NHL games picks 29/12/14

Detroit Red Wings @ Boston Bruins / Bos / under 5.5

Pittsburgh Penguins  @ NJ Devils / Pit / under 5.5

Washington Capitals @ NY Islanders / NYI / over 5.5

Montreal Canadiens @ Carolina Hurricanes / Mon / under 5.5

Buffalo Sabres @ Ottawa Senators / Ott / under 5.5

Toronto Maple Leafs @ TB Ligthing / TB / over 5.5

Colorado Avs @ STL Blues / STL / over 5.5

Minnesota Wild @ Winnipeg Jets / Min / under 5.5

Nashville Predators @ Chicago Blackhawks / Chi / under 5.5

NY Rangers @ Dallas Stars / Dal / over 5.5

LA Kings @ Calgary Flames / LA / under 5.5

Phila Flyers @ AZ Coyotes / Phi / under 5.5

NFL: SF 49ers 20 AZ Cardinals 17 recap and analysis

QB Lindley started the ball well for the Cards, as he found his TE Fells for a 24 yards gain on the right side of the field. The 2 Arizona RB Taylor and Williams ran well and because of their effectiveness, AZ could managed a real tricky play. On a 1st and 10 to the 49ers 20, Lindley handle the ball to RB Grice but Lindley got the ball thanks to a flea-flicker and he connected with WR Floyd who was wide open in the red zone, as the 9ers backs anticipated the run so they were totally fooled by the trick. San Francisco started his drive with 3 scrimmage yards from Frank Gore and on a 3rd and 8, QB Kaepernick found WR Boldin on a slant and the former Seminoles scored on a surprising 76 yards TD, as the Zona pass rushers were so concentrate on Kap and his running abilities. QB Lindley continued to perform in the next drive, as he connected again with his TE Fells up the middle. But at midfield he couldn’t stay on the field, as linebacker Skuta tackled RB Williams for a huge 7 yard loss and the Cardinals were forced to punt. SF came out running, as both Gore and Kaepernick ran well. The key was a big 19 yard gain by the 9ers QB on a 3rd down, and up to midfield, K Dawson kicked a 53 yard field goal as SF leaded 10-7. Lindley hits WR Brown to start the next Cards drive, as the rookie WR gained 19 yards on the play. But the QB out of San Diego State was sacked by DE Tank Carradine, so he had an harder 3rd down and eventually, he was picked by ILB Wilhoite, as the QB scrambled to his left and tried to find Hugues but his throw was horrible. So SF got the ball back and WR Crabtree made an important 20 yard reception on a 3 and 8. Then Kap found WR Patton after a superb play action and a scramble to his right, as the former Louisiana Tech WR gained 35 big yards and beat CB Cromartie, one of the best in the NFL. Later, K Dawson kicked an other field goal, as San Francisco leaded by 6, 13-7. But Lindley fight back and thanks to a great drive by RB Williams, rookie K Catanzaro reduced the edge with a 36 yard field goal. Zona used his timeouts to stop the clock and the 49ers went 3 and outs, so Arizona had a chance to score before the end of the 1st period. The QB found first of all WR Fitzgerald for a 21 yard gain, but the big play came just after, as WR Floyd was found by Lindley on a long throw to the right and the former Notre Dame WR scored his 2nd TD of the afternoon. Most importantly, the Cards leaded at the half 17-13.
The first drive of the 2nd half went nothing for the 49ers, but their defense came up big again. On a 3rd and 6 up to midfield, QB Lindley tried to find WR Brown but CB Culliver got under the Zona WR and picked the ball. The 9ers drove very well thanks to a great running game, highlighted by a 30 yards gain for Kap followed by a 20 yard run for RB Gore to enter the Arizona 31. On a 3rd and 24, DT Kelly was penalized and RB Gore took advantage of the automatic 1st down to gain 16 yards on 2 straight routes. Then, the Niners QB found his FB Bruce Miller on a superb play action, as Miller was wide open in the left corner of the end zone : SF regained the lead 20-17. The Cards offense couldn’t manage anything against a pretty good San Francisco defense. Frank Gore was superb down the stretch, as he killed the clock and ran some great plays against a pretty good defense, especially against the run. Zona went 3 and outs, and SF killed again some clocks, as Gore used once again all of his experience to let the time go. Lindley got the ball back with 2min to go and his team down by 3. After being sacked by rookie OLB Lynch for a loss of 9, the QB tried once again to connect with the rookie John Brown, but he was double covered and SS Dahl picked the former SDSU guy for the 3rd time on the day, as San Francisco won 20-17.
The Niners win likely the last game for their coach, as Jim Harbaugh will become as everyone presume the next Michigan Wolverines head coach. Veterans RB Gore and WR Boldin were superb, as they really managed the clock well in the last quarter. The young D of SF was good too, and with the return of all the injured players, this defense could be as good as anyone next year. For Arizona, well their loss against Seattle and this one are because of their offensive issues, and they will visited the Panthers for a Wild Card game next week. Carolina atomized Atlanta and they are on a roll right now, as QB Cam Newton is healthy and their D is one of the best lately. QB Lindley was not so bad with 316 yards and 2 TD, but Zona will win and live with their defense and their abilities to create turnovers. The MVP of this game goes for Frank Gore, as this was maybe the last game of his career and the former Miami Hurricanes ran for 144 yards in the ballgame.

