ESPN's first ever college hoops tip-off marathon includes a Philadelphia rivalry between the Drexel Dragons and the Penn Quakers.

The Boston Celtics did what they needed to do in Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals. Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen scored 127 of the 206 Celtic points in the first two games, accounting for 62% of the Boston offense. If the Celtics want to win the championship, this needs to continue to happen. In Boston's two wins over the Los Angeles Lakers in the regular season, we saw similar results with the "Big Three" scoring 133 out of the 217 Celtic points, which turns out to be 61% of the Boston offense. So it seems thus far that Garnett, Pierce and Allen know how to score against this tough Laker defense.

Going into this series, we knew the supporting cast of Celtics would have to step it up and the Big Three couldn't do it all by themselves. In steps point guard Rajon Rondo and reserve forward Leon Powe. In Game 1, Rondo had 15 points and 7 assists and in Game 2, although he only scored 4 points, dished out 16 assists. Powe had a quite Game 1, but then exploded in Game 2 for 21 points off the bench. Boston will need games like this from the role players to support the "Big Three" and perhaps it can come from other players besides Rondo and Powe. Veteran guard Sam Cassell had a solid game off the bench in Game 1 with scoring 8 points, and center Kendrick Perkins, who has had a quiet NBA Finals thus far, has the ability to have an offensive explosion at any given moment.

On the flip side, the Los Angeles Lakers haven't played a bad series either. The Lakers probably should have won Game 1, but didn't take advantage of several opportunities. Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom (L.A.'s main three players) have done their part in this series. Bryant had 24 and 30 points in Games 1 and 2, respectively, while Gasol had 17 points and 10 rebounds in Game 2. Point guard Derek Fisher has also done well in this series.

However, the Lakers were outplayed in Game 2 and except for a 41-point 4th quarter, they were not looking too good. The good thing is that the Lakers are undefeated in the playoffs at home and the NBA Finals now swing to L.A. for the next 3 games of the series.

Thus far in this series, the Celtics seem to have all the momentum and are playing with more energy. Is that because they are home? Perhaps. The Lakers now need to do the same and thrive off the energetic home crowd to win the next three games. Game 3 tonight is now a must win for Kobe and the Lakers and to be honest, all 3 games at home are must-wins for the Lakers as well. If the Celtics win one of the games in L.A. (obviously if they win two they win the NBA Championship), then they will be able to close it out in Boston in Game 6 or 7.

Boston did what they needed to do and retained their home-court advantage in the NBA Finals, making their 66-16 season worth all that trouble. Now the pressure is on the Lakers to take care of business at home, making the Boston Celtics a dangerous nothing-to-lose basketball team.

Russell vs. Chamberlain. Magic vs. Bird. Garnett vs. Kobe? Does that seem to fit? Or perhaps Pierce vs. Kobe? Or just the Big 3 vs. Kobe? How does this Lakers-Celtics NBA Finals stack up with those of the past?

Starting with the 1969 NBA Finals, Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics were at the end of their large dynasty. On the flip side, the Los Angeles Lakers had the newly acquired Wilt Chamberlain along with Hall-of-Fame players Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. The Lakers were the heavy favorite with the younger, more athletic team and Russell was at the tail end of his career. However, the Celtics managed to make it all the way to the Finals after being seeded 4th in the Eastern Conference. The Lakers took the first 2 games at home, then the Celtics bounced back to win games 3 and 4. The Celtics and Lakers then split games 5 and 6, leading up to the always dramatic Game 7. A huge 3rd quarter and a game-ending injury to Chamberlain allowed the Celtics to prevail and win the NBA Title.

The 1984 NBA Finals would be the next time the Lakers & Celtics would meet, this time with completely different teams. The Lakers were led by Earvin "Magic" Johnson and James Worthy and the Celtics had a farm boy named Larry Bird. Bird ended up winning MVP and the Celtics won the NBA Finals in 7 games. These two teams would meet again in the 1985 NBA Finals, this time with the Lakers winning the series in 6 games and Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar received MVP honors. Then again, 1987 gave way to another Lakers-Celtics NBA Final with the Lakers winning again in 6 games.

Now, 21 years later, the Lakers and Celtics meet again. The Celtics are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since that 1987 defeated at the hands of the Lakers, while L.A. has been much more successful winning a few championships since then.

So with all those great players mentioned in the 1969 NBA Finals and the Finals in the 1980's, does 2008 really compare? Kobe Bryant is this year's MVP and is certainly a future Hall-of-Famer. Other Lakers players like Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher will be remembered as great players, but are not necessarily Hall-of-Famers. On the flip side, the big three of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are all potential Hall-of-Famers. But with no championship to their names, they are not yet considered to be locks to enter "The Hall" like Kobe.

This is the time to shine for Boston and the big three. It's time for the Celtics to revive their storied franchise and it's time for Garnett, Pierce and Allen to put a cap on their great careers.

With that said, can it be done? The Lakers are playing great basketball and have the MVP on their side. They also have head coach Phil Jackson, who is running out of fingers on which to put his championship rings. It will be a tough task for Boston to beat L.A. in a 7-game series, but it can be done.

The Celtics do technically have the home court advantage. But if they lose one of the first two in Boston, then L.A. can win the next 3 games at home and take the series and the championship.

There were two things that allowed the Boston Celtics to beat the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals: Good defense on the road and Ray Allen playing like Ray Allen. If those two things happen again in this series, the Celtics could win. But Boston also needs to control the defensive glass and not allow Gasol and Odom to give the Lakers a ton of second chances.

My personal prediction is the Lakers in 5 games simply because of Kobe, Phil Jackson and the way the team is playing. But Boston certainly has the talent to get it done. They just need to put it all together. It's now or never.

Well Jimmy Rollins is back. Cole Hamels is coming off a complete game shutout. Chase Utley is having an All-Star season. And the bullpen has been rock solid. So what seems to be the problem?

