I have assembled both of my All-Star teams for the NHL and NBA with both league's regular seasons having ended. There are three All-Star teams (or lines for hockey) and there is a goalie for each NHL line. This has nothing to do with team value, but rather how well the player played overall.

NHL

Line One

G Carey Price
D Lubomir Visnovsky
D Nicklad Lidstrom
W Daniel Sedin
W Corey Perry
C Henrik Sedin

Line Two

G Tim Thomas
D Zdeno Chara
D Keith Yandle
W Martin St. Louis
W Jarome Iginla
C Steve Stamkos

Line Three

G Pekka Rinne
D Dustin Byfuglien
D Christian Ehrhoff
W Alex Ovechkin
W Claude Giroux
C Ryan Kesler

NBA

Team One

PG Chris Paul
SG Dwayne Wade
SF LeBron James
PF Kevin Love
C Dwight Howard

Team Two

PG Derrick Rose
SG Kobe Bryant
SF Kevin Durant
PF Dirk Nowitzki
C Tim Duncan

Team Three

PG Russell Westbrook
SG Manu Ginobili
SF Carmelo Anthony
PF Pau Gasol
C Andrew Bynum

Still A Beast

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2010 NBA Playoffs Preview Round One

April 15th 2011 13:53

East

1 Bulls vs 8 Pacers

What is there to say about this game? The best team in the league is going up against a team that was five games under .500. Prediction: Bulls in 4. MVP: Derrick Rose.

2 Heat vs 7 76ers

Andre Iguodala and the rest of the Sixers' players are very athletic and should be able to stick around with the Heat. If you're not a top four seed though, you won't bother the Big Three too much. Prediction: Heat in 5. MVP: Dwayne Wade.

3 Celtics vs 6 Knicks

The Knicks won't be able to stop Doc Rivers's prolific half-court offense. Rajon Rondo will break out of his slump and own Chauncey Billups. Carmelo Anthony will keep things close, but the C's are the defending Eastern Conference champs for a reason. Prediction: Celtics in 6. MVP: Rajon Rondo.

4 Magic vs 5 Hawks

This is easily the best series of the four in the East. Al Horford has really improved on the defensive end, and he won't get destroyed like last year against Dwight Howard. The Hawks are more athletic than the Magic, but I think that the all-around talent of the Magic gets them by. Prediction: Magic in 6. MVP: Dwight Howard.

West

1 Spurs vs 8 Grizzlies

Even though Manu Ginobili isn't at full strength, I don't think that really matters much in this series. He's probably only going to miss one game anyway, and the Spurs are still going to be great without him. The Grizzlies are a pretty good team, but the savvy Spurs take this in 5. MVP: George Hill.

2 Lakers vs 7 Hornets

Chris Paul is going to cause a ton of problems for the Lakers, but the Hornets can't cause the defending champs too much trouble. The talk of a Lakers' collapse will have to wait another round. Prediction: Lakers in 5. MVP: Pau Gasol.

3 Mavericks vs 6 Trail Blazers

This is my upset special right here. Although Dirk and the Mavs are a great team, no doubt, I love the Trail Blazers and their efficient-but-not-sexy brand of basketball. Guys like Gerald Wallace, Marcus Camby, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Miller, and even Brandon Roy (in a limited bench role) are playing well off of eachother- gee, that sounds a lot like the Spurs. Prediction: Blazers in 7. MVP: Gerald Wallace.

4 Thunder vs 5 Nuggets

I love what the Nuggets have done since the Melo trade, but it all ends here against a really good Thunder team. Their interior is good enough to match up with K-Mart and Nene now that they have Kendrick Perkins. I don't think the Nuggets have an answer against KD, and I see him going off. Prediction: Thunder in 6. MVP: Kevin Durant.

Hey Danilo, Remember Griffin's Dunk? Things Are About to Get Worse vs. The Durantula

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: NBA, Celtics, Rajon Rondo, Doc Rivers, Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, 76ers, Andre Iguodala, Bulls, Derrick Rose, Hawks, Al Horford, Heat, Dwayne Wade, Magic, Dwight Howard, Mavs, Dirk Nowitzki, Grizzlies, Hornets, Chris Paul, Spurs, George Hill, Manu Ginobili, Nuggets, Danilo Gallinari, Kenyon Martin, Nene, Thunder, Kendrick Perkins, Kevin Durant, Blazers, Gerald Wallace, Brandon Roy, Marcus Camby, LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Miller, Nicolas Batum, Lakers, Pau Gasol, NBA Playoffs

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4/2011 Shooting Guard Rankings 1-10

April 13th 2011 12:54

1. Kobe Bryant- Dwayne Wade is baring down on his neck, but Bryant is still the king of the position. He plays much better defense than Wade and is the better pure scorer and shooter.
2. Dwayne Wade- Bryant's age is the only reason why people believe Wade is the better player. If somebody is older, we shouldn't just penalize them because of age when they are still better than the younger player. Heck, it's only a difference of a couple of years. I'll put Wade at the top when he's better than Kobe; it's as simple as that.
3. Joe Johnson- Johnson is one of the most consistent scorers in the NBA, and he is solid at rebounding and passing.

