SWEEP …
So which team do the Mavs want?
"Probably everybody in the basketball world knows who they'd like to see," Jerry Stackhouse said of the long-hyped Texas showdown. "But we've got to be diplomatic and politically correct of the possible next matchup."
The top-seeded Spurs and No. 8 Kings are tied 2-2 going into tonight's game in San Antonio. The series has to return to Sacramento for Game 6 on Friday and, if necessary, the deciding game will be Sunday in San Antonio.
Either way, the Mavs are looking at five days off minimum before they start the Western Conference semifinals. After getting just a day off before facing Phoenix last year, the only team in the current playoffs to sweep the first round certainly will take the mini-vacation.
"Hopefully that other series will stretch to seven games and give us some more time," Johnson said.
The Mavs claim not to have a rooting interest either way, other than having the home-court edge against Sacramento. Just let the potential opponents beat each other up some more.
Lebreton on the Mavs story …
You could make a worthy argument that it was as impressive a playoff game as the franchise has ever contested.
But don't look for any confetti.
Nor champagne. Nor locker room high-fiving. Nor any cries of "Bring on the Spurs!"
On a night when the Mavericks carved up the Memphis Grizzlies with surgical precision, 102-76, like good doctors they washed up, shut up and headed for home Monday night.
To await...whom? What? When?
Whoever it is and wherever it begins, the challenge for Round Two has been thrown down. These are not your uncle's Mavericks.
Especially not your Uncle Nellie's.
Gifted with what amounted to four chances to close out the series, coach Avery Johnson's Mavericks opted Monday for the quick knockout.
They seldom stood still on offense. Their passing was almost relentlessly unselfish.
For the fourth time in four games, the Mavericks dominated the boards.
And on defense, they grabbed a firm bite on the Grizzlies in the middle of the second quarter and refused to let go.
It was exhilarating to watch -- and exhausting.
Misery loves company! Down goes the Red Wings …and suddenly, the Stars fans can smile again…
Teetering all game, all series, the collapse finally came, in stunning, legendary fashion. The Red Wings are done, beaten by a feisty Edmonton team and perhaps battered by time.
Once in command, the Wings lost it completely and suddenly, surrendering four goals in the third period and falling to the Oilers 4-3 in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series Monday night. This was a shocking ouster, even by the Wings' shocking recent standards, and it had a somber finality to it.
Wings captain Steve Yzerman left the ice probably for the final time, after returning to the lineup with a torn rib muscle. He is expected to announce his retirement later this week or early next week, an inglorious finish for one of the greatest players in NHL history.
When the game ended, cameras focused on Yzerman, who stood in line with all the other Wings and shook hands with the Edmonton players as the Rexall Place crowd celebrated.
In Detroit, the blame goes to an old nucleus, poor goaltender …sound familiar?
GM and Coaches are safe for Stars …
"The reason we gave this coaching staff the contracts we did is because we believe in them over the long term," Armstrong said. "It was never an issue whether Dave and the coaches would return."
Hicks said that he supports Armstrong and Tippett.
"I've obviously expressed my faith in Doug, and Dave Tippett is one of the best young coaches in hockey," Hicks said. "We've won 140 games over the last three years. You don't just tear that up."
The Stars were a No. 1 seed in 2003 and lost in the second round. They were a No. 2 seed this season and lost in five games in Round 1.
"This sport is all about winning in the playoffs, and we know that," Armstrong said. "But our task is how do we try to win next year, and we don't believe that's by changing the coaching staff."
Tippett has a 140-71-33 regular-season record but has gone 8-14 in the playoffs. On Monday, he was still focused on what went wrong during the loss to Colorado.
"If I thought screaming at players in front of the media was going to do a player good, I'd do it," Tippett said when asked if he was a player's coach. "I prefer to take care of it behind closed doors and keep it tight. The players know the accountability factor we have. I don't think you can have as good a team as we had without that."
