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Rivalries, Passion, Parody All Define East Playoffs

Big Tony — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 03:30:30 +0000

Ladies and Gentlemen the teams who will participate in the Eastern Conference Playoffs have been decided. Boston, Washington, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Carolina, Pittsburgh, NY Rangers, and Montreal are in and unfortunately for some the Florida Panthers are out. The exciting thing about this year’s playoff picture in the east is that every team who made it is in a city with incredibly dedicated fans. Some places are better than others of course but all are extremely supportive and very passionate. Carolina may be the best southern based team to make the playoffs because of their fans. Hurricane fans may not be large in numbers but the ones who follow the team make for an incredible atmosphere for Carolina home games; many believe their arena gets as loud as any in the league. New Jersey probably has the worst fan support of all the teams but at the same time they provide some of the most talented players in the league (Brodeur, Parise, etc.) which can make for some very entertaining hockey. Above all else it’s the passion that makes the playoffs so exciting and nothing gets a fire going like a good rivalry and the possible match-ups have set up some very good rivalries in the first round and beyond. There are the team rivalries: Boston/Montreal, NYR/NJ, Washington/Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh/Philadelphia, and the intra-divisional rivalry between Washington and Carolina which became very heated toward the end of last season. Then there are the great individual rivalries including Crosby/Ovechkin, Malkin/Ovechkin, and the always entertaining Avery/Brodeur confrontation. No matter how you look at it, the Eastern Conference playoffs should be some of the most exciting we’ve seen in a long time. The teams are separated by very little talent wise (despite any point differentials) and any team as the ability to beat any of the others and represent the east in the Stanley Cup Finals. So sit back, relax, and get your popcorn ready ladies and gentlemen because we’re in for one great Spring of hockey.

Top Teams Face Early-Round Exits

Big Tony — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:25:46 +0000

Coming down the stretch there have been a number of teams who are all but assured of playoff spots who have hit some turbulence. For example, New Jersey is in the middle of a six game losing streak, while teams in a similar position like Boston, San Jose, Calgary, Chicago, etc. have all hit similar rough patches in recent weeks. On the other hand teams who have been battling just to get into the playoffs (Pittsburgh, Carolina, St. Louis, Columbus, Vancouver to name a few) have really hit their stride as of late and are on their respective hot streaks. So what should be made of all of this? Well, quite frankly I think it’s great to have so many top teams becoming mediocre and teams working hard every night to get in getting so hot. That is because I think it will make for a very exciting and intriguing first round. No matter what the match-ups are there is going to be potential for a lot of upsets with a lot of teams with home-ice advantage finding themselves in a hole right off the bat. There are a lot of clichés to describe teams as being “battle-tested” or “playoff-ready” and while they may be true in a lot of cases (hence why they’re clichés) the intensity level of a team come playoff time is probably the biggest deal of all. As a result, what we’re seeing right now are a number of teams battling to get into the post-season playing with a high level of intensity. The players are hanging on every shift, every pass, every hit, every save, every goal; and that is exactly the mode you need to be in to be successful in the playoffs so it should be to their benefit to have been playing at such a high level for so long leading up to the playoffs. Meanwhile, the other top teams are muddling along just trying to “stay sharp” as their minds start to tire of the regular season and they begin to look ahead. By doing that the players are putting half-a** efforts into their playing which results in them losing their edge and can result in not just loses but a loss of focus and energy that can lead to injuries. All of that boils down to this; the teams who have been desperate will have that intensity level in the playoffs right away while the top teams will have a hard time just turning on that switch. By the time they do the series could be 2-0 heading into the other teams’ building and by that time the hill may be too big to climb resulting in plenty of first-round upsets.

All Star Game Flops; Second Half Mercifully Begins

Big Tony — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 03:36:34 +0000

The NHL All-Star break is now over and mercifully so is the NHL All-Star game. It was the highest scoring all-star game and 22 goals scored plus the addition goal awarded for the shootout win for the East really could not have been any less entertaining. Even the skills competition was boring with the modification of the event to try to make it more exciting did the exact opposite. With that said, Tuesday night the de facto second half began and there were some pretty good games on tap. The best of Tuesday’s games was in Boston as the Bruins battled the Caps.

Washington and Boston are two of the best teams in the lead not only in team points but in talent level and that makes all of their match-ups particularly intriguing. Washington made Boston come from behind twice in the game before the game was won 3-2 in overtime by Boston on a blocked pass attempt that by chance went into the net behind Theodore. It was unfortunate because both netminders played an incredible third period making incredible shots to keep their respective teams in the game as the aforementioned talent that these two teams are loaded with. Both Theodore and Thomas showed Tuesday night that despite all that talent it is the goalies who need to be the best player on the ice more often than not if any hockey team wants to be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

Some other notes worth mentioning before signing off:

Claude Lemieux made his return to Colorado with the San Jose Sharks. The 43 year old signed an AHL deal with San Jose before being called up to play with the NHL club last Tuesday.

