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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!
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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.
The New York Mets, desperate for starting pitching, traded RP Jorge Julio to the Arizona Diamondbacks for SP Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez. In his first season in the National League, Hernandez has been nowhere near as effective as he was in the American League. However, the dimensions at Chase Field are not particularly favorable for pitchers.
Consider El Duque’s home/road split. At Chase Field, Hernandez is 0-3 with an 8.16 ERA, 1.85 WHIP (walks+hits per inning pitched), and a .319 BAA (batting average against). On the road, El Duque is 2-1 with a 2.65 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and .242 BAA. It’s obvious that Hernandez needed to get out of Arizona in order to have a chance to pitch productively.
In New York, more to the point - Shea Stadium, El Duque will have a strong chance to right his ship of a season as he will be going to a pitcher’s park, backed by a huge offense that includes Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, David Wright, et al. In two career starts in Shea Stadium, Hernandez owns a 1-0 record with a 1.13 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and .140 BAA.
Hernandez will likely become the fourth starter behind Pedro Martinez, Tom Glavine, and Steve Traschel. He will also likely be looked upon to help rookie and fellow Cuban defector, Alay Soler acclimate to the majors, essentially becoming Soler’s mentor.
El Duque has proven his worth in New York before when he played for the New York Yankees from 1998-2004, helping the Yankees win three World Series titles in a row from ‘98-‘00. Getting a chance to contend again, I’d look for Hernandez to bring his game up and help the Mets in a big way, the same way he did with the Chicago White Sox last season.
The NBA Draft Lottery was held in the midst of the Miami Heat/Detroit Pistons playoff game, and no matter who ended up winning the game, the Toronto Raptors were going to be winners too as the lottery played itself out in front of a national audience on ESPN. The Raptors beat the odds, only having an 8.8% chance of getting the first pick.
The Portland Trailblazers having the worst record during the regular season, and therefore having the best odds of winning the lottery, actually fell all the way to picking number four. Tough luck. The Chicago Bulls will pick second overall thanks to a trade of Eddy Curry to the New York Knicks before the season started. Excellent luck. The Charlotte Bobcats will pick third.
On top of having the number one overall draft pick, the Raptors also have some salary cap flexibility and it will be interesting to see what they do. With PF/C Chris Bosh as the cornerstone for the franchise, to go along with SF/PF Charlie Villanueva and PG Mike James, the Raptors can improve themselves in a hurry.
At this point, there is no consensus number one overall draft pick, but the projected top players will be Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison, Texas’ LaMarcus Aldridge, and LSU’s Tyrus Thomas. Don’t be surprised if the Raptors go across the Atlantic and choose PF Andrea Bargnani from Italy, considering the new Assistant GM, Maurizio Gherardini is coming from being a GM for Italy’s powerhouse Benetton Treviso.
The NBA Draft takes place on June 28.
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 5.23.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: MLB, NBA, NHL, Scoreboard,
To continue the trend, I will begin this edition of TSTC with the NBA. Whew! Watching this season’s playoffs is TIRING! Last night’s San Antonio Spurs/Dallas Mavericks overtime game was a classic. With the Spurs trailing the whole way, even by much as 20 points, the Spurs finally got a lead late in regulation, but thanks to some quick production from DeSagna Diop and clutch free-throw shooting from Dirk Nowitzki, the game went into overtime where the Mavericks just pulled away for a 119-111 win. The Mavs move on to the Western Conference championship.
They will be facing the Phoenix Suns who beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 127-107 in a rout that highlighted the team’s two superstars - Steve Nash (29 points; 11 assists) and Shawn Marion (30 points; 9 rebounds). I’ll applaud Elton Brand for his 36 point effort and the rest of the Clips for showing that they have the strong potential of being serious playoff contenders next season. But that will depend on what they do in the offseason, particularly with Sam Cassell.
The Western Conference Championships begin tomorrow night when the Mavericks host the Suns.
*Tonight the Eastern Conference championship round begins when the well-rested Miami Heat travel up to Detroit to face the Pistons, who barely averted a Cleveland Cavaliers playoff upset. The Heat will look to avenge a series loss in the conference championship to the Pistons last season. The question is, will the new pieces acquired during the offseason - Jason Williams, James Posey, and a bit more importantly, Antoine Walker - pay dividends this time around?
