The NBA season is mercilessly coming to an end, and I, for one am looking forward to a prolonged lockout next season. The rest of the country isn't, as evidenced by the ratings from the Western and Eastern Conference Finals. Plus, the NBA and David Stern couldn't be more pleased with this year's match up between the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks. These teams met in the finals just five years ago where Dallas took an early 2-0 lead in the series but then proceeded to choke it away to give Dwyane Wade his first title. Now that Wade has hooked up with his two best friends in Chris Bosh and LeBron James, to go along with a cast of pretty talented role players like Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Mike Bibby, Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller. The Heat have one very talented team and the fact that Bosh, Wade and James score nearly 75 percent of their team's points in the postseason is no mistake, they have designed it that way. Erik Spoelstra has done an excellent job this season keeping everyone's mission focused to win a title, and they very well may do it.
However, they are also running into another great team, and I mean team with the Dallas Mavericks. most folks associate Dallas with just Dirk Nowitzki, and for good reason, he has been the face of the franchise for 12 seasons, and has been a dominant player in the playoffs, averaging over 28 points a game, including over 32 in the Western Conference Finals victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Dallas has a good reason to believe in themselves as well, since they want revenge on the Heat from 2006, and they want to prove themselves to everyone that they can win a title. Dallas is a team of veterans, as they average just under 8 years of experience. Rick Carlisle has expertly led this group of savvy veterans into this title clash and they could do it. Plus, it doesn't hurt that noted talker Mark Cuban, the Mavs owner has stayed surprisingly silent throughout the playoffs, which hasn't been detracting from his team's success.
Both teams have a lot of veterans, and both teams are deserving of this title, but I think Miami will do what they set out to do at the beginning of the season, win a title to show to everyone that Wade, Bosh and James all made the right decision to join together and win this title.
Pick: Heat in 6.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Western Conference Finals Preview/prediction
As a foreword to this, I did not write this, I passed it off to someone else of much better knowledge than myself on the subject of basketball, my good friend Timothy Smither. Here is his preview and prediction of the Western Conference Finals.
Back in the mid to late 90's I was a fan of two teams in the NBA. The Seattle Supersonics (now known as the Oklahoma City Thunder) and the Chicago Bulls (and honestly who wasn't a fan of MJ and the Bulls). They both met each other in the 1996 NBA finals. Chicago prevailed in the end, as Michael Jordan had an emotional game 6 win to end the series on Father's day. Fast forward to the 2011 playoffs, and I believe they will both meet again (15 years after the first time they met) for a rematch. The Bulls are currently playing the Heat and if they keep up their level of ball playing they will be well on their way to the finals. The Thunder are about to square off with the Dallas Mavericks. It's hard for me to assess this match-up. I know it will be tough for the Thunder to win this series for a few different reasons, but I believe the Thunder will beat Dallas in 6. They won't beat Dallas if it goes to 7. The challenges that the Thunder are facing are that it is the first series they do not have home court advantage, Dallas has become well rested after sweeping the defending champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, Dirk is seemingly unstoppable, and the bench for Dallas poses a real threat as they did for Los Angeles. I think that as long as Durant puts up some big points as he is known to do alongside of Westbrook they will keep up with Dallas. But they have to play defense and their bench has to step it up. I am not sure who will be able to guard Dirk. Maybe Perkins can do it or maybe even Durant. If they cannot stop him hopefully they will look to close out other options. Forgive me for my bias but let's go Sonics! I mean, Thunder.
Prediction: Thunder in 6.
Back in the mid to late 90's I was a fan of two teams in the NBA. The Seattle Supersonics (now known as the Oklahoma City Thunder) and the Chicago Bulls (and honestly who wasn't a fan of MJ and the Bulls). They both met each other in the 1996 NBA finals. Chicago prevailed in the end, as Michael Jordan had an emotional game 6 win to end the series on Father's day. Fast forward to the 2011 playoffs, and I believe they will both meet again (15 years after the first time they met) for a rematch. The Bulls are currently playing the Heat and if they keep up their level of ball playing they will be well on their way to the finals. The Thunder are about to square off with the Dallas Mavericks. It's hard for me to assess this match-up. I know it will be tough for the Thunder to win this series for a few different reasons, but I believe the Thunder will beat Dallas in 6. They won't beat Dallas if it goes to 7. The challenges that the Thunder are facing are that it is the first series they do not have home court advantage, Dallas has become well rested after sweeping the defending champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, Dirk is seemingly unstoppable, and the bench for Dallas poses a real threat as they did for Los Angeles. I think that as long as Durant puts up some big points as he is known to do alongside of Westbrook they will keep up with Dallas. But they have to play defense and their bench has to step it up. I am not sure who will be able to guard Dirk. Maybe Perkins can do it or maybe even Durant. If they cannot stop him hopefully they will look to close out other options. Forgive me for my bias but let's go Sonics! I mean, Thunder.
