Bleacher Report - Articles by Stephen A

Iverson Trade: Why Detroit Got the Better Deal

Stephen A — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:10:10 -0500

Allen Iverson joined the Detroit Pistons on Monday, sending Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess, and Cheikh Samb to the Denver Nuggets.

Denver competes in the grueling Western Conference where it is difficult to contend. The Nuggets were swept out of the first round of the playoffs in 2008 by the L.A. Lakers as Iverson completed his first full season with the team. Getting a point guard and a solid bench player won't help get more production out of Carmelo Anthony or anyone else.

Iverson went to Denver to make the team a possible title contender. His scoring average dropped from where he was with Philadelphia (28.3 to 25.6) which is understandable. He just never mixed well when he was with another star player on the roster. Look at the Sixers when he played with Chris Webber.

Playing in Detroit will make the Pistons a contender in the weaker Eastern Conference. The Boston Celtics are who teams need to beat and the Pistons could possibly pull it out with Iverson.

He will be playing with a cast of talented semi-stars in Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, and Tayshaun Prince. With this cast, Detroit will have a balanced attack with Iverson leading the way.

Compare these Pistons with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Lebron James and Iverson leading their teams with a supporting cast of players. The only difference being the Pistons cast has experience and better talent in my opinion.

It certainly will help with their fast break where Iverson likes to get out and push the ball up the court.

Iverson will need to be able to mesh well with his teammates where he can disperse the ball to the other players and be able to take over a game like he once did with Philadelphia.

I'm not saying they overtake Boston in the East, but the Pistons put themselves toward the top with Orlando, Cleveland, and Philadelphia like last year. Only this year they have a player that can take over a game in the playoffs when they need one.

Greg Norman Makes The British Open the Most Compelling Open Ever

Stephen A — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 08:22:37 -0400

I've been following golf since I was six years old and have played the sport since I was three. I grew up in the Greg Norman era and watched him succumb to bitter defeat time after time in the Masters. I was such a fan of him that I went out and bought his famous black straw hat so that I could show it off on the course.

Without Tiger Woods in this tournament, everyone thought that this open wouldn't matter and that there should be an asterisk on the trophy reminding everyone that he wasn't there.

In a sense Woods is there and leading the tournament after three rounds. Norman was the yesteryear Tiger Woods of golf. He was ranked number one in the world with a record 331 weeks in a row. A record that was broken by Tiger. Norman is probably the best golfer ever to only win two Majors.

Now this week he's back and fighting to gain his first Major since 1993. He always has considered the British Open his favorite Major to play in. He hasn't even won a tournament since the 2001 Skins Game.

Coming into the tournament, I think Greg was probably thinking that this might be the last major tournament he would play in. It's the first he's played in three years. I can remember watching him play a better ball tournament about a year ago where his son was actually hitting better shots than he was.

What does this mean for him now? If he finishes in the top four, he'll earn an exemption to play in the Masters next year. Something I'm not sure Greg thought about ever doing again.

I believe that he does have the chance to win the tournament. Not much about his game has changed over the years. He has shown that his short game has been solid. That's how he will win the tournament. If he continues to show that he feels no pressure and putt solidly he will be in the hunt.

It will certainly be interesting to watch him play with Padraig Harrington from Ireland, who is somewhat the hometown favorite in England. But maybe the crowd will show more appreciation toward the Australian who lost to their beloved Nick Faldo numerous times.

Euro 2008 Final: Is Spain the Stronger Side?

Stephen A — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:35:20 -0400

Spain have been characterized as the favorites heading into the final of Euro 2008 on Sunday against Germany. But have their opponents been strong teams?

In the group stages, Spain breezed through winning all three of their games against Greece (2-1), Sweden (2-1), and Russia (4-1).

Greece certainly did not show they were past champions of this tournament, as they couldn't even manage to gain a point in the competition, and played boring football.

Against Sweden it took an extra-time strike from David Villa to win the match.

The games against Russia would help show that Spain are the favorites after they beat them two times by three-goal margins.

While Russia previously defeated Holland who were the favorites after the group stage, the Dutch didn't play as well as in the group stage in the playoffs. They showed no fight or urgency against Russia, who beat them by two goals in extra time.

The Germans, on the other hand, beat a strong competitor in Portugal, and then went on to beat a surprise Turkish team, who spoiled the hopes of the Czech Republic, Croatia, and Switzerland.

