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Miami Heat Make The NBA Finals For The First Time
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, Championship, NBA, Playoffs, Scoreboard,
Thanks to a dominant 95-78 win over the Detroit Pistons, the Miami Heat took the Eastern Conference Championship and a ticket to the franchise’s first ever appearance in the NBA Finals. The Heat entered the league during the 1988-89 season along with the Orlando Magic, who made the NBA Finals during the 1994-95 season. It took a little longer, but the Heat finally joins its Florida neighbor in getting to play on the biggest stage in basketball.
A pivotal player, part of dynamic duo with Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway for that 94-95 Magic team that eventually lost to the Houston Rockets who were led by Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon and Clyde “The Glide” Drexler was Shaquille O’Neal. Funny enough, 11 years later, after getting three rings with the Los Angeles Lakers, O’Neal, again a part of a dynamic duo, this time with Dwyane Wade, helps bring another Florida team to the Finals for the first time. If O’Neal ran for governor, he’d likely win at this point.
Tonight, O’Neal played like he was 11 years younger, scoring 28 points on 12-for-14 shooting from the floor, grabbing 16 boards, and blocking five shots. It’s safe to say that “The Diesel” showed up, and when he does, he’s simply unstoppable. How about O’Neal’s current partner-in-crime? Wade only scored 14 points, having a poor shooting night, but did dish out 10 assists. His scoring wasn’t needed as much as Jason Williams was the perimeter version of O’Neal, shooting 10-for-12 from the field, finishing with 21 points.
For the Pistons, Richard Hamilton dropped 33 points, but it wasn’t enough to lead Detroit to victory as the other scorers couldn’t hit their shots. Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace, and Tayshaun Prince shot a combined 10-for-35 for only 29 points. Even Hamilton’s points are a bit skewed when you consider he shot 12-for-28. The team as a whole only shot 33.3% from the floor, which is obviously not a formula for winning.
The Miami Heat await the winner of the Western Conference Finals between the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks, who play Game Six tomorrow night. The Mavs lead the series three games to two and can get to their first trip to the NBA Finals with a win in Phoenix.
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Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 6.2.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, MLB, NBA, News, NHL, Playoffs,
Man, June already? Sorry, for not bringing your dose of TSTC yesterday, but I’m back today! So, let’s get started!
NBA: Wow, how great did Dirk Nowitzki look last night against the Phoenix Suns? The man was unstoppable and set a Dallas Mavericks playoff record for points in a game with 50. Add in the 12 boards Nowitzki snagged and the boy worked hard in the Mavs 117-101 blowout victory, which put the Mavs up three games to two in the Western Conference Finals. Ths Suns put in a good effort and actually put a run together in the fourth quarter, but then Nowitzki turned it up and seemingly couldn’t miss from the floor or charity stripe. The series heads back to Phoenix for Game Six tomorrow and tips off at 8:30pm EST.
*In tonight’s Game Six, the Miami Heat could close out the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons. The task will potentially be easier than in Game Five, as tonight’s game will be played in Miami. Last time, Pistons SF Tayshaun Prince scored a playoff career-high 29 points, which was a major factor in the Pistons 91-78 Game Five win. But that was just one reason that led to the win; probably the most important difference is that the Pistons looked like the Pistons of old and played defense with relentless tenacity. Did you see that Ben Wallace block on Shaquille O’Neal’s dunk attempt? Nasty! If the Pistons bring “the nasty” again tonight, homecourt advantage for the Heat may not matter. It should be a good battle tonight. The game starts at 8PM.
MLB: It’s official official - Roger Clemens will join the Houston Astros this season and should make his MLB debut this season on June 22 against the Minnesota Twins at home. To prepare himself, Clemens will start at Single-A Lexington on June 6, Double-A Corpus Christi on June 11, and then Triple-A Round Rock on June 16. If this move is enough to propel the Astros to the playoffs remains to be seen, but I’m looking forward to watching the Rocket do his thing. It isn’t everyday that you get to watch a guaranteed first-ballot Hall of Famer who still performs at a high level. Enjoy it while you can, folks.
