Hawks at Pacers

Josh Smith and Atlanta's 39 win Hawks are on the road tonight, as they take on the hoosier state's Pacers. Allowing less than 90 points per game, Indiana has become one of the toughest teams in the eastern conference. Former Georgetown Hoya, Roy Hibbert averages 2.7 blocks per game and anchors a squad that leads the NBA in rebounds.

With 12 games left in the regular season, Atlanta is currently 5th in the east, with only one more victory than Chicago's 6th placed Bulls. Danny Granger and David West will miss tonight's game, along with George Hill and Lance Stevenson. However, the Pacers will be led by small forward Paul George, who averages 17.7 points per game in his second NBA season.

Leading the charge for Atlanta will be power forward/center Al Horford, who averages 17.5 ppg along with 10.3 rebounds per contest. Alongside the former Florida Gator will be Johan Petro, who likely starts in the 5 spot and the electrifying Josh Smith at small forward. Atlanta needs the victory, but the task is a lot tougher without Devin Harris, who is sidelined with an injury to his left foot.

Update: Indiana outscored Atlanta 32-17 in the second quarter, to take a 58-43 lead into the half. Josh Smith leads the Hawks with 17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block, as he continues to fill up the stat sheet. For the Pacers, shooting guard Orlando Johnson (averages 3.7 ppg) tallied 15 points to go with 3 rebounds and 2 assists in the first half.

Dominique Wilkins

Growing up in Marietta, I often heard about the legendary Blue Devil and Supersonic career of a sharp shooter named Dale Ellis. I attended his basketball camps and once "beat him" at a game called bump. That was always fun.

But, Dominique Wilkins was my hero. He was a man, who rattled rims inside the Omni, the Boston Garden, and every NBA arena he walked into. Wilkins was the greatest athlete I have ever seen. As a kid, I would religiously watch the Hawks on our cable-less TV. The picture used to fade in and out at times. But, no matter how cloudy the reception became, Dominique was always visible. I can remember trying to emulate his dunks on my Nerf hoops. Unfortunately for those thin plastic rims, I often got so excited that I would destroy them, Darrell Dawkins style.

Dominique had what they call "once in a lifetime" talent. He was Babe Ruth to me. The Wilkins led Hawks may not have won an NBA title, but I'm thankful to have grown up watching #21 play the game.

Click on the title of this post, to view highlights of Dominique Wilkins.

MVP Rob Sealer

A couple months ago, I posted a poll on the blog, which asked the question, "Who should be named NBA MVP?" Well, in jest, I threw my name into the mix for fun. Of the 2 votes tallied, I was named by a unanimous RS Sports vote the 2009 NBA MVP. So, I decided to write a mock article in response. It was brought to my attention, that you could type in the words MVP Rob Sealer, scroll down a little, and the article would appear on google.com. Well, I seem to have lost my "google power." This gimmick doesn't work any more, but it was fun while it lasted.
Thanks for supporting www.robsealersports.blogspot.com.

NBA MVP

I am very humbled and honored to win this award. As voted on by the readers of www.robsealersports.blogspot.com, I am the unanimous selection to receieve NBA MVP honors. It's quite an accomplishment, considering I've never played professional basketball. To be honest, my best days were on the courts of Durham Street.
I can't tell you what this means to me. With 2 votes to none, I have surpassed Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, Lebron James, and Dewayne Wade. This is the proudest day of my life. Thank you to the voters. I will always be grateful. God bless you all, even if I "fixed" the results.

Hockey Sucks

As far as I'm concerned, Canada can have hockey. I only wish they'd trade the Toronto Raptors to America. I'm definitely not a fan of the "globalization" of the NBA. Don't get me wrong. I'd love to see Dirk Nowitzki or Manu Ginobli in a Hawks uniform. What I'm tryin' to say, is that one NBA franchise located outside of the USA is one too damn many. (Excuse my language, but that's how I feel). So, I've come up with a solution. I'd like to propose an international, multi-sport trade package. It's a crazy concept, but just hear me out. I would send the Atlanta Thrashers, Nashville Predators, and Florida Panthers to Canada for the Toronto Raptors. The Canadians and Maple Leafs can pick apart the rosters as they please. In exchange, Chris Bosh goes to Miami and becomes a hybrid C/PF. Teamed up with Michael Beasley, this front court could be impossible to defend. What does Atlanta get for the Thrashers? Jermaine O'Neal. Josh Smith is banged up and the Hawks desperately need a defensive presence in the middle. Al Horford has plenty of talent and potential, but is prone to foul trouble. Atlanta has very little depth at this position. As for the Orlando Magic, they get Jose' Calderon and Jason Kapono. Jameer Nelson is an impressive young PG, but you can never have too much talent at that position. Kapono replaces JJ Redick on the roster. After a stellar collegiate career, JJ has failed to impress on the next level. How about Tennessee? What compensation do they get for the Preds? $250K and a stirring rendition of Rocky Top for the next 5 star Volunteer QB. Click on this link for a classic Tennessee Tribute: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLyOT9dWIGs Go Vols!

Well, here's my final comment on the topic. I know this concept is beyond far fetched, but hockey sucks. Why not let Canada keep it?