NBA Playoffs

Lebron Needs "Mo" Help

Mo Williams has played Tonto to Lebron James' Lone Ranger performance all year long, but just as the gun slinger is in serious trouble with the bad guys, Mo is a no show in what could be the final act of the season for Cleveland. Williams averaged 18 ppg during the regular season, providing the Cavaliers with much needed secondary scoring. It was a pretty nice story; Lebron does most of the work, Williams chips in a bit, and everybody else on the team plays a role. Williams is still putting up 17 points a game in the conference finals, but he's shooting only 32%. With all the open looks he is getting thanks to double teams on Lebron, if Mo was shooting at least 40%, that would be an extra 4-6 points a game for the Cavs. Cleveland would be in the driver's seat of a series that has gone down to the wire every game, including tonights game 4 won by Orlando in OT. If Lebron is going to have his dream match up with Kobe in the NBA finals, he'll need Williams to start hitting his open shots, and soon, as Orlando is 1 win away from it's first trip to the finals since 1994 when it was the Shaq/Anfernee Hardaway show.

Kobe A Big Dissapointment in Game 4

Throughout his career, Kobe Bryant has drawn comparisons to Michael Jordan for his style of play, defensive ability, and competitive fire. None of these were on display in the Lakers humiliating game 4 loss in Denver. Not only was Kobe a non-factor offensively, he was awful on the defensive end, out hustled to several loose balls, showed no intensity on man to man defence, and absolutely horrible away from the ball. A far cry from his mentor, Jordan, who would have done everything possible in that situation to give his team a chance to win. Kobe looked like he was getting ready for the flight back to LA for game 5. Game 4 was the third road game in the past 3 weeks where the Lakers simply did not show up to compete. They are quickly gaining a reputation for being a team with no killer instinct, preferring to do just enough to get by. After regaining home court advantage with a guttsy win in game 3, their lackluster performance in game 4 wreaked of a team that was content on getting a split on the road.

Dwight Howard's Lament

After game 5 vs the Boston Celtics a few weeks back, Dwight Howard called out Head Coach Stan Van Gundy for allowing the Magic to get away from playing winning basketball. After watching the Magic nearly blow a game they should have won in regulation time last night, I can see why Howard gets upset.

When the Magic move the ball, penetrate with the dribble, and get the ball inside to Howard off ball reversal, they appear to be unstoppable. However, they fall into occasional traps where they over dribble (see Hedo Turkoglu) and fire up ill advised 3 pointers (see Mickael Pietrius and Rafer Alston).

Last night, as they squandered a lead to the Cavs, then fell behind early in OT, the Magic went inside to Howard on three consecutive trips. Three dunks later, the Magic were in control of the game and the series. Not bad for a guy who many basketball pundits were saying had no post game and did not need to be double teamed.

Chris Tremblay Prediction/ Jays in Trouble

Chris Trembley Picks The Red Wings
Today on CKDU Sports, Chris Trembley, Halifax Mooseheads insider, picked the Detroit Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup over the Pittsburgh Penguins. As the two teams march undeterred towards their fated rematch of last years cup final, many people are beginning to predict that the Penguins, having been a taught a stern lesson by the Wings, will overcome Detroit and win their first cup of the Sydney Crosby era.

“The only way Detroit loses is if they beat themselves”, said Trembley. “There’s too many weapons with that team.”

I have to agree. I’ve always believed that if you win a championship, and then bring back the same team the next year with some added parts (i.e Marion Hossa), then you should be considered the favorite. Of coure, Pittsburgh is looking very good, and they have the 2 best players on both rosters. But as Trembley explains, “Detroit has the deeper hockey team. There are too many guys with the ability to finish and too many character guys.”

Blue Jays Losing Streak at 7
It may be officially time to panic in Blue Jays land. Mind you, it is only late May, and despite losing 7 games in a row, including 3 to divisional rival Boston, the birds are still only 1.5 games out of first place.
However, it seems like the AL east is going to be a 4 team race this season, and although it certainly appears the wildcard will come out of the east, that leaves two teams on the outside looking in. The AL east is going to be so competitive this season, that even games in May are important, and extended losing streaks could be the difference between hosting a playoff game, and watching the playoffs at home.

