The University of Maine men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams competed Friday and Saturday at the Harold Anderson International at the University of Rhode Island.

On the men’s side, standout swimmers third-year Matt England and fourth-year Ryan Fahey both collected a first and a second place finish. England won in the 50-yard freestyle and earned a second place in the 200-yard freestyle relay while Fahey took home the 500-yard freestyle title and was apart of the runner-up 400-yard freestyle relay.

Second-year swimmer Nicholas Sundquist broke the UMaine 200-yard individual medley record with a time of 1:53.91, followed by third-year Cameron Dwyer who finished runner up at 1:59.84. Sundquist was also a part of the Black Bear 200-yard freestyle relay team that took home first place.

First-year diver Nick Jensen finished fourth in the 3-meter dive with a score of 179.45.

The women’s swimming and diving team had a good showing at URI, as well.

First-year swimmer Chloe Adams and fourth-year Naja Harvey both earned a third and fourth place finish during the invitational. Adams grabbed her third-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle and her fourth-place award in the 400-yard medley relay that also featured Harvey with a finishing time of 3:57.88. Harvey got her third-place award in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:38.13.

The Black Bears finished up in the Harold Anderson International swim meet on Saturday at URI with good showings on both sides. The men’s and women’s teams both finished second in the meet.

England was able to bring home three more first-place finishes for the Black Bears in the 100-yard backstroke (50.42), 200-yard backstroke (1:51.52) and the 200-yard medley relay (1:34.69). A second place in the 400-yard freestyle relay was also had by the star swimmer in a time of 3:10.80.

Sundquist, who was also a part of the second-place 400-yard freestyle relay, finished first in the 100 yard freestyle, the 200-yard medley relay and in the 200-yard freestyle.

First-year Connor Mayhew earned a second-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke and the 200-yard backstroke as well as a fourth place in the 200-yard medley relay.

Fahey continued his good form by collecting two wins in the 400-yard individual medley and the 200-yard medley relay while also earning two runner-up finishes in 400-yard freestyle relay and the 200-yard backstroke.

While England and Fahey led the men’s team to a second-place finish, the women were led by Adams and Harvey on the second day of the invitational.

Adams led the way with a win in the 400-yard freestyle relay and two second-place finishes in the 100-yard freestyle and 200-yard freestyle. In both freestyle races, Adams was runner up to fourth-year Chaya Zabludoff of the University of Rhode Island.

Harvey earned a second place in the 100-yard backstroke, a fourth in the 200-yard medley relay and a fifth place in the 200-yard backstroke; a race that was all Rhode Island for the first-four spots.

Second-year swimmer Kailey Dowd earned a fourth-place finish in the 1000-yard freestyle.

There’s not much to enjoy in breaks from the English Premier League.

The international break that usually happens once every month or two really takes away from the heat of competition in not just the EPL, but the five major leagues around the world (and Major League Soccer, if you follow it). However, there is a silver lining: your country plays.

For a couple weeks the average soccer fan is able to put on their national team jersey or something colorful that resembles their flag and be as loud and passionate as they want for two hours. I know I did this when the United States Men’s National Team played this past international break against Colombia and the Republic of Ireland.

Sure, the USMNT lost 2-1 to Colombia then 4-1 to Ireland. Sure, it was heartbreaking even though they were merely friendlies. I, however, loved every second of it. The FIFA World Cup this past summer was captivating to millions across the country, and if you were like me, you did not want the magical USA run to end.

My soccer high carried over into the fall and when I saw that the USMNT was playing friendlies in November. Memories rushed back as I remembered my exuberance as John Brooks scored that late goal against Ghana in the World Cup, as Clint Dempsey scored 30 seconds into that same game and as I cheered for 120 minutes as Tim Howard turned into an impenetrable wall and stopped 16 shots against Belgium in the Round of 16.

Those memories made me tune in this week as I want to follow the USMNT in anticipation of the Gold Cup and qualification matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

I also watched my other half as Scotland competed in a European Championship 2016 qualification match against the Republic of Ireland. In a group that features World Cup-champions Germany and Poland with the high-scoring striker Robert Lewandowski, Scotland finds themselves in second place right along side the Mannschaft with six matches to play.