* A couple of pitchers who have a good chance to make the Hall of Fame take the mound tonight to become the Majors first pitcher to nine wins. The New York Mets’ Tom Glavine will try to accomplish the feat against the San Francisco Giants and Barry Bonds, who should play after resting his body the last few days. Curt Schilling of the Boston Red Sox deals to the Detroit Tigers, who felt the wrath of another A.L. East opponent as the New York Yankees took three of four games in Motown recently. The Tigers will definitely try to get back on track against Schilling.
* Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim rookie pitcher Jered Weaver will try to build on his MLB debut against the Baltimore Orioles when he went seven frames without giving up a run, striking out five and only walking one. Weaver was highly touted coming out of Long Beach State just a couple of years ago and probably would have been the number one overall pick instead of 12th overall, but Scott Boras screwed that up.
*2005 Cy Young Runner-Up, Dontrelle Willis of the Florida Marlins looks to get back on a winning trend as he’s lost his past six decisions in a row. However, it will be difficult to reverse that trend tonight as Willis and the Marlins head into the thin air of Colorado when they face the Rockies. The Florida hitters won’t complain, but Willis just might.
NHL: Congratulations to the Carolina Hurricanes and the Edmonton Oilers who meet in the Stanley Cup Finals, which start on Monday at Carolina. The two teams never met during the regular season, so this will be an interesting matchup to watch.
Enjoy the games!
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 5.31.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, MLB, NBA, News, NHL, Playoffs,
He wears the same number as Willis Reed and even though he probably won’t have a Hall of Fame career, the Phoenix Suns’ Raja Bell inspired his teammates to raise their level of play against the Dallas Mavericks last night. Expected to sit out Game Four of the Western Conference final, Bell made a surprising start and despite not scoring as much per normal, added fire on the defensive side of the ball and in the huddle. The Suns beat the Mavs 106-86. Leandro Barbosa came off the bench, his usual role, to lead the Suns in scoring with 24 points, including four three-pointers. Josh Howard led the Mavs with 16 points, while Dirk Nowitzki was shut down as more defensive attention was spent on him. He finished with 11 points, vastly below his 27.3 scoring average in the series. The series heads back to Dallas for a showdown on Thursday.
*The Miami Heat look to close out the Eastern Conference series tonight against the Detroit Pistons in Game Five. However, the task will be a hard one since the game will be played in Detroit and the Pistons have too much talent and pride to just fold. In fact, you can’t count them out from winning three in a row to take the series. However, if Shaquille O’Neal continues to play like he did in Orlando, Dwyane Wade continues to do what he wants with the ball in his hands, role players like Udonis Haslem continue to contribute in a significant way, and most important, the Pistons continue to play out of synch, the series will be done soon. The game tips off tonight at 8:00pm.
Is he or isn’t he? It seemed like a done deal that Roger Clemens was going to take the mound again for the Houston Astros, as posted on End Score last night. However, the Astros and Clemens’ agent, Randy Hendricks are both backing off of that claim. Yet, it now seems like it’s going to happen. What is definite is that Clemens will decide very soon whether or not he plays again or hangs up the cleats. Bet on the Rocket to play again.
*Arizona Diamondbacks’ Brandon Webb tries to go 9-0 tonight against the New York Mets. The Mets pitcher will be Pedro Martinez, so if this turns out to be a pitcher’s duel like it theoretically looks like it will be, a win will be hard to come by for Webb.
*Rookie pitcher, Francisco Liriano of the Minnesota Twins, takes the hill to begin a game for the third straight time tonight against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Liriano, starting out in the bullpen this season has shown the reason why he was so highly-touted and looks to be the future number two in the rotation after Johan Santana.
