Now that those lazy Sunday’s with our eyes glued to the TV set are just around the corner, the one thing that makes that experience a little bit more interesting is Fantasy Football and while we all have our hearts set on getting that No.1 pick/Adrian Peterson, getting a guy late in the draft that makes a big impact is just as exciting.

I’ll go through my top pick and sleeper for each position so you can all keep a close eye on your draft boards when the time comes

QUARTERBACKS

Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) – In his 3 seasons at New Orleans Brees has thrown for 13,910 yards and has 88 touchdowns to his name. You can expect Brees to have another big season with his solid receiving crew with Marques Colston and the versatile Reggie Bush returning from injury.  I’ve picked this guy up the last 2 seasons and he has done wonders for me. He has not missed a game since playing for the Saints and he has been a consistant player.

Other top picks: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb, Kurt Warner, Tony Romo

QB Sleeper Pick

Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) – Yes I know he is a rookie and all but the signs in camp so far have been positive for him and I believe if/when he gets the starting job, he will play pretty well. While he may not have the greatest weapons on offence, he has a good front five in front of him for protection and i really think that will be the difference between Sanchez and Stafford.

Other sleeper picks : Trent Edwards, Carson Palmer, Jason Campbell, Jake Delhomme, Matthew Stafford, Matt Ryan

RUNNINGBACKS

Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings) – Surprised? This kid is the real deal, I honestly don’t see why these Fantasy Football sites dont just automatically send him to the team with the first overall pick…..ok ok I know it depends on how your league is set up but he should be #1 in 99.9% of the draftboards. His only downside I can see is that he doesn’t get a whole lot of receiving yards but his rushing stats more then make up for that. I was honoured to get him in one of my leagues last season and I was smiling all season long

Other top picks : Frank Gore, Matt Forte, Brian Westbrook, Michael Turner

RB Sleeper Pick

Reggie Bush (New Orleans Saints) – I’ve noticed him drop pretty low in the draftboards so far but I think this will be his breakout year. We saw some great highlights from him last season until he was struck by injuries. If he manages to stay healthy all season long, his versatility and athleticism will get you plenty of points week in and week out.

Other sleeper picks – Julius Jones, Knowshon Moreno, Cedric Benson

WIDE RECEIVERS

Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals) – Everyone finally relised how good a receiver Fitzgerald is and it will be well worth to take him if you have the chance. His size and athleticsm puts him above most receivers and the fact that Anquan Boldin is on the other side means defenses can’t just focus on the one receiver.

Other top picks: Andre Johnson, Randy Moss, Reggie Wayne, Calvin Johnson, Steve Smith

WR Sleeper Pick

Anthony Gonzalez (Indianapolis Colts) – I’ve been a fan of his since he entered the league in 2007 and now that he is a full time starter I expect really big things from him. With Manning at the helm and Reggie Wayne getting most of the attention I really think this is a great pickup. Gonzalez is very quick and athletic and has played very well as the backup WR so far.

Other sleeper picks: Donnie Avery, Eddie Royal, Torry Holt, DeSean Jackson, Derrick Mason, Devin Hester

TIGHT ENDS

Jason Witten (Dallas Cowboys) – Witten and Romo have the best connection out of any QB/TE combo and Witten’s stats are a testiment to that. Now with T.O. gone, a bit more ball may go his way and I’m certain he will have another great season.

Other top picks: Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Owen Daniels, Dallas Clark

TE Sleeper Pick

Dustin Keller (New York Jets) – While TE isn’t a high concern for most owners, I thought I’d go with a guy who should be around towards the end of the draft. Keller had a good rookie year and should be a very good target for Sanchez and/or Clemens. With a bit more experience I think he will be a more consistent and better player and definately worht picking up if still available in the last couple of rounds.

Other sleeper picks: Jeremy Shockey, Anthony Fasano, Visanthe Shiancoe, Vernon Davis

KICKERS

Kickers are probably the least important position as there are a lot of good kickers and even then you don’t really start picking up these guys until rounds 7-8. Always keep in mind of form and if you can weather conditions for the games as there should always be good free agent kickers available.

The kickers you should think about getting as your starters are: Rob Bironas(Titans), Stephen Gostkowski(Patriots), David Akers(Eagles), Kris Brown(Texans)

DEFENCE

Pittsburgh Steelers – Great defensive team and what looks like a pretty easy schedule for them this season. This defence just works well and puts the hurt on opposing offences. The round to pick the D really depends on how your league is set up, so make sure to check the points chart and see whether it is worth forking out an early/mid pick for a great defence.

