Sports
Has Lebron Checked out of Cleveland? Rondo, Celtics Take Control of Series with Dominating 120-88 Win in Cleveland
Thursday, May 13th, 2010 | Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James, Miami Heat, NBA, Sports | 1 Comment
WOW — is the Lebron James era officially over in Cleveland. If you didn’t see the Celtics manhandle the Cavs 120-88 in front of their home town crowd on Tuesday night, you missed one sad, but amazing display. Have you ever heard of Lebron James getting booed at a home game in the State of Ohio in his entire hoops career dating back to grammar school? No way. But that’s exactly what happened to Lebron and his teammates as the Cavs embarrassed themselves in the most lopsided loss for the Cavaliers in franchise history. I guess what goes around comes around as the Cavs made a mockery of the Celtics in Game 3 at the TD North Garden this past Friday night.
In the 32-point debacle, James made just 3 of his 14 shots and scored just 15 points with 6 rebounds and 7 assists. For any player, that would be an excellent night, but for Lebron James it was a major disappointment. Couple that with the fact that he looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but on the court, it has left people wondering what is going on with the King – the 2-time defending NBA MVP. Have the Cavs told him that he won’t get a max contract? Does he know that he’s already leaving to join Dwayne Wade in Miami, Derrick Rose in Chicago or some mopes in New Jersey or New York? Did he just really have an “off night” as he has claimed? We’ll probably never know, but what we do know is that the Cavs have put together their best team in the James era and it still doesn’t look like it’s going to be enough to get Lebron (and the city of Cleveland) an NBA Championship. That alone could be enough for James to realize that he’s going to need to go elsewhere if he wants to get a ring on his finger.
The other side story is the emergence of Rajon Rondo as one of the best big-game players ever. Yes you heard me – ever. Look at his numbers from the Celtics 97-87 Game 4 win in Boston which the Celtics had to have if they expected to have a shot to reach the Conference Finals. Rondo poured in 29 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and still found time to dish out 13 assists — simply incredible. The stat line doesn’t even do justice as to how much Rondo took control of the game for the Celtics. He pretty much dictated every aspect of every minute of the game, and always seemed to be a step ahead of every one on the court, sometimes even his own players.
In Game 5, his numbers were “down” — 16 points and 7 assists — but his consistent play has made every other Celtics on the court that much better. In Game 5′s win, Ray Allen scored 25 points nailing 6 3-point shots from the perimeter. Paul Pierce looked like a new man as the Cavs defense focused on Rondo – 21 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. Even Kevin Garnett got into the act with 18 points and 6 boards.
Stay tuned – Game 6 in Boston tips off at 8PM EST – Will the East’s #1 seed get bounced from the playoffs without reaching the NBA Finals for the 2nd straight year? And more importantly, will it be Lebron’s final game in a Cavs uniform? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
This guy needs more sleep Mets announcer falls asleep
Thursday, May 13th, 2010 | MLB, New York Mets | No Comments
Mets announcer falls asleep on TV during the game, this is the best thing I have seen online in a long time.
Blackhawks Answer Call with “Easy” 5-1 Win Over Canucks; Headed for 2nd Straight Conference Finals
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators, NHL, San Jose Sharks, Sports, Vancouver Canucks | No Comments
The Chicago Blackhawks eliminated the Vancouver Canucks for the 2nd straight NHL post-season with a convincing 5-1 win at GM Place on Tuesday night. The Hawks won the series 4 games to 2 and will now advance to the Western Conference Finals for the 2nd year in a row. The Blackhawks lost to the Detroit Red Wings in 5 games in last year’s Conference Finals and will look to advance to the Stanley Cup for the 1st time since 1971 with a series win over the San Jose Sharks this month.
