So, my mind has been churning a bit more recently. Usually I take a month-long absence before writing another entry. But I was [San Antonio] spurred on to write about NBA playoff seedings yesterday, especially with Ginobili tearing it up and the Rockets seemingly jumping from 10th in the conference to 7th seed and rising. Good stuff when one of my favorite players is playing ridiculous and one of my favorite teams is looking unstoppable.
After graduating from UC Davis, I have had the chance to watch a couple anime series, Naruto and Bleach. I've made a couple observations about Bleach, but let me first give a brief summary of the series (bear with me).
The series involves shinigami (english translation: death gods) who are in charge of sending the dead souls on earth to a place called "soul society," aka sorta like heaven. Another one of their responsibilities is protecting against humans from evil souls, using a sword as their means of attack against the evil souls. Each shinigami has their own unique sword, with each sword actually representing a spirit with a name. As they get to know the spirit that lives within them, they learn new attacks and grow stronger.
Check this out, this is even better:
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God...and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God..." Ephesians 6:12, 13, 17 (bold and italics mine)
For Christians, we have a sword too, the sword of the Spirit. Right now, even at this moment, there is a spiritual battle taking place. That begs the question, are we strong enough to fight the battle? Well I can confidently say we can, the key being how much we get to know our sword, how much we get our noses into scripture. Joshua 1:8 says this: "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make you way prosperous, and then you will have good success" (bold and italics mine).
So how strong can we get? Well Jesus went toe-to-toe with Satan and deflected off Satan's best stabs, with Jesus using Scripture effectively during His temptation in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11). Furthermore, we should take into account Hebrews 4:12, which says, "For the word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of the soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." We need to immerse ourself in Scripture, which will reveal to us any sin or potential sin that can creep into our lives.
For the sake of being an effective witness for Christ to others, lets sharpen our "sword of the Spirit." For the sake of our own relationship with Christ, lets continue to get stronger for God's glory, delving into the riches found in scripture.
(Note: Sometimes my entries are written in a way that is targeting a Christian audience, this entry being one of them)
Monday, February 25, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Western Conference Playoff Seeding Prediction
The NBA is pretty crazy this year. My predictions are a reflection of the craziness seen in the NBA so far.
1. L.A. Lakers
2. Houston Rockets
3. San Antonio Spurs
4. Utah Jazz
5. New Orleans Hornets
6. Phoenix Suns
7. Golden State Warriors
8. Dallas Mavericks
Before the season began, I thought the Lakers would be competing for the 7th or 8th seed. But then they got Pau Gasol, and look very dangerous. It also helps they have the game's best offensive player, Kobe.
I think Houston is figuring it out, playing good defense and I think their offense will run smoothly for the rest of the season as long as McGrady remains healthy. Adding Bobby Jackson will give them a ball-hog off the bench that can put up points. I think every team should have one ball-hog that plays limited minutes, because when the offense is failing, you need someone who won't get down on himself if he misses a shot and continues to jack shots up.
The Spurs and Jazz I don't need to say much on. The Spurs are always a powerhouse, but I put Houston ahead because they currently have more momentum than the Spurs do. The Jazz are the best in their division, and thus have to have one of the top 4 spots.
Hornets are playing great, I think Chris Paul should be MVP. I don't think their team will cool down that much, but I think other teams will elevate their play as the season winds down, pushing the Hornets to #5.
Phoenix is now a team with its sight on the playoffs, so they will work in Shaq and thus will face some bumps as the season goes on. This won't be a big deal though, as they have extra mojo with Shaq around and will take a swing at the championship come post-season.
Warriors are a dynamic team, but they better be streaking by season's end and continue that to the post-season, because they will need to if they are to repeat a first round upset of one of the West's top seeds. It would also help if Chris Webber could regain his athleticism somehow.
I'm not a fan of the Jason Kidd trade. Kidd is too turnover prone, and when Kidd went up against the Hornets, his opponent Chris Paul got 9 steals in the game! That is not a good sign. Even if it does work out, I saw Dirk suck it up at the All-Star game. Plus the Warriors beat them in last season's playoffs, so I'm putting the Warriors ahead.
