CAN THE HOUSTON ROCKETS WIN THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP?
TIGER AND PHIL GETTING SOME MASTERS RESPECT
HOW ABOUT A BOEHEIM VS. HOPKINS SHOWDOWN IN THE NIT?
RATING THE FARM SYSTEMS
LADY HUSKIES LOOK AS AWSOME AS EVER
The Houston Rockets take a 17-game winning streak and the NBA’s best record into Friday night’s showdown with the host Toronto Raptors. This game is a very big deal north of the border.
This could be a preview for this season’s NBA Finals.
But the most contentious and the best best-of-seven series in this season’s NBA playoffs likely will be Houston versus the defending champion Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals.
The NBA probably is the second-most popular pro sports league in North America – behind only the NFL.
The popularity of the NBA among young people is understandable. Many NBA stars seem larger than life. They’re superb athletes and many of them are outspoken with colorful personalities that come across very well on social media. Some of them are fashion trendsetters.
I’ve long pointed out that the NBA has significantly fewer genuine championship contenders every year than the NFL, NHL or Major League Baseball – but the NBA has been doing a phenomenal sales job despite the glaring lack of parity.
I still believe the Cleveland Cavaliers will represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, simply because I still can’t see Toronto or Boston beating LeBron James in a best-of-seven series.
But I’m starting to wonder if Houston has the stuff to upset Golden State in the Western Conference finals.
Entering Friday night, the NBA’s top three teams were:
Houston 51-13 record...114.0 PPG...105.2 PAPG (+8.9 point differential per game)
Golden State 51-14 record...116.0 PPG...107.5 PAPG (+8.5)
Toronto 47-17 record...112.0 PPG...103.3 PAPG (+8.6).
Houston and Golden State met three times this regular season:
Houston 122, at Golden State 121 Oct. 17
Golden State 124, at Houston 114 January 4
At Houston 116, Golden State 108 January 20.
I still prefer Golden State over Houston head-to-head, mainly because the Warriors have reached the NBA Finals the past three seasons and won two of them. They are accustomed to playing together and have extraordinary teamwork.
Houston’s trademark has become three-point shooting. The Rockets have attempted the most three-point field goals (42.4 per game) and made the most (15.5 per game).
But Golden State is one opponent the Rockets aren’t likely to outgun or a regular basis. The Warriors shoot fewer three-point field goals (29.7) and make 11.8 per game.
Golden State leads the NBA in scoring and in field-goal percentage (.511) and three-point FG percentage (.396). Houston ranks 12th in FG percentage (.463) and t9th in three-point FG percentage (.367).
Based on this season’s numbers, Houston is the slightly better rebounding team and Golden State plays considerably better defense (.441 FG percentage to Houston’s .466).
Houston’s James Harden and Chris Paul can be an intimidating 1-2 punch for most opponents – but not for Golden State (countering with Kevin Durant and Draymond Green up front and Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in the backcourt.
TIGER AND LEFTY AMONG THE FAVORITES IN MASTERS ODDS
The encouraging comeback by Tiger Woods and last week’s playoff victory by Phil Mickelson in the WGC-Mexico are reflected in Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook’s updated odds to win the Masters (April 5-8 at Augusta National GC in Augusta, Georgia):
Dustin Johnson – 8x1
Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas – 10x1
Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Jon Rahm 12x1
Tiger Woods – 16x1...could drop lower if he continues to play well in this week’s Valspar Championship.
Phil Mickelson – 18x1
Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose – 20x1
Hideki Matsuyama, Bubba Watson – 25-to-1.
THE LA RAMS MEAN BUSINESS
The Los Angeles Rams figure to get plenty of love from the assorted NFL analysts heading into the 2018 season.
The Rams entered this offseason hoping to upgrade the cornerback position for defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. All they’ve managed to do was add many-time Pro Bowl picks Marcus Peters from Kansas City and now Aqib Talib from Denver.
The future is now for the talented Rams.
