Over my time watching sports I have realized that success in the playoffs is sometimes decided by answering questions about yourself and your team. If you can successfully answer the tough questions then you are most likely going to end up in a winning situation. For a lot of teams and players in the NBA Playoffs this season it is a question mark on to how they will succeed in the playoffs. For example, the Western Conference playing scenarios weren’t ended until yesterday. This late in the season is usually the time for players to get a little rest before heading into the playoffs. Sure, the action is great for the fans, and as a whole it really makes things very much so more exciting, but for NBA players who get accustomed to a little rest down the stretch, it makes things that much ore difficult. Of course, there are a ton of questions that could be asked heading into the playoffs, but I instead will ask some of the ones I feel are more important. If you would like to add anything, please feel free to do so in the comment section. I would love to hear from the gamblers out there what they feel is important to look for heading into the NBA Playoffs.

Will the Boston Celtics be able to hold up during the playoffs?

Of course the Celtics are very good. The “Big Three,” which consists of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce are all future hall of fame inductees, which will generally help any team get better. However, those players are also getting a little bit older. They are all in their mid 30’s which is a time when players start to lose a little bit. Also, and this may be more important, this team has virtually zero playoff experience together. What they will have to do is place their experience in past playoff series, and hope they can tie that together to make a winning combination of it. But, adding more to the questions is, that none of the all-stars on the team have every won an NBA Champion. They have other teams in the same division with vastly more experience, and there is some argument as to how they would have done if they were in the Western Conference.

Can the Lakers ride the back of Kobe Bryant all the way to the championship?

Kobe Bryant is an amazing player, but the brutal truth is that he has never won a championship without Shaquille O’Neal. As both an adult and a player, it has appeared Bryant has matured, and this seems to be rubbing off on his team, but is it enough to return to the promise land? The play of Lamar Odom has been more of then a blessing for the Lakers, as he is almost promised a double-double every night. Also, of course, the trade getting Pau Gasol was great, as emerging center Andrew Bynum has yet to been able to return from injury. The Lakers team looks good this year, but next year they may even be better with a healthy roster. Either way, it will be fun to see what Bryant has in store for the playoffs.

Is it a lock for a team in the West to win the championship?

Overall, the play in the West does appear to be heads and shoulders above the play in the East, but the best two teams in the East, the Celtics in the Pistons, can most likely hang with any team in the West. However, there is a team in the Golden State Warriors that won’t even be playing in the playoffs this year and would have been at least a fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, and maybe even better with that schedule. There are five teams in the playoffs in the East that wouldn’t have even sniffed the playoffs in the West. I guess ultimately it comes down to individual teams, but the parity in one league is almost laughable compared to the overall domination in the other league. The difference between the first and eight place teams in the West was only seven games. In the East it was 29. The teams in the West were playing meaningful games the entire season, and I believe that has to give them some momentum heading into the playoffs.

Will Shaq show why the Suns traded for him?

When the Suns traded for Shaq it was believed that they were doing it so he could guard big men in the playoffs. Shaq isn’t the same scorer he was in years past, but he is still a massive body that can help take the other big man’s player out of the game. They immediately get to test this theory, as the Suns will be taking on Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs. It is quite a test, as the Spurs have been one of the best teams all season and the itsy bitty fact that they are bringing back almost the same exact team that won it all last year. The Lakers-Celtics would do wonders for ratings, but first someone has to knock off the defending champions, which will not be easy. Shaq, and the Suns get the first crack at it.

These are just a few other questions coming into the playoffs. Other situations arising late in the season are the arrest of Carmelo Anthony and how that will affect the Nuggets against the Lakers and if the Hawks will even win a game against the Celtics. OK, I admit that the Hawks are a huge underdog, but if you watched the games last year you then realize that upsets are not entirely out of the question. Although, if the Hawks could pull it off it would be an upset for the ages.

Please leave your comments at the end of the stories so I can get your thoughts on the upcoming NBA Finals, which should be a blast all the way to the end. Stay tuned for updates throughout the entire course of the playoffs.

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The Stanley Cup playoffs are in full swing, with the winner being decided just a little over a month from now. The first round of the playoffs started on Wednesday. Of the first two games we had two blowouts and two nail biters. The New York Rangers looked great in defeating the New Jersey Devils at home 4-1. The game was all tied at one heading into the third before the Rangers exploded for three goals in the final stanza. Pittsburgh held on to their home ice advantage, defeating the Ottawa Senators 4-0, never really allowing them to even get in the game. However, Pittsburgh was the only home team to get a win in the playoffs, as Colorado needed overtime to beat the Minnesota Wild and Calgary was able to withstand a late barrage by San Jose to get the early 1-0 lead in the series with a 3-2 victory. Could this be a trend staring us in the playoffs?