Nuggets won't make it. I saw them play in person against the Kings, and I wasn't impressed with what I saw. Remember my Bobby Jackson ball-hog comment earlier? Well Nuggets have a ball-hog too: Allen Iverson. Except their ball-hog plays 40 minutes a game. I think the Nuggets should have traded for Ron Artest. With the exception of Marcus Camby, I just feel like opponents can get their points against the Nuggets. That wouldn't be happening if Artest was on the Nuggets. If the Nuggets had made the trade for Artest, I think they could have been a 5 or 6 seed, or even possibly contend for the Jazz' #4 spot.
The Kings will surpass the Blazers as #10 in the conference, thus further hindering their chances of getting a better draft pick. This is beginning to remind me of the Mitch Richmond years, where the Kings were good enough to compete daily with the top dogs and lose, yet beat up on the weak teams.
This was a good break from studying, now back to work.
1. L.A. Lakers
2. Houston Rockets
3. San Antonio Spurs
4. Utah Jazz
5. New Orleans Hornets
6. Phoenix Suns
7. Golden State Warriors
8. Dallas Mavericks
Before the season began, I thought the Lakers would be competing for the 7th or 8th seed. But then they got Pau Gasol, and look very dangerous. It also helps they have the game's best offensive player, Kobe.
I think Houston is figuring it out, playing good defense and I think their offense will run smoothly for the rest of the season as long as McGrady remains healthy. Adding Bobby Jackson will give them a ball-hog off the bench that can put up points. I think every team should have one ball-hog that plays limited minutes, because when the offense is failing, you need someone who won't get down on himself if he misses a shot and continues to jack shots up.
The Spurs and Jazz I don't need to say much on. The Spurs are always a powerhouse, but I put Houston ahead because they currently have more momentum than the Spurs do. The Jazz are the best in their division, and thus have to have one of the top 4 spots.
Hornets are playing great, I think Chris Paul should be MVP. I don't think their team will cool down that much, but I think other teams will elevate their play as the season winds down, pushing the Hornets to #5.
Phoenix is now a team with its sight on the playoffs, so they will work in Shaq and thus will face some bumps as the season goes on. This won't be a big deal though, as they have extra mojo with Shaq around and will take a swing at the championship come post-season.
Warriors are a dynamic team, but they better be streaking by season's end and continue that to the post-season, because they will need to if they are to repeat a first round upset of one of the West's top seeds. It would also help if Chris Webber could regain his athleticism somehow.
I'm not a fan of the Jason Kidd trade. Kidd is too turnover prone, and when Kidd went up against the Hornets, his opponent Chris Paul got 9 steals in the game! That is not a good sign. Even if it does work out, I saw Dirk suck it up at the All-Star game. Plus the Warriors beat them in last season's playoffs, so I'm putting the Warriors ahead.
Nuggets won't make it. I saw them play in person against the Kings, and I wasn't impressed with what I saw. Remember my Bobby Jackson ball-hog comment earlier? Well Nuggets have a ball-hog too: Allen Iverson. Except their ball-hog plays 40 minutes a game. I think the Nuggets should have traded for Ron Artest. With the exception of Marcus Camby, I just feel like opponents can get their points against the Nuggets. That wouldn't be happening if Artest was on the Nuggets. If the Nuggets had made the trade for Artest, I think they could have been a 5 or 6 seed, or even possibly contend for the Jazz' #4 spot.
The Kings will surpass the Blazers as #10 in the conference, thus further hindering their chances of getting a better draft pick. This is beginning to remind me of the Mitch Richmond years, where the Kings were good enough to compete daily with the top dogs and lose, yet beat up on the weak teams.
This was a good break from studying, now back to work.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Eighteen and One!
That was an amazing game, my friends, an amazing game.
Ever since I got more into football, I've been a big fan of the Niners and Raiders. Obviously, I've gotta be a Niners fan. And yeah, I guess it is kind of strange for a San Franciscan Niners fan to also like the Raiders. I understand that it is kind of unusual to love and root for a team that is known for being thuggish and has crazy fans that are willing to riot after big games. There's also the crosstown rivalry. But I just dig the silver and black uniforms. I think they are sweet. Also, I just can't find it within myself to hate the guys who play right next to the Warriors' arena.
I think a big part of why I like both the Niners and Raiders is simply because I see them on TV all the time. I have just built up a familiarity with the organizations and I just like the players because those are the games I always watch on Sundays.