Well a big problem is the #4 hitter clogging up the heart of the order. His name is Ryan Howard. Although he is starting to come around, Howard is still hitting at a dismal .187, including a colossal 65 strikeouts. Howard is struggling at the plate and all Phils fans can see it. So why does manager Charlie Manuel continue to keep him at the #4 spot in the lineup? It gives teams an easy decision to pitch around Utley and just bring in a lefty to pitch sweeping sliders and Ryan racks up another "K."

So what is the solution? I propose a lineup change:

Rollins SS

Victorino RF

Werth CF

Utley 2B

Burrell LF

Howard 1B

Feliz 3B

Ruiz/Coste C

Pitcher

How does that sound? Yes, I think Manuel should bump Ryan Howard all the way down to 6th. It gives a solid heart of the order, especially with Jayson Werth smashing the ball lately. Rollins and Victorino gives a speedy 1-2 punch at the top and Utley and Burrell are certainly capable of holding up the 4 and 5 spots. This will potentially give Howard some better pitches to hit and take the pressure of hitting in the cleanup spot off his shoulders.

Another problem is starting pitching. Brett Myers is slowly getting back to form, but not fast enough. Hopefully he begins to come around and showed some promise in last night's 4-0 loss to the Washington Nationals. Veteran southpaw Jamie Moyer is doing what he can and has kept the Phils in most games that he has started. Young right-hander Kyle Kendrick started the year rough, but has since recovered and pitched a few consecutive quality starts. Adam Eaton is again a problem this season. While he started off the season fairly better than last season, he continues to struggle to get through innings.

So what is the solution to this problem? Myers will hopefully come around. Hamels, Moyer and Kendrick are fine. So Eaton must be replaced.

But with who? The Phillies have a starting pitcher ready to go and has proven that he can be a consistent, reliable pitcher. It is right-hander Chad Durbin, who is currently working in both short and long relief in the bullpen. Durbin is effective, he has good movement on his fastball, has a good breaking ball and is consistent in his location. Inserting Chad Durbin into the starting rotation would strengthen the entire team. His absence in the pen won't be missed a whole lot since Ryan Madson has begun to pitch much better and can fill in for the role that Durbin served so well.

Move Howard down to #6 in the lineup and put Durbin in the starting rotation. Simple as that. Someone send the message to Charlie Manuel.

The Boston Celtics were able to pull out Game 7 at home against a scrappy Cleveland Cavalier squad on Sunday afternoon. So entering the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons, the Celtics are 8-0 at home in the playoffs and 0-6 on the road. Of course those numbers bode well for Kevin Garnett and company since they have the home court advantage.

But can they beat Detroit in 7 games just like they won in the previous two series? That is a very tough question because the Pistons are by far the toughest opponent they will face in the playoffs. The Atlanta Hawks barely made the playoffs with a very sub-par record and the Celtics should be embarrassed that it took 7 games to take them down. Then the Cavaliers took Boston to the limit behind stellar play of LeBron James.

In Game 7 against the Cavaliers, the Celtics were led by Paul Pierce who had an amazing 41-poiont performance. Pierce only has this type of playoff game in an elimination scenario, similar to his 46-point performance several years back in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Philadelphia 76ers. Garnett had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, but did not have an especially strong game for the talent that he is. Ray Allen continues to struggle only scoring 4 points and shooting 1-6 from the field. The supporting cast of the big three did not step up in this game with the exception of veteran P.J. Brown. If the Celtics do not clean up their act, especially Ray Allen, then they will have a hard time defeating the Detroit Pistons.

The "win at home-lose on the road" pattern that the Celtics have used thus far in the playoffs will not work against the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons play well on the road and will most likely steal either Games 1 or 2 in Boston. If the Celtics are to have a shot at advancing to the NBA Finals, they need to find a way to win on the road.

So this brings me to my next question: Why is it that this team with a ton of talent having trouble winning in the playoffs?

The answer is simple. Players who are used to losing don't know how to win. As bad as that sounds, it's so true. If you compare the Boston Celtics to the San Antonio Spurs, the Celtics have much more talent. But the Spurs know how to win and that's why they have won 4 NBA Championships with the last 11 years. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen have been losing for most of their career. The two exceptions would be Garnett with the Timberwolves the one year they were the #1 seed in the Western Conference and Allen making a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks.

So when you combine veterans who don't know how to win and a bunch of young players who haven't had the opportunity to experience a winning team, you get the Boston Celtics inability to win a road playoff game.

The Celtics have the talent and the ability to get to the NBA Finals and even win an NBA Championship. But they need to step it up and use a total team effort to defeat the Detroit Pistons. This is the 6th consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearance for the Pistons and many of the players, including Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace, have been in this situation before. The Pistons play as a team and get a major contribution for any one of the "big four" on any given night.

If the Celtics can't come through and defeat the Detroit Pistons, this season will most likely be considered a disappointment. It is up to Pierce, Garnett and Allen to step it up and finally, for the first time in their careers, play like champions.

Philadelphia is a city on edge.

Not more than two weeks ago, a Philadelphia Police Officer was gunned down while trying to serve his city. Sergeant Stephen Liczbinski was responding to a robbery call at a bank and was murdered by a trio of armed men. He was killed by an automatic weapon, just days before his 40th birthday.

Two days after the murder of one of the city's finest, several cops were caught on videotape beating three men mercilessly after the men were suspects in a shooting. A half-dozen cops were taken off the streets after it was determined they used excessive force when apprehending the suspects.

This used to be the City of Brotherly Love.

It's now being referred to as the City of Death.

As a city, we are teetering on the brink of a racial divide that could set us back years. We have cops being murdered, people being beaten on the streets. And hope is slowly being drained from our collective souls.