Other top picks: Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants

Defence Sleeper Pick

New England Patriots – A few new faces from what we’ve been accustomed too but you can’y deny the patriots as being a great all-round franchise. The offence should offer more ball control and scoring pressure while the experience on defence should make them one of the top D’s in the league.

Other sleeper picks: Green Bay Packers, San Diego Chargers

All the best of luck to all you fantasy owners out there and lets get ready for some FOOTBALL!!!

While most of the world is still trying to get back on it’s feet from the economic crisis, sports teams such as Real Madrid turn the other cheek and spend spend spend. This has been an off-season to remember with two of the biggest names in world soccer coming over to the Spanish side in record breaking deals. The Brazil and former AC Milan superstar Kaka was the first to join after Milan accepted a deal worth €65m.

After that deal I’m sure most people thought that was it, but Real Madrid had more players on their mind and more money to spend. After a long saga of rumours, on 26 June Manchester United accepted a deal for Cristiano Ronaldo worth roughly €93m. Even after these two big transfers, Real were not afraid to spend a little more money as they picked up young Frenchmen Karim Benzema from French side Lyon for €35m

Needless to say it has been a huge off-season and now we have to wait a few more weeks to see this stacked side play in competition. It will be interesting to see if all of this will pay off as their rivals Barcelona have also made some moves this off-season and look to defend their treble from last year which included the La Liga, Spanish Cup and Champions League.

M2’s second installment of Vintage Game of the Week seemingly renders the first installment “Vintage Game of the Month”. Apologies are in order for any eager readers that had to deal with my inherent slackness.

This week, we take a peek at one of the more fierce rivalries of the 1990’s. Two athletic, powerful teams in New York and Miami square off for a thrilling clash anchored by their big men, and two of the better centers of all time in Alonzo Mourning and Patrick Ewing. This wrap features the likes of Tim Hardaway, one of the great talents of the generation and responsible for your crush on Chris Paul.

Accompanying the presensce of Tim are Grandmama Larry Johnson, sharp shooters Dan Majerle & Allan Houston, and triple threat Jamal Mashburn. If those names, coupled with Voshon Lenard, P.J Brown, Bruce Bowen, Chris Childs, and John Starks don’t convince you that these teams were beasts, perhaps the digits 61 & 57 in the win columns will.

Coming out of high school, White was a highly recruited player, being pursued by top teams like Auburn, LSU, Kentucky and Mississippi State. But none of those teams thought that White could play QB at the college level. They either wanted him as a defensive back or a wide receiver or something of the sort. No one thought he had the talent to play QB. Until West Virginia came along. Former WVU coach Rich Rodriguez offered White a chance to play QB for the Mountaineers in his spread offense, and White graciously accepted.

Pat White had passed up a 6 figure salary with the Anaheim Angels, who had drafted him in the 4th round of the 2004 MLB Entry Draft, to play for the Mountaineers, so naturally Rich gave him plenty of playing time. Pat spent his Freshman season sharing time with Adam Bednarik up until the seventh game of the season. With West Virginia down 24-7 in the 4th Quarter, Pat White replaced a injured Bednarik to lead WVU to a 46-44 triple overtime victory. Pat White eventually led WVU to a 11-1 record and a BCS Bowl win over the heavily favored University of Georgia.

This wasn’t White’s only accomplishment though, together with Steve Slaton, Pat White became part of one of the most dynamic and feared duos in college sports. During White’s tenure at WVU, he set many records and became one of the greatest QBs in college football history and becoming the greatest running QB in history as well. He set the record for most rushing yards by a QB in a NCAA career, was a two-time Big East Offensive Player of the Year, was an All-American, a 3 time bowl MVP, and led the Mountaineers to a 4-0 record in bowl games, a feat no other starting QB has ever done. Yet with all these accomplishments, there was still doubt about him playing QB in the NFL.

