Who Dat Going To The NFC Title Game?

The Superdome has hosted many historic events since it opened in 1975. It has hosted six Super Bowls, three NCAA Mens Final Fours, the 1988 Republican Convention, a mass by Pope John Paul II, is the host stadium for the Sugar Bowl, several BCS Title games, and the annual Bayou Classic tilt between Grambling and Southern.

But next week it will host its first ever NFC Championship game as the New Orleans Saints blasted the Arizona Cardinals 45-14 to earn their second trip ever as a franchise to the NFC title game. The Saints will play the winner of the Dallas Cowchips-Minnesota Vikings game later today.

The Saints are the number one seed in the NFC playoff bracket, which means the NFC road to the Super Bowl goes through them if they keep winning. But Who Dat Nation was a little nervous about the fact that the Saints came into this playoff game after the bye week with three straight losses in their final NFL regular season games.

Twenty seconds into it they found themselves trailing 7-0 after a 70 yard touchdown run by Tim Hightower stunned the raucous Who Dat Nation Superdome crowd into nervous silence.

The Saints struck back with three consecutive touchdowns in 6:36 to forge a 21-7 lead. Arizona scored another touchdown early in the second quarter to narrow the Saints lead to 21-14, but a 44 yard bomb to Devery Henderson followed up by a two yard pass to Marques Colston broke the game open.

Reggie Bush added to an already stellar day with a third quarter 83 yard punt return for a touchdown to close out the scoring. Bush had 84 yards and a touchdown rushing, 24 yards receiving and 109 yards on three punt returns.

Ever since coach Sean Payton arrived in New Orleans, the Saints have cast aside their lovable losers image and have been building toward elite NFL team level status. The Saints are one of five NFL teams who have never played in the Super Bowl, and this win put them one step closer to earning a trip to Miami and scratching their names off that list.

Geaux Saints!

Beat LA! Beat LA!

Told you my Rockets weren't going to be a pushover for the LA Fakers.

I got my birthday win in Game 1 from my Houston homeboys. When every NBA pundit was predicting the Rockets were done after Yao Ming went down with a foot injury in the Game 3 108-94 loss and took a 40 point La La land beatdown in Game 5, Clutch City 2K9 version came up big in Game 6.

Aaron Brooks and Luis Scola combined for 50 points as my Rockets beat the Lakers 95-80 in Toyota Center to force a decisive Game 7 on Sunday in Los Angeles.

The Rockets have lost Tracy McGrady during the season, Dikembe Mutombo in the Portland series and Yao Ming in this one and still they rise. Winner gets the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Western Conference Finals.

Beat LA! Beat LA! Beat LA!

Alright Rockets! Beat LA!

My hometown NBA ballers did something in the playoffs they haven't done since 1997.

Won a first round NBA playoff series.

Yep, the TransGriot was living in her southwest Houston digs the last time my boys won a playoff series. Wednesday night they eliminated the Portland Trail Blazers by pasting a 92-76 beatdown on them in Game 6 to take the series 4 games to 2.

Ron Artest dropped 27 points in this game, with Yao Ming chipping in 17 points and snatching 10 rebounds while guard Aaron Brooks tossed in 13 to send the Rockets out of the first round winners for the first time in 12 years.

Their reward is to play the top seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the second round. But before y'all write off my Houston homeboys, better check your NBA playoff history. We have a nasty habit of knocking off Number One seeded Laker teams, especially if they're wearing NBA crowns.

Exhibit A- 1981 NBA Playoffs. The 40-42 Rockets knock off the defending champion LA Lakers in the first round.



Exhibit B-The 1986 NBA Playoffs-The Rockets, armed with the Twin Towers, stunned the defending champion LA Lakers in the Western Conference finals by taking three straight games to win the series 4-1.



It would be fun for me to see an I-45 NBA Western Conference Final series between my Rockets and the Mavericks for the NBA State Championship.

The 1981 and 1995 I-10 Western Conference Finals series with the San Antonio Spurs were fun to watch, especially since my boys won the State Championship and continued to the NBA Finals. One of those first round series losses was courtesy of the Mavericks so revenge would be sweet in this case. But we have to get past the Lakers first and Dallas has to knock off a Number Two seeded Denver Nuggets team in order for that series to happen.

Hey, a girl can dream, can't she? It would be a nice birthday present if the Rockets beat the Lakers in Game 1. Go Rockets!

Beat LA! Beat LA! Beat LA!