Philadelphia needs hope. Philadelphia needs something they can rally behind to give us optimism and strength. The city needs something they can call a winner.

Sports can be that rallying cry. Sports can be the place where the losing stops. Sports is the place to forget about your worries for 60 minutes, nine innings, or four quarters.

Philadelphians are well known for their antics in the stands. You have heard the stories of the fans booing Santa Clause, throwing batteries at J.D. Drew, and fighting with the Mets fans before, during, and after ballgames.

But what gets lost in all of this is the passion that the fans have for their teams.

Most times, the fanatics go beyond the level of support that is truly needed. Fighting is a silly way to validate your status as an admirer of a sports team. However, you can't say there isn't spiritedness within a Philadelphia sports fan. In no way do I condone the madness when it goes beyond what a fan should be, but in a way it has become what we are.

We are a city that struggles to find a balance in any aspect of life. Whether it be sports, the crime on the streets, the floundering school systems.

With all that is wrong with the city, this town is in dire need of that special team to get behind. Sadly, they come and go too fast.

For years, failure has been the only option. In 1993, the Philadelphia Phillies shocked everyone by getting to the World Series. They were a team of loveable losers, with long hair, dip in their cheek, and a drinking problem after the game. But we rallied around them.

In 1996, the Flyers made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in what was a brilliant playoffs for a team loaded with grinders and bad asses. They formed a Legion of Doom and had a goalie in Ron Hextall who would bow to no one. Sadly, they were swept and the fun was over seemingly before it began.

For four straight seasons in the early 2000's, the Eagles were a staple in the NFC Title game, even going to one Super Bowl in 2005. They were struck down before the mighty Patriots and have not been near the Lombardi Trophy since.

Just last season, the town united behind a Phillies squad that made an unreal comeback in the final weeks of the season, overtaking the Mets and making the playoffs for the first time in 14 seasons. As quick as it started, the Phils were gone, losing in a sweep at the hands of the Rockies, the eventual National League Champs.

The 76ers made an unlikely playoff run this year, as most thought they would be bound for the NBA Draft Lottery. They ran out of steam in the first round, but showed promise for perhaps a big run down the road.

This season, the Flyers made a complete turnaround by overcoming so many odds to appear in the Eastern Conference Finals, just a few steps from the Cup. Just when all seems right, a Cinderella story about to appear, an untimely injury strikes our team, and possibly ends our season. Star defenseman Kimmo Timonen will miss the remainder of the playoffs, most likely, after a blood clot formed in his leg. As I write this piece, the Flyers new lead defenseman, Braydon Coburn, gets hit in the face with a puck and has to leave the game.It's one of a laundry list of injuries and hardships that have plagued this town for decades.

Granted, sports have little to do with the sad events that have taken place the past few weeks in our city. Losing a loved father of three who was protecting us from the cretins that run the streets is a far greater loss than any game.

As unfortunate as the loss is, we look for solace in the thought that there can be something to cheer us up.

Sports are that factor. But in the City of Brotherly Love, sports have made us weep more than not.

What the town could use is an infusion of pride and triumph, something that has eluded this great city for so long.

In so many ways, we have been unable to prevail as a people. Our city is run with heinous, vile individuals who choose evil over good. Watching the Flyers beat the Penguins or the Phillies shock us all and win later this summer can help ease the torment and fill us with an exuberance that has been lacking for 20-plus years.

A Stanley Cup Finals victory or a Phillies World Series win can never bring back the departed whom we have lost in our city, Sgt. Liczbinski included. What it can do is make us forget about the bad and focus on the good.

Sports have a funny way of bringing people together, allowing a group of humans who do not know each other to form a harmonious bond.

Philly needs this. If one of Philadelphia's major sports teams can come up with an unlikely victory, it might be the rallying cry that can put us on the right track.

Never talk defeat. Use words like hope, belief, faith, victory.

This was such a close call this year with who should get the NBA's Most Valuable Player award. It really came down to 2 great players: Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul. Bryant had a better year scoring wise averaging 28 points per game while Paul was the better ball distributor with 12 assists per game. And Paul still averaged about 21 points per game during the season. So who is the Most Valuable Player between these two?

Obviously we know that Kobe Bryant received the award as it was announced earlier this week. But is he truly deserving of the award? It is such a close call that I feel that these two guys could have been co-MVPs. Did Kobe receive the award because he has been in the league so long without an MVP award? That is certainly possible since many members of the press felt Kobe should have gotten MVP in other seasons. Considering he has not yet received the award, then members of the press felt it was their duty to give him the award.

Don't get me wrong, Kobe Bryant has an MVP-type season and is the leader of the Los Angeles Lakers, who are currently undefeated in the NBA Playoffs thus far. But is Bryant the key ingredient to the Lakers success?

Let's look back on the 2007-2008 season for a moment. Does anyone remember when the Lakers really turned it on and became the top team in the Western Conference? Well lucky for you, I remember. It was when the Lakers acquired forward Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies in a mid-season trade. That's right folks. I am giving most of the credit for the Lakers big success to Gasol.

If it were not for Kobe and of course guys like Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher, the Lakers wouldn't be here either. But what put L.A. into that next gear to become the team to beat in the competitive Western Conference was Gasol. Since Kobe was not the ultimate difference maker, then there is questions surrounding his MVP award.

On the other hand, let's look at Chris Paul. I, along with a fellow sports analyst, have had discussions about how CP3 should be the MVP of the NBA this season. Who would have thought the New Orleans Hornets would have won that extremely competitive Southwest division, which includes the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. Paul made that happen. He has guys around him like David West, Peja Stojakovic and Tyson Chandler, but ultimately Paul is the big reason why the Hornets are this good.

