But at the end of that season no one would have believed it if they were told the Celtics

But, at the end of that season, no one would have believed it if they were told the Celtics would struggle through a pair of seven-game series and that Ray Allen would become a near shadow of his former self. My point is that things change. I just don’t see that there is any team in this league that could, at this point, beat the Lakers four out of seven They’ve got a deeper bench. They’ve been able to neutralize point guards way more talent than Rondo (Iverson, Parker, Williams). They’ve got the best coach in the NBA, a guy who can manage the game, the clock, and the players in his sleep.

And, of course, there’s number 24. My money’s on the Lakers, though I disagree with all of these five-game predictions It’s gonna be a long one. I say Lakers in seven.But if this series is over in five and we miss out on at least one more game before the NBA goes dark for the summer, I will be borderline suicidal Again.. Where is the problem? Why the attitude? We are constantly reading about the many reasons why the Philadelphia Eagles should trade Lito Sheppard. We are constantly reading comments from the players on how the current situation at cornerback is bad for the team and unfair to Lito. Why can’t we all just get along? The last time I checked, the city of Philadelphia was celebrating 100 seasons (25 years) without a championship. The last time I checked, the Eagles have missed the playoffs two of the past three seasons.

Keeping Lito could reverse these trends. The NFL is a pass-happy league. The Eagles’ top division rivals, the Cowboys and the Giants, boast up-and-coming star quarterbacks and top-notch receivers. The Eagles finished the 2007 season near the bottom of the league in generating turnovers. Outside of Trent Cole, the Eagles had difficulty generating pressure on the quarterback. Keeping Lito in a secondary with Brown and Samuel negates the strengths of the Cowboys, the Giants, and the entire NFC. Keeping Lito gives the Eagles two of the league’s top interception producers. Keeping Lito leads to more “coverage” sacks. Lito complains that he is being underpaid.

When looking around the league and recent cornerback contracts, this may prove true. However, the stats show Lito Sheppard having difficulty staying on the field due to various injuries (13 games missed over the past three seasons). With Lito’s injury history and games missed, his current contract doesn’t seem all that unfair. If Lito wants a new contract then he should earn it this year…stay on the field and produce! A big 2008 increases Lito’s trade value and the likelihood that a new team would give him the big money contract he seeks. Keeping Lito also gives the Eagles options that weren’t present in the past. The numbers show teams use a three-cornerback package nearly 60 percent of the time.