On Thursday, the final four remaining series start off. Nashville takes on Detroit, in a battle of an eighth seed vs. a one seed. Detroit had the best regular season record in the league, something they do quite often over the last ten or 15 years. But, the Red Wings are also known for not bringing that same regular intensity to the playoffs that they have in the regular season. There are many theories trying to guess why this takes place, but it’s very odd to have the generally best team being eliminated in the early round of the playoffs. Detroit is expected to beat Nashville, but as the first night of the playoffs suggested, the road teams seem to be on a roll.

Another series starting tonight is between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadians. This match-up is special for longtime hockey fans because it pits two of the original eight NHL teams against each other. It also helps that both teams appear to be fairly evenly matched, and this has been called the most compelling series of the first round of the playoffs by most people.

Another compelling series pits the Philadelphia Fliers against the Washington Capitals. The Capitals were in dead last place in the Eastern Conference for over 50 days. But, after a trade, and the emergence of 65 goal scorer Alex Ovechkin, the team has been the hottest in the league. In the last game of the year they won their division giving them a third seed in the playoffs. Hopefully they can hold on to their home ice advantage.

The final series pits the defending NHL champs, the Anaheim Ducks against the Dallas Stars. The Ducks would of course like to repeat, but if they can get by the tough Dallas Stars they have quite a few hot teams that are willing to take that crown from them.

Hockey has enjoyed a resurgence this year, and the action promises to be red hot throughout the playoffs!

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Both of these teams have already clinched a playoff position, with the Pistons in second place, and the Raptors currently in seventh. Detroit’s second place seeding is set in stone. They won’t catch up with the first place Boston Celtics, and they third place Magic are also to far behind to catch up with the Pistons. Detroit has been known in the past to sort of take it easy down the stretch and let some players rest once they have determined where they will be in the playoffs. This could be good next for the Raptors as they are still playing for playoff positioning. They could get is high as high as fifth place, or theoretically drop to the eight and final playoff spot. The way things stand right now this game will be a preview of the playoffs, as the seventh seed matched up with the second seed. If Toronto can go into Detroit and beat the Pistons then that could give the Raptors some much needed confidence heading into the playoff series, if it does indeed take place. Beating the Pistons at anytime should give confidence, regardless.

As far as Detroit taking it easy down the stretch, it’s hard to determine right now. In their last ten games they have won seven, but with only five remaining and knowing their set in stone playoff spot the good play could slow down. The Pistons are overall pretty healthy, but leading scorer Richard Hamilton has been slowed down a bit by a minor injury, and it is my guess they would rather use his 17.7 points a game in the playoffs then risking losing him for good during virtually meaningless regular season games.

I think the Raptors may be almost getting a gift here, so I’ll favor them in this one, but if they meet again in the playoffs I will certainly favor the Pistons.

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In what be the most important game for both teams this season, the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors square off for what could be the determining game to see who goes to the playoffs and who gets out their golf clubs. As of this moment, both teams have identical records and are tied for the very last playoff position. Normally the last seed in the playoffs is usually reserved for a team that is expected to make an early departure, but in the Western Conference, the story is a little bit different. The first and eight place team have only an 8.5 game difference between each other. That means that no one team has been dominate enough to separate themselves from the pack, and also shows that if you can sneak into the playoffs you have a fair chance of making it as far as any other team.

The Nuggets hope relies on the shoulders of future NBA Hall of Fame member, Allen Iverson. Iverson has added another great career to his resume, averaging 26.3 points and over seven assists a contest. Golden State also relies on a point guard. Baron Davis. Davis has scored 21.3 points a game, and has averaged right around the same number of assists as Iverson, while trying to lead his young team to the playoffs.

The Nuggets are playing a little bit better right now, winning six out of their last ten, while the Warriors have only managed four wins in the same span. However, the Warriors will have a big advantage playing in front of their home crowed, which is why I will favor them slightly over the Nuggets in this one. But a Denver win would be of little surprise to me either.

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Sure, The Masters tournament is open for anyone registered for the tournament to win, but with Tiger Woods playing as well as he is, it seems like its Woods vs. The Field. Woods, arguably the greatest golfer ever, has won three of the four tournaments he has participated in. The one tournament he didn’t win, he finished in fifth place. Normally when a player finishes fifth in a tournament featuring the best golfers in the world that is generally a good thing. When Tiger Woods finishes fifth in a golf tournament it could be considered a downslide. There were actual golf experts and analysts saying that Woods may complete the perfect season, by finishing first in every tournament he played in. Talk about setting the bar high. What would be exceptional, by Woods’ standards if he was able to win the Grand Slam, that is winning every major tournament in the same year. He has already won all four of them in a row, but two in one year and two in the other. That was called the “Tiger Slam.”