What now for Turco? …
What to do with Marty Turco? The Stars goalie this year signed a four-year, $22.8 million contract extension that includes a no-trade clause. But the interesting thing about this clause is that it does not kick in until the new contract does on July 1, and it is written on a year-to-year basis. If Turco meets certain performance levels, which have yet to be disclosed, then he keeps the no-trade clause. If he doesn't, then the Stars are given windows to trade him.
So, do you let the July 1 date go by and stick with your goalie for at least one more season, or do you study the possibility of trading him? There are certainly targets out there.
San Jose would gladly deal Evgeni Nabokov, who just signed a similar contract to Turco's and is serving as the Sharks' backup goalie in the playoffs. The problem is that San Jose probably doesn't want Turco's contract, and it's difficult to say this is a good trade for the Stars.
Another option is going after Chicago netminder Nikolai Khabibulin. The Blackhawks would probably love to unload the free agent, who signed a four-year, $27 million deal before the season, and might think 30-year-old Turco is a better fit for a Chicago team trying to build. Khabibulin is only 2 ½ years older than Turco and seems to have plenty of rubber on the tires. What's more, he won the 2004 Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay and could easily bounce back if he's placed on a good team.
If you don't like those scenarios, you could try to trade Turco to teams that need goaltending help – Toronto, Tampa Bay and Vancouver come to mind – and then try to pluck one of their talented forwards. The Stars might have a shot at the Lightning's Martin St. Louis (intriguing), the Canucks' Todd Bertuzzi (yikes, no way) or the Maple Leafs' Darcy Tucker (there's your grit). You could even try to get more from the Maple Leafs.
Heika analyzes the Stars roster …
The Highest remaining West seed, Calgary has Game 7 in front of them …Could you imagine 5,6,7, and 8 all advancing in the West? WOW!
Rangers win again; Kam Loe gets it done …
The Rangers finished April leading the AL West. Yet, Kameron Loe and Francisco Cordero, two key members of the pitching staff, wanted to forget the month as quickly as possible.
The amnesia arrived Monday night.
Loe, winless in April, and Cordero, who lost the closer’s role in the month’s waning days, combined to pitch the first eight innings in the Rangers’ crisp 3-0 win over Tampa Bay.
Perfect through the first four innings, Loe allowed just four hits in seven innings to get his first win of the season. Cordero pitched a perfect eighth. It was the first time he’d had a scoreless inning since April 20. And new closer Akinori Otsuka followed with his own perfect inning, demonstrating that not all saves require the drama of a Kurosawa film.
Our friends at profootballtalk.com point out that Smith and Irvin have not kept in shape:
you didn’t think Dallas Cowboys 5th Rounder Pat Watkins had a website? Guess again. …
Reggie Evans makes Chris Kaman angry. You won’t like him when he is angry.
And now some email:
After watching the Mavs squash the Grizzles like a bug, I had a thought about the difference between the Mavs and Stars. I think everyone will agree that the Stars had a great team this year, but why did they fail in the playoffs? The Stars had the division locked up fairly early, while the Mavs continued to fight for the #1 spot in the WC up to the last week of the season. The Stars seemed to put things in cruise control a few weeks prior to the end the season - specifically the week after the West Coast trip where they were accompanied by BAD radio.
The Colts are a prime example of a team laying off the final few weeks of the season and choking in the playoffs; while in the early 90's Jimmy was cutting Curvin Richards for fumbling in week 16 in a blow out game to a 5-10 Bears team. Dirk and the rest of the Mavs look like William Wallace right now, and the Stars players were whining that "they deserved better". The great one's never let up, they step on their opponents throat when given the opportunity - see that guy who won 6 rings in Chicago. Give the C to Morrow and you might just see the team develop that killer instinct.
Who knows how far the Mavs will go, but they definitely have the look of a team that now has a killer instinct and I think we all know who to thank for that....
Peace out from KC.
Sean
---
What team had the worst showing in the first round of the playoffs? I think it's 1a and 1b with the Wings and Stars going out in the first round, with the Wings getting the 1a vote because I'm a Stars fan. I can't imagine how much the media in Detroit will take this puck and shoot it, as I'm sure the Wings will get hammered far more for their loss to Edmonton than the Stars will ever get here in Dallas for losing to Colorado.