All these emotions are great, but last only a few days as every soccer fans minds are still attached to the constantly, enthralling entertainment of the English Premier League.

With Chelsea, Southampton and Manchester City among the teams fighting at the top of the table, the EPL’s week-to-week excitement is too good to pass up for two weeks at a time. During the international break you also have to worry about one of your star-club players getting injured, like Liverpool’s goal-scoring forward Daniel Sturridge who hurt his hamstring again after recently returning from the same injury.

The EPL gives me so much more satisfaction and enjoyment at this time because the USMNT is only playing friendlies and working out young kids to determine their skill levels and their potential in four years in Russia. Without a goal or something to achieve, it’s hard for a casual soccer fan to get deeply invested in players like eighteen year-old forward Rubio Rubin.

All in all, I enjoy the international break. Sure, it comes with a heightened anxiety level for a couple games, but I love cheering on my home country and my other half, Scotland, fight it out with the world’s best. Anything to rekindle my fond World Cup memories.

The University of Maine’s cross country teams competed Friday at the Northeast Regional Cross Country Championships in Bronx, New York.

Neither team was looking for the win, just good performances to end the long season on a high note. Runners from both the women’s and the men’s sides did just that in their biggest meet of the year.

Second-year runner Levi Frye led the Black Bears with an 87th place finish with a time of 31:59.6, a minute better than 2013 where Frye ran the 10k in 33:00.3. Third-year Jesse Orach was the second Black Bear to finish, finishing .1 second behind Frye in 88th.

UMaine finished 22nd overall as a men’s team out of 36 of the best teams in the Eastern United States with a score of 620. Syracuse won the meet with a score of 45, three points better than Providence College’s 48.

First-year UMaine runner Joshua Horne finished in 135th with a time of 32:44.5, while second-year teammate Lucas Bourget finished two spots behind with a finishing time of 32:48.8.

On the girls side, the Black Bears finished 37th out of 40 teams. The 6K race was led by the third-year runner Annabelle Wilson who finished in 145th place with a time of 22:47.8. Not far behind was fourth-year Carolyn Stocker finishing 153rd clocking in at 22:54.4.

First-year Cassandra Howard finished off her final race of her first season as a collegiate athlete with a time of 24:18.5 which placed her in 236th out of 275 women runners. Two more UMaine athletes were close behind, third-year Shannon O’Neil and first-year Faith Shaw finished in 247th and 248th, respectively.

Iona’s women’s team took home the win over Providence who finished runner-up in both races as a team.

The University of Maine had a fair showing Saturday afternoon as the Men’s and Women’s teams faced off against Boston College and the University of Vermont. The Boston College Men’s team beat out the Black Bears by a score of 208-90, while the UMaine women’s team beat the Eagles by a score of 183.50-116.50 but fell to the Catamounts 172-128.

The 4-hour long meet consisted of tight races, smooth dives and a vibrant crowd that contributed to the electric atmosphere inside of the Alumni Memorial Gym pool. For the Black Bears, Saturday’s meets proved to be a building block to their growing teams’ future.

UMaine’s Head Coach Susan Lizzotte was impressed by the performances put forth on Saturday.

“Our times are ahead of where they were in years before,” Lizzotte said. “To lose to Vermont by 44 is a great feat. The men hung strong and won events which is great for us.”

The women’s side was led by first-year Chloe Adams as well as fellow first-year swimmer Emma Pontius who both won two events for the Black Bears. Adams took first in the 200-yard freestyle race as well as the 500-yard freestyle race. Pontius took down the field in the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly races.

Lizzotte was happy with her younger swimmers who managed to step up big for them Saturday. “We have a great recruiting class, so all of the first-years have done a great job establishing themselves,” Lizzotte said. “We can rely on them in different places so they have been fabulous so far.”

Lizzotte was not the only coach excited about the revival of the Black Bears Women’s team. “This is not the Maine team of old,” Cournoyer said. “This is a new, strong team led by some very high-quality girls.”

Cournoyer’s Catamounts turned it on in the second half of the meet with first-year Shannon Cowley winning two events including setting a new Vermont freshman record in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:24.08.

Third-year diver Maggie Preston swept the diving events for the third-straight meet which, to Cournoyer, proved to be the difference. “Our divers had a really, really good day today, if it was not for the diving team this meet would be really, really close.”

