Celtics Up 3-0 in East Finals After 94-71 Drubbing of Magic
Sunday, May 23rd, 2010 | Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James, NBA, Orlando Magic, Sports | No Comments
The Boston Celtics are on cruise control. What an unbelievable post-season run. The Celtics are now just 1 win away from the NBA Finals after a convincing 94-71 win over the Orlando Magic on Saturday night in Boston.
I for one and am amazed at the resurgent Celtics. I thought that the Miami Heat might actually give the Celtics a run for their money like the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls have done in each of the last 2 post-seasons. But the Celtics made easy work of the Heat in just 5 games, and they have been pretty much unstoppable ever since. The Celtics took out the #1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers led by King Lebron James in 6 games – winning twice on Cleveland’s home court. And now they are making the defending East Champion Orlando Magic look like a CYO team from Westchester, New York. It is pretty embarrassing for this Magic team, especially since they were riding a 14-game winning streak (8 straight playoff wins) heading into the Eatsern Conference Finals with the Celtics.
On Saturday, it was much of the same for the Celtics as they raced out to an early 1st quarter lead – 27-12. How does a playoff team score only 12 points in a quarter in a series like this?! Pathetic. By halftime, the lead was 17 points, and the Celtics used a 24-13 3rd quarter edge to increase that lead to 75-47. Game Over! When you have quarters with point totals of 12 and 13, you’re not going to win a lot of games.
The Celtics used a balanced attack and tenacious defense to put the Magic away with ease. Ray Allen had 14 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Rajon Rondo added 11 points, 3 rebounds and 12 assists. Paul Pierce had 15 points and 9 rebounds, while Kevin Garnett chipped in 10 points and 6 boards. Bench player Glen Davis had his best showing this post-season with 17 points and 6 boards.
The Celtics can advance to the NBA Finals for the 2nd time in 3 years with a win over the Magic on Monday night in Boston.
Blackhawks Top Sharks 3-2 in Thrilling Overtime Win, 1 Game Away From Stanley Cup
Saturday, May 22nd, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, NHL, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks, Sports | No Comments
The Blackhawks defeated the Sharks 3-2 in overtime on Friday night at the United Center in Chicago. The Blackhawks need just 1 more win to advance to their first Stanley Cup appearance since 1992.
After a scoreless 1st period, each team scored on a power play goal in the 2nd period. Patrick Marleau scored 4 minutes into the period and Patrick Sharp answered for the Blackhawks just 3 minutes later.
It was still tied at 1 to start the 3rd period, but the Sharks came out firing on all cylinders in the final frame. Although the Sharks would end up out-shotting the Hakws in the period by an 18-6 margin, it was the Blackhawks who answered the call with less than 7 minutes to play on Dave Bolland’s goal. It looked like the Hawks would get the in regulation, but Marleau knocked in his 2nd goal of the game with less than 5 minutes to play.
So to overtime we go. This period, the Hawks were the aggressor, sensing a chance to put the series away for good with a win. The Hawks quickly outshot the Sharks 11-5, and at the 12:24 mark of the 1st overtime period, Bolland fed a wide open Dustin Byfuglien in front of the net for the game winner. It was the 4th straight game in which Byfuglien has scored a goal and it was his 7th goal of the post-season. Byfuglien is quickly turning into one of the most productive forwards for the Hawks in the playoffs as other teams focus on the more well-known goal scoring prowess of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa.
But let’s not forget about the fabulous goal-tending of Antti Niemi. The Sahrks literally threw everything but the kitchen sink at Niemi and he still managed to hold down the fort. It was the 2nd game of the series in which Niemi saved 44 shots. Unbelievable! Outstanding! Superb! The rookie has proved everyone wrong, as it is clear that Niemi has what it takes to lead a team to 16 wins during any given post-season to capture the Stanley Cup crown. IN the 3-game series thus far, Niemi has made 113 total saves, while allowing just 5 goals. This to one of the most productive offenses in all of hockey. It is truly a special thing to be able to watch Niemi night in and night out.
Captain Jonathan Toews (just 22 years of gae) also set a Hawks’ franchise playoff record by recording at least 1 point in 12 straight post-season games (he had 2 assists in the win). Toews was honored to set the record and is even more jacked to get a chance to play in his first ever Stanley Cup — “I mean, you’re not going to get too high on yourself or too full of yourself like that. You got to do the right things and play the right way if you’re going to have success… We’ve done that. There’s nothing about us that says we’re unbeatable. As soon as we get away from playing our game, you know, we’re a mediocre average team. We got to go out there, work hard, stick to our guns, stick to how we learned to play this year. The way we’re going to be tough to beat.” Sounds like a man who knows where his team is headed – straight to hoisting that magnificent Stanley Cup after 5 more wins this post-season.
