All that to say, we would be remiss to not comment on the upcoming Eastern Conference Finals featuring the Bulls and the Heat (as I’m writing, Game 1 tips in about 10 minutes.) With everything that happened in the offseason, you really couldn’t write a better script. The team that tried to get Wade, Lebron, and Bosh against the team that got Wade, Lebron, and Bosh. A humble, resilient 22-year-old MVP against several flashy, eccentric All-Stars. Rose saying, “Why can’t I be the best player in the league?” while Lebron, Wade, and Bosh have a pep-rally in South Beach. Good vs. Evil. Bulls vs. Heat. Let’s do this.

1) Jay-17

2) Peter-16

3) Kevin-14

4) Paul-8

5) Joey-5

I also came across this video this morning. Very comical.

1) Peter – 17

2) Jay – 14

3) Kevin – 13

4) Paul – 10

5) Joey – 6

Looking at the rest of the tournament, Kevin has all his players still in the tourney, Peter has 5, Paul and Jay have 3, and Joey has 1. Don’t count out Joey, though. That one player is Jared Sullinger.

It wasn’t a surprise to see Sullinger go #1, but McCamey was a questionable  first round choice. Besides that, all the teams seem pretty evenly matched. Should be fun!

Yesterday at practice, I got into a discussion with a couple co-workers about the 2004-05 Illinois team. Now, one of my co-workers made the statement that  Davis, Tisdade, Richmond and McCamey all would have seen minutes on the 2004-2005 team. Now, I agree that McCamey would have seen a few minutes (most games Dee, Deron, and Luther all played 35+ minutes) in a reserve role. I also think Tisdale would have replaced Nick Smith’s minutes (which were close to none). However, other than that, I don’t see anyone cracking the rotation. I think Ingram provided more than Davis can and Richmond is too inconsistent. What do you guys think? My analysis of that team is pretty limited since I was young, but I don’t think there’s anyway anyone but Demetri finds minutes on that team.

Except for Berardini. Still got to get you that poster, Peter.

1. Aaron Rodgers is my favorite quarterback in the NFL. He might be the best, too. I loved the way he handled the Favre chaos in 2008, and he has played great ever since. He has the highest regular season passer rating in NFL history. One more ring and 5 more years of dominance, and his career is probably better than Favre’s. Who would of said that three years ago?
2. The Super Bowl is by far the biggest event in sports. I know this seems obvious, but this year I was really reminded how big of an event the Super Bowl is. The NFL has done a great job to market it in a way that draws in non-NFL fans. It can be annoying to die-hards, but it draws in a ridiculous amount of people.
3. Much like the last seven Super Bowls, the game was very compelling. The last game that didn’t come down to the wire was the Bucs-Raiders in 2003. The NFC is 4-6 in the last 10 Super Bowls if you were wondering. You probably weren’t, but I was. The biggest play of the game, in my opinion, was Mendenhall’s fumble on the first play of the fourth. It was a 2nd-and-2 at the Green Bay 33, with the Steelers down 21-17. The Packers scored a touchdown less than 3 minutes later, and the momentum of the game was completely reversed. If Mendenhall hangs on to the ball, I think the Steelers win. Tough break for the former Illini great.
4. The future looks very bright for the Packers. The Packers won the Super Bowl with the 2nd youngest team in the NFL and a plethora of key injuries. You add in the fact that their best offensive player is a 27-year old quarterback and their best defensive player is a 24-year old linebacker, and you have a recipe for a very bright future. I think the NFL has too much parity for a dynasty to emerge, but I do think the Packers win two more titles with Rodgers.
5. The Super Bowl commercials were pretty average this year. I came away with three clear favorites.

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Recently, I have been very impressed with the amount of participation by all of you. Because of my managerial duties and other responsibilities, I haven’t been able to post or comment. However, I’d like to reward your hard work by proposing a contest.
The first person to post the color of my tie @ the Northwestern game on the blog will receive an autographed Kevin Berarndini poster. That’s right folks: a poster signed by the future point guard of the Fighting Illini.

Good luck and may the man with the most free time today win!

Demetri- Has carried us all season and for the most part has had a great season. The last couple of weeks has seen his performance suffer. It seems that he’s a half-a-step slower now than compared to earlier in the season. Maybe all the minutes he’s played is the reason. His shot has also been off, which is troubling. If we want to do anything in the dance we need him to get back to his former self.

Tisdale- I can tell that he’s gotten stronger and more physical this year. While he still gets pushed around in the post, he’s holding his position down low and grabbing some strong rebounds. I’d be happy if he could put up 10pts/7reb the rest of the way.

Davis- One of the most hot/cold players in Illinois history. We him to do what he did last night. Execute the pick-and-roll and get to the rim for easy dunks. He’ll never be a great rebounder, but if he can just get his easy dunks and hit a couple of jumpers a game we’ll be good.

Richardson- His shots been off the last couple of weeks, but I’m still confident in him. His ballhandling is still sketchy and he is really bad at penetrating, but if he can shoot 40% from the 3-point line Illinois will be successful. I think his defense has gotten better as the season has gone by. He isn’t getting blown by as much as he was earlier in the season.

Paul- We need his athleticism. He still struggles with trying to do too much and takes bad shots, but I like when he’s in the game. We need to push the ball when he’s in and play more open court basketball.

Richmond- The key to our potential success. Our most physical player and best rebounder. Has a very high basketball IQ. I’d like to see him get more looks in the low post and utilize his post moves.

Cole- Has been hitting the open 3′s which is all we need from him. Provides great hustle and energy

Myers- Has the potential, but lacks any type of low post move. Enough said.

Griffey- Doesn’t really play anymore so can’t really say anything.

Bertrand/Head- Not in the rotation but I’d like to see them get more minutes. Last night we easily had the game in hand with about 3 minutes left. I don’t understand why Bruce didn’t get these guys in. Would have been some valuable experience minutes.

Paul Elliott- Has done a great job maintaing his spot under the hoop. Always quick to wipe any perspiration on the floor. I’ve had to pause and rewind the games when watching with my friends to point him out. Has definitely made me look important. Great role player.

Will came to the Bel-Air Academy when the program was in shambles.

But, with his remarkable quickness and an uncanny ability to drain half-courters, he quickly turned them into a powerhouse.

In the end, though, Carlton couldn’t handle his cousin’s success.

We always talk about these clips, and I finally decided to look them up today. Just as good as I remembered.