Time running out?

As the NBA Playoffs are underway, three teams with championship aspirations need to make the best of this opportunity, while they can.

The Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and San Antonio Spurs all have shots at winning the championship trophy this June, but how many more years will these teams have at accomplishing such a feat in the near future? That answer’s not as clear.

These teams are filled with aging stars, for the Celtics three of their four most key players are Ray Allen (36), Paul Pierce (34), and Kevin Garnett (36 in two weeks). Many people thought the Celtics had no shot going into this year as they have taken people by surprise, but it is clear that their years to compete with this core of a roster is likely over after these playoffs. 

From left to right, stars Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray
Allen makeup the core of the Celtics roster, however their
 time is limited due to the players ages.

Two of the Lakers top three players are Kobe Bryant (33) and Pau Gasol (31), the Lakers do not have to be as worried as much as the Celtics but they also have other key role players who are getting up in age, such as Metta World Peace (32) and Matt Barnes (32). 

This will not be Bryant’s last shot at winning a ring by any means but the Lakers are likely in a three-year window with the core of this team. Going in the team’s favor is the play of Andrew Bynum (24), who has established himself as one of the elite centers in the NBA.

Then, there are the Spurs, a team that’s nucleus is made up of Tony Parker (30 in 12 days), Manu Ginobli (34), and Tim Duncan (36). The Spurs look good having finished with the best record in the Western Conference in the regular season, but one wonders how much longer this trio can continue to display greatness with all the added miles on their legs?

These playoffs are exciting and important to all teams competing, however it is these three teams that may not have too many more shots at winning a title in the near future, without having to rebuild their roster’s first. Make the best of the opportunity, while you can.

NFL teams that can expect to take a leap forward in 2012

As the draft has past and the player movement slows down, NFL training camps draw closer as we approach July and some teams should expect to take a step forward in 2012.

The teams that jump out include the Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, and Washington Redskins due to the significant upgrades they made at the quarterback position this offseason.

The Broncos let go of arguably the most popular athlete in all American sports in quarterback Tim Tebow, however they replaced him with one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the game.

After acquiring future Hall Of Famer Peyton Manning, the Broncos can expect to take themselves from being a good team that they were in 2011 to a potential championship contender in 2012. 

Hall Of Famer to be Peyton Manning was the biggest
acquisition of the NFL offseason, signing with Denver
Broncos after spending his entire career with
the Indianapolis Colts.

Despite missing the entirety of the 2011 season, Manning, when healthy is arguably the best regular season quarterback in the history of football. 

The Colts drafted franchise quarterback Andrew Luck out of Stanford with the first pick in the draft and the Redskins snagged their own franchise quarterback in Robert Griffin III with the second pick in the draft. 

All three of these teams can expect to get a lot better this coming season, even if it doesn’t show in the win column. For the Colts and Redskins due to the maturation process needed for their young quarterbacks and the fact that they were drafted to the two worst teams in the league, wins could be difficult to come by. 

The Buffalo Bills and the San Francisco 49ers appear to have significantly improved themselves, though they will not receive the same publicity because they did not land big name new quarterbacks.

Nonetheless, the Bills added one of the best defensive linemen in the game in Mario Williams, who they snagged from the Houston Texans. Williams, is the kind of dominant force on defense who can help change an entire defense just by his presence alone on the field.

The Bills remain in a tough division with the New England Patriots and New York Jets as the favorites but this move should give the Bills and their fans much more hope in 2012.

Meanwhile, the 49ers added many offensive weapons to a team that relied heavily upon its shutdown defense in 2011. In free agency the 49ers snagged wide receivers Randy Moss and Mario Manningham, and running back Brandon Jacobs. Then, the 49ers followed up their signings by drafting more offensive help, the team selected wide receiver A.J. Jenkins (University of Illinois) in the first round and running back LaMichael James (University of Oregon) in the second round.  

Other teams have improved themselves this offseason but these teams in particular jump out as teams that are ready to take a step or another step forward this fall. 

