The Daily Bruh Review 12-8-14

Obviously watched a lot of football this Sunday. I was so down on the Washington football team's chances of ever wining a game again, so I interrupted this football Sunday to go see the movie Horrible Bosses 2. It is a funny movie that isn't as good as the first one but definitely satisfied my craving for a funny movie. I then came back and made some observations

1. NFL Football

I'm going to do this in bullet form like I do the small observations:

• I might as well get my bias for my team out the way. Not surprised at all that the Washington football team lost to the Rams in a shutout. At this point I expect the team to lose and they kind of deserve it. This team is bad. I'm not sure why Robert Griffin is such a polarizing figure but it is so unfair how much blame gets heaped on him. He didn't play well his last two starts but people tend to forget that 1. He only started 5 full games in a new offense with a new mindset and 2. The team didn't win much with out him.

• It would be stupid to fire Gruden but wasn't he supposedly hired to develop RG3?

• The Browns lose a game they definitely should have won. Johnny Manziel is an unproven QB option for a team fighting for a playoff spot but Brian Hoyer hasn't really deserved to keep starting. 

• Biggest surprise in the early game was the Pittsburgh Steelers blowing out the Bengals in a kind of comeback. Nobody wants to lose the AFC North.

• What happened to the New Orleans Saints? The Panthers just routed them. Nobody wants to win the NFC South

• The Seahawks and the Cardinals might be in a division battle that we all didn't see a month ago. 

• The 49ers lose to the Raiders. Sheesh. No way Jim Harbaugh is here next year. Which is a crazy development. Marc Jackson getting fired by the Warriors is a good indication to Harbaugh that not getting along with management will get you fired no matter how good you are. What's up with bay area teams not liking their coaches personally? Something in the water?

• The Broncos got a lot of help from the refs but The Bills didn't help with their offense not working until garbage time essentially. I still think giving up on E.J. so early in the season was stupid. Kyle Orton is no different to me than when Ryan Fitzpatrick didn't work out.

• In the late game I definitely thought that the San Diego Chargers was going to pull of an upset going in to the game against the Patriots. They made me look good the first 3 quarters. Kind of reminds me of me picking them to go to the Superbowl and they came out hot to start the season before falling off.

2. College Football

I watched a good portion of the games and my final four for the championship would have been 

1. Alabama 

2. Oregon

3. Fla St.

4. Baylor

Just because Ohio State was on their third QB. Yeah they blew out Wisconsin but that also could have been other people rallying behind the backup. I just feel Baylor would put up a better fight against Alabama.

But Baylor didn't get in and probably rightfully so because the Big 12 doesn't have a true championship game. Maybe they should add 2 more teams so they can have a championship. Also their is 10 teams in the Big 12 conference. At least add 2 teams to make sense guys.

I watched the Florida State vs Georgia Tech game and it was probably the best Jameis Winston played since the end of the championship last season. Which leads me to the conclusion that Winston and Florida State play best when everything is on the line. So I would not be surprised if they beat Oregon. Not picking them to though.

3.  Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Detroit Pistons

I like watching the Thunder so I wanted to make sure they can handle their business against a Pistons team that lost 11 straight in a row. They started slow but eventually got the win over the Pistons but the things that I took away from the game were

1. Kevin Durant is starting to get his swagger back......

2. Russell Westbrook really doesn't care that he broke his hand.

And then he had a great reason for his dunk's after the game.


How can people hate Russell Westbrook? " I just don't want to get my shot blocked, that's why I dunk so hard." Shout out to the Oklahoman Reporter Anthony Slater for the Vine. Definitely a guy to follow if you like the Thunder.

3. The Pistons are bad. Like bad all the way around I was surprised that coach Stan Van Gundy didn't trade Monroe or Smith and I will still be surprised if they are both still there at the trade deadline. The team just doesn't work constructed this way and all this talent is sad to watch perform so badly. The Thunder are a better team but the Pistons gave the game away too.

