NBA

It was an Eastern Conference showdown between two teams on fire right now  — the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic.  Cavs point guard Mo Williams was coming off a 43 point game, and LeBron was fresh off a triple-double.  LeBron put up a nice game with 23 points, eight assists, and eight rebounds, but it was the Magic that reigned supreme.  Dwight Howard had 22 points and 18 rebounds, as the Magic simply ran away with the game in the 4th quarter.  They also had three other players in double-digits (Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson, and Hedo Turkoglu).  The Cavs and Celtics may have received all the media attention up until this point in the East, but the Magic are looking like a VERY serious contender come playoff time.  Orlando 99, Cleveland 88.

Elsewhere in the NBA, the remaining rosters have been filled out for the all-star teams. Remember that fans vote on these, and therefore very deserving players don’t necessarily make the roster.  Some all-star snubs this season include the Cavs Mo Williams (whose having an incredible year), and the Nuggets Carmelo Anthony.  These are two guys truly helping their teams and having amazing seasons.  Another snub — Andrew Bynum of the LA Lakers.  He has turned into a force down low, and is being compared to a young Shaq.  So, ironically, there is a lot of backlash that Shaq (himself) did make the all-star team.  But hey, the fan vote is final.

NFL

There is a lot of buzz surrounding Pittsburgh’s wide receiver Hines Ward.  He’s coming off an injury, and is doing everything he can to prepare for the big game.  But, more notably, there is talk in the air that if he has a good game, this could be come both his Hall of Fame ticket and legacy.  He constantly puts up steady numbers, and has been phenomenal in the playoffs, even earning MVP honors when the Steelers beat the Seahawks in the Super Bowl three years ago.  However, Ward also had quite a controversial season, mostly due to a dirty hit he laid on a Bengals defensive player.  His rep will definitely be on the line come Super Sunday.

MLS

And finally, it appears that even though soccer superstar David Beckham might be on his way out of the U.S. — we still have soccer fever.  Today, the U.S. made a bid to host the World Cup tournment in either 2018 or 2022.  Sure, a long way away, but it’s proof that the U.S. is serious about soccer.  The relative recent launch of the MLS wasn’t a gigantic success, but it surely wasn’t a failure.  And they are still adding new teams (the Seattle Sounders, for example, will kick off their franchise this year).  Hopefully, the committee throws us a bone, and lets us host this extremely exciting event.  Who needs Beckham anyway?