On to game Two, NBA Playoffs

Last nights game was pretty hard to swallow as the Yankees saw six double plays doom any hopes of another rally. It's was a tough go for the young right hander Ivan Nova as he could not shake his fifth inning struggles. It is still too early to see whether or not Nova can handle his first full big league season, but I am sure that he still has the vote of confidence form Joe Girardi. Freddy Garcia will finally make his Yankee debut as a starter today and one cannot help but worry that the 3 week lay over will have an affect on his performance. Hopefully that will not be that case.

The road to the NBA Finals gets underway as 8 teams from each conference will compete for the chance to be crowned world champions. I will say that several teams have a legitimate shot a making a run, more that in previous years; However that is not to say that there aren't any favorites. The Lakers have the aura of back to back titles to fall back on and seem poised for a three peat, but losing 5 of 7 to end the season may not help their chances, especially against a tough Memphis Grizzlies team with nothing to lose. For most of the year the Spurs defied the age bug and had many people including myself believe they were headed for championship glory; But they scuffled through April incurring injuries to key players which includes Manu Ginobili who got hurt an the seasons final day. The Spurs need to get healthy ASAP or it could be doomsday for the leagues most veteran heavy squad.

I would be lying if I were to tell you that the Miami Heat were not a favorite, in fact they should win it all accordinbg to all of the pre season speculators. The Heat are a great team on paper with championchip capabilities, but if there is one thing that was proven this year is that even with the big three, the Heat are vulnerable. Who knows how they will respond to this heightened atmosphere, but don't expect the Sixers to just lie down at the feet of the Bosh-Wade-James gang. Now is time for Mr James to prove he did not make a mistake by leaving his hometown, though every self respecting basketball fan is going to root against him.