*Two strong pitchers take the hill tonight in Florida as the San Francisco Giants’ Jason Scmidt will matchup against rookie Josh Johnson. Both are 4-2 with ERAs in the two’s and will be dealing in a pitcher’s park. Also, Barry Bonds is expected to sit out again tonight to rest his back, which helps Johnson’s cause.
Last night’s Game Six of the Eastern Conference finals was a good one to say the least. Facing elimination, the Buffalo Sabres scored an overtime goal by Daniel Briere to beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 and force a Game Seven. Hurricanes rookie, Cam Ward, did an impressive job, but it wasn’t enough in the extra period. The decisive game will be played on Thursday back on Carolina’s home ice.
*No NHL games tonight as the Edmonton Oilers are relaxing waiting to see whom they play in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Enjoy the games!
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 5.30.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, MLB, NBA, NHL, Playoffs,
Last night, the Miami Heat took a commanding 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals over the Detroit Pistons with an 89-78 win in Miami. Shaquille O’Neal scored 21 points, grabbed nine rebounds, but most important of all, is looking like the Shaq of old and not an old Shaq. Proof of this came when Shaq blocked a shot, grabbed the looseball, and went coast-to-coast. It reminded me of the few times Shaq did that during his days at LSU. Nothing like watching a big man dribble the ball downcourt. In any case, Dwyane Wade led the Heat in scoring with 31 points and attacked the basket repeatedly as his 19 free throw attempts show. The man just seems to do whatever he wants. Detroit’s Tayshaun Prince paced a below-average Pistons offense with a mere 15 points. The Pistons only shot 39.0% from the floor and have looked tired for long spurts during this series. The Pistons hope to play inspired and revitalized ball on Wednesday when the series heads back to Motown for Game Five. If the Pistons don’t, the Heat will head to the NBA Finals to face the winner of the following series…
*Tonight is Game Four between the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks and it will be a crucial game for both teams. Should the Suns win, they’ll tie up the series at two games apiece. However, it’s been rough going for the Suns who haven’t been scoring as much as they’re used to, especially without Raja Bell, who is out for tonight’s contest. Bell not only brings offensive punch (something Leandro Barbosa is capable of, but just not now for some reason), but also defensive tenacity. Hopefully for the Suns and their fans, Bell will be on the court as soon as possible. If the Mavs win this game, they take a three games to one lead and head to Dallas for Game Five, which will be played on Thursday, to close out the series. At this point, it seems like a done deal that the Suns will “set” if they lose tonight’s game.
Albert Pujols continues to hit homeruns and last’s night’s 3-run homer was the difference maker for his St. Louis Cardinals beating division foe, the Houston Astros 3-1. Last night’s dinger was number 25 in only 51 games for Pujols. So, yup, there is another homerun-related story to watch this season after Barry Bonds’ quest to pass the Babe is now accomplished. However, the difference with this storyline is that people actually like Pujols.
*After going 5-0 with a 1.35 ERA in April, Greg Maddux tries to get one win in the month of May, a month that saw Maddux disintegrate to the point of bashing a bat into a water cooler in the dugout. Greg Maddux? Mr. Cool and Cerebral? I guess a month in which Maddux is currently 0-4 with a 7.81 ERA will do that. He deals tonight to the Cincinnati Reds.
*Among the callups of the Philadelphia Phillies’ Cole Hamels and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s Jered Weaver, the St. Louis Cardinals’ Anthony Reyes may be lost in that stud rookie pitcher mix. However, make no mistakes, Reyes is a good one. Tonight he’ll pitch his second game against the Houston Astros in St. Louis. In his first game against the Kansas City Royals, Reyes went 5.2 innings, walked one and struck one out on his way to his first win this season. A second one could be in order tonight against the ‘Stros.
*And what I said about Dan Haren of the Oakland Athletics in yesterday’s, yeah, I’m big enough of a man to say I was wrong… although he did have a ton of K’s!
