Larry Bird Sighting in Dallas

Larry Bird has aged tremendously well. Growing an extra three inches and suiting up in No. 41 instead of his standard green and white 33 was enough to confuse the Oklahoma City Thunder.

For years I've considered Dirk Nowitzki the toughest player to guard in the NBA. Each year we fall in love with a new dominant point guard (see the evolution from Chris Paul to Deron Williams to Derrick Rose with John Wall on the horizon), but truly there is not a player in the NBA that can match up with Dirk. At 7' tall, Nowitzki is a matchup nightmare and that mismatch proved the reason why Dallas knocked off LA to the tune of a 4-0 sweep. Lamar Odom is one of the few players who athletically can match up with Nowitzki, and neither he nor Pau Gasol wanted anything to do with guarding him.

At 12/15 from the field and 24/24 from the free throw line for 48 points, Nowitzki's performance to open the Western Conference Finals is easily the best so far in these playoffs.

The series is still young and Kevin Durant will continue to get his (10/18 and 18/19 on free throws himself for 40 points), but as long as the German Larry Bird continues to find his shot and force his way to the line, OKC is in for an uphill battle.

MLB Power Rankings

As we hit the quarter pole of the MLB season, we finally have enough to start separating the pretenders (Cleveland?) from the contenders (nobody else in the AL Central?).

1. Philadelphia Phillies - This should be no surprise as the Phils have the best starting rotation in the majors despite giving Cliff Lee no support

2. Cleveland Indians - Despite my personal doubts, it is hard to rank the team with the major's best record and highest run differential any lower than second. A weak AL Central looks wide open

3. Cincinnati Reds - The Reds have dominated the NL Central with a 20-10 division record

4. Tampa Bay Rays - After losing Manny Ramierez to retirement and playing with Longoria for much of the season, the Rays are showing a lot of life and are the surprise leaders of the AL East

5. Florida Marlins - Another team that gives me doubts about their staying power, but the Marlins have looked impressive and a 3.38 team ERA will keep them in a lot of games

6. New York Yankees - Despite massive slumps from Jeter, Posada and A-Rod over the past 20 games, the Yankees are still within striking distance of Tampa

7. Atlanta Braves - Already the third NL East team to make the list, the post-Bobby Cox braves are looking solid at six games above .500 and the second best run differential in MLB

8. Detroit Tigers - As a Michigan resident I have a tough time believing in this team, but the Tigers are rallying, posting the best record over the last 10 games in the majors

9. Boston Redsox - Don't let the near .500 record fool you, the Red Sox will be part of fall baseball

10. St. Louis Cardinals - The best hitting team in baseball is doing it all with a quiet 2011 from its star, Albert Pujols

Waiting to wake up: Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers,

Jeter, Posada - Time to Accept your Fate

As one of the few American sports fans that does not have an overwhelming opinion on the Yankees, either positively or negatively, I must say that the Sportscenter lead most nights is annoying. That said, I found the recent contract negotiations with Derek Jeter and the self-imposed benching by Jorge Posada to be some of the most interesting stories of the young season. In reality, Jeter (36) and Posada (39), have no real business trying to dictate anything in New York. While their slumps are likely temporary, they will be more pronounced than in past years and the mortality of age is set in for the two Yankee stalwarts of the past fifteen years.

Nowhere in the lineup will you find Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill or Tino Martinez. Gone are Gary Sheffield and Jason Giambi. The new faces of the Yankees are Mark Texiera, Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano. While Jeter and Posada are paid like more productive players at their respective positions, Troy Tulowitzki and Joe Mauer, they play like men well into the twilight of their careers.

Only in New York could these two continue to make a combined $27 million in 2011, but also only in New York do fans have a supreme intolerance for scuffling performance. With Jeter showing range similar to Prince Fielder at short stop and Posada failing to hit his weight, it is only a matter of time for the Yankee lore to wear off these two and fans to demand more production.

It's time for Mariano Rivera to share a little of whatever he's taking with his two struggling teammates in New York before 'The Captain' finds his way to left field and Jorge Posada takes a permanent seat on the bench.

Heat, Bulls Square off in East

With 11.1 million viewers to open the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bulls and Heat combined to become the most watched sporting event ever on TNT. Quite simply, fans want to see stars and in a player-first league, there are no bigger names than the 2.5 stars in Miami and league-MVP Derrick Rose.

Stopping Dewayne Wade and LeBron James for an entire series simply will not happen. While the Bulls had the second best scoring defense during the regular season (second only to a Boston team that Miami destroyed en route to this series), prolific scorers such as Wade and James can not be shut down for an entire series. One important area for Chicago will be in avoiding dips in offensive production and long runs by Miami. With passable three-point threats along side Wade and James, Miami has the ability to score in waves and the Bulls have shown that with Derrick Rose on the bench, the team is prone to droughts on the offensive end.

The key to this series rests squarely in the Bulls front court. No one will be surprised when Derrick Rose scores 30+ in a game, but Carlos Boozer's ability to outplay Chris "Glass Chin" Bosh will be important. If out rebounding the Heat on the offensive glass 19-6 (leading to a 31-8 edge in second chance points) in game 1 is any indication, the Bulls will out hustle and out physical Miami all series long.

Expect Carlos Boozer to shed the tag of 'consolation prize' from this past summer's free agent sweepstakes and LeBron's premature celebration after closing out Boston to come back and bite him. Bulls in six.