The World of Wadley NBA Playoff Guide

Finally, it's here. The NBA Playoffs are upon us. The Association, which has found a way to stay at the forefront of sports news around the calendar, put together another dramatic regular season with questions in Cleveland, injuries to Western Conference titans, more triple-doubles from Russ and so much more.

The league is thriving and it's now time to enter an enticing postseason with plenty of intriguing first round matchups. What should you expect? It's tough to say with the Warriors' injuries, Cleveland's rollercoaster regular season and the unproven past of so many contenders such as the Raptors and Rockets.

Before the games tip off, here's a few things to watch...

Will we see Warriors-Cavs Part IV?
No we will not. It wouldn't be wise to write off a LeBron James-led team, but Cleveland's road looks tougher than in past years. The Indiana Pacers won't be an easy first round matchup with Victor Oladipo's emergence as an All-Star caliber player. Lance Stephenson, though ultimately unsuccessful in his efforts, is just crazy enough to push LeBron's buttons and Bankers Life Fieldhouse can be a difficult place to play when it's filled with LeBron haters. Toronto would most likely await Cleveland in the second round and the 76ers look like a formidable opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals. Still, LeBron is LeBron and Cleveland will end up in the Finals.

The Warriors won't though. Injuries have plagued Golden State and they will be without Steph Curry for the first round against San Antonio. If Golden State were healthy, there is no team on the planet that could unseat them as the NBA's best, but they aren't healthy and that means James Harden and Houston will meet Cleveland in the Finals. For what it's worth, Houston will hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy.

What about the Raptors?
The Raps have turned in some disappointing playoff performances in past seasons and Brian Windhorst wrote a piece on their Game 1 woes, which they can potentially end Saturday against Washington. There's reason to believe Toronto will advance past the first round, but I struggle to believe they can beat a LeBron-led team four times. That means the No. 1 seed in the East will be out in the semifinals, adding another chapter to the franchise's disappointing playoff story.

Are the Sixers for real?
Winning 16 games in a row without one of your top two players means you are for real. Joel Embiid will return from injury and Ben Simmons looks like a superstar in the making. The Process has been a long one for Philly, but this young bunch looks primed to make a run. Some of that is due to their talent, while some of it is due to injuries to other teams. Boston doesn't pose nearly the same threat in the second round as we thought they would now that Kyrie Irving is out. Count on the Sixers to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, which will give us a Ben Simmons vs. LeBron matchup that should provide great theatre.

What's an underrated first round matchup to watch?
The Portland Trail Blazers versus the New Orleans Pelicans is a series to watch. Houston and Golden State hog the national spotlight out West, but Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard will have national stage they deserve in this series. Davis is an MVP candidate with 28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. Lillard has put up 27 points, 6.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game. This one will be fun.

It's a long road to the title and it begins Saturday with Warriors-Spurs at 3 p.m. ET. See the entire playoff schedule here.

Even a World Series Ring Can't Guarantee Patience for Cub Fans

As I sat and ate my breakfast this morning, I read all the articles I could find recapping last night's Cubs game (a morning ritual for me between the months of April and October). Jesse Rogers and Carrie Muskat are usually my go-to beat writers for all things Cub, but an article written by former Cub Doug Glanville was my favorite this morning. He talked about his experiences on the Cubs back in 1997 when they started the season 0-14 and how a 3-4 start for the 2018 team should not cause panic for the Cubs' fan base.

I was only 3 years old in 1997, so my knowledge of that start and that season as a whole is non-existent. In fact, my first memory as a Cub fan is sitting on the living room couch watching game 6 of the 2003 NLCS. It doesn't require an explanation, you know what happened. Moises Alou went up against the brick wall in left and Steve Bartman did what any fan would have done. I remember being frustrated, but as a fourth grader the enormity of the situation didn't stand out to me. I viewed it as a bump in the road in that game and that game alone, but for my dad, a lifelong Cub fan who had experienced plenty of Cub-related heartbreak before that game, it was a much bigger deal. My dad is one of the most laid-back and easy-going individuals I've ever met, but when Bartman touched that ball and my brother, Zach (a Cardinal fan, no less), started laughing, my dad about lost it ("IT'S NOT FUNNY!"). Needless to say, that's one of the funnier moments we reflect on as a family now, but how fitting is it that my first memory of cheering for the Cubs is one of heartbreak?

It's hard to believe this year will be the 15th anniversary of that game. The craziest part about it is how much the Cubs' organization has changed since then. In 15 years the Cubs have had plenty of different "saviors" who would lead the ball club to that coveted World Series title: Nomar Garciaparra, Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano and Lou Piniella just to name a few. Not one of those guys made it out of the NLDS. However, those guys gave the fan base hope. It was after they were all gone, with Soriano being the last man standing, that things had to get ugly in order to get pretty.