*Tonight in the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes look to close out the Eastern Conference series against the Buffalo Sabres and are counting on a rookie goalie, Cam Ward, to bring them closer to the Promised Land of a Stanley Cup. The Hurricanes lead the series 3-2. The puck drops tonight at 7:30pm.
Enjoy the games!
Tap The Schedule And Twist the Cap: 5.29.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, MLB, NBA, NHL, Playoffs,
Last night the Dallas Mavericks regained home-court advantage when they beat the Phoenix Suns 95-88 in the Suns’ house, and taking a two games to one advantage in the series. This makes the second straight game that the Mavs held the prolific Suns offense under 100 points. During the regular season, the Suns paced the NBA in points per game at a 108.4 clip. It seems the only ones doing any clipping are the Mavs’ defenders. The frontcourt duo of Dirk Nowitzki (28 points and 17 boards) and Josh Howard (22 points and 12 rebounds), led the Mavericks in pulling out the win on the road. NBA MVP, Steve Nash (21 points and “only” 7 assists), playoff monster Boris Diaw (20 points, six boards, and three blocks), and the underrated Shawn Marion (10 points and 18 rebounds) couldn’t do enough for the Suns to win tonight. The Western Conference finals continues on Tuesday at Phoenix. Tip off is at 9:00pm.
*The Miami Heat try to build on their win Saturday night as they once again play host to the Detroit Pistons for Game Four of the Eastern Conference finals, which the Heat lead 2-1. The Pistons have pretty much looked tired (thanks to a long series against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers) in the three games played thus far in this series. Will they be able to turn it around and look like they’re at the top of their games for all four quarters of Game Four? We’ll find out tonight when the ball jumps up into the air at 8:00pm.
Okay, no more mentioning of Barry Bonds chasing, trying to tie, and passing Babe Ruth. Bonds and I are well past that. But, if somehow Bonds can stay healthy (specifically his knees), and he manages to get 35 homers before the end of this season, I and the millions of other members of the media, will start a Bonds Watch to surpass Hank Aaron’s MLB record 755 homeruns. We’ll see.
*The World Champion Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians begin a four-game series today with Javier Vazquez taking the mound for the Sox and Cliff Lee for the Tribe. Before the season, both teams were thought to be the main contenders for not only the A.L. Central, but for all of the American League. The Pale Hose have been doing fine with a 33-17 record, but the Indians are only 25-25. This could be the series that “wakes up” the Boys from Cleveland.
*The Boston Red Sox cross the border when they travel North to Toronto to battle the upstart Blue Jays. Offseason acquisitions (notably A.J. Burnett, B.J. Ryan, and Troy Glaus) made many think that the Jays could actually contend in the A.L. East. This division series should be a good one and another gauge as to how “real” the Jays are. Matt Clement takes the hill for the BoSox, while Roy “Doc” Halladay will attempt to cut and slice the Red Sox batting order.
*My pitcher to watch today is Dan Haren of the Oakland Athletics, who faces a weak Kansas City Royals offense at home. Haren has been “on” lately and should continue to wreck damage today.
Last night, the Carolina Hurricanes took a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference finals by beating the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 in overtime. Cory Stillman got the winning goal as he got to a loose puck and put it in between Ryan Miller’s legs 8:46 into the extra period. The Canes need one more win to face the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup finals. It won’t be an easy task, however, as the series goes back to Buffalo for Game Six, a game there is no question the Buffalo crowd will almost help will the Sabres to win. Game Six will see the puck drop on Tuesday at 7:30pm.
*There are no games in the NHL tonight.
Enjoy the games!
Tap The Schedule And Twist the Cap: 5.27.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: MLB, NBA, NHL, Playoffs, Scoreboard,
Well, the Western Conference finals are heading further west to Phoenix after the Dallas Mavericks beat the Suns 105-98. It was another close one and the series is shaping up to be a classic. But, to read more about the game, click here or scroll down.
