Playoffs? Playoffs?

With it starting to look increasingly difficult to get into the final eight to make a run at Lord Stanley, I thought I'd give you a top five of why they will and won't make it into the dance.

Tonight they play the Washington Capitals whom hold the best record in the NHL with their 96 points. It's three more than second place San Jose who lead the west and as Sturm mentioned in the blog below, 12 more than their Eastern Conference counterpart Pittsburgh.

With that said, here are the 5 reasons why the Stars WILL make the post season for the first time in two years. Following the Washington game, I will give you my 5 reasons why they won't make the post season.

1. After their next two road games the Stars will come home for their longest home stand of the season. A six game set that will start a stretch of 16 games to close the season. They will have been home for 10 of those contests. Dallas is 10-4 in their last 14 at the AAC and they have points in 21 of their last 27 (17-6-4).


2. Kari Lehtonen has only played one NHL game since April 11, 2009. He stopped 33 shots and beat Tampa Bay as a member of the Thrashers. Because of his back injury, he was limited to being on the ice. As he continues to get himself up to NHL game speed and into playing shape the former 2nd overall pick in 2002 will just continue to get better.


3. They have been very good on the penalty kill as of late operating at a 86 percent clip over their last 8 games. They pretty much shutdown the Stanley Cup Champ Pittsburgh Penguins power play unit, only allowing a meaningless tally late on the man advantage. They had been getting great goaltending before the break which is key, but they have been great positionally shorthanded, using their sticks to close up passing lanes and solid stops and starts. Meaning when they go to the wall to make contact they get back quickly into position not allowing things to get scrambled and therefore opening up large seems. The Stars also are 5th in the NHL in taking penalties. Their discipline keeps them playing five on five or power play hockey, this could be critical down the stretch as teams tighten up their defense and games become lower scoring and tighter checking.


4. Although the Stars are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games and have lost three in a row, remember this is still a day to day, week to week race. Before the break they were 9-4-1 an were as hot as anyone. But even after the three losses in a row they are still only six points off the pace. That's because, not a single team that is within 12 points ahead of them has a better record than 6-4 in their last 10. That's Los Angeles, who is 6-3-1 and is in fifth overall. The teams the Stars are competing with, St. Louis, Calgary, Detroit, Minnesota, Nashville, and Anaheim have been mired in mediocrity. All those teams with the exception of Nashville are within three wins of the Stars


5. Although they have a tough schedule on the horizon they do close the season with four of their final five games against teams that are below them or out of the playoff race. Those points could be crucial if they can stay close going into the final two weeks. If you look at the final 7 games, they play Anaheim twice, St. Louis, Minnesota, and a must win against Edmonton. They do play San Jose and Chicago in those final 7, but possibly in a meaningless games for the Hawks and Sharks as they may have the one and two seeds locked. That would help the Stars, as they have already played both those teams tough!

So that's my stretch of an argument of Why the Stars will make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Tomorrow the Top 5 Why they WON'T make it! That might be easier.

Stars Blog: Roadtrip '10 - Pittsburgh

"Lots of questions, but short on answers" would be the theme of the day as the Stars losing streak hits 3 games at the most crucial of moments in their season, after a 6-3 to the defending Cup Champions in Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon.

It is certainly a joy and a pleasure to be on the road with the Stars under any and all circumstances (in case you don't know what I am talking about, the Bob and Dan Radio show is traveling with the team on this most challenging or road trips this week to Pittsburgh, Washington, and Buffalo) it is a bit uncomfortable seeing the disappointment on the faces of the team at the moment of truth for the 2009-10 season.

They know the crucial nature of their actions. They know they cannot allow Los Angeles and St Louis to jump on them on home ice for a combined 11-2 thumping before going out East to take on the best the conference has to offer, and yet they cannot stop the bleeding.

Of course, it should be noted that beating the Penguins in Pittsburgh is an extremely tall order for any team in any circumstance, let alone a team that is a borderline playoff contender that is having trouble beating anyone this week. Pittsburgh is bursting with quality, as they scored 6 without Evgeni Malkin contributing a single point and Bill Guerin missing the game with back spasms. And yet, with this Sidney Crosby kid - who you look at and cannot help but think what he was doing just 6 days ago - they had more than enough hockey genius for a Saturday matinee victory.

Crosby worked some sweet magic yesterday with a number of plays that tell you he is not some hype-created force. He is arguably the best player in the world. And if he is in the middle of an argument about that topic, the other side of it, Alex Ovechkin, awaits the stumbling Stars on Monday in Washington.

Back to our Stars, there is not too much that can be said that hasn't already been said. We can talk about the idea that it is "go time", but it already was "go time" last week. We can talk about how everyone needs to dig a little deeper and skate a little harder. But, at what point do the guys begin to question whether they have what it takes to mount the surge that is required to make the playoffs?

I hope we are not already there - but this thing is in critical condition. Nothing a win on Monday won't cure, but then again, Washington actually has 96 points right now - the most in the NHL - and an unthinkable 14 more than the Penguins!

Nobody said this was going to be an easy ride. Even if the plane is decked out and wonderful.

=============All Time Results of BaD Radio Road Trips===========

2/14/04 At Pho L 3-2
2/16/04 At Ana L 1-3
2/18/04 At LA W 4-3

3/5/06 At Chi W 7-2
3/7/06 At Edm W 4-3
3/9/06 At Cal L 1-0
3/11/06 At Van W 2-1

3/21/07 At LA W 4-2
3/23/07 At Ana OTL 3-2
3/24/07 At Pho W 4-3

3/27/08 at SJ OTL 3-2
3/29/08 at LA W 7-2
3/30/08 at Ana OTL 3-2

3/3/09 at SJ W 4-1
3/5/09 at LA OTL 5-4
3/6/09 at ANA W 3-2

3/6/10 at Pitt L 6-3

9-4-4

What is a 3 Technique

As I watch the Combine, it occured to me that they use the different terms in interior DL players so much that it might be lost on the audience. So, I went looking for a reasonable definition that you might like with google. Here is what I found for you:

From Athlon Sports ...