Los Angeles Dodgers, surprising the baseball world thus far

Going into spring training few people picked the Los Angeles Dodgers to do much this season, especially with the team’s ownership under uncertainty. Well, many people are wrong thus far.

The Dodgers come into play today at 17-8, the best record in the National League and only one half of a game behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the top record in all of Major League Baseball.

It seems as if the sale of the team at the beginning of the regular season has sparked this team. And this was no ordinary sale of a sports franchise, this was a $2.15 billion sale to an ownership group headed by basketball Hall Of Famer and Los Angles icon Magic Johnson (who played the entirety of his professional career with the Lakers).

The Dodgers appear to be playing inspired with energy, intensity, and enthusiasm that it seems they may have lacked at times the past few seasons. Their also playing with the best player in baseball on their side, that being outfielder Matt Kemp, who is off to an unprecedented start this season. 

Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp has been the best player in
baseball this season, helping spark the Dodgers to the best
record in the National League thus far.

Kemp boasts a .411 batting average with a .500 on-base percentage, he has hit 12 home runs, and produced 25 RBI, 27 runs, along with a gaudy 1.356 OPS (on-base plus slugging) through just 25 games. 

It is early in the season but the Dodgers appear to have the make-up of a team destined to compete deep into the season. Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw fronts their pitching staff that has been surprisingly good thus far with starters Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly, and Chris Capuano all off to hot starts as well. Reliever Kenley Jansen has been impressive out of the bullpen. 

Things will not be easy for the Dodgers in the National League West as they’ll have to beat out both the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants to capture the division crown, but they appear to have the personnel to make a serious run at doing so.

The baseball season, as people who follow the game know is a marathon rather than a sprint, but it never hurts to have a hot start, especially when you’re catching others by surprise like the Dodgers are.  

NBA Playoffs in full swing

The NBA playoffs are back and quickly taking shape. With many teams capable of making a run at a championship trophy, these playoffs should generate a lot of drama and viewing interest.

Headlined by the Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and Los Angeles Lakers as the most likely teams to win the title, one can expect to see some fierce match-ups particularly in the later rounds of the playoffs.

The Chicago Bulls were another strong candidate to claim the championship trophy this June but suffered a major loss in their first game of the playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers, as star Derrick Rose tore his ACL, knocking him out for the remainder of the season.

The Heat appear to be the odds on favorites in the Eastern Conference with stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh all gelling at the right time. However, the Boston Celtics led by guard Rajon Rondo and the resurgence of their original big three (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen) cannot be written off just yet.

Nor can the team no one likes to talk about because they play in Indiana and lack star power, the Pacers. The Pacers do have a star in Danny Granger and have received great complementary play from guard Paul George, forward David West, and center Roy Hibbert.

The more people sleep on the Pacers, the more vulnerable they become to creep up and scare you. Watch out.

Centered around guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli,
along with center Tim Duncan, the Spurs are proven
champions and are back at it for more. 

In the West it is even more open as the Thunder, Spurs, and Lakers are the most likely teams to represent the conference in the NBA Finals, however there are other candidates. Do not write off whomever wins the first round series between the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies, these two teams are stacked with talent and have the playmakers it takes to win in the postseason.

All these teams listed have what it takes to get to the Finals, it is simply a matter of who is going to step up and who is going to sit down in crunch time.

With that said, I believe the Clippers will fall short against the Grizzlies despite great play from guard Chris Paul and forward Blake Griffin. The Grizzlies strong front-line of Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol will just be too much to handle.

Then, I like the Thunder over the Lakers, yes Los Angeles is receiving great performances from stars Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum but the dynamic, youthful duo of stars Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant in Oklahoma City will be too much fire power for the Lakers to keep up with.

The Spurs led by their big three of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, and Tim Duncan will knockout the Grizzlies and then put the Thunder to rest afterwards in the Western Conference Finals.

While I could see both the Celtics and Pacers giving the Heat a serious run for their money in the East, ultimately the Heat will win the conference, leading to an NBA Finals showdown between the hated Heat and the so-called boring Spurs.

This series will be a classic and likely go seven games, with the Spurs prevailing in the end.