What Are They Thinking?
Pick(S) of the Day – Mavs @ Warriors & Rockets @ Suns
Dallas Mavericks @ Golden State Warriors
Mavericks (-6)
Monday, March 12th – 10:30 PM ET
The Dallas Mavericks are trying to make an amazing run to 70 wins while the recently “smashed by the Blazers yesterday” Golden State Warriors see if they can’t act as some sort of poorly shaped road block on the Mavs free-way path. Baron Davis is back playing ball, so the Warriors are better, but do that have a chance?
Bottom Line: The Mavericks are too damn good to lose to the Warriors, I don’t care if Michael “Air” Scottie Abdul Jabbar found his way into a Warrior jersey. After getting 20 peiced by the Trailblazers, of all teams, yesterday, I can’t expect much of a fight coming from the Golden State. Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard have been unreal for a Mavericks team that has lost less games in their last 40 contests than they lost in their first 4 games of the season. Both teams played last night, but the Mavs felt fine resting their starters as they destroyed the Lakers by 36, while the Warrior got handled by the terrible Blazers. This game should be fun.
Houston Rockets @ Phoenix Suns
Suns (-6)
Monday, March 12th – 10:00 PM ET
The Phoenix Suns come into this home game with the Houston Rockets getting 3 days rest after their most recent 4 game win streak. During the streak, the Suns have looked beatable, so the Rockets look to take advantage of a struggling Suns team in this one.
Bottom Line: I will be surprised if a Rockets team that just won a smash mouth physical game against the Magic yesterday, can come back in one day and stay with a rested run and gun Suns team in Phoenix. Amare Staudamire will have his way with Yao and the rest of Houston’s so called Big Men, while Steve Nash and guard company will happily take advantage of Houstons inability to get out to the 3 point line and guard shooters. Look for Houston to shoot their way out of this contest early, even with T-Mac going off with the licence to shoot whenever he wants. I don’t expect this one to be close.
Snub Me in the Face?: Why don’t you just punch my dog right in the ovaries? That’s how the best team not in the Dance feels right now. And who is that team you ask? Well, the Florida State Seminoles, that’s who. FSU’s ability to beat the best teams in the best conference in the Nation should have gotten them a bid to the Big Dance. I know there’s teams out there that deserve to be in the Big Show more than Illinois, Xavier, and definitely Arkansas, like Air Force easily, as not only did they have a winning record against the top 100, (7-5) but they were ranked all year long, while faltering at the end. And surely Syracuse deserves a look, if not an invite, because they beat teams like Georgetown, Villanova, and Marquette on way to an 8-8 record against the Top 100. Surely both those squads are better than Illinois’ 1-6 against the top 25 and Arkansas’ 7-9 SEC record. Yikes. But truly, can you name a team that won 20 games, beat Florida, Duke, Maryland, and Virginia Tech, and had 4 losses to Boston College(two times) Virginia, and Clemson by a combined total of 9 points, and didn’t make the Tourney. Hell, I think the Seminoles deserve a better seed than the Blue Devils. Sure, FSU finished 7-9 in conference, but hell, that got Arkansas in, and who did the Razorbacks beat? Exactly. And they were in the SEC for God’s sake. Did I mention Al Thorton, kid is a beast. It’s too bad, really. Hey, committee… Pull hard at the shoulders, maybe that will get your heads out of your butts! But hey, they didn’t get to the final in their Tourney, they just lost a good game to the best team in the country in the semi-finals. I’m not here to say any conference is better than any other conference, but the ACC is way the hell better than the SEC. In fact, it’s the best conference out there. So, ugh, I guess I am here to say it, but good luck arguing with me, because I’m right about this one.