*Tonight, the Miami Heat play host to the Detroit Pistons who won Game Two 92-88, but just barely as the Heat put together a big run at the end of the game. If Shaquille O’Neal can stay out of foul trouble, he should dominate for longer stretches than he’s been getting, and that could spell trouble for the Pistons, who uncharacteristically have been breaking down during crunch time. The game tips off at 8:00pm.
The Barry Bonds Watch continues as Bonds couldn’t get a dinger last night against the Colorado Rockies. Bonds, however, did go 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored in helping the Giants beat the Rockies 9-0. Tonight, the potential history-maker to go along with Bonds is Rockies pitcher Josh Fogg.
*The White Sox’s Jose Contreras looks to continue his stellar season when he faces the Toronto Blue Jays. Contreras hopes to solve the Blue Jays offense and improve his record to 6-0.
*Two pitchers look to join the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Brandon Webb as eight game winners when Tom Glavine takes the hill against the Florida Marlins and Curt Schilling deals to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Both are currently 7-2.
*Sidney Ponson returns from the DL for the St. Louis Cardinals and hopes his excellent season thus far will not be marred by his stint on the shelf. He is 3-0 with a 2.81 ERA and will be matching up against the San Diego Padres.
*Just because I think his name is such a baseball name, I’ll mention that Boof Bosner takes to the mound for the Minnesota Twins against the Seattle Mariners. He’s hoping to build on his MLB debut when he went six frames, giving up one ER and three walks, while strking out eight against the Milwaukee Brewers in an Interleague game.
The Carolina Hurricans’ Martin Gerber had an outstanding night in goal last night against the Buffalo Sabres, stopping all 22 shots by the Sabres, effectively shutting them down and out. The series is now tied at two games apiece.
*The Anaheim Mighty Ducks hope to try to mount a historical comeback in their Western Conference series, by winning the rest of the games after being down 3-0. Naturally, this will be difficult to do as they’ve only won one game and still have three more to win if they want to make history. They’ll continue to try to do that tonight at home against the Edmonton Oilers. As the great Mets reliever Tug McGraw used to say - You gotta believe!
Enjoy the games!
Dallas Mavericks Take Game Two Against The Phoenix Suns
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: NBA, Playoffs, Scoreboard,
The final score says Mavs 105, Suns 98. However, the game was a lot closer than that score indicates. The game was pretty much the nailbiter Game One was until the final minute of play when the Suns just couldn’t knock down any shots. However, let’s be honest, the Mavs did a much better job on defense and they deserve the credit for tying up the series at one game apiece.
Originally thought not to play due to an ankle injury was the Mavs’ Josh Howard. However, he sucked it up and started the game, which the Mavs couldn’t have been more glad for. Howard scored 29 points, including hitting three 3-pointers, and playing tight defense. Note that the Mavs are 22-0 this season, including 3-0 in the playoffs, when Howard scores 20+ points in a game. They want him to play!
How did the Suns’ injured Raja Bell’s replacement do? Not so good. Leandro Barbosa only scored eight points for the game, going a horrific 3-for-15 from the floor. Yikes! However, this wasn’t a typical shooting performance from Barbosa who is a career 46.8% shooter from the field. With Bell reportedly out until Game Five, Barbosa will need to up his game in the next two contests to give the Suns a chance to win.
Surprisingly, Steve Nash looked downright timid in the second half. I’m not sure what’s going on, but when one of your top shooters and scorers only takes one shot in the second half (a runner in the lane in the last minute of the game) something is going on. It was a vast contrast from the Nash who scored ten straight points for the Suns in the fourth quarter in Game One to will the Suns to the upset win. Nash finished with 16 points and 11 assists, but will need to be a bit more aggressive in the next game.
But, the problem with Nash and possibly the rest of the Suns, may be that they’re a bit too tired. That would partly explain tonight’s missed short-range shots and open jumper opportunities down the stretch. With Bell hurt, as well as Amare Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas, the Suns bench is vastly depleted with Barbosa starting. Tonight, every Suns starter played at least 38 minutes and that’s pretty much been normal for the playoffs. You have to wonder when the Suns’ legs just give out.
