Another fantastic weekend of sports came and went and a few things really stood out to me.
1. Michigan State can absolutely lock you up on defense. The Spartans put on another defensive clinic in dominating the 3rd ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus. They held the Buckeyes to 48 total points on 26.4% shooting while ending their 39 game home win streak. MSU has bought into the Tom Izzo philosophy that they are going to guard you, frustrate you, outwork you and beat you up physically. State ranks 15th in the country in scoring defense, giving up 58.6 points per game, and ranks 5th in field goal percentage defense holding their opponents to 37.4%. MSU also ranks 12th in 3-point field goal percentage, 9th in rebounds per game and 3rd in rebound differential. Basically, they force you into bad shots and then don't give you an opportunity to get cheap points by getting offensive rebounds. They have come a long way since giving up 81 points to Lehigh. Now if they can put the ball in the hole, they have a real chance to make the Final Four. Fingers crossed.
2. I have Jeremy Lin fever. This guy burst on the seen from the NBA D-League and has led the New York Knicks to a 5 game winning streak. Did I mention that they are playing without superstars Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudamire? Lin-sanity has taken over the Big Apple just when they needed him. He has revived the fan base and fueled his team. They believe they can win but most importantly, they believe in him. The former Harvard Point Guard, who was born in California, is averaging 26.8 points, 8 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game while playing 39 (out of 48) minutes a game in his 5 starts. The most staggering stat is that he is making 52% of his shots. It isn't like he is making 4 out of 8. He is shooting 19 times a game! When the Knicks played Kobe and the Lakers, Kobe was asked if he knew about the sensation that is Lin. Kobe downplayed it insinuating that by the end of the night, Lin would know who Kobe was. WRONG! Lin went for 38 points and 7 assists to Kobe's 34 points and 10 rebounds. The most important statistic... Lin-sanity and the Knicks got the win. He is a refreshing story and I am all L-in.
3. The Red Wings have tied the all time record for consecutive wins at home with 20. 20 games in a row! Think about that for a second.......It is mind boggling. These are the greatest hockey players in the WORLD! The two teams they are tied with (Boston Bruins, 1929-30 and Philadelphia Flyers, 1976) didn't have to deal with players from across the pond. They mainly had to play against North Americans. To me, that is what makes this streak so impressive. 1 more to go for the outright record! Bring on the Dallas Stars!
4. Tiger Woods is not ready to win a major tournament just yet. He started the final round 4 shots off the lead having shot in the 60's for his first 3 rounds. He had played well and was 2 shots ahead of Phil Mickelson and the 2 were paired together! What a drama filled afternoon this was gonna be. Drama filled for about 30 minutes. Mickelson got off to a blazing start with birdies at 2, 4 and 5 and then eagled the 6th. He put a beating on Tiger that he has never seen before, drubbing him by 11 shots on the day. Phil shot a magnificent final round 64 winning the tournament by 2 strokes. Tigers putter really let him down as he missed 6 putts from inside 5 feet and limped to the clubhouse with a 75. Tiger wasn't even the best player in his Pro-Am two-some. Dallas Cowboys Quarterback, Tony Romo actually played better than he did. Woods has looked really good at times this year but Sunday at Pebble Beach will soon be a day that he wants to forget. This epic collapse, on that stage, leads me to believe that, mentally, he isn't ready. Guys on tour no longer fear the mystique that he once possessed. Once he exercises the mental demons, and only then, will we begin to see the brilliance of Tiger Woods.
5. Kentucky's Anthony Davis will be the #1 pick in the NBA draft. Davis is a game changer and has already set the SEC all time record for blocked shots in a season. He averages 14 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks per game and can be a dominant post presence at 6'10" and 220 pounds. Davis is just a freshman so he can only get bigger and better. His athleticism and the way he plays are reminiscent of a young Marcus Camby. I have heard about him this season but haven't actually watched him play until this weekend. I can only hope that the Pistons, while trying to win of course, tank the rest of their season so they can get lucky enough to get the first overall pick.