If you compare the Lakers supporting cast (Odom, Gasol, Fisher) to the Hornets supporting cast (West, Stojakovic, Chandler), the Lakers have the obvious edge. It's always easy to have a great season, both individually and as a team, with squad the Lakers have. And while the Hornets do have a good team around Chris Paul, he is the reason why the Hornets are the #2 seed in the Western Conference as compares to a lottery team once again.

As previously mentioned, Kobe is certainly MVP-worthy once again this season. But for this particular year, for what Chris Paul has done for the New Orleans Hornets, CP3 should be the MVP.

Steve Nash. Amare Stoudemire. Shaquille O'Neal. Raja Bell. Sounds like a good team, right? How about Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard and Jason Kidd? That's pretty good too. So why are the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks struggling to win a playoff series? The San Antonio Spurs, the newest, and perhaps quietest, NBA dynasty seems to get the job done every year with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. So what makes the Spurs different from the Suns and the Mavericks? Could it be the coaching? Well Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, seems to think Avery Johnson is to blame as he fired Johnson this week. Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni was rumored to not be returning as well but now general manager Steve Kerr insists the report is not true.

But is coaching the real problem here? Let's think about this specific example for a moment. Avery Johnson came into the Dallas head coaching position and turned a talented team into the #1 seed in the competitive Western Conference last season. Despite their 1st round loss to the Golden State Warriors, many feel Johnson did a respectful job. But owner Mark Cuban had enough after the Mavs most recent 1st round loss to the New Orleans Hornets and fired Avery Johnson.

But did Johnson deserve to be fired and was it really his fault Dallas has not had success in the playoffs? How about the Spurs? Should they credit all of their success to Head Coach Greg Popovich? "Pop" has done a great job but perhaps Tim Duncan is the one that should given most of the credit as the team leader. Remember, Avery Johnson was the court general on the Spurs first championship in 1999 and was a big part of their championship run. So what has Johnson done differently with Dallas that has lead to two consecutive early exits in the NBA playoffs? I say nothing at all.

In the National Basketball Association, the players make decisions on the court as they see fit even if it doesn't align with their coach's goals. NBA coaches give the athletes a basic design on offense and defense and make the substitutions as they see fit. But how much influence does an NBA coach truly have? These players in the NBA either are too experienced, too high-paid or too egocentric to listen to a coach. The NBA players run their team the way they want to. It all has to do with the way the players play on the court.

It has shown in the past few years that in the competitive Western Conference, it comes down to which team is smarter on the court and which team has the players that are mentally tough. San Antonio has proved they are the team with the edge in these two categories with 8 straight seasons of advancing past the 1st round of the playoffs.

The Spurs are steady and play "ugly" basketball. In other words, the Spurs grind out, play fundamental basketball and play fundamentally sound team defense. The Suns may be the best offensive team in the league, but they don't play defense and they don't play fundamentally well. Steve Nash is a great point guard, don't get me wrong. But it takes the rest of the team to play that way as well.

Is Dirk Nowitzki the right guy to lead the Dallas Mavericks? He may have missed out on his opportunity to win an NBA championship with the Mavs since Cuban may want to shake things up. Cuban hates to lose and he will do what he needs to in order to put a winning team on the floor.

If you look at college basketball, coaches have a lot larger influence and it is their job to prepare the players for each game. During the game, the coaches have a lot more effect on what players do on the court and how they play the game. So in the college ranks, if a program continues to be unsuccessful, then firing the coach would make sense.

But college basketball is a much different game than the NBA and it starts at the top with the head coach. As previously mentioned, the NBA players have a lot more control of what happens on the court than do college players. Of course college basketball players need to perform on the court, knock down shots, play defense and handle the basketball. But the NBA players, since they are the highly-paid talent, they have a lot more flexibility in their job.

So we go back to the big question: Should the blame for the lack of success of a particular NBA team be assigned to the head coach? If I had to choose between blaming the players or the coaches, I would certainly pick the players. But rather than getting rid of an entire team or a good amount of players on a particular team, it's much easier to blame the man at the top; the head coach.

www.sportsfanbase.com/blogs.asp

The Western Conference is full of very good teams, ranging from Kobe and the Los Angeles Lakers to Iverson and the Denver Nuggets. Here are the SportsFanBase.com Western Conference quarterfinal previews:

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets come into the Western Conference playoffs as the #8 seed and also as ESPN`s Stephen A. Smith`s predicted NBA champion. So what are the odds of a #8 seed winning the NBA championship? Well in the West, you really need to throw away the seedings and look at these teams carefully.

The Nuggets have Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony to lead the way. Iverson has playoff experience with Philadelphia and Anthony has some prior experience with Denver. But the edge on experience obviously goes to the Lakers. Kobe has been here before and has a few NBA championship rings to go along with it. The addition of Pau Gasol in a mid-season trade really boosted L.A. to where they are now and will be a big reason why the Lakers advance in this series.

SFB Prediction: Los Angeles wins series, 4-2

(2) New Orleans Hornets vs. (7) Dallas Mavericks

These teams are fairly familiar with each other, don`t ya think? These Southwest division rivals should make for a great series. MVP candidate Chris Paul leads the New Orleans Hornets, who are certainly the surprise team of the season in the NBA. Forward David West has been a great force down low for New Orleans and Peja Stojakovic can still hit the 3-point shot.

The Dallas Mavericks are of course led by Dirk Nowitzki. Last year, you may remember the Mavs enter the playoffs as the #1 seed in the West and then got bounced by the #8 seeded Golden State Warriors. Well this would be a little revenge for the Mavs to win this series as they are now a #7 seed and could potentially make their way through the playoffs as a low seed.

A key for the Mavericks in this series is Josh Howard. If he can play well, Dallas has a shot. But CP3 is just such an amazing player and he will lead the Hornets to victory in a very competitive series.