Prediction: Thunder in 6.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
NBA Eastern Conference Finals
The time has come for the Heat to show if they really do belong in the NBA Finals, as they now face the top seed in the East, the Chicago Bulls, who are making their first trip to the Conference Finals since Michael Jordan's last season in 1998. But, now the Bulls have a very good young core beginning with the league's MVP, Derrick Rose. Rose leads Chicago in points per game and assists per game, which will be incredibly hard for any of Miami's combo of point guards to defend. Luol Deng will be key for the Bulls, as he defends LeBron. Deng is one of the better defenders in the league and can definitely wreak havoc on Miami's scoring chances.
These teams are just about equal, but the biggest thing is coming into this series, Miami lost all four regular season games to the Bulls. LeBron had a chance to go to the Bulls when nearly every team in the league was trying to woo him to their city. LeBron will find out that he made a mistake when he didn't go to Chicago when the Heat lose to the Bulls in six games.
These teams are just about equal, but the biggest thing is coming into this series, Miami lost all four regular season games to the Bulls. LeBron had a chance to go to the Bulls when nearly every team in the league was trying to woo him to their city. LeBron will find out that he made a mistake when he didn't go to Chicago when the Heat lose to the Bulls in six games.
NHL Conference Finals preview
I have not had my computer for the past few weeks due to a fan error, so hence no blogging on the NBA conference semis or an April game of the month. Right now the NHL conference finals are about to begin on Saturday with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins, while the Western Conference will begin on Sunday in Vancouver. Allow me to begin with the East. As usual, my friend Bryan Miller will do the Western Conference Final.
Eastern Conference Final: Boston vs. Tampa Bay
Both teams have had significant layoffs since their last conference finals appearance, as this is Tampa Bay's first trip since winning the Cup in 2004 and Boston's first since 1992, where they lost to the Penguins in four games. Both teams had almost the exact same path to get here, as both teams went to game seven in the quarters and then swept their respective opponents in the semis. Both teams also have relatively old goalies who are pretty darn good. Boston has a Vezina trophy finalist this year with Tim Thomas, 37, and he won only two years ago. While Roloson, being 41 is old and has lost some of his reflexes, he's still better than most. Roloson brings a veteran grittiness to a team filled with young stars like Martin St. Louis, Steven Stamkos and Steve Downie.
Tampa has depth of scoring, meaning that they could score at anytime on any of their three lines, which makes them a dangerous team, plus Boston's beat of a defenseman, Zdeno Chara cannot be out there 60 minutes per game, as its impossible to be a top flight player playing that long. Tampa could also easily win this series with their power play alone, as they have been excellent in killing it, only giving up 3 goals in 54 chances, while scoring in 12 of their 45 chances.
Boston however, seems to be a team of destiny, to get past their biggest rivals in the first round, the Canadiens in a physical tough series going seven games, then killing off and shaking off the monkey off their back from last year against the Flyers when the Bruins were ultimately dispatched in seven games after having a 3-0 lead. Finally, they would love to capture their sixth Stanley Cup and first since 1972. Boston is likely to be dominating the game when it's a regular 5-on-5 game, with Boston scoring over two goals a game more when it's at full strength. The biggest thing for Boston is when a leading scorer like Patrice Bergeron will be back, as he has been the sixth leading scorer in the playoffs. Both teams are very equally matched, but it will ultimately come down to goaltending, and I will go with Thomas over Roloson. Go with Boston in seven.
Same info taken from: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/2011-05-12-eastern-conference-finals-preview_N.htm?csp=34sports&dlvrit=110938.
Western Conference
#1 Vancouver Canucks Vs. #2 San Jose Sharks
During the Regular season the Canucks were 3-0-1 against the Sharks with two wins in the San Jose. United States star Ryan Kessler finally showed up last series against the Nashville Predators. He scored big time goals and had some big defensive plays. The Sedin twins were kinda silent in the first two series which is surprising don't be too surprised if they break out of that bubble they are in and put on a show. Roberto Luongo played fairly well last series after his shaky first series. He will need to be on top of his game for the Vancouver Canucks to do anything in this series. The defensive six for the Canucks are all very talented and contribute in their on unique way and will need to help out Luongo in every way possible and not leave him hanging. Any lurking injures for the Canucks could be hurtful to them cause they have great team chemistry going and throwing someone new in there could be disastrous.
Meanwhile, the San Jose Sharks are going to have to bounce back have a hard hitting and draining series against the Detroit Red Wings. Patrick Marleau finally got that monkey off his back scoring the goal that helped get the Sharks past the Red Wings. Big Joe Thornton has been very consistant this postseason like others which is needed from him being the captain and a great set up man. Look out for Dany Heatley who seems to be the sniper to go to with the Sharks. Ryane Clowe leads the sharks with 13 points this post season expect a lot out of him this series. Rookie phenom Logan Couture has been doing amazing things all season and postseason. Expect him to make a big splash this series because the pressure and big game atmosphere doesn't seem to bother him. Antti Niemi is back to the conference finals in back to back years with different teams. He will have to stand on his head like he did last year and this postseason so far. He is the key to the Sharks winning this series. Dan Boyle and the defensive core for the Sharks will have to contribute offensively and defensively for the Sharks to set the tempo for the Sharks in this series.