Game 4 is Sunday afternoon at the United Center.
Casey James — Putting the Cool Back in Texas
Friday, May 21st, 2010 | American Idol, Concerts, General | No Comments
The Man from Cool Texas
The run is over for contestant Casey James, the pride and joy of dusty Cool, Texas — but who could feel sorry for the svelte blond Texas bluesman given the fawning he has received from female viewers, including the ageless Shania Twain herself. And there is no way an understated guy like James could ever win a true-to-form reality show like this in which sensationalism is required to trump substance. In his second to last performance on the show James gave a solid and bluesy rendition of “OK, It’s Allright With Me” by Eric Hutchinson. He received tepid reviews from the Judges, but who cares. This is the group who every week seems to crave Ethel Merman-styled high notes, spandex unitards and sexually ambiguous performances that shock, as if more is always more, and as if subtlely is evil. Idol isn’t about perpetuating guys like Casey James, nor would a young Eric Clapton have had a chance before the self-important analysis of Kara DioGuardi.
It is a fact that Idol contestants get less cool each week they compete on the show. You realize this when you review the video montages of the departing contestants — Idol’s overbearing presence dulls the edges of artistry as it works to m
anufacture cookie cutter Justin Bieber-esque clones. The Ford commercials, the corny tap and jazz ensembles before each Results show, the hair and wardrobe make-overs . . . in the end it is hard to know what is manufactured by FOX and what is the genuine article. Yet I keep watching like a meth-addict.
Who knew James would make it this far — second runner-up — when Victoria Beckham a/k/a Posh Spice asked him to remove his shirt during his first audition, revealing a slender if somewhat furry physique that caused Kara DioGuardi to blush and caused me confusion because it appeared that Mr. James did not have nipples.
So there you have it, Mount Prospect, Illinois native Lee DeWyze and Western Ohio’s Crystal Bowersox are headed to the Final. As I stated in my last Post, DeWyze is too good for this show, and he “should” be the hands-down winner, and thereafter he should be capable of producing real music, unlike the limp post-Idol debut of previous winner Kris Allen, whose “Live Like Your Dying” makes lactose-intolerant people immediately crap in their pants without warning.
Justin Bieber doesn’t know how to use doors
Friday, May 21st, 2010 | Concerts, Justin Bieber | No Comments
The coolest teen on the planet hit a door the other day, oh man Justin you are so smooth.
Celtics Grab 2-0 Series Lead with 95-92 Win Over Magic in Orlando
Thursday, May 20th, 2010 | Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, Orlando Magic, Sports | No Comments
The Boston Celtics are just brimming with confidence right now. What a difference it makes to have a healthy Kevin Garnett on the defensive end for an entire post-season run. Although his stat lines have not been overwhelming, Garnett is the main reason that the Celtics have been able to limit the explosive offenses of the Heat, the Cavaliers and the Magic so far this post-season. Two more wins against the Magic, and we’ll be able to see if he can do the same against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in the NBA Finals (as they did 2 years ago en route to the title).
The Celtics are now in a great position – having won 2 road games to start the series. If they can keep the Magic from winning 4 of the next 5 games in the series, they will advance to their 2nd NBA Finals series in 3 seasons. Paul Pierce led the way again in Game 2, scoring 28 points with 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Rajon Rondo exploded for 15 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds. Garnett scored just 10 points, but grabbed 9 boards with 2 blocked shots.
To put this into perspective, we can’t forget that the Magic had won 8 straight games this post-season over the Charlotte Bobcats and the Atlanta Hawks and 14 games overall before running into the rejuvenated Celtics. In their 1st 8 post-season games, the Magic had scored at least 90 points all of them. In three of their 4 wins over the Hawks, they scored over 105 points in each game. 88 points in Game 1 and 92 points in Game 2 is not going to cut it. It won’t get any easier for the Magic, as they now have to go up against the Celtics on their home turf in the TD North Garden. It certainly isn’t over by any means – we saw the Celtics lay an egg against the Cavs at home in the previous series. But they are going to need a full team effort if they have any hopes of reaching the NBA Finals for the 2nd consecutive season.
Game 3 is set for 8:30PM EST on Saturday night in Boston.
