NBA Finals Preview

The time has arrived. Seven months ago, we started this journey. Now that most of the dust has settled, there are two teams left standing. The battle for the Larry O'Brien Trophy is about to begin. The next seven games will determine who the best team in basketball really is for the 2015-16 season. Lebron James is looking to bring the NBA crown back to his hometown. Stephen Curry and company are looking to cap off their record setting season with another ring on their fingers. Time for talk has ended. Lets get right into it. Here's the breakdown for the NBA Finals.

We have ourselves a rematch from last years finals. The best team in the West, the Golden State Warriors, take on the best team in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The city of Cleveland hasn't seen a championship in its town in 52 years (Indians won World Series in 1948). The Cavs have never won an NBA championship, making it to the finals three times. They lost to the Spurs in 2007, and the Warriors last year. This will also be the sixth consecutive NBA Finals appearance for LeBron James, the most for any player not part of the 1960s Boston Celtics, and the fifth for James Jones (who technically qualified for the 2011 NBA Finals along with James, but did not play). Cleveland finished the regular season with a 57–25 record, capturing the Central Division title and the top playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland started the playoffs off strong, sweeping both the Detroit Pistons in the first round and the Atlanta Hawks in the second round. The conference finals were a little bit tougher, but they pulled it off by defeating the Toronto Raptors in six games. Cleveland is now 96-86 as a franchise in the playoffs.

Golden State has taken a bit of a different path to reach the NBA finals. This will be the defending NBA Champions second consecutive trip to the NBA Finals and eigth overall. The Warriors broke the record set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls by finishing the regular season with a 73–9 record. In addition, the Warriors also broke the single-season record of 933 three-point goals set by the 2014–15 Houston Rockets by finishing with 1,077. In the playoffs, the Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets in the first round and the Portland Trail Blazers in the conference semifinals in five games each. In the Western Conference Finals, the Warriors were pushed to the limit by the Oklahoma City Thunder, but pulled off the series win, becoming only the 10th team in NBA history to overcome a 3–1 series deficit, and advancing to a second straight NBA Finals. Golden State is now 79-73 lifetime in the playoffs. This is the 2nd meeting between the teams in the playoffs, Golden State won the meeting last year. The Warriors swept both meetings during the regular season.

Here's the date and times for every game in this series:
June 2 9:00 PM Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
June 5 8:00 PM Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
June 8 9:00 PM Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
June 10 9:00 PM Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
June 13 9:00 PM Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors* Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
June 16 9:00 PM Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers* Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
June 19 8:00 PM Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors* Oracle Arena, Oakland, California

Golden State set the record for the most wins in a single season. That could all be for nothing if they can't finish the job against the Cavs in this series. The only Warriors' five-man unit to appear in all seven games was none other than the vaunted 'death lineup' featuring Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green. There have been times during this playoff run where they have looked human, the Western Conference Finals was full blown proof of that. Golden State still has a solid defense. Except for two hiccups in Oklahoma City, the Warriors are capable of defending better than any team in the league. Golden State got knocked for a loop against the Thunder, but like any other great, championship caliber team, they made the adjustment and are now back in the finals. Its not just the Splash Brothers. Curry has missed a little time during this years playoffs with knee issues. Andre Iguodala, who if you remember was last year's Finals MVP, again flustered the opposition all year this year, and has done just as well this year in the playoffs.

Cleveland is now slouch. Lebron James,Kevin Love, Richard Jefferson, Kyrie Irving, J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Channing Frye have been dorping three pointers at the same pace as the Warriors, so they are trying to play the style that made Golden State so successful. Cleveland has played solid defense as well. A big difference between this years finals and last years is that Irving and Love are both healthy this year and will be on the floor, unlike last year when they were both hurt by the finals and couldn't play. At times, Cleveland got a little over aggressive, which they did against Toronto. It lead to their only two losses so far in this post season. That has to change in the Finals, if they want to stand any chance of pulling off the victory against Golden State.