Both of these teams had 3-0 leads this postseason and blew that lead before winning their respectful game 7's. I expect this series to be a long and tiring series 7 games will be needed for these two great organizations.
Final Prediction: #2 San Jose Sharks in 7 Games. Advance to their first ever Stanley Cup Finals.
That does it for the NHL Conference Final previews. I'll be posting quick short previews and predictions of the NBA conference finals later today.
Eastern Conference Final: Boston vs. Tampa Bay
Both teams have had significant layoffs since their last conference finals appearance, as this is Tampa Bay's first trip since winning the Cup in 2004 and Boston's first since 1992, where they lost to the Penguins in four games. Both teams had almost the exact same path to get here, as both teams went to game seven in the quarters and then swept their respective opponents in the semis. Both teams also have relatively old goalies who are pretty darn good. Boston has a Vezina trophy finalist this year with Tim Thomas, 37, and he won only two years ago. While Roloson, being 41 is old and has lost some of his reflexes, he's still better than most. Roloson brings a veteran grittiness to a team filled with young stars like Martin St. Louis, Steven Stamkos and Steve Downie.
Tampa has depth of scoring, meaning that they could score at anytime on any of their three lines, which makes them a dangerous team, plus Boston's beat of a defenseman, Zdeno Chara cannot be out there 60 minutes per game, as its impossible to be a top flight player playing that long. Tampa could also easily win this series with their power play alone, as they have been excellent in killing it, only giving up 3 goals in 54 chances, while scoring in 12 of their 45 chances.
Boston however, seems to be a team of destiny, to get past their biggest rivals in the first round, the Canadiens in a physical tough series going seven games, then killing off and shaking off the monkey off their back from last year against the Flyers when the Bruins were ultimately dispatched in seven games after having a 3-0 lead. Finally, they would love to capture their sixth Stanley Cup and first since 1972. Boston is likely to be dominating the game when it's a regular 5-on-5 game, with Boston scoring over two goals a game more when it's at full strength. The biggest thing for Boston is when a leading scorer like Patrice Bergeron will be back, as he has been the sixth leading scorer in the playoffs. Both teams are very equally matched, but it will ultimately come down to goaltending, and I will go with Thomas over Roloson. Go with Boston in seven.
Same info taken from: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/2011-05-12-eastern-conference-finals-preview_N.htm?csp=34sports&dlvrit=110938.
Western Conference
#1 Vancouver Canucks Vs. #2 San Jose Sharks
During the Regular season the Canucks were 3-0-1 against the Sharks with two wins in the San Jose. United States star Ryan Kessler finally showed up last series against the Nashville Predators. He scored big time goals and had some big defensive plays. The Sedin twins were kinda silent in the first two series which is surprising don't be too surprised if they break out of that bubble they are in and put on a show. Roberto Luongo played fairly well last series after his shaky first series. He will need to be on top of his game for the Vancouver Canucks to do anything in this series. The defensive six for the Canucks are all very talented and contribute in their on unique way and will need to help out Luongo in every way possible and not leave him hanging. Any lurking injures for the Canucks could be hurtful to them cause they have great team chemistry going and throwing someone new in there could be disastrous.
Meanwhile, the San Jose Sharks are going to have to bounce back have a hard hitting and draining series against the Detroit Red Wings. Patrick Marleau finally got that monkey off his back scoring the goal that helped get the Sharks past the Red Wings. Big Joe Thornton has been very consistant this postseason like others which is needed from him being the captain and a great set up man. Look out for Dany Heatley who seems to be the sniper to go to with the Sharks. Ryane Clowe leads the sharks with 13 points this post season expect a lot out of him this series. Rookie phenom Logan Couture has been doing amazing things all season and postseason. Expect him to make a big splash this series because the pressure and big game atmosphere doesn't seem to bother him. Antti Niemi is back to the conference finals in back to back years with different teams. He will have to stand on his head like he did last year and this postseason so far. He is the key to the Sharks winning this series. Dan Boyle and the defensive core for the Sharks will have to contribute offensively and defensively for the Sharks to set the tempo for the Sharks in this series.
Both of these teams had 3-0 leads this postseason and blew that lead before winning their respectful game 7's. I expect this series to be a long and tiring series 7 games will be needed for these two great organizations.
Final Prediction: #2 San Jose Sharks in 7 Games. Advance to their first ever Stanley Cup Finals.
That does it for the NHL Conference Final previews. I'll be posting quick short previews and predictions of the NBA conference finals later today.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
NHL Conference Semifinals Preview
Now that one game is completed in each of the series, I have a better idea of how each team is doing. The Flyers are absolutely awful. The Caps lost their edge. The Canucks rebounded from game seven nicely to take game one, 1-0. Finally, the Sharks showed resiliency in their overtime win against the Red Wings. As with the conference quarters, my good friend Bryan Miller wrote the Western Conference, while I write the Eastern Conference.