After his Senior season, Pat White was named the Senior Bowl MVP and intended to attend the combine as a QB, and not a WR as many “experts” had predicted, the most notable being ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., who had said that Pat White will not be able to play QB at the NFL level. Of course they had good reasons to think so. Pat White is a small QB. He’s only 6 feet tall and weighs only 197 pounds. Not to mention he’s a rare lefty QB. Nonetheless, he received an invitation to the NFL Combine, and he shined. Pat White had one of the best combines for any participant, and had the best combine performance by a QB, co-winning the General Motors Top Combine Performer. Even with all this, people still doubted him. ESPN still listed him as a WR. Mel Kiper continued to say that the only position he would be playing in the NFL would be WR.

Draft day came around, and in the second round Pat White was selected by the Miami Dolphins with the 44th overall pick. It seemed obvious that Miami was bringing him in for the Wildcat formation and to essentially turn that into a spread offense. Yet Mel Kiper still said that he would only play WR for the Dolphins and take a few snaps in the Wildcat if he was lucky. All this talk came to a close when a Dolphins official stated that Pat White would run the Wildcat formation and even compete with Chad Henne and Chad Pennington for the starting job.

So what have we learned in the past half-decade? What have we learned from watching countless amounts of his games? What has he taught us? Simple. Don’t ever doubt him, because when you do doubt Pat White, you just look like an idiot. Why? Because he is the master of proving the world wrong, especially when only his team’s home state, West Virginia, believes in him.

FC Barcelona is one of the most prestigious football clubs in the world. It always seems to at the top of La Liga and seems to always be stacked with talent. Yet it always had it’s share of ups and downs. Especially recently.

Barcelona was at the top of the world after the 2005-2006 season. They had won La Liga and the Champions League. Ronaldinho was coming off a poor performance at the World Cup, but at the time none of that really mattered. They were still at the top of the world and intended to stay there. But just like that, open fueds began in the club. Everything seemed to be going downhill so suddenly. Many people would blame the U.S. Preseason tour for many of the club injuries that year to star players like Eto’o and Messi throughout the season. Ronaldinho was being criticized for supposedly partying all night and being out of shape. Despite this they remained in first place most of the season, as if they were simply ignoring the strife when they were on the pitch. It all seemed too good to be true as all this open fueding and strife within the club caused a late season breakdown which saw them lose their first place standing and the La Liga. They eventually went trophyless in the 2006-2007 season.

The next season saw much of the same, though during the offseason Barcelona seemed to be favorites after picking up Thierry Henry. This line up of Henry, Ronaldinho, Messi, and Eto’o was one of the best in the world as they had 4 of the top offensive players in the world on their roster. However, internal strife would once again make an appearance to hinder Barcelona. Ronaldinho’s poor performance due to poor fitness showed even more than usual on the field. Fans even went as far as to boo him, causing even more strife. Even lockers had been divided more that usual, of course they usually divided into language/country groups with all the negativity surrounding Barça it created a far worse atmosphere than usual. With injuries and inconsistency throughout the season, Barça ended up in 3rd in La Liga, losing both games to their rivals, Real Madrid, the second game being a 4-1 loss.

As the dismal performances of late began to escalate, many called for the firing of Coach Frank Rijkaard, and that’s just what they did. Rijkaard was sacked and Barça B coach Josep “Pep” Guardiola took over Barça. In the preseason a motion of no confidence was raised against Joan Laporta, the club’s president. The motion ended up recieving 60% support, 6% short of the required amount. Eight of his directors then resigned, unhappy with the performance and handling of Barça as of late. Laporta then responded by getting rid of a few trouble players such as Ronaldinho, Deco, and Edmilson while obtaining Seydou Keita, Gerard Pique, and Dani Alves among others. This extensive rebuilding process left many unsure of what Barça was going to do in the coming season.

The season didn’t exactly start out to well for Barça, getting only a draw and a loss in their first two games. Despite the poor start the club and coach remained positive and confident en route to a 9 game winning streak and a 20 game streak in which they did not lose a game. This rejuvenated Barça has set many records and has many believing that they are the best club in the world due to their dominance. On January 17th, 2009, Barça set a new La Liga record for points in the first half of La Liga play, getting 50 of a possible 57 points. The club has even reached the Copa Del Rey finals for the first time since 1998. Also six days later on January 23rd, Barça was ranked first in the IFFHS’s list of the greatest football clubs in the past 18 years. They even handed Real Madrid one of their worst losses at home in a 6-2 rout.

