Game 7: Nothing Better - The SportsFan Buzz (6/14/2011).....

The Boston Bruins forced a Game 7 in these Stanley Cup Finals, where the first six games have been won by the home team in completely different fashion. Will the pattern continue for Game 7 in Vancouver? Will Roberto Luongo again bounce back after the debacle in Boston or do the Bruins break through and win on Vancouver's home ice? Also, did I really hear someone suggest that Miami should consider breaking up this Heat team?

The SportsFan Buzz: June 14, 2011 (right click to "save as target")
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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

Mavericks Win - The SportsFan Buzz (6/13/2011).....

The Dallas Mavericks are the new NBA Champions and showed everyone that they were not the same old Mavericks from prior playoff disappointments. While most are saying the Heat lost, I want to give props to the Mavericks for their well deserved victory. Also, tonight is Game 6 in Boston for this Jeckyl and Hyde Stanley Cup Final.

The SportsFan Buzz: June 13, 2011 (right click to "save as target")
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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

Shrinking LeBron? - The SportsFan Buzz (6/10/2011).....

The Dallas Mavericks are one victory away from the first NBA Championship after beating the Miami Heat 112-103 last night in Game 5, but all that is being talked about is the failure of LeBron James in the last two fourth quarters and how James will never be "like Mike". What will be said if the Heat win the next two games and he scores 40 in each? That he is Jordan? Ridiculous.

The SportsFan Buzz: June 10, 2011 (right click to "save as target")
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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

Maverick Comeback - The SportsFan Buzz (6/3/2011).....

I'll admit to thinking the NBA Finals were probably over when Miami had a 15 point lead, but this Dallas team again showed heart we have not seen in prior playoffs. Now we have a series heading back to Dallas for the next three games. Plus the first game of the Stanley Cup finals was great, but a bite highlighted the coverage.

The SportsFan Buzz: June 3, 2011 (right click to "save as target")
You can find and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.
Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

NBA Finals Preview - The SportsFan Buzz (5/27/2011).....

It's The Heat and the Mavericks in the NBA Finals. While Miami was the most watched team this year, this is a surprising match-up as not many expected the Heat to be this good this year, while Dallas normally plays the "playoff fizzle".

The SportsFan Buzz: May 27, 2011 (right click to "save as target")
You can find and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.
Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

Homecoming King - The SFB Podcast (12/3/2010).....

LeBron James' return to Cleveland did not play out anything like Cavalier and Cleveland sport fans wanted it to and was probably the worst scenario possible. Blowout Heat win, James scoring 38 and seeing his former teammates joking with him has to feel like a punch in the gut to Cavs' fans. I'll give my impressions of "The Return" and the spotlight around it. Also last night, the Eagles and Michael Vick needed a 4th quarter comeback to beat the Houston Texans, and the NCAA says Cam Newton won't be punished for his dad, Cecil Newton's mistakes. Think Reggie Bush and USC raised an eyebrow? Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: December 3, 2010 (right click to "save as target)
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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

More NFL Craziness - The SFB Podcast (10/27/2010).....

This NFL season has been as confusing as any I can remember and I am not sure if it we will see "normal" this year, or maybe this craziness is this year's "normal". The Ravens needing overtime to beat the winless Bills and giving up 30+ points in the process, while in New Orleans, the Saints lost to the Browns. I'll take a look back at week 7 and a glance forward at week 8.

Plus tonight is Game 1 of the World Series between the Rangers and Giants. Also, the NBA season got under way last night and we already know the Heat will not go undefeated. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: October 27, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

(Not So) Free Agency - The SFB Podcast (8/31/2010).....

The NBA got much exposure this off season with the free agent movement this "Summer of LeBron". Well it seems the league owners are not fans of the player movement (Didn't these same owners offer these contracts?) and the "trade me" talk from other players. A NY Times story talks about greater financial punishment for players leaving their current teams. That will easily be a new CBA talking point. Can the league really try to restrict movement even more? I'll take a quick look at this new development.