How do the Jays end the losing? Well it wouldn’t hurt to start scoring runs again. The Jays were the #1 hitting team in baseball this time last week. They’ve only dropped to 2nd (behind LA Dodgers), but they’ve only scored 10 runs in 7 games. Prior to the series with the Red Sox, the Jays had scored at least 10 runs in a game 8 times!! That means that almost 1/3 of their victories had been blow outs. So where has the offence gone? Well, just looking at numbers, the team is still getting lots of hits. Going through the box scores, every significant Jay is still getting on base, although Alex Rios is batting .230 over the losing streak. It would appear that the Jays are struggling once again with getting runners home. Lack of production in the clutch has killed this crop of Jays over the years and it would seem that it is hurting them at the moment. Roy Halladay pitched 7 shutout innings vs the Braves on Friday and the Jays couldn’t score a single run in support!

Regardless, the Jays had better get things straightened around, the Red Sox are coming to town this weekend for a three game set beginning Friday.

NHL and NBA Tuesday Night!

Red Wings Strike Again

A couple weeks back on the first episode of haligonia sports, Chris Trembley said that hockey is a game of mistakes, and how effectively teams capitalize on them. Well, no other team in the NHL pounces on a mistake and makes thier opponents pay the ultimate price, like the Detroit Red Wings. There was no greater example than tonight, when Brian Campbell of the Blackhawks lost control of the puck in the Red Wings zone, and 3 Detroit players skated the other way with only one defenceman desperate to catch up for the Hawks. Two passes later, and tic tac toe the game was over, Detroit had one in overtime to beat Chicago and take a 2 games to none lead in the Western Conference final.

At one point Gord Millar compared the series to the Islanders/Oilers classics back in the eighties. The year before Gretzky's group won thier first Stanley Cup, Mike Bossy and the boys gave the Oil a stern lesson in how to go about winning a championship. The Oilers would easily sweep the aging Islanders the next season, signaling a passing of the torch from one dynasty to another.

Are the Blackhawks and Red Wings similar. I don't think so. Detroit is not that old, and assuming they sign another top free agent, which they usually do, whose to say they won't be back in the Stanley Cup finals next year. Whose to say Chicago will ever get past the Red Wings, assuming they don't do it this year. This Detroit team is very, very special, and I would not be surprised to see them win, or be in the Stanley Cup finals, for the next 5 years.

Areza Stole the Ball!

It may not have the same ring to it as "Havlichek stole the ball", but Trevor Areza did come up with a huge inbounds theft to seal the victory for the Lakers tonight in game 1 of the Western Conference final vs Denver. Kobe Bryant chipped in a very business like 40 points, while Pau Gasol had some big tip ins and foul shots down the stretch to help the Lakers win by a couple. The Nuggets played really well and nearly took control in the 4th quarter, but Kobe the closer exerted his influence on the 4th quarter and made the game his own, the key basket coming from Derek Fisher, a three pointer from the corner after Kobe drew the defence and kicked to the open Fisher.

Switching to an NBA playoff game after watching an NHL playoff game can often be pretty dissapointing. NBA players simply do not play as hard or intense as hockey players in the midst of a stanley cup run. They obviously try harder than the regular season, where they simply go through the motions on many nights, but there is still a genuine lack of effort and mental lapses that plague the NBA game..........is there anything is sports more ridiculous than the war of words between Mark Cuban and Kenyon Martin. Below is a piece from hoopshype.com;

" There's a new Cuban Missile Crisis. It has to do with the shots that continue to be launched between Dallas owner Mark Cuban and Denver forward Kenyon Martin. "He's a coward," Martin said Saturday about Cuban, a week after Cuban made an unflattering comment to Martin's mother during a West semifinal series, with Martin believing Cuban has yet to apology in an appropriate manner. Meanwhile, Cuban admits he "made a mistake" in having apologized to Martin's mother on his blog and not having yet done so personally in a timely fashion. But Cuban, in an e-mail to HoopsHype.com, wrote he wants Martin to take responsibility for his actions, which he wrote included calling a wife of a Mavericks staff member a "(expletive) fat pig" and making an obscene gesture. It all heated up May 9 after Game 3. After the Nuggets won a controversial game in Dallas, when the NBA later admitted a foul should have been called on Mavericks guard Antoine Wright and a game-winning three-pointer from Denver forward Carmelo Anthony wiped out, Cuban was incensed. He passed by Martin's mother, Lydia Moore, and has admitted saying "that includes your son" when a fan called Nuggets players thugs."