*Dirk Nowitzki scored 30 points, grabbed 14 boards, and dished out six assists.
*Game Two hero, Boris Diaw, had another good game as he scored 25 points, snagged 10 boards, and also dropped six dimes.
*Shawn Marion had another great game - 19 points, 19 rebounds, and three steals.
Game Three of the Western Conference finals heads west to Phoenix and will tip off at 8:30pm EST.
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 5.26.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: MLB, NBA, NHL, Playoffs,
Last night the Detroit Pistons evened up the Eastern Conference final series at one game apiece with the Miami Heat. After dominating for most of the game, the Pistons almost let it slip at the end of the fourth quarter when the Heat scored 17 points in the final 1:46. The Heat got as close as 90-88 thanks to a Dwyane Wade three-pointer with 9.8 seconds left to go. However, Detroit held on and iced the game when PG Chauncey Billups hit two free-throws and G Lindsey Hunter took away a Heat possession with a steal. The series continues down in the land of warmth and fabulous people (in other words, models) when Game Three is played in Miami on Saturday night.
*The Western Conference finals’ Game Two goes down tonight at Dallas where the Mavericks hope to tie up the series against the Phoenix Suns. The Mavs’ Josh Howard is day-to-day after spraining his ankle in the first quarter of Game One and that could prove to be an important loss as Howard is one of the better defenders for Dallas. The Suns’ Raja Bell is definitely out for Game Two and possibly longer with a calf injury. Luckily the Suns are deep enough to replace Bell with another scorer in Leandro Barbosa. Look for another great game tonight from both teams.
Most of us baseball fans are still waiting for Barry Bonds to hit homerun number 715, to either applaud Bonds or to discredit him and yell out “asterisk!” He gets a chance to do it tonight in San Francisco against the Colorado Rockies’ Jeff Francis. If the game was played in Colorado, I would think that Bonds would have a better chance to break the tie with the Babe, but Bonds has hit a lot of milestone homers at San Fran. Why not 715?
*Arizona Diamondbacks SP Brandon Webb looks to become MLB’s first eight game winner as he brings his sinker to Cincinnati against a powerhouse Reds offense. Webb is 7-0 with a 2.44 ERA. I have a feeling that’s going to change for the worse tonight after a hot Ken Griffey, Jr., Adam Dunn, et al. are through.
*Scott Kazmir is also looking to become the first eight game winner as his Tampa Bay Devil Rays continue their series against A.L. East foe, Boston Red Sox up in Beantown. In five career starts in Fenway, Kazmir has a 3-1 record along with a 2.54 ERA, 29 K in 28.1 innings pitched, and a .216 BAA.
*Know the old saying - “Things always happens in threes?” Well, it applies here as the Chicago White Sox’s Freddie Garcia also has a chance to get his eighth win against the Toronto Blue Jays. It’ll be a tough order for Garcia as the Blue Jays have a very good offense, especially since OF Alexis Rios has started to mash the ball lately.
Well, the Mighty Ducks are still wading in the playoff waters as they avoided a sweep by the Edmonton Oilers as they beat the Oilers by a score of 6-3. C Dustin Penner and RW Joffrey Lupul each scored two goals for the Ducks. Game Five of the Western Conference series heads back to Anaheim on Saturday night.
*Game Four of the Eastern Conference final takes place tonight in Buffalo with the Sabres owning a 2-1 advantage over the Carolina Hurricanes. Unfortunately for the Sabres, D Henrik Tallinder, will be lost for the rest of the playoffs with a broken left arm suffered during a collision in Wednesday’s game. Tallinder was leading the team with a plus-14 rating. Let’s see if the Sabres can get over the injuries on the defense (the aforementioned Tallinder, as well as Teppo Numminen and Dmitri Kalinin) and get to their first Stanley Cup since 1999.
