The Kings Win The Stanley Cup For The 2nd Time In 3 Seasons

Posted on June 14, 2014 by admin

The Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup as the Champions of the NHL, for the 2nd time in the last 3 seasons, beating the New York Rangers in double overtime 3-2, to close out the series in 5 games.

Alec Martinez scored the Cup-winner 14:43 into the 2nd overtime period to give the Kings their 2nd title, after taking 45 years to win their first championship in 2012. Martinez also scored the winning goal in the Western Conference Final, to defeat the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks.

The Conn Smythe Trophy, which is given to the Most Valuable Player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, was awarded to Justin Williams of the Kings, who scored 25 points in the playoffs, and who scored the first goal of Game 5. 6:04 into the game, he slipped a backhanded shot off a deflection, between the legs of Rangers’ goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

The score remained 1-0 Kings until 15:37 into the 2nd period, when Chirs Kreider tipped-in a power play goal to tie the score at 1. Then with just 30 seconds remaining in the period, and the Kings on the power play, Brain Boyle scored a short-handed goal to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead after 2 periods.

In the 3rd period, the Kings tied the game at 2, with Marian Gaborik scoring on the power play 7:56 into the period on a wristshot. Gaborik led the entire NHL with 14 goals in the playoffs. The scored remained tied at 2, all the way until the 2nd overtime, when Martinez scored on a wristshot, to end the game and hockey season.

While winning 3 of their 4 games in the Stanley Cup Final in overtime, 2 of them in double overtime, isn’t easy, this was the easiest playoff series for the Kings. Way back in the first round, the San Jose Sharks won the first 3 games of their opening series match-up, then the Kings responded with 4 straight wins, to become only the 4th team ever to come back from a 3-0 series deficit.

In the second round, the Kings took a 2-0 series lead over the Anaheim Ducks, who had the best record in the Western Conference in the regular season. Then the Ducks won the next 3 games, before the Kings won Games 6 and 7 to win that series.

Next up was the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks, who ended the Kings’ chance for back-to-back championships last year in the conference finals. The Blackhawks won the first game, then dropped the next 3, before winning Games 5 and 6, to force a Game 7 in Chicago. The Kings came from behind in that game to win in overtime, and to become the first team ever to win 3 consecutive road Game 7s to earn a place in the Stanley Cup Final.

After those 3 rounds of the playoffs, was there any doubt that the Kings would win the championship, especially since the Western Conference was a much tougher conference all year? The Rangers hung tough, losing Game 1 in overtime, and Game 2 in double overtime, both in Los Angeles. But after a 3-0 home loss in Game 3, the writing was on the wall.

The Rangers did end up winning Game 4 at home 2-1, but it was just a matter of time before it was time to turn out the lights on Eastern Conference Champions. That time came late Friday night, Los Angeles time, and early Saturday morning New York time, as the Los Angeles Kings are once again Champions of the National Hockey League.

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The Kings Take A Commanding 3-0 Lead In The Stanley Cup Final

Posted on June 10, 2014 by admin

On Monday night, the Los Angeles Kings shut out the New York Rangers 3-0 in Madison Square Garden, to push the Rangers to the brink of elimination in the Stanley Cup Final. The Kings have won the first 3 games of the final, with the first 2 coming in overtime.

As time was running out in the scoreless first period, the Kings’ Jeff Carter scored with less than a second on the clock, when his shot went off the skate of Rangers’ defender Dan Girardi’s skate, as he laid on his stomach, attempting to block the shot. This was Carter’s 10th goal of the playoffs, which only trials his teammate Marian Gaborik, who has 13 this postseason.

In the 2nd period, Jake Muzzin scored a power play goal for the Kings that deflected off a Ranger again, this time it was Martin St. Louis. Then later in the period, Mike Richards attempted a pass that was blocked by Ranger Ryan McDonagh and it went right back to Richards, who scored the final goal for the Kings.