With the collaboration of Alan Guillou

NFL: Green Bay Packers 30 Detroit Lions 20 recap and analysis

Detroit go the 1st possession of the game but Clay Matthews sack ended their drive and forced the to punt the ball, GB started their 1st possession with 4 straight very good runs ad they arrived easly on Detroit's 1 yard line but once they haven't been able to enter them in 7 straight attempts after a pass inference due to an awesome goalie stand by the entire Lions defense. Again Matthews and the Packers defense forced the Lions' offense to a quick 3 and out and when Martin punted the ball the great blocks by the Packers offense let Hyde to return it in the end zone. Detroit issue to run the ball effectively limited their reaction because they became predictable and this took them to nowhere, the Packers got the ball back and Rodgers 1st completions (begin of the 2nd half) took them to the Lions' 20 when Lacy fumbled the ball then recovered by Detroit. Joique Bell explode on the following drive taking his team in Packers territory with great runs especially the misdirections on the weak side who brought him very good results but unfortunately for them Stafford played a very bad drive and he missed the 4th down conversion giving the ball back to the Packers. Rodgers seemed to be on fire and he drove his team easly all over the field to the Lions' end zone where he found Cobb on a crossing route while he was rolling on his right, during that movement he got injured on his left leg.

Stafford reacted great putting the ball on the air for multiple targets and he never get stopped till the Packers' 40 where they missed a 3rd and 10 conversion due to a very good coverage by Packs defensive backs but LOLB Jones committed a stupid penalty on Stafford who kept the Lions alive and Stafford punished them passing a TD to Megatron who run a post route.

Matt Flynn started the 2nd half replacing Rodgers and he went 3 and out quickly and this let the red hot Stafford have another convenient drive especially on the air being great to be unpredictable on his passing gameplan and this let them got closer to the end zone where he found Megatron 1 on 1 against the smaller Williams on a fade route where he made the TD catch in the corner of the end zone. Rodgers comeback on the field despite the apparent pain in his left leg and he marched down the field relying so much on Cobb and providing a great change of pace compared to Flynn, he has been able to regain the lead with a TD finding Cobb on a slant route in the end zone.

Rodgers' following try to score fell short due to a great ST play by the Lions' who stopped a 52 yards try by Crosby but Stafford and Bell wasted everything fumbling the ball during the handoff inside their own part of the field. The Packers took advantage of it with pass to outside WRs and also due to a doubtful face mask call against Deandre Levy on Nelson, once they arrived close to the Detroit's end zone they let Lacy run the ball for the TD who sent them ahead by 14 points. Detroit got the ball close to their end zone and the great pressure generated by the Packers defense forced Stafford to made an intentional grounding when he was on the nedzone that resulted and a 2 points safety, the Lions punted the ball short and with a lil bit of luck they recovered the ball on their own 40 then Stafford let his team score in a fast way finding HB Theo Riddick on a curl route in the end zone but they failed the 2 point conversion with a Bell run on the weak side but the Lions hopes ended when they failed to convert an inside kick off.
The Packers completed a perfect season in Lambeau and with this Rodgers who is my personal MVP of the game that they are great especially on offense and counting that they played against a very tough defense like the Lions' one is. Detroit should win this game wasting less on offense Stafford must be more continuos to be effective to win in Lambeau because he can't pretend that his defense keep Rodgers & Co. under 30 points.

NFL: Washington Redskins 17 Dallas Cowboys 44 recap and analysis

Dallas started with the ball and they alternated well runs and passes, as Romo found TE Witten up the middle for a 18 yards and a big 3rd down. K Bailey connected on a 36 yard field goal as Dallas grabbed the early lead by 3. But the Redskins responded early, thanks to a superb play by WR Jackson, as RGIII faked the handle to Morris then found the former Eagles on a superb screen play. Jackson took advantage of some superb blocks and scored a big 69 yards TD. Dallas responded very well, as QB Tony Romo found his old reliable TE Witten for a 1st down. Then, he recognized the Redskins blitz to found WR Bryant on a quick throw, and Dez did the rest, as he passed the CB on a nice inside-outside move and scored a huge 65 yard TD, as the Cowboys leaded by 3, 10-7. The Skins went 3 and outs and Dallas continued to excel in offense. RB Murray dominated this drive, as he caught and ran very well to enter the Washington red zone. Then, Tony Romo went to his favorite red zone target, as he found WR Bryant on a superb play action, play action who is possible because the D is so afraid of RB Murray. Dez Bryant caught the 23 yard pass from his QB, even if the call was for an incomplete pass at the beginning. On the replay it looks like the former Oklahoma State guys had both feet in bounds and the refs called it a TD, as Dallas leaded 17-7. Washington went again 3 and outs and Dallas put up once again a solid drive, as WR Beasley was found 2 times by Romo and Murray ran some good routes : Bailey kicked a field goal after the Cowboys QB couldn’t connect with Witten up the middle on 3rd and 8. On the very next play, Dallas went tricky, as K Bailey tried an onside kick and SS Church recovered the football, as Dallas earned an other possession. 2 straight penalties by the Skins D backs helped Romo enter the red zone, and he let DeMarco Murray finish the drive, as the RB followed his O Line and scored a 9 yard TD. With this run, he sets single season rushing record for the Dallas Cowboys, as he passed Emmitt Smith, so congrats to him ! RGIII touched finally the football and he drove his team well, as the former Baylor superstar complete some 3rd down and RB Morris got involved both on the running game and the passing game. DC kicked a field goal, as Griffin III couldn’t find RB Helu on his left. 27-10 Dallas was the score at the half.
Both D showed up in the 3rd, as Dallas went 3 and out 2 times and Washington couldn’t manufacture good plays on offense, especially in the Cowboys territory. On a huge 4 and 1 at the Dallas 7, RGIII tried to find WR Garcon on a quick slant, but the Cowboys D show up and pass rusher Carter intercepted the ball. Romo did nothing with ball and the Redskins were again in the opposite territory, but their QB made an other mistakes, as he found once again Bruce Carter instead of WR Roberts. The ball rebounded of WR Roberts, who was by the way really well cover by the Dallas CB and finally picked a second time by the Cowboys pass rusher. But Griffin fought back and drove once again in to the Dallas end zone. And finally he did what he needed to do, as he scrambled to his left to score a nice TD, as Dallas leaded now 27-17. Tempers flared a little bit as WR Garcon kicked a Cowboys defender : this is a big rivalry so that’s understandable. Romo responded very well as he found WR Williams on a superb 51 yard pass to enter the Skins territory, and this was a big play on 3rd and 16. Bailey kicked an other field goal to make this one a 13pt ballgame. And RGIII’s problems reappeared, as he was sacked by DT McClain and fumbled the football, football who was recovered and took to the end zone for a TD by DE Spencer. TE Reed fumbled the football once again for the Redskins and Dallas extended his lead, as backup RB Randle broke a couple of tackles and scored a superb 63 yard TD, as Dallas win this game in Washington 44-17.
Dallas is really on a roll right now, as they are perfect in the month of December. RB Murray and WR Bryant broke a pair of prestigious franchise records, as the entire Cowboys team maintaining momentum heading into its first postseason appearance since 2009. Jason Garrett didn’t give his starters some rest, as Dallas started the game fast and scored on their first 5 possessions. The Cowboys will face the Lions next week in a NFC Wild Card game, and this should be a superb game, as the great Dallas offense will face one of the best defense in the country. Washington had his chances in this one, as Griffin threw for a career high 336 yards, but he had his issues with 3 turnovers. My MVP of this game goes to WR Dez Bryant, who had just 4 receptions but made them counts with 99 yards and 2 superb TD.