Blackhawks Seize 2-0 Advantage over Sharks in Western Conference Finals
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, San Jose Sharks, Sports | No Comments
They are a team of destiny. Riding an unbelievable road winning streak, the Blackhawks beat the Sharks 4-2 at the Shark Tank on Tuesday night and took a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals. It was the 7th straight road playoff win for the Hawks – tying an NHL record. Only the 1999 Colorado Avalanche, the 1995 New Jersey Devils and the 1980 and 1982 New York Islanders have had similar 7-game road winning streaks in a single post-season.
The Blackhawks raced out to 1 3-0 lead midway through the 2nd period. Andrew Ladd got the Hawks on the scoreboard first with a 1st period goal. Then, Dustin Byfuglien and Jonathan Toews each scored on deflections in front of the net just 1:30 apart in the 2nd period to give the Hawks the 3-0 advantage. And although the Sharks answered with a goal of their own in the 2nd period to cut the lead to 3-1, Antti Niemi and the Hawks defense stayed focused the rest of the way as the Hawks still held a 2-goal lead entering the final frame. When Troy Brouwer scored off some nifty passes by Niklas Hjalmarsson and Marian Hossa to give the Hawks a 4-1 lead with only 13+ minutes left in the game, you had a feeling this one was over.
After the teams combined for 95 shots in Game 1, as we predicted, it was a much more controlled game for both squads in Game 2. The Sharks still outshot the Hawks at home (27-22), but they managed just 7 shots on goal in the final frame. Niemi put forth another incredible effort making 25 saves against the #1 seeded Sharks in their home arena.
The Hawks are playing with a ton of confidence. You can see it in their effort on the ice and in their post-game comments.
Defenseman Duncan Kieth was amazed that the Hawks won both games in San Jose — “It’s a good start. To come into this building, a tough building to come into, and to get two wins is good. At the same time as a team we realize that there’s still a lot of hockey left to be played.”
Star forward Patrick Kane loves the team’s comraderie on the road — “The way we’ve been playing on the road, it just seems like everything has gone right for us. Sometimes you get on the road, it’s just a simpler attitude. We’ve had a lot of fun with bonding in the hotel and different things. Sometimes you do that, it’s almost like you’re clicking before you’re even on the ice.”
And Head Coach Joel Quenneville credits his staff and team for being to stick to the game plan on the road – “I like our approach. I think our focus is in the right areas. The guys are sticking together off the ice, come prepared for games, playing a simpler game than we’ve probably seen at home.”
The series continues on Friday night at the United Center in Chicago. The Hawks have played much better on the road than at home – they are just 3-3 at home – so the Sharks still have a chance to make this a series. If the Hawks won on Friday night, the would be able to complete the sweep on Sunday afternoon in front of their home town crowd at the UC.
NBA Update — Celtics Top Magic, Lakers Top Suns in Game 1 of Conference Finals
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 | Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Sports | No Comments
Here’s a quick update on the NBA Conference Finals –
The Boston Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic 92-88 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday. The Celtics had another balanced attack on both ends of the court. Ray Allen led the way with 25 points and 7 rebounds. Paul Pierce chipped in 22 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Rajon Rondo had 8 points and 8 assists, while Kevin Garnett scored 8 points with 11 boards. The Celtics held on for the win despite being outscored 30-18 in the 4th quarter.
Game 2 is tonight in Orlando at 8:30PM EST on ESPN.
The Los Angeles Lakers crushed the Phoenix Suns 128-107 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Monday in Los Angeles. Kobe Bryant went nuts in the 3rd quarter and finished with 40 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. The big surprise was Lamar Odom – 19 points and 19 rebounds. Pau Gasol scored 21 points and Ron Artest chipped in 14 points.
Game 2 is Wednesday night in Los Angeles at 9:00 PM EST on TNT.
