Oh do I wish Serena Williams would retire!! I keep betting on her in major tournaments to avoid what would be the sickening hype were she to win. Having said that, “que lastima” (what a shame), that she had to withdraw at Wimbledon, especially since I do not get my money back.
I certainly do NOT want her (look at the NBA injuries which has and will have incredible impact, as to which team will be the prostituted NBA’s 75th season champion) or anybody to be injured, however, I root vs Williams and others, in her case because I think she is a spoiled, “given so much,” baby. Remember her press conferences and taking away from opponent’s victories.
As stated, the NBA is a prostituted joke and the injuries to star players, perhaps even likely because of the condensed number of games, leaves the playoffs wide open, as I “jumped the gun,” with the very likely “coin flip” NBA final.
Do not get me wrong, it figured to be that (Suns/Bucks) and even with the Hawks’ rout win in #4 and more relevant the injury to Giannis Antetokounmpo (the Hawks were bet vs, from plus 6 to 9, as their star Young was out–Brad Weiner “informed” that the Hawks have “MLK” on their uniforms and I cite another Young, with my name and cause, Andrew–, which I, having watch none of this upstart team’s games, did not know) still might be.
Tonight is game 1 of the 2021 Cup final between the Montreal Canadiens and the nearly 3 to 1 favorite, defending champion, Tampa Bay Lightning.
After tonight’s game 1 tilt, there will be a note by most of the media that a high percentage of game 1 final round winners went on to win the crown.
Will they (hey Kenny Albert, given so much, will you at least give us some notes?! I will not know as I will not listen to him. It should have been Forslund, although that would have just been a lesser of two bads, there are many worse than either and I could never bdcst hockey, so it is not that painful, unlike typing from a distance, as I am doing now. Forslund said the Habs/Canadiens were 500 to 1 underdogs to title. He, in very sloppy fashion “added a zero,” pretty much indicating he has “no clue” regarding such) note that Tampa Bay, going in is (0-3) in final round openers, but they won 2 of the 3 previous final round entities. They won after a game 1, at Tampa Bay loss in ’04, but lost after such an occurrence in ’15. Last year they “titled,” despite losing the final round opener in the Edmonton bubble.
Will they note that the Canadiens have lost 4 straight Cup final openers, going into to tonight, however, rallying to win 3, each with 4 straight victories (’79,’86 and ’93)?!
The long shot but NBA West second seed, Phoenix Suns have a seemingly commanding (3-1) semis series lead vs the L.A. Clippers, thus are on the brink of a third final round appearance, all of which, if this one manifests in same calendar years, (1976, 1993 and 2021).
Chris Paul has returned to the Suns lineup while Kaw Leonard, who got greedy and jumped to L.A. surely is out. Toronto had titled, you couldn’t have stayed one more year there. The great Wilt Chamberlain had issues with the ’67 title winning 76ers management, but out of respect to his long suffering fans like me, stayed in Philly for the ’67-’68 season, which ended in heartbreak but at least, unlike Leonard, at least he stayed one more season.
You fans root for laundry, ‘nuts” like me against same and oh how much better my life would have been if I did laundry rather than “mainline” sports.
The Suns are (2-8) in previous “semis,” while the Clippers of L.A. are in their first, after finally winning a “qtr” in their 9th appearance which includes 3 as the Buffalo Braves.
The defending Stanley Cup Champion, Tampa Bay Lightning (what a run for “Champa”/Tampa Bay as their 3 teams have made their sport’s last 4 final round entities, winning 2 of 3 but beware as “chalk heel” so often wrong, Barry Melrose picked them vs the Canadiens) rode the game’s only goal, a shorthanded one by Yanni Gourde to a (1-0) win in #7 vs the Islanders.
T.B. netminder, Andrei Vasilevskiy recorded a series clinching shutout (he stopped only 19 shots as T.B. had a wide edge in play as they “semi’d” the Isles for a second straight season) for the 4th straight time, most notably in the first such, a (2-0) win on September 28, 2020 in the Edmonton “bubble” that gave the Lightning their first title and second ever, the previous one in 2004.
Anthony Cirelli whose overtime goal in #6 of last season’s above referenced “semi,” had the lone assist, making a great play, then feeding Gourde, who shot the puck past the excellent Isles’ goalie, Semyon Varlamov, who stopped 30 of 31 Lightning shots.