After a scoreless 1st period that saw a total of 25 shots on goal, it looked like it would be a defensive battle all night long. But Troy Brouwer and Kris Versteeg scored goals just 36 seconds apart 2 minutes into the 2nd period and the Hawks had a quick 2-0 lead. Dave Bolland’s short-handed goal with 45 seconds left in the 2nd period gave the Hawks a commanding 3-goal lead heading into the final period. The Hawks held the Canucks to just 6 shots on goal in that decisive 2nd period and by the end of the game’s 1st 40 minutes, goalie Antti Niemi had saved all of the Canucks’ 19 shots on goal.
You gotta give the Canucks some credit though. They came out firing on all cylinders in the 3rd period and even scored a goal just over 3 minutes into the period to cut the lead to 3-1. But less than 5 minutes later, Patrick Kane put the dagger in the Canucks’ proverbial backs with a brilliant goal that gave the Hakws a 4-1 lead. When Dustin Byfuglien drove home his 4th goal of the series just 25 seconds later, the celebration for the Hawks was on.
Niemi stopped 29 of 30 shots on goal and won his 2nd straight post-season series. He has proved all the critics wrong with his stellar goal-tending throughout the entire post-season. Sure, he has had an “off” game or 2 in each of the 1st 2 series, but it doesn’t get him down and he seems to be able to re-group and be focused for the next contest.
The other crazy thing to take from the Hawks is their better play on the road than at home. The Hawks won all 3 games on the road in the Vancouver series in convincing fashion – 5-2; 7-4; and 5-1. The Hawks also won 2 of the 3 games played on the road in the opening round series win over the Nashville Predators. That leaves them with a 5-1 road record this post-season, with a disappointing 3-2 home record at the United Center. It is shocking to see the Hawks struggle at home this post-season since they won 29 games at home during the regular season. They did have a winning record on the road as well – 23-14-4 – but I’m surprised to see how tense they are playing in front of the home town fans.
It was a good thing that the Hawks packed their bags for an extended trip on the west coast. The Hawks head to San Jose today to get ready for the Conference Finals series which will likely begin sometime this weekend. The Hawks took 3 of the 4 games from the Sharks in the regular season series, so they do have the confidence to take out the West’s #1 seed (by 1-point) in a 7-game series. After falling behind the Colorado Avalanche 2 games to 1 in the opening round of the playoffs, the Sharks have been on a roll – winning 7 of their last 8 games. They won the final 3 games of the Avalanche series and took out the defending Western Conference Champion Red Wings in just 5 easy games, so it is going to be a dog fight. I can’t wait!
This is why you should watch minor league hockey
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 | NHL | No Comments
These guys make NHL games look boring. This is a fight from a minor league game a day ago.
Blackhawks Look to Oust Canucks in Game 6 in Vancouver
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports, Vancouver Canucks | No Comments
The Chicago Blackhawks look to oust the Canucks from post-season play in Game 6 in Vancouver tonight. The Blackhawks put forth a lackluster performance in Game 5 at the United Center on Sunday, dropping the contest 4-1 after falling behind 3-0 early. The Blackhawks looked flat all game long and didn’t put the Canucks away when they had them on the ropes. The Hawks were 0 for 5 on the power play after scoring 7 power play goals in the first 5 games. Captain Jonathan Toews scored the Hawks’ lobe goal in the 3rd period, but by then it was too little too late. Although the Hawks out-shot the Canucks 30-23, the Canucks were more lethal with their shots on goal. Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo out-played his counterpart Antti Niemi by stopping 29 shots to just 20 by Niemi. Now it’s down to the nitty-gritty as the two teams meet up for Game 6 in Vancouver tonight.