Blackhawks Overcome 1-0 1st Period Hole, Top Sharks 2-1 in Game 1 of Western Conference Finals
Monday, May 17th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, Sports, Vancouver Canucks | 1 Comment
OK — I am sold on Goalie Antti Niemi. What a performance from the rookie goalie in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Sunday afternoon. The Sharks scored on Jason Demers power play goal just over 11 minutes into the 1st period and then continued to barrage Niemi to the tune of 13 1st period shots on goal. But the rookie never gave in and he seemed to get more and more confident as the game wore. 18 saves in the 2nd period; 14 more saves in the 3rd period; a total off 44 saves on 45 shots on goal in the 1st game ever in the Shark Tank of San Jose’s HP Pavilion. Unbelievable. Like most hockey critics and analsyts, I questioned whether Cristobal Huet or Niemi would be able to lead the Blackhawks to 16 wins in the post-season to capture that elusive Stanley Cup title. After his performance in Round 1, when he pitched 2 shutouts after Game 1 and Game 3 losses to the Predators, you could see that he had it in him to perform at a high level under high pressure situations. The Hawks won the final 3 games of that series and then carried that momentum over into the Semi-Finals against the Vancouver Canucks. Sure Niemi (and the rest of the team for that matter) looked “off” in the Game 1 and Game 5 losses at the United Center, but when you win 3 road games in a series this late in the season, you gotta be doing something right. Niemi took it to another level on Sunday. Both teams had been coming off of longer-than-usual layoffs (Hawks 4 days; Sharks 8 days) so you didn’t really know what to expect. Both teams came out firing right from the start and they combined for a total of 95 shots on goal – which is a TON for a playoff hockey game. I doubt we’ll see a similar display on Tuesday night as the 2 teams now have a game under their belts to figure out each other a little bit more, but if Niemi plays even half as well as he did on Sunday, the Hawks should be in good shape.
As for the Hawks offense, patrick Sharp tied up the game 7 minutes into the 2nd period with his 6th goal of the post-season. Then, in the 3rd period, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane assisted Dustin Byfuglien on the game winner with just under 7 minutes left to play in regulation. After being held scoreless in the 1st series against the Predators, Byfuglien has now racked up 5 post-season goals in 2010.
Marian Hossa smacked 6 shots on goal in the win, and it’s only a matter of time before he gets a goal or 2 in a game. Kane and Sharp followed Hossa with 5 shots on goal apiece. The Hawks applied a lot of pressure to Ebgeni Nabokov and look for them to be even more aggressive in Game 2 on Tuesday night.
The Hawks did what they needed to do – win one of the 1st two games on the road in the Shark Tank. They can play a little more laid-back on Tuesday which could allow them to sneak another road win before heading back to Chicago for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and Sunday over the weekend. Either way, you have to like the performance – only 3 more wins to go until the Hawks get a chance to claim the Stanley Cup for the city of Chicago…
Western Conference Finals Start Today — Hawks @ Sharks
Sunday, May 16th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, San Jose Sharks, Sports | No Comments
Bring it on – the Chicago Blackhawks kick off the Western Conference Finals in San Jose today with a 12 noon west coast puck drop against the Sharks.
Antti Niemi will face the Sharks for the 1st time this season (Cristobal Huet started the 4 regular season games against the Sharks in which the Hawks won 3 of the games).
Hawks star Patrick Kane is excited for the series to begin after his team had a 5-day layoff and after the Sharks had an 8-day layoff: “Both teams might come out a little sloppy, but I’m sure we’ll find our game pretty soon in the series. I think it’s going to make for a great series. I think there’s a lot of great players.
The Hawks finished just 1 point behind the Sharks for the best record in the West this season. The Sharks have never made it to a Stanley Cup series, losing to the Calgary Flames in their only franchise finals appearance back in 2004. The Hawks have not won a Stanley Cup series since 1961.
Head Coach Joel Quenneville says it’s not good enough that his squad has reached the Conference Finals for the 2nd year in a row — “We shouldn’t feel satisfied. We shouldn’t feel like we’ve accomplished anything. I know getting back to where we got to last year, it’s where we wanted to be. But getting to the next round is what we’re all about. One obstacle that the Hawks must overcome – a rookie goaltender. Antti Niemi is a rookie and an NHL team has not rode a rookie goalie all the way to a Stanley Cup Championship since Patrick Roy led the Montreal Canadiens to the promised land as a rookie back in 1986. Come on Antti – let’s make a name for yourself and bring home a championship for the city of Chicago. Go Hawks!!!
Flyers Join Record Books with 4-3 Win Over Bruins in Game 7 in Boston
Saturday, May 15th, 2010 | General, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks | No Comments
Crazy – the Boston Bruins raced out to a 3-0 series lead and looked to be on the verge of reaching the NHL’s Eastern Conference Finals. But just like that, the Flyers became only the 3rd team to overcome a 3-0 deficit in a 7-game series to oust the bewildered Bruins out of the playoffs. The other 2 teams to accomplish the feat were the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs who beat the Detroit Red Wings and the 1975 New York Islanders who ousted the Pittsburgh Penguins.
It is an unlikely Conference Finals match-up between the 7th seeded Flyers and the 8th seeded Montreal Canadiens who took out the Washington Capitals and the Penguins. In contrast, the Western Conference Finals features the conference’s top 2 teams – the San Jose Sharks and the Chicago Blackhawks. Get ready for some more exciting NHL playoff action…
