Our NBA Playoffs bracket has proven to be very popular over the last few seasons, and now we’re making it easier than ever to access the bracket goodness!

Just go to NBAPlayoffsbracket.com and you will be taken to the latest in updates (currently for the 2009-10 season, but each year will direct to the current bracket.)

And for our experimental NFL Playoffs bracket, we’ve implemented NFLPlayoffsbracket.com to make that just as easy.

Stay tuned for more announcements soon concerning the brackets and Breathingfire.com!

The 2009-10 NBA season officially began today, and to kick things off right, we’re introducing our 2010 NBA Playoffs bracket!

If you are new to our brackets, here’s how it works: Throughout the season, the current standings are used to create a picture of how the playoffs would be structured if they began on any given day. It’s a fun way to track your team as they fight through 82 regular season games on their march to the Playoffs. The bracket is updated automatically with the conclusion of each game (refresh to see the changes after the games conclude.)

When the Playoffs arrive, the bracket will be updated with each team’s wins, along with game times and scores.

View the 2010 NBA Playoffs bracket now! If you have any comments or suggestions, please comment on this post. Thanks for visiting!

As some may know the Detroit Pistons are barely recognizable from the team that won the NBA Championship in 2004, almost repeated in 2005, and continued on to an impressive streak of six Conference Finals appearances. The loss of Ben Wallace to free agency and the Chicago Bulls in 2006 and the trade of Chauncey Billups to Denver for Allen Iverson in 2008 (which I approve of, by the way, more later) removed the heart and soul of what was considered the best starting five in the NBA. They were also considered one of the true teams in the league, one that did not rely on any one superstar to get them through to the next level.

In 2009, another member of that starting lineup has been lost to free agency in Rasheed Wallace. Wallace, perhaps the catalyst for the Pistons’ 2004 title run, signed on with the Boston Celtics to likely back up Kevin Garnett off the bench. Antonio McDyess, one of the hardest working players for the Pistons since 2004-05, has left to sign with the San Antonio Spurs. The only two remaining members of the 2003-04 team are Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton.

The trade of Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson put the 2008-09 season in the trash for the Pistons. Billups was more than just a good player and point guard, he was a leader and a veteran who took care of the ball, ran the offense and kept his players in check. After reading about him, he sounds more like a player/coach than just a player, and his influence was not lost on the Denver Nuggets who stormed to 2nd place in the competitive Western Conference and faced the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals (they had previously not made it out of the first round with their current “superstar,” Carmelo Anthony.)

While everyone blames the loss of the 2008-09 season — 39-43 record, their first sub-50-win season since 2000-01, barely making the Playoffs and getting swept in the first round after 6 consecutive conference finals appearances — on the loss of Billups, I believe it was a necessary move. Ever since their back-to-back NBA Finals appearances, the Pistons could not get over the hump of the Eastern Conference Finals. They lost to Miami, Cleveland and Boston after posting impressive regular season records and storming through the first two rounds of the Playoffs. The team was becoming stale, and perhaps the players heads were getting a little too big as well. They could not agree to work with coach Flip Saunders, and you could tell he did not command their respect. An experiment that was successful early on had run its course.

So something needed to be done, and to make any sort of change the team needed money. Trading for Iverson’s expiring contract gave them that needed cash, and in theory would give them a superstar for 2008-09 to keep the success going. While Iverson turned out to be a bad fit for the Pistons, he’s off the books now and team President Joe Dumars has gone shopping.

He brought home free agents Ben Gordon from Chicago and Charlie Villanueva from Milwaukee. He also drafted small forward Austin Daye, who may be ready to back up Tayshaun Prince already. First year coach Michael Curry was fired and replaced with, oh, first year coach John Kuester, an assistant coach from Cleveland (who previously was with the Pistons under Larry Brown during 2003-05.)

The problem here is that the only big man on the team is Kwame Brown at 6′ 11″. Villanueva at 6′ 10″ will be undersized at power forward, and Brown is unreliable. It has been reported that Dumars is seeking to sign either Drew Gooden from San Antonio or Glen “Big Baby” Davis from Boston. Either of these guys is a bad move, in my opinion. Gooden is an idiot and “Big Baby” is a lumbering workhorse but there’s something not right about him. There are rumors that a recently released Ben Wallace could sign back with the Pistons, but those are just rumors at this point, and after a few years of injuries he would merely be a back up.

It’s becoming (especially if Gooden or Davis signs) a team that I’m just not that interested in seeing anymore. Billups and Wallace (and Wallace) were some of my favorite players to watch because of their abilities and attitudes. I found myself watching as many Denver games last season as Pistons games, if not more (definitely more in the Playoffs!) I’m not a fan of Boston but will watch more of them because of Rasheed. I like the Spurs especially now that Antonio McDyess and Richard Jefferson have signed there (I’ve always liked Tim Duncan.)