SFB Prediction: New Orleans wins series, 4-3

(3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Phoenix Suns

Steve Nash vs. Tony Parker. Tim Duncan vs. Shaquille O`Neal. This is another series with very intriguing matchup. In the past, Shaq has done a decent job at defending Duncan. But he is not the same player he was last time he faced Duncan in the playoffs.

Manu Ginobili has been a great player all year long for San Antonio and he needs to have a great series to support Duncan and Parker.

This is a matchup of two teams with somewhat different styles. The Spurs have the slow down halfcourt offense and run everything through Tim Duncan. Parker and Ginobili can drive to the hole and catch the defense sleeping. The Suns like to run a little but more than the Spurs, but they are also somewhat of a half-court offense team. The difference is everything runs at the top of the court with Steve Nash and he`ll throw it up to Amare Stoudemire all night long.

This is going to be another very competitive playoff series, but we have to go with the experience and the championship rings in this one.

SFB Prediction: San Antonio wins series, 4-3

(4) Utah Jazz vs. (5) Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets have been another surprise this season, especially with their extremely long winning streak in the middle of the season. Tracy McGrady MUST have a great series for Houston to have a shot at winning this. Rafer Alston has been playing well and overachieving all year, but without Yao Ming, it will be tough to defend Carlos Boozer inside.

The Jazz are a much more balanced team with point guard Deron Williams, aforementioned big man Carlos Boozer and a bunch of solid role players. The Jazz have been playing great basketball in the 2nd half of the season and they may be too much for McGrady and the Rockets to handle.

SFB Prediction: Utah wins series, 4-2.

At the midpoint in the NBA season, many thought the Boston Celtics had the East won for sure. But as a Sports Analyst, I can honestly see any of the teams in the Eastern Conference (with the exception of perhaps Atlanta) coming out as the Conference champions. Here is the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals preview courtesy of SportsFanBase.com:

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (8) Atlanta Hawks

All basketball fans know about the Boston Celtics. Kevin Garnett. Paul Pierce. Ray Allen. But how about the rest of that team? Guys like Sam Cassell, Kendrick Perkins, James Posey, Rajon Rondo and Glen "Big Baby" Davis. This team is deep and even without the "Big Three," this is a dangerous team with a mix of veterans and young, athletic players.

The Hawks will certainly have their hands in this series and they have lost all 3 meetings in the regular season against Boston. Of course Atlanta has the young guns with Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford and Marvin Williams. But the key to this team's success in the playoffs may very well come down to vetern point guard Mike Bibby, who seems to be the glue that holds these "young guns" together.

I think Atlanta can steal one or two games in this series, but I doubt they will topple the Celtics.

SFB Prediction: Boston wins series 4-1

(2) Detroit Pistons vs. (7) Philadelphia 76ers

This is a very interesting 2-7 matchup. If you look at the records (Detroit - 58-23, Philadelphia 40-41), you would say that this should be an easy win for Detroit. However, the Philadelphia 76ers have been one of the hottest teams since the All-Star Break.

Detroit has a lot of playoff experience and of course won the NBA title a few years back. Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace and Rip Hamilton lead the way for the Pistons.

On the flip side, the Sixers are led by the "Andres" - Andre Miller and Andre Igoudala. The Sixers are an explosive team that thrive off turnovers and scoring in transition. Young players like Lou Williams, Rodney Carney and Thaddeus Young have come alive in the 2nd half of the regular season and are important to Philly's success.

While I still think Detroit will win the series, this should be a great series to watch.

SFB Prediction: Detroit wins series, 4-3.

(3) Orlando Magic vs. (6) Toronto Raptors

Dwight Howard vs. Chris Bosh. A matchup of two of the top young big men is certainly something to look forward to in this series.

Howard and the Orlando Magic have a had a great year and a very well-rounded team. Point guard Jameer Nelson is solid court general and small forward Hedo Tukoglu has had a career season. The acquisition of Rashard Lewis this past offseason has really helped this year as well.

On the Raptors side, Bosh is the hear and soul of the team. Bosh has a solid supporting cast with Anthony Parker, Jose Calderon, Jason Kapono and rookie Jamorio Moon. But in the end, Dwight Howard should be able to have his way down low paving the way for an Orlando series victory.

SFB Prediction: Orlando wins 4-2

(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Washington Wizards

The Cleveland Cavaliers have played very well in the 2nd half of the season thanks to superstar and MVP candidate LeBron James. Ben Wallace and Zydrunas Ilgauskas provide a front court that only Boston can compete with in the Eastern Conference. Guards Delonte West and Devin Brown are athletic and have shown ability to score. Daniel Gibson and Wally Szczerbiak come off the bench and knock down some 3-pointers. So overall, this is a very well-balanced team led by a superstar.

The Washington Wizards have been a solid team in the 2nd half of the season as well. Forwards Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison have really stepped up in the absence of former All-Star Gilbert Arenas. Overall, the Wizards are not as good as the Cavaliers but if they continue to play well and take momentum into the playoffs, they have a shot to win the series.

But in the end, LeBron may be too much for the Wizards to handle.

SFB Prediction: Cleveland wins series, 4-2

As if there weren't enough questions about the makeup of the Phillies, they were dealt two huge blows this week to their stellar offense.

In the process, their defense has taken a hit, too.

Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino, the top of the Philadelphia order, were both lost to leg injuries once again throwing a wrench into the start of a shaky season.

The Phils 6-5 loss on Sunday to the Cubs brought their early record to 6-7. More importantly, we've learned in the first two weeks of the season that the Phils are an unstable club.

Besides losing their leadoff men and having an up and down pitching staff, the Phils have struggled mightily on defense. In their 12 games this season the defense has committed 13 errors, second-worst in the National League behind only the bumbling Pirates.

