EJ's Notepad: The Final Four Is Here

It's Friday. Time for the Hot Takes.

​This weekend the college basketball season will draw to a close. 

Well actually that will be Monday night. 

Want to keep this one short and sweet. It's been a rough week in the Christian household. I lost my father in law to heart failure last Sunday which my family -- especially my wife -- has obviously taken it extremely hard. But we persevere. We lose a life. But we gain a new one in a matter of days as my 2nd son Logan will be entering this planet. It's such a wacky way life works sometimes. 

To all who may read this -- talk to your parents. Hug your mom and/or dad. Tell them how much you love them. Tomorrow is not promised. Not trying to sound morbid here but after what I have experienced these last five days with my wife, I just want to be honest. Learn from the experience of others.

Ok.....on to the ever important Friday takes.  

Final Four Prediction

As we enter the final weekend of the college basketball season, now that the dust has finally settled, my tournament bracket is and look like absolute trash. Only ONE of the four teams I predicted to make the trip to Arizona actually succeeded and I can't brag much about it cause they were the actual favorites entering the tournament.

North Carolina.

That said -- just for shits and giggles here are my Saturday picks WITH the spread. Because that's all that matters at this point, right?

South Carolina (+6.5) vs. Gonzaga
North Carolina (-4.5) over Oregon

NBA MVP Rankings 

With just a little over two weeks left in the regular season the storyline that has dominated the entire NBA season still is the dominant NBA story. In a season where anyone with common sense that follows this league, most feel like only three teams actually have a legitimate chance at actually bringing the Larry O'Brien trophy home in mid-June. So it's no shock that the Most Valuable Player discussion has dominated the NBA landscape all year long. Here are my updated MVP rankings for this week. I will update these every Friday till the conclusion of the regular season. 

1. James Harden - The Houston Rockets in general have been a shock all season which easily makes Harden the front runner here -- if not slightly. 
2. Russell Westbrook - While my 50 win total rule still applies, Russ is making it much harder to not revamp my qualifications. 
3. Kawhi Leonard - No one is talking about Kawhi which really sucks. 
4. LeBron James - Arguably his best season statistically and yet doesn't this Cavs regular season -- injuries and all feel underwhelming?  
5. Isaiah Thomas - The dude is 5'9 and crushing it. Especially in moments when it matter most. One of the best players in the league in 4th quarter scoring. Also the Boston Celtics are currently the #1 seed in the East so this helps his MVP case -- even though it's likely he will not win. 
 
The Warriors are back

I said weeks ago even when Golden State struggled right after Kevin Durant's injury that it was foolish to assume the Warriors would not be able to adjust without him in the short term. Now they are streaking and with wins over legitimate teams to boot including a huge win in San Antonio on Wednesday night after overcoming a 20 point first quarter deficit. Reports are that Durant will be back before the regular season ends. I believe many poked the bear one too many times a few weeks ago when they thought the Warriors were in serious trouble. Nope. The Golden State Warriors are back.

Happy WrestleMania weekend to all

​If my wife and I were not having our 2nd child just a few days after the event there is no doubt I would be crossing 'attending a Wrestlemania' off of my unofficial bucket list this weekend in Orlando. While I am not an active fan of the WWE present day, I am a die hard of the old school product. I am even subscribed to the WWE Network and watch on a regular basis.

.......

Check out the podcast on iTunes and/or Stitcher Radio but also especially the Earnestly Speaking Mini-cast recorded exclusively with our friends at Bumpers. Next couple weeks are going to be light on the content side as I will be adjusting to life with baby Logan alongside the rest of the family. I will try to keep this blog updated as much as possible. In fact it's much more plausible that the MiniCast may get much more play on a day to day basis than the regular podcast -- who I have unfortunately had to put some of our scheduled guests on hold for a few weeks till I can construct a consistent recording schedule in concert with my growing family. Till then wish us well.


WITH RESPECT,

​EJ