I have this app on my phone called "TimeHop" which, for those of you not familiar with it, allows you to see your social media posts from past years on today's date. Looking back four, five and six years ago on that app at this time of year is incredibly painful. Seeing the starting lineups featuring the likes of Luis Valbuena, Emilio Bonifacio and Jeff Baker isn't something I hope to relive any time soon. Add in the fact that Carlos Marmol was the closer back then and you have a heart attack waiting to happen. Cubs baseball was not fun back then. Did I still watch as many games as I could? Absolutely. All the way through September. It was brutal most days, but there was a reason for it and Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer had the 5-year plan in place.

So now here we are in 2018. A World Series banner has been raised and the Cubs have made three consecutive trips to the NLCS. I grew up watching an NL Central division that was perennially dominated by the St. Louis Cardinals. Heck, the Cardinals made three consecutive trips to the NLCS TWO SEPARATE TIMES. My brother couldn't have been more spoiled as a Cardinals fan. Sheesh. But look at who was on those Cardinals teams. Generational legends like Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen. All-time legends like Albert Pujols and Tony LaRussa. Those teams were flat-out good, and now the Cubs have the roster to make the same noise those Cardinals teams did.

Who would have thought there would ever be a year where Cubs fans couldn't wait for their bullpen to enter the game? Last night, Justin Wilson walked three straight hitters to load the bases only to watch new-comer Steve Cishek strike out Lorenzo Cain to get out of the jam. The days of watching Kevin Gregg or Brian Schlitter blow a late-game lead are over. They have one of if not the best bullpen in baseball right now (albeit with a very small sample size) and even though they're off to a bit of a slow start, their starting rotation should be at least in the top five, potentially top three by the end of the season. There is not a single hole in their batting order and the youth of the team projects perennial contention for the next few years. This is a Cubs team unlike any other Cub team before them.

So stop panicking. Stop being impatient. Stop questioning the Cubs' focus or motivation. It's April 7th. This team was built for longevity, not just "win now" on a one or two year timeline. Cubs fans (myself included) have been so spoiled these past three years and I never thought I'd be able to say that. The problem now, though, is that success is not a hope or a pleasant surprise, it's an expectation. Hoyer and Epstein have made all the right moves and now the team has shown the potential it has. That brings about a lot of pressure, but also a lot of irrationality from the fan base.

The bottom line is this: things could be so much worse. It's a beautiful day when a 3-4 start can be considered a reason to be anxious rather than bringing about a "here we go again" mentality when thinking of the season as a whole. Be excited because truthfully, it could and has been so much worse. I'd take a 3-4 record with Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell and Javy Baez headlining the Cubs any day over a team with Marlon Byrd, Bryan LaHair and Koyie Hill. Smile, Cub fans. Life's pretty darn good right now.

Tiger's Resurgence Promises Compelling Masters

Masters weekend promises a few things for golf fans. Jim Nantz will lower the volume after last week's Final Four, Tom Rinaldi will tell beautiful stories and the actual golf at Augusta will be even more beautiful with the game's best playing on the world's most famous course. A decade ago, another promise could be made: Tiger Woods would put on a show just as he had been doing since 1997 when he won his first green jacket.

Times changed though. Tiger's downfall is well-documented with the lowest of lows coming so fast that it seemed we hardly had time to say goodbye. He was still around, and he was still Tiger, but he wasn't that Tiger. He didn't invoke that fear in opponents that was his signature.

Despite his struggles both on and off the course, Augusta has always brought the best out of Woods. After his infamous infidelity scandal in November 2009, he has won just eight tournaments with three coming in 2012 and five in 2013. There were times he fell off the grid completely it seemed, but Augusta almost always gave us the old Tiger. Woods has tied for fourth three times at The Masters since 2009 and shot six rounds under 70.

While Tiger scuffled through the past few years, golf didn't wilt. On this very blog, we looked into how golf has done in Tiger's absence, which was just fine thanks to Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, Rory McIlroy and others. But there's nobody like Tiger.

Tiger is playing his best golf in a long time and, according to him, feels the best he has felt in six or seven years. A few weeks ago, Woods finished second in the Valspar Championship and nearly shut down Twitter in the process. Consider the fact that he had fans turning away from March Madness to watch him make a late charge in the Arnold Palmer Invitational of all things. That's the Tiger Effect.

Thursday he will tee off a little before 11 a.m. in what is the most exciting buildup to the Masters we've had in awhile. Along with Tiger, McIlroy and Phil Mickelson have also turned back the clock in recent weeks. The game's new wave of stars in Spieth, Jason Day and Rickie Fowler will be there, and there will also be somebody like 2016 champion Danny Willett who nobody expects to challenge for the jacket, but does so against all odds.

For years there seemed to be a collective groan from fans and media as we watched Tiger struggle on the course, change his swing or sit out altogether. Now, love him or hate him, don't deny you're excited to see that red shirt on Sunday walking up to the 18th green most likely in contention for his fifth green jacket.

Tiger is back, folks, and it promises to be a good show.

