Author Archives: Joe Loughery

About Joe Loughery

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by | April 16, 2010 · 7:37 pm

NBA Playoffs Preview

Because this blog originates out of the greater Seattle area, I fully expect many of our home town readers to scoff at an NBA preview post in light of the fact our beloved Sonics no longer exist, and many folks have boycotted the NBA or simply don’t care. I understand, far be it from me to tell any Seattle sports fan how to feel about the NBA. If you are sideways about the whole situation, feel free to be mad, I won’t stop you. Myself, on the other hand, still love the NBA and follow it all year. I am a basketball junkie, so I naturally gravitate to the NBA. Even though the entire Sonics situation was a massive fail on all sides (except the fans, please, don’t even begin the blame the fans for them leaving. If you do, you lose all credibility with me…), I still think the NBA game is exciting and worth talking and writing about, hence, an NBA playoff preview!

Kobe and the Lakers will come out of the West.

Western Conference: Overall I like the Lakers to come out of the west. If Andrew Bynum can get healthy and play valuable minutes, it will help Phil Jackson balance minutes between Bynum and Gasol, who is much more effective with Bynum on the floor. There isn’t a 4 in the league that can deal with the match-up problems Gasol presents. Who can contend with LA? To my eyes, only Dallas. I love Dirk Nowitzki. He has had an amazing year, and has the best supporting cast since they lost to Miami in the Finals a few years ago. I really like Denver, Utah and Phoenix if they stand alone, but I don’t like how any of them match up with the Lakers. Dallas has size in the middle to deal with the LA bigs, and no one can guard Dirk, so I give Dallas a punchers chance verses LA, but ultimately the Lakers come out of the West.

Series by series picks:

Lakers vs. Zombie Sonics – Lakers in 5. I think the ZS will get maybe one at home in the dustbowl, but other than that the Lakers will win with ease…

Mavericks vs. Spurs – Mavericks in 7. Yeah, this one is going seven. The Spurs could make a run, but I just don’t think they have the depth the Mavs do, and ultimately Dallas with wear down the aging trio of Duncan/Ginobili/Parker.

Suns vs. Blazers – Suns in 5. Look, this is simple: Brandon Roy will not play in this series, the Blazers have no chance. I like the Suns anyway, so this one is easy. Too bad, I think Rip City could have been amazing this season if 4 of their 5 starters didn’t all suffer major injuries this season. Nate McMillian is COY.

Nuggets vs. Jazz – Jazz in 7. The absence of George Karl has been huge for Denver, they have not played well over the past month, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be back soon (maybe round 2). I like Jerry Sloan’s experience here and I really like what Utah brings. Deron Williams is a superstar, Boozer is solid down low, they have a solid roster of role players that get the job done. The Jazz struggle on the road, but if they can steal one in Denver, look for the Jazz to move on.

LeBron and the Cavs? Yeah, they'll be in the Finals

Eastern Conference: As opposed to the West, the East is a little more wide open, even though most experts have Cleveland rolling through the playoffs. Don’t sleep on Orlando or Atlanta. I don’t like Boston out of the east for a myriad of reasons (older roster, lack of cohesion on offense, ‘Sheed slacking off on both ends of the floor, Doc Rivers’ lack of consistency in his rotation, etc…). The problem for Orlando and Atlanta is they will play in the 2nd round, beat the crap out of each other, then get (I think) a rested and refueled Cavs team in the Eastern finals. Bummer. Would have liked to see ATL or ORL draw Cleveland in the 2nd round, then get the other in the conference finals… I like Cleveland strictly for the reason above: They have a much easier draw.

The picks in the East!!

Cavaliers vs. Bulls – Cavs in 4. Yes, a sweep. I think the Cavs come out focused and determined to make this a quick and painless series. Look for Shaq to struggle to start, but LeBron will dominate. I do think Derrick Rose will play above the rim, look for him to have some amazing highlights.

Magic vs. Bobcats – Magic in 6. Whaaaaat? The Bobcats in the playoffs? Yes folks, Larry Brown worked some series magic (no pun intended) in the Queen City this year. Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace have been beasts all year long, carrying a young team. All that said, I don’t think the Cats have an answer for Dwight Howard. Look for Howard to dominate, and Carter to light it up from outside. Plus, I like Orlando’s defense slightly better that Charlotte. I think this will be a great series.

