By Weston Irons and Brody Goucher Posted FeBruary 18, 2015
Game 1: San Antonio Spurs @ LA Clippers 2/19/15
Brody: If there’s one thing that I know it’s that the Spurs don’t lose against good teams, but unfortunately the Clippers are going to be too much for the Spurs here. Chris Paul has easily been one of the best point guards again this year and Blake Griffin has developed into a two-way player, he can hit a 15-footer and post-up about anyone in the NBA. The Clippers should be able to run the floor and get transition buckets all while tiring out the old man (Tim Duncan.)Weston: I’m going to stick with the most dominant franchise in the past 15 years and go with the Spurs to get the win. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker have been the model big three in the NBA and of course, having the best coach in NBA history (Gregg Popovich) doesn’t hurt either. I think the Spurs will be able to erase Blake Griffin and force the Clippers to go with a 3-point barrage that will ultimately end in a blowout.
Game 2: Barcelona @ Man City 2/24/15
Brody: I’m picking Barcelona for obvious reasons. They have arguably the best player in the world, Lionel Messi. Messi can score almost at will, and against a struggling Manchester City defense, he should have a field day. Messi combined with the firepower of Neymar is almost an impossible duo to stop. Both have been in incredible form lately, and neither one has seen a shortage of goals lately. Barcelona will defeat City in the opening round of the knockout stages, and advance far in the UEFA Champions Cup.
Weston: I’m taking a chance and picking Manchester City for this one. Despite their recent embarrassment in the FA Cup, I think they are able to come together to beat the Spanish powerhouse and avenge a loss from Barcelona in last year’s knockout stage. Joe Hart has been playing phenomenally and will do well to deny the combined efforts of Messi and Neymar. Manchester City will mostly rely on Sergio Auguero to get them goals and send them into the Round of 8.
Game 3: Los Angeles Kings @ San Jose Sharks 2/21/15
Brody: You know the Kings are always good for a surprise win. The Kings coming off of last year’s Stanley Cup win have not been having the season they have wanted, but have shown they can be contenders and can win when they need to. Well, Los Angeles definitely needs to win against the Sharks, being that the Sharks are a few games ahead of them. The Kings have several players who can score so the offensive won’t be a problem. Now they must hold off against the relentless San Jose attack.
Weston: The Sharks are going to make easy prey of the Kings. Joe Pavelski is leading the way for the Sharks with 28 goals and is followed by Logan Couture who has 19 goals. The Sharks are currently 3 places ahead of the Kings in 15th place. The Sharks have not been too hot lately but they were able to use this easy win to get themselves back on track.
Previous Picks
Miami defeated Cleveland 101-91
Cowboys defeated Colts 42-7
Liverpool drew with Arsenal 2-2