Although the majority of games are won or lost in the trenches, newspaper headlines and sports talk radio rants are rarely focused on the big guys at the heart of every defense. So, the line lingo regarding defensive tackles is well deserved.

Talking heads love to throw around terms like “3-technique” or “2-gap” without any explanation following. And judging by their misuse when describing certain prospects, some of those draft gurus may or may not know what they’re actually saying — but it sounds good.

A defensive tackle’s work starts with gap responsibility — which spaces between opposing offensive linemen need to be clogged. The gaps are distinguished by letter — the A-gap is between the center and the guard; the B-gap is between the guard and tackle; the C-gap is between the tackle and tight end; the D-gap is just outside the tight end; and the E-gap is between the tight end and the wide receiver. There are two types of defensive tackles — those with two-gap and those with one-gap responsibilities.

Two-gap defensive tackles are usually bigger and stronger, occupying at least two blockers. This stuffs the running lanes, while also allowing the linebackers behind them to go unblocked, make plays and hog the glory.

In a 3-4 defense, Steelers two-gap All-Pro Casey Hampton (6’1”, 325 pounds) has rare athleticism for his size. Meanwhile, 17-year veteran Ted Washington (6’5”, 375 pounds) is an immovable mountain who can seemingly be effective by just leaning on two or more opposing offensive linemen. In a 3-4 defense, defensive tackles are better known as nose tackles and almost always have two-gap responsibilities. In order for a 3-4 to be effective, it needs a force of nature at nose tackle, which is very hard to find.

In a 4-3 scheme, the Super Bowl standard for two-gap defensive tackles is the retired Ravens duo of Tony Siragusa (6’3”, 350 pounds) and Sam Adams (6’3”, 350 pounds). The Goose and the Boston Lager were dominant two-gap tackles who dominated opposing offensive lines, allowing Ray Lewis to run untouched from sideline-to-sideline all the way to a Super Bowl XXXV victory.

One-gap defensive tackles are usually a sleek 290-to-310 pounds with quickness, speed and range. The more glamorous of defensive tackles, a one-gapper is more likely to sack the quarterback and less likely to serve only as a “blocker” for linebackers.

These days, whether the comparison fits or not, every young defensive tackle is the “next Warren Sapp.” And there is a reason for that. The Super Bowl XXXVII champ and 1999 NFL Defensive Player of the Year recorded 96.5 sacks over his 13-year career. Aside from being a notorious and controversial personality on and off the field, Sapp redefined the one-gap, “3-technique” defensive tackle.

The term “technique” is misleading. It is describing “where” a defensive tackle lines up on the field — not “how” a player does something (as the definition of the word “technique” indicates). But where a defensive tackle lines up is directly related to how he plays his position.

The numbering system starts at the center and moves out — a 0-technique defensive tackle lines up directly over the center; the 1-technique is between center and guard; the 2-technique is directly over the guard; the celebrated 3-technique is between the guard and offensive tackle; the 4-technique is over the offensive tackle; the 5-technique is between the offensive tackle and tight end; the 6-technique is inside the tight end or outside the offensive tackle on formations without a tight end; the 7-, 8-, or 9-techniques move farther outside and away from a defensive tackle’s normal responsibilities.

So, just in case you need the primer, there you go. Here is Wikipedia's page that also is useful.

Also, Speaking of Defensive Line, here is maybe the best edge DE or OLB in a 3-4 in the draft, Jason Pierre Paul. At 6'4, 270.

Kidd's 15/15/15 Masterpiece

Before the Atlanta game gets too far in our rear-view mirror, I wanted to make sure we spend a moment realizing the rarity of Jason Kidd's performance.

To me, Jason Kidd's play in 2009-10 is the single greatest reason why the Mavericks are appearing to be ready to tangle with the Western powers in these playoffs. Sure, the trade is key and Dirk is Dirk, but Jason Kidd has taken over this team and is running them in the right direction - full speed ahead.

They have a certain composure and direction that I have not seen previously, and I think Kidd is a determined player right now making a serious run at things.

Anyway, from a standpoint of legendary performances in the 4th Quarter, I will not soon forget the 4th in Atlanta that Kidd turned out and seemed to will the Mavericks to an unlikely OT victory over the Hawks. The game will likely be remembered for Kidd's smart drawing of a technical foul with Mike Woodson , but let's not forget the full body of work.

19 points, 16 rebounds, 17 assists is a triple double that is extremely rare, eclipsing the 15/15/15 barrier.

So, I became quite determined to find out how rare it really was, and thanks to Sarah Melton and the Mavs/NBA stats people, here is what I have for you:

----------------------------------------------

Here are all of them from the last 30 seasons:

PT-RB-AS
19-16-17 Kidd, Jason DAL 02/26/2010 DAL 111 @ ATL 103
21-16-16 Kidd, Jason DAL 01/30/1996 LAC 101 @ DAL 105
24-17-17 Johnson, Magic LAL 04/18/1989 DEN 118 @ LAL 142
20-17-15 Johnson, Magic LAL 04/01/1989 LAL 108 @ DEN 114
30-17-15 Bird, Larry BOS 04/01/1987 WAS 86 @ BOS 103
28-19-15 Bird, Larry BOS 01/13/1982 ATL 95 @ BOS 116
33-15-17 Johnson, Magic LA 03/29/1981 DEN 148 @ LA 146
27-15-19 Richardson, Micheal NY 03/21/1981 CLE 105 @ NY 119
15-16-16 Richardson, Micheal NY 03/13/1980 IND 107 @ NY 100


Most 15-15-15's ever:

Oscar Robertson 14
Wilt Chamberlain 8
Magic Johnson 3
Larry Bird 2
Jason Kidd 2
Micheal Richardson 2

To see more about NBA Triple Doubles Wikipedia has a pretty good page on it ...

So, it appears - at least back to 1980 when NBA record-keeping improved dramatically - that we have never seen a 20/20/20 game.

