NBA Super Bowl XLIV: Pacers vs. Hornets

It's 2010 Super Bowl XLIV (44) mania, and every angle of every corner of every angle will be covered in the next couple of weeks by the real media. So what can we do in the blogging community? Make up more angles!

How about this: What if we somehow tried to predict who would win the Super Bowl based on the NBA counterparts in their respective cities? Makes perfect sense, doesn't it?

If Super Bowl XLIV were to be played by the NBA versions of the NFL teams participating in Miami, the Indianapolis Colts would be substituted for the Indiana Pacers while the New Orleans Saints would be replaced by the New Orleans Hornets. Still with us?

While the Hornets are probably (definitely) the better basketball team, how would the teams fare on the football field? Let's take a look at some of the key players on the rosters and match them up with their counterparts.

Indianapolis Colts/Pacers

QB Peyton Manning = SF Danny Granger

The unquestioned centerpiece of the team, providing a mostly offensive attack. Good enough to build a team around with the potential to be great.

RB Joseph Addai = PG T.J. Ford

Players who showed great promise and have since slowed down. The Pacers can't wait to unload T.J. Ford, and you might be surprised at how much the Colts may share that sentiment about Addai.

WR Reggie Wayne = SF Mike Dunleavy

Good players and often underappreciated. Dunleavy has had injury issues so it is difficult to really compare, but when these two are healthy they must be accounted for. Neither will mind carrying the load or playing second fiddle and helping teammates.

TE Dallas Clark = PF Troy Murphy

Tough competitors who put up way better numbers than you would expect them to. Murphy has been one of the more underrated forwards in the game for years while Dallas Clark is just now getting the attention he deserves after the departure of Marvin Harrison.

DE Dwight Freeney = C Roy Hibbert

This one is a stretch, considering Hibbert is still growing and Freeney is a veteran leader at this point--but Hibbert has that potential. He showed in college how much he could impact the game, and opposing offenses know that that's all Freeney does.

LB Gary Brackett = C Jeff Foster

Nothing flashy out of either player, but mainstays in their team's lineup for a reason. Consistently solid players.

New Orleans Saints/Hornets

QB Drew Brees = PG Chris Paul

Okay, this one is too easy. The similarities between quarterbacks and point guards are clear, but you'd be hard pressed to find a better match than this in the league. Both Brees and Paul are fundamentally sound but at the same time flashy, and their play dictates largely, if not nearly entirely, the success of their respective clubs.

FS Darren Sharper = C Emeka Okafor

The two big off-season acquisitions in Nawlins have paid dividends this season, both on the defensive side of the ball. While Emeka might actually be a defensive downgrade from Tyson Chandler (who they traded away to acquire Okafor), the presence of the former Husky can't be denied. Obviously, neither can that of Pro Bowl safety Sharper, acquired through Free Agency from the Vikings.

WR Marques Colston = PG Darren Collison

Both young players taken relatively late in the draft and expected to do little, who have burst onto the scene and played huge roles in their team's success.

RB Reggie Bush = SF Peja Stojakovic

Considering the achievements both have been able to garner in the past, you expect more from them. Bush was dominant at USC, and while he's having a good playoffs, it's impossible to say he's lived up to his hype. Just a couple of years ago Peja was carrying the Hornets to one of the top seeds in the Western Conference Playoffs. Now, his play has dropped off along with his teams. Both teams need these guys to perform to be really great.

LB Jonathan Vilma = PF David West

Remarkably great fits on their teams, as West goes together beautifully with Chris Paul and Vilma is the exact perfect fit for the Saints defense.

TE Jeremy Shockey = SF Jamesy Posey

Overpaid, overrated recent free agent acquisitions who show just enough productivity to keep you hoping that they will live up to their billing. Still, it's hard to argue with them, as they have both been winners throughout their careers.

So there's that. Amidst all the rehashed stories of Super Bowl week(s), this is our attempt to create a new story. At least we tried.

And for the record, we'll take the Hornets.

2009 NBA Mock Draft: Picks 13-14

This is it, folks. Our final installment of the first annual 2009 NBA Mock Draft here at Stock Lemon is here. We've gone through the first twelve picks in the lottery in the last few days, and you can see all of those picks in the upper right hand corner of this site.

Now, it's time to finish mocking the lottery.

13. Pacers: Brandon Jennings, PG, Pallacanestro Virtus Roma

These may be the last two picks in our mock draft, but they could end up being two of the best. Brandon Jennings might be gobbled up as early as nine picks before the Pacers, but then again, he might not be. If he is available at 13, this is a best case scenario for Indiana. Jennings has loads of potential and could be one of the most dynamic point guards for in the game for years to come. First, though, he must develop a consistent jumper and show that he can lead a team and buy in to what works in the NBA. The point guard who left to play in Italy after high school will have to prove that he is mature enough to play in the league. For some, he might be too risky, but for the Pacers at 13, he would be an enormous steal.

