Upon Sports Fandom

As I watch the Miami Heat put the finishing touches on a victory over the San Antonio Spurs, I find myself compelled to again comment on the state of the sports world from my standpoint.

The Knicks are in a terrible tailspin, and a major change would seem to be inevitable. I don't know if it will be a major coaching change, or a trade, but Isiah Thomas certainly wont stand for this, and neither will the city.

The Nets are getting inspired play from the resurgent Vince Carter, who is pulling 40 point games out of his hat on a regular basis. Playing with Jason Kidd seems to have a positive effect on anyone's offensive game, and for someone with superstar ability like Carter, the change is extreme and impressive. Vince was pouty in Toronto, and admitted to having "half-assed" it for a few seasons. With a fantastic assist man like Kidd, who is rounding into peak shape after surgery, the Nets can expect these performances from Carter to continue.

The aforementioned Heat are certainly the team to beat in the East, as Shaq has found himself yet another fantastic 2-guard in Dwayne Wade. History has shown that O'Neal, at this stage of his career, has a regular-season gear and a playoff gear. He will do what he needs to do to make Miami a top-4 seed, so that his team will have home-court. He is content to have Wade be the "Flash" and carry a good part of the scoring. O'Neal needs the type of clutch play that Dwayne has shown the knack for, as well as timely shooting from Eddie and Damon Jones. Once playoff-time comes around, the 30-point-per-game Shaq can refasten his Superman cape and carry this team deep. Western Conference teams are aware of the Heat, as Detroit showed that the West can be won last year, and any team with the Diesel in the middle must be accounted for.

I am looking forward to the All-Star weekend, as the big-game itself should be the setting for the first LeBron James MVP. The game is a unique animal, and could see one of the old-guard take MVP honors, or one of the first-timers grab the trophy. I see LeBron as having a triple-double type game, and leading the East to a win.

March Madness will provide a few weeks of diversion, but I have only a loose affinity for Kentucky, and no real connection to an NCAA club besides my alma mater. If Holy Cross is able to make it into the tournament I will certainly root for them to pull an unlikely upset against a probable #1/2 seed. I have tuned in briefly to see Duke, North Carolina, Illinois, Syracuse, and UConn, as these are usually schools which can make it deep into March. It remains to be seen if I can find a bandwagon to jump on, but hopefully the Crusader or Wildcats can give me a team to pull for.