Artturri “L”ehtinen scored at 1:39 of overtime, lifting the 4 to 1 opening and 7 to 1 after game 1, underdog, Montreal Canadiens (3-2) in #6 and to a (4-2) series triumph, vs the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Golden Knights may have dropped the “L”as,” but it is a “L”oss, as “L”ehtinen joined Jacques “L”emaire (’68 in game 5 vs “Chi”) and Yvon “L”ambert, on a similar goal to Lehtinen’s last night, as he took a pass from Mario Tremblay–last night the pass to “L”ehtinen was from Phillip Danault, (Lambert in #7 vs the Bruins) as “L” players, who scored semi round, OT clinchers at Montreal, for the Canadiens. (By the way, there are other OT semi round clinching goals for Montreal, I recalled the great Jean Beliveau doing so at Boston in #6 in ’69, John Ferguson in #4 at the New York Rangers in ’67 and the immortal Maurice “Rocket” Richard vs Detroit in ’57 and maybe others. It is not easy to research this).
Vegas lost as an OVER PRICED (the Habs have an excellent goaltender, Carey PRICE, who stopped 37 of the 39 shots he faced) favorite, a semis loss as a favorite for the second straight season, this one costing the local Vegas backers/suckers and was a boon to the “houses” in the desert.
Cole Caufield (in the Clippers’ first ever quarters clincher, it was a Terrence Mann, in “Field of Dreams,” that name was used for the James Earl Jones played, supposed J.D. Salinger character. Of course, Mr. Salinger wrote “Catcher In The Rye,” with its main character being “Holden CAUFIELD”) and Shea Weber, the latter to play in his first final series in this his 16th NHL season, also had Montreal goals.
Speaking of overtime late round series clinchers, Alec Martinez, who had the Cup clincher for the L.A. Kings in ’14 vs the Rangers and Riley Smith had the Vegas goals.
“Les” Canadiens will face the winner of tonight’s game 7, Isles at “L”ightning tilt, with the winner getting home advantage in a series that may, even likely will start on Monday June 28th, the day after “The Mand” turns 66, but is forever young and circling end for a touchdown run that “showed” the guys. Additionally “we” hope and pray for the great Guy Lafleur.
Before Mr. Lambert’s goal on a pass from Mario Tremblay, a somewhat similar right to left pass as Danault to Lehtinen last night, Guy Lafleur tied that game 7/1979 semis with a perfect shot.
The goal above with the immortal Danny Galivan on the call with I believe Lou Nanne as the analyst.
The Atlanta Hawks “opened” the 8 point and over 3 to 1 game and 4 plus to 1 series “faves,” the Milwaukee Bucks (116-113) at Milwaukee last night. Trae Young, OF COURSE, led the way, hitting for 48 points.
I will have more on the Hawks and the fact every one of the 32 NBA and NHL ‘offs teams, as is the case a phenomenal percentage of the possibilities in the years of 4 playoff rounds for all the qualifiers (also 3 rounds), have now lost at home.
Below ESPN.com FAILS to note the Hawks were in the Western Conference and though but (1-8) in such games, losing both series to eventual NBA runners up, the Lakers (Celts in ’69, made it 11 titles in 13 seasons, at that point, and were (7-0) vs the Lakers in an NBA final, eventually (8-0) and now (9-3) while the Knicks dropped the Lakers’ title round record to (0-7) as the L.A. representative, after going (5-1) as Minneapolis led by George Mikan and Jim Pollard) they did win a semis/conference/division final game. They are now (2-12) in semis games as the Atlanta Hawks.
“Never before had the Hawks won an Eastern Conference finals game since moving to Atlanta in 1968. The Hawks reached the East finals in 2015, but were swept by Cleveland.”
The Montreal Canadiens, original nearly 5 to 1 series underdogs and now up 3 games to 2 and slight series favorites, (vs the Golden Knights and the ALSO SAME CALENDAR Phoenix Suns, who got an incredible game 2 win on a Deandre Ayton (24 points on 12 of 15 field goal attempts, can not call the last ‘shooting,” so I did not) last second dunk, via a great Jae Crowder lob pass (coach is Mont Williams and though as with almost everyone he added “like” to his sentence, deserves big praise) and are now prohibitive “faves” vs the likely whole series “Kawhi Leonard-less” Clippers, have semis series leads.
