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.
Simply put, the date (June 19th/today) that slavery–original American sin, frankly, a shame this country can not overcome via Federal holidays, but by lowering its horribly high, ignorant, stupid, mean level of prejudice–IF THEN–ended and the Rosenbergs Julius and Ethel were executed, (a barbaric event), is one and the same.
Read regarding the Rosenbergs, the fact that in New York City, with the world’s largest Jewish population, there was not one Jewish juror.
Clearly, the blacklist, a product of the ridiculous, tragic, overblown so called Communist threat, ruined many lives, and was not so veiled, if at all veiled, anti Semitism.
In an attempt to be positive, let’s cite two people who happened to be Black/black (capital in this usage?) the indomitable Paul Robeson and James Cheyney. Let’s add two young men, who happened to be Jewish (IMAGINE no religion, countries or possessions, WKRP in Cincinnati did via the Gordon Jump character and to complete the tangent, “KRP” cast member, Frank Bonner passed away) Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman, who with Mr. Cheyney tried to enact voter rights in the bigoted south (I can put up, or can I with my “micro horror,” however, how is it possible that this country still has such issues nearly 60 years later?!) and were killed for doing so.
It is hard, especially for tangent crazy me, to tackle a subject of this enormity and in a tragic vein. So let’s try harder to lower, if not completely eradicate our levels of prejudice!
Andrew Goodman, James Cheyney and Michael Schwerner left to right. Somehow on this earth, we must go on.
Last night, the Lightning “returned the favor,” doing what the Isles did in the series opener, namely winning on the road by a (2-1) score, and in doing so took a (2-1) “semis” lead.
The Islanders have been in 10 previous “semis” with a venue home/road situation. They went (5-5) in those semis, winning 5 straight en route to 4 titles and one final round loss from (’80-’84), and losing in the semis to eventual champion Montreal Canadiens’ teams in ’76,’77 and ’93 and a Flyers’ “such” team, their last to date, in ’75. They lost to the Rangers in ’79 and it was Montreal in 5 vs the Rangers in the subsequent NHL final.
Additionally at a neutral site/”bubble,” the Lightning 6’d the Isles in last year’s semi and then did the same to the Dallas Stars to win a second title, the other in ’04.
In the 5 semis series wins, the Islanders were a sensational (12-1) at home, the lone loss, up (3-0) vs the Buffalo Sabres (remember them, I ask, as they have 10 straight ‘offs “misses”) in game 4 of the ’80 semis. In the 5 semis series losses, they were (6-7). Additionally, the winner of the first Isles’ home “semis” tilt, (T.B. last night did that) won 9 of the 10 series. Only in ’77 when the Isles battled an incredible 60 wins, 12 losses, 8 ties (remember them?!) Montreal team to game 6 (on VSiN, “game 6’s was said as I typed), did a team (the Isles in game 3) win the first Isles home “semis” tilt and not win the series.
The Lightning (2-3) in home/road venue semis, (3-3) overall in semis, were involved in five, 7 game semis in all previous home/road venue semis. In the first 2, the Lightning win vs Philly in ’04 and the Bruins’ win en route to their ’11 title (the only one for the Bruins in 48 completed seasons ’73-2021 with no NHL season in ’05), the home team went (5-2) in each series (10-4) combined.
However, in the last three, the Lightning win in ’15 before losing to a third “Chi” (Blackhawks) title team in 6 seasons in the subsequent final, and in ’16 and ’18 when Pittsburgh (Penguins) and Washington (Capitals and under current Isles coach, Barry Trotz) won en route to titles, the road team reversed ’04 and ’11 and somewhat shockingly went (5-2) in all 3 of those series.
Meanwhile Montreal squared their semi vs the Las Vegas Golden Knights with a game 2 road win, marking just the 10th time in 40 Montreal “semis,” that the series “stood” (1-1) after two tilts.
I believe and maybe I will check (I think there has been enough of the esoteric), only in ’87, before 2 nights back, did Montreal win a road/game 2 semi to even the series.
Las Vegas is in a third semi in their first 4 seasons, a bit incredible. Also incredible: The Canadiens made the “semis” in 33 of the 37 seasons from (1943-1979), failing only in 1948 and 1970 when they failed to qualify for the ‘offs and in ’72 and ’74 when they were “quartered out” by the New York Rangers.
Recalling the incredible last day of the1970 NHL “reg,” when the Rangers benefitted from a goals tiebreaker and denied the Canadiens an ‘offs spot for just the second time in at least 28 seasons, I checked and saw that it was the Rangers, who finished fourth and beat the Habs out for the final playoffs spot in 1948.
Thus all four times the Canadiens were denied a “semis” berth in those aforementioned 37 seasons from (’43-’79), it was the Rangers, who directly or somewhat indirectly denied a Montreal “semis” berth.
