-- and then the Magic won the Eastern Conference Finals

This morning proves once and for all the media is a widely broadcast group of bandwagoners. All month we said that the Magic would storm through the East and now because of one game against Boston suddenly the Magic are a bus full of weaklings?

How about we settle down some? Now granted, the big comeback from Orlando doesn't prove anything except Boston has the tendency to let up with a big lead.

Otherwise, you can't conclude *anything* from Game 1! Magic were rusty, Celtics happened to play very well and summoned a lot of effort despite the short rest. C's played good defense in the first half and well there you go.

so?

That's why we suddenly throw the Magic under the bus and proclaim the series over? and trust me, this isn't just Herd, Herd's just piling on. its all these other commentators and other fans who are giving up on the Magic. The same two teams met a year ago minus two players: KG and Jameer Nelson. And despite these deficiencies, the Magic won the series... and won game 7 AT BOSTON.

So it's very very short sighted to award the Celtics the Eastern Conference championship... after ONE GAME! A little early fellas...

Magic will be fine. They'll bounce back here in Game 2, and then we'll have a series.

vtred predicts the Mets will win 98 Games

On themikefrancesa.com one very optimistic Mets fan said the following:

98 wins for the Mets this year...mark it down...done!

98 wins, well, to put it in perspective, no NL team has won 98 wins since the St. Louis Cardinals won 100 games in 2005. These predictions are all in good fun, and for a talented team like the Mets, 2010 is going to be a fun watch!

Special thanks to themikefrancesa.com for the added juice and inspiration (TheMikeFrancesa.com Website)

Butler, West Virginia, Michigan State... the Season of Miracles

On the Dave in the City Podcast I went over all the upsets that littered this year's College Basketball Tournament. Syracuse, Ohio State, Kentucky, Marquette, Kansas... GONE, GONE, GONE, GONE, GONE.

It's a fun one this year, and now you have a chance for a team, Butler, to win its first ever Championship in the 64+1 Tournament Era. Same goes for West Virginia... heck, the last time they made the tournament Jerry West was on it!

So are you ready? Set? ...MADNESS!!

Dave joins the Duke Bandwagon

I'm shocked, just as you are... but I think Duke is pretty good.

They're more physical than I thought.

They're better defensively than I thought.

They're experienced, just as I thought, but they were certainly prepared and didn't let up.

What can I say? I underestimated the Duke Blue Devils. Congratulations to them for making the Final Four.

The Perfect Weekend

Here are LA teams since Wednesday, leading up to this morning's game between the Lakers and Magic:

Lakers: 0-2
Clippers: 0-3
UCLA: 0-2
USC: 0-2
Kings: 0-2

Now THAT's losing! Nothing like "The Perfect Weekend" to buoy those spirits in the Southland. The rain seems to be fitting for a lousy sports weekend such as this.

Bob Miller Misses a Kings Game... It's News!

First, before going on... WHO DAT!!!! Saints win the Super Bowl. Did I call it?

Onward....

I got home in West LA just a few minutes ago and come to find out that Jim Fox started to comment on the LA Kings to start the 3rd period. Then the period started, and he kept going!

I was shocked. Where was Bob Miller? --the Longtime, Legendary, Very Good Hockey Play by Play man Bob Miller?

As it turns out, he is missing today's game due to illness, for the first time since 2002. All reports indicate it's not a serious illness, and interestingly enough Bob Miller misses a good number of Kings games for other reasons. For example, a good number of games are not televised due to scheduling conflicts or the little-known rule that FSN will not produce road telecasts North of the Border.

Even so, this is a momentous occasion and a rare one. Get well soon, Mr. Miller!

Note: Jim Fox and Radio Analyst Daryl Evans are covering the Canadiens/Kings game in Bob's absence. To be honest, Jim is doing a pretty good job. Reminds me of the one time Chick Hearn had laryngitis and Stu Lantz did play by play for the second half. They even got Derek Fisher off the bench to help provide color commentary.

The only man in America who picks the Saints to win the Super Bowl

Well, friends, here it is: Super Bowl Week.

On the "Dave in the City" podcast, I begin a series of podcasts about why I think the Saints are the team which will bring home the Lombardi Trophy.

There are long odds, to be sure. The Colts are a 5.5 point favorite, Peyton Manning is the reigning NFL MVP, and Indianapolis has Super Bowl Experience to boot! Even so, I am undeterred in my pick. Here's why:

1. Dwight Freeney means more to the Colts than we know, and he won't be 100%. We learned earlier today that Dwight Freeney has a torn ligament which may be more severe than we think. Freeney will play, but he'll be only half as effective on the pass rush.

2. The Colts appear to be the superior offense, but look at the teams they played against. They faced an up-and-down Baltimore Ravens squad and a mediocre (at best) New York Jets team led by Rookie QB Mark Sanchez. It's easy to look like a good offense when the other team can't score points.

3. Defensively I give the edge to the Saints. The Colts have the aforementioned Freeney, but with or without him, the D looks slow and overmatched. This would be the first time, I think, the Colts secondary has faced multiple competent receivers. Baltimore featured only Mason. New York featured only Cotchery. With New Orleans, you get Colston, Moore, and Henderson. I'm not about to say the Saints defense is a picnic, but I'd be more confident placing a bet on their pass coverage vs Indy's pass coverage.

4. The "Chip On Their Shoulder". The Saints are almost universally panned as a Super Bowl contender. Most experts believe they "can" win the game, but almost everyone I know has given the edge to the Colts. Just about everyone has roundly criticized New Orleans for their lackluster defensive performance in the NFC Championship game. The Saints couldn't put the game away. The Saints gave up the ball too many times. The Saints had an awful passing performance in the 3rd and 4th quarter. Yet, I honestly think the Vikings had more to do with this than the Saints inherent problems "closing games." Come now, this isn't baseball! If you're good, you're good!

I've seen the Saints go toe to toe with many of the league's best teams this season: The Patriots, the Jets, the Cowboys (in a loss), and so on. Who's to stop them from keeping it close with Indy? And WHO, dare I ask, is to stop this Saints team from taking it all? In the end, I think the better defense wins, and if you ask me, that defense lies in New Orleans. Sharper and Co. will make it happen.