Smaller observations:

• Biggest thing to take away from the college football playoffs is that no matter what somebody was going to be unhappy with the system. I say go to 6 or 8 teams. Why not? 

• Washington's NFL team's defensive coordinator Jim Haslett had a former/ great player, London Fletcher, call him out. The guy has been there since 2010 and has never ranked higher than 21st in points allowed. How does he keep his job?

• That hit in the Chargers and Patriots game that negated a pick six was just an overreaction to the player getting hurt. It isn't a flag every time someone gets hurt. This is kind of a game where people launch themselves at people un purpose so....

• Saw a lot of arguments on Charles Barkley's comments on the Ferguson and Eric Garner situations. I love Chuck and he is entitled to his opinions just confused why CNN would ask Charles Barkley to do an interview like that. I wouldn't call him an expert on these situations.

• Saw this graphic about Kyle Lowry on NBA TV

Raptor on the loose! pic.twitter.com/ls3uEzNkyq
— NBA TV (@NBATV) December 8, 2014

Yeah he better make the All-Star team this year. Dude is really good. The sad thing is that he was good for the Rockets a while ago but they decided they wanted Jeremy Lin instead..



•  Many have begun to believe that the Warriors and the Grizzlies are contenders in the  NBA. When do people begin to truly believe in the Wiizards and the Raptors? I get it is the east but both of those teams are really good. Yet I keep hearing people say it is between the Bulls and the Cavs. Neither team have better records than the afore mentioned teams.

• Andrew Luck has a lot of turnovers for a guy many people think is the next great QB.

• Serge Ibaka pulled out the Mutumbo after blocking Andre Drummond.

Then Drummond came back to bang on him later. Mutumbo got dunked on a fair amount in his career so this is fitting.

• Art Briles took a shot at NCAA basketball and said something along the lines of saying that they aren't sitting around to watch the decision because they are football and not basketball. I mean good thing you didn't cause you didn't make it.

• Also going to give out the biggest bruh of the day/ weekend in every post and the biggest bruh I'm going to give out is to Art Briles again. This dude blamed Baylor for not making the playoffs because the committee didn't have many southern members. Hey Art half the teams in the bracket are from the south. Bruh. 

Monday Spread Option Labor Day Edition

1. Last week we picked which Week 1 College Football game looked the most intriguing this week we pick which one ended up being the best to watch. 

Spencer- 
This one is easy for me; Had to be Florida State and Oklahoma State. College Game Day got their Week 1 location right. The game was back and forth all night. Just when you thought Florida State was going to run away with it Oklahoma State came storming back, and what an effort by their defense. Forced the reigning Heisman winner to throw two picks, were able to make some huge stops when they needed to. Just an overall great game that came down to the final minutes. The Beavers surprised some people I think and on the other end the Seminoles didn't look as unbeatable as they did a year ago.

Ty-
Florida State and Oklahoma State was definitely the best game to watch because it was one of the only ones that had a top ranked team in a close game. I did enjoy watching the Texas A&M vs South Carolina game because of how Kenny Hill and the new and improved Aggie defense just dismantled South Carolina. Either way none of these games were instant classics so hopefully we can get some better games this weekend.

2. The NFL Season officially kicks off on Thursday with a match-up between the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers. With week one getting started pick your preseason favorites to meet in Super Bowl 49 and a champion. 

Monday Spread Option 08-11-14

1. Over the weekend sports fans were focused on a place very familiar to us, Western New York, where Tony Stewart hit and killed Kevin Ward Jr. on Saturday night on a dirt track race at Canandaigua Motorsports Park. There was speculation that Stewart purposefully hit Ward

who got out of his car angry at Stewart who had spun him out on the previous lap. Do you think Stewart intended to hit Ward, or was it an accident all around? Should Stewart have raced yesterday at Watkins Glenn? 

