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If everything goes as planned we will start broadcasting Clippers games Monday Jan. 30th at 7:30pm as the Clippers host the league leading Oklahoma City Thunder.  We are looking forward to bringing you exciting Los Angeles Clippers basketball on KRAK Sports, 910 ESPN High Desert Sports Radio.

The Lakers have played 18 games in 29 days, tied with Chicago for the most games played so far.  How would you rate the Lakers performance?

If the playoffs were to start today the Lakers would not be participating. They are not one of the top 8 seeds in the Western Conference at this point in the season. True, the Lakers have played more games than most of the teams in the West. Dallas and San Antonio have also played 18 games but both would make the playoffs if they started today. The Lakers are currently 10 – 8 and are 1 game out of the 8th and final seed. Their record at home isn’t bad (9 – 2) but their record on the road is one of the worst in the NBA (1 – 6).  The Clippers record at home isn’t much better (1 – 3) but the Clippers are in first in the division and are 3 games ahead of the Lakers.  The Lakers performance through 18 games has not been good to say the least.

If I had to rate the Lakers performance so far I would have to give them an F and that doesn’t stand for ‘fine,” F = Fail!  As far as I’m concerned the first 18 games have been a disaster! 10 – 8.  Are you kidding?! That’s 2 games above .500. New coach Mike Brown is supposed to be a defensive minded coach. Well that certainly has been evident because the Lakers offense stinks! Right now the offense consists of Kobe shooting the ball 50 times a game and Kobe has to score 40 points in order for the Lakers to win. There has been absolutely NO offensive flow in their games and their defense hasn’t been good either! Do we chalk it up to a short pre-season and the fact that the Lakers haven’t had enough time to learn the new system?  Pau Gasol has said he would like to get more touches inside but Brown’s offense has moved Pau to a more perimeter position in the offense. Such poor offensive play makes a person long for the good old days of the triangle offense. Watching the Lakers so far this season has not been fun, it’s been pretty torturous.  Another thing I have noticed lately is that I see disinterest in the players eyes when Brown is talking to them.  At first the players gave Brown their attention, now the starters just don’t seem to believe in what he’s saying.

What do the Lakers need to do to right the ship? They need to make a move to get a big name player namely Dwight Howard. When the season began I was not thrilled about trading Andrew Bynum and possibly Gasol in order to get Howard. Now I say pull the trigger, trade Bynum and anyone else besides Kobe and Gasol to get Howard because the Lakers need another big scorer.  I like Andrew a lot but the Lakers just need to shake things up and add some renewed vigor to the line-up. Bynum can be stopped, Howard cannot.

Why do the Lakers need to do something right now? The Lakers have 8 of their next 10 games on the road, yes I said “on the road” where they are one of the worst road teams in the NBA. Plus, one of those home games is against the Clippers who have demonstrated that they can beat the Lakers.   Minnesota and Toronto could be the only wins on that road trip. If the Lakers go anything but 4 – 4 on this upcoming road trip they will be a .500 team and when was the last time the Lakers were a .500 team? The Lakers need to do something NOW!

910 ESPN, High Desert Sports Radio, is your official home for Lakers basketball. Listen to the Lakers take on the Clippers Wed 1/25 @ 7:30pm on 910-AM ESPN.

The NFC and AFC championship games were all you could want from the NFL playoffs.

This is the first time I can ever remember that both championship games were so close and each game was decided by one player. The 49ers – Giants game would probably still be going on if it had not been for the fumbled punt return by the 49ers Kyle Williams.  Earlier Williams was responsible for a muffed punt that allowed the Giants to score the go ahead touchdown.  The 49ers rallied back to kick the tying field goal so Williams was reprieved at that point.  The game went into overtime and neither offense was able to move the ball against two defenses worthy of being were they are.  It was an exciting game and I believe only the 4th NFC Championship game to ever go into overtime.  After a game like this everyone wonders “what if,…” What if Williams had not fumbled the punt return in overtime would the 49ers still have lost? What if the non-fumble by the Giants Bradshaw was really was a fumble? Was Bradshaw down by forward progress being stopped. I think the call on the field was the right one but it was a quick whistle. Both teams played almost flawless football and it was truly a hard-fought game. However one thing is for certain, the Williams fumble lead to the Giants kicking the game winning field goal and it was the single play that decided the game. So while the 49ers had a turn-around season under new coach Jim Harbaugh and they were winners as far as their fan base goes, Kyle Williams, who was placed in that position because of an injury to their main punt returner, will have to live with his mistake for the entire off-season and Williams’ off-season will be a long one indeed.