Eastern Conference
#2 Philadelphia Flyers vs. #3 Boston Bruins
Everyone should remember last season in the same eastern conference semifinals last year, when the Flyers became only the third team in NHL history to erase a 3-0 deficit to win the series. That propelled the Flyers past the Canadiens into the Stanley Cup Final. Boston needs to erase that from their memories and try to focus all their energy on this year. Boston certainly proved that after their decisive game one victory of 7-3. Philadelphia will need to find a capable goalie to continue towards their quest for the stanley cup, or else this will be a quick series. The found a way against a hot Buffalo team, but I don't think they can do it against a motivated Bruins team.
Prediction: Boston in 6
#1 Washington Capitals vs. #5 Tampa Bay Lightning
Washington cruised against New York, winning 4-1 with their defense first mentality. Tampa meanwhile struggled against a depleted Pittsburgh Penguins team. But, as this is a divisional matchup, you can throw everything out from the first round and the regular season. These teams are rivals, and this should go to seven games, as both team are very evenly matched in all categories. So, I will do a toss up and give it to the Caps.
Prediction: Washington in 7.
Western Conference
#1 Vancouver Canucks Vs. #5 Nashville Predators
With Vancouver barely getting by and being another disatster on the record books expect them to start out a little slow this series since they gave it their all in game 7 Tuesday night. Nashville is coming off their first series win in franchise history is looking to not be a one hit wonder. Ryan Kessler was the best player out there for the Vancouver Canucks in the series against Chigago shutting down Jonathan Toews and his line. Kessler did not put up a lot of points, but made his contribution defensively which is what you would expect out of a great center. I see him doing the same thing against the top line for Nashville as well keeping them to minimal points. Nashville's goalie Pekke Rinne will have to be big if Nashville hopes to have a good chance.
Predicton: Vancouver Canucks in 6
#2 San Jose Sharks vs. #3 Detriot Red Wings
San Jose has to hope goaltending keeps up in this matchup. They didn't play that well against the Los Angeles Kings last series , but got the win in the series. Detroit was moving on all cylinders in the series against the Coyotes. I expect Henrik Zetterberg to lead the charge for the Wings and keep the stuggles of the Sharks in the playoffs to continue.
Prediction: Detroit Red Wings in 5
Eastern Conference
#2 Philadelphia Flyers vs. #3 Boston Bruins
Everyone should remember last season in the same eastern conference semifinals last year, when the Flyers became only the third team in NHL history to erase a 3-0 deficit to win the series. That propelled the Flyers past the Canadiens into the Stanley Cup Final. Boston needs to erase that from their memories and try to focus all their energy on this year. Boston certainly proved that after their decisive game one victory of 7-3. Philadelphia will need to find a capable goalie to continue towards their quest for the stanley cup, or else this will be a quick series. The found a way against a hot Buffalo team, but I don't think they can do it against a motivated Bruins team.
Prediction: Boston in 6
#1 Washington Capitals vs. #5 Tampa Bay Lightning
Washington cruised against New York, winning 4-1 with their defense first mentality. Tampa meanwhile struggled against a depleted Pittsburgh Penguins team. But, as this is a divisional matchup, you can throw everything out from the first round and the regular season. These teams are rivals, and this should go to seven games, as both team are very evenly matched in all categories. So, I will do a toss up and give it to the Caps.
Prediction: Washington in 7.
Western Conference
#1 Vancouver Canucks Vs. #5 Nashville Predators
With Vancouver barely getting by and being another disatster on the record books expect them to start out a little slow this series since they gave it their all in game 7 Tuesday night. Nashville is coming off their first series win in franchise history is looking to not be a one hit wonder. Ryan Kessler was the best player out there for the Vancouver Canucks in the series against Chigago shutting down Jonathan Toews and his line. Kessler did not put up a lot of points, but made his contribution defensively which is what you would expect out of a great center. I see him doing the same thing against the top line for Nashville as well keeping them to minimal points. Nashville's goalie Pekke Rinne will have to be big if Nashville hopes to have a good chance.
Predicton: Vancouver Canucks in 6
#2 San Jose Sharks vs. #3 Detriot Red Wings
San Jose has to hope goaltending keeps up in this matchup. They didn't play that well against the Los Angeles Kings last series , but got the win in the series. Detroit was moving on all cylinders in the series against the Coyotes. I expect Henrik Zetterberg to lead the charge for the Wings and keep the stuggles of the Sharks in the playoffs to continue.
Prediction: Detroit Red Wings in 5
Thursday, April 14, 2011
NBA 1st Round Playoff preview/prediction
Just saw when I signed in, I have written 100 posts, for those of you who read the column, thank you so much and thanks for giving me any feedback you may have, I truly appreciate it.
Those of you who know me, know that I don't necessarily care for basketball all that much, but since that is ESPN's foray and I watch ESPN incessantly, I have a bit of a clue of what I'm writing about. But, I don't have that much of one, so I will give incredibly short previews and then a pick. Hope you enjoy!