In MLB, there was much ado about nothing when Barry Bonds and Albert Pujols’ teams faced off in San Francisco. Pujols went 1-for-4 with a double, as Bonds went 1-for-3 with a single and a walk. Let’s see what unravels tonight.
*In other games, the Yankees got absolutely crushed in the first game of their series with the Boston Red Sox last night, losing 9-5. The Yankees scored four ninth inning runs off of ineffective former closer, Keith Foulke, which skews how badly the Yankees lost. Jaret Wright looks to get the Yankees on track, facing highly-effective knuckleballer, Tim Wakefield.
*Chicago Cubs pitcher, Kerry Wood, makes his second start of the season against the young Florida Marlins lineup. Wood who missed most of the season up to this point, went five innings, giving up four runs on three homers, as well as striking out six while walking none against the Washington Nationals. If Wood can chill with the long ball, he’ll go a long way.
*When the Baltimore Orioles take the field at Seattle facing the Mariners, rookie pitching prospect, Adam Loewen will take the hill for the O’s. Loewen is one of the prized proscpects in the organization and it will be interesting to see how the lefty will do as he could possibly stay up in the Big Show with Daniel Cabrera hurt and the other pitchers on staff, aside for Kris Beonson, have been underachieving.
*In Kansas City, Detroit Tigers pitcher, Kenny Rogers, looks to become the league’s first eight win pitcher as he deals to the anemic Royals, who actually are almost 100% better when hitting at home due to the gaps of Kauffman Stadium.
In the NHL, we go up North as the Western Conference series moves to Edmonton. The Oilers have a 2-0 lead and look to push the Anaheim Mighty Ducks to the brink of elimination. Dwayne Roloson has been amazing in goal for the Oilers and has been holding the Ducks offense to a mere one goal per game.
Well, folks, enjoy the games!
I’ve never seen a star player (who is a two-time MVP, by the way) receive so little support from his home fans. Sure Alex Rodriguez has struggled in the post season since he arrived in 2004, but is he the reason for the Yankees not winning the championship those years? Absolutely not. He wasn’t the only bat struggling in the post-season, the main reason was the unreliable starting pitching. Why Yankee fans are giving A-Rod the 2005 Carlos Beltran treatment is beyond me. How can your players expect to succeed if you keep booing the guy at home? To say he’s a selfish player is asinine. He was the best shortstop in the league and he deferred to Derek Jeter by switching positions. Now he is one of the better defensive third baseman in the league. A-Rod has had playoff success prior to joining the Yankees, hitting over .300. True fans should remember his juggernaut attack against the Yankees in the 2000 League Championship Series. He’s not going anywhere, you can’t trade the guy, you definitely can’t release him, and so Yankee fans might as well cheer for him.
Tap The Schedule And Twist the Cap: 5.22.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: MLB, NBA, NHL,
With the Eastern Conference championship series all set between the battle-weary Detroit Pistons and loungin’ for a week Miami Heat, the two combatants for the Western Conference championship will be determined today. Considering both series have gone to Game Seven, you know that tonight’s games are going to be slobber-knockers!
*The first game of an NBA playoff doubleheader will be the Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs, who amazingly came back from a three games to one deficit to tie the series up at three apiece. Tim Duncan and company come back home where they will look to stop Dirk Nowitzki and the rest of the Mavs to take another step towards repeating as World Champions. Jason Terry, suspended for Game Six, looks to make a difference tonight in trying to shut down Tony Parker and bring some offensive punch (not real punches) for the Mavs. But, let’s see if it’s, in fact, Michael Finley who can help knock out his former team.
*The Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Clippers has been a great matchup between the power inside and the speed and accuracy from outside. Elton Brand continues to bring some overdue respect towards his game, but so has everyone else in the Clip Joint. It’ll be tough to slow down Steve Nash’s will to win and to get the best out of his teammates, let alone in Phoenix, but the Clips have shown to be more than worthy opponents. It will be a reversal of fortune if it’s the Clippers, and not the Lakers, representing Los Angeles in the Western Conference championship round. However, Shawn Marion, Boris Diaw, Raja Bell et al. may have something to say about that.