It also appears that the 14 year distance between Kidd's 2 15/15/15 performances is borderline insane. And, look at the company he keeps on that list of guys who have done it! Oscar, Wilt, Magic, Larry, and Michael Ray Richardson - who might have been unreal if it wasn't for cocaine and all. Pretty amazing company from a player that is a living legend and had to be seen to be appreciated fully.

-----------------------------

Here are a few pieces of email regarding Kidd and the controversial trade that brought him here 2 years ago:

that 4th quarter by Jason Kidd last night was maybe the best regular season performance ever by a maverick. Not only was it physically dominant with damn near a double-triple double and a bunch of critical 3s, but it was as mentally "hard" as we've ever seen a maverick be, in my opinion. On the road, against a very good Eastern conference team Kidd really did refuse to let his team lose. And if all that wasn't enough, then Kidd physically punks and mentally hoodwinks the opposing head coach! Dude, when that happened you just knew the Hawks were done. Atlanta got outcoached by the opposing point guard... how do you come back from that?

Just outstanding. I loved it. I'll never decry the loss of Devin Harris again. Harris will never be able to do what Kidd did last night.

DR

----------------

Bottom line…

If you swapped Jason Kidd with Devin Harris, the Nets have more than 6 wins. Kidd makes others around him better. He makes the game easier for his teammates. A HUGE part of the Mavs success since the trade is having a basketball savant like Kidd running the offense for new comers.

Devin Harris has never been a good facilitator. He’s more in the mold of a Steve Francis or Stephon Marbury. Only far less of a prick. However, I think Francis and Marbury were much better at setting up their teammates, despite their selfishness. People like to bring up Harris in the 2006 playoffs, but aside of the 2 great games against the Spurs, he didn’t do anything in the 1st round. He didn’t do much against Phoenix and really didn’t do much against Miami. People like to talk about Harris’ defense, but wake me up when he (or any PG for that matter) can stop guys like Deron Williams, Chris Paul, a healthy Baron Davis, etc.

The fact that Dirk wanted Harris gone was enough for me. I more so didn’t like giving up the 1st round trade assets, but when you look at the Mavs history of drafting players, Josh Howard was a no brainer pick at the end of the draft. Other teams stayed away from him because of his questionable IQ. The Mavs picked guys like Nick Fazekas over Big Baby. They drafted Maurice Ager who is nothing more than a D-leaguer pretending to be an NBA player.

Stay BaD,

Brandon

If you read this blog and/or listen to our show, you know that I loved the trade when it happened, hated the trade when it appeared it failed miserably (Hornets series and the 2008 summer of Josh), loved it again last spring, wasn't sure about a 3-year extension, and now marvel at the Kidd 2010. I can comfortably say that although we could debate whether Steve Nash would have made the most sense to be the Mavs point guard the last 6 seasons, surely most now realize that Devin Harris is ordinary and Jason Kidd extraordinary. Kidd, even at this advanced age, has the Mavs looking very formidable - and I just don't believe they would be in this position without an amazing PG facilitating the whole thing.

Canada 3, USA 2 - Gold Medal Game

To suggest I have a number of varying opinions about the hockey genius we witnessed yesterday and for the last 2 weeks would be an understatement. I feel that I should blog today from a number of varying perspectives, so please find the one that matters most to you and read on:

From the perspective of the USA hockey fan who felt a punch to the stomach a few moments before 5:00 pm yesterday when Sidney Crosby stole the show:

This one really hurts. I must tell you though, this team also exceeded my expectations and renewed so much hope in the state of American hockey in the post- Modano, Hull, Guerin, Richter, Roenick, Tkachuk, Leetch, Chelios-era. Many fans, like me, did not want to cut the ties with the old legends of American hockey, and were a bit uncomfortable with not bringing along a few gray-beards for the sake of nostaligia and leadership. But kudos to Brian Burke and company for having a vision and darn near riding that vision all the way to a gold medal. They believed in the next wave of young and talented studs - who grew up inspired by the old guard - and those young players demonstrated a fight and grit and spirit that gave us plenty of hope moving forward.

I really am proud that our country can produce players like Patrick Kane, Ryan Miller, and Zach Parise to carry on the torch. The gap still exists, as our American team may not have had more than those 3 make Team Canada, but we obviously can skate with them, and on our best day we can beat them.

I was also quite excited about the job that Jamie Langenbrunner did as captain. It is hard to consider him an old man, but in a young man's game, he did very well in making sure that if the USA was going to drop a hockey game in these Olympics, it would only be at the climax of one of the greatest games ever played.

From a US perspective, I will never forget jumping around my living room with sheer joy when Parise scored to tie the game, nor will I forget standing there motionless when Canada celebrated. It is certainly different living and dying with a team you didn't really know or understand 2 weeks ago, but it doesn't take long to embrace a team who wears your flag.

In my lifetime, I look forward to my countrymen winning Olympic Gold when all of the best are playing. I doubt we will ever see the day when we are favored, but surely we know now that we can compete 20 on 20 with Canada's finest. For a while yesterday, I started thinking it was destiny, and that it would happen in 2010. But, I must say, they played so well and courageously that I don't leave these games feeling like an American player let us down. I think they squeezed everything they had out, and fell one puck short.

Proud of USA Hockey. Thanks for the ride, boys.



From the Perspective of a fan of Hockey who bangs the drum for this sport even when it annoys and frustrates me:

I think we now fully understand why this show is worthwhile. The NHL players who must work this into their sometimes-100 games + season to promote the sport are certainly pressed for time, but this is worth it. Hockey may be the only sport of the big 4 that can have a tournament where the teams are this close and as many as 6 teams have a chance at the Gold Medal according to experts (Canada, Russia, Sweden were the 3 favorites - with the USA, Finland, and Czech Republic also in the mix). Basketball isn't far off, but the advantage the US has in hoops is far greater than the advantage Canada has on the ice. Of the first team NHL last year, 0 members of Team Canada made the list.