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 8 Indiana Pacers
The Pacers are the perfect reason why the NBA should not have eight teams in the playoffs, they finished with a record of 37-45, four games UNDER .500. Plus, Chicago finished with a record of 21 games OVER .500, that is a disparity of 25 games. Chicago also has the probable league MVP leading the way in Derrick Rose.
Pick: Chicago sweep.
No. 2 Miami Heat vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers
This is another huge mismatch, as the Heat have the big three, with Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James. Those three by themselves could probably beat the Sixers over a seven game series. My thinking is that Miami will run all over the Sixers. But, since Sixers are the hometown team, I'll give them a game.
Pick: Heat 4-1
No. 3 Boston Celtics vs. No. 6 New York Knicks
This is a shock that this series is not beginning on ABC with two of the biggest television markets and two of the biggest names in all of the NBA squaring off. But, I digress. Boston has been taking it slow the past few weeks as they knew they would be a top three seed in the playoffs. But, they can turn it on in the playoffs and certainly will. New York is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2004. New York brought in big names Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire and they have lit the city with energy. This series will be tougher for the Celtics than most think, but they will get by fairly easily.
Pick: Boston 4-2.
No. 4 Orlando Magic vs. No. 5 Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta can get by playing an everybody for themselves mentality during the regular season, but it fails big time in the playoffs. Orlando plays a team first style and it will get them through to the second round easy.
Pick: Orlando 4-1
Western Conference
No. 1 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis is probably just happy to be in the playoffs. San Antonio is unquestionably the best overall team in the playoffs.
Pick: San Antonio 4-0.
No. 2 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 7 New Orleans Hornets
This matchup is a good first round test for the Lakers, as New Orleans has one of the top five point guards in the league with Chris Paul. The only thing is that Paul doesn't have a whole lot around him, so Lakers win easy.
Pick: Lakers 4-1.
No. 3 Dallas Mavericks vs. No. 6 Portland Trailblazers
I don't know anything about Portland except that they made the playoffs, and higher seeds in the NBA nearly always win, so go with Dallas.
Pick: Dallas 4-2.
No. 4 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 5 Denver Nuggets
Denver has played very well together cohesively since they traded Carmelo to the Knicks. Oklahoma City has played very well since they got inside presence Kendrick Perkins from the Celtics. This is probably the only matchup that will go seven games, since the rest are all such big mismatches. i'll go with Kevin Durant and the Thunder.
Pick: Oklahoma City 4-3.
Those of you who know me, know that I don't necessarily care for basketball all that much, but since that is ESPN's foray and I watch ESPN incessantly, I have a bit of a clue of what I'm writing about. But, I don't have that much of one, so I will give incredibly short previews and then a pick. Hope you enjoy!
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 8 Indiana Pacers
The Pacers are the perfect reason why the NBA should not have eight teams in the playoffs, they finished with a record of 37-45, four games UNDER .500. Plus, Chicago finished with a record of 21 games OVER .500, that is a disparity of 25 games. Chicago also has the probable league MVP leading the way in Derrick Rose.
Pick: Chicago sweep.
No. 2 Miami Heat vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers
This is another huge mismatch, as the Heat have the big three, with Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James. Those three by themselves could probably beat the Sixers over a seven game series. My thinking is that Miami will run all over the Sixers. But, since Sixers are the hometown team, I'll give them a game.
Pick: Heat 4-1
No. 3 Boston Celtics vs. No. 6 New York Knicks
This is a shock that this series is not beginning on ABC with two of the biggest television markets and two of the biggest names in all of the NBA squaring off. But, I digress. Boston has been taking it slow the past few weeks as they knew they would be a top three seed in the playoffs. But, they can turn it on in the playoffs and certainly will. New York is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2004. New York brought in big names Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire and they have lit the city with energy. This series will be tougher for the Celtics than most think, but they will get by fairly easily.
Pick: Boston 4-2.
No. 4 Orlando Magic vs. No. 5 Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta can get by playing an everybody for themselves mentality during the regular season, but it fails big time in the playoffs. Orlando plays a team first style and it will get them through to the second round easy.
Pick: Orlando 4-1
Western Conference
No. 1 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis is probably just happy to be in the playoffs. San Antonio is unquestionably the best overall team in the playoffs.
Pick: San Antonio 4-0.
No. 2 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 7 New Orleans Hornets
This matchup is a good first round test for the Lakers, as New Orleans has one of the top five point guards in the league with Chris Paul. The only thing is that Paul doesn't have a whole lot around him, so Lakers win easy.
Pick: Lakers 4-1.
No. 3 Dallas Mavericks vs. No. 6 Portland Trailblazers
I don't know anything about Portland except that they made the playoffs, and higher seeds in the NBA nearly always win, so go with Dallas.
Pick: Dallas 4-2.
