Playoffs Round 2

 The NBA playoffs gave us a good first round though no major surprises.  You weren't surprised by LA losing, right?  Clipper-Nuggets was the most fun though not all games were close.  The Aaron Gordon slam at the buzzer off a Nokic miss is a play that will be replayed for a long time.  I think all four of the Round 2 series should be fun for their own reasons.  OKC vs Denver should be good, but I think the Thunder are just too good while the Nuggets must be tired.  The T-Wolves and Warriors should be a fun series.  I don't know who to take but I think Golden State wins this one.  Knicks and Celtics could be a slugfest, but Boston falls into the too good to lose category at this point.  Cavs-Pacers should be another good series, but it may have been undone due to Darius Garland's injury.  Hopefully Cleveland can rebound from their game 1 loss and make this a good series.  No reason they can't.  An OKC-Boston Finals still feels like how this plays out and I wouldn't mind that.  I think they are the two best teams and a seven-game series would be great.  That said, I think we get OKC-Golden State and Cleveland-Boston in the Conference Finals matchups.

Michigan Wolverines - College Football Champions!

 Mich 34 Wash 13: I know this post is late but I was curious what would happen with Jim Harbaugh.  First and foremost, I'm so excited.  My college football teams are Michigan and Georgia in that order.  While I was happy in 1997 this Wolverines championship feels so special and so long in coming.  Michigan has had good teams but could never get over the Ohio State hump...until lately.  Three straight trips to the playoffs resulting in their first championships in 26 years.  

Jim Harbaugh is moving on to be the Los Angeles Chargers coach but no hard feelings.  He is Michigan guy and the fit felt right.  He rewarded U of M with a championship.  The game was a roller coaster.  Big touchdown runs in the first quarter put Michigan up big but a late second quarter touchdown by Washington changed the feel of the game.  17-10 at the half.  You just thought the Huskies had momentum though I know momentum is fickle.  Start of the third quarter saw a Wolverine INT and each team could only manage a field goal in the third.  Really thought this game could still go either way.  Then the Wolverines' offense, which had been quiet since the first got some big pass plays from JJ McCarthy which were huge.  A Michigan touchdown put Washington in a tough spot and an interception left no doubt.  Michigan tacked on their fourth rushing touchdown of the game and the Wolverines are 2023 College Football Champions. 

Bills Lose to Bengals in NFL Division Playoffs

The Bills lost to the Bengals 27-10 in a tough loss.  Tough watching them play so poorly.  Allen never looked comfortable, and the defense struggled whether it was against Joe Burrow's passes or getting beat in the trenches.  On offense the team couldn't rely on a running game when they struggled through the air.  It wasn't fun to watch.  It felt like Cincy had this game in hand early and Buffalo struggled in all but one drive in the game.  

It'll be interesting to see what happens this offseason.  This is a talented team but needs tweaked.  They feel so close to getting it all together with a dynamic passer and great defense.  Coaching changes?  Where to they put their focus?  The receiving corps?  A running back?  On D?  They really could go anywhere.  Again this team is really good and should only need to be tweaked.  How they do that could make a big difference.  

 

Buffalo Bills vs Miami Dolphins - Wild Card Weekend

 

The Bills play a depleted Miami Dolphins team today who is down to their third string quarterback.  But don't take anything for granted.  San Francisco is playing great with Mr. Irrelevant at QB and we saw what happened to the Chargers last night.  Yes I think Buffalo wins but I wouldn't say I'm confident. I'll be out of town with family and won't be able to see the game but I'm hoping for a win today.  Buffalo is too good to lose.

2013 NFL Championship Weekend



 

 Last weekend there were no major surprises.  This sets up a great weekend of games.  Pats @ Broncos and 49ers @ Seahawks.  Probably the four teams most believed to be the top four teams before the season and arguably the four best at the end of the year. 

 

In Denver Peyton Manning and the Broncos face a Patriots team that while not healthy has still found ways to win.  Denver must also overcome injuries to their defense and offensive line.  This is billed as Manning vs Brady and I wouldn't argue that point.  While it will more than any one man to win, no matter how great a QB, these two deserve all their accolades and we have to be excited to see these two greats square off in the conference's biggest game of the year.  At first glance Denver and their offensive weapons and a good (even though depleted) defense seem to be the better team.  Still New England and Bill Belichick never seem to unprepared for any foe.  The Pat's recent run game resurgence should frighten Denver as much as any of Brady's passes.  Still I'm leaning towards Denver in this one.  They just seem to have too many weapons against a New England defense that will give up yards if not points.  I can't see Denver falling apart in the second half as they did in their first meeting this year.  I'll go with Peyton and the Broncos in a close game which I hope is the classic we are wishing for.