Irving and Love will make this year's matchup more intriguing than last year's six-game series, but their defensive shortcomings will also sting. They'll need to sustain their masterful shooting to finally bring Cleveland a championship, but the Splash Brothers are more likely to keep wreaking havoc from outside the arc.

Pick: Warriors in 7!

Young Guns Step Up For Pens In Opener

As the old saying goes: Speed Kills! Both teams playing in this years Stanley Cup Finals could be considered lethal, especially those ion Pittsburgh, who could be called Serial Killers after game one. San Jose put up a good fight in the opener of the Finals, but the Penguins were just better, coming away with a 3-2 victory, gaining a 1-0 lead in the finals. Both teams played the speed game to perfection, and both teams got solid production out of their top lines: Sidney Crosby, Conor Sheary and Patric Hornqvist for Pittsburgh, and Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski and Tomas Hertl for San Jose. But at the end of the night, it was the HBK line for Pittsburgh that came up the biggest.

Pittsburgh got off to a quick start, spending most of the 1st period on the attack. San Jose really looked like they got off to a slow start and had flat feet. It took a little while but the Penguins struck first. Bryan Rust kept up his hot shooting, by netting his 6th of the playoffs at the 12:43 mark of the opening period. Then just 1:02 later, at 13:48, Conor Sheary took a pass from Crosby and rifled a shot high past Martin Jones to give the Pens a 2-0 lead. Before the period was over, Jones came up big to help keep San Jose in the hockey game. Brent Burns took a shot, it got blocked and sailed out to center. Carl Hagenlin got a step on the defense and had a breakaway. Jones made the save and then followed that up with two huge kick saves on Nick Bonino, who was following up the play. Those two huge saves kept San Jose in the game, but Pittsburgh still held a 2-0 lead after twenty minutes.

Once the 2nd period got rolling, it appeared as the Sharks found their skating legs again. Ian Cole of the Penguins got called for hooking a little over a minute into the middle frame, thus putting the Sharks deadly powerplay to work. Didn't take very long. At the 3:06 mark, San Jose connected on a pretty passing play as Joonas Donskoi found Tomas Hertl at the side of the net for the goal. For Hertl it was his 6th goal of the playoffs. San Jose was back in the game. San Jose controlled the middle period, pressing to get the tying goal. That goal came at the 18:12 mark of the middle frame, when Patrick Marleau scored his 5th of the playoffs. The Marleau goal was a direct result of the style they want to play. They sustained pressure in the offensive zone. Couture passed to the point and Burns got a shot through. Marleau picked up a rebound and scored on a wraparound. So we head to the final period tied at two.

This final frame was a pretty evenly played period. San Jose and Pittsburgh traded quality chances in this 3rd period. Finally, late in the period, Pittsburgh broke through:


For Nick Bonino, the goal was his 4th of the playoffs. It also came on a bad defensive breakdown buy the Sharks. It started with a good pinch in by Letang to carry the puck behind the net. Brent Burns, who had lost his stick on the play, went to Letang. Paul Martin, the other Sharks defender, was standing between Bonino and Burns was so focused on what Burns was doing he forgot about Bonino. When the pass came out, Martin was surprised by it and came a little flat footed. That's what gave Bonino, a member of the HBK line (Bonino Hagelin and Kessel), time to settle the puck down and get his shot off and beat Jones high. San Jose got some pressure late but Murray held fort and the Pens walked away with the win. Shot totals favored the Penguins, 41-26 in the hockey game.

Both teams played a quick game, but the Penguins stuck to the course of action, while San Jose seemed to lose their way for a brief moment. What made the Sharks successful against the Blues in the previous round was that they were able to maintain pressure and wear the Blues down over the length of the series. San Jose never really got the chance to establish that kind of presence in this game against the Penguins. That's why its a seven game series and not a one and done playoff. So there is still plenty of time for the Sharks to get settled and play their game.

Game two of the series is Wednesday night back in Pittsburgh!

Stanley Cup Finals Preview

It's Time! After eight long months of battle we are down to the final two teams left standing. The two quickest teams in the league, and the teams with the two best records since the turn of the calender to 2016, will be facing each other with a chance to claim the greatest prize in the entire sport of hockey. The Stanley Cup is on the line and in just about two weeks time we will determine who the best team in the game of hockey really is. Enough talk. Lets get right down to it. Here's our preview for the Stanley Cup Finals!