On the men’s side, Boston College came out of the gates fast and never looked back. Led by the two-event winning fourth-year Andrew Stranick, the Eagles led from start to finish.

Third-year Matthew England and second-year Nicholas Sundquist each took first in two races to propel the Black Bears to a strong showing. England won the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke races while Sundquist won the 100-yard and 200-yard freestyle races.

Eagles head coach Tom Groden was pleased with his team’s performances Saturday. With bigger meets upcoming, Groden hoped to get good times to work with.

“The men needed to swim well and both groups swam very well,” Groden said. “I’m happy with it. Not everything is an opportunity for a win-loss situation you’re just hoping to swim well.”

While the Eagles’ depth was too much in the end for the Black Bears, UMaine’s third-year Matt England led the Black Bears with two wins and two second-place finishes. Lizzotte was more than satisfied by her men’s side.

“We are still trying to figure out where all the men belong in events but they are very close as a team, and they’re moving forward,” Lizzotte said. “The men hung strong and won events which is great for us.”

UMaine return to the pool Nov. 21 and 22 as they travel to the University of Rhode Island.

This weekend was full of intense games from 7:45 a.m. Saturday morning when Manchester City played West Ham United, all the way until Manchester United hosted Chelsea at noon, Sunday. Games that proved to shape the league table into a more concrete example of what we should expect to see the rest of the season.

Or so we thought.

Manchester City started the ninth week of matches with a test in London as West Ham welcomed the reigning English Premier League champions into their home. City was just coming off a difficult 2-2 draw with CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Champions League after holding a 2-0 lead for much of the match.

On paper, City looked to be the much stronger side of the two, loaded on offense with high-scorer Sergio Aguero and a solid midfield, it was widely thought that this would be a win for City to put pressure on the league leaders in Chelsea. West Ham scored first in the 21st minute and then West Ham’s goal-scoring machine, Diafra Sakho, scored his sixth goal in as many games to seal a 2-1 victory. From Champions League to the BPL, City looks to have many issues they need to fix, and quick.

A lot of teams throughout Europe have been bi-polar when it comes to playing in the Champions League and domestically. Arsenal is one of those teams.

The Gunners have yet to find their consistent stride this season, but it looks to have poked its head out as Arsenal got their second straight win this week. Beating Anderlecht mid-week after two goals in the last three minutes propelled the Gunners to a 2-0 win on Saturday over woeful Sunderland.

Southampton, the little team that could, has been the shock of the season. No one thought that the team full of unproven youngsters could keep up this incredible start, but an 8-0 victory at home last week and a 1-0 win Saturday over Stoke has proved many analysts wrong. I still do not think they can hold a Champions League spot, but their defense has only given up three goals in seven games. Let that sink in.

Now, to the game of the week. Chelsea and their three-point lead entered Old Trafford to face the rising Reds of Manchester United on Sunday. With the potential of gaining six points on City, Chelsea needed a good win. If United wanted a chance at the top four at the end of the season to get into the Champions League next season, they, too, needed a good performance.

Striker Didier Drogba scored in the 53rd minute for Chelsea to take the 1-0 lead after the electric midfielder Eden Hazard earned a corner kick. But it would not be a Premier League match without some controversy. This week, the controversy came in the form of yellow cards, nine to be exact, the last of which sent off Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in the 93rd minute.

With the ball set up on the side of the penalty box, former Real Madrid-star midfielder Angel Di Maria ripped in a free kick to striker Robin Van Persie who whipped his left leg into the ball which sailed past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to tie the game with 23 seconds left in the four added minutes put on by referee Phil Dowd.

The game-tying goal was enough for a late point for both teams, one that helped United stay in the hunt for the top four, while Chelsea used it to become four points up on the defending champions on the road. With Chelsea, Southampton, City then West Ham leading the top of the table, it is still anyone’s game after week nine.

Things are always becoming clearer in the Barclays Premier League, and this week is no different. As more weeks come and go, the table starts to sort itself out with who are contenders, and who has played the bottom cupcakes of the league.

You’re starting to see the top teams come to form as Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal are all in the top four of the league table after seven weeks of games. Chelsea is atop the table with a game Sunday against Arsenal, the only two undefeated teams left, in a London Derby to see the amount they will lead the end of the weekend.

