knicks spoil Cavs opener.

There is no good reason to overreact over anything that happens during the first week of the NBA season.  Training camp is nothing like the regular season.  This is the time when teams see what sets work and what tweaks need to be made.

The Cleveland Cavaliers treated their first home game like it was game one of the NBA Finals.  The Cavaliers struggles since LeBron James departure in 2010 have been well documented.  The city is as excited as ever to have King James back home.

The celebration seemed to be a bit overwhelming.  LeBron looked out of character for much of the night.  Keep in mind LeBron's wife Savannah gave birth to a baby girl three days ago. A shaky performance from LeBron would only be natural.  LeBron was unlike himself indeed.  He finished Cleveland ' s home opener with only 17 points, including a team high eight turnovers.  The King was nowhere in sight.

Carmelo Anthony was clutch in the waning minutes of the Knicks first road game.  He drained a baseline jump shot with less than a minute remaining to secure New York ' s first win of the season.  Carmelo finished the night with 25 points.

Carmelo has been known as a clutch player during his career.  However, in recent years he's come up small at the end of games.  Maybe Carmelo's explosive start is a sign of things to come.  New York is going to rely on his offensive output heavily this season.

Cleveland fans need not to put too much emphasis on this loss. The LeBron, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving experiment is going to be a work in progress. They should end somewhere around the 55 win mark.

The Charlotte Hornets new uniform design is definitely the wave right now in the NBA. Charlotte chose to return to the same color scheme the old Charlotte Hornets had prior to the franchises departure to New Orleans.

Charlotte was a great basketball city during the 1990's.  The team led the NBA in attendance on multiple occasions. These new uniforms represent a change of culture in the city of Charlotte.  A few years ago Charlotte was the laughing stock of the NBA.  Today Michael Jordan and company have built a team good enough to make noise in the Eastern Conference.

A new look can make a team feel different.  Last year Charlotte proved they could win games on a consistent basis.  This year is about building on that success.  The Charlotte Hornets new jersey look gets two thumbs up!

Respect Mr. Manning

Athletes usually don't age like fine wine.  In fact, it's usually the opposite.  Some athletes begin their professional careers on top, only to retire as a shell of who they once were.  In Peyton Manning's case none of this applies.

It's hard to imagine Peyton playing any better than he did during his time with the Colts. However, that is exactly what Peyton has done in Denver. He became the NFL'S all-time leader in passing touchdowns in a rout over the San Francisco 49ers earlier this season. He set the leagues single season touchdown record a year ago.  He owned that record before Tom Brady broke it in 2007.  He's also added another MVP trophy to go along with the four he won in Indy.

This is a golden era in terms of passing quarterbacks.  Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Matthew Stafford, Aaron Rogers and Tony Romo have all taken part in phenomenal passing numbers during the last eight years.  Peyton appears to be taking it to another level.  If he throws a touchdown in each of the Broncos remaining nine games he will break Brees ' s consecutive games with a touchdown pass record.  Just another notch on Peyton ' s belt.

Whether you like or dislike Peyton, you must respect him.  He is truly a once in a generation type of player.  He won't be truly appreciated until his days of lacing up those cleats on Sunday afternoon are over.  Fans enjoy Mr Manning, he won't be around much longer.

Kobe # 40???

Kobe Bryant is one of the most motivated players in the NBA.  While some guys show up for a check and a shot at stardom, the black mamba plays with a passion not rivaled by many.  At 36 years of age that fire burns deeply in Kobe's soul.

ESPN recently ranked Kobe as the 40th best player in the NBA for this upcoming season.  I find it hard naming 10 players in the league better than Kobe.  40 is outright disrespectful. The doubts are well deserved.  The Lakers are four years removed from their last NBA Finals visit.  However, this is one of the best players in NBA history we are discussing. When you work as hard as Kobe, you don't fall off the map in the same manner as other players.

Kobe's body has been through it all.  To expect him to produce the way he did eight to 10 years ago would be foolish.  He played in the NBA playoffs at an age when his peers were getting acclimated to campus life.  This is what all those years of training were for.  To remain elite at all times, even when father time tries to tell you otherwise.

Kobe is one championship away from tying the great Michael Jordan.  Based on his team, most would say Kobe's ring count is not getting any bigger.  Regardless of who suits up for the Lakers Kobe will go hard this season.  Even at 36 Kobe Bryant is one of the 10 best basketball players in the NBA.

Don't sleep on the Heat

The Miami Heat are no longer the team to watch in the NBA. This time four years ago the world waited in anticipation of what the monster Pat Riley had created would look like.  No team throughout the course of league history had come together in this manner.  Sure those Celtics teams in the 1980's were stacked.  But they were constructed through the NBA Draft.  The Shaq and Kobe Lakers was a combination of good drafting and key free agency acquisitions.  The Miami Heat changed the way general managers approach building organizations with their blockbuster Summer of 2010.  Three players with this talent level signing on to play together had never been seen before.

