WATERCOOLER CHAT: CELTICS CONTINUE TO SLIDE, 2ND ROUND NFL PLAYOFFS

NBA

Back in December, a game between the then surging Celtics and the 2nd best Eastern Conference team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, would have been a marquee match-up.  Back then, everyone was counting down the days until the Celts/Cavs faceoff on January 9th.  Well, that game was last night, and the Cavs were anything but concerned.  LeBron James played out of his mind, putting up 38 points, and gave a solid defensive performance as well.  The Celtics losing skid continues, and Boston fans must be praying that it stops soon.  Cleveland 98, Boston 83.

Also in the NBA, some taunting going on.  It’s a complicated story, but we’ll make it simple.  Basically, the Portland Trailblazers have a player named Darius Miles on their roster.  Well, he’s injury prone and has barely contributed anything to their team.  And he’s only two games shy of fulfilling his contract commitment.  So… they released him, and they don’t have to pay him unless he plays those two games for another team (put simply, he’s still on their books).  What did the Blazers do?  They put out a message to the entire league threatening that it would be a horrible thing if another team signed him (essentially because then the Blazers would have to pay Miles his large salary, which would take up big cap space, and thus prevent them from signing a big name free agent in the off-season).  And wouldn’t you know it, one team wasn’t intimidated by their threats, as the Memphis Grizzlies went right ahead and signed Darius Miles.  You gotta love some good old competition in the NBA.

NFL

And today, Round 2 of the NFL Playoffs kick-off.  First up, it’s the Tennessee Titans playing host to the Baltimore Ravens.  The Titans were known for their incredible defense this season, but their D is a little banged up now.  In fact, it’s the Ravens defense that everyone is talking about, led by all-pro Ed Reed.  The question for Baltimore:  Will their offense show up?  It did last week, with rookie Joe Flacco putting on an acceptable show, but the Titans will be a much harder foe than Miami last week.

Then — we head on over to FOX and the NFC, as it’s the Carolina Panthers playing host to the underdog Arizona Cardinals.  First and foremost, Arizona has to be happy that the Cards not only made the playoffs this year, but even won a playoff GAME.  That’s a huge accomplishment for that franchise.  Unfortunately, the Panthers are playing spectacular right now, with an incredible defense and an especially powerful dual-headed rushing attack (DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart).  But — don’t count out Arizona.  Their offense can really put up some points if they get going.  Either way, if you’re a real sports fan, this is a can’t miss game.

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