To automatically suggest that Woods is going to win this tournament isn’t exactly an awful choice, but the Master’s has routinely been won by players to seemingly come out of nowhere. Last year, Zach Johnson took home the title. Johnson wasn’t exactly a household name, nor is he today. In fact, Woods hasn’t won the tournament since 2005, with 2006 being won by Phil Mickelson. Woods has won the event four times, and would love to hang a fifth green jacket in his closet by the end of this one.

The first leg of the Grand Slam starts next Thursday at the Augusta National Golf Club, in Augusta, Georgia. The Masters in the only Grand Slam tournament to be played at the same course every year. The first one took place in 1934, where it was won by Horton Smith. The only time it wasn’t played there was from 1943 to 1945 when it was cancelled due to World War II.

Woods has single handedly, along with a set of golf clubs make the sport of golf one of the most popular in the world. Most people will turn it on to watch him on Thursday, but you may just be surprised if a new champion is crowned.

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How tight is the Western Conference? If the Houston Rockets would have defeated the San Antonio Spurs last weekend they would have been in first place of their division. Instead, they dropped all the way to sixth place in the conference. If you recall, the Houston Rockets were in first place just two weeks ago. However, it’s not like they have went on some major slide or anything. The difference between first place and sixth place in the Conference is 1.5 games. Just 1.5 games! How crazy is that. The difference between first in 8th place is just 5.5 games. For standings to be that close this late in the season is basically unheard of. A two game winning streak could put you in first place with home court advantage throughout the playoffs while a streak of bad luck can have you on the outside looking in. For the Rockets to be even in the playoff talk is a bit of a surprise after their all-star center Yao Ming went down with injury more than a month ago, but a slew of rookies, and the shoulders of Tracy McGrady have kept them afloat in the division.

A team that is all but out of the playoff talk is the Portland Trailblazers, who are 7.5 games back with just about 12 games to go. But, the talk of that the Trailblazers are going to be a tough team in the not too distant future. This season alone could have been different if Greg Oden wouldn’t have been injured before the first game of the season. However, Brandon Roy has emerged this season, and looks like he’ll be a top player in the league for years to come.

If the Rockets are indeed showing any signs of slipping, then the Trailblazers could take this game and it wouldn’t be a huge upset. However, I feel that McGrady will find a way for his team to win and to continue being in the mix of things in the West.

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For the first time in the history of the NCAA Tournament all four number one seeds advanced to the Final Four.  It’s only a guess, but I bet the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee is jumping for joy knowing that they picked the right teams.  They are usually scrutinized beyond belief for their picks for seedings.  However, the NCAA Tournament isn’t about a bunch of suited men in a stuffy office deciding who gets seeded where, it’s about the kids competing to call themselves champions.  What more can we ask for as fans?  The four best teams are getting to duke it out for the right to call themselves number one.  Sure it would have been nice to have a Cinderella team in the Final Four, and Davidson almost played that role, but in a way it’s even better knowing that the cream of the crop, the best of the best, are playing for the title.  It’s been a fun ride, filled with plenty of upsets along the way, but now we are down to the Final Four, with the first two games set on Saturday, with the Finals taking place on Monday.

North Carolina vs. Kansas

The overall number one team, the North Carolina Tar Heels have looked fairly flawless most of the tournament.  It wasn’t until the elite eight, against the Louisville Cardnials, did they start to show that they were indeed human.  Louisville played them tight all the way to the end of the game, but at the end the Tar Heels prevailed.  It’s said that sometimes a team needs to show they can win a close game to win it all, and that might be what the Tar Heels needed to remind them that they still have to play hard if they are going to want to win it all.  The same thing can be said for Kansas.  Davidson held a four point lead over the Jayhawks with just four minutes left, and even had a chance to tie or win the game at the buzzer, but Kansas held on.  In recent years Kansas had made it to the elite eight a handful of times, only to lose.  They have finally jumped that hurdle, and would like to jump the biggest hurdle of all, and that is beating the Tar Heels in route to a NCAA Championship.  This game also features Roy Williams, coach of UNC taking on a Kansas team that he made prevalent in the 80’s and 90’s.  Williams has said that he will never challenge Kansas during the regular season, and would only face them in a tournament setting.  Here we go coach, I hope you are ready.

Memphis vs. UCLA

The Memphis Tigers were expected to be the first number one seed to be eliminated from the tournament, and early on they looked the most vulnerable.  Mississippi State had a chance to beat them at the end of the second round game.  However, since then Memphis has looked great, defeating Texas in emphatic fashion, a game many people had picked Texas to win fairly easily.  Memphis is so talented, and so young, that they may not even realize the importance of the Final Four.  UCLA on the other hand has been winning close games since about three weeks left in the regular season.  But, they are just as young and talented at the Tigers, maybe even more so.  UCLA may have more talent inside thanks to Freshman Kevin Love, but even thought Memphis may be a bit smaller height wise, most of their players have above average wingspans that might make up for the height problems.

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