The Patriots – Ravens championship game was equally as entertaining and even more of a shocker when the Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff missed a 32 yard field goal that would have sent the game into overtime. Again there’s the “what ifs,…” One play prior to the missed field goal Ravens receiver Lee Evans seemed to catch a touchdown pass only to have the Pat’s defender knock it out of his hands in the end zone. It would have been the game winning touchdown but it was not to be. The missed opportunity lead to the missed chip shot by a place kicker that will be lucky to be on the Ravens team come next season.  It was a true “OH NO” moment and one that will be relived every year come playoff time forever.  Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff will not be able to find a hole deep enough to hide in and I hope he doesn’t have a permanent home in Baltimore because he’ll probably have to move. As bad as the Williams fumble in the 49ers game was the missed field goal in the Ravens game was bigger mainly because these guys are pros and you expect a kicker to make that kick no matter what kind of pressure he’s under, after all that’s what he gets paid for … for Cundiff  maybe, not anymore.

Even if your team didn’t make it into the playoffs you have to admit that these playoff games were all anyone could ask for. Even non-football fans had to love such competitive, down-to-the-wire games.  America seems to love reality TV and these two games were the best reality shows ever.  Now we move on to the Superbowl, a rematch of the Giants – Pats of a few years ago. All we can hope for is that the Superbowl is as exciting as the conference championships.

Ok, after a 2 week vacation skiing in the mountains of Utah I am back to work and ready to talk about the NFL Conference Finals this weekend.

The first game will be the New England Patriots against the Baltimore Ravens. (12 Noon our time on CBS)

The Patriots were only one game better than the Ravens in the regular season and this could be a good game IF the Ravens can pressure Tom Brady.  If they don’t put pressure on Brady he will pick them apart, the Pat’s will score a million points and the crows will not be able to keep pace with them. Besides the Steelers these 2 teams are the best the AFC has to offer. Do I think the Steelers would have a better chance at beating the Patriots? Not really.  Pittsburgh might have a better offense and be able to score more than the black birds but Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was suffering from a bad ankle so I actually think the Ravens have a slightly better chance of beating the Patriots.  Do I thing they will win. NOPE.  Like the New York Giants New England is playing their best football of the season right now and coach Bill Belichick always has a unique wrinkle to attack his opponent. I think the magpies only have a slight chance of winning but I think when it comes down to it the Patriots will beat the Ravens and advance to another Superbowl.

Game 2 is the San Francisco 49ers against the New York Giants (3:30pm our time on Fox)

I think this will be the best game of the two.  The forecast calls for rain during the game and that will help the 49ers because they have a better running game. However the Giants found their running game at the end of the season only to see it disappear against the Packers.

First before I go any further I have to say that it was a big mistake for the Packers to sit Aaron Rogers in the last regular season game because that meant that Rogers would have 2 weeks off before facing the Giants in the playoffs.  I knew that was a mistake because it has happened before.  2 weeks without playing right before the playoffs start is always a mistake.  Getting your players rest is nice but with a quarterback you lose some of that timing with the receivers and that was evident in the Packers-Giants game. I am a Packers fan so the loss really hurts and is very disappointing. The Saints also found out that just because you’re the better team it doesn’t always mean you’re going to win.