On Sunday, Geoff Jenkins dropped a ball down the left field foul line that appeared to be very playable, which led to a two run double later on in the inning by Derrek Lee.

Second baseman Chase Utley's errant throw on a surefire double play ball in the 10th inning led to the winning run for Chicago as Ryan Howard could not pull the ball out of the dirt on the hop.

With enough to worry about throughout their pitching staff, and now at the top of the lineup, the last thing the Phils need is terrible play from the D. This is a major role-reversal from the 2007 season when the team was third in the NL in fielding percentage, and committed just 89 total errors.

This week alone, the Phillies tacked on eight errors including a 4-spot on Wednesday against the Mets. Without Rollins, who had just 11 errors in all 162 games last year, the defense is searching for a leader to step in.

In his place comes career backup Eric Bruntlett who is suspect with the bat and is average with the glove. With Rollins possibly coming back Tuesday against the Astros, the Phils should be in better shape next week, even though Rollins is off to a worrisome start in the field.

Shane Victorino can cover a lot of ground in center field, however, with a strained calf, there will not be much running going on. Victorino was placed on the 15-day DL and hopes to be back when he is eligible to come off of it.

Last season, Victorino endured the same injury, which cost him about a month. This injury appears to be minor in nature, which is good news.

Jayson Werth has filled in admirably in center for the Phillies, and has become an on-base machine in the process.

In addition to the injuries and defensive woes of the past week, the Phillies also may have lost a game due to a blown call.

Mark Derosa stepped to the plate in the sixth inning and blasted a Jamie Moyer offering down the third base line that looked to go behind the foul pole from the foul side. However, third base umpire Adrian Johnson called it a home run and that gave the Cubs an extra run to work with.

Another bizarre occurrence happened at the "new" top of the Phillies lineup, where Geoff Jenkins batted leadoff for the first time in his career. After 1,246 games in the major leagues, Jenkins found himself penciled in at number one, going 2-for-6 with a run scored.

The leadoff experiment probably won't last long for Jenkins as Rollins is on his way back and Jayson Werth has found himself on base a bunch in the early going.

Another constant seems to be the up and down pitching staff.

Only one starter has been lights out so far, and that is Cole Hamels, who was expected to be lights out this season. Brett Myers, staff ace 1A, has been less than first rate in his first three starts. His 5.00 ERA and five home runs allowed have been a bit of a disaster. Add Kyle Kendrick's 6+ ERA and Jaime Moyer's early inconsistencies, and you have yourself a ticking time bomb of a starting rotation.

Half of the bullpen has been outstanding, while the other has been awful. JC Romero, Brad Lidge, and Rudy Seanez have given up zero earned runs in their combined 15.2 innings of work. On the flip side, Tom Gordon, Clay Condrey and Ryan Madson have allowed 16 earned runs in 17 2/3 innings.

Even with all of the bad, there comes a little bit of good. Pat Burrell has been stroking the ball with confidence, hitting .359 with four homers and 13 rbi. Hamels has anchored the pitching staff and Carlos Ruiz and Chris Coste have supplied a great tandem behind the plate.

So there is a sign of hope that as the warm weather comes, the Phils can snap out of the rocky start.

When J-Roll returns, the leader in the clubhouse will have to be the man to right the wobbly ship for the Phillies.

The pitching staff needs to follow suit, or Philadelphians will be seeing several other crazy weeks throughout this long and possibly agonizing season.

We all know the Philadelphia Phillies can score runs. Lots and lots of runs. Last year, the Phils paced the National League with 892 runs scores, 32 more than the thin-air bombers in Denver.

What we also know is, the city of Philadelphia could be in for a long year if their pitching continues the way it has for the first week of the season.

With the exception of the second game of the year against Washington in which the staff gave up just one run in a loss, they have give up at least four runs each of the others.

Staff ace Brett Myers has struggled with his control, walking five batters in 10 innings while giving up seven earned runs. For the Phillies to put fear into their competition, Myers will need to find his location on the fastball and go deeper into games as to not wear down the bullpen.

Cole Hamels looked great in his debut this season, going eight innings in a 1-0 loss to Washington. His incredible effort was outdone by the Nationals Tim Redding who gave up just one hit to the vaunted Phils lineup.

Hamels needs to stay the course after a beautiful 2007 season, and maybe even take the next step towards becoming an elite pitcher in the National League.

As of Monday, before the Phillies afternoon match against the Reds, only the Marlins pitching staff has given up more runs than the Phillies. Granted, the Phils play in the bandbox known at Citizens Bank Park, but that can no longer be an excuse.

One pitcher who is looking for a huge turnaround is Adam Eaton. After being the recipient of boos on opening day, Eaton started off the season with a nice outing. He went 7 2/3 innings giving up three earned runs and six hits.

That is a far cry from last years debacle of a season for Eaton who had a 6.29 ERA in 30 starts, somehow managing a 10-10 record. They need a just-above-average season from Eaton and if his first start is any indication of his season, he might give them just that.

Kyle Kendrick and Jaime Moyer round out the rotation and both had shaky outings to open up their year. Moyer allowed six earned runs in just 3 2/3 innings and was saved by the offense as the Phils came from behind to win 8-7. Moyer needs to be efficient as he was in '07, or it could spell trouble for the ageless wonder.

Kendrick went five innings in his opener and hopes to build on a rookie season in which he went 10-4 with a 3.87 ERA in 20 starts. You can't ask for much more than that from a guy who was in Double-A to start the year. Building on a year like that might be too much to ask from Kendrick, but it would be nice to see a steady performance this year.

The biggest problems lie in the later innings. The bullpen has been notoriously shaky in recent seasons, and it is no different in the early stages of 2008.

Tom Gordon, now 40, has started the year off with a 27.00 ERA, blowing a game in the first week for the Phillies, something fans have become accustom to. Whether his shoulder is not healed, or it simply his age catching up to him, he is not the same pitcher as he was before joining the Phils. He has a lot of mileage on the arm and may be nearing the end of a long career.