3 goals was way more than enough for Kings’ goalie Jonathan Quick, who played like he did 2 years ago, when the Kings won their only Stanley Cup Championship…so far. Quick made 32 saves, while Rangers’ goalie Henrik Lundqvist saved only 12 of 15 shots by the Kings. Although all 3 goals were of the strange variety, which happens in hockey, but they all still counted.

Lundqvist, who is referred by many as the best goalie in the world, had to decisively outplay Quick in this series for the Rangers to have a chance. Although Quick earned that moniker 2 years ago, with his Conn Smythe winning performance to help win the title. Neither goalie was dominant in the first 2 games, but the Kings scored the overtime game winner in each game, after trailing by 2 goals in each game.

Lundqvist always comes back from off games with great performances, including his 1-0 shutout over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 6 to win the Eastern Conference Final, after the Canadiens scored 7 in the previous game, but not all their goals were off Lunqvist. I look for the Rangers to win Game 4, but lose Game 5 and the Stanley Cup Final, back in Los Angeles on Friday.

You had to think the think the Western Conference Champion, whoever that might be, would win the Cup, since the west was so much stronger all year. But if the Rangers lose Game 4, and get swept by the Kings, that will be the first time that has happened in the Final since the Detroit Red Wings sent the Washington Capitals home after 4 games in 1998.

Game 4 is on Wednesday, again at Madison Square Garden in New York. Will the Rangers be able to extend the Stanley Cup Final back to Los Angeles on Friday? I hope so, because I haven’t had enough hockey yet this year.

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Miami Can’t Take The Heat In San Antonio, Lose Game 1 Of NBA Finals

Posted on June 6, 2014 by admin

The San Antonio Spurs had a big 4th quarter to defeat the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night in San Antonio 110-95. The air conditioning went out, and so did LeBron James, with cramps toward the end of the 4th quarter.

Trailing by 4 at the start of the 4th quarter, the Spurs got really hot, with their shooting. They made 14 of 16 shots in the quarter, as well as all 6 of the 3-pointers they attempted. They ended the game on a 31-9 run, to crush the Heat, in a game that was close until the end. The Spurs finished the game shooting an incredible 59% from the field.

When James went out of the game with the aforementioned camps, the Heat had a 2-point lead, but that was before the Spurs’ Danny Green heated up. He put San Antonio ahead to stay with his 2nd of his 3 4th quarter 3-pointers.

It was good thing for the Spurs that they shot such a high percentage, because they also had 23 turnovers. Normally 23 turnovers means certain defeat, not a 15-point win over the defending champions. Tim Duncan led the way for San Antonio with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Manu Ginobili was big off the bench with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The quietest important contribution to the Spurs’ winning effort came from Boris Diaw, who only shot 1 of 5 from the field. But he had 10 rebounds, to go along with 6 assists, and he was a game best +30 points when he was on the court.

While it looked bad with James sitting on the bench as his team let the game slip away, I will say a few things in his defense. I don’t know what it’s like to play basketball with cramps. Also, he did try to play through it, but only lasted for one layup, then he left the game for good. Finally, this was not an elimination game, so the Heat has plenty of time to come back in this best of 7 NBA Finals.

However, blaming this loss on James being out of the game at the end, is misguided. Everyone had to play under the same hot conditions, and the Spurs were already storming back from a 7-point deficit when James left the game. The final margin of victory wasn’t 2 or 3 points either, it was 15 points.

The Heat have won 12 consecutive games following a loss in the playoffs. If they make it 13, then they will have earned a split of the first 2 games in San Antonio, and they can’t have expected much better than that. But the Spurs have won their last 8 home playoff games by at least 15 points, an NBA record. Something’s got to give. Game 2 is on Sunday, when the playing conditions are expected to be much cooler.

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The Teams In The Stanley Cup Finals & The NBA Finals Are Set

Posted on June 2, 2014 by admin

On Sunday night, the Los Angeles Kings earned a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals against the New York Rangers. The day before, the San Antonio Spurs punched their ticket to an NBA Finals rematch with the Miami Heat.