No. 4 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 5 Denver Nuggets
Denver has played very well together cohesively since they traded Carmelo to the Knicks. Oklahoma City has played very well since they got inside presence Kendrick Perkins from the Celtics. This is probably the only matchup that will go seven games, since the rest are all such big mismatches. i'll go with Kevin Durant and the Thunder.
Pick: Oklahoma City 4-3.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
NHL First Round Playoff Preview and Prediction
After the grueling regular season of 82 games, and with the last month seemingly dragging along, we have reached the Stanley Cup playoffs. This is what all hockey players long to hoist above their heads in June, the nearly 3 foot long trophy and nearly 35 pound trophy which is coveted by all players to hold at least once in their lives. There are again 16 teams vying for the chance to be the champions of the NHL, including the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks. There is also their opponent from the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, the Philadelphia Flyers. There are really no shocking teams in this year's playoff field except for perhaps the Tampa Bay Lightning, who failed to make the playoffs last season. But, the Lightning are a very dangerous team in the playoffs. Finally, there will be two people previewing the playoffs, myself and Bryan Miller, my friend from all the way back in middle school who absolutely adores the sport. I will be previewing and breaking down the Eastern Conference matchups while Bryan will be previewing the Western Conference. Allow the excitement and tension to begin!
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Washington Capitals vs. No. 8 New York Rangers
This is a rematch of the 2009 first round where the Rangers let a 3-1 lead slip away and the Caps won their only series with Alex Ovechkin thus far. Ovechkin, Mike Knuble, Alexander Semin and the rest of the Caps offense will have a tough task trying to score on Henrik Lunqvist, who is one of the top five goalies in the league right now. Washington also does not want to be known as the San Jose Sharks of the Eastern Conference. A team where they are consistently good in the regular season, but continually bomb out in the playoffs. Washington also is trusting a very young, but talented goalie in Michal Neuvirth. Neuvirth is in the rookie of the year discussion, as he posted 27 wins, tied for third among all rookies. Washington is also very hot, capturing 33 out of a possible 40 since a 6-0 drubbing from the same Rangers in February. New York is coming in rocky, and is looking for Lundqvist to keep up a pace which just seems unreasonable. Lundqvist has had to start the Rangers last 26 games, as backup Marty Biron has a broken collarbone. While this will be a tough back and forth series, I think Lundqvist and the Rangers will start to see fatigue settle in, with the Caps winning.
Pick: Caps in 6.
No. 2 Philadelphia Flyers vs. No. 7 Buffalo Sabres
Philly has really been scuffling, as they lost the number one seed to the Capitals, and have not been able to hold a lead in any game they have played recently. Philadelphia has not won back to back games since March 8 and 10, and those weren't even against playoff teams. Their last win over a playoff team came March 29 against the Penguins, in which they almost had to win to control their own destiny in the Atlantic Division. Buffalo meanwhile has been on fire since the calendar turned to 2011, going 28-11-6 since January 1.
These two teams certainly have a history with one another in the playoffs, as they have met eight times previously, with Philly holding a 5-3 overall lead in the playoffs. These two teams are rivals, and it will be a hard fought series, but it will not even come close to a seventh game, as Buffalo will control the game and have Ryan Miller in net. Miller is the guy who put the United States on his back in the 2010 Olympics and lead them to a Silver medal, a team which most considered longshots to even medal. Miller will definitely slow down the Flyers to less than two goals a game in the series. Philadelphia fans, suffice to say, will have to wait until next year...again.
Pick: Sabres in 5.
No. 3 Boston Bruins vs. No. 6 Montreal Canadiens
This is the best rivalry in the NHL. These are two original six franchises who just plain despise one another. This is the third time in the last four seasons in which these two teams have met in the first round of the playoffs. The teams split the first two series, and this seems to be the rubber match. This series also has the extra incentive because of the memorable hit earlier this season Zdeno Chara put on Max Pacioretty. Chara intentionally put Pacioretty into a pole, breaking Pacioretty's neck and giving him a severe concussion. So, needless to say, this is going to be a very hard hitting, violent series. The team which eventually comes out of this will certainly be feeling some after effects heading into the second round.
Although Boston is very physical and can hit with the best of them, and Montreal is very much one to avoid hits, they'd rather play the game with speed and finesse, it will be which one of these wins out in the end. Montreal will also try and keep Tim Thomas, who is probably the lead candidate for the Vezina trophy (top goalie) off balance at least a little bit. In the end though, gotta go with the more physical and better goaltending team and go with the Bruins.
Pick: Bruins in 7.
No. 4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. No. 5 Tampa Bay Lightning
This is probably the most difficult series to predict, especially when nobody outside the Penguin organization knows anything about the status of the best player in the league, Sidney Crosby. Crosby has been out for the better part of the year, as he has suffered a concussion, and the Penguins do not want to risk losing the best player in the league forever, so it is right to be taking baby steps with Crosby. But, the Pens have been playing remarkably well without him, only losing to the Flyers because the Pens lost the season series. Pittsburgh has been playing offense, mainly with puck possession, holding the puck in their own offensive zone for as long as they possibly can. Meanwhile, Tampa has a ton of offensive firepower, with two of the top five scorers in all of the NHL this season with Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis.