Two franchises, the Los Angeles Clippers (this counts (0-3) as the Buffalo Braves) and the Atlanta Hawks (this only counts their 19 “quarters” as the Atlanta Hawks), with a combined quarterfinal series record of (3-24), the Clippers, 8 plus point(s) underdogs, playing without Kaw Leonard are (0-8).
The Atlanta Hawks, 7 plus point(s) underdogs overcame a 26 point deficit and though I stayed up (a rarity), for the Montreal Canadiens, another huge road underdog, getting 11 to 5, who got even vs 10 to 1 series favorite, Las Vegas (Golden Knights), I did not check back and it took time to realize the “phone” “said” the Hawks first.
Meanwhile sans Leonard the Clippers prevailed and roughly,4 the “parlay” of Hawks/Habs and Clippers paid out at 42 to 1.
The Nets, who years back annexed Julius Erving, annexed again and one they annexed, a brilliant player, Kevin Durant, hit for 49 points and had a great overall game as the Nets, who are (6-0) at home in these ‘offs, and bet from (plus 4 to plus 1) (114-108) vs about to be highly criticized Milwaukee (Bucks, never for me because I can not watch, I can not follow but if I knew Barkley “guaranteed” a Bucks’ win, I would have).
In fact, just going vs Barkley, a never title winning and while great, he was even more over rated, is a money maker. Why this man can just throw and rarely stick and almost never be right is beyond me.
I no longer can fight it!!
Why did the great player, Kevin Durant, pictured above while helping the Warriors win 2 of their 3 recent titles, have to leave the Warriors?
Then again, in fairness, why did this 2 time “jumper,” have to pick his team, as he did in choosing the record breaking, but final round losing, Warriors, after the ’16 season?!!
The overwhelming series favorites, (the) Las Vegas Golden Knights and opening series line underdogs, (the) New York Islanders, won “semis” openers, allowing one goal vs the Montreal Canadiens (the Habs have either won the title, compiling a (17-2) mark in that round or lost in the semis 9 times in their 28 semis appearances since losing 2 straight final rounds to the Detroit Red Wings in ’54 and ’55, each in 7 games) and defending champion, Tampa Bay Lightning respectively. Some history notes, regarding the teams in “semis,” follows.
Ten of the 11 previous opening game/semis winners in Isles’ semis went on to win the series. (only in ’84, when the Isles won the last 4 to “6” the Canadiens, did a game 1 Isles/semis, loser win that series).
Las Vegas won (4-1) in game 1 vs Montreal, maybe, (though L.V. is now a 10 to 1 series “fave” now, having “opened” 5 to 1), not a good sign for them, as I note the Canadiens lost game 1 of both the ’79 and ’93 final rounds by that (4-1) “tune,” only to win the next 4, including home, (4-1) Cup clinchers in game 5.
Shea Theodore, pictured above, not only “opened” for Las Vegas ending the 7 plus games streak of the Canadiens not trailing, but also had the primary assist on Alec Martinez’ goal, which expanded the Vegas lead to (2-0).
Martinez, of course, scored in overtime in game 5 of the ’14 final, giving the L.A. Kings a second crown in three seasons.
Sadly, news came that the excellent pitcher and fantastic man, Jim “Mudcat” Grant passed on at age 85 over the past weekend.
I will post again what I wrote regarding Mr. Grant (wow Minnesota was where and for whom, Mr. Grant won 21 games and 2 more in the ’65 World Series and where another Mr. Grant, played by Ed Asner on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, would have in extended fiction, cheered for Mudcat) 2 years ago.
Once I called Claude Osteen and then years later repeated that I thought he and not Howie Reed, who sadly died far too young) gave up the #6/’65 W.S. home run to Jim Grant.
Maybe Reed can pitch to Grant again in the sky.
Click below as the link and my post includes Jim “Mudcat” Grant singing in tribute to the great Twins player, Harmon Killebrew, accompanied by Ric Oliva, the son of another “Minne” great, Pedro “Tony” Oliva. See Mrs. Killebrew’s truly moving reaction.
- Thoughts Regarding Jim “Mudcat” Grant on August 10, 2019
Though each team still has a chance (the oddsmakers demur), the quarterfinal series woes of both the Los Angeles Clippers (0-8 in such series, before losing the first two of a 2021 version vs the top ranked Utah Jazz) and Atlanta Hawks ((3-16) in such series since moving to Atlanta and starting with victories in the second and third years of best of NBA “qtrs” in both ’69 and ’70. Thus they have lost 15 of their last 16 such entities and trail the East top seed Philadelphia 76ers 2 games to 1. They have won less than a third of their 102 quarterfinal games, the record standing at (33-69) after last night’s loss) continue.
Elsewhere the Phoenix Suns are almost certain to go over the .500 mark by winning a 10th “quarter” in 19 such, as Chris Paul and Devon Booker have led them to a (3-0) series lead vs the Denver Nuggets, who again, almost certainly will fall to (4-7) in NBA quarterfinal series.
The overall favorite, Brooklyn Nets have a (2-1) series lead vs the Milwaukee Bucks.
Andy B Sports 