There is no doubt that Barça is on a high right now, just like they were a few years ago in their years of back to back La Liga championships. The question is, will the ups and downs continue? Or is Barça finally here to stay at the top? I’d like to think that Barça is done with their internal strife and fueding for a few years, but you never know.

The Crypt Keeper stroke again last weekend during the NFL draft. Perhaps you might not have seen him, but if you were watching, you felt his impact. We know Michael Crabtree sure felt it. As he slide down into the seventh position, he waited as the Oakland Raiders were on the clock.  Everyone was sure they knew what was coming.  The Raiders have had a huge hole at wide receiver since the departure of Tim Brown and Jerry Rice, so it was a lock they would take Crabtree, right? It only makes sense; well ladies and gentlemen, it makes too much sense for the Oakland Raiders. The pick was turned in and yes it was a wide receiver, but his name was not Michael Crabtree, it was Darrius Heyward-Bey. Wait, who? Yeah, exactly.

But as an Oakland Raider fan you come to expect these kinds of things. Like logic, common sense, and anything remotely related to good decisions. Every year when Al Davis seems to finally have lost it, he one up’s himself the next year. Like spending 150 million dollars isn’t enough last year, and like cutting most of those players this year isn’t enough, and like convincing us Tom Cable is the right coach for the job isn’t enough, and finally like trying to tell us you’ll build through the draft but completely failing to take one solid proven player, well we’ve had enough.

It is no disrespect to Darrius, in fact I hope he proves me and everyone else wrong.  But taking a player that has had issues with dropped passes and poorly ran routes at the number 7 slot is completely outlandish.  Why not trade down with Philly, Minnesota, or Baltimore? All of them lie in the area where Darrius would still be on the board, and all three of those teams want a WR, in fact Philly and Minnesota both took one with their first picks.  So if Darius is the guy you want, why not trade down and get an extra pick out of it? Whatever, we’d just botch that pick too.

I just have no clue what the fans did to Al Davis to deserve this.  I rather be water boarded 183 times than having to be born a Raider fan again. The franchise is such a wreck that a winning season is probably a decade away.  More likely when Al Davis steps down and gives up control, aka when he dies.  The only problem is he sold his soul to the devil in the 70’s and won’t die until 2077.

So it’s going to be a long ride, and the best we can do is paint our faces black so no one will recognize us.  Just so we can keep a little bit of our dignity.

You might remember last year XXL put a nice list together about the up and coming hiphop artists (if you don’t remember, check this link: Class of ‘09). Reading the article made me make my own list. Although I’m only going to name 5 new names (for now), I hope you will see some new faces and will enjoy their music.  See the list below.

Let’s start the list with this guy from Miami. I first met with the name ‘QuESt’ at earlier this year, when I downloaded his Distant Travels Into Soul Theory mixtape, and it really impressed me. The beats, the flow really made me enjoy his music, and I’ve been following him since then. His new project (entitled ‘Broken Headphones‘) is coming in July, and I’m going to make sure to check that out.

His latest track: QuESt – Stay Up (Viagra) Freestyle

The next artist in my list is TreaZon from Cleveland. I had the chance to talk to him (as well as with every other guys from the list), and I can say he is a really kind person. His music is what I like in hiphop music. When I first heard his ‘The Storm EP‘, I seriously coulnd’t stop listening to it. And then the same happend when I got his ‘9 Steps‘ tape. I’m sure that we will see a lot of unforgettable songs by him in the future (as he had already done some already).

His latest mixtape: TreaZon – 9 Steps (Mixtape)

As the third member of my list, let me introduce Cymarshall Law. I have first heard when he released his album called ‘Hip Hop In The Soul‘ with a Hungarian producer called Mr. Joeker. After giving a listen to the album, I wasn’t really impressed, but I gave it some more chances, and it has really grown on me since then.
At these days he is doing freestyles, I don’t know if he is wroking on a new album or mixtape. His new video for ‘Love, Sex Or What’ (which is on Hip Hop In The Soul) is out now, make sure to check that out.

His latest track: Cymarshall Law – Must Be Love (remix)

Nickelus F is a newfound (well, at least for me) guy from Richmond. I’ve recently get known with his music, after I had downloaded his ‘Thank You‘ mixtape. His flow is what really got my attention, but the beats are really enjoyable also. He’s got a new album coming out soon teamed up with Portishead (entitled ‘Rare‘). Before the album, he will also release a mixtape, so be on the lookout.