In both “same calendar” years of 1976 and 1993 both the Canadiens, who won both final series going (8-1) and the Suns, who lost each in 6 games getting eliminated in a Sunday home tilt each time, made their sports league’s final round.
Additionally (on ViSN, still sans Pauly Howard-“in addition” was said as I typed from a “short wire distance,” which is not easy) Montreal made and won the title 50 years ago in “same calendar” 1971 and 1965, also losing a classic final when Tony Leswick, a relative of Len Dykstra, joined also Red Wings’ player, Pete Babando, as the only 7th game/final/overtime goal scorers in Cup Final annals, in 1954, another “same calendar” year.
On 4 consecutive nights of play (Monday June 7th-Thursday June 10th, in order, Montreal in 4 vs Winnipeg, Tampa Bay in 5 vs Florida, the Islanders in 6 vs Boston and the Vegas (is there a “Las”, I feel L(AS)OUSY this morning as I knew as did Forslund and the annoying studio crew, who cited the Habs Overtime success in ’93 “en route” and until last night this year all leading to Vegas getting even) Golden Knights vs top seed Colorado clinched quarterfinal series.
A week later, the Phoenix Suns, (whose only two final round appearances occurred in “same calendar as this” years 1976 and 1993 and who won and covered an 8th straight game “Bookering” the Clippers in a greedy ABC afternoon tilt, played a day and a half after the Clippers 6’d Utah Friday past to make their first semi, in this their 51st season (Typical and awful, ESPN “graphic’d” 50 seasons, no ’71-2021 encompasses 51 seasons. They were (0-8) in previous “qtrs.” The “Bookering” reference is praise for Devon Booker, a star in the one NBA game I attended in at least 20 years, a brilliant player who hit for 40 as opening series line 2 to 1 “fave” Phoenix opened the Clippers, winning (120-114) as a 4 point favorite) completed a sweep of the Denver Nuggets.
Last Friday was the aforementioned Clippers #6 “qtrs” clincher vs Utah (Jazz, I know an inappropriately named team and days later Bellman, a sadist if there ever was one, did what “Stone” did 2 days earlier bragging regarding his Utah #6 bet so it cost but I “lived” and “lost” but denied him. Each is a veritable “Stone” in my shoe, clearly a horrible waste typifying my waste/life).
The next night amidst the sickening reality of the Albert’s “Control,” (lucky sperm, winners like them tell jokes-Marv certainly does and was great, the fact son Kenny has it all is no joke and frankly a sickening reality to “never to be,” me) the Bucks 7’d the annexing Nets.
Last night, the Atlanta Hawks, losers in 16 of their last 17 “qtrs,” going in, 7’d the Philadelphia 76ers, coached by Glenn “Doc” Rivers, whose playoffs failures are as ongoing, as the credits on Bullwinkle and Rocky.
One thing does not change, a la Boris, the safe again fell on me.
I knew about the calendar, Booker and the Suns, now at least a 3 to 1 favorite vs the likely Leonardless Clippers. Yet…….
Anyway, Devon Booker is pictured above. Who is #2 on the Wizards, certainly not Elvin Hayes. It all passed me by, yet I will go on!
In a series thus far reminiscent of the Flames (costly for me) 6 game Cup final triumph vs Montreal (Canadiens) in ’89, the Habs (Montreal) take a (2-1) series lead into a home Sunday night game 4 after a home overtime win as they 32 years ago in that aforementioned NHL final.
Vegas, no longer the lone place for legal sports wagering, is still a series favorite, (now -165, having been 10 to 1, after their game 1 win and opening as 5 to 1 series “faves”).
Meanwhile after the 9/11 (soon it is 20 years since my mother died) thing manifested last year, when Tampa Bay took a (3-1) semis lead vs the Islanders, the ninth time in 11 Isles’ semis, a team ( 5 vs the Islanders–’75-’77, ’93 and 2020 and 4 favoring them (’80-’83) led (3-1) or swept after 4 games, with all 9 that did so, going on to the title, the Isles for a third time were the team winning #4 to square the semi-final series.
After doing so in ’79 at the New York Rangers, it was the Rangers, who won the next two game. The reverse after the Isles won game 4 at home, as was the case last night, in ’84 as they went on to “6” Montreal, a still unlikely but surely far more likely than most thought, final round situation.
Andy B Sports 