Its the Eastern Conference Champion Pittsburgh Penguins taking on the Western Conference Champion San Jose Sharks. For the Penguins, this marks the 5th time ever that they have made the Stanley Cup finals, winning the trophy three times (1991, 1992, 2009). The only loss for the Penguins was to Detroit in 2008. Pittsburgh made it to the playoffs by winning 48 games during the regular season, good enough to finish in 2nd place in the Metropolitan Division. Once the playoffs opened, Pittsburgh started their run off by beating the New York Rangers in five games. They then followed that up by beating the Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals in six games, and extinguished the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Conference Final in seven games. With that, the Penguins now have a playoff record of 180-154.

As for the San Jose Sharks, this is uncharted territory. This is the first time in the 25 year history of the franchise that they are playing for the Stanley Cup. Furthest the Sharks have gone, before this year, was the Western Conference Finals twice. First was in 2004, losing in six to the Calgary Flames. Then they lost in five to the Vancouver Canucks in 2011. This year, San Jose finished 3rd in the Pacific Division, collecting 98 points on 46 wins. Once the playoffs started, San Jose avenged their previous loss to the Los Angeles Kings in 2014, in which they gave up a 3–0 series lead, by defeating the Kings in five games. San Jose then eliminated the Nashville Predators in seven games, winning every home game in the series. San Jose closed out the Western Conference by beating the St. Louis Blues in the Conference Final in six games. San Jose is now 107-104 lifetime in the post season.

This marks the first ever meeting between the teams in the playoffs. During the regular season, the clubs split their two meetings, with the road team winning each time.

Here are the dates and times for every game in the finals:
Game 1: Mon 5/30, 8pm: San Jose @ Pittsburgh | NBC, CBC, TVA Sports
Game 2: Wed 6/1, 8pm: San Jose @ Pittsburgh | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports
Game 3: Sat 6/4, 8pm: Pittsburgh @ San Jose | CBC, TVA Sports
Game 4: Mon 6/6, 8pm: Pittsburgh @ San Jose | CBC, TVA Sports
*Game 5: Thu 6/9, 8pm: San Jose @ Pittsburgh | NBC, CBC, TVA Sports
*Game 6: Sun 6/12, 8pm: Pittsburgh @ San Jose | NBC, CBC, TVA Sports
*Game 7: Wed 6/15, 8pm: San Jose @ Pittsburgh | NBC, CBC, TVA Sports

Been a long road back to the finals for the Penguins, this being their first appearance in the finals since 2009. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Chris Kunitz and Marc-Andre Fleury are the only active players remaining from that title run. So there's been a lot of changes in the Steel City between finals trips for the Penguins. This year's team has a lot to build off too. They are a good, quick team and have been putting up fantastic numbers in the playoffs with some big changes. Marc-Andre Fleury missed time at the end of the season and Matt Murray took over in net. He has played so well to this point that they haven't thought about going back to Fleury before the start of the finals, and why would you with how well Matt Murray has played. I wouldn't touch him. Also, when you think of the Penguins outside of goaltending, you think of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni malkin and Kris Letang. Letang has played well, or about as well as you can expect for a guy of his talent so far in the playoffs. The surprise is that both Crosby and Malkin have been playing below standard. Malkin won the Conn Smyth as playoff MVP in 2009 and is playing nowhere near that level now. Same thing with Crosby. Don't get me wrong both guys have been productive in the playoffs, Crosby has 15 points (6G 9A), and Malkin has 15 points (4G 11A), but neither guy has REALLY carried the Penguins in the playoffs.

That goes to show how deep this team really is. Phil Kessel is leading the team in scoring with nine goals and 18 points. Kessel was brought in last summer to produce offence and he's done everything you could want from him in this playoff run Eight guys on the Penguins roster have picked up at least ten points in the entire playoffs. Bryan Rust, Carl Haglien and Nick Bonino have also been productive for the Penguins in the post season, which shows just the amount of depth that this Pens team really has. Then again you have Matt Murray as well playing out of his mind, who has a .924 save percentage, which is one of the best in all of the playoffs.