His latest video: Nickelus F – 16oz = 1lb Freestyle

At last, but not least, let’s get familiar with the name ‘D.Julien’. He is the youngest guy from the list (he is only 17 years old), but he has already worked with DJ Premier. I think that means something. He is working on a new project now, which will be done in June. You will see an interview with him here, on MixMakers and on M2’s unofficial hiphop blog, MiUnEx.

His latest track: D.Julien – Horizon

This is my (first) list of the up and coming hiphop artists you sould check out. You can also expect another list with 5 different names later.

The mixmaking world has not had a revolutionary project come their way since Mixtapelive’s A Walk In Their Shoes. But if the trailer is any indication for H4L’s Prodigies, something extraordinary is upon us. Any mix by an H4L crew member is reason enough to get excited, but with such gifted mixers like Domino, Venom, and renhigotrare combining their talents, is their any reason why Prodigies won’t be The Godfather of Mixmaking?

Mixes are usually judged by their story, audio, editing, and general creativity. With Domino, Venom, and Gotrare you are getting the best of both worlds. While they are all incredibly talented mixers, they each excel at different aspects. Gotrare is superb with audio, pacing, and highlights, with a unique ability to suck you in and put you courtside. Domino is ridiculously creative with his editing, and has a sixth sense when it comes to his attention to detail. He is widely considered to be one of the most innovative mixers in history. And then there is Venom, whose artful approach to mixmaking and his commitment to story-telling has become that of mixmaking lore. All three, mixmaking legends in their own right, have combined their talents to take us on a journey that promises to be nothing short of extraordinary.

Hell, the trailer is better than most mixes. Even if you only have a mild appreciation for the art of mixmaking, you have to appreciate the way they structured the Prodigies trailer. Showing Kobe announcing his entry into the draft, followed by David Stern announcing KG as the 5th pick in the 1995 draft, and then showing Lebron as “The Cavaliers select Lebron James”; was a brilliant sequence.  The carefully selected audio is poignant, and goes hand-in-hand with their beautiful choice of music. The decision to give it the feel of a documentary, what with the interviews of players and the dark, archive-like footage is something you have no choice but marvel at. The color correction and the text give the trailer the perfect mood.

Dinoman (we’ll get to him in a minute) has called me out before about how I always say a mix is “the best”at something. Well, excuse me while I proclaim that this is the best trailer for a mix ever made. The meticulous attention to detail is jaw-dropping. The way the music picks up and shows the credits “Venom”, “Domino”, “Gotrare”,  with the quotes calling them the mixers of their generation feels and looks so professional it’s ridiculous. Had I not known better I would have mistook this for a real motion picture.

Hats off to you: Domino, Venom, and renhigotrare, as your commitment to mixmaking has created yet another masterpiece. The three of you give the rest of us something to strive for and have no doubt inspired a whole new generation of mixmakers with your creativity, innovation, and editing genius and you continue to raise the bar. I am confidant that in June, my expectations, which you have just sent skyward, will be met and surpassed.

Hoops4Life has become synonymous with excellence and success in the past few years. While there is no official Mixmaker Hall of Fame, H4L is the stand-in. There is no higher honor or achievement than being invited to become apart of the greatest mixing crew around. Their membership is virtually a  who’s-who of Legends: Arlubas, Mixtapelive, Ld2k, Domino, renhigotrare, and Venom. They are M2’s New York Yankees. So I extend my congratulations to Dinoman, as the newest addition to their already amazing squad. He has helped shape mixmaking in the past year with his amazing use of effects and story-telling and to see him finally get his due as a mixmaker is great to see. I have a feeling Dinoman’s best work is yet to come.

Oh, and uh…by the way. Yours truly will be the first one to see -and review- Prodigies, as I have already been promised a sneak-peek in the coming weeks. Jealous?

Just one more week until dreams come true for the young prospects who have been put through countless exercises, drills, tests and media coverage. On April 25-26 we will see 256 players selected to embark on their professional careers and Mixmakers.net will be following every pick.

April 25 is the day to keep in mind as the Detroit Lions look to turn their franchise around with the 1st overall pick and with plenty of trade talks between teams we could see some disgruntled seasoned veterans shipped off to a new team. Be sure to check out all the action live on NFL.com and join in on the discussion on Mixmakers.net as we evaluate picks and trades that happen on the day.