But, this is what happens when when the best show up and play with the passion to be the best. There is a clear difference between skating hard and skating hard with a gold medal on the line. The level of play was awesome. It was Stanley Cup Finals intensity, with 300% more talent on the ice than in any Stanley Cup Finals. The teams are loaded - uneffected with over-expansion - and playing like they mean it.

And obviously, this is key, because the world was watching. Or, at least North America was watching. I have never seen so many people talking hockey as I saw yesterday. On Twitter, people from every walk of life were trying to figure out what they were looking at as they gave hockey a chance for the first time in years.

I have no delusions that those same people are now signing up for NHL Center Ice and gathering around for the stretch drive of the NHL Season or reading up on who might be moved by the Wednesday trade deadline, but it is nice for them to see what it is that obsesses us.

This sport, at its best, takes second place to nobody. The intensity generated by a game of that magnitude and the nerves that accompany it cannot be duplicated. I love hockey for moments like yesterday. I sit through 1,000 games waiting for yesterday. And it is a pleasure.

As I said yesterday on twitter, "This. Is. Hockey. - Welcome"



From the Perspective of Dallas Stars and Brenden Morrow fan:

There he is, our captain, looking like he hasn't looked since the 2008 NHL Playoffs. Playing like an enraged William Wallace.

Featured in Sunday's Vancouver Sun by Iain MacIntyre: Here

Salt of the earth person, salt of the earth player, Morrow embodies nearly all the characteristics Canadians so admire in hockey players: bravery, unselfishness, resilience, toughness, honesty. That skill set made him important to Team Canada. Then he started scoring goals.

Morrow deflected in Chris Pronger's wrist shot for one goal Friday and screened goalie Jaroslav Halak on another as Canada hung on to beat Slovakia 3-2 to advance to the gold-medal game Sunday against the United States on the final day of the Vancouver Olympics.

"I was pleased with four or five minutes -just being part of the team, grinding it out, blocking shots, battling low," Morrow said. "This is icing on top to be able to contribute like this and score an Olympic goal. It's a pretty big thrill and I want to just keep riding it out."

At age 31, Morrow wasn't any-one's favourite to even make Team Canada, but is having the tournament of his life at his first Olympics.

From tiny Carlyle, a hamlet in the grain belt of southeastern Saskatchewan, Morrow had played internationally for Canada in five previous tournaments. And in 27 games over four world championships and one World Cup, the Dallas Stars' winger had scored zero goals, which says as much about the traits he possesses and the one he does not.

But on the grandest Canadian hockey stage since the 1972 Summit Series, Morrow is on a scoring binge. He jammed a puck in against Russia during Canada's 7-3 win in Wednesday's quarter-finals.

"They've both been pretty ugly, but that's how mine seem to go in, so I'll take them anyway I can get them," Morrow said. "It's more of a sprint than a marathon [at the Olympics]. Guys you battle against throughout the season -probably some guys you don't really care much for -but you come here and put that all aside and you have one common goal. We're a tight group now. We're willing to pay a price for each other and do everything we can for that gold."

Morrow said he has been thinking about that since Team Canada held its orientation camp in August.

Yet, there was no guarantee Morrow would actually be named in December to the Olympic roster.

He is a size-medium grinder on a team full of XL offensive gazelles.

And if there were a leaderboard for second-guessed selections, Morrow would have been the clubhouse leader coming to Vancouver.

After a mid-career outburst that saw Morrow score nearly a point per game for more than a year, his 2008-09 season ended with a torn ACL ligament 15 months ago. The injury must have extended internally to his hands, because when Morrow came back this season his scoring touch had hardened.

He had 33 points in 56 games before the Olympics. Even as a role player, someone who would provide some sandpaper and menace on the fourth line, Morrow could have been bypassed in favour of Shane Doan or Ryan Smyth or Alex Burrows.

It seemed even Team Canada's staff may have been wondering about their choice when the tournament opened as Morrow was one of four players "pooled" on the fourth line. But he played his way up almost immediately.

He is on a line with NHL rivals Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, nasty players who are probably among that group Morrow ordinarily doesn't care much for, and the unit's presence has been felt most shifts.

"In years past, it's kind of been the same thing: get on the team, grind it out and earn everything I get," Morrow said. "That's been the case here, too. The work comes first. I think anyone who comes here, you wouldn't be here if you didn't want a bigger [role]. Our line has battled hard. We've been strong on pucks down low. That's been the key to our line's success: our strength on pucks. I think we've gained a little bit of trust from the coach and we're getting rewarded for it."

It feels extremely wierd pulling for a team where Brenden was on the other side. I have loved watching him grow up and reaching many of his dreams. I have also loved that he has been honest as a man when it comes to saying what matters most to him. And at or near the very top of the list is winning a gold medal while representing his country.

So, to see him skating around hitting everyone in his way, digging the puck out, and going to the net let me know that he is still that guy. His knee is better, and he is back and ready to wreck what is in his way.

This should make the Stars very excited about the stretch drive. He is newly determined and finally back to 100%. Now, with a gold medal, I wonder if he is ready to get back to the work at hand - getting the Stars to the next level, too.

I was stunned and disappointed to see Sidney Crosby score with a goal that personified "sudden death". I wasn't even close to happy about how my country came up an inch or two short. But, I must admit that seeing Brenden Morrow so happy gave me a small level of consolation.

Someday, if he is skating a Cup in Dallas, I imagine I will feel even better about seeing him celebrate.

What a tournament. What a sport.

And now, we return you to your regularly scheduled NHL season....

The Giant has Awoke But We Can Still Believe in Miracles

Well I said the best the US would do is bronze and Canada would win gold. I still might be right, as much as I like to see the US win their third gold medal (1960 & 1980) in Olympic Hockey history they couldn't have had an easier path cleared to the medal round.

Two wins against a feisty but less talented Switzerland squad, a snoozer over Norway and in a game against Canada that they were desperately outplayed but won 5-3, they could have named Martin Brodeur their number one star. Face it, as much as I loved rubbing my Canadian hockey goofball friends noses in the perverbial doggie doo doo of a loss, I doo doo realize they were dominated by Team Canada and Alex Auld probably would have been able to hang on to a 3-2 victory for the home squad.