Hawks vs. Bucks – Hawks in 5. This is similar to the Suns/Blazers in the west: If the Bucks had Andrew Bogut healthy, I would be tempted to take the Bucks in a shocker, but without the big Aussie, I don’t think Milwaukee can deal with the Hawks down low. I love the Hawks talent, I think Al Horford could blow up in this series. Too much pressure on a very talented Brandon Jennings to carry the Bucks. As much as I would love to see the amazingly epic “Fear the Deer” slogan ride into the 2nd round, no chance without Bogut.

Celtics vs. Heat – Heat in 7. This is my crazy, one man army pick. My mind says take Boston, they are clearly a better team, more experience, probably better coaching. But my heart is with Flash, Dwayne Wade. This is simple: Dwayne Wade will channel his amazing playoff ride from 2006 and drop roughly 35-40 each night, maybe a 50 pointer in there somewhere, and he’ll carry Miami to the 2nd round. I know it’s nuts, but I just like the juju on this one.

So in the Finals we’ll finally get the Kobe vs. LeBron match up we’ve all wanted. I like the Cavs here. This is the year for LeBron. He has a supporting cast capable of winning, I think they have a great draw in the east, and LA will be bruised and battered heading into the Finals. Look for LeBron to carry Cleveland to victory, along with Jamison and Williams, both of whom are great x-factors. I think Mo Williams has a great playoff run. He was terrible last season in the post season, so he’ll right the ship here.

Here’s to a great playoff season!

–Joe

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by | April 14, 2010 · 10:22 am

Game Recap – 4/13/2010

Doug Fister: Hero

A night after a brutal home opener loss to Oakland, the Mariners sent Doug Fister to the mound in desperate need of a good outing, not only for the team, but for himself. His last outing at Oakland was not good. (4 innings, 6 hits, 3 walks…). This night though, Fister delivered, and delivered bigtime. 8 strong innings. 4 K’s, no walks. He had pinpoint control, working the counts in his favor, throwing strikes. 100 pitches, 71 strikes. Awesome efficiency. I felt he kept the A’s on their heels all night, not being predictable. This is the type of outing we all hoped for! Ah, but as we know with this version of the Mariners, great pitching is only half the battle. Gotta score runs!

As the game wore on, I grew increasingly frustrated with our hitters, especially with RISP. Rob Johnson looked lost multiple times at the plate, as did Lopez with two men on in the 5th. I think it was the most uninspired at bat of Lopez’s career (ok, total overstatement, but that is how I felt at the time watching it live…). Now, I will say Brett Anderson is a flat out stud. He has wicked good stuff, so chopped liver like Johnson and Wilson will naturally look bad, but Lopez is a decent hitter, and Anderson made him look silly. The thing that really made me mad was just the lack of aggression in Lopez’s at bat. It was infuriating to witness.

The next two innings the Mariners proceed to put men on base. The A’s pitchers repeatedly made mistakes with walks and hit batsmen. But the Mariners could not deliver, no clutch hitting at all. It was a foregone conclusion as I watched this game, I kept telling myself there is no way Jack Wilson can get the ball out of the infield, or Figgins getting caught stealing, it was a trainwreck. Ahh, until the 8th inning…

Milton Bradley: Hero

Lopez got his third hit of the night to lead off (ironic that he looked great three of four at bats, but the one in the 5th was just terrible, odd stuff…), then Sweeney worked the count and drew a walk. Up comes Milton Bradley. (I want Milton to succeed. For him, but mostly for the Mariners sake!). Batting left handed, Milton just looks more comfortable at the plate. Boom. 3 run blast to deep right. I went nuts, like we just won the division or something. I guess when run scoring has become such a laborious task for Seattle, seeing a massively clutch home run late in the game made me giddy with excitement. Welcome to Seattle Milton. You start doing things like you did last night and you’ll be loved here. We are simple folk, really.

Ok, on to the Heroes and Goats!!!! YEAH!!!

Hero(s): Doug Fister & Milton Bradley. Not sure if I can pick two, but these guys are the clear cut heroes of the night. The M’s needed Fister to step up, and he did, as well as Bradley. Well done fellas.

Goat: Rob Johnson. 4 LOB, 3 K’s. What else is there to say. He did call a nice game with Fister, but at some point that excuse wears terribly thin, we need hitting from the catcher spot, and Johnson was a complete bust at the plate last night.