If you remember, the last time Arsenal and Chelsea met up in Stamford Bridge, Chelsea took control early and destroyed Arsenal 6-0. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho called Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger a “specialist in failure” after his team emotionally and physically destroyed Arsenal for the rest of the season after that win. The derby this year looks to be just as interesting and if Chelsea wins will go up five points on City.

Speaking of City, they seem to be a tale of two tournaments. During the week, City looked lost as they play teams from around Europe. After losing 3-2 to Bayern Munich, City played Italian side Roma to a 1-1 draw this week. One point in two games is not what City pictured when they entered the UEFA Champions League this season, but in the BPL, it is a whole new ballgame. City has only lost twice while they have tied two matches against Chelsea and Arsenal and winning the four left.

City, in the BPL, has looked strong and have been scoring in bunches, just like they did last season when they won league title. Their defense has come together, but could be better as could their scoring efforts against the lower-tier teams in the BPL.

Southampton is the little engine that could of the BPL, winning their last four matches to catapult them into the top-four teams of the league. The Saints summer signings have come to be intricate parts of their side and have helped Southampton to become the darlings of the young season. I don’t expect them to keep this form the whole year, but we should learn a lot this week as they travel to ace London side Tottenham.

The shock of the season as of now is Liverpool. The 2013-14 BPL runner ups have not shown up recently in matches as they seem to be having trouble to do anything right. Selling Luis Suarez was their first mistake because no matter how many players are signed with the large chunk of change that was brought in from the sale to FC Barcelona, you cannot make up the amount of goals, the passion and the attention that Suarez brought the team.

Fellow goal-scorer Daniel Sturridge is hurt right now, so the attention is solely on Italian Mario Balotelli. Balotelli, as well as Liverpool as a whole, have had trouble finding the net even with the high amount of shots they put up. If Balotelli struggles to find the back of the net, Liverpool will not be back in the top four for next season and will probably lose their top-teenager Raheem Sterling to a bigger European side.

The BPL will be taking a break for International breaks this week so there will be no games this weekend. Keep your eye out on the international matches, however. In Italy, Southamptons Graziano Pelle has replaced Balotelli on the roster sheet due to one mans uprising crossed with the other man’s downfall.

The picture is becoming clearer in the English Premier League table after Matchday five. Teams are becoming their true selves as their A-teams have played the past couple of weeks, showing us how good, or bad, they really are.

What we’ve learned: Manchester United (Man U) is not back, like, at all, Arsenal might have found a way to win, Liverpool’s defense is worse than last year and that Southampton’s fire sale might have been a good move.

Let’s start with Manchester United. The super-rich, offensive-driven squad looked to be back into their famous winning grove after a 4-0 win against Queens Park Rangers last weekend. The only problem with their first win under their Dutch manager Louis van Gaal was that it was, in fact, over newly-promoted QPR. This Sunday, it looked to be just as easy a win for the Devils as they faced Leicester City on the road. With attackers like Radamel Falcao, Angel Di Maria and Wayne Rooney, Man U fans expected a win against the new guys. However, after a 3-1 lead 57 minutes in, the wheels fell off yet again. Two penalties and two more goals against Manchester’s god-awful defense in a span of 21 minutes proved to be too much for United as they lost three points yet again this season.

The 5-3 result goes to show that you can throw money at a problem on one half of the field all you want, but if you do not have a Falcao as a center-back, or a Di Maria as a fullback, you will not compete with the big guys in the EPL. Man U’s defense was improved only slightly, but van Gaal will have to figure something out quick if he wants to stay up in the EPL and not get relegated, because at this moment, his squad does not look like an EPL side.

Another big team with large defensive issues is Liverpool. If you remember last season, the Reds were able to outscore at will with their world-class striker Luis Suarez paired with Daniel Sturridge and their 52 total goals. Their offense flowed like a river as Coutinho, Gerrard and company would get them the ball with ease and expect them to score, which they usually did. This season they are sans Suarez and thus, sans free-flowing offense. Manager, Brendan Rodgers added the gifted Mario Balotelli, but his seasons away from the EPL has made it difficult for him to get back into the physical grind of the league. Liverpool’s 30 goals given up last season was the most of the top four teams so the Red’s tried to remedy that with the addition of Southampton’s solid defender Dejan Lovren, but it has not been enough so far. Liverpool’s 3-1 loss to West Ham Saturday is a sign that, like Manchester United, something needs to be done about the back four before they get carved like a Christmas ham out of the top four.