KNIGHTHAWKS UP TO FOURTH IN NLL POWER RANKINGS
The Rochester Knighthawks, “the hottest team in the East” with three straight victories after six straight losses, have climbed to fourth in the Inside Lacrosse weekly National Lacrosse League Power Rankings.
The Knighthawks (5-6 record) host the defending champion Georgia Swarm Saturday night.
The complete rankings: 1-Saskatchewan (76 percent on the power play, including one stretch of 14-for-14; 6-1 on the road)...2-Colorado Mammoth...3-Buffalo Bandits...4-Knighthawks...5-Georgia Swarm...6-Calgary Roughnecks...7-New England Black Wolves...8-Toronto Rock...Vancouver Stealth.
MINNESOTA 13TH IN MLB “FUTURE POWER RANKINGS”
ESPN.com this week posted Major League Baseball’s Future Power Rankings (how the teams will fare over the next five years. The rankings were determined by current talent (25 percent), future talent (45 percent), financial support (20 percent) and front office/ownership (10 percent).
The top 10: 1-Yankees...2-Dodgers...3-Astros...4-Cardinals...5-Braves...6-Cubs...7-Phillies...8-Nationals...9-Indians...10-White Sox.
The bottom five: 30-Marlins...29-Royals...28-Orioles...27-Tigers...26-Mariners.
The Minnesota Twins are ranked 13th. I believe that is low. The current 25-man major-league roster features a talented array of position players and the farm system still is ranked in the top 10. Pitching remains the big problem – at the big-league level and on the way up.
YANKEES AND RAYS TOPS IN FARM SYSTEM RANKINGS
Minor League Baseball (MiLB.com) has ambitiously posted rankings for baseball’s 30 farm systems. The rankings are based on “quality and quantity” of talent in each organization for pitching* and position players **.
The lower the total rankings the better:
Yankees (4*+3**) and Tampa Bay (6*+1**) = 7
Braves (1+7) and White Sox (3+5) = 8
Phillies (5+4) = 9
Padres (2+8) =10
Angels (9+10) = 19
Dodgers (8+13) = 21
Reds (14+9) = 23
Astros (10+15) = 25
Blue Jays (25+2) and Nationals (21+6) = 27
Twins (17+11) = 28
Cardinals (7+22) = 29
A’s (12+18) and Marlins (18+12) = 30
Brewers (15+16) = 31
Pirates (13+19) = 32
Indians (16+17) = 33
Rockies (22+14) = 36
Tigers (11+26) = 37
Red Sox (19+23) = 42
Rangers (26+20) = 46
Diamondbacks (20+27) = 47
Mets (23+25) = 48
Orioles (28+21) = 49
Giants (27+24) = 51
Cubs (24+29) = 53
Mariners (30+28) = 58
Royals (29+30) = 59.
Theses rankings should provide strong clues to how much help teams can expect from their player development in future years.
LADY HUSKIES NOT LIKELY TO BE UPSET AGAIN
Connecticut’s women’s basketball team is 32-0 after winning the American Athletic Conference championship game this week. What’s new?
I need to pad my record in predictions: UConn and coach Geno Auriemma will win this year’s NCAA championship.
Mississippi State shocked the basketball world by stopping UConn’s 111-game winning streak with a 66-64 overtime victory in last year’s NCAA title game. That’s all the more reason to like the Lady Huskies this time around. Overconfidence will not be a problem.
How dominant has UConn been this season? Here are the victory margins in chronological order: 25-35-25-18-34-31-9-34-22-52-48-61-51-36-60-4-18-56-57-53-25-41-18-81- (124-43 over Wichita State)-11-61-44-44-29-26-54 (75-21 over Cincinnati)-16.