Plus, the NFL preseason ends Thursday night, so I'll look around the NFL camps, including an expensive mistake for the Cincinnati Bengals and see what is happening around Major League Baseball. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: August 31, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

Fallout from "The Decision" - The SFB Podcast (7/19/2010).....

It has been about 10 days since LeBron James told the sports world that he would be joining the Miami Heat and there has been many outside of opinions about James' choice. Now that the dust has settled, let's see what really happened with James choosing to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh  in Miami. Does it really hurt James to play with another great player and not try and "go it alone"? Also The British Open is was played at St. Andrews and the weather won, plus Sam Bradford and the Rams start contract talks. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: July 19, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

LeBron Makes His Decision - The SFB Podcast (7/8/2010).....

The wait is finally over (I hear it's the hardest part) and LeBron will be joining friends Dwyane Wade & Chris Bosh in Miami and the party has already started. Meanwhile, the city of Cleveland is devestated. Lots of negative talk about the "show" and the announcing platform, but I will bet ESPN does huge numbers. Now that the NBA landscape has been pretty much set for the 2010 season, Mike joins me to discuss LeBron's choice, the circus surrounding this year's free agent class and what might happen next. Enjoy.

After the show was recorded, Cleveland's ownership responded to LeBron moving to Miami. The reaction from Cleveland's owner was a bit over the top. Here is his letter to Cavalier fans and an interview claiming LeBron quit on the team during the playoffs. Ouch.

Mike on Twitter

The SportsFan Buzz: July 8, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

LeBron = Must See TV? - The SFB Podcast (7/7/2010).....

So LeBron James will be announcing his free agent destination on an ESPN show tomorrow night at 9pm. Guess the "E" really does stand for "entertainment". Now we also have news that Chris Bosh & Dwyane Wade will be teaming up in Miami. An interesting last 18 hours that will get even better once LeBron announces his intentions. Mike joins me to go over those and other NBA Free Agent happenings. Enjoy.

Mike on Twitter

The SportsFan Buzz: July 7, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

NBA Free Agent Dominos - The SFB Podcast (7/6/2010).....

First big name NBA free agent to move to a new team is Amare Stoudemire. Well, that's a bit of a letdown and also an inflated contract for an overrated player. Does Amare's signing sway LeBron to join him in New York? Mike joins me to discuss this "free agent frenzy", the wonderful World Cup soccer, baseball's All-Star Game "snubs", and the loss of hockey tough guy, Bob Probert. Enjoy.

***EDIT*** When discussing the NHL free agent movement, we mentioned that Dan Hamhuis and Paul Martin signed with Pittsburgh. Hamhuis actually signed with Vancouver, while Zbynek Michalek joined Martin in signing with the Penguins.

Mike on Twitter

The SportsFan Buzz: July 6, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

Free Agent Frenzy - The SFB Podcast (7/2/2010).....

If you didn't hear there are a couple of big name NBA players that becaome free agents at midnight on July 1st. Could this have taken up more airtime / written space over the past week or so? I'll take a look at what I think might happen and what I think would be a NBA dream scenario. Also, a look a Phil Jackson's decision to coach one more year and an interesting take from Coach John Calipari about what his main job entails and would Kentucky fans agree. Also, the World Cup quarterfinals begin and the soccer just keeps getting better. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: July 2, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

Soccer Fever - The SFB Podcast (6/26/2010)....

What I thought was going to be a quiet few days in the sports, ended up being quite the opposite. A three day Wimbledon match, an epic late goal to the US at the World Cup, another no-hitter in the majors, and the Stanley Cup champs get a makeover. Mike joins me to cover those topics plus a few others, including another July 1st free agent getting some "buzz".  Enjoy.

Mike on Twitter

The SportsFan Buzz: June 26, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

NBA Playoff Predictions.....

The NBA Playoffs kicks off this weekend and all eyes seemed to be focused on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. They come into the post-season with the league's best record and the favorite to take home the Larry O'Brien championship trophy. Over in the west, Kobe and the Lakers are looking to defend their championship, but they will first have to escape a conference playoff where each team won at least 50 games.