Spencer- 

I  don't think Stewart intentionally hit Ward, but I can see why some people think otherwise. In the video you can clearly hear Stewart speed up as he get's close to Ward and obviously he made Ward spin out in the first place, adding to the suspicion. Regardless I don't think there is enough evidence to say Stewart did it on purpose though, which is why he won't be charged or get in any legal trouble. I was happy to see he decided not to race at Watkins Glenn yesterday though. It should of been obvious from the start that racing was a bad idea after the accident the night before. I know he is a competitor and wants to race but it was obvious what the right decision was. Glad he made the right one.

Ty-

 I don't think Stewart wanted to intentionally hit Ward. This story is tragic but it could have possibly been prevented if Ward remained in his car. Once he left his car and stood in the middle of the track he lost all of the safety afforded to him. It was also reported that several other cars almost hit Ward as well. The story just looks really bad because Stewart caused the spin out in the first place. But to think that Stewart intentional hit him with his car then you are questioning Stewart's morals. Either way he has to live with it the rest of his life. Stewart was right to not race the next day, But I'm sure it would have made the situation much worse.

Monday Spread Option 07-21-14

1.Wednesday night was the slowest sports night of the year, and ESPY night on ESPN. What

are your thought on the ESPY's, are they meaningful to the sports community and fans, or no? 

Spencer- 
Honestly the ESPY's aren't really that important, in the grand scheme of things, to the sports community and fans. It is a good concept, honoring the biggest sports stories, moments and players in the past year, but it retrospect it doesn't really mean much. For example Kevin Durant won the ESPY for Best Male Athlete this year and some people were like, appalled it wasn't Peyton Manning. I get that, but in retrospect we all know how how great Kevin Durant is at his sport and how Manning is at his sport and how other guys are at their respective sports. We love sports year after year because there are great players, memorable plays, drama and a the chance for upsets. We don't need the ESPY's to put a ranking on them or hand out awards for them, they are all fantastic in their own way. I will say though Stuart Scott's speech was phenomenal. That's a guy I have looked up as an aspiring sports journalist so to see him talk about his struggle with cancer and what keeps him going was just inspiring.

Ty-  

The Espy are not important at all. It really is just a made up reward for sports. Granted every award show centers around An award that was made up at some point. But either way it isn't that prestigious of an award and i doubt athletes care too much if they win one or don't. I do think that it is cool for what it is and now that it is a live show it makes it a lot better to watch and live tweet. I guess I do agree with all of the awards that were given out and it is cool to look back on on some of the biggest sports moments in the past year. The thing that it usually lacks that other awards shows have are performances which make no sense but I still would have watched it. Either way I doubt that sports fans really care about the ESPY's and probably shouldn't. Drake was surprisingly good though and the "Side Chicks" song was funny.

Monday Spread Option 05-05-14

1. The NBA playoff first round was arguably the best first round of all-time. We saw five series got to game sevens, a handful of overtimes and an unexpected amount of four point plays. Which series was the best in your eyes and why? 

Spencer- 
No series was better than the Oklahoma City, Memphis series...nothing. The number of times I caught my self saying "What just happened?" throughout those seven games was crazy. Russell Westbrook was slamming crazy dunks, there was that Durant four point play. Tony Allen was locking KD down, while Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph did work in the paint. It was just a fight! Add in the fact that there were four overtime games, I mean it just doesn't get any better than that. It's going to be tough for the second round to live up to these first round games but I'm excited for it.

Ty- 
A week ago I would have agreed with Spencer about the Thunder and Grizzlies but the last 2 games ended in blowouts so idk If I can pick it. I think I would go with the Portland v. Houston series. All the games were close. It had 3 overtimes and it although it ended in 6 it came down to the last shot of the series to end it. Although the Rockets got down 3-1 you could have argued that they could have easily been in the up 3-1 because of how close the games were and how each game turned on maybe one or two bounces to decide it.

2. Now as the NBA teams are set for round two who wins each series to advance to the conference championship round and in how many games? 