Of course I’ll continue to watch, support and follow the Pistons, but their identity as a team is becoming foggy. I hope they can get back on the path of success or at least continue the tradition of hard work and playing the right way as a team like they have before.

My favorite NBA player is Chauncey Billups. Not because he’s a Detroit Piston (though that certainly helps, and contributed to my interest,) but because of the player that he is. He’s so damn cool, collected and talented at the same time. He’s “Mr. Big Shot,” the guy you wanted with the ball in the last seconds of the game. When he went to the free throw line, you knew he was money (he was the best in the NBA last season.) He could knock down a 3-pointer with the best of them. He could drive to the basket and either put up a sweet layup or dish out a behind the back pass like he had eyes in the back of his head.

One of the best parts of Billups was how he acted off the court. In interviews he was calm and collected, and always respectful of other players and the game itself. He had a great poise about himself as he encountered different situations, and he had that walk and demeanor about him tha said “I’ve got it figured out.”

I own two Chauncey Billups Detroit Pistons jerseys. Unfortunately they are now collectors items. On Monday, Chauncey was traded to the Denver Nuggets along with Antonio McDyess and Cheick Samb for Allen Iverson.

I first became a major fan of the NBA in the summer of 2003. I had caught some glimpses of their playoff battle with the Orlando Magic, and their stunning comeback in that series. Who was this guy with the ‘fro? Who was this lanky guy named Tayshaun Prince? And who’s the guy with the funny name of “Billups?” THen they drafted Darko Milicic (who fascinated me for some reason,) and hired Larry Brown. This seemed very interesting. Then they went on to win the NBA Championship. This was the first team I ever followed for an entire season and they won it all. It was amazing.

So began a wonderful relationship. I’ve followed the Pistons intently over the past four seasons since. I’ve studied the rosters, read the blogs, attended the games and bought the merchandise. It’s been really fun. And despite the disappointment of losing in one NBA Finals and 3 consecutive Eastern Conference Finals, I’m still excited about the Pistons.

But trading away my favorite player? Why’d they have to do that? It does take a little of that away from me. I think as you get more into sports, you begin to like players more and franchises less. I’ll always like the teams around my area, it’s natural. But I’m starting to appreciate watching players like Tim Duncan, Chris Bosh, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace more for the names on the backs of their jerseys than on the front. It’s why I liked USA Olympic basketball so much and why I like the NBA All-Star festivities. It’s just cool to see so many of my favorite players all at once.

Anyways, while the oming of Allen Iverson to Detroit is better for the team in the long run (he has an expiring contract that, combined with Rasheed’s coming off the Piston’s books next summer, provides Detroit with the ability to bring in some huge stars,) it just sucks to see the official end of an era. Billups, Prince, Hamilton and Wallace had about 20 more games to go to break the record for most games started together. It would have been nice to see that, but it’s no longer a possibility.

I’ll still be a major fan of the Pistons, but it might ake me a while to find a local player that I enjoyed as much as Chauncey. Who’s jersey will I buy next? Anyone’s? We’ll have to see.

The bracket is back. View the newly updated (and updated in real-time throughout the season) NBA Playoffs bracket. It’s a constant gauge of how teams are doing an how they are falling into place in the NBA playoff picture.

And while you’re waiting for the season to play itself out, use the handy graph at the bottom to see how much longer there is to go (This is start at 0% on October 28th, the first day of the regular season.)

If you have any comments or suggestions please let me know!

With the NBA Playoffs winding down (I only say it that way because the Pistons aren’t in The Finals,) updates have been few and far between on my NBA Playoffs bracket. But that doesn’t mean I’m ignoring my little baby.

As the LA Lakers and the (ugh) Boston Celtics battle it out to see who will defend their title against the new and improved Detroit Pistons next year, I’ve added nice little Larry O’Brien trophy indicators to show who wins what games — with handy-dandy ABC logos that tell when the next game is, and where.

Watch for LA’s to fill up fast :)

Usually after each season I write a little post about the Detroit Pistons season and after the last 4 years, it’s been one of disappointment. We all know the story about how the Pistons won the title in 2004 and despite being minutes from repeating 2005, haven’t gotten back to the Finals. They’ve been eliminated in each of the last three seasons by Miami, Cleveland and Boston.

Usually emotion would get the best of me and I would start calling for heads to roll. Trade Ben Wallace! Trade Rasheed Wallace! Fire Flip Saunders! Read for yourself: 2006 and 2007

Well, I waited just long enough for the dust to settle, because Joe Dumars is doing all the venting for me.

Today he fired Flip Saunders. He also announced that no player on the roster was safe from being traded. The formerly “sacred” starting 4/5 of Billups, Hamilton, Prince and Wallace were now on the market, as penance for their lackluster effort and for not getting it done 3 years in a row. Joe’s words, not mine.