The Buffalo Sabres scored 2 goals in the first 1:45 of the first period against Edmonton on route to crushing the Oilers 10-2.

The Detroit Red Wings started the second half of the season with a 3-2 OT loss to Columbus.

Sundin Back, Sharks Lose, Caps Roll and More

Big Tony — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 04:22:46 +0000

Lots of news, little time, let’s go around the league in a flash.

- Mats Sundin has finally decided on a team, he’s going to Vancouver. Great, now can we please stop talking about him?

- Detroit put a hurting on San Jose Thursday night 6-0. Be not afraid, the game means little because San Jose is still better than Detroit in the long run. I picked San Jose to win the Stanley Cup and I am not backing down now.

- My other finals pick (Montreal) ended Philly’s five game winning streak on Thursday in convincing fashion. Despite a few hick-ups the Canadiens’ season is going well so far. If Kovalev ever gets his scoring woes in order they will be in very good shape.

- The Pittsburgh Penguins scored 6 goals to defeat Atlanta by three on Thursday after a long lay-off. Any win for the Penguins right now is a good win but their defensive troubles continue to be a thorn in their side.
- Yes Boston has 22 wins and 48 points good enough for first in the east; however come playoff time it will be hard for their overachieving players to keep playing at this high of a level. Kudos to their play so far though.

- The Washington Capitals are on fire, winning their fifth in a row Thursday night and looking tremendous in every facet of the game: special teams, offense, defense, and goaltending. Washington is rolling… remember them come playoff time.

Roy, Clark Honored; Luongo Injured

Big Tony — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 05:50:12 +0000

Let me start by saying how great the respective ceremonies were honoring Patrick Roy and Wendel Clark. The Canadiens (Roy) and Maple Leafs (Clark) paid tribute quite appropriately to two guys’ who each left different marks on the game but both will have a positive impact on the world of hockey for many years to come. In other news it was a showcase day for the original six teams who were all on TV nationally in Canada on CBC’s Hockey Night In Canada and on the NHL Network in the U.S. with four of the six matching up against each other—Montreal vs. Boston and Chicago vs. Toronto. Both games were extremely entertaining as they each had one team come from behind late in the game to force overtime with the former being decided in a shootout. Although both home-standing teams lost I think it was fitting that two players were honored on a night that ended in a very exciting manner. The rest of the schedule was entertaining with six games being decided by one goal five needing overtime/a shootout to decide a winner. All-in-all it was a great day to be a hockey fan; the one low point however came in Vancouver’s 3-1 win at the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the first period netminder Roberto Luongo left the game with what appeared to be a substantial injury. We may never know what exactly is wrong with him due to the league’s new ridiculous nondisclosure policy but nevertheless it does not look good for one of the league’s best and most exciting goaltenders.

Toskala Hurting Leafs’ Chances

Big Tony — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:33:37 +0000

The Toronto Maple Leafs have certainly started to turn the corner toward becoming a good team. They are not stacked with talent but they have done well with who the put on the ice every night. Although the Leafs are not winning as much as they would like they are always competitive and are much improved from the last few years. If the Leafs are ever going to enter into the company of the NHL elite they MUST get rid of Vesa Toskala. I have never been high on Toskala but the Leafs have been patient with him and I kept telling myself he had a good team in front of him his performance would reflect that. Unfortunately for Leafs fans everywhere it has not improved, in fact it does not seem as though he has improved at all. As this team continues to grow they are leaving Toskala far behind them and it is getting to the point where—as Don Cherry so brilliant stated on coach’s corner—he has become a liability. Not only is Toskala not helping the Leafs achieve success but he is letting in weak goals and is costing his team games. He has a 3.24 goals against average, an embarrassing .878 save percentage and is showing no signs of improvement (not to mention he only made 19 saves on 22 shots Monday against Boston). I know back-up Curtis Joseph is past his prime and under normal circumstances I would agree he is no longer an everyday goalie, but one thing he will not do is cost the team wins.

Allen Iverson heads to the Motor City – Will Success Ensue?

AlexV — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 05:45:39 +0000

Check out the new threads! Now check out the potential. Read on...

To think that Allen Iverson has not been thrown into a better situation by being traded from the Denver Nuggets to the Detroit Pistons is a preposterous line of thought. He’ll be leaving a team that has been knocked out of the 1st round of the playoffs the last three seasons in only five games in each one of those series.

Although the Nuggets have a proven leader in Chauncey Billups, success may not come as easy playing the west as opposed to the east for this former Finals MVP.

