NBA Playoffs Conference Finals

AS the months turn towards summer, the NBA playoffs have reached the next round as the conference finals are set to get underway. To this point in the post season, there have been a few upsets and surprises, but that's usually what happens in playoff time. In round two of the playoffs, Indiana upset the Knicks and Memphis upset the Thunder. With the Thunder series, you could really tell that not having Russel Westbrook in the Thunder lineup hurt OKC and left them without too many options against a more balanced Memphis team. With the Knicks series against the Pacers, it was a simple formula the Knicks were outplayed the entire series, and some of the holes the Knicks still had were exploited. Chandler was just plain bad for the Knicks in the series and it hurt them in the long run. So now with that in mind we have a set conference finals and here we go.

We start it off with the Eastern Conference finals as it puts the #1 Miami Heat taking on the #3 Indiana Pacers. Indiana got here after a six game win over Atlanta in the opening round and then another six game win over  the Knicks in round two. This is the first appearance in the East Finals for the Pacers since a 2004 loss to the Detroit Pistons. Indiana hasn't made it to the NBA finals since 2000 when they fell to the Lakers. All time in the East Finals the Pacers are 7-6. As for the Heat, they are coming off a first round sweep of the Bucks and a five game victory over the Bulls in round two. This is the third straight trip to the East finals for the Heat, and the Heat are 2-3 all time in the conference finals. Head to head in the playoffs the Heat and Pacers are 1-1, and during the regular season the Pacers beat the Heat in two of their three meetings.

Leading the way for the Pacers during this playoff run has been their best players, Roy Hibbert, David West and Paul George. All three guys have been hitting their shots at the key times during games, and have made life miserable for opponents in the playoffs. If you don't believe me just ask the Knicks from the last round. As for Miami they have been rolling losing only once in the playoffs, and that was game one to the Bulls in the last round. This series is going to be a close one with the Pacers giving the Heat all they can handle and then some. It will go at least six games but the Heat will be just too much. Heat win the series and make their third trip to the NBA Finals in as many years.

Steve Smith Trashes Mark Sanchez

As if things couldn't get any tougher for Jets Quarterback Mark Sanchez, this happens. During an interview on the Drive on 610 WFNZ, Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith said " He sucks" and "I wouldn’t let Mark Sanchez throw me a paper bag sandwich."

Now this coming from Steve Smith is a bit surprising. First of all why would you even be talking about Sanchez in the first place? Second of all Steve Smith, who plays for another team all together has no interactions at all with Sanchez. I know that Steve Smith is a big time wide receiver, that fact is obvious. But he is one of the last guys I would have seen ripping Mark Sanchez.

Now as much as I really hate to say this, me being a Jets fan, but to a degree he's right. Sanchez can throw a football we know that. As of late however, Sanchez hasn't looked like a true starting quarterback in the NFL. Sanchez was benched twice late last season, which shows how much of a fall from grace he has had over the past few seasons. Promising a true training camp competition at the position, New York signed David Garrard and selected West Virginia’s Geno Smith in the second round of last month’s draft. Garrard now plans to retire due to lingering knee issues, leaving the starting job up for grabs between Sanchez, Smith, McElroy and Matt Simms. Sanchez threw 18 interceptions last season and couldn’t hold on to the ball when pressured, lowlighted by the infamous “Buttfumble” on Thanksgiving night.


So as you can see, Steve Smith is somewhat right in his dumping on Sanchez. This could make things real interesting when the Jets play the Panthers in week 15, that is if Mark Sanchez is still the starting quarterback.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2

The opening round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs is in the books and it was well worth the wait with excitement abound left and right. There were a few surprises in the opening round, and a few instances of total domination in various series. With that being said, round two is not set in stone and ready to kick off tonight. And so since we have all the matchups set lets take a look at the four series in the 2nd round.

And we start the preview and predictions off in the Western Conference with the #! Chicago Blackhawks taking on the #5 Detroit Red Wings. Chicago got here after a somewhat easy opening round victory over the Wild in five games, while Detroit pulled an upset by beating the Ducks in seven tough games, including winning three in overtime. This is the sixteenth playoff meeting for these two teams, with Chicago having won eight of the previous fifteen series. Their most recent meeting was in the 2009 Western Conference Finals, which Detroit won in five games. The Blackhawks won all four games in this year's regular season series.

In the Hawks five game win over the Wild, they didn't have to play against Nick Bsckstrom in the Wild net, which may have played a small difference in the series. Leading the way in scoring for the Hawks was Patrick Sharp, Patrick Kane, and Marian Hossa, who had six, six and five points respectively. Cory Crawford played all five games for the Hawks in the first round and allowed on seven goals in the whole series. As for Detroit, they were in a dog fight with the Ducks in the first round, winning three of their four games in overtime. Gustav Nyquist, Damien Brunner, and Henrik Zetterberg scored the OT winners for Detroit. Jimmy Howard played OK in net but allowed a total of 20 goals in the seven games, while Zetterberg and Pavel Daytsuk lead the offensive charge. This will be a tough and physical series that will go at least five games. AFter what Detroit showed me in round one they still have something left to prove and might be able to hang with the Hawks offense but I think Chicago has the better goaltending and in the end that will be the difference. Chicago will take the series in six games.