4. Manu Ginobili- Ginobili is a great point guard that would be third on this list if not for injuries. He is a solid defensive player, a good ball-handler, a good passer, and a great scorer that is among the best in the league at drawing fouls.
5. Andre Igoudala- He is such an athletic and explosive player, and he has really transformed into the defender we knew he could be. AI2 has finally put it all together, and it has been quite a show for Sixers fans.
6. Kevin Martin- Before you start bashing me, hear me out here. Martin has been the 4th most efficient player this year behind these guys named Dwayne, Kobe, and Manu. While he is a poor defender, he more than makes up with it by scoring efficiently and drawing fouls.

7. Stephen Curry- Curry has huge upside, and it is shameful that Monta Ellis gets more playing time than Curry. He is the far better shooter, passer, and defender than Ellis. Curry was the best shooting rookie we have seen in years.
8. Jason Richardson- J-Rich is one of the best in the NBA playing the catch-and-shoot game, and he has been able to cut down on his turnovers and rebound solidly. He is a very good perimeter shooter who is also one of the best dunkers in the league.
9. Eric Gordon- Gordon isn't particularly good at attacking the rim, but he does have a nice shot which allows him to score. He was the 6th most efficient player in the league, and he also draws a ton of fouls which makes him all that more valuable as an outside scorer. His biggest weakness is rebounding.
10. Monta Ellis- I will reluctantly put Monta on my list. He takes far too many shots and his stats are so overblown. Ellis doesn't care enough to at least try to block passing lanes and cover on D. He is so lucky that the incompetent Keith Smart is coaching the Warriors. Ellis can play great defense when he wants too- he's like a safety out there at times- but he gambles too much when he does try. Get this, the Warriors play much better basketball without him around. That's easy to see considering all the stupid shots he takes, especially right when the possession starts, and it seems like he doesn't know how to open up the defense by passing it. Ellis is talented, but he's just so dumb on the court.

Very Talented, Too Many Bad Shots

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: NBA, NBA Rankings, SGs, 76ers, Andre Iguodala, Joe Johnson, Dwayne Wade, Jason Richardson, Kevin Martin, Manu Ginobili, Warriors, Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis, Keith Smart, Eric Gordon, Kobe Bryant

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3/2011 Team Scope: San Antonio Spurs

March 1st 2011 15:42

Let's open up March with a team scope. But unlike yesterday, this scope will be of an NBA team that is on pace for a record season. The Spurs have depth and star power along with coaching to become the best team in the league this season. First off, I would like to give a shoutout to Forest Bennett, a PSU fan just like me! How you doing man? Hope you enjoy this one Forest, and all you other great readers of this blog!

The Spurs just received that their star point guard is out for two to four weeks with a sore calf muscle. For most teams in the NBA, this would be crushing news. It is terrible news but having George Hill as your backup point guard softens the blow. Tony Parker is one of the three best point guards in the league at driving. He brings so much to the table for the Spurs, and his leadership is invaluable to the team. However, Hill is a good scorer in his own right that really stepped up last year when Parker was injured.

Manu Ginobili is another great driver that combines his ability to score and handle the ball- the shooting guard can also play the 1 when called upon- along with solid defense. Ginobili is also an indispensable leader for San Antonio. Backup shooting guard Gary Neal was undrafted this season as a rookie, but he has made a name for himself as a solid role player who has a decent shot. The Spurs have many of these kinds of role players, which is a testament to their ability to draft well and scout talent well and find key guys that they can plug in every night. The Spurs look for pieces to add to their team that can help support the main cast of stars. That's smart managing by the front office right there. That's why these guys consistently win.

I love Richard Jefferson. RJ has been one of my favorite players in this league for a while. I defended him last year when he struggled saying that it would take time for him to learn the system. He's got it down now, and he has now become a solid contributer. Nobody on this team has eye-popping stats. The Spurs spread the ball around and display teamwork instead of relying on one player. Jefferson has been solid overall this year, and that's the kind of production that really helps teams win games. I would rather have six solid players than three superstars, one average player, and two scrubs.

Tim Duncan doesn't need to dominate anymore, and he won't anyway at this stage in his career. However, Duncan still is an efficient player that also makes solid contributions. Duncan still gets the boards, and he has had an incredible defensive year so far. Backup power forward Matt Bonner shed the tag of "scrub" ever since joining the Spurs. Again, Bonner is another one of those solid contributors. I really love his 3-ball. Bonner can shoot, and he is one of the few big men- like Dirk and that guy named Channing who is today's Sports Personality of the Day and has two straight games with buzzer beaters in OT- that can shoot really well from behind the arc.

DeJuan Blair is another player that I love. The Spurs made a great choice in taking Blair, even when teams were scared that he plays with no ACLs. You read that right. San Antonio's medical staff said that it was worth the risk because he never showed signs of breaking down in college. Blair always dominated Hasheem Thabeet in college, so I wasn't surprised that Blair is a better player than Thabeet. Blair stepped in and became a quality role player even as a rookie for the Spurs. Now, the Pitt grad is the team's starting center. Antonio McDyess is a solid veteran presence for the Spurs.

Greg Popovich is obviously a great coach that gets the most out of his players. Although he is controversial, he is still a great coach that deserves his reputation. As you can see, the Spurs are a team based on the foundations of teamwork, chemistry, and a team that surrounds itself with solid role players that fit in well and do their job. That is why they are so successful. It's no shock as to why they are dominating in the league. The way the Spurs were built is the model for how teams should be built in the future. Don't make big 3's. Make a well-rounded and deep team.