With the collaboration of Alan Guillou

NFL: NY Giants vs Philadelphia Eagles macthup analysis

This 2 teams are eliminated for the postseason but this a rivalry game and this ballgame should be good. We will maybe see the last game for Mark Sanchez as the Philly QB, as we dont know if Chip Kelly will prefer him or Foles, who was so good last season. This 2 D are not so great, especially against the pass, so look for a tone of big plays, as both franchises have some great playmakers like WR Jeremy Maclin for the Eagles or rookie star WR Odell Beckham JR for NY. The Philly D is good against the run, as guys like DT Cox or OLB Barwin are very good to stop opposite RB. Rookie RB Andre Williams will have a tough task in this one, but Philly is I’m sure so disappointing to not go to the postseason that they will not be so motivated. They were so good early on, but the offense of Chip Kelly is really more known by opposite defensive coordinator that she become less dangerous. QB Manning has been good lately, thanks a lot to the amazing season of ODB, as the former LSU Tigers is coming off 5 TD in his last 2 ballgames.
Who has the edge analysis role by role
QB : TIE
RB : Eagles
WR : NY
TE : Eagles
O-LINE : Eagles
D-Line : Eagles
LB : Eagles
CB : NY (even if Prince Amukamara is out)
SS : Eagles
K : NY
ST : Eagles

Im going with Philly to win this game, as I suppose they will run the football and thrive in this one. There will be a lot of points, as we have a tone of playmakers on the field, and the 2 defenses are bang up. QB Sanchez needs to show that he could remain the starter next season even if Foles come back. I think RB McCoy will thrive in this football game, and the X Factor will be the Giants WR Preston Parker and Rueben Randle because ODB will be double covered by SS Malcolm Jenkins.

With the collaboration of Alan Guillou

NFL: Green Bay Packers vs Detroit Lions matchup analysis

The undefeated Packers at home will host the Lions to decide who will win the NFC North division, both teams recently alternated great games to other a way under their possibilities so it'll be interesting watch their approaches of this game.

The keys for the Lions offensively will be to have an accurate Stafford who can provide Tate and Megatron playable balls to attack the good Packers secondary using the size advantage that Megatron will have on every Packer in this game, being able to run the foorball with good success despite the absence of the suspended C Dominic Raiola to force Clay Matthews to play more MLB position then ROLB to keep him away from Stafford to give him less pressure. On defense the can count on an awesome front 7 that will be the key to stop Lacy on the ground and Rodgers on the air...Rodgers on the air? yes...because if he'll have the necessary time to pass the ball down field the Lions doesn't have that kind of CBs to stop Nelson and Cobb and especially in Lambeau this is a huge problem.

The Packers on offense must provide goo protection to Rodgers especially inside with the 2 Guards Sitton and Lang not at 100% will have to do a great job against the standard pressure of Suh & Co. and also take take of inside blites by Lions' LBs, their running game won't produce so much but will be important to continue to run the ball even if it won't work because the play actions will be a key for Rodgers to take away especially FS Glover Quinn who is 1 of the best in the business this season from the passing game. On defense they absolutely must double cover Megatron with Williams and Burnett and force Stafford to be uncofortable passing to Tate 1 on 1 against Shield and to his TEs, they have to keep calm and not blitzing Stafford too much especiallty when Bush in on the field because screens and draws should kill them. Their 2-4-5 basic nickle defense will provide them huge advantage to stop the passes but don't forget about Joique Bell that with just 2 DTs on the field should be so good in inside runs.