The Kings beat the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks 5-4 in overtime in Game 7 of their NHL Western Conference Finals series to join the waiting New York Rangers to determine the champion in professional hockey. The Rangers finished off the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday in 6 games 1-0 to win the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Kings won the Stanley Cup 2 years ago, but the Rangers have not even been in the finals since they won the title back in 1994. Never before had a team played 7-game series in the first 2 round of the playoffs, and made it to the finals, until this year. The Kings and Rangers both accomplished the feat this year.

No team had ever won 3 consecutive Game 7s, and especially not all road Game 7s in a playoff year, until the Kings have now done in these playoffs. They came from down 3 games to 0, winning 4 straight games to eliminate the San Jose Sharks in the first round.

In the second round, the Kings won the first 2 games on the road, then lost the next 3, before winning the final 2 games, to send the Anaheim Ducks home for the summer.

Against the Blackhawks, the Kings had a 3-1 series lead, so it looked like they finally would cruise in an easy series. Not so fast. The Blackhawks won the next 2 games, and led nearly the entire Game 7, until the Kings’ Marian Gaborik tied the game with 7:17 remaining in regulation. He scored his league leading 12th goal of the playoffs. Not bad for a trade deadline acquisition. Alec Martinez won the game and series for the Kings 5:47 into overtime.

How can you go against the Kings in the Stanley Cup Finals? The western conference has been tougher the entire year, and the Kings always seem to find a way to win. They were the lowest scoring team to make the playoffs, and are now the highest scoring team in the playoffs. They are also 7-0 when facing elimination. The Kings will win their 2nd title in 3 years.

In the NBA Finals, we will have a rematch of the great series last year between the 2-time defending champion Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, which went 7 games a year ago. The Heat are only the 3rd franchise to ever make it to the finals 4 straight years, along with the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.

The Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-107 in overtime in Game 6 on Saturday night to win the Western Conference Finals 4 games to 2. The home team had won every game in this series by at least 9 points, until Game 6. It’s good for the Spurs that they didn’t have to play a Game 7 on Monday, so now the older players can rest.

On Friday night, the Heat blew out the Indiana Pacers 117-92 to win the Eastern Conference Finals in 6 games also. The sporadic Pacers managed to win 2 games, but this series was never really in doubt.

As hard as it is to pick against the Heat, with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, I think the San Antonio Spurs have a better bench, and will prevail to win their 5th championship in the last 16 years. The Spurs’ Manu Ginobili seems to be playing better than he did last year, and you never know when Wade’s knee will give out.

The Stanley Cup Finals begin Wednesday in Los Angeles, while the NBA Finals rematch starts on Thursday in San Antonio.

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NBA & NHL Playoffs, Indianapolis 500, and More on Memorial Day Weekend

Posted on May 27, 2014 by admin

As always, Memorial Day weekend is one of the biggest sports weekends of the year. There were NBA playoffs, NHL playoffs, the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in auto racing, baseball, and the national championship for lacrosse.

The NBA defending champion Miami Heat won their 3rd consecutive game in the Eastern Conference Finals, after losing the opening game, to take a 3 games to 1 lead, after a 102-90 win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night. The Heat led from the opening tip on, with LeBron James leading the way with 32 points.

On Sunday, the Oklahoma City Thunder got back in the Western Conference Finals with a 106-97 win over the San Antonio Spurs, to cut their series deficit to 2-1. The return of Serge Ibaka provided the needed boost for the Thunder, scoring 15 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, and blocking 4 shots. The Spurs will still win this series though.

In the NHL, the Los Angeles Kings took a commanding 3-1 Western Conference Finals lead, with a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night. The defending champion Blackhawks face elimination at home in Game 5 on Wednesday.

On Sunday, the New York Rangers also took a 3-1 stranglehold on the Eastern Conference Finals with a 3-2 overtime win over the Montreal Canadiens.  Martin St. Louis had the game-winner 6:02 into overtime for the Rangers.