These two teams offer two very different goalies as well. Tampa has rugged journeyman veteran Dwayne Roloson, who led the Edmonton Oilers to an improbable Stanley Cup Final run in 2006. Roloson was acquired from the Isles in January, and it sure has paid off, as Roloson has gone 18-13-1 since he came down south. Pittsburgh has Marc-Andre Fleury, who is again, a top of the line goalie, who is only 26. It'll be interesting to see how Roloson compares to Fleury between the pipes. Pittsburgh has played exceedingly well, and I think they'll be able to sneak by the inexperienced Lightning.
Pick: Pittsburgh in 7.
Western Conference
#1 Vancouver Canucks Vs. #8 Chicago Blackhawks
Daniel Sendin was crowned the Art Ross Trophy and Roberto Luongo and Cory Schnieder won the William S. Jennings Trophy. So on paper it looks like the Canucks have the upper hand. I believe this will be a hard fought battle back and forth. In the long run though Patrick Kane, Jonathon Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks will win this series. They seems to know the way to beat the Canucks year in and year out. I feel the defending Stanley Cup Champs will once again be a thorn in the sides of the Canucks.
Pick: Chicago Blackhawks in 7
#2 San Jose Sharks Vs. #7 Los Angles Kings
With the addition of Ante Niemi and the surge of Logan Couture the San Jose Sharks look to be going strong and are getting contributions from all over. Los Angeles is looking for Drew Doughty and the return of Anze Kopitar to help them jump into the 2nd round of the playoffs for conseutive years. I feel that LA will pull it in the end and San Jose will stuggle with the bad playoff preformances.
Pick: Los Angles Kings in 7
#3 Detroit Red Wings Vs. Phoenix Coyotes
Rematch of last year's first round battle that took 7 games for Detroit to be Detroit again. Phoenix has had another year full of surprises. Great young talent in Keith Yandel and lead by veteran Shane Doan. Detroit always led by crafty veteran Nickolas Lindstrom and talents like Henrik Zetterberg. Proves to be a great battle once again. I still feel Detroit has the upper hand.
Pick: Detroit Red Wings in 6
#4 Anaheim Ducks Vs. #5 Nashville Predators
This one is a very interesting matchup since both teams were battling for the 7th and 8th spots not even 2 weeks ago. Anaheim surprised a lot of people with great play without star goaltender Jonas Hiller. Without Hiller, everyone counted them out. The outstanding play of Corey Perry reaching the 50 goal mark and winning the Richard scoring trophy put the critics to rest. Nashville just went under the rader all year long ,but seems to just take it one game at a time led by star defenseman Shae Weber. Anaheim has the upper hand by far in my books.
Pick: Anaheim Ducks in 5
Note from Bryan: Thank you all for reading and hope you enjoy my little input On Pete's Blog and thank you Pete for letting me write this.
Coming up on Thursday, I will write incredibly short previews and give predictions in the NBA playoffs.
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Washington Capitals vs. No. 8 New York Rangers
This is a rematch of the 2009 first round where the Rangers let a 3-1 lead slip away and the Caps won their only series with Alex Ovechkin thus far. Ovechkin, Mike Knuble, Alexander Semin and the rest of the Caps offense will have a tough task trying to score on Henrik Lunqvist, who is one of the top five goalies in the league right now. Washington also does not want to be known as the San Jose Sharks of the Eastern Conference. A team where they are consistently good in the regular season, but continually bomb out in the playoffs. Washington also is trusting a very young, but talented goalie in Michal Neuvirth. Neuvirth is in the rookie of the year discussion, as he posted 27 wins, tied for third among all rookies. Washington is also very hot, capturing 33 out of a possible 40 since a 6-0 drubbing from the same Rangers in February. New York is coming in rocky, and is looking for Lundqvist to keep up a pace which just seems unreasonable. Lundqvist has had to start the Rangers last 26 games, as backup Marty Biron has a broken collarbone. While this will be a tough back and forth series, I think Lundqvist and the Rangers will start to see fatigue settle in, with the Caps winning.
Pick: Caps in 6.
No. 2 Philadelphia Flyers vs. No. 7 Buffalo Sabres
Philly has really been scuffling, as they lost the number one seed to the Capitals, and have not been able to hold a lead in any game they have played recently. Philadelphia has not won back to back games since March 8 and 10, and those weren't even against playoff teams. Their last win over a playoff team came March 29 against the Penguins, in which they almost had to win to control their own destiny in the Atlantic Division. Buffalo meanwhile has been on fire since the calendar turned to 2011, going 28-11-6 since January 1.