Next up we take a look at the other matchup in the West as its the #5 Los Angeles Kings taking on the #6 San Jose Sharks in a battle of California. The Sharks got here after a clean sweep of the Vancouver Canucks in the opening round, while the Kings came back from down 0-2 to beat the Blues in six games. This is the second playoff series for these two teams. Their first meeting was in the 2011 Western Conference Quarterfinals, which San Jose won in six games. The two teams split this year's four-game regular season series.

During their win over the Canucks in the opening round, Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture had a field day with eight points each. Joe Thornton tied Couture for the lead in assists with five and Patrick Marleau tied Pavelski for goals with four. Antti Niemi wasn't tested very much by the Canucks, allowing only eight goals in the series. Meanwhile the Kings had to erase a 2-0 deficit to beat the Blues in six, with all six games being decided by just one goal. Jonathan Quick was in net for all six games for the Kings and played pretty well, despite his mishandeling of the puck in overtime of game one. Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards, and Jeff Carter have been powering the Kings offense, which was expected of them when the playoffs began. With how evenly matched both teams are this series looks like it might be able to go a full seven games. San Jose is still trying to break their stigma of being a choke artist of a team. San Jose won't have as much of an offensive field day in this series as they did in the opening round because, lets face facts, the Kings goaltending is far superior to that of the Canucks. San Jose is good but I think the Kings will wear them down over the course of the series so I'll take the Kings in seven.

Switching gears now we move along to the Eastern Conference as we have the #1 Pittsburgh Penguins taking on the #7 Ottawa Senators. Pittsburgh got through an opening round scare with a six game win over the Islanders. The Pens had to make a goalie change two thirds of the way through the series and it paid off in the end. As for Ottawa, they surprised a few people with a five game win over the Montreal Canadiens in the first round, and were even able to take advantage of a weak Cary Price. This is the fourth playoff meeting for these two teams, all occurring over the last seven seasons, with Pittsburgh winning the previous two. Their most recent meeting was in the 2010 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, where the Penguins defeated the Senators in six games. The Penguins won all three games in this year's regular season series.

In the opening round, Ottawa surprised a lot of people with their win over Montreal. Craig Anderson played great in net, allowing only nine goals in the entire series, so he was tested but wasn't really pushed hard by the Habs. Ottawa got offensive contributions from a wide variety of players in that series, with Daniel Alfredsson and Erik Karlsson leading the way in scoring with six points each. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, didn't have as easy a going in the opening round as Ottawa did. The Pens were pushed to the limit, almost, by the Islanders in the first round. Marc-Andre Fluery look very shaky in the first four games and was replaced by Thomas Vokoun, who played great in the final two games. Evgeni Malkin lead the way with 11 points in the opening round, followed by Sidney Crosby and Jarome Iginla with 9 points each. Pascal Dupuis chipped in with five goals. as far as this series goes, it really is going to come down to the goaltending. Anderson has played great and can possibly hold the fort down against the Penguins attack. What will decide this series is the Penguins goaltending. If Thomas Vokoun plays the way he did in the last two games against the Islanders then the Pens take the series in six. If it goes back to the bad netminding you saw from Fluery then it will be Ottawa in six. But all things considered, the Pens will take the series in six.

Finally we take a look at the last matchup in the round as its the #4 Boston Bruins taking on the #6 New York Rangers. Both of these teams had to go the full seven games in the first round. The Rangers exploded for six goals in the last two games and a pair of shutouts from King Henrik to beat Washington. As for Boston, they had a 3-1 lead in the series with the Leafs and let it get away to force game seven, then had to come back in game seven and win it in overtime. This is the tenth playoff meeting for these two teams, with Boston having won six of the nine previous series. Their most recent meeting was in the 1973 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals, which New York won in five games. The Rangers won two of the three games in this year's regular season series.

This series is going to be physical and going seven games easy. Boston's defense looked a little shaky in the opening round against the Leafs and are going to need to get that corrected against the Rangers. Boston got bigtime scoring from David Krejci who had 13 points in the first round, which leads all playoff scorers. Also contributing was Nathan Horton, Patrice Bergeron, and Milan Lucic. That should be enough to get them through but they need a bit more production from role players like Tyler Seguin. As for the Rangers, they need to give Henrik Lundqvist some more offensive support, as I don't think he can stand on his head again against a team like Boston. Derick Brassard lead the Rangers in scoring with nine points. That was a big factor in this series in that the Rangers got more of their role players to step up than their big stars. If the Rangers want to have a chance to move on to the next round, they need their big stars like Rick Nash and Brand Richards to start scoring again, otherwise they will be hitting the golf course soon. Unless the Rangers big guns get going this series will end kinda quickly. With all things considered I know this will make some in New York unhappy but its my gut feeling telling me the Bruins are gonna take this series in seven games.