No team has ever gone 7 games in each of the first 2 rounds of the NHL playoffs and made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Rangers and the Kings are each one win away from doing just that.

In auto racing, on Sunday in Indianapolis, Ryan Hunter-Reay won his first Indianapolis 500 race, in the 2nd closest finish in the 98th running of the race. Hunter-Reay beat Helio Castoneves by 0.06 seconds. Castroneves was that close to tying A.J.Foyt, Rick Mears, and Al Unser Sr. for the most wins at the Indy 500 with what would have been his 4th win.

In the NASCAR race Sunday evening, the Coca-Cola 600, 6-time Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson won his first race of the year, over Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth. On a side note, Kurt Busch raced in both of these races. He finished 6th in the Indy 500, but his night ended early when he blew an engine with 129 laps remaining in the NASCAR race. Tony Stewart is the only driver to complete all 1100 miles in both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

Also on Sunday, Josh Beckett of the Los Angeles Dodgers threw a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies. This was the first no-hitter in the major leagues this year, and Beckett was the first Dodger to toss a no-hitter since Hideo Nomo in 1996. While that’s a great accomplishment for Beckett, what could be more boring than watching an opposing pitcher throw a no-hitter against your team, on your home field?

On Monday, the national championship in lacrosse was decided in a game between top seeded Duke and 6th seeded Notre Dame. This was a rematch of the 2010 final, in which Duke won the face-off in overtime and scored the winning goal in 5 seconds, the shortest overtime final ever.

Duke stormed out to an 8-2 lead on Monday, but Notre Dame forged a furious comeback, closing the gap to 9-8, before losing 11-9 on an empty net goal, after pulling their goalie in an attempt to tie the score. The game didn’t get good for me until about halfway through the final period, when the score got close. This was the 3rd national championship for Duke lacrosse, all in the last 5 years.

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Early In The NBA Conference Finals – The East Is Close, The West Isn’t

Posted on May 23, 2014 by admin

On Tuesday, the Miami Heat tied their Eastern Conference Finals series with the Indiana Pacers at 1 game each. On Wednesday, the San Antonio Spurs delivered a severe beating to the Oklahoma City Thunder to take a 2-0 series lead.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade took over the 4th quarter for the Heat, to beat the Pacers 87-83. They scored or assisted on every point in the final quarter. James scored 12 of his 22 points, and Wade scored 10 of his 23 points in that 4th quarter.

Lance Stephenson led the way for the Pacers with 25 points. Paul George added 14 points, but only made one shot on 11 attempts in the first half. He also took a Wade knee to the head, that resulted in concussion testing, but he returned to the game.

“Bird man” Chris Andersen of the Heat led all players with a +25 margin, and had 12 rebounds. The Heat shot 51% compared to only 40% for the Pacers. The Pacers can’t expect to win against the Heat when shooting a much lower percentage than the Heat. Game 3 isn’t until Saturday night in Miami.

In the Western Conference Finals, it’s been all San Antonio so far. The Spurs have won the first 2 games of their conference finals by the largest combined margin in history at 52 points, after the 112-77 beatdown on Wednesday.

This game started to get away from the Thunder late in the 2nd quarter. A five-point deficit became a 14-point halftime lead for the Spurs. Then the rout was on in the 3rd quarter, with the Spurs outscoring the Thunder 33-15.

The Spurs shot 50% from the field, compared with only 39% for the Thunder. Danny Green of San Antonio went 7 for 10 on 3-pointers, while the Oklahoma City starters not named Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook scored a combined 4 points, to go along with their combined 5 points from Game 1. Needless to say, the Thunder need a lot more production from their other 3 starters.

The Thunder will be happy to get back home for Game 3 on Sunday night, but without injured shot blocking big man Serge Ibaka, this series shouldn’t last very long. Durant and Westbrook are bound to explode in one of the next 2 games at home, but I don’t see them getting past Game 5.