But now they will get tested but not too badly. Finland has been solid, and play a sound defensive game by not making a lot of mistakes in their own zone. They also have thrived at transitioning on turnovers forced at their defensive line. Out of the big six or seven teams in the tournament the United States victory over Canada has given them an opportunity to go for gold.

Thats because of the swiss cheese effort by the greatest goalie of all time, thus leaving the US clear of Sweden, Russia, and Canada up until the finals. The problem with the undeserved win in one of the most exhausting and exciting hockey games that I have in my memory, is that Canada knew they dominated the youngsters from the south and now have awaken with more anger and fury than Nancy Grace on a hangover.

The 5-3 victory may have done something for moral in the states but it has fired up the Canadians so, that they have routed Germany and medal favorite Russia by a combined 15-5. The most impressive component of the Canadians at this point is there work ethic, like when Rick Nash blew by the Russian forwards to join the rush and push the home squad ahead 3-0 before anyone blinked. Even captain Scott Niedermeyer played better after a slow start to the Olympics helping shutdown the Russians top line.

When your facing a team as forward stacked as the Russians, headed by their Rasputin like line (You know, the line that won't go away) of Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, and Alexandre Semin you better have some guys that are ready to work all night and that's just what the Canadians got. Jonathan Toews, Rick Nash, and Mike Richards shutdown the big line and did it efficiently and early by capitalizing on turnovers and forcing the Big Red Machines into bad areas on the ice. It was a resounding win for Team Canada announcing they were back in gold medal contention.

It is now the US and Finland, and Canada and the upstart Slovaks to now contend for the medals, which one will claim gold? Well, I am pretty sure the overwhelming favorite would be the hometown favorite and when they claim it on Sunday in Vancouver, the chants of U-S-A, U-S-A, may have just been loud enough to have awaken the sleeping giant.

I may have had Canada for gold and the US for Bronze but I also had Latvia in the quarterfinals and Russia the silver medalist, so I'll just continue to believe in miracles and cheer for Ryan Miller, too bad it has to end! U-S-A, U-S-A!

Sports Agenda Is Full Today

I love sports and I don't care who knows. Trouble is, this time of year, you can go weeks without finding a sports day with 4 events that would be the "main event" on most any other day.

But, today is Wednesday, February 24. Check it. 4 Top Tier Events to occupy your time on this beautiful day!

1:45 - Champions League Round of 16: Chelsea at Inter, Fox Soccer Channel

Why Should you care? Mourinho against Chelsea? How about this tid-bit :

He is a bitter and twisted man — and a successful one.

Saturday was the 130th consecutive time a team coached by Mourinho — from Porto to Chelsea to Inter — has remained unbeaten at home in league play. It is a run built on stubbornness and good organization, yet scarred by an attitude that is inimical to the game.

Mourinho’s mind games included prolonging the halftime interval by almost five minutes, leaving the opponents cold on the pitch and the match officials jogging nervously in the tunnel. Mourinho challenged officialdom by demonstrating, not for the first time, that his men will come out to play when it suits him.

We have seen all this before. It is unlikely to be coincidence that this display came as Inter was preparing to face its next visitor to the San Siro, Chelsea — the team that he built and the club that fired him — in the Champions League on Wednesday.

So, arguably the best team in the world today, Chelsea, which also just fired Jose a few years back, now tries to snap the 130-match home unbeaten mark he has?

Yes, Please.

2:00 - USA vs Switzerland, Olympic Quarterfinal, NBC 5

6:30 - Russia vs Canada, Olympic Quarterfinal, CNBC

Clearly you know what is at stake now - anyone still alive in this most wonderful of hockey tournaments is 3 wins from the Gold.

But, wow, Canada vs Russia in the Final 8? This was many people's Gold Medal game, and now one of them will be out of the tournament altogether by the end of the day. Surely, this will be amazing. And with Canada on short rest, and already not totally sure of themselves, the prospect of dealing with OV, Datsyuk, Malkin, Kovalchuk, and the rest of the Russian gang will test all sorts of Canadian resolve.

Meanwhile, the USA must tangle with Jonas Hiller again. You would like to think that this is a win, but remember that the Swiss held up well against the US already, and then took the Canadians to a shootout.

8:00 - Lakers at Mavericks, ESPN, Ch 21

Finally, the 4 event Wednesday is capped off with the marquee battle locally of the Mavs testing their new squad against the heavyweight champion of the world, who beat Memphis last night. Kobe returned from being gone for 5 games and scored 32, with the Game Winning 3 .

Let's show em what we got.

Did the Mavs Finally Fix It?

I have really enjoyed watching the Mavericks in the last week and a half, because after many rearrangements of the deck chairs on the Titanic, the Mavs finally made some very broad-based changes to the fabric of the their team in the last few months that have modified the way this team can do business.

Mavericks basketball in the Dirk era has always been very good. He is a talent, and the front office has found ways to put people around him that compliment his game as best as they could. But, it only worked to a point.

To review the Mavericks from late last season, allow me to take you back to a blog entry from last March after a bad road loss against the Lakers -

Lost In Los Angeles - March 16, 2009 :

The Lakers are the Mavericks nemesis these days, and if yesterday is any indication, it isn’t because they have some magic mojo against the Mavs, it is simply because they are significantly better all over the floor. I enjoyed the ABC TV guys debating it, and I thought Jeff Van Gundy was spot on about this team when he suggested that this team isn’t inconsistent. “They just aren’t that good”.

Very simple.

Very obvious.

Now, you can look at Dirk and suggest that the best player on the team, and one of the top dozen players in the NBA is the problem – but that remains a silly past-time if you ask me.

Isn’t the biggest problem with the Mavs the following:

At any given time yesterday, the Lakers had 3 mis-matches with which to attack yesterday – AND, at the same time, the Mavs had only about 2 scorers on the floor.

That is right. They have bad matchups on offense and defense. That is a rare double.

