Warriorfan

When was the last time we saw some real 8 on 5 action favoring the road team? There might be a riot in Boston if we see some Heat/Mavs Game 5 level officiating. What I would give to see that. As far as the allegations of rigging games and their potential impact on game 6 and 7 , I think its pretty much nil. The story hasn't caught hold at all and the only sports network of note in the US is in the pocket of the NBA. Kobe puts his head down and gets calls, Garnett's throat starts to tighten and Allen gives a similar performance we will have a game 7.

THEY LIVE! I thought The Lakers had no chance so I watched the Good, The Bad, and The Ugly and decided that I would turn it back at midnight just to see the result. Of course, I came just in time to see The Lakers almost blow the game again. Its strange rooting for a team to lose rather than truly being a fan but I would love nothing more than for every man, woman and child in Boston to have to deal with The Lakers raising the trophy in Bahston Garden.

I knew The Lakers were going to win game 4 so I didn't bother watching at 9:30. When I see the ticker and The Lakers were up by 19, I knew I was right. At 11:50 I turn to the NBA channel expecting victorious post game comments from Kobe and the like and what do I see, the !@#$%^& Lakers lost the !@##$%^*^% game! THEY LOST THE MOTHER!@#$%^& GAME. I am not a Lakers fan so it won't hurt me if they lose, but what will hurt is seeing Boston win a title. The only great thing about this circumstance is the following. The phrase " Moment of truth" is often used but when that circumstance truly arrives in sports it often produces great results. We have heard this year that Kobe is " As good" as Jordan was at this stage or even more boldly in the minds of some " Better than Jordan was". With this loss of historic proportions, Bryant gets to answer the question definitively, namely is he the next Jordan? The premise is simple; carry The Lakers to 3 straight wins( 2 in Boston no less) and he claims the mantle as the next Jordan. Conversly, if The Lakers lose all of this comparison to his airness was media hype that was completely undeserved.

I think its haymaker time for Pulver at this point.

I think the CBS execs will live with the cross-promotion as Gladiator fans will want to see Carano in a real fight. I have been looking at some of the reviews from what could be considered mainstream fans and it seems to be a hit. The saving grace seems to be Thompson's ear exploding and "blood/pus/skin falling to the mat in HD" "It was Awesome". There were enough brawls and blood to satisfy most newcomers and I think they will probably return.

I'm just looking for a concensus. A fighter is staggering, hands down and is leaning against the cage, what should the ref do?

Thompson didn't react suddenly to the stoppage, in fact I think he took an instinctive shot at the ref. I would never advocate letting it go for 2 more shots which would've ended it definitively but it would've sent the crowd home with what they wanted.

C;mon Kimbo its haymaker time.

Kimbo just survived his first real test... for now.

Sapp dancing down to the ring after Slice knocks out Thompson (if it happens) and calling him out would be tremendous. Sapp has always wanted to be a star in America and this would be the perfect opportunity for him to fulfill that dream. It would be ironic if they meet up as Sapp was essentially Japan's version of Kimbo initially before becoming a pop-culture icon. If Tyson enters I won't have the words!

Carano showed a tremendous amount of determination in that fight. You could see her gasping for air and she still kept throwing. Now if we get an appearance from Tyson or Sapp at the end of the show it will be a perfect night of fights.

Carano looks gassed and her hands are low. I think she will pull out a decision though.

I enjoy watching Machida immensely for his technical prowess. Its almost as though there is a Blu-Ray section where you can see Machida sizing up his opponent for each attack before he does it. The feignts into a double kick was like watching a video game of sorts.

BAH

I want B.J. drug tested immediately!

C'mon Sherk its time to SHOCK THE WORLD! My avatar is on the line.

Wanna an AV bet? No way Sherk wins this fight. Its' a bet!

UFC 84: PREDICTIONS Champ B.J. Penn vs. Sean Sherk- After one of the most dominating performances of the year B.J. Penn is primed and ready to successfully defend his title. Of Course, despite all this I am picking Sherk to win. Against all odds I see Sherk stalling, grappling and outlasting Penn to a decision victory. Winner- Sherk by decision Keith Jardine vs. Wanderlei Silva- This is the toughest fight to pick on the whole card. If we get the version of Jardine that crushed Griffin and beat Liddell; the Dean wins by Unanimous decision. Conversly, if we get the other Jardine ala the Houston fight he will get KO'd in the 1st. I think Silva can't get any better than he was against Liddell and if the best version of Jardine shows up that won't be good enough. Winner- Jardine K.O 3RD RD 2:35 Wilson Gouveia vs. Goran Reljic Winner- Reljic submission RNC 2ND RD 3:35 Lyoto Machida vs. Tito Ortiz- If it weren't for the Sherk vs Penn fight this would be the highlight of the night. Machida has looked great in his last few fights while Ortiz has been anything but impressive. The combination of this being the gateway match for Machida and a last chance at revenge for Ortiz makes it hard to pick. I don't think Ortiz will be able to deal with Machida's style and his zeal to prove Dana wrong will leave him open for Machida's counter strikes. Winner- Machida unanimous decision. Thiago Silva vs. Antonio Mendes Winner Silva TKO 3rd RD 2:19

No, I'm not Italian but as mentioned its hard to escape the Italian culture here in Brooklyn. I wish I could be there for this fight as Serra seems to be even more hated than Michaels would be if he showed up in Calgary.

The big fight is tonight and here is what will happen. I've seen Calzaghe's last 2 big fight against Lacy and Kessler and while he was impressive in both I just don't think he will be able to win tonight. Hopkins, has enough guile, skill and toughness to frustrate and pot-shot Calzaghe throughout the fight. I don't want to dismiss Calzaghe as another cheap British import that will crumble under pressure, but I have to. Prediction: Hopkins by unanimous decison gut feeling Hopkins by 10th RD TKO

Matt Serra Vs. Georges St-Pierre Serra has to be one of the most likeable personalities in MMA, I am cheering for him in this fight. However, after watching GSP annihilate Hughes I think Serra is going to lose. GSP RD 2 KO 4:05 Travis Lutter Vs. Rich Franklin I think Franklin gets some redemption after the Silva defeats and KO's Lutter. Franklin RD 3 KO 3:43 Nate Quarry Vs. Kalib Starnes Quarry RD 1 KO 3:03 Charles McCarthy Vs. Michael Bisping I hate Bispin! With that said, I think he wins by stoppage. Bispin RD 3 KO 2:35 Mark Bocek Vs. Mac Danzig Danzig - TKO - 1st Round Joe Doerksen Vs. Jason MacDonald MacDonald RD 1 RNC

Respectfully, if you look at the eras that Flair was involved in during his career I think he edges out Savage and Warrior in terms of non-fan recognition. As the last touring NWA champion and also the last holder of that belt when it was the most prestigious in the world, Flair had more exposure than both Savage and Warrior despite their being hallmarks of the WWF's first boom period. His run at the tail end of the aforementioned WWF boom period also enhances his presence outside of the Mid-Atlantic and the South.