As good as the Penguins are, the Sharks can match them on speed. San Jose is just as quick as Pittsburgh. Oh and they too have guys they rely on, guys who have really stepped it up in the Playoffs. Martin Jones is now really getting his chance to shine in net and has a .919 save percentage to show for it,. Jones has done a fantastic job in net so far. Then there's the blueline. Sure Brent Burns has been playing the way you'd expect from him. Burns is averaging 25:05 on ice a game and has produced 20 points so far in this playoffs. He's a shut down defender who can get on the scoresheet. Then you also have Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who while not as much of an offensive threat as Burns, still plays 23:08 a game and has shut down guys like Filip Forsberg (33 goals during the season) and Vladimir Tarasenko (40 goals during the regular season). San Jose has had the better team defense than the Penguins so far in the playoffs.

Then, we have the San Jose offense. The Sharks have four of the five top scorers in the playoffs (Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns and Joe Thornton). While Pavelski is the top postseason goal scorer (13 goals), it’s going to be Burns who will give Pittsburgh the most trouble. To make this series more interesting, Pittsburgh really needs to stay out of the penalty box. Why? Oh no reason, except that the Sharks powerplay has been deadly over the last two rounds. Pavelski has been a killer on the man advantage so far and that's going to continue with the way the Pens have been going in terms of getting stuck in the box. Another thing that has really stuck out about San Jose in this playoffs is that they have never looked really rattled by teams. Even after losing games in the playoffs this year, even after losing that triple overtime game in game four against Nashville, San Jose kept a calm demenor the entire time. They're always making the right adjustments for a strong counterpunch, which is a big part of their success in bouncing back. They also finally seem to have the confidence that previous Sharks teams have lacked. They're not just happy to be here.

That being said here's how I see this series going down. This one will go the distance. Both teams are fast and can make adjustments quick. Both teams have good young goaltenders who have been stealing the show to this point in the playoffs. Both teams can roll four lines. The biggest difference in this series is the big guns. Right now the best players on the San Jose Sharks are really playing like it. Outside of Phil Kessel, the big guns on the Penguins haven't really hit that stride and that's what's going to hurt them in the finals.

Pick: Sharks in 7!

Vladimir Tarasenko Needs A Wakeup Call

In any sport, once the playoffs get going, your best players step up in the biggest situations. That's the way it goes, or at least the way it should go in any sport. Come the biggest moments, your best players need to show up and make a name for themselves. All the greats have done it in the sporting world. For stretches this postseason in the NHL, Vladimir Tarasenko has done just that for the St. Louis Blues. Except in the Western Conference Finals, where he has been held without a point by the San Jose Sharks.

Coming into this series against the Sharks, Tarasenko had registered 13 points, on seven goals and eight assists, in fourteen games. In the five games against the Sharks, he's had nothing. In those two previous series against Chicago and Dallas, Tarasenko didn't register a point in every game, but when he did get his name on the scoresheet, whether it was scoring a goal or setting one up, it came at a huge moment. Now, he's gone invisible, getting passed for the team lead in points by Jaden Schwartz (4G 10A), David Backes (7G 7A), and Robby Fabbri (4G 11A). With this now going on with Tarasenko, the pressure is really starting to mount for Vladimir to get the job done and help propell the Blues to the finals for the first time since 1970.

What's making this more surprising is that the guy did manage to score 40 goals during the regular season. He was a difference maker in the series against Chicago and Dallas, putting up multi-point games in game four against Chicago and games three and four against Dallas. He could change the series around with a single move. San Jose right now has done a fantastic job of shutting him down and not giving him the looks that he had been getting in the first two rounds. Here's what I mean. Look at the big stars in San Jose, guys like Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski. Both of those guys have scored huge goals in this series, hell Pavelski scored twice in game five to give the Sharks a series lead and has them one win away from their first ever finals appearance. That's what your best players do, they score or make the big play at the right moment.