The rest of the bullpen needs to band together behind the obvious leader, JC Romero. His incredible 2007 led to a contract extension with the team and might now be the right choice to set up for Brad Lidge.

Speaking of Lidge, after coming over from the Astros for Michael Bourn and others, he started the first few games on the disabled list while rehabbing a knee injury. This may be a bit of a stretch, but the season may hinge on the arm of Lidge. He needs to hold down the fort when the Phillies have the lead.

Other pieces of the bullpen are vital as well, even though the average fan may not know them. Names like Seanez, Madson, Durbin and Condrey make up the rest of the unstable stable of arms.

Sure, the offense will explode at any moment. Yes, the staff may implode at any time as well.

For an encore of 2007 to occur, the there can be no implosion.

But is that possible? Only time will tell.

When it is all said and done, we most likely have the two best teams in NCAA Division 1 Basketball battling it out for the National Championship with the Memphis Tigers of Conference USA and the Kansas Jayhawks of the Big 12 Conference.

Personally, I cannot remember a time when there was a more evenly matched National Championship game. These teams are almost mirror images of each other.

Athleticism. Good defense. Shooters. Good point guards. Great coaches.

Looking at Memphis, they are led by 1st team All-American Chris Douglas-Roberts, who went off for 28 points in their Semi-final win over UCLA. CDR is joined by standout freshman point guard Derrick Rose, who finished with 25 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists against UCLA.

While they don`t rely on scoring in the paint, the Tigers still have 3 solid big men with starting forwards Joey Dorsey and Robert Dozier and reserve forward Shawn Taggert. Against UCLA, this trio was able t neutralize UCLA All-American center Kevin Love and pull down 25 rebounds combined in the game.

On the other side with the Kansas Jayhawks, any one man on any given night can come up big. In last night`s Semi-final win over North Carolina, guard Brandon Rush stepped it up with 25 points while reserve point Sherron Collins had 11 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists and ran the Jayhawk offense beautifully. Starting guard Mario Chalmers had a somewhat quiet night, scoring only 12 points, but he has the ability to get up in the 20`s on any given night as well.

The frontcourt of Kansas is just as deep as Memphis, and may even be better overall. In the starting lineup, future NBA Lottery Draft Pick Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson can score in the post and shoot in the 15`-18` range. Off the bench, Sasha Kaun and Cole Aldrich can give quality minutes when Arthur and Jackson need a breather or are in foul trouble.

So who has the advantage in this game? Well I feel that each team has their strengths. Overall, I feel Kansas is the better team as they are more balanced and play better defense. But Memphis is certainly the more athletic team with players like Rose and Douglas-Roberts and their transition game is deadly, as proven in their win over UCLA last night.

In my bracket, I have Kansas winning the whole thing and I am going to stick to my guns on this one. I think they will come out with a good game plan to slow down the Tigers and Rush and Chalmers will have good nights. However, Memphis is playing terrific basketball, both offensively and defensively. And perhaps more importantly, the Tigers are making their free throws.

Key matchups will be all over the court. It will be interesting to see who Kansas head coach Bill Self will assign to cover both Douglas-Roberts and Rose. For Memphis, Dorsey and Dozier did a solid job shutting down Kevin Love. But can they do the same with TWO good frontcourt players with the Kansas duo of Arthur and Jackson?

This should be a National Championship game tomorrow with plenty of great plays, big shots and a finish to remember.

SFB Prediction: Kansas 82, Memphis 80

Can you believe that for the first time in NCAA Tournament history all 4 #1 seeds made it to the Final Four? With all of the upsets in this year's tournaments, the 3 double-digit seeds in the Sweet 16, the #1 seeds still came out on top. I think all college basketball fans had a feeling that this could be the year where all the #1 seeds made it through to the Final Four. Many doubted North Carolina because of their below average defense, many doubted Memphis because of their free throw shooting and many doubted Kansas because of past year's inability to live up to expectations. Still - All the #1's survived.

North Carolina vs. Kansas

Tyler Hansbrough versus Darrell Arthur. Brandon Rush versus Wayne Ellington. Ty Lawson versus Sherron Collins. There many great matchups in this game as these teams both have very solid starting lineups. As just mentioned, the Tar Heels' weakness lies in their defense. But they certainly make up for that flaw with putting a lot of points on the board, led by the 1st team All-American Hansbrough. Kansas is a very solid defensive team and, even though they only won by 2, they still held this year's Cinderella, Davidson, to 57 points, a team that put up 73 points against a very tough Wisconsin defense. The Jayhawks defense may prove to be the difference in this game, but they also need to score to keep up with North Carolina's high-powered offense.

SFB Prediction: Kansas wins 75-72

Memphis vs. UCLA

Another great National Semi-Final matchup with a lot of great players. Memphis is led by 1st team All-American Chris Douglas-Roberts while UCLA has freshman center Kevin Love. This is the first year in the last three that Memphis has been able to get over the hump and into the Final Four. On the other side of the ball, the Bruins have been here for the past three years. This could be an advantage for UCLA, however the Memphis players, including freshman point guard Derrick Rose, seem to have no fear and are well-prepared for this type of game. Throughout the NCAA Tournament, the media has talked about the poor free throw shooting of Memphis and how it can hurt them in a big game. Well in the last 2 games, the Tigers have shot very well from the charity stripe. However, if they do not shoot well in this game, UCLA will take advantage. Love will be a big key for UCLA and it will be important for the Memphis big men (Dozier & Dorsey) to stay out of major foul trouble. The X-factor for this game may be UCLA guard Russell Westbrook, who can drive, shoot and play defense.