14. Suns: Ty Lawson, PG, North Carolina

The Pacers took the flashy point guard, but the Suns will happily grab the safe point guard. Lawson plays excellent defense and is one of the quicker guards in the draft, so even if it's just off the bench for a while, the Suns will be glad to have him. Phoenix will eventually look for Lawson, who took North Carolina all the way, to bring that winning way to the desert and lead the Suns back into the playoffs and out of our lottery mock drafts.

That concludes our 2009 NBA Mock Draft. Again, the rest of the lottery can be found in the upper right hand corner here at Stock Lemon. Be sure to return for more coverage of the 2009 NBA Draft, as we'll likely take a look at some prop bets and have some more information for you on Thursday.

Well, Nevermind That

We were under the impression that Danny Granger was going to play tonight for the Pacers, but clearly that was not the case as they lost to the Jazz. 

We actually held off of this play when we found out Granger was inactive, but obviously, since we posted the play and led everyone else to believe we were going to play it, the result is a tally in the loss column for our Free NBA Picks. 

Oh well. Apologies to the members of the Danny Granger fan club, who were led to believe that their idol would take the court tonight. 

Pacers Are the Pick Tonight

Danny Granger is back from injury and our Free NBA Picks system likes the Pacers at home tonight. 

Pacers +3 1/2 over the Jazz

The Jazz have won 11 straight, but we're confident in our system. 

Good luck!

Jazz Trying to Save Free NBA Picks

Our Free NBA Picks, as we might have mentioned, started the year off horribly except for when we backed the Cavaliers, who went 3-0 when our system called upon them.

After a short hiatus, our Free NBA Picks returned with a cover by the Utah Jazz. Now, we're trying to make the Jazz our new Cavs. You guessed it, the Jazz are a pick again tonight.

Jazz -10 over the Pacers

Our system happens to see a lot of value in Utah again, so we'll see what happens. For now, keep playing this picks with caution. As we've said before, they really hit their stride in about late January when the sample size of the statistical data we use is sufficient enough to produce some wins. Hopefully, we're approaching that point.

Good luck!

Cavs Keeping Free NBA Picks Afloat

For the third time this year, the Cavaliers were a Free NBA Pick. For the third time this year, the Cavaliers delivered a victory. 

With a 97-73 win over the Pacers, the Cavs made it easy on us, covering the -11 spread without a problem. 

Our Free NBA Picks are off to an absolutely horrible start, especially considering they were 40-20 last year (67%). We expect them to pick up as they did in the second half of last season when the statistical data we use has a bigger sample size, but for now, just awful. 

Take a look at the numbers for this season:

Cleveland Cavs as a Free NBA Pick: 3-0

29 other teams as a Free NBA Pick: 1-8

Overall record: 4-8

Unreal. 1-8! A lot of cappers are having a tough time with the beginning of the 2008-09 season, but we've caught a lot of bad breaks to start the year. 

We hope you stick with us through these tough times. We fully expect these picks to rebound, but for now, you might want to be careful when we bet on 29 of the 30 teams in the NBA. 

Another Cavs Free NBA Pick

It seems like our Free NBA Picks really have been favoring the Cleveland Cavaliers this year.

Maybe it's because they are 15-3, or maybe because they have one of the best players in the game in LeBron James, but whatever it is, the system likes them again tonight.

Cleveland Cavaliers -11 over Indiana Pacers

So get used to the Cavs as a Free NBA Pick--until 2010 anyway. 

Celtics Cover In Win Over Pacers

The Boston Celtics took care of the Indiana Pacers and the -4 1/2 point spread with a 104-97 victory tonight, giving the Free NBA Picks another win.

Ray Allen, seen above shooting over Jeff Foster, helped the Celtics to their fourth consecutive win without Kevin Garnett. Our picks are now hitting nearly 63% through 24 games.

Another Free NBA Pick

Our Free NBA Picks have hit a little bit of a rough spot but are still hitting about 61% this year, and there's a lot of value in tonight's play.

Boston Celtics -4 1/2 over the Indiana Pacers

We love this play, even if Kevin Garnett is still out for the Celtics, as they've won their last three without him anyways. Paul Pierce has been taking most of Garnett's workload and should have no problem with Danny Granger and the injury-riddled Pacers.

Good luck!

Free NBA Pick

We have one NBA pick today as well, although this is also a small lean in comparison to the regular computer picks.

Indiana Pacers +5 1/2 over Milwaukee Bucks

Remember it is just a small lean, so a one unit play will suffice.