So basically you've got a jerk billionaire squaring off against a jerk millionaire. Both Cuban and Martin have shown little or no class throughout thier careers as owner and player respectively.
It's stories like this that make you realize you have to watch alot of professional sports with one hand squeezing your nose........No NHL on Wed. night, the next game is Thurday night's game 2 between Carolina and Pittsburgh. Tomorrow night the Cavaliers and Magic get started. It seems like the Cavs haven't played in a month, will they have some rust from too much rest? I doubt it.

Bluenose and Blue Jays

Bluenose Marathon
I ran my first full marathon yesterday. I've ran several 1/2 marathons in the past but decided to take the plunge this year and "go the distance." If you are considering running a 1/2 or full marathon in the future, I highly recommend the Blue Nose right here in Halifax. The 1/2 marathon takes you through the north and south end and even through point pleasant park. The full marathon then stretches out to Dartmouth, where you run along some excellent trails in beautiful woods that border on very picturesque lakes. I never knew that Dartmouth was that pretty!
I was hoping to finish under 3 hours and 50 minutes and I came in at 3:46 so I'm very pleased. I plan on running the Johnny Miles Classic next month in New Glasgow and hope to improve my time. The last hour of the Bluenose was brutal. My whole lower body completely broke down and my range of motion seemed to be about 5 cm. My cardio fitness however felt really solid. Crossing that finish line is quite the feeling.



Blue Jays Still Hot
Nice little treat today as the Blue Jays played a Victoria Day matinee vs the Chicago White Sox. The American League East leaders beat the Sox 3-2 and now head to Boston for a pretty intriguing 3 game set with the second place Red Sox. If the Jays manage to take 2 out of 3 at Fenway it would go a long way in establishing some legitimacy to a team that alot of people keep waiting to come back to earth. At the moment, the Jays are the best offensive team in baseball, and they are second in hitting and pitching. We're 7 weeks into the season so this Jays team may just be for real. But we'll know much more come thursday night when they finish their series with the Red Sox.
It should also be noted that the Yankees and Rays are winning on a consistent basis now as well, and beginning to keep pace with the Jays and Sox. It's going to be a very interesting season in the AL east, made more so by the efforts of a Jays team that seems to be getting more of a swagger each passing day.


Wings Strike First

I was fast asleep yesterday after the marathon but I did catch a little of the third period in game 1 between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings. Looks like this series is going to have a pace that could rival the Pens and Caps last week. Lots of speed and skill on display. Ryan Delong, a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, was telling me he likes Chicago to win that series. I can't see that happening. Mind you, Ryan did pick Carolina to beat Jersey and Boston. Detroit has so much balance throughout the roster. If they keep that Blackhawks team together, they'll play for a Stanley Cup some day, just not this year...although a Pittsburgh/Chicago final would be alot of fun!

Notes

The Brett Favre saga continues. Favre is talking to a doctor about taking a look at his right shoulder. If they are able to get that old gun read to fire again, expect to see Brett Favre playing for the Vikings this season.......Tony Kornheiser has dropped out of Monday Night Football. Kornheiser has a notorious fear of flying, and said that after looking at the MNF schedule for this season, he decided he better walk away. That's unbelievable to me. I'm sure Tony could afford an excellent psychiatrist to help with his fear of flying. How many sports journalists would kill to be in the booth for Monday Night Football? John Gruden, the former Raider and Bucs Head Coach, has been chosen to replace Kornheiser......I've been reading the new book on Alex Rodriguez. It's not bad. Not great by any means. It talks at great length about his steroid usage and pitch tipping scheme he had while with the Texas Rangers. But the author also seems to take pleasure in pointing out Arod's personality flaws, whether it be insecurity, selfishness, or ego. If any thing, the book sort of makes Arod come off as being alot more human then we ever thought he was, a guy who has alot of faults just like we all do. Certainly he has made some mistakes, but I get the feeling this book may draw people closer to Arod, and I don't believe that was the author's purpose in writing the book.......Orlando handled Boston pretty easily last night, pulling away in the 4th quarter. That's a series that Orlando should have won in 6 at the most. I think Cleveland will beat them in 5 games.....Can Denver play with the Lakers? Well if a Houston team that lost Yao Ming in game 3 and took LA to 7 games with the likes of Carl Landry, Luis Scola, and Aaron Brooks can play with them, than certainly the Nuggets can. I still like the Lakers in 6 or 7.