The Spurs who have been “too old” for a few years now, will be heading to the NBA Finals, for a rematch, most likely, with the Miami Heat, who will should take care of the Pacers in 5 or 6 games. Last year, the Spurs were so close to winning the title in 6 games, before Ray Allen hit a 3-pointer to keep the Heat alive, and they eventually won Game 7.

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The Blackhawks and Rangers Take Game 1 Of Their NHL Conference Finals

Posted on May 19, 2014 by admin

The Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers won Game 1 of their respective conference finals in the National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs. The Blackhawks beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-1, and the New York Rangers crushed the Montreal Canadiens by a score of 7-2.

On Sunday, in the Western Conference Finals, the Blackhawks opened the scoring 14:46 into the 1st period on a power play goal by Brandon Saad. The Kings tied the score in the 2nd period at 4:35, on a tipped-in goal by Tyler Toffoli. But the Blackhawks took the lead for good 7 minutes later on a Duncan Keith long-range slapshot. Chicago added their final goal on a Jonathan Towes wristshot late in the 3rd period.

The Kings were eliminated last year by the Blackhawks in 5 games. That was the only series the Kings have lost in the last 3 years in the playoffs, winning the other 8 series. The Blackhawks seem to have their number, but you never know with these Kings. They are 6-0 in elimination games this year, including Game 7 on Friday, where the Anaheim Ducks went belly up for the first 35 minutes, spotting the Kings a 5-0 lead, that they couldn’t overcome.

The Eastern Conference Finals opened on Saturday with a resounding win by the Rangers in Montreal. The Rangers took an early lead on a wristshot by Martin St. Louis. 2 minutes later, they scored again on a Mats Zuccarello wristshot.

The Canadiens cut the lead to 2-1 on a wristshot by Rene Bourque 12:38 into the 2nd period. Then things started going really bad for the Canadiens late in the 2nd period. Chris Kreider scored with 1:01 left in the period, then just 49 seconds later Brad Richards made it 4-1 to end the scoring for the 2nd period.

The 3rd period continued the way the 2nd period ended. Within 4 minutes and 36 seconds, the Rangers blew the game wide open with goals by Ryan McDonagh, Derek Stepan, and Rick Nash. The Canadiens did score a short-handed goal by Lars Eller with 4:38 remaining, but they could get no closer.

You have to think the Canadiens will regroup and come back much stronger in Game 2 on Monday in Montreal. They got past the President’s Cup winning Boston Bruins in the last round, winning the last 2 games to do it.

The Kings and Blackhawks will play Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday, again in Chicago.

After the first 2 rounds of the NHL playoffs, all 4 division winners have been eliminated. The Ducks, Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins all lost in 7 games in the 2nd round, while the Colorado Avalanche were knocked out in the first round in 7 games also.

The Blackhawks are the defending champion, and the Kings won the Stanley Cup 2 years, but the Rangers haven’t won it all since 1994, and the Canadiens were champions the year before that.

You never know what to expect in the NHL playoffs, and that’s what makes them so fun to watch. There are 4 teams left, and none of them won their division, but they got hot when it matters the most.

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All NHL Conference Semifinals May Go 7 Games

Posted on May 12, 2014 by admin

As of Sunday, all 4 of the conference semifinal series in the National Hockey League (NHL) will go either 6 or 7 games. The New York Rangers have won the 5th and 6th games of their series with the Pittsburgh Penguins to force a Game 7 in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

The Rangers won Game 6 on Sunday by a score of 3-1 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Martin St. Louis opened the scoring for the Rangers just 3:34 into the game. St. Louis, whose mother passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, scored in the 2nd consecutive game since her passing, this time on Mother’s Day.

Less than 3 minutes later, teammate Carl Hagelin backhanded in a goal to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead. Later in the first period, the Penguins got on the board with a deflected goal by Brandon Sutter, to cut the lead in half, and that’s how the 1st period ended. Derick Brassard scored the Rangers’ 3rd goal on a wristshot, in the 2nd period. With no scoring in the final period, the Rangers won the game 3-1, and this series will be decided in Game 7 in Pittsburgh.