–Joe

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by | April 8, 2010 · 3:11 pm

Game Recap – 4/8/2010

I will make this as short as possible, because frankly I am not sure how many folks actually watched the game (day game), and it was brutal to listen to and follow.

Doug Fister started the game and only went 4 innings, 96 pitches. That tells the story right there. 56 strikes, 40 balls, not many swings-and-misses. Oakland was able to put the ball in play and force the issue offensively. Now, Oakland has no power, it was a lot of singles and doubles, and running the bases (sounds like what the M’s would like to do…). Davis, Barton and Ellis did all the damage for Oakland…

The Mariners on the other hand struggled yet again offensively. Brett Anderson took a shutout into the 7th inning. (An aside: If you look at Fister’s and Anderson’s lines for the game, they are also identical, yet Anderson was much more effective. That speaks volumes to how bad the Mariners hitting is right now…) Tuiasosopo played well at 1B, had 2 hits and an RBI. That’s a GREAT day for a Mariner right now. Good for him, I like his bat in the M’s lineup. Hopefully Wak can fit him in more. Gutierrez and Sweeney had the other RBIs. I like what Guti is doing at the plate. Overall though the offense sucks right now at generating runs. Trying to tag Figgins up at 1B to 2B on a fly ball to right really shows the hand Wak is playing, and what he is saying to the team: I know we will struggle to score so Ichiro and Figgins must steal and tag up all the time or we’ll never score. That’s a tough spot to be in. Other teams know this and are very aware of the steals and tag-ups.

Hero: Matt Tuiasosopo. He had two hits, an RBi and played 1B well. Sounds like a good day. (Jesus Colome is a close second, 3 very solid innings out of the pen…)

Goat: Doug Fister. Gotta go more than 4 innings. We all know the bullpen will be (is?) over-worked, so Fister only going 4 really sucks.

There is nothing else to observe from this stinker. (I really want to be optimistic, but this game set me back a bit…)

–Joe

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by | March 18, 2010 · 9:37 pm

Huskies live to fight another day, Quincy leads the way

CLIFF DESPEAUX / THE SEATTLE TIMES

With 13:58 left in the second half, Marquette held a 15 point lead. Needless to say, the game looked over. The Huskies defense was lacking, getting beat to the hole, getting beat on the boards, running off screens in odd directions leaving Marquette’s shooters wide open for three’s. Romar called a TO. Then, slowly, patiently, and with aggressive in your face no holds barred defense, the Huskies fought back. Five minutes later the Dawgs had whittled the lead down to five, thanks in large part to Elston Turner and Quincy Pondexter. Elston was lights out from long range, while Quincy went to work on the boards. Overall, the team’s energy increased ten-fold, almost as if they had Marquette right where they wanted them. A tease, just like this team has been all year. Any true Husky fan who has followed this team all year like we have knows the tremendous talent Romar has put together, but until the last few weeks, it wasn’t working together in a cohesive unit. Well, now it is, and it’s clicking right along. Isaiah has found his stroke from outside, Quincy is being Quincy, working is butt of on the boards and getting shots, MBA is aggressive offensively and has become a defensive force down low, and finally Elston Turner is maturing right before our eyes on both ends of the court. His three point shooting is dagger-in-the-heart good, while his defense has improved so much Romar keeps him in the game at the end rather than swapping him for offense/defense. All of the sudden now the Huskies have four legit offensive weapons. That is tough to guard. Marquette constantly lost track of Turner on the perimeter, same with Isaiah. MBA almost always had one-on-one on the block. When the Huskies can be this potent on offense it makes them tremendously hard to guard. The key is defensive intensity. The focus and discipline the Huskies showed in the final 13 minutes of that game today was impressive, the mark of a great, maturing team.

In the end though, it all came down to Lorenzo Romar handing the ball to his closer, the senior, Quincy Pondexter. By not calling a timeout after Isaiah’s miss, he was telling Quincy “this is your time, your moment, win it, grasp it”, and Quincy did just that. Patiently dribbling the ball up high, he spread the court, confidentially telling his fellow teammates to stay put, I got this. As the seconds tick down, Q was in complete control, slowing moving forward like a lion ready to pounce on his prey. Dribble drive left, grinding against his defender, determined to will the ball in, and he did just that, banking in a shot that literally required all of his energy to complete.

At the end of the game, Quincy leads his Huskies off the court in victory, living to fight another day, living for this time, this moment. Grasp it, Carpe Diem. Quincy Pondexter, Mr. Clutch.

