An early look at the playoffs!

The Western Conference will still have the better games. Any one of the teams in the West could go to the finals. Sure the Lakers are the favorites, but other teams are very scary. Spurs, Suns, Hornets, Jazz, Rockets, Nuggets...I'd say that all of these teams have a good chance to come out of the West. How they match up against the elite of the East, nobody really knows yet.

The Eastern Conference is easy to figure out. There are a lot of teams in the East that are better than average, but not many have a shot at the Finals. We all know the two teams that will battle it out to get to the Finals. The Cavs and Celtics are way ahead of every other team in that conference. It's going to be interesting to see if Lebron finally breaks through in the playoffs.

A lot of scenarios, but we will mostly likely see a rematch of last season. Lakers vs Celtics. David Stern's wet dream

T-Mac is the problem Houston has!

It's been a long time since the Rockets did anything in the playoffs. The '96-'97 season was the last time they won a playoff series. When a team loses Hall of Fame players and has to rebuild, it's understandable to not win a playoff series for a little while, but it's been way to long.

The Rockets have added alot of talent over the years. Off the top of my head I think of Yao Ming, Steve Francis, Shane Battier, and most of the roster they have now. It took a little longer than they would've liked to get a championship roster, but they finally have one.

The only piece to the puzzle that doesn't fit is Tracy McGrady. When he is healthy, he is one of the most talented players that I have ever seen. He almost has it all, but what he lacks is what the Rockets need most.

Some players have a killer instinct. Kobe, Jordan, Pierce, Duncan, Wade....but T-Mac doesn't have it. T-Mac was suppose to be the guy that took over in the 4th quarter. Before this season Yao was more than willing to let McGrady be the closer because he has that much talent. Yao has always been the guy to get them to the 4th quarter so that someone else can close it out. Now there isn't anyone to close it, so Yao must do it himself.

It took Yao a long time to realize his potential, but it's happening. He demands the ball on the low block and just goes to work while Tracy watches. This team might not win a playoff series the next two seasons, or they might win it all. For the latter to happen, T-Mac has to pitch in the 4th. If he doesn't, he will be out the door in 2010. Yao is 7"6 and is willing to take the last shot. That's all Rockets fans have been looking for.

My NBA Experience!

As soon as I walked into the doors of the Toyota Center, I was hypnotized. I didn't even wanna look for my seats, I just wanted to see the court.

It was about an hour and 20 minutes before tip-off and I couldn't believe my eyes. There they were, the people I want to win more than anything in the world. Scola and Battier (among others) were out there warming up before the actual warm ups. Battier was sinking every shot like he was throwing a rock into an ocean. Scola looked to the stands to wave at some fans chanting his name. (I think he was extra excited because it was Scola wig night)

So we went to the store inside the arena and then went to our seats. Not the greatest seats in the world, but I couldn't believe how good of a view it was. I was expecting much less.

For about 30 minutes, I had my sights locked in on Ron Artest and Chauncey Billups going 1 on 1 with coaches. (On opposite sides of the court) The difficulty of the shots that they were taking were insane. The way they were shooting, I thought they were both gonna have huge games.

Fast Forward to tip-off. The first half of the game involved huge ups and downs. I was shocked how neither team looked rattled when down double digits. They were just so focused on executing.

Half time was very nice. They had a presentation for the long time Rockets radio broadcasters.

The second half was all Rockets. I looked up in the 3rd quarter and Tracy already had a triple double and Yao had something like 24 points. The Nuggets just had no answer for Yao. Both teams shot fantastic percentages. Billups didn't have a good game at all. He had trouble with the very fast play of Aaron Brooks.

The final score was 108-96. I still can't believe I was there. Watching it on tv doesn't do it justice. How quick they were, and the great defense is missed on tv. Things like weak side help and close outs on shots were amazing to me. Also the quickness of Yao Ming is unfathomable. Everyone thinks he's just some slow stiff, but wow is he quick. On the offensive end mostly, but also on help defense.

It will probably be the greatest team I will ever see with my eyes. The collection of talent is insane. I will see them again, hopefully against Lebron James.

GO ROCKETS!!!

Astros Baseball

Don't get too excited with this team.

I've lowered my expectations after seeing the second half of last season.

They plan to cut about 25 million off the payroll, so no improvement with the pitching.

Wiggington is already gone, Tejada might be next.

No upgrades at 3rd, catcher or starting pitching.

I believe in the GM, but not with such a huge payroll cut.

That big money to Oswalt, Lee, Berkman and Tejada doesn't look so good now does it?

I was always against signing Lee and I thought Tejada was overpayed. Looks like I was right.

About not being excited for those Cowboys...

I take it back!!!!!!!!!

I'm done with "them Cowboys"

The Dallas Cowboys just lost a game to the Steelers that was practically over in the 3rd quarter. Good going Romo. Good going defense. Good job coaches. Great ownership Jerry.

I'm done. You should have seen me when the Cowboys were up 10. I was running around screaming. That's how much I want them to win. That's how much I want Romo to win so that everyone will get off of his record after November. Not anymore.

I have always had high hopes, every game I watch. I'm not going to be disappointed anymore.

Some might say that I don't have it that bad, I mean the Cowboys have won 5 Super Bowls. I've never been a part of one. At least with the Rockets and Astros, everything doesn't depend on one game. It's a long season and alot of games in the playoffs.

I wanted Witten, Romo, Barber, and Ware to get a championship. But they have done nothing to deserve it. At least McNabb has won some huge games. I hate that guy, but he has done something the Cowboys haven't in a while. Almost every team has done something.

When they come on, I'll probably still watch them...but not like I did. It's not worth the disappointment.

Manning and Harrison

Do the Colts look like the team that won a Super Bowl two years ago? No

Is Peyton Manning having a great season? No

Does Harrison come out of his routes like he use to? No

Are the Colts still a Super Bowl contender? Yes

Going into tonight's game against the Chargers, Manning had 17 TD's and 9 Int's. Not too impressive, but good enough. Those numbers (plus what he did tonight) have been enough to get them a 7-4 record. With Reggie Wayne alongside Marvin Harrison, Peyton Manning will always be Peyton Manning. It has taken them a little while to get completely healthy, but it's coming around at the right time. People should be ashamed for counting them out. Manning and Harrison will go into the Hall Of Fame, and they will be remembered as one of the greatest duo's in history. They are the Batman & Robin of the NFL. (The comic books not the Batman & Robin movie)

When they get to the playoffs, are you confident they will lose because they have lost a step? Or will that championship experience jump out at you? I don't know if the Colts will make it all the way, but they have as good of a chance as any team in the AFC. Manning and Harrison can keep this going as long as they want, and I hope they will.

P.S. I called what happened to McNabb and the Titans