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Rounds 1 and 2 Tee Times (ET)

8:30AM/11:15AM: Austin Cook, Ted Potter Jr., Wesley Bryan

8:41AM/11:26AM: Ian Woosnam, Ryan Moore, Jhonattan Vegas

8:52AM/11:37AM: Mike Weir, Brendan Steele, Matt Parziale (a)

9:03AM/11:48AM: Jose Maria Olazabal, Kevin Chappell, Dylan Frittelli

9:14AM/11:59AM: Bryson DeChambeau, Bernd Wiesberger, Matthew Fitzpatrick

9:25AM/12:10PM: Mark O’Meara, Brian Harman, Harry Ellis (a)

9:36AM/12:32PM: Vijay Singh, Satoshi Kodaira, Daniel Berger

9:47AM/12:43PM: Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Pat Perez, Francesco Molinari

9:58AM/12:54PM: Danny Willett, Kyle Stanley, Jason Dufner

10:09AM/1:05PM: Hideki Matsuyama, Patton Kizzire, Paul Casey

10:31AM/1:16PM: Zach Johnson, Martin Kaymer, Branden Grace

10:42AM/1:27PM: Tiger Woods, Marc Leishman, Tommy Fleetwood

10:53AM/1:38PM: Sergio Garcia, Justin Thomas, Doc Redman (a)

11:04AM/1:49PM: Bubba Watson, Henrik Stenson, Jason Day

11:15AM/2:00PM: Patrick Reed, Carley Hoffman, Adam Hadwin

11:26AM/8:30AM: Billy Horschel, Chez Reavie, Cameron Smith

11:37AM/8:41AM: Sandy Lyle, Si Woo Kim, Doug Ghim (a)

11:48AM/8:52AM: Trevor Immelman, Ian Poulter, Patrick Cantlay

11:59AM/9:03AM: Angel Cabrera, Ross Fisher, Jimmy Walker

12:10PM/9:14AM: Fred Couples, Hao Tong Li, Joaquin Niemann (a)

12:32PM/9:25AM: Larry Mize, Russell Henley, Shubhankar Sharma

12:43PM/9:36AM: Bernhard Langer, Tony Finau, Yuta Ikeda

12:54PM/9:47AM: Charl Schwartzel, Webb Simpson, Yuxin Lin (a)

1:05PM/9:58AM: Kevin Kisner, Thomas Pieters, Xander Schauffele

1:16PM/10:09AM: Gary Woodland, Yusaku Miyazato, Tyrrell Hatton

1:27PM/10:31AM: Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar

1:38PM/10:42AM: Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm

1:49PM/10:53AM: Jordan Spieth, Alex Noren, Louis Oosthuizen

2:00PM/11:04AM: Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson, Rafael Cabrera-Bello

"You Suck, Ref!" And Other Things I Wish I Hadn't Said

My job as a sports information director takes me to gyms and fields all over the country to cover a plethora of sports from football to cycling to bowling. It's a dream job covering sports for living, knocking out press releases and running social media accounts. I love most of it, but there a few negative things you can count on no matter where you are or what sport you're watching. One of those is that fans will undoubtedly make a referee or umpire's night a long one.

I played sports much of my life and I can tell you I was hardly easy on an official. I've received technical fouls, I've glared and stared down officials, I've yelled at umps and told them they were wrong, and I've tested refs with as much sarcasm as I could muster throughout a game. In short, I'm sure there were plenty of refs who didn't love me by the end of the game.

I wish I hadn't been that way. It's funny how my view has changed since I've moved to the scorers' table and press box instead of the sidelines. From my seat I can hear and see everything and I am disappointed most nights. I meet the officials before each game and talk with them when they arrive. Most of them are friendly and in a good mood. Depending how the night goes, I can almost watch them gain a few gray hairs and look a year older by the end of the game. The fans are relentless.

If you listen to the common fan you would think that every official had it out for their team, that they were blind or that they are a laundry list of negative qualities such as terrible, horrible and awful. Sometimes fans say they are all of the above. All that abuse for a couple hundred bucks if you work at the college level, but even less money if you work a lower level. What a gig.

How easily we forget that an official is a human too. They are going to make mistakes, but they are doing the best they can. Keep in mind, they are trained to do their job and their best is far better than the job any fan could do, despite what that fan might say. Sure, officials signed up for a highly-scrutinized position and being upset with a call is okay. Yet fans take it too far, too often. 

I know very few younger people who aspire to be an official. I have tried it at the youth level and got a taste of some loud parents. A few years was enough for me. One day we will have a shortage of officials and we will have only ourselves to blame. Who would want to sign up for that job? Coaches who scream after every call, parents who think their kid is getting slighted every time down the floor and players who have no respect for officials? Those who do the job have my respect.

Next time you head to a game consider this: every time you make a mistake at work there isn't a large crowd yelling at you and saying how awful you are. Imagine if there was. You would probably leave feeling miserable every day. 

Sit back, enjoy the game and cheer on your team. But remember the officials and umpires aren't getting paid full-time salaries and they are out there doing a job that is essential for the game to take place. Show some respect and let's all be better.