However, I'm so glad that the Wings will be playing golf one day behind our Stars.
CSR
This Red Wings-Stars stuff every year is worth looking into. The two franchises are certainly worthy of rivalry status, but since they last met in the spring of 1998 (I watched the series from Lynchburg, not realizing I was about to be hired here) it is actually surprising how they have both avoided each other so easily. One or the other is always being bounced out of the playoffs way too early:
Year - Stars - Red Wings
1998 - Lost Rd 3 - Cup
1999 - Cup - - Lost Rd 2
2000 - Lost Rd 4 - Lost Rd 2
2001 - Lost Rd 2 - Lost Rd 1
2002 - Missed - - Cup
2003 - Lost Rd 2 - Lost Rd 1
2004 - Lost Rd 1 - Lost Rd 2
2006 - Lost Rd 1 - Lost Rd 1
Red Wings regular season point totals since 1999: 93, 108, 111, 116, 110, 109, 124
Stars regular season point totals since 1999: 114, 102, 106, 90, 111, 97, 112
Bottom line? Hockey is a sport where the best team doesn’t always win.
13 comments:
Way to Blog early Bob!!
Mavs don't want San Antonio, we have a mental block with that team. How the $%#@ does LA get the Clippers?!?! No fair, no fair, no fair.
Red Wings....giggle. Stars....$%#@ However did the Stanley Cup just lose any ounce of interest now? OLN might as well show re-runs of Grizzly Man instead of NHL games. This CAN'T be good for the NHL.
At least Norm can concentrate on the Kentucky Derby now. BaD needs to do a segment a day on the Derby till Saturda (cue powerdown).
Letting Turco go would be a big mistake and a huge overreaction to the playoffs. I am not a Turco homer at all, and if shipping him out was best for the team, I would join the band wagon and say let him go. But . . .
The argument for Turco:
1.Turco has proven he has the potential to be a great goaltender (key word is potential, I understand that). I know it was just one game, but it was a pleasure to watch Turco in game 4. He was in command. He can do it, he just needs to do it more often.
2. He appears to be committed to the organization and well liked and is not a problem child.
3. I can't explain Turco's current and past playoff problems. But he does not appear nervous during the playoffs games and appears to have the proper, steady demeanor that a winning playoff goalie should have. Further, while Turco didn't play his best, he also appears to have had the worst luck possible in this year's playoffs. He appears to have the right attitude to understand he has had some bad luck, but that he also needs to improve his playoff play. Navigating that mental mine field has to be almost impossible, but it looks like he can do it. Bottom Line: I think Turco’s head is screwed on right.
3. You must leave room for the bounce of the puck in hockey, and Turco got some really bad bounces in the Avs series. I understand it is a cop out to say that all of Turco's goals were not his fault. But it is also a cop out to say (as Bob and others have) "Many of the goals were not Turco's fault, but letting in 14 goals in three games is unacceptable." If you say that many of the goals were not his fault, then why immediately throw around the 14 number and lay all of the goals at Turco’s doorstep. We hate to admit it, but in hockey you have to allow for the fairly high element of chance. The numbers, particularly for goalies, rarely tell the whole story. And I don’t think they tell the whole story in this case.
4. (This is probably my main argument.) If you go fishing for a new goaltender, what are the chances you find someone that immediately fits in, and is immediately better than Turco? Probably well under 50%. Either way you go it is a risk. I just think that the safer play is to stick with Turco, and see if he develops into a big time, playoff goalie.
There. I have done it. I have written an email that reads like it was written by his wife, or father. But my bottom line is this: if you let Turco go, I think the chances that you find someone better immediately is a crap shoot, and the chances that Turco goes to another team and lights it up are pretty decent (and maybe better than decent.) I just don’t think Turco’s full story is written yet.
P.S. The counter argument: I fully respect Bob’s opinion when he says (on the air yesterday) that he has seen goalies take a team on their backs and Turco has never done that. I fully trust his opinion on matters such as these. And I don’t have an answer for it. Maybe I am saying that it is true that Turco has not taken a team on his back, but I think he is capable of doing so.
