Congratulations to the 2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks!

In the East, the Chicago Bulls look strong against the Hawks and will win that series. Not easily however as Atlanta has proven themselves as a serious threat. The Miami Heat are going to finish off the old Boston Celtics with ease. They are looking like the dream team everyone expected to see this season.

In the West, the Dallas Mavericks have been very surprising and are going to beat the Lakers in their series. They will have to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder after they defeat the Memphis Grizzlies in what may be the closest matchup of the playoffs.

When the Bulls meet the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals I have to go with the Heat. They seem unstoppable.

When the Mavericks and Thunder meet in the Western Conference Finals the Mavs will finally break through.

In the NBA Finals the Miami Heat will defeat the Dallas Mavericks in 5 games.

Oh well. Congratulations to Butler and Virginia Commonwealth for making a statement and reaching the Final Four in Houston. UCONN and Kentucky were expected to do very well.

My pick for the National Champ? Butler will beat VCU and Kentucky will get passed UCONN. Butler vs. Kentucky? I have to go with the Wildcats.

Oh well…Florida took care of BYU which I was worried about. I really took a lot of time thinking about that matchup on my bracket and eventually went with the Gators and I’m glad I did.

So 3 of my Final Four are still in. Let’s go Florida, Kansas (even though I hate you), and Ohio St. I need you to keep my bracket from looking like trash! Thank you!

There is only one thing a sports fan should be discussing in March… I’m talking about the Madness!…DUH!

We are now in the Sweet 16 and my bracket is looking good besides a few minor setbacks like Butler beating Pitt.

Speaking of surprises, can someone please tell me where this Richmond team came from? They are playing as if no one told them that as a #12 seed you are not supposed to make it this far. They are fun to watch.

My final four includes Kansas, Duke, Ohio St. and Florida. All of these teams are playing like #1 seeds. (Florida is actually a #2 seed). I have the championship coming down to Duke and Florida, although the Buckeyes are looking like a well oiled machine. As much as I dislike Duke I have a feeling they will win it all…again.

Some other teams that have a legit shot are Uconn, UNC, Kentucky, and BYU. Kentucky will be the first real test for Ohio St. and Uconn is on fire. BYU easily took care of the always scary Gonzaga, and the Tar Heels are looking good even though Washington gave them problems.

What do you think of my picks? Agree? Disagree? Like Charles Barkley, I may be wrong, but I doubt it.

The Mean Green of North Texas just lost a heartbreaker to the Arkansas- Little Rock Trojans  in the Sun Belt Conference Championship game 64-63. Soloman Bozeman hit the game winning three to send Arkansas-Little Rock to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1990.

UNT seemed in control of the game with a five point lead with just over a minute to play. Sloppy play led to Mean Green turnovers and 2 killer three pointers to ice the game for the Trojans. With 16 seconds to go Matt Mouzy hit a three to make it a one point game before Tristan Thompson missed one of two clutch free throws that left the door open for Bozeman’s unlikely game winner.

UNT had another great season but came up short in their attempt to repeat as Sun Belt Champs.

Oh well.

Are the Miami Heat even a good team? Yes, just barely.

The Heat have now lost four games in a row and 5 of their last 6. Is this a crisis in South Beach? YES! The playoffs are right around the corner and the Heat are playing the worst basketball of the season. After losing another close game to the Bulls, they are officially scratched off my list of possible contenders for the championship this season. They have too many questions left unanswered and not enough time to answer them. Granted the Bulls are a tough opponent for any team this year but how can you explain losing at home to the new New York Knicks who are still trying to find their own identity. The Heat should be embarrassed right now. I am embarrassed for them.

I think the playoffs will expose them as a truly weak team. It hurts me deeply to admit that as I am a LeBron and Wade fan but I can no longer ignore the facts. I still believe they are potentially a great team. But not this year.

Carmelo Anthony has been traded from the Denver Nuggets to the New York Knicks.  The Knicks will send Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, the Knicks’ first-round draft pick in 2014 or later, the Warriors’ 2012 second-round pick, the Warriors’ 2013 second-round pick and $3 million in cash to Denver for Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter and Renaldo Balkman. The Knicks will also send Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry to the Timberwolves in exchange for Corey Brewer as part of the deal.

This will make the Knicks a true team to watch out for. Carmelo along with Amare Stoudamire are going to be an offensive force. And don’t forget Chauncey Billups. He can still play. This team will be fun to watch this season and into the future.

However, they are probably one roster move away from joining the elite teams of the NBA. The Knicks and Nuggets (and Timberwolves) swapped role players that won’t make much difference for either squad. They are not as deep as the Celtics, Mavericks, Spurs, or even the Heat. They will need to find a third star to keep up with these teams in the future. I look forward to watching this team evolve.

Congratulations to the new New York Knicks! As Amare said “the Knicks are back!”

So tomorrow is the big game. The Super Bowl is finally here. Usually at this time I would be pumped up and ready to pre party then bash the team I am rooting against. But I don’t have that feeling this year. Why? Because I hate both teams equally. It’s as simple as that.

Now before you get upset and decide not to read on you have to understand where I am coming from. I AM A COWBOYS FAN! Therefore it is in my blood to hate the Packers and Steelers blindly. So I do. Thinking about the storied matchups between the Cowboys and Packers of the 70s and the Cowboys and Steelers of the 90s, especially the ’95 Super Bowl, is great for the sports history buff but other than that these teams mean nothing to me.

Since no one has come up with a way for both teams to lose tomorrow, I have to make a choice. The Packers are favored and have a dynamic offense while the defense of the Steelers is a force as usual. With that said, its great defense that gets teams to the Super Bowl, its great offense that wins it. GO PACK GO!!! ………. I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.

Tomorrow we will find out which two teams will be headed to the Super Bowl here in Dallas. I am looking forward to some good old fashioned smashmouth football. In Chicago, I am rooting for the Bears but I don’t see them overtaking the Packers who have looked very strong in the playoffs. Then there is the Jets vs. Steelers game. I have to say that I did not expect the Jets to make it this far.  I am pulling for the Jets in this one and I expect them to win.

Super Bowl?

Bears vs. Jets

NFL Champ?

I think the Bears lucky run will end here. What do you think?