The Heatles were as good as advertised.  Following a slow 9-9 start, Miami finished the 2010-11 season with a 58-24 record.  Not bad for an experimental trial.  They ultimately fell short of their goal to win a championship.  However, looking back in retrospect, for a team to win 58 games and make the NBA Finals during their first season together is a remarkable accomplishment.

During the next two years the Miami Heat would become the most dominant franchise in the NBA.  The team went 112-46 during their back-to-back championship seasons.  LeBron James won consecutive MVP awards.  After knocking off the San Antonio Spurs in game seven of the 2013 NBA Finals, the Heat franchise was on top of the world.  LeBron was months away from his 29th birthday.  Miami could presumably be apart of the championship conversation for the next 8 years.

Dwayne Wade played the entire 2013-14 season on a minutes restriction.  Wade was in and out of Miami's lineup for the duration of the season.  LeBron burdened the load of the Heat scoring attack for much of the year.  During the 2014 season LeBron was forced to go one on five, much like his youthful days in Cleveland.  An embarrassing five game defeat to the Spurs in the NBA Finals was enough to send LeBron packing.  Not even Pat Riley, the man that was the difference in LeBron signing with the Heat challenging his fortitude was enough to keep King James in South Beach.  And just like that the Miami Heat become irrelevant.  Not if the man upstairs has something to say about it.  Riley famously coined the term " there's winning, and there's misery ".

Riley has never been one to back into a corner.  He won championships as the visiting coach at the Boston Garden when no one else had heard of such a thing.  He rallied his Lakers past the Detroit Pistons despite Isaiah Thomas pouring in 25 points in one quarter during the 1988 NBA Finals.  His Knicks are one of the few teams to take Michael Jordan's Bulls to a seventh game during their magical run.  He is also one of the few coaches in league history to recover from a 3-1 playoff deficit. Riley has moxie to say the least.

Chris Bosh was believed to be on his way out of town this past Summer.  The Houston Rockets appeared to be his next destination.  That was until Riley swooped in and re-signed Bosh to a five-year $118 Million dollar deal.  Bosh is expected to assume much of the scoring load LeBron has left behind.  Wade ' s health is Miami's biggest question mark headed into the season.  Can Wade come close to playing 82 games this season?  If so how good will he be if the Heat qualify for the postseason?  All questions that will be answered as the season progresses.

Miami signed Luol Deng during the off season.  Deng is one of the best two-way players in the NBA.  His length on defense and ability to handle the ball make him a solid pick up. Deng is no Lebron, but should be a respectable option down the stretch of games.  During his career Deng has been known for his durability.  That could come into play if Wade misses significant time.

Miami picked up Shabazz Napier in the draft.  Napier won two NCAA Championships during his time at Connecticut.  He is more experienced than most guards that come into the NBA these days.  Mario Chalmers job could be in trouble.  His inconsistency at the point guard position will not be tolerated with the departure of LeBron.  Miami can no longer depend on one guy.  Guys have to hold themselves accountable.

Danny Granger is attempting to resurrect his career.  The former all-star ' s  blue collar style should fit in well with Miami's veteran roster.  Injuries have robbed Granger of his athleticism.  However, his intelligence and hard nosed defense make him valuable to NBA teams.  He could play a key role on Miami's second team.

I predict Miami will finish the season 47-35.  That could be good enough for the number four seed in a softened Eastern Conference.  With the veteran leadership on the roster the Heat could sneak their way in the conference finals.

LeBron may have taken his talents to Lake Eerie, but basketball is still relevant in South Beach.

Manning passes Favre

John Elway had a vision when he signed Peyton Manning to be the Denver Broncos starting Quarterback.  Elway pursued Manning with the intentions of helping him become the best quarterback in NFL history.  So far the Broncos have fallen short of their ultimate goal to bring a Super Bowl back to the Mile High City. However, in just over two seasons in Denver, Manning has been nothing short of spectacular.

Manning passed Brett Favre as the NFL'S all-time leader in touchdown passes in a dominating performance against the San Francisco 49ers.  San Francisco 's Superbowl level defense failed to keep up with Denver.  Manning amassed 318 yards and four touchdown passes. The 49ers Superbowl level defense had no answer for the NFL's leader in passing scores.  The fact that Manning played this well on such a historic night against a good team is a testament to his greatness.

Manning broke Favre's record in 56 fewer games.  Keep in mind he missed the entire 2011 season due to a career threatening neck injury.  The notion of him still playing is a miracle in itself.  Nothing against the legend of Favre, but Manning breaking this record seems a bit harmonious.