But one team I saw quite a bit of this season on TV was the Giants. I think I watched them play seven or eight times this season, including their dramatic playoff run. Maybe watching them so much helped me like them more. I also like Plaxico because of ESPN NFL 2K5. And that one game a couple months back, on Sunday Night Football, when Osi Umenyiora sacked McNabb six times - that got me excited. Plus watching Eli play over the past few months has led me to stop doubting him. After Week 17, I think I respected him more, and I think he did well in the playoffs.
I was definitely rooting hard for the Giants. I hate the Patriots. I don't really have anything against most of their players, but I think their coach is a jerk, and I am not down with dynasties (unless it's one of my home teams). I couldn't imagine anyone outside of Boston rooting for the Patriots. I mean, I guess I eventually found out that people I knew wanted to see them make history, but personally, I wanted to see them humbled. I wanted to see it so badly.
It angered me to see their arrogance. Players from other teams would tell the media how guys like Seymour were dirty and unsportsmanlike. And you could tell from post-game interviews that Belichick is the kind of coach who doesn't care about people, only about winning and running up the score and smirking as he shakes the hand of opposing coaches. I read this one article in ESPN the Magazine and Bob Knight was like one of the only guys who wanted to say something positive about Belichick. Dude, when Bob Knight is your only ally, you know you're a big fat jerk.
So while everyone was talking about how many touchdowns the Patriots would win by in the Super Bowl, I was just hoping and praying that the Giants could pull off the greatest upset in football. I thought about it every day for the past two weeks. I read articles that analyzed the game from just about every angle and it seemed like everyone concluded that the Patriots would destroy the Giants, unless a miracle happened.
Haha, baby!! That was David beating up Goliath. That was righteous fire from heaven. That was the walls of Jericho crumbling into dust. That game was... USA 4, USSR 3.
Eighteen and one, baby! Eighteen and one!
Ever since I got more into football, I've been a big fan of the Niners and Raiders. Obviously, I've gotta be a Niners fan. And yeah, I guess it is kind of strange for a San Franciscan Niners fan to also like the Raiders. I understand that it is kind of unusual to love and root for a team that is known for being thuggish and has crazy fans that are willing to riot after big games. There's also the crosstown rivalry. But I just dig the silver and black uniforms. I think they are sweet. Also, I just can't find it within myself to hate the guys who play right next to the Warriors' arena.
I think a big part of why I like both the Niners and Raiders is simply because I see them on TV all the time. I have just built up a familiarity with the organizations and I just like the players because those are the games I always watch on Sundays.
But one team I saw quite a bit of this season on TV was the Giants. I think I watched them play seven or eight times this season, including their dramatic playoff run. Maybe watching them so much helped me like them more. I also like Plaxico because of ESPN NFL 2K5. And that one game a couple months back, on Sunday Night Football, when Osi Umenyiora sacked McNabb six times - that got me excited. Plus watching Eli play over the past few months has led me to stop doubting him. After Week 17, I think I respected him more, and I think he did well in the playoffs.
I was definitely rooting hard for the Giants. I hate the Patriots. I don't really have anything against most of their players, but I think their coach is a jerk, and I am not down with dynasties (unless it's one of my home teams). I couldn't imagine anyone outside of Boston rooting for the Patriots. I mean, I guess I eventually found out that people I knew wanted to see them make history, but personally, I wanted to see them humbled. I wanted to see it so badly.
It angered me to see their arrogance. Players from other teams would tell the media how guys like Seymour were dirty and unsportsmanlike. And you could tell from post-game interviews that Belichick is the kind of coach who doesn't care about people, only about winning and running up the score and smirking as he shakes the hand of opposing coaches. I read this one article in ESPN the Magazine and Bob Knight was like one of the only guys who wanted to say something positive about Belichick. Dude, when Bob Knight is your only ally, you know you're a big fat jerk.
So while everyone was talking about how many touchdowns the Patriots would win by in the Super Bowl, I was just hoping and praying that the Giants could pull off the greatest upset in football. I thought about it every day for the past two weeks. I read articles that analyzed the game from just about every angle and it seemed like everyone concluded that the Patriots would destroy the Giants, unless a miracle happened.
Haha, baby!! That was David beating up Goliath. That was righteous fire from heaven. That was the walls of Jericho crumbling into dust. That game was... USA 4, USSR 3.
Eighteen and one, baby! Eighteen and one!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)