So comes the best month of the year in the world of sports. April. The NBA Playoffs. The Champions League knockout rounds. The NFL Draft. March Madness. The list goes on.
It’s also an exciting time for people who aren’t obsessed with sports. The weather starts to get better, the sun starts to set at seven rather than five. School begins to wind down. Nine mondays left until summer. There are good vibes all around.
Those good vibes were felt on Saturday, for Chelsea fans at least; as the Blues displayed their title credentials in a 6-0 whopping of cross town rivals Arsenal. Here’s two thoughts about the blue and red halves of London:
1. Chelsea look GREAT. As a big fan of the Londoners, I can express optimism when it comes to both the English Premier League and UEFA Champions League trophies. Aside from a showdown at Anfield against Liverpool in August, Chelsea have an insanely easy domestic schedule that could see Jose Mourinho claim his third Premier League title in his first season back in London. On the European stage, things will be difficult; but manageable. Although the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona and even the current opponent PSG present a massive challenge, Chelsea can cope. The back four has looked brilliant in recent weeks with John Terry and Gary Cahill forming the one of the best center-back pairings in the world. David Luiz, Ramires and Frank Lampard may have their respective weaknesses, but the overall commitment, discipline and experience make them indispensable. Who could forget Eden Hazard? The young winger has put Premier League fan’s in a trance with his fantastic dribbling and ingenious vision. Samuel Eto’o is rounding into form, and one can count on Fernando Torres for a European goal. I’m not saying that Chelsea will win both or even one of the two trophies as they face formidable opposition…but there’s a chance. Stay tuned.
2. Arsenal failed to show up on Saturday. That might be the understatement of the year. The Gunners were down 2-0 inside ten minutes and shipped a third goal in the 15th minute after Alex Oxlade Chamberlain handled the ball in the box, with Kieran Gibbs being mistakenly sent off in a bizarre scene at the Bridge. The bottom line is that Arsenal were wrecked for the third time this season, with the previous two occasions occurring against Manchester City at the Etihad and Liverpool at Anfield. Arsenal arrived at Chelsea ready to give it a go, a massive mistake against a team that is predicated on counter attacking at extreme speeds with the likes of Hazard, Andre Schurrle and Samuel Eto’o, each of whom grabbed a goal within the first 15 minutes Sunday. Arsenal would do well to finish in the top four this season, win the FA Cup, and regroup for next season. The main priority will be to buy a striker as Olivier Giroud has produced nothing but sub-par results in games of the highest quality. The Gooners should have plenty of cash this season, but the questions will lay at the feet of Arsene Wenger, one of the stingiest men in world football when it comes to opening up the check-book. One thing is for certain. London is blue, and it will be for the foreseeable future. If you’ll remember, I wrote this piece back in mid-September, followed by this piece in December. Things have gone according to plan.
As for the NBA Playoffs. Things are starting to heat up in the West, as the Spurs, Thunder, Clippers and Rockets all look like legitimate threats to represent the conference in the Finals in June. My pick? The Clippers. Earlier in the season I opted to go with the Warriors, and I still like their outlook; but the Clippers usurped them as my favorites after they picked up former Indiana Pacer Danny Granger in February. Granger hasn’t been anything like he was in Naptown, but the New Mexico product is putting up solid averages of around 13 points and five or six boards in LA. Don’t count out the Spurs, who have the hottest bench in the Association; or the Thunder with KD and Russell Westbrook, both of whom will be hungry for postseason success this time around.
Things are different in the East. The Pacers and Heat have seem destined to face off in the Eastern Finals in May, but both squads have looked underwhelming as of late. That doesn’t mean the Raptors, Bulls or Nets will take one of the spots come May, but both Indy and Miami need to get their act together. The Pacers haven’t played defense since acquiring Evan Turner, Andrew Bynum is out indefinitely, and the bench has gone cold. In Miami, Lebron continues to complain about long-sleeved jersey’s, Dwyane Wade is flopping like Cristiano Ronaldo, and the lack of an inside presence is starting to show. The Pacers currently hold a three game lead over the Heat for the number one seed, with that number subject to fluctuation after Wednesday night. For the sake of NBA fans everyone outside of South Beach, let’s hope the Pacers can pull this one out.
March Madness has me confused. I want my brackets to do well and win me the one billion dollars, but I also want to see teams like Mercer and Dayton win. My first reaction when Mercer won? Well, there goes my bracket. I was actually pissed. That Duke, of all teams, lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. That should never happen. I tried avoiding this by only making one bracket this year and not over-thinking it. As always, I completely failed. I ended up making four or five brackets, and obsessed over it for the first day or so until all of them were busted. Now I’m just excited to see how far teams high seeded teams like Dayton and Kentucky can go…….. Just kidding, I hate Kentucky and John Calipari. Seeing them lose is one of the things that brings joy not only to me, but my Dad and several of my friends both in Europe and in the States. When Wichita State were defeated last night, I was pissed. How can a well-coached team that plays fundamental basketball be beaten by John Calipari, one of the most overrated X’s and O’s guys in the business? Talent and money. Like it or not, Kentucky’s kids are athletic NBA caliber guys, and under John Calipari, they’re probably paid like it.
John Calipari is known to be one of, if not the dirtiest recruiter in the history of the sport
Right now, I’d probably back Florida or Michigan State to win the title. May the best team win.
In the NFL, the status quo remains. The Broncos, Seahawks, 49ers and Patriots remain the favorites. One thing I don’t understand is why people are suddenly jumping on the Patriots Super Bowl bandwagon seeing as though the team didn’t add any offense? Sure, the defense might be top notch next season, but what about the offense that wasn’t able to get going on the ground or through the air against a lackluster Broncos unit in last season’s AFC Championship Game? While Peyton Manning gets better, Tom Brady gets worse, look at the numbers. Manning’s arm strength grows by the day, Brady’s weapons and motivation deteriorate by the hour (he’s doing a cameo in the new Entourage movie this summer). Maybe JSS reader Mr. Tom Hoff can explain this to me in the comments section below. Please leave any concerns, questions or predictions on NFL related news in the comments box below.
We’re approaching April, the weather’s been beautiful, Chelsea and the Pacers are preparing for the home stretch, and I’m sitting in my bed eating Oreo’s in Germany on a surprisingly chill school night. It’s the best time of the year.
Please leave any questions or thoughts in the comments section below! Thanks!