NBA Preseason Picks

Got to get them in under the wire...

EAST
Atlantic: Boston, Toronto, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia
Central: Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indiana, Milwaukee
Southeast: Washington, Orlando, Miami, Charlotte, Atlanta

WEST
Northwest: Denver, Utah, Seattle, Portland, Minnesota
Pacific: Phoenix, LA Clippers, Golden State, LA Lakers, Sacramento
Southwest: Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, New Orleans, Memphis

Playoffs
EAST
Chicago (1) vs. Miami (8)
Boston (2) vs. Orlando (7)
Cleveland (3) vs. Toronto (6)
Washington (4) vs. Detroit (5)

WEST
Phoenix (1) vs. Golden State (8)
Dallas (2) vs. LA Clippers (7)
San Antonio (3) vs. Utah (6)
Houston (4) vs. Denver (5)

EAST
Chicago vs. Detroit
Boston vs. Toronto

WEST
Phoenix vs. Houston
Dallas vs. San Antonio

EAST
Chicago vs. Boston

WEST
San Antonio vs. Houston

FINALS
San Antonio vs. Chicago

CHAMPION
San Antonio

Notes: I like Houston if McGrady and Yao play at least 75 games each, but until they do I have to go with Dallas in the regular season and San Antonio in the playoffs. Phoenix will have the best record in the West because they are in a weaker division, but I see them having a lot of problems with Houston, especially if Aaron Brooks matures and can come off the bench to help defend Nash. The NBA is about matchups (ask Don Nelson) and the Spurs and Rockets just seem to be able to matchup better this year no matter what is thrown at them. While I think the Mavs and Suns are still great, I think their best teams have already come and gone and their window of opportunity is closing rather than opening.

Week 9 Picks

Sunday, Nov. 4
Washington (-3.5) at New York Jets -- NYJ to cover
Green Bay (+2.5) at Kansas City
Arizona (+3.5) at Tampa Bay
Carolina (+4.5) at Tennessee -- CAR to cover
San Francisco (+3) at Atlanta
Jacksonville (+3.5) at New Orleans
Denver (+3) at Detroit
Cincinnati (PK) at Buffalo
San Diego (+8) at Minnesota
Seattle (+1) at Cleveland
New England (-5.5) at Indianapolis
Houston (+3) at Oakland
Dallas (-3) at Philadelphia

Monday, Nov. 5
Baltimore (+9) at Pittsburgh

Week 8 Results

Straight Up: 9-4
Against the Spread: 8-5

For the Season...

Straight Up: 77-39 (.664)
Against the Spread: 58-52-6 (.526)

Week 8 Picks

Time to focus...

Sunday, Oct. 28
Cleveland (-3) at St. Louis
Detroit (+5) at Chicago -- DET to cover
Indianapolis (-7) at Carolina
New York Giants (-9.5) vs. Miami
Oakland (+7) at Tennessee
Philadelphia (-1) at Minnesota
Pittsburgh (-3.5) at Cincinnati
Buffalo (+3) at New York Jets
Houston at San Diego
Jacksonville (+4) at Tampa Bay
New Orleans (-3) at San Francisco
Washington (+16.5) at New England -- WAS to cover

Monday, Oct. 29
Green Bay (+3) at Denver

Week 7 Results

Straight Up: 9-5
Against the Spread: 6-8

For the season

Straight Up: 68-35 (.660)
Against the Spread: 50-47-6 (.515)

2008 Texans Schedule

I'm not giving up on this season, I'm just curious what we have next year and I thought I would put it down somewhere I can find it later. It's never too early to start looking ahead (I can't wait until the showdown between the Texans and Patriots at Reliant Stadium in 2009.) We already know 14 of 16, just have to see how the rest of this season plays out:

Indianapolis (home/away)
Jacksonville (home/away)
Tennessee (home/away)
Baltimore (home)
Cincinnati (home)
Chicago (home)
Detroit (home)
Pittsburgh (away)
Cleveland (away)
Green Bay (away)
Minnesota (away)
AFC East same-place finisher (I'm going to guess Buffalo)
AFC West same-place finisher (I'm going to guess Denver)
*One of the last two will be at home, the other on the road

Week 7 Picks

Sunday, Oct. 21
Arizona (+7) at Washington
Atlanta (+7) at New Orleans
Baltimore (-3) at Buffalo
Minnesota (+9.5) at Dallas -- MIN to cover
New England (-17) at Miami
San Francisco (+6.5) at NY Giants
Tampa Bay (+2) at Detroit
Tennessee (-1.5) at Houston
Kansas City (+2.5) at Oakland
NY Jets (+6) at Cincinnati
Chicago (+5) at Philadelphia
St. Louis (+8.5) at Seattle
Pittsburgh (-3.5) at Denver