My finals result prediction is: Packers 31 Lions 34 with Megatron as the MVP and Clay Matthews as the X-Factor whou could change the game. hard to predict who will win but i'm sure this will be the match of the week because this 2 teams hate each other and the price for this win is so high!

NCAA basketball games 28/12/14

Buffalo/Wisconsin (6) : Wisconsin by 13.5

Stony Brook/Washington (13) : Washington by 9.5

Tulane/St/ John's (17) : St. John's by 6.5

South Dakota State/UNI (23) : UNI by 4.5

Cent. Conn. St/UConn : UConn by 9.5

Long Beach State/Syracuse : Syracuse by 7.5

UCLA/Alabama : UCLA by 5.5

With the collaboration of Alan Guillou

NBA games picks 28/12/14

Detroit Pistons/Cleveland Cavaliers : Cleveland by 3.5

Houston Rockets/San Antonio Spurs : Houston by 2.5

OKC Thunder/Dallas Mavericks : Dallas by 1.5

New York Knicks/Portland Trailblazers : Portland by 6.5

Toronto Raptors/Denver Nuggets : Toronto by 2.5

Phoenix Suns/Los Angeles Lakers : Phoenix by 4.5

With collaboration of Alan Guillou

NFL: San Francisco 49ers vs Arizona Cardinals matchup analysis

The 9ers will host the Cardinals after the heartbreaking loss against the Chargers last saturday, SF will play just to their pride exactly the opposite of AZ who will play to get the 1st seed in the NFC with some help from other fields.

The Cards will let play the 4th QB on the depth chart L.Thomas at the place of struggling QB Lindley who made 2 straight awful losing starts, none doesn't know how Thomas will be on an NFL field and along with the absence of Ellington will be difficult for them to attack the very good 9ers defense but fortunately for the Cards the SF's defense will be very short handed due to the new absences after the notorious ones from earlier in the season, yes because even FS Reid and MLB Borland won't play in the last game of this season and also LOLB Brooks is questionable. It's so difficult to say who will win the battle between SF defense and AZ offense due to the quantity of important injuries on both sides but i still think SF has a lil edge in this fight. On the other side Kaepernick will need to pass the ball so much more than he usually does because  he will face 1 of the best defenses against the runs in the NFL but at the same time 1 of the worst against the passes because even the defensive backs play committed to the run, so the best to attack them are play actions and screens something that Kaepernick can do so well, he also need to target more his TE Vernon Davis who can be a nightmare for the Cards defense with his lethal mix of size and speed.
WHO HAS THE EDGE ANALYSIS ROLE BY ROLE
QB: SF
RB: SF
WR: AZ
TE: SF
O-LINE: SF
D-LINE AZ
LB: SF 
CB: AZ
S: AZ
K: TIE
ST: TIE

My prediction for the final result is: 49ers 20 Cardinals 19 with Kaepernick as the MVP and Patrick Peterson as the X-factor who could change the game. I think this will be an hard battle for both of those teams but i think SF has a slight edge due to AZ key absences in QB and RB positions.

NCAA Basketball: Kentucky Wildcats 58 Louisville Cardinals 50 recap and analysis

The battle for the state crown, as two undefeated teams met up at the KFC Yum! Center on sunday afternoon. The Kentucky Wildcats, maybe the most impressive team in the country visited their state rival, the Louisville Cardinals of Rick Pitino.

The 1st half was just a battle of 2 strong defense, as both offense really struggled. The Wildcats shot 37% and they were very in trouble with the Cards pressure, as Louisville forced 10 turnovers in the 1st half. But Kentucky was superb on D, as they hold Louisville to just 21% of success, as Chris Jones was not on his game : the combination of Chris Jones and Terry Rozier went just 2/13 in the 1st half, then this is normally a superb outside scoring duo. Even PF Harrell was very in trouble with the Wildcats big guys like C Johnson and Cauley-Stein. Kentucky had just 1 player with more than 1 buckets, as freshman PG Trey Lyles was good and connected 3 times on mid range jumper. The trees of Kentucky was so huge as they out rebound the Cards by 9. A put back jam by PF Marcus Lee and a 3 by SG Devin Booker made this one a 4pt game at the half : Kentucky leaded 22-18.

The second half started with a great steal by C Cauley-Stein against Montrezl Harrell, as the junior picked the ball and finished with a vicious two hand slam. But Louisville was better, as Terry Rozier and Wayne Blackshear started a quick run for the Cards and they were just down by 2. But the freshman class of Kentucky got back on track and they were superb on their first true road game. Karl Anthony Towns was great inside, SG Booker showed some outside success and PG Ullis was huge, as he drained a couple of big 3’s and he really handle the ball well for the Wildcats. Louisville was unable to get back, as the Kentucky D was rocking on saturday. But Louisville stayed in this game thanks to his defense, but a couple of offensive boards by PF Towns and a huge 3 point shot by Aaron Harrison killed the game. The Wildcats hits their free throw late and they finally win by 8, 58-50.

This was really an intense game and both defense had a huge performance. Louisville hold Kentucky and his great offense to just 58 points, but the squad of Calipari did better, as they hold the Cards to a season law 50. The ability to escape from the Cards press was the key for Kentucky, even if they had a tone of turnovers. The Wildcats out rebound Louisville by 14 and they collected 16 offensive boards. We saw also in this game I think the limits of PF Harrell, as he really struggled against the Wildcats big guys, and his absence of post moves are too hard to handle : you cannot succeed against top opponents if you play just with your energy and your physical abilities. I give my MVP to all the Kentucky’s freshman, as Lyles, Ullis, Booker and Towns combined for 39 of the 58 points for the Wildcats, and they picked the slack of their teammates who in part struggled, especially the Harrison twins.

