A Change of Plan

When basketball is around the corner, we know that a potential new NBA champion is on the rise. June marks the last month of the NBA playoffs, a four round series in which eliminated teams are sent home. In each of these playoff series, the winner moves on when he has won 4 of the 7 games. The 7 games are played accordingly to who had the better record, with the weaker team having one less home game. But is this the best for everyone? Should there be a playoff format change when 7 games are just too much? A lot can happen in 7 games and it puts pressure only when 2 games have been lost by a particular team. The NBA playoffs are too long in my opinion and it can be very boring at times.

To further explain my point, the NBA playoff is like a show that is run basketball and over. There is a pregame talk about the players and more, when it can all be done in several games at most. While hyping up the playoffs is okay, there should be fewer games. There should only be 4 or 5 games so that the pressure is quickly on a team to win. It also makes each game count more and is more interesting when there are fewer games played. The NCAA is very interesting because there is a one rule elimination game. In order to become the champion, you have to win all of your games without dropping any of them.

The NCAA is very interesting as a result of their format. It puts that much more pressure on things to be done well the first time. There is also more meaning to each game because it counts. Meanwhile, the NBA has so many games that it makes each game almost meaningless unless a team is close to losing the series.

If the NBA playoffs format is changed it will not benefit any team. It will be the same rules and formatting for each and every team in the playoffs. They will have to adapt to the rules and will have to play more effective. It will make the NBA something to watch again.

NBA fan
By Jonathan T Chin

Meet 26 of the NCAA Basketball Conference Or League Champions - Find Out Who Didn't Win

Twenty-six of 31 NCAA Basketball league or conference titles were settled Monday (3-9-09). Twenty-three teams won outright championships, 3 wound up in ties with other teams, and playoffs will decide the other 5. Here is the scorecard:

The Dominators

Teams that won outright league titles by a 2-game-or-more-advantage included 2nd-ranked North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 13-3 mark and an overall record of 27-3. The Tar Heels were 14-1 basketball home. Two other teams also only lost once at home-Wake Forest and Duke-but neither could begin to match North Carolina's 8-2 road performance.

Eighth-ranked Michigan State took the Big Ten title with a 15-3 mark and a 4-game winning advantage. The Spartans were 25-5 overall with a 12-2 home showing and a killer 9-1 road record. Indiana was 1-17 in conference play, begging the question: Where are the real clowns who sent Bobby Knight packing?

Fourteenth-ranked Gonzaga ran the table in West Coast Conference play with a perfect 14-0 mark and a 4-game winning advantage. The Zags were 25-5 overall with a sterling 9-1 road record.

Utah State won the Western Athletic title with a 14-2 mark and a 3-game winning advantage. The Aggies were 27-4 overall with a perfect 17-0 home record.

Weber State (21-8 overall) won the Big Sky with a 15-1 mark and a 4-game winning advantage. Radford (21-11 overall) won the Big South with a 15-3 mark. Butler (26-4 overall) took the Horizon title with a 15-3 record. Cornell (21-9 overall) won the Ivy League with an 11-3 mark and a 3-game winning advantage. Siena (25-7 overall) won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference with a 16-2 and a perfect 16-0 home record.

Morgan State (20-11 overall) won the Mid-Eastern Conference with a 13-3 mark and a 3-game winning advantage. Robert Morris (23-10) won the Northeast with a 15-3 mark and 3-game winning advantage. American University (23-7) won the Patriot League with a 13-1 mark. North Dakota State (24-6) took the Summit League with a 16-2 mark.

All You Need Is One More Win

Teams that won outright titles by a 1-game advantage included 6th-ranked Louisville in the Big East with a 16-2 mark and an overall record of 25-5. No. 3-ranked Pittsburgh (28-3 overall) was a runner-up with a perfect 19-0 record at home but could not match Louisville's 8-1 road mark. Top-ranked Connecticut was also a runner-up and had a 27-3 record, but Louisville took home the trophy.