Tom Brady will probably go down as the greatest winner of this generation.  Manning must win another ring to challenge that.  However, his regular season prowess goes unchallenged.  Manning is a flat out magician.  He is the NFL'S version of Earvin Johnson.

600 touchdown passes is definitely a possibility for Manning.  He has the opportunity to take the record to a place in which no player in this generation will be able to break it.
The only thing that can top this is finishing this season hoisting up the Lombardi trophy.

Giants travel to big D

When the New York Giants 2014 season schedule was released one thing was apparent. For The Giants to have a realistic shot at winning the NFC East the team would have to defeat either Philadelphia or Dallas in week's six or seven.  The back-to-back NFC East road trip is the start of the Giants most difficult stretch of the 2014 season.  In the next month New York has dates with Seattle, San Francisco and Indianapolis, all playoff teams from a year ago.

This is nothing new for the Giants organization.  The Giants have one of the toughest schedules in the NFL on a yearly basis.

A great deal of hype surrounded the Giants game in Philadelphia this past weekend.  The Eagles showed up.  The Giants left their game in New Jersey.

New York talked the talk prior to traveling to Lincoln Financial field.  That remedy has worked for the Giants in years past.  However, this time around New York 's bite wasn't nearly as resounding as their bark.  Philadelphia trounced New York from the opening gates.  At halftime New York trailed 20-0.

The Dallas Cowboys have been the most impressive team in the NFL thus far.  The offensive line has looked phenomenal.  Demarco Murray's work load has been similar to Emmitt Smith in recent weeks.  A loss to Dallas could send the Giants season in a tailspin. A win pits New York right back in the thick of things.  The Giants are 1-1 in the division. Following this weekend they'll have 3 division games remaining, all of which are at home.

This Sunday will be a blood bath.  There is no love lost between the players, coaching staff and fan base.  The Giants flat out do not like the Cowboys.  The feeling happens to be mutual in Dallas.

Since the Cowboys opened their world class stadium in 2009 the Giants have enjoyed traveling to Texas.  New York has won in Dallas four of the last five years.  If Tom Coughlin and company hope to make the playoffs, New York needs that trend to continue.

Blazing a new trail

The Portland Trail Blazers are one of the best teams in the best conference in the NBA.  However, this talented group is often overshadowed by other teams out west such as the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Two years ago Portland won only 33 games.  Last year they improved their win total to 54 games.  The Blazers proved the regular season was no fluke by knocking out the favored Houston Rockets in the first-round of the Western Conference playoffs.

LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard are one of the top duo's in the NBA.  The two averaged a combined 44.3 points per game in 2013-14.  Both players have the potential to dominate their position on any given night.  If Lillard and Aldridge are playing well simultaneously, Portland is an extremely dangerous team.  Wes Matthews complements Lillard well in the backcourt.  His tight defense and three-point prowess is a big part of the Blazers identity.  Nick Batum and C.J McCollum are good NBA players.  Portland is more than just a two headed monster.

The City of Portland has seen some great basketball over the years.  Dr. Jack Ramsey and Bill Walton led the Blazers to the NBA championship in 1977.  After losing the first two games of the finals to the heavily favored Philadelphia 76ers, Portland ran off four consecutive victories to win the series in six games.  In those days Philadelphia was the most talented team in the league.  Quite frankly, the Blazers had no business winning that series.

Portland returned to an elite level heading into the 90's.  The likes of Terry Porter, Clyde Drexler, Cliff Robinson and Kevin Duckworth made two NBA Finals appearances in three years beginning in 1990.  Portland came within seconds of making it back to the finals in 2000.  A late game seven rally charged by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant halted those plans.

Portland has a rich history to be proud of.  Over the years the fans have supported the organization through thick and thin.  They are truly one of the best fan bases in America.

Watch out for the Portland Trail Blazers.  They could be the next big thing in the NBA.

Phoenix Suns Lock&Load

The Phoenix Suns have a history of assembling their roster in a unique manner.  In 1993 the Suns won 62 games and advanced to the NBA Finals with a relatively small team.  The 2004-2005 Suns were one of the most prolific offensive teams in league history.  Steve Nash was the leader of a team that attempted to get the ball up the court in seven seconds or less.  The Suns don't mind doing things their own way.  They have multiple 60 win seasons to prove it.

The Suns have always been an odd franchise.  In 1976 they shocked the world by advancing to the NBA Finals.  Few people gave the Suns a shot in the series.  The Boston Celtics were heavily favored.  Phoenix put up fight, giving Boston every last bit of fight they had before losing in six games.  Game five is considered one the greatest championship round games ever played.

Phoenix has made the playoffs in 26 of the last 36 years.  Keep in mind the team has missed the playoffs each of the last four seasons.

