Did the Mavs send in Najera to hurt Ginobili?

For those of you not too familiar with the situation in last night's game here's a quick breakdown.

The Mavs, who had been complaining about the officiating all series long, took a double-digit lead into the third quarter. But the Spurs stepped up their defensive efforts and started getting a little bit more bruising with their fouls.

Dallas' players and coaches were visibly pissed at the refs throughout the second half as the team watched its lead evaporate.

Mavs bench boss Rick Carlisle elected to put out seldom-used forward Eduardo Najera at the start of the fourth quarter. Now, by this point there had already been several hard fouls committed Spurs players.

Watching the video, doesn't it seem like Najera's take-down was premeditated? I mean that's a horse-collar tackle that would make Bengals safety Roy Williams proud.

Is it possible that Carlisle took Najera aside before he let him enter the game and told him, "Listen big guy. The first Spur you see go up for a lay up, you foul him and you foul him good."

I think there's a 95 percent chance Carlisle said something to that effect.

What do you guys think? Do goon plays like this belong in basketball? Are the refs to blame at all for letting some fouls go earlier in the game?

NBA players you don’t want in your foxhole

Pardon the overused military reference but it just suits this list the best. The NBA playoffs are a time when many All-Stars succumb to the pressure of the big stage. And some other talented players aren’t willing to put in the extra effort that’s required to win games this time of year.

Here’s a list of five players you don’t want on your team in the postseason:

Tracy McGrady



It looks like Tracy McGrady’s NBA career will end without the former league scoring champ ever graduating to the second round of the playoffs.

T-Mac, who lists sleeping as one of his hobbies, stopped going to the paint in the last three or four trips to the postseason and routinely shot the Rockets out of the dance.

Pretty crazy this guy was once considered the closest thing to Kobe’s equal in the league.

Vince Carter



Let’s be honest. Vince Carter should never have played in the NBA. He’s a much better fit for the And-1 mix tape tour.

While Vince has posterized countless victims, he’s actually the indisputable poster boy for our list. The former Tar Heel, hopped on a flight to attend his UNC graduation on the same day as a Game 7 vs. the Philadelphia 76ers.

And it’s not just his nonchalant attitude to the NBA postseason. He falls and rolls around on the ground anytime he gets a booboo. It’s like he should be playing in the Spanish soccer league or something.

Charles Barkley



Scottie Pippen thought his... [More]

How did Chris Webber and Michigan ever run out of timeouts?

Holy crap with the timeouts already. Is it just my imagination or were game stoppages even more exaggerated in the Tourney this year?

When it gets down to the Elite Eight, Final Four and Championship Game, when CBS doesn’t have another game to flip to during timeouts that’s when the ratio between basketball and commercials becomes unbearable.

I know I’m not alone with my frustration here gang. I mean, how the fuck did Chris Webber and Michigan ever run out of timeouts?

MLB predictions sure to go wrong

It’s Opening Day and that means my excitement amplifier is at 11 and climbing for baseball’s first meaningful pitch of the season.

There are a few storylines this season that have me searching for betting value. I’ve mixed in a couple future wagers along with some early season strategies. Here they are in no particular order:

Can the Braves Live up to the Hype?

How good do the analysts think the Braves will be this season?

Well the Phillies are the two-time defending NL Champs and they got some guy named Roy Halladay in the offseason.

Still many believe the Braves will steal the division crown from Philadelphia.

I think Atlanta’s season will depend on Triple H. No, not the WWE wrestler. I’m talking about Heyward, Hanson and Hudson.

Jason Heyward needs to produce, especially if he hits in the two-hole as many are predicting. The phenom is the biggest story coming out of spring training after putting up gaudy numbers and earning oohs and aahs from veteran teammate Chipper Jones.

Atlanta’s offense should be in good shape if Heyward can put up 20 homers and an on-base percentage above .350.

Tommy Hanson and Tim Hudson are the two big question marks in the rotation. The Braves dealt Javier Vazquez away in the offseason because they felt Hanson and Hudson would fill the void.

Hanson was amazing in this rookie campaign and should build on those numbers in Year 2. Hudson looked great at the end of last season com... [More]