Here’s the Tale of the Tape:
Records – UConn 32-0...opponents 0-32
Scoring differential – UConn +36.9 (88.8 to 51.9)
Field-goal percentage – UConn .529...PP .331
3-point FG percentage – UConn .393...OPP .281
Free-throw percentage –UConn .772...OPP .687
Rebounds per game – UConn 41.7...OPP 31.6
Assists – UConn 724...OPP 396
Blocks – UConn 166...OPP 77
Steals – UConn 342...OPP 187.
The UConn names you’ll be hearing about in the next few weeks: Katie Lou Samuelson...Napheesa Collier...Azua Stevens...Kia Nurse...Gabby Williams...Crystal Dangerfield...Megan Walker...Kyla Irwin.
ANOTHER CLEVER RED WINGS PROMOTION: “DUEL OF THE DISHES”
The Rochester Red Wings have announced another food-related promotion – “Duel of the Dishes” at Frontier Field June 21. It is billed as a “matchup of epic portions.” Very clever.
It will be Rochester’s Plates versus Syracuse’s Salt Potatoes.
I know I’m in the minority, but I’ll be more interested in the outcome of that evening’s Syracuse Chiefs at Red Wings game.
HOW ABOUT BOEHEIM VS. HOPKINS IN THE NIT?
Syracuse U. and Washington are on the bubble to make the men’s basketball NCAA Tournament.
Jim Boeheim’s Orange lost in the second round of the ACC Tournament and Mike Hopkins’ Washington Huskies lost 69-66 in overtime to Oregon State Thursday night in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament.
SU is 20-13 and Washington is 20-12.
A coaching showdown between mentor Boeheim and long-time assistant Hopkins in the NIT Tournament would be a very interesting and fun matchup.
SHORT SHOTS
Ed Hochuli and Jeff Triplette are retiring as NFL referees. I don’t know about you, but I’ll miss them because I thought they were two of the best in the business.
On this date in sports, 72 years ago (1946), Ted Williams refused a $500,000 offer to play in the Mexican Baseball League...39 years ago (1979), commissioner Bowie Kuhn ordered baseball to give equal access to female reporters.
Jim Boeheim’s non-20 win seasons in his 42 years at Syracuse: 16-13 in 1981-82...19-13 in 1996-97...19-9 in 2014-15...19-15 in 2016-17. Partial seasons due to suspensions/sanctions are not included.
Rochester native Jeff Sluman is doing what many 60-year-old men would love to do: Play golf regularly – and he gets paid to do it. Sluman has earned $41,366 in four PGA Champions Tour events this year. He ranks 18th on the all-time Champions Tour money list ($11,242,116) and 84th on the all-time PGA Tour money list ($18,165,266).
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...
Friday, March 9
Clint Dempsey (35)...Antonio Bryant (37)...Matt Barnes (38)...Radek Dvorak (41)...Adonal Foyle (43)...Eric Flaim (51)...Brian Bosworth (53)...Benito Santiago (53)...Phil Housley (54)...Terry Mulholland (55)...Darrell Walker (57)...Perry Turnbull (59)...Mark Dantonio (62)...Teo Fabi (63)...Bert Campaneris (76).
Saturday, March 10
Zach LaVine (23)...Tukka Rask (31)...Martellus Bennett (31)...Shannon Miller (41)...Andy Sutton (43)...Earl Little (45)...Matt Kenseth (46)...Rod Woodson (53)...Andre Waters (56)...Bobby Petrino (57)...Pam Oliver (57)...Austin Carr (70)...Sandra Palmer (77)...Ron Mix (80)...Sepp Blatter (82). Carrie Underwood (35). Sharon Stone (60) and Chuck Norris (78) are invited to the birthday party.
Sunday, March 11
Anthony Davis (25)...Ryan Rua (28)...Marc-Andre Gragnani (31)...Greg Olsen (33)...Lee Evans (37)...Dan Uggla (38)...Elton Brand (39)...Shawn Springs (43)...Bobby Abreu (44)...Martin Rucinsky (47)...John Fina (49)...Bill Houlder (51)...Ken Baumgartner (52)...Dexter Bussey (66)...Cesar Geronimo (70).