These two teams certainly have a history with one another in the playoffs, as they have met eight times previously, with Philly holding a 5-3 overall lead in the playoffs. These two teams are rivals, and it will be a hard fought series, but it will not even come close to a seventh game, as Buffalo will control the game and have Ryan Miller in net. Miller is the guy who put the United States on his back in the 2010 Olympics and lead them to a Silver medal, a team which most considered longshots to even medal. Miller will definitely slow down the Flyers to less than two goals a game in the series. Philadelphia fans, suffice to say, will have to wait until next year...again.
Pick: Sabres in 5.
No. 3 Boston Bruins vs. No. 6 Montreal Canadiens
This is the best rivalry in the NHL. These are two original six franchises who just plain despise one another. This is the third time in the last four seasons in which these two teams have met in the first round of the playoffs. The teams split the first two series, and this seems to be the rubber match. This series also has the extra incentive because of the memorable hit earlier this season Zdeno Chara put on Max Pacioretty. Chara intentionally put Pacioretty into a pole, breaking Pacioretty's neck and giving him a severe concussion. So, needless to say, this is going to be a very hard hitting, violent series. The team which eventually comes out of this will certainly be feeling some after effects heading into the second round.
Although Boston is very physical and can hit with the best of them, and Montreal is very much one to avoid hits, they'd rather play the game with speed and finesse, it will be which one of these wins out in the end. Montreal will also try and keep Tim Thomas, who is probably the lead candidate for the Vezina trophy (top goalie) off balance at least a little bit. In the end though, gotta go with the more physical and better goaltending team and go with the Bruins.
Pick: Bruins in 7.
No. 4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. No. 5 Tampa Bay Lightning
This is probably the most difficult series to predict, especially when nobody outside the Penguin organization knows anything about the status of the best player in the league, Sidney Crosby. Crosby has been out for the better part of the year, as he has suffered a concussion, and the Penguins do not want to risk losing the best player in the league forever, so it is right to be taking baby steps with Crosby. But, the Pens have been playing remarkably well without him, only losing to the Flyers because the Pens lost the season series. Pittsburgh has been playing offense, mainly with puck possession, holding the puck in their own offensive zone for as long as they possibly can. Meanwhile, Tampa has a ton of offensive firepower, with two of the top five scorers in all of the NHL this season with Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis.
These two teams offer two very different goalies as well. Tampa has rugged journeyman veteran Dwayne Roloson, who led the Edmonton Oilers to an improbable Stanley Cup Final run in 2006. Roloson was acquired from the Isles in January, and it sure has paid off, as Roloson has gone 18-13-1 since he came down south. Pittsburgh has Marc-Andre Fleury, who is again, a top of the line goalie, who is only 26. It'll be interesting to see how Roloson compares to Fleury between the pipes. Pittsburgh has played exceedingly well, and I think they'll be able to sneak by the inexperienced Lightning.
Pick: Pittsburgh in 7.
Western Conference
#1 Vancouver Canucks Vs. #8 Chicago Blackhawks
Daniel Sendin was crowned the Art Ross Trophy and Roberto Luongo and Cory Schnieder won the William S. Jennings Trophy. So on paper it looks like the Canucks have the upper hand. I believe this will be a hard fought battle back and forth. In the long run though Patrick Kane, Jonathon Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks will win this series. They seems to know the way to beat the Canucks year in and year out. I feel the defending Stanley Cup Champs will once again be a thorn in the sides of the Canucks.
Pick: Chicago Blackhawks in 7
#2 San Jose Sharks Vs. #7 Los Angles Kings
With the addition of Ante Niemi and the surge of Logan Couture the San Jose Sharks look to be going strong and are getting contributions from all over. Los Angeles is looking for Drew Doughty and the return of Anze Kopitar to help them jump into the 2nd round of the playoffs for conseutive years. I feel that LA will pull it in the end and San Jose will stuggle with the bad playoff preformances.
Pick: Los Angles Kings in 7
#3 Detroit Red Wings Vs. Phoenix Coyotes
Rematch of last year's first round battle that took 7 games for Detroit to be Detroit again. Phoenix has had another year full of surprises. Great young talent in Keith Yandel and lead by veteran Shane Doan. Detroit always led by crafty veteran Nickolas Lindstrom and talents like Henrik Zetterberg. Proves to be a great battle once again. I still feel Detroit has the upper hand.
Pick: Detroit Red Wings in 6
#4 Anaheim Ducks Vs. #5 Nashville Predators
This one is a very interesting matchup since both teams were battling for the 7th and 8th spots not even 2 weeks ago. Anaheim surprised a lot of people with great play without star goaltender Jonas Hiller. Without Hiller, everyone counted them out. The outstanding play of Corey Perry reaching the 50 goal mark and winning the Richard scoring trophy put the critics to rest. Nashville just went under the rader all year long ,but seems to just take it one game at a time led by star defenseman Shae Weber. Anaheim has the upper hand by far in my books.
Pick: Anaheim Ducks in 5
Note from Bryan: Thank you all for reading and hope you enjoy my little input On Pete's Blog and thank you Pete for letting me write this.
Coming up on Thursday, I will write incredibly short previews and give predictions in the NBA playoffs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)