Bleacher Report - Articles by Kris Carlson

Chris Paul and Tony Parker: Point Guards Play Big Roles In NBA Playoffs

Kris Carlson — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:24:45 -0400

They are not always the biggest guys on the team. They sometimes are not even the smallest, but NBA point guards play big roles for teams in the NBA playoffs. When the game comes down to the wire, they are the ones who will feed you the ball or take the shot for themselves. No matter what you do Point Guards are important. Think about it, your team is down one point with 20 seconds left to play in the game. It is the point guard’s job to get the ball to their playmaker. Or to dribble out the clock and take the shot himself, a team can not function without a point guard that is there to keep the whole team together. Teams sometimes have multiple point guards so each guard gets the opportunity to work on their chemistry with the whole team. This is even true for teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns who each have outstanding weapons on offense. Without Point Guards there would be nobody that was made to feed the ball to you in the post, or to draw the double team and free up someone in the corner for the open three. No matter where you play basketball a point guard is always one of the anchors of the team.

East vs. West: Which is the Dominating Conference in the NBA?

Kris Carlson — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 05:13:36 -0400

Everybody is saying that the Eastern Conference is better. According to records they are. The Eastern Conference is full of Playoff Contenders. Ranging from the Boston Celtics to the Chicago Bulls. There have only been two teams who have clinched berths. They are both from the East, the Detroit Pistons and the Boston Celtics. In the West no one has clinched a spot because of the tight race.

Win Streaks could play a very important part in the playoff seedings. This is important because the longest win streak in the East is 10 wins by the Celts. The longest win streak in the West is 20 wins by the Houston Rockets. The Celtics are the team to beat in the East, but the Lakers as of right now are the team to beat. That could change on this Sunday because the Houston Rockets are playing the LA Lakers. If the Rockets were to win they would be unstoppable in the Western Conference. In the East there are many good teams, but no team is eliminated from playoff contention. In the West Seattle, Memphis and Minnesota have been eliminated.

According to records the Western Conference is the best conference. The top eight seeds all have 40 plus wins so far. In the Eastern Conference the top eight seeds have records ranging from 51 to 27. The eighth seed in the Eastern Conference as of right now is the New Jersey Nets. The eighth seed as of right now in the Western Conference is Golden State Warriors. So what will play a role in the seeding of the playoffs, Win Streaks or Placement in the Standings of Conference play.

In my opinion both of these Conferences are good. The Eastern Conference has my favorite team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. But the Western Conference also has one of my favorite teams with the New Orleans/ Oklahoma City Hornets. I don't know who to choose be the dominating conference. I will leave that decision up to you.

NFL Draft: Who Will Be The Number One Pick?

Kris Carlson — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 05:02:19 -0400

People are arguing that Darren McFadden will be the number one pick.

Some experts say that it will be Chris Long, the son of Hall Of Fame linebacker Howie Long.

In my opinion Darren Mcfadden or Chris Long will be the number one pick.

I think both of them are very strong athletes and whoever is the number one pick, both of them will play hard wherever they go.

The Miami Dolphins have the first overall pick so maybe they will realize that they need an offensive play maker.

So, maybe they will draft Darren McFadden or surprise everybody and take Matt Ryan, the Boston College QB. Maybe they will even take someone to make their defense better, like Chris Long.

But whoever is the number one pick, he will do his best wherever he goes. We can be sure of that.

Darren McFadden, Chris Long: Who Will Be the No. 1 Pick?

Kris Carlson — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 05:01:42 -0400

People are arguing that Darren McFadden will be the No. 1 pick. But some experts say that it will be Chris Long, the son of Hall Of Fame defensive lineman Howie Long.

In my opinion, it will definitely come down to the two. Both are very strong athletes.

The Miami Dolphins have the first overall pick, so maybe they will realize they need an offensive playmaker. Maybe they will draft McFadden, or suprise everybody and take Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan.

Instead, they may choose Long and take steps to improve their defense.

But no matter who is the No. 1 pick, both will play hard wherever they go. I'm sure of that.

Favre Retires After 17 Seasons

Kris Carlson — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 04:23:06 -0500

It all started on September 20th, 1992.

Brett Favre comes into the game with 1:07 remaining. The Cincinnati Bengals are leading the Packers.

The Packers have the ball on their own eight-yard line. Favre comes out with a mission; he throws the ball to Harry Sidney who finds some running room and gains three yards and then runs out of bounds.

It is now second down and seven, Favre drops back to pass and he completes the pass to Sterling Sharpe for a 43-yard gain down to the 46-yard line of the Bengals.

The next play, Workman runs right across the middle and Favre completes it for an 11 yard gain. The clock is still running and the Packers don't have a timeout, so Favre spikes the ball to stop the clock.

With nineteen seconds left in the game Favre drops back to pass and he pumps once and completes the pass for a touchdown! Taylor catches the game-winning touchdown pass. The Packers win 24 to 17. Ever since that game, Favre has never missed a game.

He may be retired, but Brett "Ironman" Favre will never be forgotten.

This past season was Favre's best season on record. He broke many records, some memorable, some not-so-memorable. His most memorable records are:

1) Most Consecutive starts by an NFL player with 253 (275 including the Postseason)

2) Most Touchdown passes with 442.

3) Most Passing Yards with 61,655.

4) Most Wins by a Starter with 160.

5) Most Completions with 5,377.

6) Most Attempts with 8,758.

7) Most Interceptions with 288.

He will be remembered not only for his records, but for his actions off of the field. He will be rememberd as one of the best quarterbacks ever to play in the NFL.

The NFC Rules!

Kris Carlson — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 04:26:53 -0500

The NFC Conference rules.

They rule because over the course of the Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl they have both won. During the Super Bowl, the New York Giants pulled off the second-greatest upset in Super Bowl history.

This upset is second only to the upset of the Baltimore Colts by the New York Jets. This Super Bowl was the best one that I have ever seen. To me, the whole game was decided in the fourth quarter.

Originally, I was going to watch the Super Bowl only for the commercials. But at the end of the first half it was pretty interesting. So I decided to just watch the game, I sure am glad I didn’t miss it.

The Giants did just what they needed to do. They forced Tom Brady to throw out of his comfort zone. On offense, the Giants made the Patriots cover everybody.

But, here’s the thing: The Patriots covered everybody, but the Giants wanted this victory more than anybody. So they finished off their season with four straight road wins. Congratulations to the New York Giants for an impressive season.

Once! Twice! Three Times for the NY Giants?

Kris Carlson — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:19:25 -0500

This Sunday there will be a key NFC match-up: the Dallas Cowboys versus the New York Giants. This event is significant as it will decide where the Green Bay Packers play, if they beat the Seattle Seahawks.

If the Dallas Cowboys win, then the Packers travel to Dallas yet again. But if New York wins then the Giants travel to Lambeau field and put there awesome road record on the line. Here are some keys to beating the Dallas Cowboys:

Pressure Tony Romo. Keep him out of sync with his receivers.
Be physical. Don't be dainty. Play like the Philadelphia Eagles did.
Press those receivers and make sure they don't gain depth or else you will be burned.

Here are some keys to beating the New York Giants:

Pressure Eli Manning. Force him out of the pocket.
Stop the RUN! The Giants have a pretty good running game going. If you can stop it then you challenge Eli to pass the ball.

This is one for the books because the Dallas Cowboys have never beaten a team three times in a season. So maybe this will be the New York Giants' chance to pull of an upset. Even though the Packers have to play the Seahawks, the game of the week for the NFC will be the Dallas Cowboys versus the New York Giants.

My prediction is that the Giants win, 24-21.