Ty-
The second round match ups should hopefully live up to the first round of games as well. In the west I have the Thunder over the Clippers in 7 games. These teams love to play a very fast pace so they end up playing very similar styles. The difference is that I think that the Thunder can play better defense for longer stretches of time. Blake Griffin usually struggles against the Thunder and they wont have the size advantage they had against the Warriors. In the Spurs v. Trailblazers matchup I have the Spurs in 7 as well. I'm only saying seven games because Portland is very resilient. I do think that they can score on the Spurs at any point but The Spurs are capable of playing defense and I don't trust the Blazers D at all. I will say if the Blazers get hot or play better D than they can win in 6. In the east the Pacers v. Wizards match-up is interesting because the Pacers were the better team for most of the year but imploded. The Wizards are close to contenders now that they got Nene back. I have the Wizards winning in 6. Finally I have the Miami Heat beating the Nets in 7. This is because the Heat have Dwayne Wade for now and that makes the difference. Now if Wade gets hurt, which is still a good chance. Then all bets are off because I do feel like this Miami team is not as good as they were last year.

Spencer- 
The match-ups for this round should be insane if we're basing it off of the first round and how the teams stack up. I think there are two that on paper have game seven potential and that's the Thunder and the Clippers and the Pacers and the Wizards. Thunder, Clippers, I just get the sense is going to be a battle. Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan down low will give Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins some trouble down low, I don't know if it will be as much as Marc Gasol and Zach Randoph did, but it will still be impactful. Then you got the match up of Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook too. In the end it will go seven and the Thunder win. For the Pacers, Wizards series I just can't trust the Pacers enough yet to believe they are back to their dominant form and the Wizards are a force to be reckoned with. If Roy Hibbert continues to put up 0's it could be the end in this round, but going small has worked for them in big moments so we'll see what strategy they go with. In the end I think the Pacers hang on in seven again. I may regret that, but I just have the feeling when the Pacers are in survival mode they get it done. The other two series (Heat vs. Nets and Spurs vs. Blazers) are tougher for me to pick. On one hand you got Brooklyn who swept the Heat in the regular season, but on the other you got a rested Miami team who we all know coasted in the regular season. Then you have the veteran's in the Spurs against the young up and coming Trailblazers. Miami should win their series but not as easy as round one, this time it will take six games. As for San Antonio and Portland, I just don't see the disciplined and experienced Spurs team letting Damian Lillard go off like he did against the Rockets. Spurs in five.

3. The Stanley Cup playoffs are well into the second round now, who do you like to advance in each series and why? 

Spencer- 
In the East I think, as I've said in past Monday Spread Options, the Bruins are the best team still in the playoffs, I mean look at how relentless they are! They were down 3-1 to Montreal and went on to score four goals in the third period alone to win 5-3. Unreal. I think they will get back to the conference championship for sure. Between the Rangers and Penguins I think if the Pens play like they did last night in their 3-0 win, they will win the series. Fleury looked like the 09 Fleury in the shutout and not to mention the penalty kill unit killed off six penalties in the game. If they can continue to do that then we'll have a rematch of last years Eastern Conference Championship, Boston and Pittsburgh. On the Western side I think Chicago is just too good for the Wild. They are already up 2-0 in the series and neither game has felt very close by score or in the teams play. I just don't think Minnesota is stopping the defending champs. The Kings and Ducks series could end up being the best series of the four because its two scrappy teams. On one side you got Kopitar leading the league in points for the playoffs and on the other you got Hiller with the best postseason goals against average. You've got two defensive minded teams that can score, so that should make for a solid series. I think in the end the Kings will come out on top though. The Ducks have had some shaky goal tending at times, which is the reason Hiller started playing in the first place. I think LA feels confident with Quick in net and that will give them confidence to go full steam ahead on the offensive end.