With the collaboration of Alan Guillou

NFL: Washington Redskins vs Dallas Cowboys matchup analysis

The winners of the NFC East division the Dallas Cowboys will travel to the FedEx Field in Landover to face the team who gave them an huge favor beating at home the Eagles ti kill their chances to win the division and go to playoffs but they will play tough especially RG3 to impress the coaching stuff and the front office to get a job next season. The Cowboys still in the race for the 1st seed in the NFC but to do that they must win this game and to do that they will need to attack them especially on the air and play a similar kind of game that they played against the Colts last week due to the tough Washington's defense against the runs especially the inside ones, so Romo's accurancy will be the major key for their success on this game along with the big advantage on outside matchups with Bryant and Williams a way over Street and Amerson. The Redskins safeties usually play committed to the runs so Romo should attack them deep with play action fakes, fly routes and double moves. On defense the biggest threat to face will be WR DeSean Jackson who had an huge game against the Eagles and along with Garcon will be so difficult to cover for the Cowboys d-backs but to avoid to allow big plays on the air putting pressure on Griffin something that always provide good results to the opponents of the Redskins in form of fumbles, pick 6 and other turnovers. If pass rushing wouldn't be able to get Griffin to minimize the damage i would say both safeties to be always ready to help over the top especially on Jackson.
The Redskins key to win offensively will be unpredictable, i mean be good to alternate north-south typical Morris' runs to play-action passes to red options to bootleg passes, if that will work and their o-line will make a good job they will not fall in 3rd and long situations that is a awful situations for them due to the RG3 inability to be a pocket passer. On defense they must continue to be tough against the run because against Murray and the great Cowboys o-line they must limit the damages and hit hard Murray to let him fumble the ball, avoiding to allow so much on the ground would give them a chance to stop the Dallas' offense forcing Kerrigan & Co. to be effective on obvious pass situations and this will be the only chance that they have to stop Cowboys' passing game.
My final result prediction is: Redskins 24 Cowboys 41 with Romo as the MVP and Kerrigan as the X-factor of the game who could change it with his pressure on Romo.

NFL: Denver Broncos vs Oakland Raiders matchup analysis

Denver has still something to play, as the Broncos need to hold on their 2nd place in the AFC behind the Patriots. With a win, they will earn a first round bye, but if they lose against the Raiders, they could drop of the 2nd spot if Cincy defeats the Steelers on sunday night.
Lately, Denver is running the football effectively thanks to a great RB Anderson, who is so good since Ronnie Hillman in injured. This new vision in the Broncos offense is good for the team but has some limits, as QB Peyton Manning is not doing well. Some say that his arm is not the same or that he’s too old and everything like this, but thats not the problem. The main problem is that his weapons are bang up : WR Welker is no more the same player and TE Thomas is playing not at 100%. The TE was the reason why the Broncos and Manning were superb last year and in the early season, as the former basketball player is essential for Manning because he’s a great middle of the field target. He’s very effective on the outside too and very useful out of play action with his combination of speed and strength. And Denver will need him and all the weapons in their offense, as Oakland has play very good football lately on the defensive side, especially against the run. Rookie pass rusher Mack is just a beast and guys like DE Tuck or linebacker Armstrong are good and last week, they hold the Bills to 13 yards in 13 carries. So Manning will have to be effective, and he needs to be better than his past few games, where he has thrown just 10 TD for 8 picks. But I think the Broncos D will take the ballgame early and they will bring a lot of trouble for rookie QB Carr. NT Knighton is just a beast to stop the run, as RB Murray will have a tough task. Miller and Ware will bring pressure to Carr and I think he will have trouble in Denver, where the weather could get difficult. The secondary has been great too for Jack Del Rio, as CB Talib and Harris are great and both Pro-Bowl selections.
Oakland is playing great defense as I said but their offense is too limited to matchup with the Broncos in Denver. They could take the Bills as an great exemple I think, because Buffalo was so great on D against Manning 2 weeks ago. Oakland has the weapons to coutain the running game of Anderson, but I think their secondary is I suppose to limited, even if SS Woodson has been great lately. On offense, they absolutely need Carr to be effective and avoid quick 3 and outs, as his TE Rivera need to be a good weapon up the middle. WR James Jones is a good red zone target for the young QB, but overall, Carr will have a tough task going up against a good Broncos D. RB Latavius Murray absolutely need to hold the ball well and create 3rd and short situations, but the matchup is really difficult for the guy out of UCF.
Im taking the Broncos winning this football game, but this will not be as easy as people think. The Raiders D is great lately, the same for the Broncos one. But Manning need to bounce back from his last performance against the Bengals, as the former Colts needs to show that he could have a clean game before the postseason start. I think the Denver front 7 will thrive in this one and they will earn my MVP vote, as TE Julius Thomas will be the X Factor because he’s a great weapon for Manning, even if he has not been in the game plan lately.