In MLB, Interleague play is over and done with, but will return in the middle of June. In the meantime, now that things are back to normal, there are a couple of games to keep an eye on.
*A Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees contest is always a good thing to watch. There’s the potential for high drama every game. Curt Schilling will host a hurt Yankees batting order with both Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield on the mend. But, Schilling isn’t crying for anyone, having gone through his injury woes all of last season as he played hurt and was, for the most part, ineffective.
*The St. Louis Cardinals are on the road and take on the San Francisco Giants. This game is somewhat symbolic in that a former N.L. MVP and owner of MLB’s single season homerun record, Barry Bonds, will “face” the current N.L. MVP and potential player to break that single season record this season, Albert Pujols. Let’s see if the balls come flying off the bats of these great power hitters. If Bonds does go yard - “Babe Ruth, how does third place feel?”
Let’s not forget about hockey. The NHL isn’t as popular as the other sports (great, now I’m going to get tons of comments and/or e-mails from Canadians), but it deserves its due.
*The Eastern Conference round continues as the Buffalo Sabres, owner of a 1-0 lead, takes on the Carolina Hurricanes. The last time, the Sabres beat the Hurricanes on their home ice, 3-2. Look for another highly contested matchup.
Enjoy the games!
Eric Chavez has been a middle of the order threat for the Oakland A’s since the 1999 season. The sweet-swinging lefty has a problem against the over-shift of putting the defensive fielders on the right side of the diamond to prevent Chavez from pulling the ball. Only a select few of the elite sluggers in the game right now get this treatment. Some of the players are Barry Bonds, David Ortiz, Carlos Delgado, and Jason Giambi. The other sluggers don’t complain about the shift, Chavez has the opportunity to hit the ball the other way for an opposite field doubles. Heck, he could even bunt the ball and make it to first base safely.
For years, teams have been overshifting their defenses against A’s third baseman Eric Chavez, expecting him to pull the ball hard. Chavez is not a big fan of the strategy. “I hate that. I hate the whole numbers thing,” Chavez said. “You should play the game the way it’s supposed to be played. If a guy’s a pull hitter, you play him to pull a little bit. It’s ridiculous, it shouldn’t be played like that.”—Oakland Tribune
For Chavez to make these comments of frustration makes me question how he handles pressure situations and his overall mental make-up. He hates the numbers game? Well then he must hate the entire philosophy of the Oakland A’s strategy of Moneyball.
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Hey, I figure if ESPN can do it, why can’t EndScore.com?!?!?! Tied with Babe Ruth for second on the all-time homerun list with 714, Bonds went up to bat against the cross-bridge rival, Oakland Athletics. Here’s how the at-bats went:
1st inning: Intentionally walked by A’s pitcher, Joe Blanton.
4th inning: Singles to center against Blanton.
7th inning: Singles to right against Chad Gaudin.
9th inning: Replaced by Dan Ortmeier.
Bonds’ next shot to get 715 will be on Monday night as the San Francisco Giants play host to the St. Louis Cardinals with lefty Mark Mulder taking the mound. Bonds owns a .500 batting average in 14 at-bats against Mulder with three of the seven hits being dingers over the wall. Needless to say, Bonds has a pretty good shot to get number 7-1-5 on Monday, if Bonds doesn’t sit to get some rest.
Detroit Pistons Prevail Over Upstart Cleveland Cavaliers
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: NBA, Scoreboard,
The Detroit Pistons clamped down on defense and limited the Cleveland Cavaliers offensively in the second half, which is where the game was won, 79-61, for the Pistons. They only allowed a paltry 23 points in the third and fourth quarters and held LeBron James to 1-for-9 shooting from the floor in the second half as well. James’ first half success - 10-for-15 for 21 points - could not continue because the Pistons raised it up a notch in what they’ve beeb known for for years - defense.
The Pistons will face the Miami Heat for the Eastern Conference title, a rematch from last season. Note that this will be the Pistons’ fourth consecutive Eastern Conference championship series, which speaks highly of their consistency. The first game of this rematch will be played in Detroit on Tuesday, May 23.
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