So there you have it. A preview and predictions for the 2nd round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs!

Islanders Eliminated From Playoffs

Thanks to the overtime goal from Brooks Orpik at the 7:49 mark of overtime, the Pittsburgh Penguins moved on to the 2nd round and the New York Islanders are sent home form the playoffs early. There were times during this series where the Islanders looked flat and showed no life. There were times during this series where the Islanders looked great and look like they could pull off the upset in the round. Whatever the causes or the reason, the Islanders showed the league that they aren't a pushover anymore and will be a good team down the road.

As I talked about last week the Islanders had showed life at times in the series, and at times had looked flat. In game six when it counted at home, the Islanders just weren't able to play a complete 60 minute hockey game and it cost them in the end. After Okposo scored to give the Islanders the lead in the 3rd, instead of attacking the Penguins, the Islanders seemed to shut down and play more of a defensive style. When Paul Martin scored to tied the game for the Pens late in the third, I think a lot of the air was taken out of the building. The Isles had a few good chances to win it in overtime but Vokoun  played great in the last two games of the series.

Basically the Islanders need not to be disappointed by this elimination. I look at this as a giant step forward. What this series, and this season for that matter, has told me is that this club isn't going to be pushed around anymore.

So yes it stinks the Islanders have been eliminated from the playoffs but they will be back again I'm calling that right now. Stay tuned to the blog for a season recap for the Islanders coming later this week!

Tavares Nominated For Hart Trophy

The finalists for the Hart Trophy as league MVP were announced today and it's no surprise that John Tavares of the Islanders was nominated for the award, along with Alex Ovechkin of the Capitals and Sidney Crosby of the Penguins. Of the three guys nominated, two have already been nominated and won the award. Crosby won it back in 2007, and Ovechkin won it in back to back years in 2008 and 2009. This nomination is the first for Tavares.

As for Tavares chances to win the award he does have a pretty good shot at it. He lead the Islanders in goals with 28 and points with 47. His 28 goals had him finished 3rd in the league, and his 47 points placed him 17th in the league. It's more than just his stats that got him nominated for the prestigious award.On most nights it seemed as if Tavares was carrying the club. He seemed to be the Islanders best player on a lot of nights this season, and is one of the biggest reasons, along with Evgeni Nabokov, that the Islanders got into the playoffs this year.

The only time in franchise history that an Islanders player has won the MVP was Brian Trottier in 1979. Now what are the chances that Tavares actually wins the award? To be honest I'm not sure. Now most know that i'm a big Islanders fan, but here's the thing that's stopping me from picking Tavares. Not only did Crosby and Ovechkin have better numbers offensively that John, but I think they had a bigger impact on their team. And this is not to say that Tavares didn't have a big impact on the Islanders, he did. I think that both Crosby and Ovechkin had a bigger impact on the Pens and Caps respectively.

So who will walk away with the Hart Trophy at the end of the year? We will just have to wait and find out.

Islanders Even Series With Pens

It has been six long years in the making, the New York Islanders are having a pretty big impact in the opening round. When the series started, many people, myself included, didn't really give the Islanders much of a chance in the series. They are going in against the best team in the Eastern Conference and a team that had pretty much owned them during the regular season. In the opener of the series the Penguins dominated the Islanders to the tune of a 5-0 win. It look as if in game one the Pens might run over the Islanders in the series, the Isles played flat and uninspired hockey and Pittsburgh took full advantage of that.

When game two started again the Penguins jumped out to an early lead, and having Sidney Crosby back was a big lift for the Pens. Matt Moulson got the first goal for the Islanders in this years playoffs, and that seemed to get the Isles back into the series, but the Pens had the 3-1 lead at the end of the first. When the 2nd got started the Islanders had the jump and energy and were able to convert twice to tie the game, thanks to goals from Collin McDonald and Matt Martin. Then in the 3rd the Isles caught the big break they were looking for when Kyle Okposo jammed in a rebound late in the 3rd, and with some solid play in their own end the Islanders held on for the win. With the Matt Moulson goal in the first, it was the first Islanders playoff goal since Chris Campoli scored in the 3rd period of game five back in 2007 against Buffalo.