Eastern Conference - First Round:
Cleveland Cavaliers (#1) over Chicago Bulls (#8) - Cleveland is too strong, while Chicago is a mess. Making the playoffs just delays the Vinny Del Negro firing until after the series is over.
Orlando Magic (#2) over Charlotte Bobcats (#7) - The defending Eastern Conference champions get the new kids and the Michael Jordan owned Bobcats. Michael is not expected to suit up, so this will be easy for the Magic.
Atlanta Hawks (#3) over Milwaukee Bucks (#6) - The Andrew Bogut is a huge loss for the Bucks, who really played well during the second half of the season. The Hawks move on to the second round.
Miami Heat (#5) over Boston Celtics (#4) - This one was very tough for me and it should be as this is a matchup of the #4 & #5 seeds. Neither team will probably get past the second round, but the Celtic age and injuries during the season makes me wary in picking them here. Maybe the Big Three can scrape together enough to win the series, but I'll take Dwyane Wade to lead the Heat to the next round.

Western Conference - First Round:
Los Angeles Lakers (#1) over Oklahoma City Thunder (#8) - The Thunder have NBA scoring leader Kevin Durant and a nice compliment of teammates, but it will not be enough to upset Kobe and the Lakers. Phil Jackson already tried to get into Durant's head with his referee/foul remarks (which ended up costing him $35K), but the kid shot back at the coach. Should be fun, but the Lakers move on.
Dallas Mavericks (#2) over San Antonio Spurs (#7) - It is hard for me to go against Tim Duncan and the Spurs, but the Mavericks come into the playoffs as perhaps the hottest team in the conference, along with the Phoenix Suns. It is a shame one of these teams will be losing in the first round, but the Mavs are just the better team, so it will be a short playoff for the Spurs.
Phoenix Suns (#3) over Portland Trail Blazers (#6) - This could have been the best series of the whole first round, but the injury to Brandon Roy now makes this possibly the biggest mismatch. Suns move on easily.
Utah Jazz (#5) over Denver Nuggets (#4) - A month ago I thought Denver could come out of the west, but the cancer diagnosis for Coach George Karl has really seemed to taken its toll on the team. The Jazz hope to have a healthy Carlos Boozer back and will move on to the next round.

Eastern Conference - Semi Finals:
Cleveland Cavaliers over Miami Heat - Too much LeBron and not enough Wade in this match up of great players. It will be fun watching these two on the court together. Now if Shaq was back on the Heat...
Orlando Magic over Atlanta Hawks - Orlando is a very talented team and while the Hawks are improved, it will not be enough to stop Dwight Howard and Magic.

Western Conference - Semi Finals:
Los Angeles Lakers over Utah Jazz - This probably goes the distance, but the Lakers have just a little too much with Kobe and will their way to the conference finals.
Phoenix Suns over Dallas Mavericks - This is another series that seems destined to go the full seven games. Ever since Amare Stoudemire's "non-trade" this team has seemed to take it up a notch. A hard fought series that could be comprised of seven great games.

Eastern Conference Finals:
Orlando Magic over Cleveland Cavaliers - Rematch of last year's conference finals and I think we get the same results. Shaq is supposed to neutralize Dwight Howard but I'm not sure that will be the case over a long series. LeBron needs his teammates to step up and not look to him to do it all, but so far in prior playoffs that has not happened and I think that might be the case again this year.

Western Conference Finals:
Phoenix Suns over Los Angeles Lakers - Kobe has seemed "old" at times and I think after the first two series that will happen again against Steve Nash and the Suns. Phoenix takes advantage of their quickness and I think Stoudemire is going to have a monster series against the Lakers' front line.

NBA Finals:
Phoenix Suns over Orlando Magic - The Magic will be the "bridesmaid" again this year as Nash and Stoudemire are just a bit better than Jameer Nelson and Howard and will bring the championship home to the desert. The series will allow the general public who don't follow the NBA too closely will get to see the true talent of Steve Nash and it will make many wonder what the Suns were doing in even thinking about trading Stoudemire.