The Hawks defeated the Canucks in Games 3 and 4 at GM Place by outscoring their opponent 12-6. It was the 1st time that the Canucks lost consecutive games at home in regulation all season long. You gotta like the Hawks confidence to win Game 6 tonight. Rumor has it that the Hawks have packed some extra clothes so that they can head straight south to San Jose to get ready to play in the Western Conference Finals against the Sharks over the weekend. Forward Kris Versteeg down played the move — “You never know what’s going to happen so you pack as if you’re going to win and that’s what we expect to do… We expect to win. That’s that.” Patrick Kane expressed similar sentiments — “We put ourselves in this situation. We want to win, obviously, in Game 6 and not give ourselves a chance to go to Game 7.” Now if this was the Cubs that we were talking about, I would say this was a jinx for the Hawks to pack for the long road trip and that there was NO WAY that they would win in Vancouver tonight. But this is the Hawks and they’re going to come out firing on all cylinders en route to the Western Conference Finals for the 2nd consecutive NHL post-season.
NBA Playoffs Update — Land of the Sweeps for Lakers, Magic & Suns
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 | Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Bobcats, Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, Sports, Utah Jazz | No Comments
Except for the epic Celtics-Cavs battle which resumes tonight in Cleveland, the NBA Conference Semi-finals have been a major disappointment. The Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns have all won in easy 4-game sweeps.
Orlando Magic – 4 games against the Hawks was about 4 too many. Couldn’t the Hawks have just forfeited the games instead and saved us the misery of having to watch these games? The Magic are clearly the hottest team in the NBA right now. They have won 28 of 31 games and are on a current 14-game winning streak. They have yet to lose in the playoffs after sweeps of the Charlotte Bobcats and Hawks. The Magic defeated the Hawks by an average of 25.3 points per game – which is believed to be the greatest margin of victory in post-season series NBA history. With Vince Carter and Jameer Nelson complementing big man Dwight Howard, the Magic look like they could advance to a 2nd straight NBA Finals. Carter had this to say about the Magic’s current level of play — “Guys are just focused. It’s unbelievable to see. This is my opportunity for a championship.”
Los Angeles Lakers – After pushing themselves to the limit against Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder in Round 1, they club needed an easy series to rest up for the Conference Finals. That’s just what they got when they got to square off against the Utah Jazz. Beyond Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams, the Jazz just don’t have the depth to compete with the Lakers. The Lakers seemed to be re-invigorated after their Game 6 win over the Thunder in Oklahoma City and that carried over into this series. Head Coach Phil Jackson summed it up best — “We had one of our better games tonight… This is the first really consistent game we have played, except for a six-minute stint in the 3rd quarter. We controlled the game and forced our will on our opponent.” The Lakers played good defense The Lakers played good defense (the Jazz averaged just 102 points in the series, well below their series average). The Lakers limited their own turnovers (just 6 on the road in Game 4) and they shot well from the free throw line. Although Kobe Bryant (32 points) and Pau Gasol led the way (33 points), 3 other Lakers players also scored in double-digits. Now it’s on to face the Phoenix Suns in what should be one of the best series of the 2010 NBA Playoffs schedule.
Phoenix Suns – The Phoenix Suns overcame their “San Antonio Spurs demons” with a convincing series sweep of the Spurs. Although the Suns had lost to the Spurs 4 times in the last 7 post-season schedules, they wouldn’t allow it to occur a 5th time. Amar’e Stoudemire turned in a solid effort against his west nemesis, averaging over 20 points per game in the series. Steve Nash also showed just how good a big game player he can be with 4 great performances against the Spurs’ Tony Parker. Nash scored at least 16 points in each game and he also averaged just under 8 assists per game to dictate the flow of the game in the Suns’ favor. It will be the 3rd Conference Finals for the Suns in the last 6 years and if they can knock off the #1 seed Lakers, it would be their 1st NBA Finals since 1993.
We’ll keep you posted how the Cavs-Celtics series turns out – we know we have at least 2 more games – tonight in Cleveland and Thursday night in Boston. Will we have a Game 7 over the weekend in Cleveland? Stay tuned…
Blackhawks Seize 3-1 Series Lead with 7-4 Win Over Canucks in Vancouver
Saturday, May 8th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports, Vancouver Canucks | No Comments
The Chicago Blackhawks seized a 3-1 series lead with a dominating 7-4 win over the Canucks in Vancouver on Friday night. Things have just been clicking for the Hawks and they seemed poised to make an appearance in the Western Conference Finals for the 2nd straight season. Is a Stanley Cup title in store for this team of destiny?