While the Germans have showed some weaknesses in their play, they have managed to pull through every situation that they needed to. Ballack has shown how valuable he is to their team, coming up big when needed. Their experience will be of great help for the Germans—they have a total of 899 total caps against Spain's 601.

Spain have looked very strong with many dominate performances. But, I don't remember people predicting that Russia or any of Spain's opponents could win the trophy. They won the games that they should have won.

Spain will be without the leading goal scorer of the tournament David Villa. The weight will be on Fernando Torres to pull his team to victory, but he has had a tough time making the most of his many chances. Coach Luis Aragones has shown his displeasure with Torres by substituting him early in the second half multiple times.

Both teams were considered favorites at some point in the tournament by the media—Germany before it started, and Spain currently holding it. To me, it appears like it has shaped up to be a pretty even match. Germany hasn't showed perfect form, while Spain hasn't really played a top notch country.

Who Are the Philadelphia 76ers?

Stephen A — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 07:34:02 -0400

The only people who have given the Sixers a chance in the playoffs have been the Philly fans. This wasn't the case at the beginning of the year, but since the midway point we've seen a totally new team.

It is tough right now to support this team properly, because Philly is following the Flyers' playoffs run. The fans think the Flyers could win it all. But if the Sixers keep having rallies selling gas at 76 cents, it might be a different story.

Many people around the country are asking who these guys, are like rookie Thaddeus Young and talented young gun Lou Williams. These are the guys who have chipped in throughout the season.

When Ed Stefanski was hired after GM Billy King was fired, he told coach Mo Cheeks to play the young guys. Mo had to change his thinking, because he always believed the young guys had to learn before they ever got into meaningful games.

The Sixers are last in free-throw percentage and three-point percentage, but they are third in fast-break points.

In the halfcourt, Andre Miller is the Sixers' leader. He can drive to the hoop as well as shoot the fade-away 17-seventeen footer. It seems like his tough shots always go in for him, and he's shooting 50.9 percent in the playoffs.

Miller also has just 2.5 turnovers per game this season. He also leads the league in consecutive games played.

Who is the man that has the crowd chanting his name?...Reggie Evans! He gives the team a tough guy underneath who is a rebounding machine.

He has played the best basketball of the season during the playoffs and is now playing the most important minutes down the stretch.

But why has the crowd been so quiet in Philly? Take a look at the Pistons playing style. It is boring basketball to watch, with a slow tempo and jump shooting with all of their old players.

The Sixers are the complete opposite, running up and down the floor playing athletic basketball with their young team.

The Sixers' defense is their weak spot. They switch whenever they are picked and it always ends to someone getting a wide-open look. They cover the basket inside well, with Samuel Dalembert blocking shots.

Unfortunately, teams who can shoot well burn the 76ers. Rasheed Wallace was a killer in the first two games, shooting 43 and 60 percent. In game three, he shot 16.7 percent.

Even though Detroit has contained Philly's best player in Andre Iguodala, they are losing the series. He has shot just 21.2 percent from the field and has yet to score his season average of 19.9 points per game.

But he is not the key to the Sixers. Stop the other Andre, and you will win the game.

My thoughts: Play Lou Williams a little more and Willie Green a little less.

Purdue is on Its Way to Sweetness

Stephen A — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 09:53:58 -0400

I'm going to take a strong six seed in Purdue to my Sweet 16. They have been a ranked team through much of the season and seem to have a relatively easy path through the first couple of rounds.

Purdue has won almost all of the games that they were favored to win this season. Their losses to teams like Indiana, Clemson, and Michigan State were not bad losses considering the strength of those teams. Their final game was a bad loss to Illinois, however, as they had previously beaten them twice in the regular season.

That one loss should not overshadow the significant wins they had this year including Louisville, Michigan St., and Wisconsin.

Their first round matchup pits the Boilermakers against Baylor who stumbled into the tournament losing six of their last 10 games. Their biggest wins of the season came against Notre Dame and Winthrop both in the early stages of their season.

Some of their key losses came against Texas A&M, Arkansas, and Oklahoma St. The Bears enter the tournament having lost to last place Colorado in the Big 12 tournament.

Baylor is a team that is vulnerable underneath because much of their scoring comes from outside shooting and free throws. Purdue should have the size and strength to easily cruise and win this game.

They should then meet up with the three seed Xavier in the next round. Xavier is coming off an upset loss to St. Joseph's. They cruised through to the Atlantic 10 title only slipping to Temple in addition to St. Joe's. Temple and Xavier are the only other A-10 schools in the NCAA tournament.

