Spurs stay alive and remind us what happened when they swept the Grizz …
Bruce Bowen had his own question. "Remember when we swept Memphis?"
Before this discussion begins, something should be noted: No Spur is looking ahead to the next round.
Not after the previous week in Sacramento, not after Tuesday. The Kings proved yet again they are closer to a first seed than an eighth. Don't be surprised if the Spurs have to play a Game 7 in consecutive playoff series.
But that's also what Bowen is talking about. This isn't easy. This is, well, the way a Dallas series would be.
Gregg Popovich concurs. He joked Tuesday night that, if he'd had any smarts, he would have dumped games and secured the No. 4 seed in the West. At least he appeared to be joking.
But there's another side to these tests, and that is Bowen's point. Two years ago the Spurs swept Memphis, looking efficient and powerful in doing so. Then they won the first two games against the Lakers in the next round before running into a few things that didn't go their way.
"We didn't react well then," Bowen said, "because we weren't ready. This is making us dig deep. And these dig-down games can help you."
Oh, good. Bobby Jackson has something nice to say about the Mavs …now, we can all go on living. Hey Bobby, is Dirk still the “softest in the industry?”
Did the Mavericks grow up right in front of our eyes by sweeping the first-round series against Memphis?
That's the way Grizzlies guard Bobby Jackson sees it. As a player who has never been quick to praise any opponents, least of all the Mavericks, Jackson said he saw a different team in the first round.
"I was shocked how they played us and the confidence they had," Jackson said. "They were arrogant, and that's how you have to be. They had that mentality of 'I'm going in the arena and beat their [expletive].' We didn't have that."
Tonight. 8 pm. Saddledome. Calgary. Game 7.
Ducks at Flames …I….Am……So…..There……
In a season when anything less than a strong run at the Stanley Cup would be a colossal letdown for the team and the city, the pressure is all on Darryl Sutter's bunch.
They'll step onto the ice to a deafening roar well aware they're one of the league's toughest home squads.
They'll also know a loss would ensure Calgary becomes part of an answer to the trivia question: "Which top four conference seeds made NHL history by losing in the first round together?"
Adding to all that is the fact the rival Edmonton Oilers await.
The entire province spent the weekend dreaming of the first playoff Battle of Alberta in 15 years.
Few thought it would be the Oil waiting for the Flames to show up.
Those disillusioned enough to suggest the Ducks extended the series through luck in Game 6 weren't paying attention.
They were the ones who fought back from the injustice of a disallowed goal as well as Stephane Yelle's opening goal of the game -- it was the first time in the series the team that opened the scoring didn't win.
Repeatedly frustrated by Miikka Kiprusoff, they fought on.
If Scott Niedermayer's game-winner wasn't kicked in by Flames defenceman Rhett Warrener, someone else would have finished the job.
Make no mistake: This series couldn't possibly be any closer on paper or on the ice.
That won't change tonight.
Flyers bounced 7-1!!! Wow. Hitch, buddy. This is not what Philly had in mind ...
So it's one and done in the postseason after last night's shameful 7-1 exit at the Wachovia Center that decided the Eastern Conference quarterfinal round in six games.
"For me, that was probably the single most embarrassing moment that I've had in my whole career," Derian Hatcher said.
Most figured the Flyers would put up a fight at home and force a Game 7 in Buffalo, where they haven't been able to win for years. Instead, they got blown out as the Sabres scored six times in two periods for the right to meet Ottawa in the second round.
So thoroughly outplayed were the Flyers that they allowed a shorthanded goal during a four-minute power play in the third period.
"Our start was the best we had in any of our games," a subdued Hitchcock said. "We had everything we wanted to do at start of the game. We created pressure; we created scoring chances. We had two breakaways... . Then, it was like shock for everybody. It was over so quick. It was just bang, bang, bang... . Everyone was in shock... . I've never been through anything like this."
It tied the team's all-time record for worst home playoff loss - April 18, 1979, against the New York Rangers, 7-1.
Rangers show they can bounce back; win 4 of 5 on Road Trip …
The last year they had a winning record outside of Arlington was 1999, the last year they went to the playoffs. They've been .500 or better every one of those seasons at home. But as the cliche goes, going .500 on the road and winning most series at home is the key to making the postseason.
May 3 is way early, but these Rangers appear to have a read on what it takes to win on the road. Tuesday's 7-5 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Tropicana Field wrapped up a 4-1 road trip.
The Rangers are now 9-5 on the road and have won four consecutive road series for the first time since 1992.
Evan Grant’s email newsletter …
How many gems are buried in the NFL Draft? …
Since the first common draft in 1967, only six players chosen in the third round have been selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame; only four from the fourth round; and only two from rounds five through seven.
The chances of landing a Pro Bowl player with one of the top five choices are 54%. The odds drop to 28% for choices 20 through 25 and, no doubt, continue to fall through subsequent rounds.
That's not to say that there aren't a lot of good players uncovered from the second round on down. But most of them are just that: Good players. In the end, there's usually not a lot of difference among those who make it.
Norman Chad’s draft diary …
1:19: How about the breathless hype for Jay Cutler of Vanderbilt? "To me," Ron Jaworski says, "he is the best quarterback in this draft."
1:19:30: My friend Jason calls and asks "Who is Jay Cutler?"
1:47: The Broncos trade up to select the legend of Jay Cutler.
1:50: "More than anyone else on this board," Steve Young says, "Jay Cutler is going to come in and be a football player and a great quarterback."