With the collaboration of Alan Guillou

UFC 182: Jones vs Cormier

Jones vs Cormier / Cormier by KO

Cerrone vs Jury / Cerrone by KO

Tavares vs Marquardt / Marquardt by decision

Horiguchi vs Gaudinot / Gaudinot by decision

Lombard vs Burkman / Lombard by KO

Castillo vs Felder / Castillo by decision

Brimage vs Gardbrandt / Brimage by KO

Jordan vs Cannonier / Jordan by KO

NCAA football BOWL picks

(15) Arizona State/Duke : Arizona State by 4.5


Nebraska/USC (24) : USC by 6.5


Cincinnati/Virginia Tech : Virginia Tech by 2.5


Miami/South Carolina : Miami by 3.5


Boston College/Penn State : Boston College by 5.5

With the collaboration of Alan Guillou

NCAA basketball picks 27/12/14

(1) Kentucky/Louisville (4) : Kentucky by 3.5


(8) Gonzaga/BYU : Gonzaga by 5.5


Oakland/Maryland (15) : Maryland by 11.5


UAB/North Carolina (20) : North Carolina by 13.5


Wright State/Ohio State (21) : Ohio State by 10.5


(24) Colorado State/New Mexico State : Colorado State by 8.5


Georgetown/Indiana : Indiana by 6.5

With the collaboration of Alan Guillou

NBA games picks 27/12/14

Toronto Raptors/Los Angeles Clippers : Los Angeles by 1.5


Orlando Magic/Charlotte Hornets : Charlotte by 3.5


Boston Celtics/Washington Wizards : Washington by 5.5


Memphis Grizzlies/Miami Heat : Memphis by 3.5


New Orleans Pelicans/Chicago Bulls : Chicago by 3.5


Indiana Pacers/Brooklyn Nets : Brooklyn by 3.5


Atlanta Hawks/Milwaukee Bucks : Atlanta by 2.5


Philadelphia 76ers/Utah Jazz : Utah by 4.5


New York Knicks/Sacramento Kings : Sacramento by 2.5


Minnesota Timberwolves/Golden State Warriors : Golden State by 8.5

With the collaboration of Alan Guillou

NFL: Atlanta Falcons vs Carolina Panthers matchup analysis

The NFC South title on the line, as the Falcons host the Panthers on sunday afternoon. Carolina is coming off 3 straight win and Atlanta is coming off a superb win on the road, in New Orleans against Drew Brees and the Saints. The winner of this game will go to the postseason, even if both of this teams have a losing record and teams like the Eagles or SF have better records.
Matt Ryan and the Falcons are very good lately, especially on D to countain the opposite running game. Their front 7 is huge and strong, as DT Jackson and Soliai are superb to stop the run, the same for the 2 Falcons pass rushers, Paul Worrilow and Joplo Bartu. They clearly stopped the best RB in the business two weeks ago, as Le’Veon Bell was ineffective for the Steelers. Last week, they were great against Mark Ingram, a pretty good RB. Carolina need to run the football well to be good, and the ATL D is ready to stop the Panthers big RB, as Stewart, Tolbert and even Cam Newton will have trouble to run the football I suppose. On the offensive end, well Matt Ryan is a good QB, especially at home were he thrives in the Georgia Dome. He’s a superb tight pocket QB and he can count with a lot of weapons. He has WR Jones and White on the outside, WR Douglas on the slot and even Devin Hester, who is great in screens play. RB Jackson is out but Atlanta can really relie on rookie RB Devonta Freeman, who is good both at running and catching the football, as the former Seminoles was superb last week against the Saints.
On the Panthers side, well they are on a great streak and a lot because they are doing what you are suppose to do as a football team : they run the football and they play D. In the last 4 weeks, nobody had run for more yard than RB Jonathan Stewart, as Carolina is doing a lot of read option and opposite D are afraid of the running ability of QB Newton. TE Olsen and WR Benjamin are 2 superb options for Newton, as they will face not a pretty bad secondary, especially Benjamin, who torched CB Trufant in the first meeting of the season in Charlotte. Carolina is playing better defense, highlighted by Luke Kuechly and guys like Thomas Davis, Charles Johnson. The rookies in the secondary are playing not so bad, but I think they will trouble in this game, as Matt Ryan love to take huge shots for Julio Jones, especially at home.
Im taking Atlanta winning this game and going to the postseason. Their offense is playing really well and their D is superb to stop opposite running game. Matt Ryan is a superb QB throwing in the tight pocket and the young Panthers secondary will have trouble matching up against all of the Falcons weapons. If Carolina want to win, well they need to run the football a lot and well, as Cam Newton become more dangerous when his RB are good. Im going with Julio Jones as the MVP and Jonathan Stewart as the X Factor, as he needs to be great for Mike Rivera and the Panthers.

