The Masked Mamba

Posted by Dan Dragicevich.

After Kobe Bryant broke his nose in the all-star game, he seems to be once again on a mission to prove himself.

Once the all-star break ended and the regular season picked back up again, Kobe Bryant told the media that he had no enemies or rivalries in the league. Although he may not show his aggression toward other players, he sure uses it for determination.

In the three games after his injury in the all-star game, Bryant has posted tremendous numbers by scoring more than 30 points in all three games. He has posted scores of 31, 38, and 33 while shooting at a percentage of over .450 from the field. In the pre-game interview before Sunday night’s game against the Miami Heat, Bryant expressed how he had no animosity towards Dwayne Wade after the aggressive foul Wade had on Bryant in the all-star game. This is a perfect example of how Bryant is one of the more wise veterans playing the game.

For someone to say that they are not upset at someone for breaking their nose and giving them a mild concussion in an exhibition match is obviously lying. Bryant never said this, but how could he not be pissed off at Wade for that? Although what Wade did wasn’t a cheap shot; there is still no reason why someone should be playing that aggressive of defense in an all-star game. In my opinion, Bryant is playing this off perfectly because by saying he isn’t mad he can pretty much do what he wants. In last night’s game against the Heat, Bryant could have taken advantage of the situation and fouled Wade as hard as he wanted and it wouldn’t have been known as a “revenge” hit because he said he wasn’t mad. Although Bryant didn’t actually foul him hard in that game, he metaphorically did by posting up 20 points on Wade in the first quarter and then methodically winning the game for the Lakers by hitting timely shots. Bryant ended the game with 33 points and a Laker win and to him that is the most important thing.

As I said before, Kobe has been an unstoppable force these past three games and it seems like if he wants to score 30 in a given night then he will. Kobe is that kind of special player that can almost do what he pleases on the court. Of course he wants to make his team better and to win games, but if he wants to prove a point and post up 30 points in 3 straight games then that is exactly what he will do.

English Premier League Recap

Posted by Marino Crocco.

It was an incredible weekend in the EPL. Manchester’s big two continue to battle for the title. Chelsea sacks their Portuguese manager. Van Persie carries Arsenal and much more.

   

Battle of the Manchester’s 

It has become a two-horse race to the finish line between Manchester City and Manchester United. They went into the weekend separated by 2 points in the standings; and it stayed that way. A Gretar Steinsson’s own goal and a strike from Italian striker Mario Balotelli gave City a rather comfortable 2-0 win over Bolton at the Ethiad Stadium on Saturday. 

Ferguson’s men faced a much tougher task on Sunday when they traveled to White Hart Lane to face third place Tottenham. In a game that the Spurs seemed like the better side, the United’s stars shined bright and proved to be devastating. A Wayne Rooney header before the half and two world class finishes by Ashley Young in the second half sealed a 3-1 victory crushing Tottenham’s title dreams. 

On Sunday March 11th Manchester City will travel to Liberty Stadium to face Swansea and Manchester United will host West Bromwich Albion at the Old Trafford fresh off a historical 1-0 win over Chelsea.

Chelsea fires coach Andre Villas Boas

Andre Villas Boas journey in the EPL lasted a little over 8 months. Following a series of poor results and a humiliating defeat on Saturday vs. bottom of the table West Bromwich Albion, Chelsea’s billionaire owner made the decision to fire the Portuguese. Chelsea’s Owner Roman Abramovich paid £14million to Porto last June to buy out AVB and now will have to pay around £11million to remove him out of his contract. Chelsea is currently 5th in the standings 3 points behind Arsenal and is fighting for their lives in Champions League down 3-1 on aggregate vs. a Napoli team that is showing no signs of slowing down. It’s certainly not the season that Abramovich and the Chelsea fans envisioned at the beginning of their campaign. 

Van Persie last minute heroics propel Arsenal

Robin Van Persie’s sensational play continues as Arsenal down Liverpool at Anfield Park on Saturday. RVP’s 90th minute strike gave the Gunners a 2-1 victory and sole possession of 4th place in the standings. Arsenal seems to be gaining momentum at the right time and will be looking to finish off strong to secure a spot in 2013 UEFA Champions League.

Poll: Which Manchester team will claim the EPL title this year?

Second Half Headlines

 Posted by Dan Dragicevich. 

Many stories headline the start of the second half of the NBA, especially the health status of Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls.

Many people believe that the Chicago Bulls are the team in the East who will contend with the Miami Heat for a spot in the finals; those people would be correct if one thing holds up.

The Bulls are a great team with Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer, no question, but the issue is whether or not they can hold up injury wise for the next thirty so odd games. Derrick Rose is the biggest issue because of the talent he provides for the team, without him the Bulls are a shell of the team they are with him. Before the all-star break he was dealing with some lower back spasms that were obviously hindering his ability to slice through the lane and dish out the ball effectively.

Another player that has had some previous injury issues is Joakim Noah. Noah plays so hard and with so much intensity that he is always vulnerable to a fluke injury where he turns his knee or ankle the wrong way.

A third player who has stepped onto the injury scene lately for the Bulls is Luol Deng. Deng suffered a leg injury earlier in the year which sidelined him for a few weeks. He also fell awkwardly on his wrist in the all-star game but said he felt fine and it was comfortable.

Another big story line that is hitting the media is the emergence of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Although they only have a record of 18-17, the Timberwolves have a few players outside of Kevin Love who are stepping up. The rookie play of Derrick Williams has been outstanding as of late where he has scored 13 points, grabbed 9 boards and added a block two games ago, and after last night’s game many people could be thinking about picking him up in their fantasy league because he scored 27 points, grabbed 5 boards and again added a block.

The other player who has been flying under the radar the entire season for the T’Wolves is Nikola Pekovic. Pekovic has been quietly having a great year where he is averaged 12.5 points and 7.1 rebounds. Now those may not seem like extremely good numbers but Pekovic is consistent and every now and then he will explode with a double-double going for 30 points and 15 rebounds.

Don’t be surprised if the Timberwolves make a strong run into the postseason and possibly even knock off a team in the first round. Don’t forget they still have the double-double machine and the recent 3 point shooting champ, Kevin Love and oh yeah Ricky Rubio. Mark my words, the Timberwolves are a dangerous team.