So with the series tied at two the scene shifted back to Nassau Coliseum for the first time since 2007 and the building was rocking. The Isles fed off that crowd right off the bat and took a two goal lead. Then the penalty trouble the Islanders have had came back to bite them at the end of the period. During most of the regular season, taking penalties had been a thorn in the Islanders side, and in game three the Pens converted on their power plays to take a 3-2 lead after one. Pittsburgh added to the lead with a Doug Murry goal in the 2nd to go up by two. In true Islanders fashion, the team never gave up, and was able to answer in the 3rd. Kyle Okposo scored shorthanded to cut the lead to one and then with time running down John Tavares scored his first playoff goal to get the game even and force overtime.

Now coming into game three the Islanders haven't won an overtime playoff game in twenty years. The last OT win in the playoffs for the Islanders came in game seven of the 2nd round of the 1993 playoffs against Pittsburgh on the David Volek goal. Since then the team has lost both of their other overtime games in the playoffs, 2003 Todd White scored in double overtime for Ottawa in game three, and again in 2004 Martin St Louis scored for the Lightning in game five to eliminate the Islanders. Well in overtime in game three of this series, that trend would continue as Chris Kunitz scored on the powerplay to win the game for the Pens.

With the loss in game three that marked the 7th straight loss on home ice in the playoffs for the Islanders. The last win at home in the playoffs was in game six of the 2002 first round against the Leafs. Game four turned into a shootout if you will at the Coliseum. Brian Strait gave the Isles the lead,  James Neal tied it. Mark Streit gave the Isles the lead, and then Malkin and Sutter erased that and gave the Pens the lead. Kyle Okposo would tie the game near the end of the 2nd. Dupuis gave the Pens the lead early in the 3rd but the Islanders would storm back with three unanswered goals to take the lead. Goals from Streit, Tavares, and Cizikas gave the islanders the offense needed to pick up the win and even the series. It marked the first playoff win on home ice in a decade.

So now that you are all caught up, for the most part, on the action of the first four games, here's how I see the start of this series. In game one the Islanders had no life whatsoever and they played flat. Game two didn't start off that great either but the goal by Moulson gave the team new life. The Isles showed from that point on that they have heart and can stand toe to toe with the best team in the East. Now with game three the calls made by the refs were a bit questionable, but none more obvious than the holding call in overtime on Brian Strait that lead to the winner by Kunitz on the powerplay. I understand that the refs have a job to do, and to their credit they had been calling the same penalty all the time so they were consistent. Can't blame the refs for what happened. What does leave me scratching my head a bit about the whole play was it looked to me like Sidney Crosby took a bit of a dive on the play that lead to the call. I could be wrong in my assessment but that's just how I saw the play. In game four the officiating looked a tad bit off. To be fair here, there were calls to both sides that were missed so it wasn't bias on the part of the refs.

There are a couple of things that need to be addressed in this series. One is related to the Isles and the other is on Pittsburgh's end of things. First with the Penguins, Marc-Andre Fluery has got to play better. He has looked like a shell of his former self both last year in the opening round loss to the Flyers and then again this year in the first four games against the Isles. If Pittsburgh wants to have any chance of beating the Isles or to even think about a deep run in the playoffs, Fluery has got to play much better. Either that or maybe Pittsburgh should consider going to Thomas Vokoun in net instead. Either way if the goaltending for the Pens doesn't improve this series could be over quick.

As for the Islanders the biggest thing they have to try and do is play more disciplined hockey and stay out of the penalty box. There have been a few times in the series where they have been caught running around in their own end and leaving the Pens wide open to get shots on Nabakov. A perfect example of that is the Sutter goal from game four. The other big thing is the Islanders have really got to try and stay out of the box. Pittsburgh has gone 6 for 15 on the powerplay in the series. The Islanders had one of the better penalty killing units in the league at the start of the year but hasn't looked as strong as of late.

Regardless of the outcome this has been a highly entertaining series between the two teams and should be just as fun to watch over the final three games.

JA Happ Drilled By Line Drive

Last night in Tampa, Toronto Blue Jays pitcher JA Happ was drilled in the head with a line drive during the 2nd inning. It came with two on and one out and Desmond Jennings of the Rays at the plate. Jennings hit the 3-1 pitch right back up the middle and Happ couldn't get out of the way fast enough and took the line drive head on. Here's the video of the play: 

According to reports, Happ suffered a head contusion and a laceration to his left ear. Of course with something like this happening it brings up the debate as to whether or not pitchers should be wearing helmets on the mound during games. Some are also considering suggesting having a new type of liner for hats for pitchers to protect against this kind of injury. This actually doesn't seem like a bad idea. The helmet idea to me may be a bit of a stretch, but if there is a way to put some kind of protective lining inside the hats of pitchers I say go for it.

Now how much work has actually been done by Major League Baseball to protect it's players in situations like this isn't know yet. Should something be done, there is no doubt. Now seeing something like this doesn't happen all too often, but I would like to think that baseball is seriously taking a look into stopping something like this. This is something baseball needs to look into. Just saying.