Monday Night Hockey

Oh Baby!
As Bob Cole would say, "oh baby"! What a great night of hockey. Another classic between the Capitals and Penguins, game 6 going to overtime just like games 2 and 5. Nine goals were scored, and the lead changed hands five times. Ovechkin was really pinned down by swarms of Penguin's defender, but still managed 2 assists. Well hello Alexander Semin! Semin finally showed up and displayed alot of grit and toughness for the Caps. Sydney Crosby was incredible once again, and Mike Green probably had his best game of the series...as the TSN panel commented, he looks likes he's playing hurt, playing a little tentative.
The Caps did a better job of clearing loose debris in front of Varlamov, and in return, Varlamov didn't give up fat rebounds like he did in game 5.

Canucks Eliminated
After Daniel Seden scored a beauty of a power play goal with about 7 minutes left, it looked like the series was heading back to Vancouver for game 7. About 1 minute later Patrick Kane and Jonathon Toews scored back to back goals to put Chicago ahead to stay. Kane scored the Blackhawk's 7th goal a few minutes later on a beautiful backhand and that was it for the Canucks. Hopefully Roberto Luongo has a short memory, or it's going to be a long off season for arguably the league's best goalie, giving up 7 goals in the last game of the season.

Sunday, May 10

Recap of Pens/Caps G5 By Allen Muir of CNNSI
This is a great observation by Muir detailing why Pittsburgh won game 5;

"It might seem odd to say that a game characterized by thrilling bursts of run-and-gun hockey was decided by defense, but that's exactly what happened. And that's the critical take-home for the Capitals if they hope to bring the series back to Washington for Game 7.Despite the odd breakdown, Pittsburgh has turned around a series it once trailed two games to none by committing to the belief that defense is the responsibility of all five skaters on the ice. The 42 shots allowed by Washington shows how far removed it is from buying into that concept.
Good example: Pittsburgh's third goal was scored by Matt Cooke after Kris Letang, Tyler Kennedy and Jordan Staal eacj had stepped up to test Simeon Varlamov in close. Not one of them, mind you, ended up on his backside for having enjoyed the privilege. Three minutes later, the Caps were swirling in Pittsburgh's zone. Alexander Semin, Sergei Fedorov and Brooks Laich each converged on the net, trying to pounce on a rebound of a Laich shot. They were met there by all five Penguins skaters, and it was just a moment before Miro Satan emerged with the puck and had Pittsburgh in transition. That was the game in microcosm.When the Caps managed to generate pressure in the Pittsburgh zone, the Pens united to make life easy on Marc-Andre Fleury. They blocked shots (24 tonight), muddied the passing lanes and were quick to mop up any of Fleury's spills. And when the Pens were in control in Washington's zone? Too often, the Caps' wingers were up high, waiting for the breakout, leaving the Pens to take repeated whacks at Varlamov. The Caps are guilty of taking the easy way out. Unless they address that, it's going to cost them the series."

Penguins/Capitals...other notes

I don't know about you, but I had a feeling the entire game that the Penguins were going to win tonight in Washington, which they did, taking a commanding 3-2 lead back to Pittsburgh where they'll look to close out the series. I can envision my buddies, Bill McNeil and Ryan Higginbotham, rising out of their chairs and jumping around the room in celebration, as a Capitals defender's diving attempt to block Evgeny Malkin's pass to Sydney Crosby ended up in the back of the net, just several minutes after the first overtime session had begun. Even if the pass had not been mistakenly tipped past Varlamov, who had a horrible game, Crosby would have easily scored on an easy tip in, especially easy for a guy who seemingly has the best instincts in the game.

Regardless, the game just felt like a Pittsburgh victory, even when Ovechkin scored his second of the night to send it to extra time. The Capitals certainly had their moments, but as Crosby said the other day, the Penguins once again seemed to outchance Washington, and seemed to play with a higher level of intensity and effort. Not that Washington is lacking in intensity, but too many careless mistakes in the neutral zone and some fairly shoddy defensive play really doomed Bruce Boudreau's boys tonight.

However, "oh baby", what a game. Back and forth, end to end. So much speed, passing, great offensive play, so many hits, so many near misses. The only thing dissapointing about that hockey game was that it came to an end far to soon.