Tarasenko hasn't done that yet in this series. He had one shot all night in game five and it was an easy save for Martin Jones in the 3rd period. Now when the Blues are winning, nothing really matters and his struggles can get overlooked. When St Louis starts to lose, when a player like Tarasenko doesn’t score, the issues become magnified. And if the Blues don’t win Wednesday and Tarasenko is again held without a goal then there will be immediate questions as to how a player who had 10 playoff goals in his previous 12 postseason games before 2016 lost his scoring touch so suddenly this year. That's why his wakeup call is so important.

Tarasenko has all the skill in the world to be a top flight player in this game. Which is why there's a lot of pressure on him to score. All it takes is just one shot to get him back in the groove again. Once Tarasenko finds the back of the net, the complexion of his series could shift dramatically. If he can’t, then the Western Conference Final could gnaw at him all summer.

Matt Harvey What The Hell

Something has to be wrong here. A few years ago, there was no doubt in anybody's mind that Matt Harvey was the ace of the New York Mets Starting Rotation. The Dark Knight was the talk of the town when it came to starting pitching in New York. There was no argument, he was king of the hill. He was good, he dominated, he made the baseball move and dance and really throw hitters off balance. Now, however, its a totally different story.

Just two years ago, he was the National League starter at the All Star Game in Queens. After missing a year with Tommy John Surgery, he pitched last year to a 13-8 record and helped get the Mets to the World Series for the first time since 2000. Now, he's 3-6 with a 5.77 ERA. So this does beg one to wonder..........what the hell is wrong with Matt Harvey?

Don't believe yet that something might be wrong with him, look at last night's start against the Washington Nationals at home. It was the worst start of his career. He lasted just two and two thirds innings, walking two, giving up eight hits and nine runs, six of which were earned runs. Harvey even gave up a hit to Bryce Harper, who was 0-for-21 before a third-inning single snapped the skid. And to think, a year ago when Harvey faced off against Stephen Strasburgh, the Citi Field crowd chanted "HARVEY'S BETTER." This time around, Harvey got booed right off the mound. That short outing for Harvey last night should tell you right there that something isn't right with the former Mets ace.

Harvey's velocity is down (from 96 mph in 2015 to 94 mph in 2016) and his ERA is now up to 5.77 (from 2.71 last season). He spoke to mechanical adjustments he needed to make to find comfort in his delivery heading into Thursday's outing, but the results continue to show he's still searching for answers. After the game Mets manager Terry Collins said he would consider skipping Harvey's next start, scheduled to be next Tuesday against these same Nationals (Yahoo). Ya know what, that might not be such a bad idea.

Look don't get me wrong I still really like Matt Harvey. I support him, but its starting to wain a little. It is getting hard to do that now. It sucks to see a guy with all the talent that Harvey does have to see him pitching like this. He has the stuff, I mean he can get his fastball up in the high 90's, that's been well documented. Its just something about his mental makeup right now that's not there. He knows he can pitch, but he's fighting himself on the mound, you can tell just by watching him.

Most big league pitchers, so far as I can see, when they take the hill, you know just by looking at them if they have command of their pitches on a given day or not. Watching Matt throw the last couple of outings, you can tell he's not there. It's mental with him, which is throwing off his timing and mechanics. He used to go out there and sort of say here try and hit this. He could really make the ball dance on the mound out there. But now, the ball has no movement and is staying flat and fat over the plate and its getting rocked. I'm sure Mets management and even Matt Harvey don't want to do this, but it might not be such a bad idea. Send him down to Triple A for a little while. Let him get his confidence back in his other pitches. Once he gets that mental side of the game worked out everything else will fall back into place and he will be back to dominating big league hitters again in no time!

NBA Conference Finals Preview

When this whole journey started last month, there were sixteen teams standing in the chase. The top seeds in both conferences are still standing, which anybody who has followed basketball could have predicted. The other two teams are a bit of a surprise. Toronto hasn't seen this deep a run ion the playoffs ever, and Oklahoma City pulled off a huge upset to get here. Seven games in each conference will determine who gets to face off for the right to play for the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Enough talk, lets rock. Here's how the conference finals are going to go down.

