HOT TOPICS

By Justin Albers
basketballss132002@yahoo.com
INDIANAPOLIS- In honor of ESPN's hit TV shows PTI and Around the Horn, I am beginning a new format to my blog where I hit on all the hot topics of the day. Here we go.

Colts
What an amazing game, probably the second best NFL game I have ever seen in my life. The Colts were also involved in the best game I've ever seen against the Steelers in the Wild Card game a year ago. Living in Indianapolis and all it's hard not to get excited for the Colts, even though I am not a "true Colts fan". This city is hopping right now, and it is just a truly remarkable thing to be a part of. I have to apologize to Peyton Manning because I repeatedly called him the "playoff choker" and he proved me wrong by bringing his team back from 18 points down. It would have been easy for him to pack it in and give up after throwing a pick to Asante Samuel that was returned for a TD, but he kept his head on straight and responded as only a winner would. Congrats Peyton, let's see if you can get over that final hurdle and win the big game.
Parcells
I have to admit that I was surprised but not shocked when finding out that Bill Parcells has decided to retire at age 65. Obviously it is disappointing to see such a great coach leave the game, but it's his decision and that's the way it's going to be. My take on why he decided to go is this. The Cowboys had an outstanding team this year, and Bill knew that. They had so much talent and even more potential, but they fell apart at the end of the season and their season ended in a Wild Card game against the Seahawks. Bill probably became discouraged and thought to himself, "If I can't win with this team then I'm not going to win any more." Besides the fact that he was just getting old. Going through a season like that takes a lot out of you as a coach, and he probably just doesn't have the energy to deal with T.O. or anybody else at this point in time. I could see him coming back for one or two more years after taking some time off, but I don't think he's going to do that. He's had enough and done enough, now is his time to get away and enjoy the rest of his life.
Bears-Saints
What happened to the New Orleans Saints? Perhaps they should have been practicing outside all week to prepare for what they had coming on Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago. The Bears handed it to them from start to finish, and America's feel good team is no longer. I would like to congratulate Rex Grossman on somewhat getting the media off his back, he has been subject to endless criticism over the last month or so. The Saints just collapsed in this one, but Sean Payton put together a great team in his first year in New Orleans. It should be an exciting team to watch in the future.
NBA RUMORS
Recent rumors looming around sports sites say that Jason Kidd will be traded soon. Where will he go and what will the Nets get in return? The only team I've heard about is Indiana, and the possibility that the Pacers are not done trading yet. We'll just have to wait and see but rumors are always exciting.
Best of the West
The Western Conference is vastly superior to the East, and we all know that. Phoenix, San Antonio, Dallas, Utah, LA Lakers, and Houston all have better records then the best team in the East (Cleveland and Washington are 24-16). The question is, who is the best team in the Western Conference and in the NBA overall? Dallas has put together 2 wins streaks of 10 games or more, and Phoenix is currently on a 13 game win streak. The Mavericks have the best record in the NBA at 34-8, but the Suns are only a game back with a record of 32-8. At this point in the season I believe that the Dallas Mavericks are the best team in the NBA, and if the playoffs started today I think they would win the NBA title. The reason I'm against the Suns is because of the fact that they do not play defense. Defense wins championships and that aspect of the game is going to be their downfall in the end.
Is SEC basketball's "POWER CONFERENCE"?
It's highly debatable, and believe me it has been debated. My answer to the question is no, the SEC is not the best conference in college basketball. The SEC has 4 ranked teams, but only 1 in the top 10. I would rank the SEC 6th among the power conferences in college basketball. The top 5 are the following: Big 12, Big East, ACC, Pac 10, Big Ten. I know I may sound like an idiot, but that is what I truly believe and I'm going to stick with it. Let me explain why I have the Big 12 #1. They are the most complete conference from top to bottom. Texas A&M, Kansas, Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State all have the potential to make postseason runs. I like the way the teams from that conference play, but when March Madness rolls around all that stuff goes out the window.