With the collaboration of Alan Guillou

NHL games picks 27/12/14

NY Islanders @ Buffalo Sabres / NYI / over 5.5

Detroit Red Wings @ Ottawa Senators / Ott / over 5.5

Carolina Hurricanes @ TB Lighting / TB / over 5.5

NJ Devils @ NY Rangers / NYR / under 5.5

Boston Bruins @ Columbus Blue Jackets / Bos / under 5.5

Winnipeg Jets @ Minnesota Wild / Min / under 5.5

Washington Capitals @ Pittsburgh Penguins / Pit / over 5.5

Dallas Stars @ STL Blues / STL / over 5.5

Phila Flyers @ Nashvile Predators / Nas / under 5.5

Anaheim Ducks @ AZ Coyotes / Ana / under 5.5

Chicago Blackhawks @ Colorado Avalanche / Chi / over 5.5

Edmonton Oilers @ Calgary Flames / Edm / under 5.5

SJ Sharks @ LA Kings / LA / under 5.5

NBA: Boston Celtics 107 vs Brooklyn Nets 109 recap and analysis

The Nets visited the TD Garden and the Boston Celtics in this Atlantic division game.
Brooklyn took an early 9-4 lead thanks to 7 quick points by SG Karasev and by some good defense inside by PF Garnett and C Plumlee. But Jeff Green started his day and scored 12 in the 1st quarter, as the Celtics attack began to play really well, especially in transition, as Brad Stevens squad love to shoot early from distance and get quickly in the paint : 29-28 Boston was the score after 1 period. The Nets bench was big in the 2nd, as SG Anderson and Deron Williams contributed for Brooklyn. « D-Will » was starting on the bench for Lionel Hollins, as Jarrett Jack was on the starting lineup and he showed why, as he finished the 1st half with 11pts and 4 dimes. A pair of threes by rookie Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley made this one a close ballgame, as we were tied at halftime 56-56.
Boston was very good in the 3rd, as they were better on D and Jeff Green continued to be good for the C’s. They used a 13-2 run midway into the 3rd to grab a 10pts lead, as Bradley was good ans even rookie PG Marcus Smart showed his aggressiveness and his good defensive abilities. SG Williams drained a superb shot at the buzzer of the 3rd to reduce this one to a 7 point game, as Boston leaded 86-79 after 3 quarters. Boston extended his lead at the start of the 4th as PF Bass came off the bench to score 2 quick buckets and Kelly Olynyk was useful too, as the former Gonzaga Bulldogs scored 11 total in the game. But Brooklyn came back thanks to his bench, as Alan Anderson and Mirza Teletovic were great. Anderson, the former Michigan State Spartans drained a pair of clutch 3’s. They were down by 11 and they used a 15-4 run to get back to this game. Boston responded well, as PF Sullinger scored 5 quick points, as the Celtics took a 104-101 lead with 2min to play. After a superb defensive possession by Boston, highlighted by a great effort by Jeff Green on former C’s Joe Johnson, the Nets grabbed a huge ball and SG Anderson drained a huge 3 at the buzzer of the possession to tie the game. With 30 seconds to go, PG Jack took the game on his shoulders and he used a nice pick by sophomore C Mason Plumlee to connect on a mid range jumper to give Brooklyn the 2pt advantage. Boston had his chance lately but Evan Turner really badly managed 2 crucial possessions, as the former 76ers forced his shoot instead of create a good play, and even Sullinger was free from 3 but Turner decided to do it by himself. Joe Johnson splits a pair of free-throws so Boston had still a chance, as the C’s were down by 2 with 1sec to play and no timeouts. Gerald Wallace took the costume of the QB and found Sullinger on a hail mary, but the former Buckeyes couldn’t hit the turn around jumper : Brooklyn came back in the 4th and hold the ball game, as Lionel Hollins and his squad win it 109-107.
My MVP to this game is clearly Jarrett Jack, as the former Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets was superb and scored 27 big points.

With the collaboration of Alan Guillou

NFL: KC Chiefs vs SD Chargers matchup analysis

Playoffs' bound in Arrowed Stadium this week, the unpredictable SD Chargers will travel strong of their awesome comeback win in SF on Saturday to a face the struggling KC Chiefs who will play without their starting QB Alex Smith out with a lacerated spleen, this will be an huge loss from them that will aggravated their situation and also their chances to go in the postseason.

The Chargers need to play as they did is the 2nd half of the game against the 9ers and avoid the silly mistakes that they did in the 1st half with a disastrous defense against the run, Rivers' bad passing decisions, embarrassing blocks by the entire o-line and even bad calls by their coaching stuffs. Rivers

need to be protected a way better than last games because he's playing with huge problems on his back that will require an off-season's surgery and especially against 2 awesome pass rushers like Houston and Hali it will be a key factor for not only this game but even to an eventual playoffs appearance for them. The Chargers' running game will depend so much if HB Mathews will pay or not because against the 2nd ranked passing defense in the NFL their game will be an huge factor. On defense their attention will need to be on HB Jamal Charles that without QB Alex Smith he will take the majority of the Chiefs offensive responsibilities, meanwhile the front 7 will have a very tough day the secondary can relax themselves on passing game and help more against the running game especially to don't let the fast Charles turn the corner on outside runs.

The Chiefs can't play too committed to the runs because this is what the Chargers are looking for, so they will need a brave Chase Daniel who will be the starting QB, he will need to play out of the typical Smith way to pass the ball, so he has to target more his WRs to confuse the Chargers defense and gave them more things to be worried about. Their defense will be the major factor for the to win this game and they need to forced SD's offense to make turnovers and maybe get points out of them, the best way to do it will be a zone coverage secondary and blazing situations with their front 7 that against a struggling Chargers o-line won't need so much time to get Rivers.

My prediction for the final result is: Chiefs 13 Chargers 27 with Rivers as the MVP and Houston as the X factor who could change the game. With this win i guess the Chargers will get a very well deserve postseason's spot, i can't see the way the Chiefs can lose with all this injuries but to avoid surprises the Chargers need to play concentrated and play tough.