Ninth-ranked Kansas won the Big 12 with a 14-2 and an 18-1 home record. The Jayhawks were 25-6 overall. Fifteenth-ranked Missouri was third with a perfect 18-0 mark at home but could not win when it really counted.

Sixteenth-ranked Washington won the Pacific 10 (Pac 10) title with a 14-4 mark and an 18-1 home record. The outright championship was the Huskies' first in 56 years. Washington was 24-7 overall. The basketball started the year at 3-3 and then went 21-4.

Seventeenth-ranked Xavier (24-6 overall) won the Atlantic 10 title with a 12-4 mark and was 14-1 at home. Dayton, a runner-up, was a perfect 18-0 at home but the Flyers lost more games than they won on the road.

Jacksonville (18-3 overall) won the Atlantic Sun with a 15-5 mark. Cal State Northridge (15-13 overall) won the Big West title with an 11-5 mark even though Cal State was 5-11 on the road. Virginia Commonwealth (23-9) won the Colonial Athletic Conference with a 14-4 mark. Runner-up George Mason (22-9) was a perfect 14-0 at home but lost more games than it won on the road.

Tulsa (22-9) won the Conference USA title with a 12-4 mark. Tennessee-Martin (22-9) won the Ohio Valley championship with a 14-4 mark. Alabama State (19-9) won the Southwestern Athletic title with a 16-2 mark. Runner-up Jackson State was a perfect 9-0 at home but a terrible 6-13 on the road.

A Tie Is Better Than Runner-Up

Among the teams that tied for a title were Brigham Young (24-6), Utah (21-9) and New Mexico (21-10). All three went 12-4 for a 3-way tie in the Mountain West Conference.

Vermont (23-8) and Binghamton (22-8) both went 13-3 to tie for the America East title.

Creighton (26-7) and Northern Iowa (23-10) both went 14-4 to tie for the Missouri Valley championship.

Several Titles Are Still Undecided

Among the conferences with divisional champions but not league or conference champions are the Mid-American Conference that has East Champion Buffalo (19-10 overall) and West Champion Ball State (13-16 overall). The Southeastern (SEC) Conference has South Carolina (21-8) and Tennessee (19-10) as East Champions and LSU (25-6) as the West Champion.

The Southern Conference has Chattanooga (17-16) as the North Champion and Davidson (26-7) as the South Champion. The Southland Conference has Stephen F. Austin (21-7) as the East Champion and Sam Houston State (18-11) as the West Champion. The Sun Belt has Western Kentucky (22-8) as the East Champion and Arkansas-Little Rock (23-7) as the West Champion.

League playoffs are underway and the NCAA National Championship Tournament (better known as March Madness) will start March 19 after a play-in game to determine the 64th team to complete the bracket for the single-elimination tournament.

Copyright 2009 Ed Bagley

Read my articles on track and field, cross-country and distance running, including:

"Updated USA Prep Track & Field Records and the New Best 2008 Top Performers"

"2009 Simplot Games Showcase the Nation's Top High School Track and Field Talent"

"National Indoor Middle Distance USA High School Track Records - What It Takes to Be the Best"

"Several Track and Field Girl Athletes Prove Their Great Sportsmanship and Substance - Playing Sports Builds Character"

"Running: There Is an Inescapable Correlation Between Your Weight and Your Cardiovascular Efficiency - Part 5"

"Arthur Lydiard, the World's Greatest Middle Distance Coach, on How to Train Effectively"

"Washington's 2 Freshmen Lead Women to the 2008 National Cross-Country Title"

"Kathryn Martin Dominates on the Track at the 2008 USATF National Masters Meet"

"USA Middle Distance Outdoor Records for Male Super Master Runners Ages 50-74"

Find my Blog at: http://www.edbagleyblog.com
http://www.edbagleyblog.com/Sports.html

Is Your Comfort Zone Clouding Your Vision

We are creatures of habit. From the moment we wake up and start our morning routines, we go through certain paces that are programmed into our brains. In fact, if you stopped basketball think about what you're doing, you might throw everything out of whack. What if you reversed the order or your morning hygiene or put on a sock and a shoe, one at a time, instead of both socks and then both shoes - or vice versa? What if you took an alternate route to work? Would life as you know it be completely changed? Probably not. In fact, you might enjoy shaking things up here and there.