Back to the 49ers – Giants match up.  Both teams are playing above their head right now and it may come down to “who is the first to falter.”  The Giants have a slightly better offense.  The 49ers have a slightly better defense.  If the Miners can pick Eli Manning a couple of times and score off of those turnovers the Miners will beat the Jolly Green’s in a close game. I think it is really too close to call but I am rooting for the 49ers because they are our West Coast representative in the playoffs.  Can 49ers quarterback Alex Smith have another amazing game?  He will need it if they are to beat the Giants.  Can New York’s defense keep San Francisco out of the end zone? We know the Giants can score and I think Eli Manning is having his best season.  The key match up to watch will be the 49ers defense against the Giants offense.  The 49ers defense flies around wildly and will try to disrupt Eli. The Giants offense has made the most big plays in the NFL so I expect it to be a real knock down drag out battle. 

I’m hoping for a 49ers – Patriots Superbowl.  I think it would live up to the excitement and drama we’ve had in the last few Superbowls. A Giants Patriots Superbowl would also be a good one but I’m rooting for our West Coast team.

As week 16 comes to a close and the playoffs approach a team has emerged as the team to beat and it isn’t the Green Bay Packers.

After watching the Saints dismantle a good Falcons team on Monday Night Football I have to say that Drew Brees and the Saints are the team to beat as we approach the playoffs. The difference between the Saints and the Packers is that the Saints can run the ball and the Packers running game has been lacking. Both teams like to air it out but if the Saints and the Packers meet in the playoffs I think the Saints will win and I’m a Packers fan.   Another reason I think the Saints would win is that Green Bay’s defense has been suspect as of late and the Saints defense is playing well.  However if the Packers defense can rise to the occasion and play like they did last year in the playoffs they do have a chance to beat the Saints. None the less if these two teams meet you can bet it will be a shoot out similar to the first game of the year when the Packers held off the Saints late rally.

Now for some of the winners for week 16 in the NFL. Green Bay, New Orleans and Detroit posted impressive wins as they continue to build toward the playoffs. Oakland had to take it into overtime to beat division rivals the Kansas City Chiefs to keep their playoff hopes alive and the New York Giants beat the Jets to set up a showdown with the Dallas Cowboys to see who will make it to the playoffs. Yes the playoffs are shaping up but my biggest winner of the week goes to the worst team in the NFL because they beat a team going to the playoffs. The Indianapolis Colts mounted a last-minute drive to beat the playoff bound Houston Texans 19 – 16. The Colts actually played an inspired game during the special Thursday night game scoring the winning touchdown with 20 seconds left. The Colts could have phoned in the game and no one would have said a thing, but instead they showed some pride and posted their second win in a row.  After winning their first game of the season last week I gave the Colts the Biggest Winner Award. This week they deserve to receive back to back Biggest Winner Awards.

Moving on to the losers of the week you have to consider the Jets for their loss to the Giants. When will Jet’s coach Rex Ryan learn to stop running his mouth. The only thing that does is inspire the other team and with the loss to the Giants the Jets need help and are in danger of not making the playoffs. Good job Rex, you really showed them. The Denver Broncos had to win one of their last 3 games to make it into the playoffs. They are still waiting for that win but at least their destiny is in their own hands. If they beat the Chiefs this weekend they win the AFC West no matter what else happens.  It is ironic that the Chiefs quarterback will be Kyle Orton who was released by the Broncos earlier this season so it is by no means an easy win for the Broncos because I’m sure Orton would like nothing better than to knock Denver out of the playoffs. My runner-up for biggest loser of the week goes to a team that won the game but lost their best player. The Minnesota Vikings beat the Washington Redskins 33 – 26 but in the process lost star running back Adrian Peterson to what could be a career ending injury. Peterson torn his ACL, MCL and meniscus, an injury that will take 8 – 9 months to rehab which means he will have a long road back. However my biggest loser award goes to a team that was on the winners list last week but made a 180 degree turn for the worse. Oh what a difference a week makes. The San Diego Chargers flamed out in Detroit against the Lions in a 38 – 10 route that wasn’t even that close. The Chargers looked like they had righted the ship after beating the Baltimore Ravens a week ago and even though it was slight, they still had a chance of making the playoffs. This week, however, they reverted back to their mid-season form and found themselves down 24 to nothing before the Gatorade was cold.  Detroit will make a playoff appearance and the Chargers will have to wait until next year.  The Chargers have one game left against the Raiders Sunday but their poor performance earns them the Biggest Loser Award for week 16.