Purdue is led by three players all scoring in double figures while Xavier has a more balanced attack. The fact that Purdue has three talented players only means that if one of them has a bad game, then the other two will have to pick up the scoring load.

I don't see all three players having a bad game here and Purdue should be able to win this game in close fashion to advance to the Sweet 16.

What Happened to the Philadelphia Flyers?

Stephen A — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 10:16:22 -0400

Last month the Flyers gained the top spot in the Atlantic Division and were well on their way to becoming a cup contender.

Then out of nowhere, they lose 10 straight games, gaining just two points.

It is hard to say how a team having great success can change so quickly. Many of the losses came on one or two goal deficits, so they were never really that far from winning.

Just when things were beginning to look up they lose another heartbreaker to Florida after the Panthers scored the tying goal with seconds remaining and won the game in OT.

The 10-game streak played a big factor on Peter Forsberg's decision to move to Colorado. Simon Gagne's injury also played a part, but the Flyers still went along and picked up Vaclav Prospal at the trade deadline, sacrificing a talented young defenseman in Alexandre Picard. This move was a must and has benefited the team.

After dropping all the way down to eighth place in the Eastern Conference, the Flyers beat Buffalo in overtime must win game giving them a little distance from ninth place.

Toronto played a home-and-home series against the Flyers where Philly managed one point. The Flyers carried a 3-0 lead into the third period, but ultimately the Leafs won the game in overtime taking the two points.

Saturday was a huge game for Philadelphia as they played in Boston and found themselves with a one goal lead in the final minute. You guessed it...Boston scored with seconds remaining and goes on to win in OT, putting themselves two points ahead.

After a 7-1 beat down from Pittsburgh the Flyers have looked like a last place team and Buffalo is ready to take the eighth spot sitting only one point behind.

Coach John Stevens has been highly criticized of late and I have agreed with that the entire season. The Flyers have thrived from their special teams play all season and their power play has let them down during this latest letdown. They are last in the league of the current playoff teams in five on five goals. They are third to last in shots against per game.

The defense was downgraded when Jaro Modry arrived from the Kings and especially when Stevens decided to sit Lasse Kukkonen. He sacrifices his body on numerous occasions to block shots and rarely gets hurt doing it, unlike Derian Hatcher who missed a game blocking a shot with his foot.

While injuries may have factored into how they've been playing, I feel Stevens has not run the team well.

Why not let ex-Flyer head coach and now assistant Terry Murray a shot again to lead them to a Stanley Cup Final like he did in 1996.

Barcelona-Schalke: Champions League Predictions

Stephen A — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 07:57:06 -0400

Schalke will be making their first appearance in the quarterfinals of the Champions League and will certainly be an enormous underdog facing Barcelona.

Miro Slomka, the coach of Schalke, has emphasized how much he loves getting matched up with Barcelona. His reason is not that they are a club they should beat or that they match up well with them.

He feels privileged that his club are going to play a club that is highly respected worldwide and are considered one of the premier clubs in the world. With a lineup that includes arguably the best player in the world in Ronaldinho no one can argue that. Not to mention other famous players in Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi.

Slomka is basically saying it's going to be a David versus Goliath battle.

Some may consider Schalke one of the weakest teams left in the competition and I would agree with that as Schalke barely passed through the last round by beating Porto on penalty kicks.

But any team that makes it to the quarterfinals is a pretty good team. Remember that football is a very unpredictable sport at times and even Schalke could beat a team like Barcelona.

Slomka has lately come under heat from the front office by their lack of play in the Bundesliga. By leading his team through to the quarterfinals, that heat has decreased for the time being but may pick up again if they lose in the quarterfinals.

Barcelona have been unpredictable in their domestic league losing 2 of their last 3 games while drawing the other to Almeria.

Schalke on the other hand continue to beat teams at the bottom of the table but cannot quite beat the top teams leaving them 5th in the table currently.

The loss of Lionel Messi for six weeks has been a huge blow to Barcelona who will be without him when they meet up with Schalke.

I think Schalke will put up a fight at home in Gelsenkirchen but will ultimately lose at Nou Camp.

First leg at Schalke: 2-2 draw

Second leg at Barcelona: 3-1 in favor of Barcelona

Goliath triumphs in this story.

MLB: Top Five Stadiums

Stephen A — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 07:56:58 -0400

There is always going to be much debate over which stadium is the best in the Bigs.

The basis of my rankings comes from history, innovations, and its overall atmosphere. I don't think someone should be judging a park based on the concessions and fun things to do while your there.