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by | March 12, 2010 · 11:55 pm

UW defeats Stanford, instant reaction

I want YOU to win the Pac-10 Tourney

First of all, the posterizing, straddle the fence dunk by MBA had me on the floor. What a savage jam.

Secondly, if the Huskies even have a modicum of offensive touch in the first ten minutes of that game, it’s a twenty point game right off the bat. Stanford hung around no thanks to themselves. Stanford’s defense was porous at best. The Huskies were solidly in brick city, an offensive fog. What saved them was there tenacious defense. The pressure they put on Stanford was like a leaky faucet, at some point the nagging dripping makes you insane, and Stanford finally lost their collective minds with about ten minutes to go in the second half. Then a playground style dunk-fest ensued, followed by silly bench hi-jinx. Good times for sure.

Thirdly, if the Huskies want to beat Cal, they must be more efficient on offense. Missing point blank layups will not cut it. The Huskies defense is there, Cal cannot touch them in that department. Offensively? Cal is very balanced, inside and outside they can kill you. That said, there is a vast athletic difference between UCLA and Washington. Cal won’t simply be able to spot up and shoot. Overton and Thomas will be all over Randle, Holiday on Christopher, and MBA’s defense has improved leaps and bounds over the past few weeks. I expect a very close game, right down to the wire, with the Dawgs winning of course, I am a homer, what do you expect?

M. B. A.

Fourthly, the tourney question. Joe Lunardi, as of right now, has the Huskies in the tourney. What is unknown is whether they make it if they lose to Cal. That answer depends on what other bubble teams do, like Minnesota and Mississippi State. If those teams somehow win their respective conference tournaments, it puts pressure on Washington to win to get that auto-bid. If those other bubble teams lose, I really like the Huskies chances in the event of a loss. Losing to Cal on a neutral court is not a bad loss, and I believe the Huskies have done enough over the past few weeks, i.e. winning on the road, to make it in. It will be close for sure, but I think at the end of the day, despite what the pundits tell us, the tournament committee will put two Pac-10 teams in, with Arizona State on the outside looking in (no tears there…).

Fifthly, the Oregon Ducks football program is an embarrassment to humanity, and I could not be more pleased. Good times.

–Joe

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by | March 2, 2010 · 4:52 pm

Huskies vs. Ducks – Round 2

Thursday evening in Eugene, the Huskies will face their BFF’s, the Oregon Ducks. Everyone knows the two schools adore each other, should be a fun game. It’s the last time the Huskies will play at McArthur Court. Next season they’ll play at the Ducks’ new playground, Matthew Knight Arena (very popular among the folks in Oregon…).

Anyway, on to the game. In January I witnessed the Ducks defeat the Huskies 90-79 in what was clearly the Ducks best game of the year (after the win, they proceeded to lose ten of their next twelve, sealing Ernie Kent’s fate as a lame-duck coach (pun intended…)…) and probably the worst game the Huskies have played at home in at least two years. Malcolm Armstead and Michael Dunigan absolutely killed the Huskies with dribble drive penetration and toughness on the boards. Dunigan had 14 boards. Might-mouse Tajuan Porter was quiet in the first half, but came alive in the second from downtown. Oregon shot a sizzling 53% from the floor for the game, probably well over 60% in the second half. I came away thinking there was really no way Oregon was going to lose that game. Their whole team was in the zone. I give more credit to the Ducks for winning that game than for the Huskies losing.

On the UW side, it was clearly Matthew Bryan-Amaning’s worst game of the year. 21 minutes, 1point. Dunigan completely owned him all game physically. This game put MBA in Romar’s doghouse (again, pun intended), which I think has lead to MBA’s emergence over the past two month (more on that in a minute). The big three of Thomas (25pts, 11-12 FT), Pondexter (16pts, 6Rbs) and Overton (14pts) played well, I really have no complaints on the offensive end. Defensively, the Huskies were horrible. Armstead consistently drove past Overton and Thomas and had clean layups. None of the Huskies bigs got in his way and put him on his butt. Overall it was a sad defensive display by the Dawgs. Couple that with lights-out shooting by the Ducks, and you have the result.

No longer a black hole?