Next week I will be on vacation skiing in the mountains of Southern Utah but I will try to find an internet connection for week 17 “Winners and Losers.”

The Chargers had one of their best games ever last week against the Baltimore Ravens, this week the Chargers go down in flames in a pathetic performance against the Lions that most likely will leed to some changes in the off-season.

The Lions had to win in order to make the playoffs, the Chargers had to win just to have a chance to make the playoffs. Apparently the Detroit Lions came ready to play and the Chargers didn’t as the Lions knocked the Chargers out of playoff contension with a 38 – 10 beating.  The Chargers had won 3 straight and it looked like they had their act together, but it was all a mirage as the Chargers reverted back to their old selves and played like a team that didn’t deserve to be in the playoffs. So, for the second year in a row, a team that appears to have all the talent in the world has fallen short of making the playoffs. Yes, I know the Chargers had major injuries on both sides of the ball but how long can you keep using that as an excuse? If the Chargers had lost to the Lions in a closely fought game that would have been one thing, but they were embarrassed and it was never close, it was all Detroit from the beginning. As great an offensive mind as Norv Turner is it is time for him to go. There is no excuse for such a talented team not to make the playoffs two years in a row in a weak AFC West.  San Diego just can’t put together a complete season to save their lives and it killed them, again.  They do this every year, they self destruct after stringing a few good games together. You tell me, when you look at Norv Turner does he look like he would motivate you or put you to sleep? He is not a fiery kind of coach and it may have worked for him in the past but these Chargers players need a coach that will kick them in the rear and fire them up.  So as much as I like Norv, he has to go.

Well, there is one game remaining in the Chargers season. They will try to end the season on a good note as they travel to Oakland to face the Raiders who are still fighting for a playoff spot. If Denver loses and the Raiders win, Oakland will win the AFC West. If Denver beats the Chiefs, Denver will win the AFC West even if the Raiders win.

Listen to the Chargers and the Raiders Sunday Jan 1 @ 1:15pm on your Official Home For Chargers Football, 910 ESPN High Desert Sports Radio.

It was alternate universe weekend in the NFL. The Packers finally lost, the Colts finally won and the playoff picture is murkier than ever.

Yes it was a weird weekend in the NFL.  Green Bay won’t become the best team ever and Indianapolis won’t become the worst team which leads me into the winners category for week 15.  It is a short list for both the winners and losers this week.  The San Diego Chargers are my runner-up for biggest winner because of their 34 – 14 thrashing of the Baltimore Ravens during Sunday Night Football. It was one of the most impressive games against a good team that I have ever seen. If a person didn’t know any better they would think that the Chargers are the playoff team and the Ravens are the team struggling to make the playoffs. During any other week the Chargers would be the top team on the winners list but this week the Colts managed to corral their first win at the expense of the Titans. Everyone thought the Colts would not win a game this year so the fact that they found a willing, or maybe not so willing opponent to get at least one win and keep their name out of the record books as one of the worst teams ever, is cause for celebration and gives the Colts the title of Biggest Winner for week 15.

The losers list is a short one, I take that back, it’s a short one if you live in New York. In fact the Jets and the Giants were both so terrible in big games they needed to win I’m going to do something I have never done before.  Give them both Biggest Loser Awards. There are a lot of things New York can be proud of however the Jets and the Giants aren’t one of them. Both teams have fallen on hard times and have faltered in the second half of the season. What’s worst for New York fans is that next weekend there is no hope that both of their teams will win. No hope at all, one New York team will lose, guaranteed. It’s funny how the football gods work because next weekend the Jets play the Giants for bragging rights if not a chance to make the playoffs. It could be an interesting exercise in futility but none the less the Jets and the Giants are my Biggest Losers for week 15.