First up, we go to the Eastern Conference. Its the top seeded Cleveland Cavaliers taking on the 2nd seeded Toronto Raptors. For the 2nd year in a row, the Cavaliers are playing in the Eastern Conference Finals. They got here by sweeping Detroit in the opening round and then sweeping Atlanta in the 2nd round. Cleveland has now made the Eastern Conference Finals for the fourth time in franchise history, going 3-1 in said series. Cleveland is now 92-84 lifetime in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Toronto Raptors are playing in their first ever Eastern Conference Finals. They got here by beating Indiana in seven games, following that up with a seven game series win over Miami. Toronto has never played in the Eastern Conference Finals before. They are 30-40 lifetime in the playoffs. This is the first meeting in the playoffs between the Cavaliers and Raptors. Toronto took two of the three meetings between the teams during the regular season.

Here are the dates and times of every game in this series:
May 17 8:30 PM Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
May 19 8:30 PM Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
May 21 8:30 PM Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
May 23 8:30 PM Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
May 25 8:30 PM Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers* Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
May 27 8:30 PM Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors* Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
May 29 8:30 PM Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers* Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland comes into this series very well rested, having swept both of their previous two rounds. In their first eight games, Cleveland has really only played three close games (five point two point and one point wins). They've dominated in every other game they've played. Kyrie Irving and Lebron James are carrying the Cleveland offense, with both guys averaging over twenty points a night. Lebron is the best player on the court in the East, maybe in the playoffs (other than Steph Curry) and the Raptors are going to have a big task trying to shut him down in this series. Also you have to take into account that the Cavs are getting double digits scoring averages from both Kevin Love and JR Smith, so it shows that its not just a two man show in Cleveland. To make this tougher on the Raptors, Cleveland has been doing something they haven't really done much in the past, and that is hitting 3-pointers. Cleveland has knocked down 134 trifectas in the postseason, good for 16.8 per game, which is actually operating at a better clip right now then the best three point shooting team in the league, the Warriors.

Toronto is not exactly a pushover. They have shown more heart and desire than any other team so far in the playoffs. DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, and Jonas Valanciunas have been carrying the offensive load for the Raptors in this years playoffs. But it doesn't get easy here for Toronto. Valanciunas is hurt, dealing with an ankle injury. So that takes a big factor out of play for the Raptors. But wait it gets worse. Toronto's offense has a bad habit of stalling in the fourth quarter when the team has a lead. That's a scary stat to think about, making this factor worse when you realize they're going up against the Cavaliers, the best team in the Eastern Conference. And if Toronto had trouble trying to control Paul George of the Pacers in the opening round, they're really going to have problems trying to shut down the best player in the game.

This series may not even be close. Unless there is a catastrophic meltdown by Cleveland, which will not happen, the Raptors don't stand a chance. Sure Toronto owned Cleveland on home court during the regular season, but what happened during the regular season don't mean jack squat. Toronto MAY get lucky and steal a game at home, but they aren't going to steal the series.

Pick: Cavaliers in 5!

Moving to the Western Conference Finals, its the top seeded Golden State Warriors taking on the 3rd seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. Golden State has made it back to the Western Conference Finals for the 2nd straight year. They got here by dispatching Houston in five in the opening round, following that up with a five game series win over Portland. This marks the 3rd time since 1975, and the 2nd year in a row, that the Warriors are playing in the West Finals. Golden State is now 75-70 all time in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City got here by taking out Dallas in five in the opening round, following that up with a six game series win over San Antonio. Oklahoma City is playing in the Western Conference Finals for 2nd time in three years and the 4th time in the last six seasons. The Thunder are now 47-37 lifetime in the playoffs. This is the third meeting in the playoffs between the Warriors and Thunder, with both teams tied at one a piece (Both previous meetings where when the Thunder were still known as the Seattle SuperSonics). Golden State won all three meetings between these teams during the regular season.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
May 16 9:00 PM Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Golden State Warriors Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
May 18 9:00 PM Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Golden State Warriors Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
May 22 8:00 PM Golden State Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
May 24 9:00 PM Golden State Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
May 26 9:00 PM Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Golden State Warriors* Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
May 28 9:00 PM Golden State Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder* Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
May 30 9:00 PM Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Golden State Warriors* Oracle Arena, Oakland, California