I imagine that veterans like Antonio McDyess (who actually did play hard) and Lindsey Hunter (expected to take a Pistons Assistant Coaching job) won’t be moved. I also expect that budding rookies and 1-2 year players Stuckey, Afflalo, Johnson and Maxiell can feel pretty safe. They all did what they were asked to do.

But this is truly the beginning of the end for the 2003-08 Detroit Pistons. They’ve reigned over the Eastern Conference for 6 years, have only 1 NBA title and 2 Eastern Conference titles to show for it — more than most teams yes, but we’re speaking relatively here — and it’s time for a change.

I can’t say what I would do if I were in Dumars’ shoes. Probably exactly what he is doing. Getting a new coach, and letting the NBA know that he’s open to a deal. Guys that have been off the market for 6 years are now being shopped. I think anyone of them can still contribute given the right atmosphere that a new coach can potentially provide.

I think Flip Saunders can be a great coach. He made the Detroit Pistons a great regular season team. But he wasn’t the right kind of person that this team demanded. In the Playoffs they needed a hard-ass. They needed Larry Brown to not take any shit and tell them exactly what to do. Flip’s not that kind of guy, that thats not a knock on Flip. He just belongs somewhere where his talents can be utilized in a much better way. I would not be surprised to see him in Phoenix next year.

I was really down on the Pistons after they lost this year. But now I’m excited because it’s a new era. It will be exciting to check the sports news and see if anything has changed in the D. It will be exciting to see how a new coach will run the Pistons of tomorrow. It will be exciting to see if they can maintain the level of excellence they are now synonymous with.

It should go without saying, but I’m still a Pistons fan through and through.

New thread to house any comments or suggestions concerning the 2008 NBA Playoffs bracket.

Many people know that I’m a big Detroit Pistons fan. Shannon asked me what the one thing I wanted to do on my birthday was, and I said go to a Pistons game. I’m not really sure why I like them so much, or why I like following the NBA so much. It’s not really a sport that a person like me (or people in general, I guess) can relate to. A lot of rich guys play a game where most of the time it seems like money comes before the love of the sport. But I like the match-ups, I like the stars, and I like the coverage. I like how it had that edge to it, and I love watching big plays happen.

Right now the Detroit Pistons are playing the Philadelphia 76ers in round 1 of the NBA Playoffs. In game 3 and the first half of game 4, they were looking pretty bad. They were giving up the ball a lot on mistakes, taking bad shots, and losing their cool. So at halftime the coach said to them “Are you having fun? Because it looks like you’re not having fun.” That and a little speech by Antonio McDyess (fresh off a broken nose) turned things around and now, a game and a half later as the Pistons are on the cusp of winning the series, they’re having fun. They decided to not worry so much about winning and worry more about whether they are enjoying their work.

I found this to be in common with the sand volleyball team I played on last year. It was me and a bunch of my buddies. We thought it would be fun to get together every week and play some volleyball. We were all pretty capable players, and we all liked playing. But a lot of the times, we sucked. Bad. We made mistakes, we got in each other’s way, and tempers flared. A few times we left after the games without saying much at all to each other. We’re all pretty competitive, and things weren’t going the way we’d like.

But I think the thing that got us the most is that we didn’t have fun with it. We worried so much about winning, about getting every point we could and beating each team that we forgot to just have fun playing ball. I’m definitely one of the biggest culprits, because I want to win so badly. I wanted to prove to my friends and the people around me that I could be a winner, and that I could be good at volleyball. And it’s tough, man. You want to have fun, and maybe things start out that way. But there’s always a score, and that feeling of embarrassment when the ball hits the ground in front of you and you were supposed to hit it. So fun gets thrown oout the window as you get a little more serious about things.

I don’t know, maybe I’m not good enough to have fun and do well at the same time. But I’ve done it before, somehow. And I know it’s much easier, and a much better time, to just have fun. So I’ll try to remember that in the future.

I’ve added a couple of new features to my now ever-present 2008 NBA Playoffs bracket!

Now, located at the bottom below the bracket itself, is a bar showing just how far into the NBA regular season we are. Also located on the graph are a couple of indicators showing off events like NBA All-Star Weekend, the trade deadline, and the 75% mark. Again, not really anything too spectacular, but it was a quick thing to throw up on there that I thought was pretty cool.  Seeing as how the playoffs bracket doesn’t really mean much until the regular season is over, this will show you how far we have until then!

The second new feature is the presence of win-loss records for each playoff team. Now you can show or hide them as you please, and see how your team is doing with a glance. Just another feature that I wished was there so I made it so.

Let me know if you like or dislike the new features, and if there is anything else that you think should be added (or taken away!) I’ll be returning to my little-green-arrow system of showing wins in the Playoffs once they start, so if you have a better idea I’m all ears.