Chris Trembley on the Vancouver Canucks

On the premier episode of Haligonia Sports this friday, Halifax Mooseheads insider Chris Trembley once again reiterated his belief that the Vancouver Canucks will not make it to the Stanley Cup finals. Regarding thier effort in game 4, Trembley said " They tried to play a tight defensive game and rely on Luongo, while only getting 15 shots on the Blackhawks net. It's not good enough, you have to be better." Regarding the Canucks in general, Trembley continues, " They're not multidimensional. They do not have an outstanding checking line, no outstanding special teams, they're just not well balanced. You look at teams like Detroit, and they have allot of balance throughout the lineup."

So obviously Chris doesn't think the 'Nucks have what it takes. Game 5 is just about to begin and Marc Crawford just said he thinks the Canucks are going to get an early goal. I agree with Trembley, I like the 'Hawks to win tonight. Although my NHL prediction abilites are pretty poor (see "New Jersey Devils will come out of the east", and "Bruins will sweep Carolina".

Monday, May 4

Great night for sports on the tube. Caps and Pens at 8:00, Lakers and Rockets at 11:30, with 24 in between and Celtics/Magic during commercials. Caps and Pens are tied 2 a piece, outstanding game. Fast paced, lots of hitting, speed, great scoring opps, could watch hockey like this all night (maybe it will got to ot?). Ovechkin has 1 goal, a one timer from the slot. How do you let Alex O glide down the ice unchecked and fire a wide open shot from 15 feet? Crosby has two goals, the second of which was a great goal, lifting the stick of defender ot keep the play alive and banging it home. The teams are so evenly matched, it's literally going to come down to who wants it more, and goaltending......Magic and Celtics are tight after 1 quarter. Celtics have to be exhausted after that series with the Bulls.....Lebron James was named MVP today. No argument from me. He took a team of cast offs featuring Wally Scerbiak with a knee brace and some dude who looks like Carlito the wrestler, and won the eastern conference with 66 wins. That's an MVP. Is he the best player in the league? I think Kobe is such a great defender, I don't think Lebron is a shut down defender yet. kobe just locks you down, and puts up 30 points on the other end. Scary.

On CKDU Sports today, I mistakenly asked Coach Steve Sumarra of SMU footbal how Eric Glavic was doing, and if he would be ready to play. I didn't know that Glavic had transferred to Calgary, needless to say the Coach was not pleased. Yikes. Talk about not doing your research. I honestly do not remember seeing a press release regarding him transferring.
Interesting drama there. The head coach of Calgary is Blake Nill, who obtained god like status as Head Coach of SMU before leaving for Calgary 3 years ago. Nill recruited Glavic to SMU before bolting for UC. Glavic decided to keep his commitment to SMU but has obviously changed his mind. He still has 3 years left, he won the Hec Creighton award for most outstanding player 2 years ago, then sat out last year with a torn ACL. There are rumours that it hs seriously strained Nill and Sumarah's friendship, as the 2 had always been close while Sumarrah worked underneath Nill as offensive coordinator. It could get alot more interesting if Calgary wins the CanWest next season, and SMU wins the AUS. Calgary would then travel to SMU to play the national semi final at Huskies Stadium. Oh yeah.

Remembering the Bulls and Celtics

Some basketball pundits are calling it the greatest NBA playoff series in the associations 50 year history. For 7 thrilling games, the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls went shot for shot, stop for stop, more often than not, well past regulation time.
How often?
There were 7 overtimes, a record for any best of 7 playoff series. The 2 teams went to overtime in game 1 and game 5, and double overtime in game 4. In game 6 they went to triple overtime , a certified masterpiece that was the most highly watched first round playoff game in cable television history, and easily the greatest game played in Chicago since the days of Michael Jordan. Game 7 in Boston may be looked upon as anti climatic as the Celtics pulled away late and won by 10 points, but in its entirety, this series will be talked about by basketball enthusiasts for a long time.
Why exactly?
For starters, the teams are two of the leagues most notable franchises. The Boston Celtics are the NBA champs from last season, out muscling Kobe Bryantès Lakers for the franchises 17th title in its illustrious history . On the rafters in Boston, hang the numbers of Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, and Bill Russell.
The Chicago Bulls wear the same red, black, and white uniforms once worn by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, who led the franchise to 6 NBA titles in the nineties, revolutionizing the way the game is played in the process.
It also helps that the 2 teams are from Boston and Chicago, 2 of the biggest sports markets in the United States.
But beyond all of that, it was the way these two teams battled each other night in and night out, the heroic performances by so many players, and the contrasting physical makeup of the teams, that I will look back upon fondly.
On one side, the green and white of the Boston Celtics, led by two of the toughest all stars in the NBA, willing their team of misfits and outcasts to another playoff victory. On the other end, a team of athletic and cocky soon to bes, who seemed to jump so much higher, and run so much faster than thier seasoned and crafty counterparts, but simply could not deliver a knock out blow to a proud group of champions.