Matchday five showed the differences that a couple of days can make from Champions League soccer and EPL soccer. Liverpool squeaked out a 2-1 against Belgian side Ludogorets on Tuesday on a penalty goal from Steven Gerrard in the 93rd minute. Liverpool then went on to lose 3-1 on the weekend.

Arsenal lost 2-0 to Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday in a game their defense could not have looked worse. The lethargic and uninterested Arsenal team then played Aston Villa. Arsenal won 3-0 against Villa in a convincing style. New signing Danny Welbeck also scored for Arsenal and if they can keep their offensive flow going and improve their defense against the better teams, Arsenal could make a serious run.

In the most entertaining game of the week, Chelsea visited Manchester City. The defending champions played host to league-leaders, Chelsea in the biggest game of the EPL season to date. Jose Mourinho led his blues to two wins last season over City and it looked to be another close game in the first half as it ended a not-very-interesting 0-0. In the second half, substitute, Andre Schurrle proved to be a positive addition in the match as he scored a tip-in goal from Eden Hazard to put the Blue’s up in the 71st minute. City then subbed on former Chelsea legend, Frank Lampard in the 78th minute. Lampard’s netted the tying goal just minutes later for a 1-1 tie.

Chelsea’s still a top of the league with 13 points, but the table has gotten a lot more exciting. Look out for Southampton, who won again this week 1-0 over Swansea City. The top teams all have things they can improve on, but the season is just getting started. There is no Champions League mid-week, so the Premier League players should be fresh and ready to go next Saturday in matchday six.

The University of Maine field hockey team came up just a goal short again on both Saturday and Sunday as the Black Bears suffered 2-1 losses to Harvard University and Hofstra University. Sunday marked a frustrating five one-goal losses in a row for UMaine. The Black Bears fell to 1-5 as their losing streak extends to five games.

The Black Bears come home next weekend for their home opener against the University of Bryant Saturday, Sept. 20 at 2 p.m.

UMaine falls to Crimson in close contest

The Black Bears’ sticks came alive Saturday as they outshot the Crimson 18-7, with 10 of their 18 shots on target. Second-year goaltender Emma Cochran slipped to 0-2 on the day, turning aside one of the three shots she was tasked with.

Harvard’s win was their first game against the Black Bears in history, having gone 0-5 in games against UMaine. The Crimson improve to a perfect 4-0 on the year.

Harvard scored first at the tail end of the first half as first-year midfielder Hannah Wellington scored a one-timer from first-year forward Ellie Cookson to give the Crimson the 1-0 advantage at halftime.

UMaine second-year Danielle Aviani netted her third goal of the year past  third-year goaltender Issy Davies at the beginning of the second half to give the Black Bears life after a dismal first half.

The Crimson did not let the tie last for long, as sophomore forward Marissa Balezza scored just two minutes later by crashing the net after getting the ball at the top of the circle to score the go-ahead goal. Davies secured four saves from the UMaine attack and sealed the win.

Harvard will be back in action when they host Yale University Saturday, Sept. 20 at 1 p.m.

Black Bears blanked by Pride

The Black Bears got out to a quick start on Sunday when Aviani scored in the 10th minute to take the quick 1-0 lead, her second goal in as many games and her fourth of the season. Her 3-yard rebound strike put her in the team lead in points with nine.

The Pride answered back in the 29th minute as second-year forward Claudia Marin-Samper shot and scored off a pass from fourth-year forward Jonel Boileau to tie things at one goal apiece.

The Black Bears outshot the Pride 13-12 and even had three more on target than Hofstra, though they failed to convert as many times as they needed.

Marin-Samper and Boileau went back to work in the 48th minute, but this time it was Marin-Samper that fed Boileau for the go-ahead score. The goal was Marin-Samper’s 12th point of the season and Boileau’s 12th, good enough for best and second-best on the team, respectively.

Redshirt freshman Emily Corbett got the start in net for the Black Bears and made four saves on six chances for the loss.

