So, I’m sure that everyone knows about how deadly Kobe Bryant was in his prime. Now, all the stories that you hear are about him getting old, his bum knee, how is he shooting too much, and asking why he’s not sitting out to rest his bad wrist. I’m here to tell everyone with these concerns to shut up.

The fact is that he is still one of, IF not the best, players in the world.  Kobe, this season, is averaging a whopping 28 points, 6 boards and 6 assists a game.  Keep in mind that he’s doing all of this while INJURED on his shooting wrist.  They also said that this Lakers team was going to possibly miss the playoffs because they got rid of Lamar Odom (in that whole trade debacle) and Pau Gasol wasn’t going to contribute because he was so infuriated with the trade rumors.  Kobe loves to hear all of this. Believe me.  You say he should sit?  He’ll go out and drop 30 and 8 on you.  You say he’s shooting too much?  Who else is going to shoot the ball?  I’m sorry, but if I have Kobe on my team, you’re damn straight I’m telling him to keep shooting.  He’s going to have off nights every now and then, but all stars do.

Look at LeBron in the finals.  Are you gonna tell him to stop shooting, too?  The benefits are better than the downside.  Yes, he’s getting up there in age, but he is having a MVP type season and no one can argue that.  But, go ahead and bet against Kobe, his ailing knee, and his bad wrist.  He wants you to.  Bet that he cannot lead them into the post season.  He will just feed off of it and make all of our jaws drop once more.  You don’t think that great players feed off of Haterade? You don’t think that Tim Tebow had the performance last night, in part, because everyone said he couldn’t? My girlfriend told me to hate on her desire to do P90X. Why? Because some people feed off of the Haterade.

Now, you have Andrew Bynum back in the lineup and dominating down-low. This team is a legitimate team. Everyone overreacted and lost sight of the Lakers’ greatness after the trade of Odom. Stop keeping up with the Kardashians, and keep up with Kobe.  If I was a betting man, I sure as hell wouldn’t bet against him. How could you?

Follow us on twitter @SportsAholicNet

Do nice guys really finish last? Today we get to find out when Big Ben leads the Steelers against Tim Tebow and the Broncos. Walt Disney couldn’t have wrote a better story of good versus evil. But which team will be one game closer to going to Disney World in February?

Today’s game showcases the NFL’s number one rushing offense versus the 8th ranked rushing defense. Denver was tied for first in rushing attempts this year and led all teams with 2,632 yards. With all those attempts and yards, Denver was only able to score 11 touchdowns on the ground. 19th in rushing touchdowns was bad, but it’s the category they led that really hurt the Broncos. Denver had the most fumbles lost on running plays (7). Surprisingly, this was not an area the Pittsburgh defense excelled. The Steelers were only able to recover 4 fumbles all season.

One area the Steelers defense did excel was pass defense. Pittsburgh was number 1 in passing yards, allowing only 171 yards per game. Denver’s passing offense managed twenty fewer yards per game. 31st in the NFL. Dick Lebeau will bring plenty of pressure up the middle and Tebow’s left side.

When healthy, the Steelers have one of the more balanced offenses in the NFL. And as the NFL has shifted to a more pass friendly league, so has Pittsburgh. This year, they ranked 14th in rushing and 10th in passing. The one issue they do have in the passing game is allowing sacks. Caused by a combination of poor pass protection and Roethlisberger’s holding the ball too long. Denver ranked 10th in sacks this season and were led by rookie Von Miller.

Fully healthy, I would pick Pittsburgh by double digits. Few teams are as banged up as the Steelers. They’re going to be without several key players today. Running backs Mendenhall and Moore are both out. Safety Ryan Clark will be missing his 3rd game in Denver. The two biggest injuries are to center Maurkice Pouncey and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Pouncey is out with an ankle injury and Roethlisberger will be playing with a high ankle sprain.

If the Broncos are going stay in this one they will have to run the ball well to the right and hit the cutback lanes opened by the blitz. Most importantly they will have to win the turnover battle. Denver’s defense really depends on the offense not turning the ball over. Steelers’ running back, Redman, has struggled to hold onto the ball. This could allow Denver to hang around in this game.

Today’s game will be close and low scoring.