Ray Allen, the tough as nails gunner, scored 51 points in game 6. More importantly, he seemingly hit about 10 three point shots that either sent the game to overtime, or won the game for the Celtics. Paul Pierce was his warrior self, Derrick Rose showed flashes of brilliance, giving us a taste of whats to come. Ill remember Ben Gordon, valiantly trying to match Allen, his fellow UCONN alum, before crashing in the second half of game 7.
Who will forget Brad Miller's three point shot and layup at the end of regulation in game 6 to bring the Bulls back from the cusp of elimination? Who will forget Yannicks kid, Joakim Noah, all legs and arms with pony tail flailing about, stealing Paul Pierces errant pass and going in for an AND1 dunk, giving the Bulls a game 6 win, sending the series back to Boston? Who will forget Rajon Rondo and Kirk Hinrich, nearly coming to blows after the two got tangled up and mid court? The names Scalibrane, Big Baby, and Eddie House are now etched in our brains, thanks to the play of three guys, who remind us that you don’t have to look like an Nba player to be one.
It was a first round series for the ages, and I think all basketball fans wish it had never ended . But fear not, Kobe vs Lebron is lurking in the near future, and may give us one more chance to jump off our couch, yell, and clap out loud.

Bulls/Celtics Game 7

\Is Ben Gordon tough? Killin the Bulls with triples right now, Bulls lead 32-23. Responding for the Celts? Who else but Brian Scalibrani!! Wow. What an incredible block by Derrick Rose on chicken Scalibrani on the breakawaay dunk attempt. First of all i did'nt know that Brian could jump higher than me, but Rose's block was just another example of how much more athletic the Bulls are than the Celts.....Rose, Gordon, Salmons, Yannick's kid, Tyrus Thomas, the Bulls have alot of athletes. How many pure athletes do the Celts have? Leon Powe and Kevin Garnett....except they are both injured. Even Paul Pierce is a little slow afoot. Celtics have alot of weird looking guys. Rondo, Scalibrani, Kendrick Perkins, and especially Glen Davis. He may have the strangest NBA body I've ever seen. He literally looks like a big baby.

Well that was simply disturbing. After Gordon put the Bulls up 32-23, the Celtics went on a 28-6 run to finish the half....I forgot how the Celtics are able to clamp down on defence....every possesion for the Bulls looked so painful. It didn't help that they overdribbled and stopped moving the basketball, but Boston's defence was tight.....Yannick's kid looks like me if I was 7'0" tall. No discernable skills to speak of but just lots of hustle, screens, and rebounds.....not sure why Del Negro got away from Tyrus Thomas, i liked the combo of Thomas and Noah much more than Noah/Miller....John Salmons will be back in the second half (3 fouls) and should give the Bulls a boost....Del Negro was saying he didn't feel like a rookie coach after all the team has gone through so far in this series, but he looked like a rookie coach in that first half. Any proven NBA coach would have called a timout as things were unravelling and called a play that would get the team an easy basket and back on track (see Larry Brown). Every possesion the Bulls had in the last 8 minutes looked awful, literally every possesion.

If I'm Del Negro I'm going with Rose/Gordon/Salmons/Thomas/Noah as much as possible the rest of the way. Hinrich is not looking comfortable (those two missed foul shots were a killer), and Miller brings the team down in athleticism. Get those young athletes out there, move the ball, try to get open looks for Salmons and Gordon, and hope that Noah/Thomas can really outplay Perkins and Davis....Tim Thomas has really dropped off the earth, hard to believe he can't be a contributor on the Bulls, he was great for the Suns a few years back when they had lost Stoudamire for the playoffs.

Doug Collins is the best analyst for making a really great point, and then beating it to death! Right now he's stuck on the Bulls not moving the ball. My favorite Doug Collins regular point of emphasis, "The last 2 minutes in each quarter is so important, you want to make sure you get quality shots."

Well, I still like the Thomas/Noah combo better, but, Brad Miller does spread the floor with his jump shot and brings alot of poise to the floor with a young team. I guess it's match ups...with Perkins and Davis I'd rather have Thomas/Noah, but with Scalibrani you can afford to take an athlete like Thomas off the floor in favour of the seasoned vet, Miller (who just made a tough layup to cut the lead to 7 before a Paul Pierce dunk!) The dunk by Pierce is an example of how Miller hurts you. There's no way Pierce gets around Noah or Thomas coming off that screen, but Miller is just too slow.