When the post season started, everybody expected it to be a Warriors-Spurs Western Conference Finals. Somebody forgot to tell the Thunder that. Oklahoma City has played fantastic basketball right now, making it look a little easy in dispatching the Spurs in six games. This series is going to be a fun one to watch. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook can both win games by themselves if they get hot. Lets not sleep on Enes Kanter and Steven Adams, both guys can be a force on the boards. Then, you also have Serge Ibaka, Dion Waiters and Andre Roberson, all of whom are playing well in their designated roles. Most importantly, the squad's defense was sharp against the Spurs. The size that the Thunder have in the front court are going to cause big problems for the Warriors, who's only real big Andrew Bogut is questionable for Monday's Game 1 with a shoulder injury.

They are facing the best team in all of basketball in Golden State. Stephen Curry has missed time due to injury in the playoffs, but it really hasn't shown to be too much of an impact on the Warriors this year, because Golden State has gone right on rolling along. There is one slight knock against Golden State this year. The squad's tendency to get lazy defensively despite possessing an excellent cast of players on that end has haunted it at several points during the postseason. They had to go to overtime in game four and only pulled out a four point win in game five against Portland. But still, Steph Curry and Draymond Green should have shaken off the effects of some of their nagging injuries after a few days off and should come out ready to rock and roll against Oklahoma City.

After what Oklahoma City just did against San Antonio, it showed that they aren't going to be a pushover. However, Golden State's got the better offense, the extra gear the Warriors often find on defense and home-court advantage will prove just enough for head coach Steve Kerr's team to get past a hungry Thunder squad.

Pick: Warriors in 7!

NHL Conference Finals Preview

Now there are four teams left standing. We've reached the conference finals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Winners of these series will face off against each other for the greatest prize in the game of hockey right now. Bragging rights are on the line. Two teams in the East who will be flying around the ice from end to end. Meanwhile, the two teams in the West can score at will, which will make it a track meet of a different kind. Enough talk, lets rock. Here's what we got for the conference finals!

The Eastern Conference will pit the Tampa Bay Lightning against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the battle of the 2nd seeds. Pittsburgh got here by dispatching of the New York Rangers in five in the opening round, then followed that up with a six game series win over the Washington Capitals in the second round. Pittsburgh has made the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2013 (when they were swept by Boston). The Penguins are 176-150 lifetime in the post season.

Tampa Bay got here by knocking off the Detroit Red Wings in the opening round in five games, then took out the New York Islanders in five games in the second round. This marks the 2nd year in a row that the Lightning are playing in the Eastern Conference Finals. Tampa is now 59-50 lifetime in the playoffs. This is the second playoff meeting for these teams. Their only previous series was during the 2011 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, which Tampa Bay came back from a 3–1 series deficit to win in seven games. Tampa Bay won all three games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
May 13 Tampa Bay Lightning 8:00 p.m. Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center
May 16 Tampa Bay Lightning 8:00 p.m. Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center
May 18 Pittsburgh Penguins 8:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
May 20 Pittsburgh Penguins 8:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
May 22 Tampa Bay Lightning 8:00 p.m. Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center
May 24 Pittsburgh Penguins 8:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
May 26 Tampa Bay Lightning 8:00 p.m. Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center

Fast paced is the best possible way to describe what we're going to watch in this series.Tampa may have a little more rest ending both of their previous series in five games, while the Pens had to go six games in their last series. If you're Tampa in this series, stick with the gameplan. Ben Bishop, with the exception of the start of the Islanders series, has been totally fantastic. Bishop has played incredible hockey. So to has been Victor Hedman. Hedman shut down John Tavares of the Islanders in the last round, and managed to score ten points in that series as well. Some might have suspected as to how well the Lightning would play without Steven Stamkos. That hasn't mattered because Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov have combined for 25 points. Kucherov's nine goals is tops in the NHL, but the Lightning feature a balanced attack with 11 goal scorers, including Jonathan Drouin, who has nine points in 10 games. Brian Boyle has been a key component too.