You're there to watch a baseball game and root for your team, so that is where my ranks are coming from.

1) Fenway Park, Boston Red Sox

The oldest park in the majors and definitely the most unique. It's rustic look shows the times of early baseball.

Who doesn't know the Green Monster in left field?

While "the curse" remained in the minds of Bostonians for several years, many memorable World Series and playoff games were held here, adding to its great history.

The tickets to games here are probably the hardest to get in all the Bigs as games are always sold out.

2) Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore Orioles

Just like Fenway is oldest remaining of its kind, Camden Yards is the oldest of the "new generation" ballparks.

Built in 1994 the field uses its surroundings well. The warehouse in right field adds to the charm, as does the beautiful skyline view.

Now the biggest moment in Camden Yards history may be Cal Ripken breaking the most consecutive games played, or Ken Griffey Jr. hitting the warehouse in the Home Run Derby.

However, the atmosphere and surroundings still rival those moments as defining memories of the stadium.

3) Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs

Built just a couple years following Fenway Park makes it the second oldest in baseball.

Standing in the middle of a neighborhood with ivy lining the brick walls around the field make it one of a kind.

The lack of advertisements and handheld scoreboard really gives a fan that old-time feeling here.

The history here lacks because the team hasn't played a World Series since 1945.

For myself, the only memorable event I can remember is the Steve Bartmann incident with Moises Alou. Cubs fans may disagree here.

Hopefully the name will never change otherwise this one may drop if it does.

4) PNC Park, Pittsburgh Pirates

This is one of the new gems around the league that seemed to get everything right when building it.

Probably the most spectacular view of a skyline in the majors, as well as placement along the river.

The yellow Roberto Clemente Bridge is closed on game days to allow for fans to walk in from downtown is a great fan experience. The only problem here is that the team doesn't generate enough fans.

History lacks, but atmosphere and innovations give this park a high grade.

5) AT&T Park, San Francisco Giants

Location on McCovey Cove really gives this park a boost.

Bonds' homers quickly gave the park a history, whether good or bad.

While many parks could fit in this spot, I feel like this one is a must just because of its' uniqueness. There is no doubt that it has the most scenic view if you like nature.

With many new parks scheduled to come in the next few years, I think that it is hard for any new park to bypass these five. It would need to do something totally different than all these new stadiums that are using each other’s ideas.

Perhaps the new Tampa Stadium is on its way, but I personally don't like the idea.

NBA Playoffs: The Dangerous Philadelphia 76ers?

Stephen A — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 16:24:47 -0400

It looks as if Allen Iverson and the Denver Nuggets will be watching the 76ers in the playoffs from the comfort of their sofas.

While many of the postseason spots in the Western Conference are still up for grabs, the East is mostly settled. Many observers believe Boston is a virtual lock to get to the Eastern Conference Finals—and I won't disagree with that.

But what team would want to face the red-hot 76ers, who've beaten the likes of Phoenix, Detroit, Orlando, and San Antonio in recent games?

As it stands, the Sixers are slated to play the Pistons in the first round. Many experts would probably predict a Detroit sweep—having never seen the Sixers play, because they haven't had a single game on national television this season.

Truth be told, the Sixers haven't even gotten much attention from their own fans this year. But the club's success has started to turn heads.

They mix of young talent and a blue-collar worker in Reggie Evans has proven to be an entertaining one, with the team thriving off fast breaks. Andre Miller has been a leader throughout the season, and a catalyst of the recent surge.

Miller's 30+ point performance against the Spurs propelled the Sixers to a win, and he now has the longest active consecutive-games streak in the NBA after Bruce Bowen was suspended.

Not bad for a guy who bruised his back two games ago at Boston.

Looking ahead, I don't see the Sixers staying put in the standings. The Wizards seem to be a catchable team, especially after almost losing to the Clippers on Saturday night. We'll have have to wait and see what happens when Gilbert Arenas comes back.

The Raptors have also been sliding, losing seven of their last 10.

All told, the Sixers have proved that they can consistently beat some of the top teams in the league (except Boston), and could make a run to the Conference Finals.

Did I want the Sixers to make the playoffs at the beginning of the year? No—I was hoping for a high draft pick.

But the dearth of good teams in the East makes a deep postseason run a real possibility. The draft is off our minds now. Let the Heat worry about ping-pong balls.

Note: The second to last game the Rockets lost was to Philly.

Advice to Mo Cheeks: Sit Willie Green for the rest of the season.