I love Ben Gordon, but I do not like to watch him drible for 10 seconds and force a jump shot. Derrick Rose is so tough you'd think he had played at UCONN.....it seems like every shot Ray Allen takes find the bottom of the net. Is it just me?
My god Glen Davis is weird looking!
Why isn't big game Marv Alberts calling this game? Kevin Harlan is ok, but you got to have Marv for a game like this.
Yannick's kid has to finish stronger! He misses alot of potential and1's.
Game I don't care about: Atlanta/Miami game 7
Series I'm looking Forward to: Houston vs LA. Kobe vs Artest..love it.

Well the Bulls punched back and got to within 7 to start the 4th quarter. I'm cheering hard for the Bulls, I like all the youth and athleticism. Boston vs Orlando? Meh. Chicago vs Orlando? Not bad......I'd love to see a Cavs/Bulls eastern conference final.

With the exception of the Heat in '06, it is really hard to knock an NBA champion out of the playoffs. It is not easy to win an NBA championship, which is why the Celtics, Lakers, Bulls, and Spurs, and Pistons account for about 80% of them. Any team that wins an NBA championship is tough, so trying to beat them 4 times the next season is hard, probably too hard for a young Bulls team.....speaking of age, I can't believe Lindsay Hunter is still playing. I remember when he was the next Isiah Thomas for the Pistons in early nineties!

Celtics win by about 8. Too many scoring droughts for the Bulls. That's a game they could have had. They just have too many mental lapses and get away from doing the right things. I thought the Bulls coaching staff did a poor job. They didn't seem to have any way of getting the youthful Bulls back on track offensively during periods where they really seemed to lose their way. Overdribbling by Gordon and Salmons for sure. Noah getting into foul trouble didn't help.
Ray Allen is a mean man. He and Paul Pierce may be the most mentally tough duo in the NBA. Kirk Hinrich came on in the 4th quarter as well, showing that Jayhawk products are pretty tough too!
Eddie House had a great game, although he travelled on that last three pointer, and he gave the Bulls 3 points on foul shots via a technical and a bad foul. He's another guy who ain't pretty to look at. Let's face it, the Celtics are an ugly, ugly team. Not too watch, because they do play good team basketball, but to look at...they are ugly. I wonder what Brian Scalibrane would be like if he wasn't fat? He might actually be a really decent player instead of a spot up shooter.'
Celtics/Magic? I'm taking the Magic in 7, just because they are healthier and have no one who can match up with Dwight Howard. But as I said, it's hard to beat NBA champs 4 times in two weeks.
Intriguing series that's kind of under the radar? Mavs and Nuggets. Mavs have been one of the better teams in the association the past couple of months and the Nuggets are a team that have really found their groove. Chauncy Billups has been a perfect fit to that team. One great thing I like about the Nuggets? After last year's pathetic exit in the playoffs, they decided to fix things by changing personnel, not the coach. They realized that George Karl is a great coach, he just needed a different group. Thus, Iverson out, Billups in, and the Nuggets are looking like a team that could compete with the Lakers.

Ranking the Top Playoff Matchups in the NBA/NHL
So both the NBA and NHL are in the second round. Here are my rankings for the two leagues combined. #1 being the series that I'll plan my week around to watch, #8 being the series I doubt I'll look at too much.
1. Capitals/Penguins-By far the most intriguing series in both leagues.
2. Ducks/Red Wings-Game 2 tomorrow will be perfect sunday afternoon entertainment.
3. Lakers/Rockets - Kobe vs Artest, Adelman vs Jackson, Yao vs ....Gasol??? Well, it's got Kobe and Artest.
4. Canucks/Blackhawks- Chicago blew out Vancouver at GM Place, will be interesting to see how Luongo responds in game 3.
5. Mavs/ Nuggets - Series has a relevancy problem, as I'm not sure either team could beat the Lakers next round. But should be fun. up tempo ball.
6. Celtics/Magic - Magic should win if "master of panic" Stan Van Gundy keeps his cool.
7. Cavs/Hawks- I like the Hawks, but Cavs should win in 5 at the most.
8. Hurricanes/Bruins - Bruins will sweep.