 

As everyone is saying the San Francisco-Seattle game looks like a typical slugfest.  Two excellent defenses with offenses that feature very good runners and young quarterbacks who can throw and run the ball.  While pretty evenly matched I like the 49ers in this game.  This goes against my normal tendancies.  If a game is evenly matched I like to lean towards the home team.  This time San Francisco appears to be peaking at the right time.  This game should be close but I won't be surprised if one does pull away.  Colin Kaepernick also seems to have the edge at QB.  I think this will give San Francisco the advantage on third downs which will be key.  Again I'll go with San Francisco here but Seattle is sure to give them a good game. 

 

 





2013 NFL Playoffs - Wild Card Weekend

My season preview (here) didn't exactly match up with how the playoffs have come out but I won't complain.  In the NFC I had Atlanta as opposed to Carolina in  and missed on Houston and Baltimore in the AFC where San Diego and Kansas City made it instead.  So not great but not too bad.  Oh, and in my preview I picked Denver over San Francisco in the Super Bowl.  Still a matchup that can come to fruition.

Now that we know the matchups I want to have my say.  I can't argue with the two top seeds, Denver and Seattle, meeting in the Super Bowl.  I'd give the win to Denver.  That said Peyton will probably have to get past Tom Brady which is something he has always had problems doing.  Seattle will have to get past teams, whoever it may be, that can beat them on any given Sunday.  But I get ahead of myself...

KC @ Indy - I love the Kansas City story but I think it ends here in a tough game.  Even if Indy handled them easily in the regular season the Chiefs should make this a tough game though the Colts will probably win by a touchdown.  Indy has played well as of late and the Chiefs have been struggling.  That isn't the end all but I'm just not convinced the Chiefs have enough going for them right now to win.   

New Orleans @ Philly - Philly has it all going right now.  They are hot thanks to their impressive new quarterback in Nick Foles.  This team had all kinds of talent before Foles stepped up.  Now they seem to have the whole package though the defense could be their one weakness.  New Orleans doesn't play well away from the bayou and will now have to play in frigid temperatures.  The Saints has the offense to win this game but I'm not convinced it will translate in the cold.  At least not enough to keep up with Philly's offense.  If this is played in New Orleans I'd probably think differently.  I'll take the Eagles to win. 

San Diego @ Cincy - Cincinnati should win this somewhat easily but I doubt it will quite go that way.  Still I think they win.  San Diego played well enough to get into the playoffs but I don't think they can win.  The Bengals are also very good at home and I don't think Andy Dalton will throw four interceptions this week which is what it will probably take for the Chargers to win. 

San Fran @ Green Bay - Hard game for me to pick.  With Aaron Rogers back Green Bay is a team that can win against anyone.  They don't seem to play well against the 49ers for some reason - yeah the very good defense might be why.  I'm thinking that in the cold Rogers and the Packers will win this game though it should be very close.  Their defense is banged up and will have issues shutting down the 49ers.  I also keep thinking Kaepernick will have that one playoff game where he isn't up to the pressure.  This might be it. 

On a non-analytical note.  I have no rooting interest this year as no team of mine (Atlanta, Buffalo) nor my wife's (Chicago, Pittsburgh) are in the playoffs.  Doesn't matter because I'm one of those fans always excited about football and the playoffs are the pinnacle of that.  I always find someone to root for.  This year is tough.  I normally like to see teams who haven't won before or underdogs win it all.  To that end, a SD/Cincy-Seattle, SD/Cincy-Carolina Super Bowl would work for me.  Kansas City is a team I would love to win one.  They have been a tough luck team for a long time.  Then there are those players I would root for.  As an admitted Tom Brady man crush guy I would love for him to win his 4th Super Bowl and enter that elite quarterback club with four victories.  I also like Peyton Manning, I mean who doesn't, and would love to see him win his 2nd.  Phillip Rivers, Wes Welker and coach Andy Reid would also fall into this category.  So it gets complicated for me.  There are very few scenarios that will disappoint me.  I'll let the first round play out and maybe I can latch on to a team then.  Right now it is just too wide open.  Hopefully we'll have an exciting playoffs and a great outdoor Super Bowl.  I'm excited!

NFL Divisional Playoffs

Denver-Baltimore - Denver has looked good all year.  Manning has enough weapons on offense and a line that I think they can score on Baltimore's defense.  The Denver defense is good and should have a nice showing against the Ravens offense.  Speaking of, the Baltimore offense has not been very consistent.  I like Denver to be in control of the game for the most part and get Manning's first playoff win as a Denver Bronco.

Green Bay-San Francisco - Green Bay wins this one.  I liked the Colin Kaepernick move by the 49ers but I can't say it has been a big plus for them.  He adds the ability to run and create like Alex Smith can't but he hasn't shown he can throw with the consistency Smith does.  Long term he is probably their quarterback but I don't think he has the experience needed for the 49ers to advance.  Green Bay is playing very well and I just can't pick against the Packers here.  The 49ers defense will be stout but I still think Rogers will lead Green Bay to the win. 