Ty- 
I could pretend to know alot about hockey but I do not. From what I do know I got these picks. I doubt you want my analysis but let's see if I get it right. The Rangers have played 5 games in 7 days and at some point has to be exhausted so I'm going Penguins over Rangers. Then I have the Bruins over Montreal. They seem like the better team. In the West I have the the Blackhawks over the Wild just because they have looked great against them and they are up 2-0. Also although my gut tells me the Kings will win, I'm going to take the Ducks just because I just had a flashback to my childhood of me watching the Mighty Ducks cartoon show. So there is obviously an edge there I guess.

4. The wait will finally come to an end this week as the NFL Draft is set to get underway Thursday night. There has obviously been a lot of talk leading up to now about who will get drafted where, give your mock draft for the top five picks and why? 

Ty-
1. Houston:  J. Clowney, DL
The Texans can't pass on this guy. Plus if Teddy Bridgewater is truely slipping out of the first round, they can grab him with the first pick in the second.

2. St. Louis: Greg Robinson, OT
The Rams might move down. I think they should take Watkins to give Bradford an actual #1 reciever. but I think they pink Robinson if they stay here.

3: Jacksonville: S. Watkins, WR
The Jags probably don't need a WR. They could take Bortles here but I think they go with the sure thing.

4: Cleveland: J. Manziel, QB
There has been a lot of hype and for some reason I think the Browns bite on it. I guess if Bortles is here too he can be an option as well.

5: Oakland: K. Mack, ILB
The Raiders would be in the running for Watkins and either of the quarterbacks as well but I think they go defense.

Spencer-
1. Houston: Trade Down 
I don't think Houston wants to justify paying Jadeveon Clowney at the number one overall pick salary and will trade down to get potentially more picks from a team to help improve their depth, which is something they lack greatly. They need a QB obviously and taking one a few picks later if they trade down would make sense. Falcons could be a potential suitor for the first pick and they need to improve their defense immensely and may want Clowney badly enough.

2. St. Louis: Greg Robinson, OT 
This is probably the easiest top five pick to predict. Rams want to put their faith in Sam Bradford and to do that they need to protect him. I expect them to look for other receiving options later in the draft because Bradford doesn't have a ton to throw to right now. That's the next step for the Rams in my mind.

3: Jacksonville: Sammy Watkins, WR
Jaguars have a decision to make. They need a lot but first thing they need is someone to get fans energized around this team. I think they should take Johnny Manziel because he will have the most immediate draw being a thrilling player and former Heisman winner. That being said I think the take Watkins and look for a quarterback later. We'll see what happens.

4: Cleveland: Johnny Manziel, QB

Cleveland once him bad and I think the way things will shake out they will get him. He will be someone who adds immediate excitement and high expectations, or in other words he'll put butts in seats for Cleveland. Not only that but if he becomes a great player like some expect he could help lead a much improved Browns team to the promise land. We'll see if he does, or if he becomes another name on the long list of QB failures in Cleveland.

5: Oakland: Khalil Mack, LB
Oakland needs a lot of help defensively and Mack is expected to be the highest linebacker taken. I think Mack can learn under a guy like Lamarr Woodley who the Raiders signed in the off-season and gain some great experience to become a solid future player for an Oakland franchise looking to be revived.

5. What We Learned: 

Spencer: The Kentucky Derby is still one of the nations best sporting events 

This past Saturday marked the 140th running of the Kentucky Derby, the Super Bowl of horse racing. California Chrome ran away with it, pulling ahead by several lengths at the end to win the race. As it is quite commonly known as "the best two minutes in sports" it lived up to the title, not to mention it drew the second largest crowd in the events history as 26,211 people packed into Chruchill Downs. Even more people watched from the comforts of their own home and placed bets on the horses amongst family and friends.

All in all I think the Kentucky Derby is so different but so historic it still works for America! It isn't your usual game of football. It isn't an obscure Olympic sport like trampoline. It's horse racing. A sport with a deep history and a sport that thrives on chance. The trainers train their horses for years to get to this stage. The owners buy the horses with the hope of chasing a triple crown and proving it was a wise investment. And the Jockey's work hard getting to know the horses and working hard to build a winning relationship with it. It is a delicate and unique system unlike anything else in sports.

