in the #4 seed, they have fallen off a bit down the stretch and are stumbling to the finish of the season. In Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki is hoping to have one more crack at championship glory before eventually having to hang his high-tops ups and call it a career, but do they have enough fire power and defense to finish the journey? But the dog fight, and what will certainly be a surprise if one team makes it over the other, is the fight for the 8th seed with New Orleans and it’s superstar Center, Anthony Davis, battling to get into the playoffs against Oklahoma City, without its top superstar, Kevin Durant. They have a slew of injuries through the season to big man Serge Ibaka and star Point Guard Russell Westbrook, who with his play has put himself into the MVP conversation, but as of today his team would miss out on the playoffs. However, with 3 games left and the Pelicans only a game ahead of the Thunder, this is going to be a dog fight to the finish with the winner moving on to the playoffs as an 8th seed and their reward the sharp shooting of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors! This is that time of year where the pretenders get separated from the contenders and the stars come out and shine! It’s the playoffs, so get your popcorn ready, buckle up your seat belts and have that game face on because if you have a dog in the fight you will be rooting heavy for them. Many answers to season long questions will begin to be answered come April 18th as the playoffs start. In Cleveland, the question of can a young man go home again and lead his team and a city that is starving for a championship and finally solidify his place amongst the greatest of all-time or will the pressure prove to be too much for him and his young teammates who has never been on this stage before. In Chicago, can Derrick Rose be that player he once was before and rise from the ashes like a phoenix or will he get hurt again and wilt under the heat of the playoff spotlight. In Atlanta, can a team do what has never been done in franchise history and finally bring home a championship for the Hawks franchise doing it the old fashioned way by playing without a single superstar on the roster and as a team just like the 2004 Detroit Pistons?
Will the Spurs prove that to be the man, you have to beat man and defend their championship and finally win back-to back titles or will father time finally catch up to this proud and consistent franchise? Can the Warriors win with small ball and run and gun basketball and just outside shooting in the playoffs where every game is tough and every basket is contested no matter how good you can shoot? Will the Clippers stop being the JV team in L.A. and finally hang a banner that says champions or will they fail to make it to the conference championship round? All these questions and more will be answered starting this Saturday.
Meanwhile down on the links in Augusta, Georgia this weekend a man by the name of Tiger Woods made his way back to a golf course for the first time in about 6 months to the Masters,. However, it would be 21 year old Justin Spaeth who would be the winner of the tournament yesterday shooting an overall 63 under for the tournament and dawning his first green jacket. While Tiger thought not winning the Masters is disappointing, he did have a solid outing shooting a 73 for the tournament and finish Sunday at 5 under par. Time will only tell if he’ll be the Tiger of old or will he turn into Puffy Woods.
At the beginning of this month, the Final Four took place with the likes of Duke University, The University of Wisconsin Badgers, the Michigan State Spartans and the undefeated University of Kentucky Wildcats who were looking to set their place in history by going 40-0 and being crowned as the champions of college basketball and the best team in college history. With seven players all NBA ready and extremely talented, you would think that this was a coronation instead of a highly contested championship series, but that’s why they play the games! In the first semi-final, the Wisconsin Badgers dashed the dreams of Kentucky and their talented squad and beat them in one hell of a game 73-64 being led by their Senior Forward and National Player of the Year, Frank Kaminsky, who had 20 points and 11 rebounds. While in the other semi-final game, the Duke Blue Devils led Head Coach Mike Krzyzweski, by superstar Freshman Center, Jahil Okafor, who according to many will be a top five draft pick in the 2015 NBA Draft and against the scrappy bunch from East Lansing in Michigan State led by Senior Point Guard Travis Trice and Forward Brandon Dawson and their start coach Tom Izzo. The Spartans where just over matched and the Blue Devils with superior size strength and speed beat da brakes off of “Sparty” 81-61 setting up a national championship game against Wisconsin, thus running what many would have thought would have been a battle of the college basketball blue blood in Kentucky vs. Duke in a star studded showdown for the title. A last it was not to be but the Wisconsin vs. Duke Championship game did not disappoint going down to the wire with Duke’s star in Okafor missing much of the game due to foul trouble but it would be a spectacular none the less and Duke’s point guard and floor general Tyus Jones along with freshman guard Grayson Allen would come up huge late in the second half spearing the Blue Devils to the national title 68-63, giving their head coach Mike Krzyzewski his 5th title as a head coach and second now to only the legendary John Wooden who has 10 titles. It was a great game and one that will go down in history as one of the best all-time. That’s it for this month’s edition of Smackdown Sports, so until next month kiddies, If ya smellllaaaaa what da SMOCK is cookin’!
Peace.