Seattle-Atlanta - This should be a great game.  Seattle comes in with lots of momentum, a hot rookie quarterback, good defense and a nice running game.  I believe the running game may be the key here.  Atlanta's new look offense can score but they'll need to be on the field to do it.  If Seattle runs up and down the field on the Atlanta defense, which is a possibility, the Falcons may be looking at another disappointing post season.  As is I think Atlanta wins a close game.  Their defense is average but will keep them in just enough for the offense to get the win for them.  I think Atlanta has finally matured enough to advance in the playoffs. 

Houston-New England - Houston hasn't looked right since they were trounced by Green Bay.  New England wasn't any nicer to them.  They also looked bad last week though they did pull out a win against Indy.  I also can't pick against Tom Brady yet.  New England's defense is suspect but Brady and the offense is as potent as ever.  I'll take the Pats all the way.

NFL Playoffs

I've got a few minutes and I need to talk about the NFL playoffs.  I'm excited to say the least with Atlanta being the #1 seed in the NFC and they are playing well enough to be the NFC's representative in the Super Bowl.  Overall I'm leaning towards a Denver-Atlanta Super Bowl with Denver winning.  I hate thinking that but I'm not sure Denver is the same team that lost on Monday night to the Falcons early in the year.  It would be great to see a rematch of the 1999 Super Bowl when Denver blew out the Falcons.  And I'd love to see Atlanta do the blowing out this time. 

 

The other teams I see as contenders are New England in the AFC and the 49ers and Packers in the NFC.  No offense to Houston but they have too many holes as do the Ravens so this should come down to Denver and New England.  San Francisco and Green Bay can give Atlanta a run any day of the week so I wouldn't enjoy seeing either in the championship game.  Seattle is a good story but I don't see it having the legs to get them far in the playoffs. 

 

But I am getting ahead of myself.  This weekend's games will go along way to how this all plays out:

 

Cincy-Hous - I think Cincy wins this game.  Something about both teams has changed since earlier in the year with Cincy rising and Houston falling.  Can't put my finger on it but I like the Bengals to advance.

 

Colts-Ravens - I so want to take Indy here but I'm going to go with the veteran Ravens in a close game.  But it would be great to see Luck battle Manning in the playoffs wouldn't it?

 

Vikings-Packers - Green Bay is home and will win.  May not even be a close game.  Aaron Rogers will have a big day as Green Bay rolls.

 

Seahawks-Redskins - This is a great match up and I'm not sure where to go with it.  I have a feeling Seattle will run all over the Redskins defense but RGIII will still have a good day.  I'm thinking this is a close game but the Seahawks move on to face Atlanta. 



Major League Baseball Adds Addtional Wild-Card Team

We saw this coming for some time.  Major League Baseball (MLB) has talked about adding a wild-card team to the current playoff system.  Even the idea of a one game playoff between the now two wild-card teams is not new.  Me?  I detest it.  What does it really accomplish?  With only one game to play, teams who have proven their worth for 162 games must now put it all into one game.  Yes it will make for drama.  Of that I have no doubt.  But to what end?  Again these teams who made the playoffs did so because they were good over a long period of time.  It took five starters to get them where they are.  Yes some pulled their weight more than others but it wasn't one pitcher starting every game.  Now you ask these teams to put one guy out there in a winner takes all scenario.  It won't matter how they got to that point.  Maybe the staff ace had to pitch them into the playoffs and isn't available to start the one game.  Sure that happens to other teams now but that is going into a longer playoff series where no matter what that staff ace will get his shot at the opponent even if he pitched the last game of the season and now has to wait until game three. 

The NFL is built for a one game and advance scenario in their playoffs.  They only play 16 regular season games.  The quarterback who got them there will start every playoff game.  I don't get it.  MLB will tell you there isn't room in the schedule for more than a one game playoff and they don't want to play into mid-November.  Very valid points but it is nothing but excuses for shoving a one game wild-card round on us.  It seems like players and teams alike complained about the three game playoff rounds that have been in place at various times throughout baseball history.  Now they are happy with a one game playoff?  Where are those guys now?  Another argument is that more teams would be in play to make the playoffs.  That argument can be made no matter how many teams are let into the playoffs.  Whether 12 or 24 teams make the playoffs each year there would always be teams battling for the last playoff spot.

Maybe when I actually see it in action I'll like it.  As a Braves and Red Sox fan who watched my teams fall out of the playoffs on the last day of the 2011 season I should think this is the greatest thing since sliced bread.  I don't.  Don't have franchises setup their teams and rotations for the long haul and then let it come down to one game where maybe starer #3 has to be the guy?  It doesn't pass the sanity test to me. 

Below is a link to Jayson Stark's article that breaks down wild-card addition and the other changes that were made to the MLB playoffs.  There were many so please take a look as I can't even start to do them justice.  As always Stark does a great job of explaining a complex subject. 

New Postseason Plan by Jayson Stark