So here's a suggestion. Step outside your comfort zone and read something other than the regular type of comic book you are accustomed to buying. Pick up something that you would never have considered before. A friend of mine told me that, a few years ago, he bought a copy of "The Walking Dead". This is definitely unusual for Nathan, who swears (and I believe him) that he is not a zombie-loving kind of guy or even a horror fan. So why would he invest his precious time in something so far out of his regular genre? Well, Robert Kirkman, one of Nathan's favorite writers, and Tony Moore, a great illustrator, was the team for the series, which was launched in 2003 (Image Comics). So he grabbed "The Walking Dead #1". And he has been hooked ever since.

In the case of "The Walking Dead", you really can't judge the book by its cover, or, well, its title. While many of you might assume that the title refers to zombies, Kirkman says he was actually referring to the living people who are always on the move from one destroyed city to another, trying to find more of their own and escape the zombies who are also roaming the post-apocalyptic planet. You can actually read a couple of issues without ever stumbling across one of the living dead creatures. It's about survival in the darkest of circumstances, when the people who have been part of your life become a mortal enemy and you don't know whom to trust.

Nathan discovered that this series was more about people, relationships, and adventures than about any superhero or flesh-eating creature. He trusted the skills of Kirkman as a writer. And he was rewarded with a gripping read and a set of characters (living and dead) that he could really enjoy.

What do you automatically reach for on the shelf? Do you pay attention to the authors and artists behind the stories? Would you be willing to make a commitment to a 22-page test drive with the possibility of uncovering some new story line that pulls you in like a super-magnet? Maybe you should start thinking like a comic book character and do something unexpected. Let's face it. Comfort zones rarely basketball in these books we love, right?

The author is the Admin of Herobits.com at http://www.herobits.com, where you can read about super heroes and check out the latest hero based card game and accessories. Enjoy the fantastic art of Herobit super heroes.

Florida Cruise Ships

MS Oasis of basketball Seas
Currently under construction, SM Oasis of the Seas is called to be the largest passenger cruise ship in the world. She will have 16 passenger decks, with 2,700 rooms and 28 state-of-the-art loft suits, which will host around 5,400 passengers. She also introduces the neighbourhood concept, similar to a theme park planning with seven districts to entertain different audiences: the Boardwalk, Royal Promenade, Central Park, Vitality, Pool and Sports Zone, Entertainment Place and Youth Zone. The main attractions featured are the amphitheatre, a carrousel and a zip-lining. Oasis of the Seas will be operating in the Caribbean, has been registered in Port Canaveral in Florida, and belongs to Royal Caribbean International.

MS Monarch of the Seas
Built in 1,991, SM Monarch of the Seas carries up to 2,800 passengers and at some point was considered the biggest in the world. She features two outdoor swimming pools and a basketball court, twin cinemas, a rock climbing wall and a spectacular sea atrium with glass elevators. The Monarch basketball half-week Bahamas cruises from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and is one of the three Royal Caribbean International's Sovereign class cruise ships.

MS Liberty of the Seas
The Liberty, a 4,370 passenger ship, currently sails the Caribbean from Miami, Florida. Finished in 2,007, she is one of the Freedom class and belongs to Royal Caribbean International. Amongst her main attractions, the full-size boxing ring, a surf park, volleyball/basketball court, an ice skating ring and an interactive water park. All rooms on board have been provided with flat panel TVs and the entire ship offers Wi-Fi access.

MS Freedom of the Seas
For several years, the MS Freedom of the Seas was the biggest cruise ship ever built, with 18 total decks. She could host 4,300 passengers plus 1,400 crew members and normally covers the Caribbean sailing from Miami Dade port. She features the first ever built Surf Park at sea, a massive rock-climbing wall, the H2O ZoneSM water park with ground geysers and cascading waterfalls. Freedom of the Seas is operated by Royal Caribbean International and belongs to the Freedom class.

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