The Pride will travel to the University of Massachusetts at Lowell Sept. 19 at 3 p.m.

The University of Maine field hockey team saw their bad luck continue over the last week, dropping two more contests to No. 10 Stanford University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The Black Bears slip to 1-3 on the season and will return to action in Binghamton, Vermont next week for a pair of games beginning Sept. 13 against Harvard University.

Black Bears Blanked by Stanford

The Black Bears team fell to 1-2 after losing a tightly contested game 1-0 at No. 12 Stanford University Thursday afternoon.

The Black Bears scored eight goals in their last two contests but were held to just four shots in the 70 minutes of regulation play. Stanford controlled the game by getting off 12 shots and out numbering UMaine in penalty corners 7-2.

The game-winner was scored by junior midfielder Clemence Couteau, her first goal of the season and her fourth game-winner of her collegiate career on a reverse-stick goal from 10 yards out.

The strong fight put up by the Black Bears was spearheaded by sophomore netminder Emma Cochran. Cochran had a solid outing, registering six saves on seven shots but did not get any help from her offense.

The UMaine defense played well against a powerhouse Stanford offense but was unable to convert on offense. They were shut down by junior goalkeeper Dulchie Davies who recorded her second shutout of the young season, recording four saves. Davies was just as clutch as Cochran, saving three shots from the Black Bears in the final 15 minutes to seal the win for the Cardinals.

Svetek Leads Late Rush in OT Loss

UMass Amherst hosted UMaine Saturday for an overtime thriller that resulted in a 3-2 Black Bears loss. UMass junior midfielder Brooke Sabia led the way for the Minutemen.

UMass looked to be in control going into halftime thanks to an early goal from junior midfielder Brooke Sabia before UMaine junior midfielder Nicole Sevey scored her first goal of the year to send the game into halftime tied at one goal apiece.

Sabia scored again at 59:24 to take the lead back for the Minutemen, 2-1 but before the game could end, UMaine junior forward Cassidy Svetek scored off of an assist from junior forward Danielle Aviani for the Black Bears on an odd-player rush to force overtime. The goal was Svetek’s seventh point of the season and Aviani’s fifth, good enough for first and second on the team, respectively.

The Minutemen delivered the final blow in overtime when freshman midfielder Sarah Hawkshaw centered a pass to freshman defenseman Melanie Kreusch for the game-winner just under four minutes into overtime.

UMaine redshirt freshman goalkeeper Emily Corbett fell to 1-2 on the season, saving two of the five shots she was tasked with. On the other side of the field, junior goalkeeper Sam Carlino turned aside four of six UMaine shots to pick up her first victory of the season.

The 2014 NBA season has been one to remember for sure.

Cliches aside, 2014 brought surprises, breakout teams and new stars in the world’s top basketball league. From the race for the number one seed in the Eastern Conference to the super-surprise teams in the West — shocking events were plentiful leading into a much-anticipated playoffs.

Western Conference

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant broke through the proverbial wall this season as he has all but officially won the Most Valuable Player award.

As I predicted at the beginning of the season, Durant has shined throughout the whole year. From his record 41-straight games of 25-plus points per game, to averaging 32 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, Durant jumped onto the same playing field as LeBron James.

No longer is Durant an obvious second to LeBron because the anger and ferocious attack he brought to every game proved to be positive for his playing style and for his team. Increased scoring, more instances of attacking the hoop and overall higher level of team play made it much easier for the Thunder to win.

Although the Western Conference is much harder than the East, and every matchup the Thunder can possibly get will be difficult, I don’t see how the Thunder can’t get through to the Finals.

I’ve never been more wrong about a team than the Portland Trail Blazers. Okay, maybe the Milwaukee Bucks, who I had earning the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference. But I had the Trailblazers in last in the Northwest Division, when in actuality they earned the 5th seed in the West.

Damian Lillard emerged as a star in the league after he led the Blazers with 20.7 points per game and 5.6 assists. A lot of those assists went to pivot LaMarcus Aldridge, the Blazer big man who stepped his game up and became the top-post player in virtually every game he was a part of. I didn’t think that Robin Lopez and Wesley Matthews would be this good, but it seems that everyone in Portland stepped their games up and came together as a solid team. Their offense is scary good in spurts with Lillard’s deadly 3-point shooting and with Aldridge and Lopez down low, Portland could make a solid run if their defense can produce enough stops.