The St. Louis Internet P1
I look at it this way. In this years playoffs, 2 things happened. The Stars collective defence sucked, and the goalie couldn't bail them out. It is that simple.
Marty has the reputation for being a "lucky" goalie. He can make great saves, but they are more out of 50-50 luck rather than domination. Luck just doesn't cut it in the NHL playoffs. I'm not saying luck doesn't have anything to do with it at that level, just that if you count on luck, you go home.
Me, I'd take Khabibulin from Chicago. Oh yea, and a tough number one center with some fire in his belly, ie:NOT Jason Arnott.
Let's talk about MAvs now vs. the greatest Mavs team we had circa 1987/1988.
Aguirre, Blackman, Harper, Tarpley, Perkins.
Dirk, Howard, Diop, Griffin, Terry.
What do the now Mavs have that the 1987 team didn't? The legendary roadblock. We don't have to worry about a team in the Western Conference that is better head and shoulders above what we throw out on the court. The 1987/1988 MAvs...sure we lost in the first round to Seattle, and the next year ran into the legendary LAkers. Now? IT is ours for the taking. I can't wait for this playoff run to really start
I want the Spurs also. Too many years we have been the whipping boy while the Spurs just brush the Mavs aside on their way to another title. I know it will be a long agonizing seven game series with many ups and downs, but the end could be so sweet.
Go Rambas!
P1 Mike
im right there with you Luis M!!
I am 30. The Mavs have been apart of my life as long as I have known what sports was here in Dallas.
Sorry for sounding a little gay but I can't help it. IF we do win a ring this year, at the celebration, Cuban needs to present a ring to Don Carter and round up Norm Sonju and give him one too. That would be sweet...
Oh yea, put a banner up for Aguirre too, but that's another topic for another day.
hockey fan, please tell me why i'm wrong here...but this is what i see when trying to watch a game.
puck is down by the net...*slap* *slap* *slap* *puck bounces off of skate* *goal*
or if it's a long shot taken at the goal...*slapshot* *puck glances off of skate or player's pads* *goal*
to me it seems like there is a lot more luck involved in hockey scoring, compared to the other sports.
wow. you must really watch a lot of hockey.
BBC
you win. you've made many good points.
thanks simic. that was actually helpful.
i'm not saying that there's no skill or strategy in hockey...obviously there is or there wouldn't be a hierarchy of good players versus bad players. i still think there's a lot of luck that goes into the actual scoring, but i know what you mean about a certain sport becoming more interesting once you learn all of the strategies and all that. good sports talk *high five*
Even though this is the St. Louis Internet P1, don't worry, I will try not to post another 3 page comment.
But . . . the random bounce of the puck is a legitimate hockey topic. I love hockey, but the chance factor is way too high. A team can dominate a period and not score because the other goalie plays well, and a puck can hit a skate and score for the dominated team. Score after period - Dominated team 1 - Dominating team 0. Frustrating.
If Team A's skill and effort beats Team B's skill effort say 55% to 45% (hypothetical numbers), Team A has no guarantee of winning, because you are not beating the other team by enough to ensure you have overcome the element of chance. Your skill must be good enough to overcome the other team and the luck factor.
If you are better, the odds will work for you in the long run, but may not in the short run. The luck factor also dictates that it must take a tremendous amount of mental strength to play the game at the NHL level. To outplay a team and lose, but move on and give 100% the next game, night after night, waiting for the long term odds to work out in your favor, must be difficult.
To apply the theory to Stars-Avs. The Stars played well enough to overcome the Avs and luck in Game 4. But they would have to play that far above the Avs in all remaining games to win the series. But when they came out in game 5 and outworked the Avs in the first period, but still could not completely put themselves head and shoulders above the Avs, I knew the series was over. You could not expect them to leave the element of luck in the mix and expect every bounce to go their way for 3 full games.
GAWD AHMIGHTY, Bob please blog, hurry, hurry, hurry, all this hockey reading is giving me a headache!!!
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