On top of the romanticism of the sport itself I think it appeals to a wider American audience because of  the gambling aspect of it, because well gambling on sports is basically an American pastime, and because of its viewing accessibility. On a Saturday where there were three NBA playoff game sevens going on as well as the Stanley Cup Playoffs and baseball games, the nation stopped what they were doing to watch this race. It is so simple to just turn it on 10 minutes before, see them break down the horses one at time as they get to the starting gate and get an understanding of the best horses who is expected to win and all that. Then you watch the two minute race and it's over and you can go back to watching what you were before. The quickness of it all benefits the audiences interest and we saw that again this year when Twitter blew up with posts about the race and the winning horse California Chrome.

From what I understand though there is nothing like being there in all-day at Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby and taking it all in. I for one hope to get there some day.

Ty- The Draft Still Hasn't Happened Yet?

There has been complaints about the draft being pushed back by many because all the mock drafts have become dry. I hate the length between the season and the draft because it gives to much times to over think on players. Guys that were 1st rounders by scouts at the end of the season has been scrutinized into later rounds.

The only guy who might be immune to this is  Johnny Manziel. But he is said to maybe go early in the 1st but also could drop out of the 1st round. The guy who has fell the most was Teddy Bridgewater although I think it could help the Texans because I still feel like he is a good player.

The draft should have been moved earlier in my opinion and not later although I get they did the move to get more ratings I guess. But it should also be about maximizing the talent on the teams and I think more time actually hurts that because scouts find more reasons to hate players they already didn't like and more reasons to like players that they were already fond of. I do know that scouts know what they are doing but everybody is human and sometimes people are bias.

I honestly just want the draft t be over. I'm not excited for it all now, I'm more tired about hearing about it and mock drafts and people's stock. I just want it to be over with and know who has been drafted to each team.

NBA Regular Season Awards

The NBA Playoffs start tomorrow so it's time to decide the regular season awards and give a little playoff preview.

NBA MVP: 

1. Kevin Durant
2. LeBron James
3. Blake Griffin

Kevin Durant has become the consensus pick for MVP and if you journey back to January, you would see that I thought it was the year of the Slim Reaper. What I did not expect was for him to runaway with it at the end of the year. He put up Jordan-esqu numbers averaging 32-7-5 while leading the Thunder to 59 wins in a season where Russell Westbrook, Kendrick Perkins, and Thabo Sefolosha all missed significant time.

LeBron James put on a valiant effort and was still other worldly but it still wasn't close because of the Heat coasting in the beginning of the season and surprisingly playing pretty terrible to end the season. I though voter fatigue would play a role in dethroning the king (yeah I know that was corny) but wow, I was wrong.

Blake Griffin finally played up to his hype. He was outstanding this year and it reflected in the Clippers play. Especially when Chris Paul was out with injury. He improved on his shooting and become much more lethal offensively and as a playmaker. He gets the slight edge over Joakim Noah for me.

Monday Spread Option 01-27-14

1. Super Bowl week is upon us! Who's winning the Superbowl? Why? and what is the score going to be?

Spencer-

Crazy that its Super Bowl week, what a great season its been...As for my pick, it's obviously an intriguing match up with the number one offense going against the number one defense and I'm taking the defense. Seahawks are going to win it. I think if there is any defense that can stop the offensive machine the Broncos have with Manning at the controls, it's Seattle. Also the Broncos defense will focus on stopping Marshawn Lynch and the run game, basically begging second year quarterback Russell Wilson to beat them with his arm. That is where I see Wilson stepping up in the moment. He may only be in his second year but he plays with the poise and smarts of a 10 year vet. He's done it all playoffs, making the big throws when they need him to and I see him doing it again in the biggest game of his career. Should be a great match-up overall and a memorable Super Bowl...31-24 Seahawks.

