Last Call NHL Playoff Predictions: Final Standings

Last Call NBA Playoff Predictions: Final Standings

The World What?

BY TOM NIERADKA

EDITORIAL - PHOTOS BY AP NEWS

So the World Cup…What’s the Deal with that?

With the World Cup about a week underway, now is as good a time as any to take a glance at the sport that everybody but America likes. 

This is really the one time where even Americans are interested in soccer, mostly because this is like the Olympics but only with one sport. It’s that chance for Americans to prove that “Hey, even though we don’t care about this sport we’re still better than you at it”. 

But so far the World Cup has been a bit lackluster, even by normal soccer standards. However as an impartial analyst I’m always trying to dig deeper into these problems, so let’s go ahead and take a look at the good and the bad of the World Cup thus far.  

 Good: A United Front 

The World Cup really is a chance for the whole world to come together and compete. 

Hot off the heels of the successful Winter Olympics, the World Cup is yet another event where the world unites in a battle to determine who is the best at kicking a ball around a huge field for 90 minutes. It’s is a time for people to learn about other countries, and especially a time for Americans to look at a sport that they are not normally interested in and learn about the global pastime. 

All Together Now

BY IAN TASSO

EDITORIAL - PHOTOS BY AP NEWS

"We not me. Trust each other - make the extra pass. Mbutu."

These are the phrases you hear echo throughout the Garden during any given Celtics game on any given night.

But they’re more than just words – they’re the foundation this team has been built on.

Because while we might sit here, watching the Finals and say “I can’t believe the Celtics made it here…” the thought is only our own.


Because those same Celtics are standing on the NBA Finals logo on the Parquet floor, the national anthem echoing off the countless rafters and even more numerous championship banners saying, “I knew we’d make it here.”


But they’re far from done.

The goal wasn’t just to make it here.

One night it’s Ray Allen breaking a record. The next it’s Kevin Garnett dominating the paint like its 2008. Then it’s Big Baby and Nate. Then the captain.

You tell me - who’s next?

Therein lies the beauty of the Celtics. You just don’t know.

You can’t know. There are thirteen guys on the roster, and every one of them – and yes, that includes Scal, especially in light of Perkins' injury - could dictate the outcome of the game at any moment.

Maybe it’s Tony Allen with a mind-numbing block from behind on Pau Gasol. Maybe it’s Rajon Rondo with the lightning-quick lay-in under a leaping Lamar Odom. Maybe it’s little Nate getting big. Or maybe it’s big Glen Davis getting even bigger.

You just don’t know. But I can tell you one thing – the Celtics just don’t care.

Whether it’s number 9, number 4, number 34, 20, 5 or 30 – yes, even 30 – any given Celtic can make a difference at any given time. And they’re fine with that. Garnett, Pierce and Allen are more than fine with that, believe me.

First to Two

BY IAN TASSO

EDITORIAL - PHOTOS BY AP NEWS

And here we are.

What was once a best-of-seven series has now been whittled down to a best-of-three. What was once a marathon collision between two of the NBA’s most historic titans has now been choked into a sprint.

And what was once a race to four wins is now a race to two.

Two wins. In three games. Sounds so simple. So easy.

But yet, in reality, it will be anything but.

And that’s because much to the chagrin of Celtics fans everywhere, this is not simply a rematch of the 2008 NBA Finals.

And while it’s not for a lack of semblance on the Celtics part (the entire starting five from 2008 remains), it has been the drastic changes on the Lakers’ side of the court that have made all the difference.

Gone are the days where Kevin Garnett would push Pau Gasol around like a bully on the playground, dominating the paint on either end of the court.

Instead, a plethora of injuries, a little old age and an immeasurable improvement in Gasol’s low-post game have created a mismatch that has begun to sway in favor of Los Angeles – as much as it pains me to admit it.

Gone are the days where Paul Pierce would cross-over Vladamir Radmonivic at will, tickling the twine with his patented elbow fade-away time and time again.

Now, Pierce's jab-steps and up-fakes are mirrored and shadowed almost to a science by the NBA’s most fierce defender in Ron Artest.

And gone are the days where Ray Allen would run circles around Sasha Vujacic, blowing by him to drain the go-ahead basket in a historic 24-point comeback.

This time, those deft drives to the hoop are greeted by the outstretched arms of seven-foot Andrew Bynum, who’s pterodactyl-like wingspan has made the simple task of laying a basketball into a hoop more like shoving a beach-ball through a key-hole.

Last Call On Air - Reese Waters

June 3, 2010
Tasso, Liebman, Tam
Special Guest: Versus; The Daily Line; Comedian
Reese Waters

Last Call NBA Playoff Predictions: Championship

Give Me the Green Light

by Gabe Souza
Editorial. Photos by AP News

Before the start of Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals, Stan Van Gundy tried to prep his Orlando Magic by injecting some confidence into his young team.

“We have to win the hustle game,” Van Gundy said in front of ESPN’s locker room camera. “We have to play harder then they do.”

Quite simply Stan, there was no way in hell that was going to happen – and you knew it.

And the Magic players knew it too. The fans huddled in Amway Arena in Orlando watching the game knew it, as did the near 20,000 strong dressed in green at the Garden.

The Celtics players knew it, but above all, Doc Rivers knew it – and believed in it.

“This starting five has never lost a [playoff] series before,” Rivers said on the parquet floor amidst tears, confetti and jubilation after Boston’s 96-84 victory Friday night.

There was no denying this one. There was no way the young superstars from the Sunshine State were going to take away this victory from Boston’s defenders of the hardwood.

Like so many Celtics before them, when it mattered most, these Celtics showed up to play. They knew what they needed to do and that was play like a team.

Tale of Two Gators

by Phil Shore
Editorial. Photos by AP News 

Two players will forever be tied together in their NFL careers as two teammates in college playing the same position were selected back-to-back in April’s NFL Draft.

Their link may not be as popular as Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf (though not teammates in college they were two heralded quarterbacks that went first and second in the draft and are constantly compared) but Jermaine Cunningham and Carlos Dunlap will now forever be linked together in terms of their football experiences.

Cunningham, a senior, and Dunlap, a junior, were both members of the Florida Gators defensive line from 2007-2009. Both are naturally gifted athletes and were big pieces on a National Championship team. Both also have checkered pasts that have come into question.

While they will answer many questions throughout their rookie year, the New England Patriots will have one big question to answer: which of these two was actually the better pick?

The Patriots took Cunningham with the 21st pick in the second round (53rd overall), while the Cincinnati Bengals made Dunlap the very next selection.

New England’s biggest need was pass rushing, from both the outside linebacker and defensive end positions. Many outsiders wonder if Cunningham will make the impact they hoped for from a second round pick.

According to Cunningham and Dunlap’s Gator bios they each totaled 19.5 sacks in college, with Cunningham needing one more year than Dunlap to reach that number.