The Blackhawks and Canucks alternated goals in the 1st period which ended 2-2. Brent Seabrook got the Hawks on the board just 18 seconds into the game with his 2nd goal of the post-season.
The Hawks then outscored the Canucks 3-1 in the 2nd period to take a 5-3 lead into the 3rd period. Jonathan Toews followed up Dustin Byfuglien’s hat trick from Game 3 with a hat trick of his own. Captain Toews scored a power play goal in the 1st period and 2 more power play goals in that defining 2nd period for the Hawks. Patrick Sharp added his 5th post-season goal on a power play in the 2nd period.
Tomas Kopecky’s 3rd post-season goal extended the Hawks lead to 6-3 early in the 3rd period and that was all she wrote. Antti Niemi played well again, stopping 26 of 30 shots on goal from the Canucks. Dave Bolland’s empty netter down the stretch iced the win for the Hawks.
The Hawks can close out the series with a win at the United Center on Sunday. It would be great if they did so they wouldn’t have to make the long trip back west to play a Game 6 and possibly a Game 7. Let’s just finish it off at home and get to the Conference Finals against the Sharks or Red Wings…
Lebron James, Cavs Crush Celtics 124-95 in Boston
Friday, May 7th, 2010 | Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Cavaliers, MLB, NBA, New York Yankees, Sports | 1 Comment
Ouch – the Cleveland Cavaliers crushed the Boston Celtics 124-95 tonight – it was the worst home playoff loss in the storied Celtics’ franchise history. How does a game like this get that out of hand?
It’s simple when Lebron James is on the court. The Cavs raced out to a 36-19 point 1st quarter lead behind 21 points from the 2-time reigning NBA Most Valuable Player. By halftime, the Cavs led the Celtics by 22 points. James finished the night with 38 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. But he also had help from teammates Antawn Jamison (12 points and 9 rebounds) and Shaquille O’Neal (12 points and 9 rebounds).
It was not a night to remember for Boston sports fans. Just 4 days ago, Boston sports fans all across the country were going nuts as the Celtics and Bruins won big playoff games and the Red Sox ended a 3-game skid by cruising to an easy win over the Angels at Fenway Park. Tonight is was the exact opposite. While the Cavs were crushing the Celtics, just a few miles away, the hated New York Yankees were pounding the Red Sox 10-3 at Fenway and the Bruins lost a demoralizing overtime game to the Flyers in Philly. Paul Pierce who scored just 11 points in the loss was disgusted with his team’s play — “That was embarrassing. That’s embarrassing when you lose at home like that. We just let our guard down… You’ve got to know the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to come in here with all the urgency in the world. They took the fight to us early, and we didn’t respond to it.”
The Celtics still have a chance to even the score on Sunday with the afternoon affair against the Cavs. Guess it can’t get any worse than this…
Blackhawks Cruise Past Canucks 3-1; Take Back Home Ice Advantage
Thursday, May 6th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports, Vancouver Canucks | 1 Comment
The Blackhawks raced out to a 2-0 1st period lead and never looked back on Wednesday night in Vancouver. The Blackhawks seized back control of the Semifinals Series after dropping the 1st game 5-1 in embarrassing fashion at the United Center this past Saturday. Kris Versteeg got the party started with a 1st period goal that gave the Hawks an early lead. Then Dustin Byfuglien scored the 1st of his 3 goals on the night, giving the Hawks a 2-goal edge. Although the teams traded goals in the 2nd period which ended with the Blackhawks holding a 3-2 edge, it always felt like the Hawks were going to win the game. And then it was time for the Hawks to dominate in the 3rd period for a 3rd straight game. Marian Hossa increased the Hawks lead to 4-2 and Byfuglien’s 3rd goal of the game sent Roberto Luongo – the Canucks goaltender – flying into the net and the Canucks hopes for a come-from-behind win out the door. It was the 1st time that a Blackhawks player scred a hat trick on the road in a playoffs game for the 1st time since Denis Savard did so way back in 1988. It’s an incredible feat, especially since Byfuglien is more of your workman-like player doing what it takes to get the job done in sticky situations in the corners and in front of the net. Byfuglien emerged as a series hero in the Hawks 6-game win over the Canucks last post-season and it looks like he could do the same again this year.