1. Michigan State can absolutely lock you up on defense. The Spartans put on another defensive clinic in dominating the 3rd ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus. They held the Buckeyes to 48 total points on 26.4% shooting while ending their 39 game home win streak. MSU has bought into the Tom Izzo philosophy that they are going to guard you, frustrate you, outwork you and beat you up physically. State ranks 15th in the country in scoring defense, giving up 58.6 points per game, and ranks 5th in field goal percentage defense holding their opponents to 37.4%. MSU also ranks 12th in 3-point field goal percentage, 9th in rebounds per game and 3rd in rebound differential. Basically, they force you into bad shots and then don't give you an opportunity to get cheap points by getting offensive rebounds. They have come a long way since giving up 81 points to Lehigh. Now if they can put the ball in the hole, they have a real chance to make the Final Four. Fingers crossed.
2. I have Jeremy Lin fever. This guy burst on the seen from the NBA D-League and has led the New York Knicks to a 5 game winning streak. Did I mention that they are playing without superstars Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudamire? Lin-sanity has taken over the Big Apple just when they needed him. He has revived the fan base and fueled his team. They believe they can win but most importantly, they believe in him. The former Harvard Point Guard, who was born in California, is averaging 26.8 points, 8 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game while playing 39 (out of 48) minutes a game in his 5 starts. The most staggering stat is that he is making 52% of his shots. It isn't like he is making 4 out of 8. He is shooting 19 times a game! When the Knicks played Kobe and the Lakers, Kobe was asked if he knew about the sensation that is Lin. Kobe downplayed it insinuating that by the end of the night, Lin would know who Kobe was. WRONG! Lin went for 38 points and 7 assists to Kobe's 34 points and 10 rebounds. The most important statistic... Lin-sanity and the Knicks got the win. He is a refreshing story and I am all L-in.
3. The Red Wings have tied the all time record for consecutive wins at home with 20. 20 games in a row! Think about that for a second.......It is mind boggling. These are the greatest hockey players in the WORLD! The two teams they are tied with (Boston Bruins, 1929-30 and Philadelphia Flyers, 1976) didn't have to deal with players from across the pond. They mainly had to play against North Americans. To me, that is what makes this streak so impressive. 1 more to go for the outright record! Bring on the Dallas Stars!
4. Tiger Woods is not ready to win a major tournament just yet. He started the final round 4 shots off the lead having shot in the 60's for his first 3 rounds. He had played well and was 2 shots ahead of Phil Mickelson and the 2 were paired together! What a drama filled afternoon this was gonna be. Drama filled for about 30 minutes. Mickelson got off to a blazing start with birdies at 2, 4 and 5 and then eagled the 6th. He put a beating on Tiger that he has never seen before, drubbing him by 11 shots on the day. Phil shot a magnificent final round 64 winning the tournament by 2 strokes. Tigers putter really let him down as he missed 6 putts from inside 5 feet and limped to the clubhouse with a 75. Tiger wasn't even the best player in his Pro-Am two-some. Dallas Cowboys Quarterback, Tony Romo actually played better than he did. Woods has looked really good at times this year but Sunday at Pebble Beach will soon be a day that he wants to forget. This epic collapse, on that stage, leads me to believe that, mentally, he isn't ready. Guys on tour no longer fear the mystique that he once possessed. Once he exercises the mental demons, and only then, will we begin to see the brilliance of Tiger Woods.
5. Kentucky's Anthony Davis will be the #1 pick in the NBA draft. Davis is a game changer and has already set the SEC all time record for blocked shots in a season. He averages 14 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks per game and can be a dominant post presence at 6'10" and 220 pounds. Davis is just a freshman so he can only get bigger and better. His athleticism and the way he plays are reminiscent of a young Marcus Camby. I have heard about him this season but haven't actually watched him play until this weekend. I can only hope that the Pistons, while trying to win of course, tank the rest of their season so they can get lucky enough to get the first overall pick.
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