Don't sleep on the Penguins though, as they have steamrolled everybody to this point in the post season. Sure, there's no Marc-Andre Fleury in the Pittsburgh net, but Matt Murray has done a fantastic job replacing him, look no further than making 47 saves against the Caps in game three. From an offensive perspective, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have been kind of quiet so far in this years pplayoffs. Normally, that might be considered a problem if your the Penguins. Not this year. Thanks to the line of Phil Kessel, Carl Hagelin and Nick Bonino, all new to the Pens within the last year, was dynamite in the Capitals series and single-handedly delivered the Game 6 overtime series clincher. This Pens team has been rolling four lines and averaging nearly four goals a game in this post season.

Tampa will put up a fight in this series, which is going to go the distance. Ben Bishop knows what he's doing in net in the high pressure situations, which is what is going to keep Tampa in this series. But at the end of the day, the Penguins have too much depth and are too talented to hold off.

Pick: Penguins in 7!

The Western Conference Final will pit the St. Louis Blues against the San Jose Sharks. San Jose got here by dispatching of the Los Angeles Kings in five games, then taking care of the Nashville Predators in seven tough games. This marks the first conference finals appearance for the Sharks since 2011. San Jose is now 103-102 lifetime in the playoffs.

Meanwhile St. Louis got here by beating the Chicago Blackhawks in seven, following that up with another seven game series win over the Dallas Stars. This marks the first conference finals appearance for the Blues since 2001. St Louis is now 156-193 lifetime in the playoffs. This is the fifth playoff meeting for these teams, with both teams splitting the four previous playoff series. They last met during the 2012 Western Conference Quarterfinals, which St. Louis won in five games. San Jose won two of the three games in this year's regular season series.

Here are the dates and times for every game in this series:
May 15 San Jose Sharks 8:00 p.m. St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
May 17 San Jose Sharks 8:00 p.m. St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
May 19 St. Louis Blues 9:00 p.m. San Jose Sharks SAP Center
May 21 St. Louis Blues 7:15 p.m. San Jose Sharks SAP Center
May 23 San Jose Sharks 8:00 p.m. St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
May 25 St. Louis Blues 9:00 p.m. San Jose Sharks SAP Center
May 27 San Jose Sharks 8:00 p.m. St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center

The battle for redemption. St Louis had trouble getting out of the first round the last three years, with the Hawks being a big thorn in their side. That was taken care of. San Jose same thing with dealing with the Los Angeles Kings, been there done that. This series is going to be good. San Jose, much like Dallas, is a fast team. They're also a big team, so their size advantage is going to play a factor in this series. San Jose plays a controlled game, taking a total of 16 minutes in penalties all playoffs. Oh yeah and their powerplay has been the best in the post season. Martin Jones too has played a factor, playing some great hockey.

St. Louis plays a little different style then the Sharks do. The Blues' physical and structured game wears down teams over seven games. Look at what happened to Dallas in game seven in the last round. With veteran head coach Ken Hitchcock leading the way, the Blues' overall game is also extremely detailed. This is a team that doesn't make as many mistakes as most teams. That can frustrate the opposition. Their fundamentals are unreal. And it also helps when you have Vladimir Tarasenko providing plenty of offensive jump, it makes the Blues jobs a lot easier. That and with the play of Brian Elliott in net.

One thing that could wear on the Blues a little is the fact that they've played in two seven games series so far in the playoffs, which could be a huge factor in this series. San Jose hasn't really been a major factor in this round, they still have something left to prove. They've never been in the finals before, something they are looking to change. St. Louis has the same problem, looking to get to the finals for the first time since 1970., Which is what is going to make this series so intriguing. Its going to be a fun series to watch, but I think the Blues have too much good mojo going right now.

Pick: Blues in 7!