ON DEFENSE:

Here is how the Mavs opened the game defensively:

Dirk guards Odom
Dampier guards Gasol
Barea on Fisher
Kidd on Ariza
Wright on Kobe

As you can see, the most obvious mis-match is Damp trying to guard Gasol, but there is nobody else he could even consider guarding. I have no idea why he was on the floor to begin with, but both halves, Carlisle thought he would try it. Then, Barea gets posted up when Fisher decides it is time. Kidd leaves Ariza to help on Kobe and Ariza starts nailing shots.

Then, Barea and Dampier must sit down, and when James Singleton or Brandon Bass and Jet Terry enter the game, now, Dirk tries to guard Gasol (not very well) and Bass tries to cover Odom.

This doesn’t even mention Kobe. Kobe can destroy pretty much anyone in the league, and although Antoine Wright looks like he is doing pretty well, Kobe gets a quiet 28-8-5.

ON OFFENSE:

Here is an equally horrid part of the game. The Mavs have, at all times, at least 2 to 3 guys on the floor who are pretty much worthless on offense. Seriously. Barea, Wright, Singleton, Dampier, and Bass are 5 of the top 8 options right now on this team, and none of them can create any of their own offense. Barea and Wright can spot up and shoot 3’s. Singleton, Bass, and Dampier can occasionally hit an open 15-footer and put back a rebound.

So that leaves only 3 guys who can get you anything on offense above very basic levels of production. And Kidd cannot shoot unless he is left wide open off the pass. As far as creating things, he is great – but to whom shall he create this offense?

Dirk and Jet. Night after night. Dirk and Jet.

Let me ask you a question; Don’t you think the opposition knows this? Don’t you think the Lakers have some idea about this? They stick Gasol on Dirk and then help the whole night with Kobe and friends. Jet still gets one-on-one coverage, because he does most of his scoring from 25 feet. And yesterday, he did it very well.

That leaves Dirk to a) be the only scorer inside the 3 point line, and b) the key to the Lakers defensive efforts. Phil Jackson will do everything he can to not let #41 beat them.

You knew there were big issues again when the Mavs shot 48% in the 1st Quarter, held Kobe to 0 points, and were down 9!

The Mavs are short. Even with Josh Howard back, they are short a player or two.
And that isn’t going to change until the Mavs front office changes it.

That was what I felt last March - and obviously that did not change against Denver in the playoffs. The major beefs were simple:

1) - It was still a team largely based on jump shots. They did not get easy points.
2) - It was a team with 1-dimensional players. At any given time you had either an "offensive" line-up or a "defensive" line-up. You could not find 5 guys who could do both.
3) - It was a team that was not overly tough or difficult to play against.

So, how do you change to fabric of an entire team? You could do what many fans do, which is to blame Dirk for not being Kobe and Kidd for getting old, or you could try to methodically and with some level of stealth offer an opportunistic move here and there to slowly (but quickly - it was only May, 2009, right?)

First, the Shawn Marion move allowed you to put a guy on the floor that is both athletic (surely the most athletic of anyone on the squad at the time) and defensive minded in a frame that is comfortable on both ends of the court. Not near the offensive force that he once might have been, but you are not afraid of passing him the ball in the late stages of a key game. Unlike Josh Howard, he doesn't mind the ball when it matters.

Then, the bold strike on All-Star weekend, where you accomplished so much with one move that many of us thought it was just a dream.

1) - You went and got a 2-way wing player who can defend, can score, is tough, is composed, and is ready to rumble in Caron Butler.

2) - You also grabbed a guy who may be the best big man that Dirk has ever played with in Brendan Haywood - and I am pretty comfortable saying that after only 5 games. He is active. He is vertical. He has hands. He seems to have a brain. He seems to have the stomach for the fight. I think I am in love.

3) - You subtracted a guy in Josh Howard who had to go for so many reasons. He need a fresh start, but no more than the Mavs did. His mentality merged with Erick Dampier to show the NBA that the Mavs just don't have the bottle. They were the same tired team that spit the bit in 2006, 2007, and 2008. There was no reason to believe that it was going to continue to happen. Josh, who once had so much promise, now was the poster boy for what had gone wrong.

All in one move!

So now, the Mavs may not have what it takes to move past Denver or Los Angeles - we don't know the answer to that. But, we do know that they did everything in their power to change things.

1) - They can now get points in the paint. They can take the ball to the rim, they can get easy put backs with Haywood and Marion leaping in the paint, and they have guys who can finish Jason Kidd opportunities with more than 19-footers.

2) - They can run the same 5 guys on both ends of the court without dramatic mismatch issues at crunch time - Dirk, Kidd, Butler, Haywood, and Marion/Terry make up a 5-man unit that makes sense. They can all hold their own at both ends of the court. There is nobody with a pork chop hanging around their neck waiting to be taking advantage of by the opponent.

3) - And most importantly, it looks like a team that is not enjoyable to play against. I don't think these new additions fear a street fight. I don't think they will say "excuse me" when bumping into you, and no, I don't think they will let Kenyon Martin nail Dirk and just watch quietly.

They did it. Without changing their cap future, trading Dirk, or "blowing it up", they have actually followed a plan and figured out a massive over-haul on the fly.

Will it work? I don't know, but for once, I feel like I am not watching the same episode.

And that is all anyone can ask.

USA 5, Canada 3 - Medal Round is Next

Back after a short lay-off, let's get back to this blogging.

On Sunday Night, we were all treated to the reason that the NHL goes through the trouble to shut down the league and participate in the Olympics. Yes, it annoys us that they hide it on MSNBC. Yes, it is further maddening that for most of us, it wasn't even in High Definition. But, in the end, we were treated to that night that we all imagine when the premise of Canada vs USA is suggested. Or, the USSR vs the Czech Republic. Or, Finland vs Sweden. If the NHL is going to participate, and the players are going to do their part - which means they are going to play all out as if that is all they care about.