Eastern Conference

One of the most shocking turns of events ever to happen in the NBA took place this season as the Indiana Pacers came into the 2013-14 season looking to earn the number one seed in order to lockup home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Indiana was convinced that if they had played Game Seven in Indiana last season, they would have slayed the mighty Miami Heat and it would have been the Pacers playing the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.

After an amazingly strong start, Indiana looked poised to have a solid lead over Miami for the one seed and would be able to coast into the playoffs. Around February, something changed, and after they traded away Danny Granger for Philadelphia guard Evan Turner, the Pacers were obviously not the same. Center Roy Hibbert has been the main culprit and finger-pointing target among the NBA experts for Indiana’s collapse. His lack of defense and scoring as a 7-foot-2-inch human is astonishing and, to be honest, really embarrassing.

Indiana earned the first seed with Miami content to rest players and slide into the two-spot, setting up an Indiana-Atlanta Hawks first-round matchup.

Atlanta took it to the Pacers at full force in Game One on Saturday and won by eight. The eight-point margin is low for how bad Indiana got manhandled by the below-.500 Hawks, and if Indiana can’t turn it around quickly, they’ll become the one of the biggest disappointments in recent memory. Head coach Frank Vogel would likely have to search for other employment.

Award Predictions

At the beginning of the season, I predicted Durant to win the MVP. I was right with this selection as Durant put on one of the most spectacular seasons in NBA history.

Think about this: try going to your local rec and scoring 25 points in one game. Then do it for 41 more games. Then play on the college team and do the same thing. Then try to do it against people who get paid millions of dollars to play basketball.

Would you even be able to score 25points in a rec game? That’s how impressive Durant’s 42-game streak was. LeBron had a great season, too, but it didn’t compare to Durant’s 82-game offensive clinic.

I had Serge Ibaka, forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder, taking home Defensive Player of the Year at the beginning of the season. With 2.7 blocks per game, Ibaka would be a solid candidate for the award, and some would say he can still win it this season. However, Joakim Noah, center for the Chicago Bulls, had a breakout season. Without Derrick Rose, Noah stepped up with 1.5 blocks, 1.2 steals and 11.3 rebounds a game while also attracting MVP talk. I do not think he is that good, but Noah has definitely shown to be a top-flight center in the league.

Maybe my worst pick of the season was my Most Improved player award, who I gave to Bucks forward Larry Sanders. Sanders missed over a month’s worth of games after breaking his thumb in a bar fight at the beginning of the season, and when he came back, he didn’t make any difference in the Bucks season whatsoever as the Bucks only won 15 games.

I think Anthony Davis, power forward for the New Orleans Pelicans, will be the winner. He’s definitely catapulted himself into “Best Big Man in the Game” conversations.

I had Victor Oladipo of the Orlando Magic winning Rookie of the Year before the season, and after 82 games, I think he should still win the award.

I had Mark Jackson, head coach of the Golden State Warriors, winning Coach of the Year before the season. Right now, I could see Jason Kidd of the Brooklyn Nets winning the award as well as Portland’s Terry Stotts as they both brought their teams to high seeds in their own conferences.

Playoff Predictions

The playoffs have begun, and I am excited to see who is for real and who is not. I expect the Pacers to either lose in the first round to the Hawks or in the next against either the Bulls or Washington Wizards. I see the Heat making it to the Finals in the East because, let’s be honest, there isn’t anyone in the East outside of maybe the Bulls or the Nets, who have beaten them four straight times this season, who can take them down.

In the West, the conference is a lot more wide-open. Oklahoma City, the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets are all contenders in my eyes. Golden State lacks a big man now that Andrew Bogut is out, and as much as the experts like them because they are fun to watch, I don’t see them making it very far, probably not even by the Clippers in the first round.

I still stand by my pre-season pick of Oklahoma City making it to the finals, just not over the Warriors as I had previously picked, but over San Antonio instead.

In the Finals, I stand by my pick of the Thunder over the Heat in six games as Durant finally breaks out of this second-best chokehold he’s been in for years. It’s Durant’s time, we need to just sit back and watch it happen.