SFB Prediction: UCLA wins 78-69

NL CENTRAL

1 Cubs - Still a great offense, and still have good enough Pitching

2 Brewers - Will be a great team and come up just short of the division but will still make playoffs as a wild card team. With their power in their line-up they will need their pitching to saty healthy.

3 Astros - One of the best offensive line-ups in the league. However Pitching is still a problem. Oswalt is reliable and will stay healthy, and Backe can be very good if he can ever finish a season healthy. Tejada will crush the ball in Houston's hitting friendly park. Look for the youngsters in Towles, Bourne and Pence to play a huge role in the lineup. Will still be a tough team to beat but will still finish behind the cubs and brewers.

4 Reds - The only reason they finish this high is because of the fall-out of the Cardinals. If Griffey stays healty again, he will still be a ver solid hitter in the league.

5 Cardinals - Will be the biggest drop off team. With makor injuries to Pujols will hurt the line-up especially since Rolen is finally healthy but playing on another team. Pitching and their healt will still be a question mark for this team.

6 Pirates - Its the Pirates!!! Did you really expect me to rate them ahead of anyone else in this division?

NL EAST

1 Mets - Great offensive line-up, and had a huge offseason pick up of Santana. Will not only win the division but will make it to the World Series. Which kills me to say cause i still HATE Beltran!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2 Phillies - Still going to be a very solid team but will finish second in division and come close to competing but for the wild card. But lets not forget they are from Philly and have a tendency to find a way to choke. Call it the curse of Santa Clause (he is coming back to screw over all of Philly's teams).

3 Braves - I love the pick-up of Glavine, but his health lasting all season will be a question for me. Even though Andruw Jones struggled last year, loosing him will take a toll on the line-up. Will be good but not great.

4 Nationals - New ballpark, same lousy team. 'Nough said.

5 Marlins - Once again they let go of their top players in the offseason. which means they will win the World Series in 4-5 years. Will be just terrible and will compete with the Giants, and Royals to see who is the worst team in baseball.

NL WEST

1 Dodgers - Great pick-up in Andruw Jones. Don't let last year fool you, he will be back and playing at a high level. Maybe not as great as his MVP season, but still very good. Injuries will be an issue and may hurt their chances. If pitchers can produce this will be a very tough team to beat and may have a shot to go all the way, but thats a big if.

2 Padres - Getting Maddux will help, and hopefully they can stay away from picking up Houston's rejects again. Will come very close in the Wild Card race, coming up shy of just 1-3 games.

3 D-Backs - Still a great young tam, just stuck in a very tough division, if not the toughest in MLB. look for Randy Johnon to struggle again this year, as he should soon retire.

4 Rockies - True they made it to the World Series last year, but will be one of many teams lately to reach the WS and fail to make the playoffs the next year. Again a vry solid team and will be good for a few years. But again stuck in a very tough division.

5 Giants - They will eventually be begging Bonds to come back. This team will not only struggle to win games, but will struggle to sell tickets. Atleast Bonds will sell tickets for them. Yes people in the Bay Area still love seeing Bonds play in person. But it wont happen, and them winning many games also wont happen. can easily be worst team in baseball, right along with the Marlins.

AL EAST

1 Red Sox - Will definitely compete again at a high level and will most likely come out once again as the division leader. But it will be another very close race between them and the Yankees. Also look for Man Ram to have an explosive year. Last year his numbers were still good even though it was a very down year for him. look for him to bounce back in a big way.

2 Yankees - Will def compete in a tight race for division winner, but Pitching will still be an issue. still feel Pettite will ahve a big year. But will once again fail to win a playoff series.

3 Blue Jays - A decent team but will look better than what they are simply due to the orioles and Rays being in the same division.

4 Orioles - Only reason this team wont be at the bottom of the division is because of the rays being in it. But they did pick up some very good prospects in the Tejada trade. Maybe in a few years if these young pitchers can produce and they could get some more offense that might be much better.

5 Rays - New name, to make a lousy team sound even worse. There is nothing tough about these Rays. But still not as terrible as the other Florida team.

AL CENTRAL

1 Tigers - Will be back to competing at a high level and will reach the ALCS. Tough offense with very good pitching.

2 White Sox - Will be a good team and should be the 5th best team in the AL.

3 Indians - Nothing great but nothing bad either. Will get lost in the mix.

4 Twins - Down at the bottom but wont be as bad as Rays and Royals, even without Santana.

5 Royals - Eh, why bother?

AL WEST

1 Angels - Will be a solid team but not a dominant team, but will still pull out as the division winner. But in this division thats not saying much.

2 Mariners - Dont let Ichiro's spring training fool you, he will be back at hitting at his normal high level. Can produce runs but will give up even more.

3 A's - very solid, but very young. Give them a couple years and more experience and they will soon compete with the Angels for te division

4 Rangers - Ok so not everything in Texas is bigger and better. But will still be better than both of Florida's teams.

ALDS

Red Sox over Angels - Not much of a series will be over in 5 games. Red Sox just too good for the Angels and will beat them all the way around.

Tigers over Yankees - Yankees fail to win a playoff series yet again. Get the hint, you can't buy a championship. But if worse comes to worse I'm sure they can sign Richard Simmons to a one day contract next March. Hell he couldn't be any worse than a clean Giambi.

NLDS

Mets over Brewers - Will be a fun series to watch. But Mets offense and pitching just too much.

Cubs over Dodgers - If pitching can hold up for Dodgers they can win. But inconsistency will still be a problem.

ALCS

Red Sox over Tigers - Red Sox will once again prevail, as their offense will come through in tough games.

NLCS

Mets over Cubs - You honestly didnt think the Cubs could end the curse of the Billy Goat did you? Sorry Cub fans.

WORLD SERIES

Red Sox over Mets - In a way it pains me to say that yes the Red Sox will repeat. Never in a million years did i think those