A year ago the Suns won 48 games, missing out on the final playoff spot by only one game.  Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe was a freighting two headed monster in the Suns backcourt.  Both players possess the ability to play off the ball.

If two explosive guards can have success playing together, why not have three?  Phoenix acquired former Kings guard Isaiah Thomas this summer.  The feisty guard  averaged 20.3 points and 6.3 assist per game last season with Sacramento.  Those numbers will likely take a hit his year.  Thomas started his final year in Sacramento.  In Phoenix he's prime for the sixth man role.  That way he can focus on doing what he does best.  Put the ball in the basket.

Jeff Hornacek has his work cut out.  Distributing minutes alone will give him a headache.  However, having too much talent is a problem most coaches don't mind dealing with.

Basketball will be fun in Arizona this year.

Brady and Belichick

The New England Patriots struck gold when they selected Tom Brady with the 199th overall selection in the 1999 NFL Draft.  Brady has been better than anyone could have expected.  He's led the New England Patriots to three Super Bowl championships.  He's captured two regular season MVP awards and has been named to a plethora of Pro Bowls.  He and coach Bill Belichick have seemingly been a match made in heaven.

Brady and Belichick have been a fixture in the AFC East since Drew Bledsoe ' s injury forced Brady into the Patriots starting line-up.  The entire arrangement almost never happened had it not been for a devastating blow from Jets linebacker Moe Lewis.

Brady is rightfully viewed as one of the best players of his generation.  He is to New England what Derek Jeter has been to New York since 1996.  Much like Jeter, Brady was in the right place and right time.  Both men flourished on the highest stage with the help of great coaches and unselfish intelligent teammates.

Much of Brady 's early success is linked to his team and coaches.  That fact leads me to question how great would Brady be in an entirely different system.  Brady hasn't won a Super Bowl since the Patriots were caught in the spy gate scandal.  Former New England coach Eric Mangini pulled the plug on the Patriots while coaching for the division rival New York Jets.

Brady probably will never play for a coach other than Belichick.  The two have outlasted an entire generation and are still in pursuit of their fourth championship together.  They are by far the longest tenured coach and player combination in the league.  Both men will enter the pro football Hall-of-Fame someday.  The two might have had a hard time getting in without the help of the other.

Someday this beautiful partnership will come to an end.  When that day comes the sports world will be saying goodbye to an odd couple that came together in the strangest manner.

Kobe for six

Kobe Bryant is out for blood.  The veteran Los Angeles Lakers star played in only six games a year ago.  Anyone that thinks Kobe is over the hill is sadly mistaken.  Kobe is one of the most dedicated basketball players to ever step foot on an NBA court.  Winning a sixth ring gives Kobe the motivation to go hard at 36 years of age.

Many would say Kobe has nothing to prove.  He's the poster boy of the 1996 NBA Draft. His 16 all-star appearances is two more than the great Michael Jordan.  He's  the Lakers franchise leader in points scored.  Despite all his accomplishments, the black mamba still approaches the game with an intense focus not rivaled by many.

Kobe will probably play two more season's barring injury before calling it quits.  Right now he is arguably the greatest player of his generation.  A certain player from San Antonio might have something to say about that.

Two years from now Kobe would love nothing better than to go out on top.  He experienced great success as a young player.  He reached the height of his career as an experienced veteran.  Can Kobe get the Lakers back to the NBA Finals before calling it quits?  That's going to be one tough proposition.  However, one thing that's for certain is the black mamba will go down fighting.

Carmelo underrated??

Media day in the NBA is the time when players have that platform to express what's on their minds.  Some players shy away from the attention.  Others bask in the spotlight.

Carmelo Anthony often displays multiple phases to his personality.  This year at New York Knick's media day we got a dose of outspoken Carmelo.  The Knick's forward boldly called himself the most underrated superstar in the NBA.

Carmelo is certainly one of the elite players in the game.  His offensive arsenal is as refined as any player in the league.  Carmelo is a bully on the low block. His mid-range game is somewhat of a lost art in today's NBA.

The one thing Carmelo is missing from his list of accomplishments is a championship ring. He's a perennial all-star, he owns two gold medals from the summer Olympics and is a former scoring champion.  However, a championship continues to elude Carmelo.  In 11 NBA season's Carmelo has only advanced past the first-round on two occasions.  A player with such little playoff experience cannot be considered underrated.  Carmelo is the only top five selection from the 2003 NBA Draft yet to win an NBA title.  In a league in which championships are held in high regard, Carmelo needs to get over the hump to reach true elite status.

Without a ring Carmelo will go down as a great scorer that never experienced team success.  Carmelo is without a doubt one of the best players in the NBA.  However, based on his accomplishments calling him underrated is going overboard.