My how things have changed. Since that game, as I mentioned, the Ducks have fallen apart. There is no question in my mind Ernie Kent is gone. With a new arena coming next year, UO will look to make a splash with a new coach (Mark Few?). Because of this, the team has quit listening to Coach Kent. Granted they beat the LA schools this past weekend in LA, but they also swept them in Eugene earlier in the year. Can you say “favorable match-ups”? Therefore I don’t put too much into those wins. Against everyone else they have been lousy. At the same time, the Huskies have began to right the ship on the road, and MBA has emerged as a real threat on both ends of the floor. In fact I venture to guess he is the best offensive big man in the conference right now. No joke. He played extremely well against DeAngelo Casto, who leads the league in blocks, and has been consistently under control the past eight games or so. I haven’t been as hard on MBA as most people have been. I have always thought he has tremendous talent, he just needs to be coached up. In fact after the win at Wazzu Saturday, MBA credited none other then Jamaal “Junkyard Dawg” Williams for his post play improvements. I find it ironic and humorous that one offensive black hole is giving tips to another. (man, I loved Williams. Guy never saw a shot he didn’t like. He was a beast against UConn. Did I just mention the UConn game? DOH!!!).

Prediction? I see the Dawgs winning this one. They have confidence they can win on the road, they have the revenge factor working for them, and frankly they have more to play for. I expect MBA to play well, and look for Pondexter to bounce back after his first real down game of the year at Wazzu. This game, I feel, will come down to how MBA and Pondexter play on the block. Oregon’s guards are quick enough to keep up with Thomas and Overton. Maybe the trio of Suggs/Turner/Holiday will deliver some much needed offense, and bring it on defense. Frankly this game will come down to hustle, who wants it more on defense, and that’s where the Huskies will beat the Ducks. The only way Oregon wins this game is if they shoot lights out once again, and they have not proven in subsequent Pac-10 play they can replicate what they did in Seattle two months ago. The game will be in the 60’s, Huskies win a close one by 5.

-Joe

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by | February 25, 2010 · 3:55 pm

USA v Finland – Quick Thoughts

First off, I really love to watch high level hockey, so these Olympics have been exciting to watch. I mean, I watched Sweden v. Slovakia and Finland v. Czech last night via the computer just because I love the sport. Do I have a life? Yes, it’s just that sometimes you gotta do your homework to know what the heck you are talking about.

The US will face Finland tomorrow at high noon in Vancouver for the right to play for the gold Sunday afternoon, and most likely face home-country favs Canada. I like Team USA here. Finland has two stud goalies in Kiprusoff and Backstrom, and some solid forwards (Selanne, Jokinen and the Koivus), but the Americans bring the toughness to the ice, and I think they can get a lead and sit on it. In last nights game with Czech, Finland looked very sluggish offensively. There was no explosion to the net, and their one legit goal was a fluky one in which one of the Czech defenders lost his helmet, (according to Olympic rules requires him to immediately go fetch it) thus he vacated his post covering his goalies blind right side. Finland threw something on net and it went in. I was actually not impressed with Finland all that much. Kiprusoff was solid, as usual. He is one of the better goalies in the world, so I expect him to carry Finland. If they have any shot at beating the Americans, he will have to be a wall.

For the Americans, they must stay aggressive in the offensive zone. They literally controlled the entire game verses Switzerland. The Swiss really had no shot once Team USA scored. Bobby Ryan and David Backes have been solid on defense, while Parise and Rafalski continue to provide pressure on offense. I was impressed with the Americans ability to change tactics throughout the game verses the Swiss. Switzerland was really locking this down on defense, so the Americans had to adjust their strategy, and it worked. They wore Switzerland down. A one goal lead was all they needed.

In the end, I see Team USA winning this game. They know what is on the line. They have grinded and fought to get where they are today, so I expect them to bring their A-game and defeat the Fins. The game will be close because Kiprusoff will keep it that way, but I think the Americans strike first, and then apply pressure the rest of the game, forcing the Fins to make mistakes along the way.

I am sensing an historic USA vs Canada match-up Sunday for the gold…

Joe

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by | February 21, 2010 · 12:16 am

Thank You Quincy

CLIFF DESPEAUX / THE SEATTLE TIMES

I just want to give a big shout out to the man of the night, Quincy Pondexter. Senior night, and he came out and dominated UCLA. I am happy to see him go out with a win, especially against the smug punks from Westwood. The Huskies played unbelievable, yet again showing they are the premier Jeckyl and Hyde team in the nation. I still maintain they win the next three on the road, but at this point what is the use in trying to predict anything in the Pac-10…

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