Another game without possible league Most Valuable Player (MVP) Sidney Crosby scoring a goal for the Penguins. I think the Penguins will win the series on Tuesday with or without a goal by Crosby, but if they do lose, and Crosby flames out similar to how he did against the Boston Bruins last year, this performance does not reflect well on his playoff legacy.

Also on Sunday, the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks beat the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 of their series by a score of 2-1, to take a 3-2 series lead. The Wild opened the scoring with a backhander by Erik Haula 16:33 into the 1st period.

The Blackhawks tied the game in the 2nd period on a tipped power play goal by Bryan Bickell. In the 3rd period, Chicago finished the scoring on a goal backhanded in by Jonathan Toews 4:33 into the period. The Blackhawks held on to take the lead in their series against the Wild.

The series goes back to Minnesota for Game 6 on Tuesday. I think the Wild will extend the series, and the Blackhawks will remain undefeated at home in the playoffs with a Game 7 win to take the series on Thursday.

On Saturday, the Boston Bruins took a 3-0 lead early in the 2nd period over the Montreal Canadiens, and held on for a 4-2 win in Game 5 of the series. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if the Canadiens win Game 6 on Monday, but I expect the Bruins to win the series back in Boston on Wednesday. Montreal is the last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup, way back in 1993.

The series between the neighbors in Southern California, looked bleak for the Anaheim Ducks after losing the first 2 games of the series at home against the Los Angeles Kings, but after Game 4 on Saturday night, the series is tied at 2 game apiece. Yes, the road team has won all 4 games of this series so far.

In Game 4, Ducks’ head coach Bruce Boudreau turned to 20-year old rookie goaltender John Gibson, and the result is more than even he could have even expected. Gibson responded with a 28-shot shutout.

The Ducks scored twice late in the 1st period on goals by Devante Smith-Pelly and Ryan Getzlaf to take a 2-0 lead, and basically held on in the final 2 periods to earn the shutout. The Ducks only had 3 shots in the 2nd and 3rd period combined, and finished with just 14 shots for the game, but it was enough.

This series may eventually give the NHL 4 conference semifinal 7-game series. I do expect a home team to win a game in this series, but the Ducks, who gave up a goal with 7 seconds remaining, and lost in overtime in game 1, should win the series against the Kings.

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5 NBA First Round Series Go The Distance

Posted on May 5, 2014 by admin

There were 5 Game 7s in the first round of the National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs this weekend. This was the most ever in any round of an NBA playoffs. The home team won 4 of the games, and in the other game, the road team won by 1 point.

On Sunday, the Brooklyn Nets withstood a furious comeback by the Toronto Raptors in Toronto 104-103. Paul Pierce of the Nets blocked the Raptors’ last shot, by Kyle Lowry to preserve the win. Lowry led the game with 28 points, but he needed that last shot for the Raptors to move on to the 2nd round of the playoffs. Joe Johnson led the Nets with 26 points.

In the other Game 7 on Sunday, the top seeded San Antonio Spurs put away the Dallas Mavericks early, to win 119-96. Tony Parker led the way for the Spurs with 32 points, and Manu Ginobili added 20 points. The Spurs had a 68-46 halftime lead, and cruised the rest of the way. Sunday was a good day for the old guys. Parker, Ginobili and Tim Duncan on the Spurs, along with Pierce and Kevin Garnett for the Nets.

The first 3 Game 7s of the first round all happened on Saturday. The Indiana Pacers, who were the top seeded team in the Eastern Conference survived their series with the only losing team in the playoffs, the Atlanta Hawks, winning the final game 92-80. Paul George took over the game for the Pacers, pouring in 30 points, and grabbing 11 rebounds. Their center Roy Hibbert finally had a productive game too, with 13 points and 7 rebounds.

