Let's Get Ready to Rumble

It's here ladies and gentlemen; I have for you the 2011 NBA and NHL finals. Both match-ups feature heavyweights against heavyweights, and there are a lot of big names involved. From Dirk to Chara, and Sedin to James, we got the big name players and the big name teams. The West 3 seed-the Dallas Mavericks, led by Dirk Nowitzki and his band of sharp shooters, pesky defenders, and crafty penetrators, take on the East 2 seed-the Miami Heat, led by the trio of Chris Bosh, Lebron James, and Dwayne Wade (actually I've heard rumors that the Heat will only have them three on the court the whole time, who knew?). On the colder side of things, the West 1 seed-the Vancouver Canucks, led by the Sedin twins and Roberto Luongo, take on the East 3 seed- the Boston Bruins, led by mammoth defense-man Zdeno Chara and goalie Tim Thomas.

To talk about the NBA finals for a bit, you have to start with the stellar play of late by the two big stars; Lebron James and Dirk Nowitzki. While the Heat's production comes predominantly from its three stars, Lebron James has taken on more of the load on both the offensive and defensive sides of the court. While Wade and Bosh had their games, James more of a consistent scorer and assist man while also taking on the role of guarding the other team's best player, especially when he virtually took Derrick Rose out of every fourth quarter by his stingy defense. And while myself, and probably a good majority of the NBA fans, still loathe the choice made by Lebron, and all the coverage and shenanigans that came with it, he has proven that he made a good choice and that he is one of the best players in the league. However, the championship does not yet belong to the Heat, and I know Dirk Nowitzki and his crew will have a lot to say about that. Dirk has been on fire of late, making acrobatic shot after acrobatic shot. He makes just about every open shot, can make shots falling away in any direction, sinks shots with defenders draped all over them, and gets to the foul line consistently where he has almost been perfect this playoffs. All the credit does not belong to Dirk though, the defense by the Mavericks has been sensational. Tyson Chandler has been a beat in the post, Jason Kidd has locked down superstar after superstar, and Shawn Marion made Kevin Durant look like a high school player. Not to mention this team has great bench play, especially coming from Jose Barea and Jason Terry. They have been great slashers and shooters and has caused defenses nightmares. Having said all of this I think it will be a great series. Both teams will have their hands full with mismatches on both sides of the court. I won't make a prediction, but I will say that the Mavericks on paper are the better team, however the Heat have the superstars and the firepower to take this series. I'm hoping for a 7 game thriller that comes down to the last possession, where we are able to see which superstar will propel their legacy to the next level.

Now to address the puck, I think that we are in for another great series. While we have a 3 seed versus a 1 seed, many people have argued that the Bruins always were the best team in the East, evident by their run through the playoffs. The Bruins are a tough physical team, with strong blue line defenders, and experienced forwards. Their assistant captain, Mark Recchi, has hoisted the Stanley Cup before and will no doubt have his team hungry for the series win. Tim Thomas in goal has been consistent and sensational, he shutout the Lightning to get to the Stanley Cup Finals. On the other side of the ice, we have the most consistent team in the NHL all year, the Vancouver Canucks. The league leader in overall points, the Canucks are led by their twin forwards Daniel and Henrik Sedin, who have been dominant all year. In the net, they have one of the best goalies in the league, Roberto Luongo. He played out of his mind against the San Jose Sharks in game 5 of their last series, ending in an overtime win for the Canucks to get them to the Finals. The Canucks are a fast and technically sound team, who have all the pieces to win the Stanley Cup. We are in for another great series, where both sides have a legitimate chance to bring a championship back to their towns.

Playoff sports brings out the best in competitors and this year is no different. Enjoy everyone.

A la the playoffs, always go hard in the paint.