Monday, Oct. 22
Indianapolis (-3) at Jacksonville

Week 6 Results

This Week:

Straight Up: 7-6
Against the Spread: 6-6-1

For the season:

Straight Up: 59-30 (.663)
Against the Spread: 44-39-6 (.528)

Bye, Saints

I really hate to see one of my Super Bowl picks voted off the island so early (see early post Preseason Predictions: Survivor Style). I've got to give New Orleans the boot, they're just pissing me off now. I went 12-2 straight up this week because the Saints can't beat Carolina...at home...with David Carr as the Panthers' quarterback and because the Packers felt sorry for the Bears.

Here's who's left from my original picks: Dallas, Philadelphia, Green Bay and San Francisco.
Here's who's out: St. Louis and New Orleans.
Here's who's in: Seattle and Tampa Bay.
Revised Super Bowl pick: Philadelphia.

Everyone is still alive in the AFC tribe (barely): New England, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Houston and San Diego.
Most hated: Cincinnati.

Week 6 Predictions

Sunday, Oct. 14
Cincinnati (-3) at Kansas City
Houston (+6.5) at Jacksonville -- HOU to cover
Miami (+5) at Cleveland
Minnesota (+6) at Chicago -- MIN to cover
Philadelphia (-3) at NY Jets
St. Louis (+10) at Baltimore -- STL to cover
Tennessee (+3) at Tampa Bay
Washington (+3.5) at Green Bay
Carolina (+4) at Arizona
New England (-4.5) at Dallas
Oakland (+10) at San Diego
New Orleans (+7) at Seattle

Monday, Oct. 15
NY Giants (-3.5) at Atlanta

Week 5 Results

Things turned around a little bit this week. I'm still pissed the Saints are so bad they can't beat a Panthers team led by David Carr and the Packers threw away an easy win.

Through Sunday's games

Straight up: 12-2
Against the spread: 7-7

For the season

Straight up: 52-24 (.684)
Against the spread: 38-33-5 (.533)

Kornheiser, Shut Your Kornhole

I've never liked Tony Kornheiser, because he's a loudmouth who thinks he's so much smarter and knows more than everyone else. When he had his show on ESPN Radio, he wouldn't talk about sports -- he would talk about things he liked and the listener should like it, too. Yesterday, while I was listening to John Seibel on my way home from work, I was rudely interrupted by PTI (Dick's, huh, that's about right) and Kornheiser put me over the edge. What an asshole!

Everyone knows he couldn't have possibly watched the first 9-10 innings of the tiebreaker game between the Rockies and Padres, because he was doing Monday Night Football. Yet, he was adamant the Rockies shouldn't be in the playoffs, because Matt Holliday never touched home plate with the winning run. Well, if the Padres had won, should they have been in the playoffs after Garrett Atkins' home run in the seventh inning was incorrectly called a double? Who should be in the playoffs, Tony?

He didn't even watch the freaking game and he's talking about the one call he saw on a national show. Way to put your ignorance on display and let everybody know how much of an idiot you really are. Nobody is making a big deal about Holliday, because it was justice -- the bad calls evened out. Tony should quit one of his many jobs, so he doesn't continue to make a complete ass of himself.

By the way, I was going for the Padres, but there would have been a lot more controversy and discussion about instant replay in baseball had they won.

Week 5 Picks

Sunday, Oct. 7
Miami (+5.5) at Houston
Atlanta (+8.5) at Tennessee -- ATL to cover
Jacksonville (-2.5) at Kansas City
NY Jets (+3) at NY Giants
Carolina (+3) at New Orleans
Arizona (-3.5) at St. Louis
Cleveland (+16) at New England -- CLE to cover
Seattle (+6) at Pittsburgh
Detroit (+3.5) at Washington
Tampa Bay (+10) at Indianapolis
San Diego (+1) at Denver
Baltimore (-3) at San Francisco
Chicago (+3) at Green Bay

Monday, Oct. 8
Dallas (-10) at Buffalo

Week 4 Results

What a crappy week -- again. Here's where we stand before tonight's game:

WEEK 4
Straight Up: 7-7
Against the Spread: 7-7

SEASON
Straight Up : 40-22 (.645)
Against the Spread: 31-26-5 (.540)

Hey, at least I'm as good as Bill Simmons. And, at least I'm keeping up with the pace car. If you only picked the favorites in each game straight up, you would be 40-22. ESPN needs to find a place for me.