And it is happening. The caliber of hockey on Sunday is the type of day that finally makes all of the frustrating nonsense about the way the game is marketed seem like details that do not fully matter. The hockey is so intense, and so wonderful to behold, that I almost do not mind looking for the game on MSNBC and watching it in standard definition. This is playoff hockey - but more talented. There is never a chance to breathe because every time a Canadian player hops over the wall to join the game, he is another world class scoring threat. In the NHL, you target 5 or 6 guys - but in the Olympics, you better just go ahead and target them all.

Anyway, on Sunday night, I settled in to watch the USA play Canada for what seems like countless occasions in my life. It seems, regardless of setting, that when the USA plays Canada in hockey that the gap is just too much to overcome, and yet, I tune in everytime bracing for the worst and hoping for the best.

And yes, it is particularly weird knowing that Brenden Morrow plays for Canada, where as the closest thing we have to Dallas affiliation with Team USA would have to be Jamie Langenbrunner, our long-time buddy on those special teams back in the day. But, we have learned to deal with it. Our enemies are our friends, and our friends are our enemies. It is odd to cheer for a bunch of division rivals to beat Brenden and his mates, but put them in USA and Canada sweaters, and suddenly, it is easy for me to take sides.

Last night took me back to the World Cup of 1996, when a classic USA team of Modano, Hull, Roenick, LeClair, Richter, and friends took down Canada in a best of 3 final that made my heart swell - and yet nobody I talked to seemed to even know the tournament was going on. But, that was the only other time that our best beat their best. Until last night.

Now, before I get into the details that impressed me about the USA's victory, I do want to concede a few small points to our Canadian friends. 1) Canada lost in 2002 to Belarus at this stage of the tournament, but then when it came down to single elimination in the next stage, Canada went right through the field and won the gold. And 2) If these two teams play in a few days, the smart money should still be on Canada. This win is nice, but if you could choose when it would happen, you clearly want it to happen next Sunday - not yesterday.

Having said that, I will tell you what I told friends all weekend; After that performance against the Swiss on Thursday night, I fully expected the Canadians to light up the US like a Christmas tree on Sunday and run them out of the arena. I figured hearing them being doubted for 48 hours would have been enough to bring Canada to its finest level - now I am wondering if we are seeing their finest level. And what is worse? So are they. They are now seriously wondering how good they can be with this group of players at this time. Fascinating stuff.

And now, a few additional quick hits:

* And so we solve the amazing riddle of hockey yet again; Goaltending solves everything. Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres, was so wonderful in his play that the USA always looked like they were in a fine position in the game. He is so composed, and so in control, and so big, that you always feel good with him back there. Based on the email, it appears he is still a very well kept secret in Dallas Stars' fandom, but Miller is exceptional. This is no fluke. His quality is such that he can steal the gold mostly by himself if he keeps this up.

* If you follow hockey even a little, you know that San Jose is one of the picks to get out of the West in the playoffs this year. Much of this relies on the fact that they have some of the most absurd elite-level talent as anyone in the league. In fact, they have the "HTMLine" featuring the superstars Heatley, Thornton, and Marleau on Team Canada. They can even put Dan Boyle in the back and have 4 Sharks on at the same time. It is a ton of talent and they have the added bonus of chemistry and continuity when the rest of the squad is not familiar with eachother. But, there is also the problem of the Joe Thornton reputation that has followed him for much of his career about doing big things at big moments. Rising to the occasion is not his forte, and although I find him an amazing player, I will also concede that last night when Crosby is battling tooth and nail and making plays, Thornton's line was a lot less effective.

* Brian Burke and Ron Wilson did what we needed them to do. The USA Hockey program has been served well by those names we all love so much, but at some point they needed to make a clean break. They needed to say goodbye to the legendary names and move on. There is a metaphor in here for the Dallas Stars or any sports organization when you weigh those who have fought so hard for you over the years versus those who can serve you well down the road. If you let the fans decide, we will always want to keep the old guys around because we think that A) they have earned it and B) we are comfortable with them. But, give Burke credit for doing it. He picked a largely anonymous, new team, and when the team was picked, we freaked out a bit because our names of comfort were not on there. But that team of new Americans is built for speed and for collisions. They are talented and young and an entire different style from what were used to. Most of all, they seem relentless and ready to scratch and claw to the death. I do like this team. Very scrappy, and very difficult to play against.

* Realizing that it has nothing to do with this game, You owe it to yourself to see Ovechkin's huge hit on Jagr . OV is so wonderful for hockey.

* From what I understand, the last 3 games that the USA is to play will be on NBC 5 in HD. The Quarterfinal will have the Top Seeded US against the winner of Belarus - Switzerland on Wednesday. The hockey is going to be awesome this week. I still am not sure I think the USA can get to the finals, but I am also starting to ask, Why Not?

ICE ICE BABY

With the XXI Olympic Winter Games underway in Vancouver, it’s just a short time until the main event drops the puck on the most anticipated hockey tournament in North America since 2002.

That year was special in not only the fact it was on home soil in Salt Lake City, Utah but because it was the last time the great Herb Brooks would coach on the world’s stage. The United States lost to Team Canada in a classic gold medal battle that Joe Sakic and Mario Lemieux led to a 5-2 victory.

THE TOURNAMENT RULES

On Tuesday at high noon this year’s installment of the Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament will get underway as the United States will take on Switzerland, followed by the hometown and odds on favorites Team Canada playing "host" to Norway.

The 30 game, 12 team tournament, will consist of three pools of four that will play round robin for seeds 1-12. The top four teams, three pool winners and one wild card will have a bye into the quarterfinal round. The eight remaining teams will play for the final four spots of the quarterfinal round making up the eight team field competing for the Olympic Medals. It will conclude on February 28th with the Gold Medal Game at 12:15.

NHL RINK
This will be the first time that the Olympics will be played on an NHL sized rink (200 x 85 ft) rather than an Olympic sized sheet (200 x 98.5 ft). Apparently it was suppose to save millions on renovations and will allow more people to be in the building.

TWO REF SYSTEM
It will be the first time the two referee system will be used in international play. The NHL adopted the two referees and two linesmen system in 1998. NCAA Hockey recently started this format.

