|
ESPN.com: SportsNation | [Print without images] |
Thomas has whacked Don Chaney and hired Lenny Wilkens, the winningest coach in NBA history. Wilkens is already in the Basketball Hall of Fame twice -- once as a player, and again as a coach. Maybe a third induction will be in order if he can turn around the Knicks.
We want SportsNation's instant analysis on what a Thomas-Wilkens regime will mean for the Knicks. Can the two great point guards -- Lenny and Isiah -- lead the Knicks back to glory? Vote in the poll to the left.
| Who will/would win these matchups? | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colts lose | Patriots lose | Panthers lose | Eagles lose | |
| Colts win | 45.7% | 79.2% | 70.5% | |
| Patriots win | 54.3% | 81.2% | 67.9% | |
| Panthers win | 20.8% | 18.8% | 41.2% | |
| Eagles win | 29.5% | 32.1% | 58.8% |
Most fans believe the NFL title will be decided this weekend, when the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots square off.
We're asking SportsNation who would win each of four Super Bowl matchups (Patriots vs. Eagles, Patriots vs. Panthers, Colts vs. Eagles, Colts vs. Panthers).
In each case, SportsNation is decisively predicting the AFC will take back the Lombardi Trophy this year. Vote: Who will face off in (and win) the Super Bowl?
Kobe Bryant injured his surgically repaired shoulder Mon. night against the Cavs, joining Shaquille O'Neal and Karl Malone on the sidelines. Gary Payton and Co. eked out a win at home, but most opponents won't be as kind as the Cavs.
In the last four seasons, the Lakers have won three titles without Karl Malone or Gary Payton. Without the Lakers, Malone and Payton have won a grand total of zero titles, though they do have three NBA Finals appearances on their collective resumé, each having lost to the Michael Jordan and the Bulls in six games (Payton with the SuperSonics, in 1996, and Malone with the Jazz, in '97 and '98).
So it makes sense that SportsNation finds Shaq and Kobe to be the most indispensible Lakers (among the players, that is -- last May, SportsNation told us it believes that Phil Jackson has been more valuable than Kobe and almost as valuable as Shaq). After all, they're the ones who've won it all before, right?
Then again, Shaq and Kobe came up embarrassingly short last season when the Spurs trounced them by 28 right in front of Jack Nicholson and Dyan Cannon to eliminate the Lakers in the second round. Isn't that why the Lake Show needed Payton and Malone in the first place? Aren't those the two guys who got the Lakers off to such a rip-roaring start, taking some of the load from Shaq and letting Kobe return slowly from his physical and legal problems?
So maybe 28.7 percent of SportsNation has it right -- the Lakers need the entire Fab Four to win.
Vote: Can the Lakers win without Kobe?
Alas, the Astros are not scheduled to play the Red Sox or Yankees this year, meaning that SportsNation, the Sox and the Yankees will have to wait until the World Series at the earliest to see how quickly Roger can duck a Pedro or Kevin Brown fastball. But, now that he'll be coming to the plate in the National League, we'll see if he tries to own the inside of the plate with the same ferocity.
Vote: Best rotation in the majors? | Results
SportsNation sounds off:
The polls are still open, but, with more than 100,000 votes in so far, SportsNation says we're gonna see an All-American Patriots-Eagles Super Bowl, with the Patriots the pick to win it all.
Vote: Who will win the AFC and NFC Championships? | Results
On wild card weekend, ESPN's eight experts were right on 80.6 percent of their picks, which is excellent until compared to the collective wisdom of SportsNation -- the Nation was perfect, correctly picking the Titans, Panthers, Packers and Colts to win.
The next weekend, the ESPN experts got the better of SportsNation. While the experts hit on 59.4 percent of their picks, the Nation was 50-50, narrowly missing on the two overtime games (for the late Sunday game, 50.7 percent of SportsNation picked the Pack, while 49.3 percent had the Eagles winning).
Overall, SportsNation leads the experts 75.0 to 69.8 percent. It's still anyone's ballgame.
Week 1 predictions: Experts | SportsNation
 | |
| What should Pete's Hall of Fame plaque say? See 10 proposals and cast your vote. |
In SportsNation polling on the major NHL awards, including the big one (the Stanley Cup, baby), a plurality of SportsNation's hockey fans have installed the Detroit Red Wings as favorites to win it all over the New Jersey Devils. But more than 60 percent say that the Wings won't win.
Other midseason winners: Ilya Kovalchuk (Hart Trophy), Martin Brodeur (Vezina Trophy), Rob Blake (Norris Trophy), Bob Hartley (Adams Award), and Joni Pitkanen (Calder Trophy).
Vote: Who are your midseason picks? | Results