Ty-

There is only one more football game left until August, which is terrible news and great news! Super Bowl week is a great to see how these two teams go here. I for one, am glad that the two best teams in most people's eyes will be facing off for the championship. This outdoor Super Bowl has set up everything to be in the Seahawks favor. A colder game should benefit a Seahawks offense, built on the run and slow down a pass offense that the Broncos rely on. Also usually when High Power offenses meet high power defenses the defense tends to win right? My head is telling me to pick the Seahawks but there is something else that is telling me I have to go with the Broncos! Yes it's an outdoor Super Bowl, but Peyton Manning won his one ring outdoors in a rain monsoon. Although the Broncos have an offense predicated on the pass, they still play in an outdoor stadium and have a very good running game with Knowshon Moreno and Monte Ball. I'm really not too worried about the weather as long as it isn't windy. I think sometimes in Super Bowl games you need a quarterback to put the team on his back like Aaron Rodgers or Eli Manning. The Denver defense is actually good against the run so I think it's going to come down to Peyton and Russell Wilson. So I'm going with 28-24 Broncos

2. What has been more impressing? Kevin Durants absurd month of January or Carmelo Anthony's epic 62 point game at MSG?

Spencer-
Got to be Durant's aka the Slim Reaper's month of January. Obviously dropping 62 in a game is great for Carmelo but Melo is a great player because that's what does best shoot, and score. It should be no surprise to anyone that he was able to get so hot against a dismal defense like Charlotte and score 62. Some guys just have those nights where they can't miss. For Durant that night has been every game in the month of January. That's why it's more impressive. That team is missing one of its top players and Durant has single-handedly stepped up into his role as a super star player and carried that team to an impressive 12-5 record since, beating some great teams from the West along the way. Since January 7th he hasn't had under 30 points in any game he has played in. He has crossed the 50 point margin once, and come within four points or less of it twice for all of January. Those kind of numbers take a different level of play every single night and he has done just that. The man is just on an MVP caliber tear right now and I don't see him slowing down until Westbrook comes back and he is forced to share the ball a little more.

Ty-

Kevin Durant by a mile! I'm not "poopooing" Carmelo's 62 points because regardless of who you play, it takes something special to score 62 points. The other team knows your hot and they usually don't want to be the team to give up a record. But the Durantula has been absolutely poisonous to the opposing defenses this month. In January Durant is averaging 36.5 points per game, not to mention his own 54 point game. He is also averaging 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Although the Thunder team has begun to learn how to play with out Westbrook, the only reason they lead the West is because Kevin Durant is playing out of his mind right now. Also in Carmelo's 62 point game, not only were they up most of the game but he also had 0 assists. In Kevin Durant's 54 point game he recorded 6 assist. So even though he had the hot hand, he still worked to get his team good looks.

3. Arizona is now 20-0! How long do you think they can go undefeated? or will they run the table?

 Spencer-
I know they have had some close calls here the last few weeks but honestly with the talent of that team and the conference they play in I wouldn't be surprised if they went into the  Pac-12 conference tournament with an unblemished record. As of now they have no ranked teams on their schedule and they have obviously shown separation from the their conference as the next closest team has four losses. You could see them maybe tripping up with a team like Cal or maybe Oregon who can score a lot of points and other than a recent losing slump has a great season, but its still not a for sure. Arizona is a solid team so I could definitely see them pulling out an undefeated season.

Ty-

The Arizona Wildcats  have been winning every which way possible. This probably bodes well for them because now they just know how to win under any circumstance. It could come in handy in the tournament game. That being said, if they keep having close calls in games, then they will eventually fall to a team. They don't play anymore ranked teams this year so there is a great possibility for them to run the table  and win all their games this season. Their biggest threat is Stanford, who have been playing fairly well.