Enjoy the games!
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 5.25.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: MLB, NBA, NHL, Scoreboard,
Last night’s Phoenix Suns/Dallas Mavericks matchup was another Western goodie and it looks like it’s going to follow form and be a nail-biter of a series. I think the doctors in the respective series better get ready to treat a lot of fans who are close to having full on heart attacks. In any case, you can read about the game here if you like. Or simply scroll down with a click.
*Tonight, the Detroit Pistons look to show their mettle as they go up against the Miami Heat down one game to none in the Eastern Conference finals. The Pistons showed the effects of just playing a long series to the Cleveland Cavaliers as their shots looked flat, which showed in their 38% shooting from the floor. However, it’s only been one game and the Pistons have not only beaten the Heat in an Eastern Conference final before, but they are former World Champs. Look for another close game. My prediction - Pistons by six.
There aren’t many games in MLB today with only several offerings.
*The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies conclude their N.L. East division series.
*After losing the series to the New York Yankees, two games to one, the Boston Red Sox look to beat up on division foe, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who are cellar dwelling at this point of the season.
*The Oakland Atheltics visit Arlington to face the Texas Rangers. Currently, the Rangers lead the A.L. West by one game over the Athletics. This four-game series will be telling in who will rule the West.
Yet ANOTHER close game was played last night in the Eastern Conference finals between the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes. I have a feeling that NHL fans are just as happy as NBA fans regarding this year’s playoffs for each sport. In any case, the Sabres beat the Hurricanes by a score of 4-3 and took the 2-1 lead in the series.
*Tonight we can all be saying good bye, Ducks, as Anaheim is up against the wall, down three games to zero in the Western Conference series. The Edmonton Oilers can complete the sweep with a win at home and then just lounge waiting to see who wins the East.
Enjoy the games!
Phoenix Suns Take Game One Of The NBA Western Conference Finals
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Injuries, NBA, Playoffs, Scoreboard,
What is it with the West? All of their games lately have been nothing short of exciting. It seems they’ve all been hotly contested and played down to the wire, with the winning team doing so by only a few points. Well, Game One between the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks was no different.
This was a homecoming of sorts for Suns PG Steve Nash, who played with the Mavs for six seasons. He is the second player the Mavs have “welcomed back” this postseason as the Spurs’ Michael Finley also returned, looking to beat his former team.
How did Nash do?
Well, he showed why he was the MVP this season as he scored 27 points and dished off 16 assists. At one point, he scored 10 straight points for the Suns during the final minutes to bring them back from a nine point deficit. This included a drive towards the basket with the much taller Dirk Nowitzki hanging all over him where Nash basically kissed the glass high with his shot where his body was almost behind the backboard.
But the glory for each team did not lay with its superstars, but with a couple of players who arguably played their best game ever. For the Dallas Mavericks, PG Devin Harris came up huge. He scored a career-high 30 points, as well as hit the potential game-winning jumper bringing the score to 118-117 in the Mavs’ favor with 4.8 seconds to go. That is until the other team’s non-superstar got the ball in the post from an inbounding Tim Thomas. Boris Diaw scored a career-high 34 points, including the actual game-winning hook over Jerry Stackhouse that put the Suns up 119-118. Thomas added a couple of cheapie free-throws with 0.2 seconds left to bring the final score to 121-118.
Again, another competitive game during this season’s NBA playoffs. If the trend continues, and I don’t see why it wouldn’t after witnessing tonight’s game, this series can go down to the wire and the two teams can end up back in Big D for a Game Seven.
*The Mavs’ Nowitzki scored 25 points and grabbed 19 rebounds. The Suns’ Shawn Marion finished with 24 points and 13 boards.
*Each team lost a player due to injury when the Mavs’ SF Josh Howard sprained his right ankle in the first quarter and Suns’ SG Raja Bell strained his calf somehow in the fourth quarter.
*Game Two will be held in Dallas again on Friday.
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