The Chargers put together their most impressive win of the year with a 34 – 14 route of the Baltimore Ravens.

Were the Chargers that good or were the Ravens that bad?  Maybe a little of both. You don’t put up 31 points on the Ravens defense even when they have a bad day so you have to say that the Chargers were that good.  Combined the outstanding play on the defensive side of the ball and you end up with a 34 – 14 route and the most complete game of the year for the Chargers.  Baltimore has had some real stinkers on the road this year and they are still fighting for home field advantage for the playoffs so the loss really hurt them because if the Steelers  beat the 49ers on Monday Night Football then the Steelers will be the division leader and the Ravens will have to go on the road for the playoffs. The Chargers, on the other hand, had to win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive and they did with an impressive performance against a really good team.   You have to give the game ball to the Chargers offensive line.  They did an amazing job protecting Philip Rivers against the Baltimore blitz and pass rush. Norv Turner drew up the perfect game plan and the team executed it flawlessly. That game may be the best game I have ever seen the Chargers play and it would be very interesting should they make it into the playoffs. You have to think that no other team in the NFL wants the Chargers to make the playoffs because they could inflict some damage.

Denver and Oakland both lost so the Chargers are tied with the Raiders and 1 game behind the Broncos. However for the Chargers to make the playoffs they have to win out and the Broncos will have to lose to the Chiefs in the last regular season game. If Denver loses to the Buffalo Bills this week they can still win the division with a win against Kansas City. Denver holds the tiebreaker against the Chargers. If both teams have the same win-loss record and the same record within the division, then it would go down to record against common opponents and that’s where the Chargers would win. This is all contingent on the Raiders not being in it and I don’t think they will.  It will come down to that last game of the regular season.  The Chiefs have to beat the Broncos if the Chargers are to make the playoffs unless, of course,  Denver loses both of thier games and the Chargers win, then they won’t have to worry about a tiebreaker.

Listen to the Chargers take on the Detroit Lions Saturday Dec. 24th @ 1:05pm on your Official Home for Chargers Football, 910 ESPN, High Desert Sports Radio.

Sunday nights game against the Baltimore Ravens is the biggest game of the year, so far, for the Chargers.

The Ravens are fighting for home field advantage through the playoffs, the Chargers are fighting for their lives in hope of making the playoffs. This could be one of the best games of the year if the Chargers play as well as they have been lately. The Chargers offense has turned things around in the last couple of weeks and the defense has been playing better as well. Everyone knows about the Ravens defense. It is one of, if not the best defense in the NFL.  However I think the Ravens will have their work cut out for them trying to cover the Charger’s receivers. They are all back and healthy which means Philip Rivers will have all of his weapons to battle the Ravens defense. If the Chargers offensive line can hold up and protect Rivers against the multitude of blitz packages that Baltimore uses, the Chargers actually have a good chance of winning this game. The Chargers defense will have to stop Ray Rice and the Ravens running game in order to win because I don’t think quarterback Joe Flacco will beat them through the air. The Chargers secondary has been pretty solid and will have a shot at making big plays against the Ravens. Although the Chargers run defense has not been great so the Ravens may just try to grind it out on the ground against the Chargers defense. The Chargers have their backs against the wall and they will have a bit more urgency to win this game. If they don’t win their season will be over as far as making the playoffs is concerned.  No matter what the case they will need help to make the playoffs and that starts with the Broncos losing to the Patriots Sunday afternoon which is a distinct possibility. I am truly looking forward to this game. I would like to think that the Chargers will win but it is not a game I would want to bet a large amount of money on. Baltimore is a 2 point favorite even though the game is in San Diego. I predict that the Chargers will win by 3 in a game that will go down to the wire.

Listen to the game Sunday evening Dec 18th @ 5:20 on your Official Home For Chargers Football, 910 ESPN High Desert Sports Radio.