Iverson now joins the cream of the crop in the East. And even if the Pistons would be hard-pressed to make it to at least the Eastern Conference Finals for four straight years in the West as they have in the East, the fact remains that they are part of the elite in their own conference. Two of the key factors in this trade are the timing and the cap space that has been cleared up.Iverson and the rest of the Pistons will now have over 70 games to gel before the playoffs, and with the 20 million plus dollars in spending room that General Manager Joe Dumars has created, the Pistons can afford to make some more moves before this year’s trade deadline and/or especially before the start of next season to make Iverson’s new team even stronger.As for the concerns that the loss in the trade for the Pistons of Chauncey Billups as a true point guard and floor general, don’t count out Allen Iverson’s potential in that same role.

GM Joe Dumars looks to have made good on this deal in his goal to get the Pistons their second NBA Championship under his direction.

Over the last five seasons he has averaged 7.3 assists per game, while Billups has averaged 6.8.

If Iverson can cut down on his 3.9 turnovers per game as opposed to Billups 2.2 through that same five year span, then his 29 points per game against Billups’ hardly comparable 17 per game, also in the past five years can do wonders. Add that to his assists per game and much more playoff savvy crew than the one in Denver, and the Pistons are a clear cut prime contender to overtake the Boston Celtics as Eastern Conference Champions, and perhaps even attain home court advantage throughout the East if not the entire playoffs.

2008-2009 NBA Regular Season Opening Night

AlexV — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 02:56:13 +0000

LeBron James looks to remind us why they call him "The King."

When the NBA opens up their regular season tomorrow, the fans should be treated to a hotly contested battle between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics.

Last season, the two teams went to seven games before Boston finally came out on top. The main stat of the series was the fact that both teams won all of their home games. If the Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to make a statement to open the season, a win in Boston would be a great way to do so.

The second game of the TNT double-header features Greg Oden’s NBA regular season debut when Portland travels to L.A. to face the reigning Western Conference champs.

The Lakers welcome back a promising young star in Andrew Bynum and look to continue their Western Conference dominance from last year when they finished with the best record in the conference. Last season, Portland was off to a surprising early start when they went on a 13 game winning streak at one point, but faded away the remainder of the year. Don’t count out the young and talented Trail Blazers to make things interesting.

The schedulers did a decent job putting some spirited potential on the board for day one of the 2008-2009 NBA regular season.

Greg Oden hopes to be wearing a Jersey and in a puddle of sweat the next time he's in this position.

Andrew Bynum may play a Key Role in putting the Lakers over the Top

AlexV — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 00:39:17 +0000

Perhaps Bynum can continue to be the rising star he was before his injury last season.

Last season, the L.A. Lakers took care of business in the first three rounds of the playoffs. They swept the Nuggets in the first round, eliminated the Jazz in six games in the second round, and defeated the Spurs in just five games in the Western Conference finals. It wasn’t until the NBA Finals that they hit a wall when they lost to Boston in six games.

This year, they’ll welcome back a healthy Andrew Bynum. And if you witnessed his performance in last night’s pre-season game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, then you too may see why Andrew Bynum could place the Lakers back in the Finals with a much better shot at winning it all.

Bynum was dominant going 10-15 for a 66% scoring percentage, with 23 points. Bynum also added eight rebounds and three blocks. What was most promising was his poise under the basket. He didn’t just get easy dunks all night. He was laying it up and taking short jumpers. The scary thing is he is only 20 years old.

The return of Bynum will give the Lakers two superstar caliber players on the inside with Pau Gasol being the other. The Celtics beat the Lakers last year with their trademark stingy interior defense. If the Lakers can match that this season, then seemingly, their main threat from last season may meet a more formidable Los Angeles team in this years Finals.

If Bynum's prodcution continues to improve it could make this guy a very happy man at the end of the season.

How About them Tampa Bay Rays!

AlexV — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 01:17:04 +0000

Matt Garza earned his money in ALCS game seven giving up just one run and bending, but not breaking the rest of the way.

Of all the surprises this season in Major League Baseball, it is the Rays turn around and unexpected success and their continuation of proving every doubter wrong this entire season thus far. Some may argue that they should have put the Redsox away when they were up three games to one, but I guarantee you that Boston is thinking that they should have never even put themselves in a 1-3 hole to begin with.

The Rays deserve credit and respect. The whole reason they played so well throughout the regular season was to have that home field backdrop in case it came to this. For that reason alone, they are the better team. They earned their advantage and ultimately used it to get into the World Series.

Every time the Redsox were in position to score it was Matt Garza who staved them off gaining strike-outs and especially down the stretch of the game. In fact, the only run that the Redsox got came by the second man up at the top of the first inning when Dustin Pedroia scored a homer.

Other than that, it was all Tampa on their way to the World Series which begins on Wednesday October 22^nd at 8:00pm on Fox in Tampa.

Dustin Pedroia's solo homer was not enough to upend the Rays.