The Oklahoma City Thunder overcame a slow start to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 120-109 to take the series. Kevin Durant led his team like usual with 33 points, but Russell Westbrook had a huge game with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 16 assists for the Thunder. The suspension to Zach Randolph was too much for the Grizzlies to overcome in this game.

The Los Angeles Clippers ended a tumultuous week plus with a dramatic 126-121 win over the Golden State Warriors at home. The Clippers had 6 players in double figures, while the Warriors had 7 scoring at least 10 points. Every series should be as entertaining as this one. It’s too bad either team had to lose. Stephen Curry led all scorers with 33 points, but it wasn’t enough, as the Clippers had too much for them on Saturday, even after weathering the storm of controversy involving their owner Donald Sterling.

The next round of the NBA playoffs is the conference semifinals, which will start with the Washington Wizards at the Indiana Pacers, and the Clippers at the Thunder on Monday. On Tuesday the Nets will visit the 2-time defending champion Miami Heat, and the Portland Trail Blazers will go to play the San Antonio Spurs. These should all be good series, with the new teams added into the mix this year. The Wizards and the Trail Blazers are having much better seasons than expected. The Nets are a surprising 4-0 against the Heat this year, which should add to the animosity in that series.

I’m picking the Wizards over the Pacers, because I don’t think the Pacers have worked out all their offensive woes yet. I think the Thunder will eventually get past the Clippers in a long series. The Spurs will have trouble with the young Trail Blazers, but I think they will prevail. Even with the success the Nets had against the Heat in the regular season, the Heat will wear them down and move on to the conference finals.

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3 Game 7s In NHL Playoffs First Round

Posted on May 2, 2014 by admin

The first round of the National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs ended with 3 Game 7s on Wednesday night. One of those series made history, another went into the 14th overtime of the first round, and the third was another one goal game, one of the 25 in round one.

The series that made history was only the 4th time in NHL history that a team came back to win a best of 7 series, after losing the first 3 games. Depending on how you look at it, it was either a great comeback by the Los Angeles Kings, or a colossal flop by the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks scored 17 goals in their 3 wins to start the series, then scored only 5 in the last 4 games. The Sharks scored first in Game 7, but it was all Kings after that, to win the deciding game 5-1.

In an earlier Game 7, the Minnesota Wild beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-4 in overtime, to move on to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Nino Neiderreiter‘s wrist shot won it for the Wild 5:02 into overtime. This was the 4th overtime game in the series, and the 5th one-goal game. The Avalanche won the Central Division, but are going home with their first round loss.

The first Game 7 on Wednesday was between the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers. The Rangers won 2-1 to win the series, scoring both their goals in the first period. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist gave up one goal in the 3rd period, but held on to give his team the victory. The teams alternated wins in this series, with the Rangers winning the odd numbered games, while the Flyers won the even numbered games, tying the series 3 different times, before succumbing on Wednesday.

The second round started on Thursday night, with of course, another overtime game. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins 4-3 in double overtime, even though they were outshot 51-33. P.K. Subban scored 4:21 into the 2nd overtime to give the Canadiens the win. This was Subban’s 2nd power play goal of the game, starting with his goal in the 1st period. Montreal takes the early lead in this series, which will probably go 7 games, and the Bruins winning.

The other 2nd round series in the Eastern Conference will start on Friday, with the Rangers visiting the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins should win this series, but they have the better goalie with Lundqvist. If he gets hot, he could carry his team to the series win.

In the Western Conference, the Minnesota Wild will start their 2nd round series in Chicago against the Blackhawks on Friday. This should be the end of the road for the Wild, again at the hands of the Blackhawks, but they weren’t supposed to beat the Avalanche either.

On Saturday the first ever playoff series will begin between the Los Angles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks. This series should be a local war. Unless Kings’ goalie Jonathan Quick extends his hot streak from the last 3 games of the first round, the Ducks should come away with the series victory. The Ducks led the NHL in goals scored, while the Kings led the league in least goals allowed. Something’s got to give. Let’s get it on!

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