Antti Niemi had another great night in net for the Hawks – you’d never know he was a rookie from the way he’s handled his 1st post-season experience. He stopped 31 of 33 shots on goal from the Canucks, and even though he did give up 2 goals in the 2nd period, he never got down on himself and he elevated his game in the 3rd period, keeping the home team out of the net for the final 20+ minutes of the game. If the Hawks can some how eake out another win on Friday night at GM Place, they can clinch the series win on home ice at the United Center on Sunday evening. It would be their 2nd straight appearance in the Western Conference Finals…
Captain Jonathan Toews had 3 assists in the win, and he was really proud of how well the team played after their big win on Monday night at the UC — “We built a lot of confidence in Game 2, but we knew it didn’t mean much if we didn’t come and keep playing the same way. We did a lot of good things and put them on their heels for the most part.”
The Hawks clearly wore down the Canucks in Games 2 and 3 of the series. Over the long series, with much more talented players and a lethal combination of big tough players who can do the dirty work to complement the speed and finesse of some of their stars, it is going to be hard for the Canucks to get back in the series. Come on Hawks – let’s finish this off soon. Especially with the San Jose Sharks making easy work of the Detroit Red Wings (the Sharks lead the series 3-1 and can clinch a spot in the Conference Finals with a win at home at the HP Pavilion in San JoOse on Saturday night), it would be nice to be done with the Canucks in just 5 games…
Chicago Bulls Fire Head Coach Vinny Del Negro
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010 | Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, Sports | No Comments
The Chicago Bulls fired head coach Vinny Del Negro on Monday night – it was a move long-expected (even as early as mid-December when the Bulls got off to another slow start).
GM Gar Forman and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson announced the move at a Tuesday morning press conference at the Barto Center in Deerfield.
Del Negro finished each of his 2 seasons as Bulls head coach with a 41-41 record. He took the Boston Celtics to 7-games in the first round of the 2009 NBA playoffs, but this season, the Bulls only won 1 game in the 1st round against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He had 1-year left on his contract.
Some of the news conference centered around John Paxson’s actions against Del Negro following a March 30th loss to the Phoenix Suns at the United Center. Supposedly Paxson attacked Del Negro for not obeying the club’s orders to limit Joakim Noah’s minutes because of a painful, lingering foot injury. While Paxson would not go into details about the altercation, he said he wasn’t proud of his actions — “I’m not at all proud of how I handled the situation. I felt that at the time, I was representing and standing up for a policy that we had put in place. I felt that way, but I was wrong in how I handled it.” While it’s great that he apologized to Del Negro, it still leaves a lot to be desired and even begs the question as to whether Paxson should still be in the organization.
Right from the start, the Del Negro era had a bad feel to it.
It is an important time for the Bulls organization. Derrick Rose is a superstar in the making, and Joakim Noah is emerging as a star in his own right. Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson provide a good supporting cast, but if the Bulls can add one of the big free agents on the market this summer — Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudamire, Joe Johnson, Carlos Boozer, David Lee — then they would instantly become one of the favorite teams in the weak Eastern Conference. Landing the big name free agent and finding the right head coach to take them to the next level will be keys to the future success of the franchise. Forman and Paxson will look great if they make the right moves over the next few months. If not, each could be looking for a job by 2011…
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