4. After seeing the NBA All-Star game starting 5, who was the biggest snub?

Spencer-
Easy answer here, James Harden. With Dwight joining him this year he hasn't been forced into having these forty point games anymore like he had last year but that's not his fault. He is still in my opinion the center piece of that Houston Rockets team and he has proven in two years since being the sixth man in OKC that he is a talented player who can hold his own. He deserved to be there, particularly over Kobe who has played in just five games this year. I know he is Kobe, and one of the greatest to ever play the game, but for the 2013-14 season he isn't even an All-Star. Just shows why sometimes the fans voting keeps out worthy guys. Either way Harden definitely got snubbed, almost as bad as Kendrick Lamar did at the

Grammys.



Ty-

LeMarcus Aldridge. Although I think Kobe should not have gotten the nod on the west squad, I think that Kevin Love should have been replaced with LaMarcus Aldridge. Love's numbers are awesome but they are still very similar to Aldridge. The only difference between the 2 is that the Blazers have one of the top 5 records in the league and Aldridge is an MVP candidate. I think that Aldridge would have been a starter if people remembered who he was. If he had commercials or if the Blazers had more TV games then he would be a starter. Although it is worth noting that he will in all likelihood be a reserve but he has played at an all-star starter level. Kevin Love has also been great but his team is only 21 and 22 and his team has underachieved all year. Yes it isn't all Love's fault but being an All-Star isn't always about numbers.

What We Learned This Week:

Spencer- The PAT is BOOOOOOOOORING!

With all the talk of changes in the NFL the biggest news maker was the leagues move to potentially eliminate the PAT. While I think it is kind of a tradition of the game, I also have come to realize I understand the rational.

Think about it, we love football because its exciting, full of big hits, and most importantly....UNPREDICTABLE. Nothing about the PAT screams unpredictable anymore when you have kickers nailing field goals from  nearly half the length of the field. The fact that broadcasters call a 20 yard field goal a chip shot, must make a PAT child's play. Time for some change. Time to switch it up a bit. Time to add some intrigue into a team going for the conversion in the first quarter or not. I love the idea of generating some more strategy into the game. It is a genius idea for the NFL to keep all eyes on the game a little longer, instead of having the PAT like an invitation to take a bathroom break.

That being said I don't think they should get rid of it necessarily completely. I think the best solution I have heard so far is moving the extra point back so it's a 30 yarder or so, and if you go for the two you get the ball on the one. Just something to make a coach think twice about potentially kicking the extra point or not.

I think that would be the best solution but I want to hear your ideas for fixing or eliminating the PAT so please post them in the comments or tweet them at me (@Spencito6)

Regardless of what the NFL decides to do though, may the odds be ever in your teams favor!

Ty- Regardless of what happens the rest of the season, this might be the last year of the Miami Heat Era!

The Miami Heat have had less of a buzz this year, mainly because they are the known commodity. Now this isn't something that we learned last week but this passing week has made it clear that the Miami Heat future could be up in the air.

This past week we have seen LeBron talk a lot about how he is jealous of Kevin Durant's shot attempts. Then when Carmelo dropped 62, he chimed in again about wanting to have a 60-plus point game. It seems as if LeBron wants to be able to get some of these accolades because he feels like he is in his physical prime.

But he can't do this because he has too many Superstars on his team, or so that must be his mindset. I do feel like he could shoot as many shots as he wanted to but I think he knows that it would be at a cost of looking selfish.

On top of that, Dwayne Wade has been playing very scarcely this season. He has been sitting out games this season for maintenance of his many injuries. This is troublesome because his health has steadily declined over the last few seasons. The Heat might be doing this now so that they have him in May and June but it should still cause some concern. It's easy to question whether LeBron James or Chris Bosh will stay with the heat if they are unsure about D-Wade's future. Specially with LeBron apparently wanting to shoot more.

Although I doubt LeBron would give up the rings or is really that jealous, if he wanted to shoot a lot, why didn't he just stay in Cleveland?