1:52: I'm sure Cutler made heads swoon at the NFL scouting combine, but wasn't he just throwing the ball through a tire for three days?
1:53: Excuse me, but when the Heisman Trophy was awarded in December, was Cutler even watching?
1:54: I don't want to rain on Cutler's parade, but he had 11 wins in four years at Vanderbilt. He couldn't even beat Middle Tennessee State.
Newberg examines the player contract in baseball …
Team USA announced as World Cup approaches …37 Days to Go!
Old School 2 is coming …
Mitch, Beanie and Frank return for more laughs as they open the fraternity doors to a new generation of college students.
Jay-Z and Phish rock …
An Open letter to Vince Young …
Now that the draft has come and gone (and with it, the hysterical ranting of the smartest talent evaluators in the history of organized football - you know, your worshippers), I wanted to write you, personally, to explain why I will be rooting for your complete and utter failure as an NFL quarterback.
Obviously, your selection by the “Oilers” has made it impossible for me to ever root for or wish you success, but that development alone would not have generated this visceral desire of mine to see you fail spectacularly. And, for willingly and eagerly possessing that desire, Vince, I sincerely apologize. After all, it’s certainly not your fault I hope that you’re a monumental bust.
No, my fervent hope that your career will be best described as “Leafian” is fed by the weeks upon weeks - and now the excruciating post upon post - of Vince adoration that I and other Texan fans with lives have had to endure, and will continue to endure, until you’re officially jockeying a clipboard on a Nashpatch sideline.
Day after day we’ve heard your flock assure us that you’ll be winning the Vince Young Award as the NFL’s Most Valuable Player, leading the AFC to victory in the annual Vince Bowl in Honolulu every season and, of course, hoisting 14 or 15 Young Trophies over your twenty-year career.
New cool hockey blog I found …
The Alex Gordon rookie card is very valuable …
Last year, in part to reduce confusion in the marketplace, the Major League Baseball Players Association ruled that card manufacturers could make rookie cards only of players who either made the 25-man roster or played in a major league game the season before. Gordon didn't qualify either way. After he led Nebraska into the College World Series, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2005 draft didn't sign his contract -- including a $4 million signing bonus -- until late September.
"At the last second, we realized we had made a mistake, so we pulled the cards, destroyed them by cutting out the photo and then destroyed the plates," said Topps spokesman Clay Luraschi.
But a fan named Jeremy Troutman pulled five of Gordon's cards on a shopping trip in his hometown of Wichita, where, coincidentally, Gordon is playing Double-A ball for the Wranglers this season.
"I went to Wal-Mart, bought two boxes, and got two in the same pack," Troutman said. "So I bought seven more boxes and got another three in the same pack."
Troutman, whose story first appeared in the Wichita Eagle, opened 1,000 packs to find his five cards. He sold all five of them to different collectors for a total of $5,761.79.
Troutman had the right idea. The Gordon cards are believed to exist only in the earliest shipped packs, many of which went to Wal-Marts across the country.
But before you raid your local Wal-Mart in search of a bonanza, you should know that the odds of a payday like Troutman's aren't in your favor. Fewer than 20 of the Gordon cards have shown up for sale on eBay, leading some in the collectibles industry to believe that the card is as rare as they come. Luraschi is confident that fewer than 100 cards got out.
Since you have demanded it, Top 10 moments in Favre’s career …
And now this sports problem we were forced to solve via email:
What the heck is up with E. Johnston's face on TNT? I noticed it the other night but I thought it was the angle of the camera. Therefore, I knew Dan has blasted him on your show but I must have missed it. The camera never zooms in on a close up when he talks although they do when HIV Johnson, Kenny, and the Mav Hater is talking. Sad....surely Sports Sturm has seen this...?
Did some Sturm research..
Link
Turner Sports Studio Host Ernie Johnson has revealed that he is dealing with cancer.
Many NBA viewers who saw All-Star weekend noticed that Johnson had an issue of some kind with his face, prompting lots of discussion from InsideHoops.com readers about his health.
Today, Ernie Johnson explained his situation in a statement:
“Two and a half years ago, in August of 2003, I was diagnosed with "follicular" Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. This is a low-grade and treatable cancer--not as aggressive as some other forms. The approach that my oncologist recommended was what is called "watchful waiting"--that is, monitoring my condition with checkups every 4 months with the option to begin treatment if and when I began showing symptoms of illness. Through all this time I have had no symptoms...have felt great... and still do to this day.
The only reason I'm bringing my condition to your attention now is because the swelling of a lymph node near my left ear has become noticeable to viewers of TNT and there have been questions asked. My plan is to work the rest of the NBA season and playoffs, go to the beach with my wife, Cheryl, and our 4 kids, and start a treatment regimen in late June, which will likely include chemotherapy. And then I'll go back to work.
So there you have it. His face isn’t exploding. He has cancer.
So, now Cancer is supposed to be a bit on your blog?! Good Grief Bob, or should I call you, Son of Gordon Keith!!!
ReplyDeleteI promised to be into hockey while the Stars were in it, but now, Calgary and Anaheim? I would rather check out the hot college chicks on ESPN 2 playing fast pitch softball.
By the way, thanks for stopping the novel writing from yesterday's blog. That had to even give YOU tired head.
Probably just his own body's self-defense mechanism from all the BS those two assclowns to Ernie's left have been spewing for years.
ReplyDeleteThe same poker announcer Norman Chad??? meh
ReplyDeleteI like Fake Sturm's enthusiasm!
ReplyDeleteYeah somebody is in a bad mood today.
ReplyDelete