NFL week 17 picks

KC Chiefs vs SD Chargers / SD by 7.5 / under 43.5

TB Buccaneers vs NO Saints / NO by 3.5 / under 46.5

Miami Dolphins vs NY Jets / Mia by 5.5 / under 41.5

NY Giants vs Philadelphia Eagles / Phi by 4.5 / over 55.5

NE Patriots vs Buffalo Bills / NE by 3.5 / under 45.5

Baltimore Ravens vs Cleveland Browns / Bal by 4.5 / under 38.5

Washington Redskins vs Dallas Cowboys / Dal by 14.5 / over 60.5

Houston Texans vs Jacksonville Jaguars / Hou by 6.5 / under 43.5

Tennessee Titans vs Indianapolis Colts / Ind by 13.5 / over 49.5

Minnesota Vikings vs Chicago Bears / Min by 3.5 / over 48.5

SF 49ers vs AZ Cardinals / AZ by 2.5 / under 41.5

Denver Broncos vs Oakland Raiders / Den by 14.5 / over 46.5

Atlanta Falcons vs Carolina Panthers / ATL by 10.5 / over 49.5

GB Packers vs Detroit Lions / GB by 5.5 / over 58.5

Seattle Seahawks vs STL Rams / Sea by 14.5 / over 43.5

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cincinnati Bengals / Pit by 1.5 / over 45.5

NBA games picks 26/12/14

Brooklyn Nets/Boston Celtics : Boston by 1.5

Cleveland Cavaliers/Orlando Magic : Cleveland by 4.5

Milwaukee Bucks/Atlanta Hawks : Atlanta by 6.5

Indiana Pacers/Detroit Pistons : Detroit by 1.5

Houston Rockets/Memphis Grizzlies : Houston by 1.5

San Antonio Spurs/New Orleans Pelicans : San Antonio by 2.5

Charlotte Hornets/OKC Thunder : OKC by 4.5

Los Angeles Lakers/Dallas Mavericks : Dallas by 5.5

Minnesota Timberwolves/Denver Nuggets : Denver by 2.5

Philadelphia 76ers/Portland Trailblazers : Portland by 6.5

Phoenix Suns/Sacramento Kings : Sacramento by 1.5

With the collaboratin of Alan Guillou

NBA Christmas: Miami Heat 101 Cleveland Cavaliers 91 recap and analysis #merryxmas

LeBron James returned to the AAA to face his former team who gave him 2 rings, with Bosh out due to an injury the Cavs started with a small starting 5 with Marion as PF to matchup better with their opponents. Right from the beginning the heat have been so aggressive especially on the offensive side

go so often to the rim, Dwayne Wade on the 1st quarter shown an impressive energy despite his injuries exactly the opposite of LBJ who started soft being focused on passing the ball and put on rhythm. Miami got a consistent lead due to a Cleveland's defensive struggle missing the right times on rotations and they missed a lot of assignments. The start of the 2nd quarter has been full of errors because the 2 teams put on the field all the bench players, after the 1st 4-5 minutes the 1st quarter trends when the starters returned on the field lead by a show off Wade, he's able o do that due to the very high quality passes by all his teammates. The inability of the Cavs to stop Heat's offense along with too many isolation on offense made them fall behind 62-49 at the end of the 2nd quarter.

The 3rd quarter saw Wade FG % fell with a global 1-7 from the field and this seemed to afflict even his teammates that's why Cleveland got closer to them, the Heat luck of offense didn't came alone but it has been forced by a significant improvement by the entire Cavs' offense who conceded a way more fast transitions due to missed chances. At the beginning of the 4th quarter Cleveland seemed to take the control of the game playing a very intense defense that relied so much on helps and quick rotation by the way this energy compensated the quality and the technique that hasn't been good. Wade luck of shooting continued so he started to be the PG of the team began to distributing assists to his teammates, especially to Deng and Grangers who killed the game in last 3 minutes of the quarter.

Cleveland proved to be far to be a potential candidate for the rings, they need to make experience togheter and especially play tougher on defense, coach Blatt has the necessary times to work on his team's chemistry so don't count them out from the team who has a chance with other 2 big IF...if LBJ will fix his problems from the charity lines and if Love will improve his game especially being more a part of this system both offensively and defensively.

The Heat without Bosh proved to be a good team on both sides when they can rely on the energy and the health of their best players and i think they have the talents to do very well especially counting on a weak Eastern Conference. The MVP of this game has been SF Deng who came close the the triple double but even Wade played very well with an amazing 1st half.

NBA: LA Clippers vs Golden State Warriors matchup analysis

Warriors/Clippers : The main event of this superb Christmas day in the NBA, with two of the best teams in the NBA and in the West head to head at Staples Center. Clearly the absence of C Andrew Bogut will be a real issue for Golden State, as they need the Australian guy to contain Griffin and Jordan, even if PF Lee is returning from his injury. The battle of 2 superb point guard will be great to watch, as Steph Curry and Chris Paul will face off once again, as we all remember last season playoff series where Paul and the Clips knocked out Curry and the Warriors after such a superb series. Curry is on an other planet right now, as the Warriors PG is shooting the ball so well and he shared it too, a lot with his « Splash Brothers » partner, SG Klay Thompson, who is also so great in this season. The Clippers are better on D, as they paint is so physical and Matt Barnes is really good to contain opponents shooters. I see a dominance by Blake Griffin over Lee and guys like Green or Speights, as him and Jordan are too physical to handle for the Warriors. Jamal Crawford and Andre Iguodala are such 2 amazing weapons of the bench, as this game will I think be a high scoring affair between 2 great attacks. I see the Clippers winning this game, as their inside players will thrive. The Warriors live with their outside success and that could be really be a limit for them, as this was their inability to score inside that eliminated them last season against the same Clips in the postseason.

With the collaboration of Alan Guillou