Steelers – 13 Broncos – 6

The Denver Broncos host the Pittsburgh Steelers today, getting 8 points. As I have relinquished my NFL predictions to Heagon after his almost to the POINT prediction of the Saints game last night, I was compelled to give my perspective on the AFC game.

In the NFL, since 1980, home underdogs in the playoffs are 19-11 against the spread. The Seattle Seahawks were the biggest home underdog in playoff history last season against the New Orleans Saints. Marshawn Lynch went beast mode all over the Saints and the Seahawks won the game straight up.

The Steelers have won 1 game by 8 points or more on the road ALL season, against the Arizona Cardinals, who were coming off 4 straight losses. Ben Roethlisberger didn’t have a bum ankle. Rashard Mendenhall was healthy. Maurkice Pouncey was healthy. Ryan Clark and Cortez Allen were healthy.

Rashard Mendenhall, Maurkice Pouncey, Ryan Clark, and Cortez Allen are out. Roethlisberger is playing on an ankle that, I guarantee you, will take him off his feet when the season is over. Roethlisberger went 48 for 84 (57%) with 0 touchdowns and 3 interceptions since injuring his ankle. The Steelers have had to go largely to the shotgun to limit how much Roethlisberger has had to move around. It’s harder to run the ball effectively out of the shotgun.

The Broncos will be focused completely on running the ball, not turning the ball over, and giving Pittsburgh long fields. The difference in this game will be a defensive play/turnover. Who better to turn the ball over than an immobile quarterback? Roethlisberger will make a mistake or two, be it a fumble or an interception, for the Broncos to get points out of.

The Steelers are not going to drop back Roethlisberger over and over and create a scoring battle with the Broncos. The Steelers are going to try to grit this one out and rely on their defense to stop the run and get after Tebow. Both teams will have the mentality, here, that they can out-muscle the other team. These kinds of battles are not indicative of a road team blowout. Denver has the home-field advantage, the best running game in the NFL, a defense that can stop you, and a game-plan that is the recipe for field goal, down to the wire games. Don’t forget, Tim Tebow played in 2 National Championships in college, and won 1.

I’m not trying to tell you that the Broncos are going to win. I’m telling you that home underdogs in the playoffs, against a quarterback with a bum ankle and a running back from Bowie State University, with a chip on their shoulder, with Tim Tebow (and Jesus) on their side, aren’t going to lose by 8.

Broncos +8.

This game is strikingly similar to last night’s wild card game between the Lions and Saints – two teams that pass the ball exceptionally well, but have trouble stopping the pass. One team ranks in the top 10 running the ball and stopping the run. The other ranks last in rushing yards per game and 19th versus the run. However, this game will be a lot closer and much harder to predict.

There is elite talent on the offensive side of the ball, for both teams. Matt Ryan and Eli Manning are two of most under-appreciated quarterbacks in the NFL. Either team could argue they have the best group of receivers in the league. The running backs aren’t bad, either. Micheal Turner finished 3rd in rushing yards and 6th in touchdowns. The Giants finished last in rushing yards per game yet Brandon Jacobs(15th) and Ahmad Bradshaw(10th) both finished in the top 15 in touchdowns.

On the other side of the ball is where these teams start to differ. The Giants defense is built around their line. They’re not great at stopping the run, but few teams can rush the passer like the Giants. New York finished with the 3rd most sacks this season. The Falcons defense faced plenty of tough running backs and finished 6th in yards allowed.

The Giants won 3 out of their last 4 games, beating the Jets once and the Cowboys twice, to lock up their spot in the playoffs. Victor Cruz has come out of the wood-works to become one of the most explosive receivers in the league. He averages an impressive 18.7 yards per reception and has caught 82 balls for 1,536 yards. The funny thing is, most people see him as a #2 guy, so he isn’t always drawing the opposition’s best defender.

The Falcons have won 8 of their last 11 games, with their losses all coming to playoff teams (Saints and Texans). The Falcons gave away the next 17 drafts to get Julio Jones, and he has shown some spectacular play-making ability. With Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez out on the field with him, the threesome has the ability to give a secondary headaches.

The Falcons will need to use Turner to slow down the Giants pass rush, control the clock, and set up play action.  If the Giants are to win, they will have to stop the run without bringing extra guys into the box.

Falcons – 24 Giants – 20