Bruins
The Bruins droppped their ninth straight on thursday night, this time falling to the Habs, making the loss even more painful. The B's have won only two games since the Winter classic, a game many thought would be a turning point for the team. On the same night the B's suffered that historic loss, Ilya Kovalchuk, the highly sought-after Atlanta Thrasher's winger, is shipped to division rival New Jersey. As the losses pile up, GM Peter Chiarelli may feel the pressure to trade his coveted draft picks before this year's trading deadline. This team is desperately waiting for the Olympic break in hopes that the time-off will allow them to recuperate and make an attempt at climbing the standings in the East.
Celtics
Things are going considerably better for the green team when compared to the Bruins. Although a three game win streak is always nice, it's hard to get too excited over wins against the Wiz, Heat, and Nets. On the bright side, they seem to be closing out games with much more energy and confidence. Unfortunately, there are still some rather alarming things that I am taking from these games. Most importantly is Garnett's health, which is clearly still a major concern for this club. At times he appeas to be moving with some fluidity, but is still lacking the explosion and lateral speed that make him the best defensive big-man in the game. I am officially concerned that KG may never return to true form. There are a lot of miles on that body, and any variety of leg injury to a 7+ footer is never good. In other sports, players are capable of playing through injuries, but in basketball it seems to be a rare occurence. Many would argue that the players are tougher, which is fine, but when a basketball player isn't equipped with their full-range of motion, or ability to explode vertically, the other team is going to recognize it and inevitably exploit the injury. If, and when this team returns to full strength they will compete. Until then, they will probably appear very average, beating the bad teams, and losing to the contenders.
Super Bowl XLIV
I'm going to keep this short, because I refuse to talk about Peyton Manning for more than a few minutes. Although I would love to see the Saints pull this one out, mainly to ease to the pain of a horrible Pat's season by watching Peyton suffer the ultimte dissapoointment in sports, I just don't see it becoming a reality. I'm hoping for a good game, but wouldn't be surprised to see the Colts carve this team up, making for an almost unbearable viewing experience for Patriot fans. Hopefully watching the Colts win their second title since the Patriots last SB victory in '05 will serve as extra motivation for Brady and Co. to get back to the pinnacle of the league.
Prediction: Colts 35 Saints 19