TRAPEZOID
The NHL goaltenders won't have to deal with worrying about getting called for delay of game if they want to play the puck in the Olympics. International rules don't mandate an area behind the goal where net minders can only handle the puck. It will be a free for all for the likes of Marty Brodeur. Too bad Marty wasn't playing in these Olympics.

THE POOLS

Predicted records in parenthesis ex. USA (2-1)

In Group A

Canada (3-0)
United States (2-1)
Switzerland (1-2)
Norway (0-3)

Group B

Russia (3-0)
Czech Republic (1-2)
Latvia (1-2)
Slovakia (1-2)

Group C

Sweden (3-0)
Finland (2-1)
Belarus (0-3)
Germany (1-2)

DALLAS STARS TO WATCH FOR

Canada
Brenden Morrow

He will be asked to play mostly third probably fourth line checking roll. They won't look for him to score but be an energy player and use his grit against softer teams in the tourney.

Finland
Jere Lehtinen

He’s been with this group before and has won medals in the past including silver in the 2006 Turin games. He'll be in a leadership roll on the team and with his work ethic and mind for the game; the Finns could be in the mix again. This year they have Mikka Kipprasouff as well to go with the team that finished 2nd in '06.

Sweden
Loui Eriksson

The second leading goal scorer on the Stars will add depth to the returning gold medalists. He could be on the wing of the top line with Daniel and Henrik Sedin when the Swedes drop the puck on their gold medal defense. No gold medal winning team has repeated since the Soviet Union won in 1984 and in Calgary in 1988.

Latvia
Karlis Skrastins

The Captain of the Latvian squad. Heart, work ethic, toughness, that's naming a few qualities that make up one of the guys that keeps the Dallas Stars in the playoff hunt. If the Latvian squad plays half as hard as Skrastins and in a one game scenario, I feel a big upset coming in the Olympics.


THE PREDICTIONS

Prelim Upset Warning: Switzerland over the US??

I am not going to go as far and say as I am going to predict it, BUT...the opening game for the US could be tough against a Swiss team that is playing their last tournament for their national team coach of 13 years Ralph Krueger. Jonas Hiller of the Anaheim Ducks will start in goal and this season has been stellar on a subpar Ducks squad going 25-17 with a .917 save pct.

The United States played down to their competition in the 2006 preliminary round tying Latvia 3-3. All I am saying is that the US better not take it for granted otherwise a hot goalie and a motivated group could pull the upset!

Team Latvia over the Czechs

In the prelim round I think this is the one that could go down. If the Czechs arent careful they could run into a Latvian team that has the most team chemistry. 13 players on their roster play together in the KHL with Dynamo Riga. Dynamo is in the race for the KHL playoffs and at the time of this blog they sat 6 points up in the race. You can't mess with team chemistry and an aging Czech team might get caught off gurad by this "TEAM".

FIRST FOUR TO BE ELIMATED

With not enough talent and just too much world class talent available to the other countries the first four to fall will be Switzerland, Norway, Germany, and Belarus.

QUARTERFINALS

That leaves the final eight for quarterfinal play

1.Canada
8. Latvia

3.Sweden
6.Czech

4.Finland
5.USA

7.Slovakia
2.Russia

MEDAL ROUND

Canada over Sweden
Russia over USA

Canada Gold
Russia Silver
USA Bronze
Sweden 4th

TEAM CAPSULES FOR THE UNITED STATES AND TEAM CANADA

UNITED STATES
I think the US gets by anybody but Russia or Canada. This year is not theirs. Brian Burke, David Poile and co. went with youth over experience. Fortunately for the US, their best player I believe for them in this tournament will be their goalie Ryan Miller. It won't be enough. They aren’t explosive enough to keep up with Russia, and aren't deep and experienced enough to match Team Canada.

They will be poised for Olympic Gold their next run, as they have 17 players under the age of 30, and that includes 13 that won’t be 30 during the 2014 Winter Games. They could surprise someone in the next two weeks but it will all be on Ryan Miller. Another guy to keep an eye on in this tourney is Tampa Bay forward Ryan Malone. He may be underrated in this tournament. With the absence of physical play an the grit and toughness he posses around the net, he could create him and his linemates space. They also have some explosive offensive talent in Zach Parise, Phil Kessel, and Patick Kane, not to mention long gone are the days of "The Hotel Incident" of the 1998 Nagano Games. The leadership of this version of Team USA starts with Jaime Langenbrunner the team captain, and key players Paul Stastny, Dustin Brown, and Brian Rafalski.

The best the US does is win Bronze

CANADA
Loaded and maybe the most anticipated and pressure packed event in Canada period! GM Steve Yzerman had his hands full when he took this position but if it ends up like 2002 he'll be as happy as Wayne Gretzky was when Canada took the gold in Salt Lake.

The team will be captained by Scott Niedermeyer and the assistants will be Chris Pronger, Sidney Crosby, and Jerome Iginla. The team has so much depth and balance, on the back end Duncan Keith who runs the Chicago Blackhawks high powered offense will be joined by the rocket shot of Shea Weber, and skill and puck moving skills of Dan Boyle.

The forwards showcase Sid the Kid of the Pens and two time 50-goal scorer Dany Heatley, and Joe Thorton of San Jose. So much offense to name but when you can add grit, depth, and specialists like Boston Bruins Patrice Bergeron for his two-way play and propensity for winning key draws it rounds out the best overall team in the tournament.

You notice I didn't mention goaltending? I didn't have to because Canada has the best goalie of all time, three time Stanley Cup Champion and 2002 Olympic Gold Medalist Martin Brodeur.

This team also boasts six NHL Captains. If your wondering, Brenden Morrow DAL, Jerome Iginla CAL, Sidney Crosby PIT, Scott Niedermeyer NJD, Mike Richards PHI, and Joe Thorton SJ.

The only thing I can see bringing this team down is that they have too many stars and too much pressure that overrides there sheer talent. Thats not a bad negative to have.

Canada wins Gold over Russia: because they are deeper defensively and possibly as explosive.

Enjoy the tourney. Hope I am wrong on the predictions! USA USA USA