Click on the link to watch the 2009 NFL Draft Live (Start time is 4pm, April 25)

www.nfl.com/draft/2009/live/landing

Also, join in on all the discussion on the forums at:

www.mixmakers.net/forums/nfl-trash-talk/211298-2009-nfl-draft-discussion-thread.html

It’s been a wild west again this season, with six of the eight seeding not being determined until the final game of the regular season.  Everyone and their mother is riding the Lakers to the finals, but there is still a lot of good teams left to make a run.  So let’s discuss the match-ups of the first round action in the West.

#1 Los Angeles Lakers vs #8 Utah Jazz

It has been a disappointing season for the Utah Jazz. Beginning the year they were predicted to have a fantastic year atop of the west, and battling against the Lakers for the #1 seed.  Well, the Jazz will be battling the Lakers, just a lot sooner in the playoffs than they wanted.  Meanwhile, despite another injury to Bynum, the Lakers have steamrolled the western conference since day one.

I see the Lakers needing no more than 5 games to dismiss the Jazz. I still don’t think they’ll get a sweep against the Jazz though. The Jazz play very well at home, and even beat the lakers once in February back in Salt Lake City. La will drop game 4, or maybe game 3 to them. But the Lakers set the tone for this matchup last tuesday. LA is out for one goal, to win it all, and that’s all.

Prediction: Lakers in 5.

#2 Denver Nuggets vs #7 New Orleans Hornets

The Nuggets have always been a solid team since the arrival of Melo, but they never have been able to take the next step to get out of the first round. The offseason when by, they traded away Camby (Their only defender), and people expected much of the same Nuggets. But no one expected Denver to be this good, and you can credit it all to Billups for leading and directing this team, including his coach.  The hornets on the other hand, have been a disappointment compared to last year. For whatever reasons, injuries, expectations, etc, they just are not as good.

The Nuggets and Hornets have had a good season series so far, splitting 2 games a piece, and all of them pretty tight games.  So the series is going to be a tight one, going 6 or 7 games, but I just feel the combination of home court advantage and Billups’ playoff experience will push Denver over the mountain into the second round.

Prediction: Nuggets in 6.

#3 San Antonio Spurs vs #6 Dallas Mavericks

This has to be the most equal chance odds for any series of all the first round match ups.  Both the Spurs and Mavs are long time rivals that constantly have tremendous games rich in action and tension.  And while they spilt the series with one another, 2-2, this Spurs team is a very different team now, than just weeks ago.  If the Spurs were operating at full strength than the Mavs would stand no chance with them in a 7 game series.  But with the loss of Manu, and the slow down of Tim Duncan, the Mavs now stand a very good chance.

The deciding factor has to be how well Parker play for the spurs, and how efficient will Jason Kidd play for the Mavs.  But I would place a lot of importance on the role players too.  Roger Mason needs to steal a game at the last second, like he has a few times in the season, just to put a dagger into the Mavs and kill their already soft-as-tissue-paper moral. And for the Mavs, their bench players, Terry and Jose Juan Barea need to have big games and spark the offense with adrenaline.

It’s gonna be a close one, but I feel the experience of the Spurs carry them through a round.  But it’ll go the distance, where the Spurs will win Game 7 on their home court.

Prediction: Spurs in 7.

#4 Portland Trailblazers vs #5 Houston Rockets

This series is intriguing because there are so many unknown factors, and questions to be answered.  First is Houston’s recent past, failing year after year to reach the second round of the playoffs, McGrady’s season ending injury, and the mid season trade of PG Skip to my Lou (Rafer Alston). The Blazers remain one big puzzle as well with their youth and lack of experience.  But each team is hungry and skilled enough to win.

Statistically each team is nearly identical, points, assists, rebounds, FG and FT%.  Rockets lead the season series 2-1, but two of those games were incredibly close. One where Roy hit a buzzer beating 3 to win in OT by 2 points. And while the Rockets are more “experienced”, mainly by default, I still like Portland to walk out of this series.  I think this is where Brandon Roy officially steps into the light of stardom and makes a name for himself by taking over the playoff series in Games 6 and 7.  Houston will put up one hell of a fight, but skill and athleticism can take you far. Without that hunger the wheels will spin slower as the series plays on.  And the young, aggressive hunger of the Blazers will ultimately win it for them.

Prediction: Blazers in 7.