The top ranked Milwaukee Bucks led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, have advanced to their first NBA semi-final since 2001 and just their second in 33 (their greatest, and if you add it all up, college and pro, I believe basketball’s greatest player, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, nee Lew Alcindor wore that number) seasons, ousting the Boston Celtics in 5 games, in their NBA “quarter.”
The number 33 is also very much applicable to the Celtics and not just regarding their great player, Larry Bird, who also wore that number.
Since Bird led to the Celtics to an incredible 16th title in the NBA’s 40th season in 1986, they have won just one NBA crown in the 33 subsequent seasons.
That title was in 2008 and the final series MVP was Paul Pierce. This year, Pierce was outrageously wrong, saying on television, the “series is over” after Boston’s game 1 victory.
Milwaukee, a truly good team story, won the next four games, all of them easily.
Last night, St. Louis native Pat Maroon scored in the second overtime, lifting the St. Louis Blues (2-1) vs the Dallas Stars in game 7 and into the NHL semi-final round for the eighth time in this their 51st season (’68-’19, no NHL season in ’05).
The Stars also in their 51st season, having started in Minnesota as the North Stars and the Blues’ opponent in their first game ever, got a brilliant 52 save effort from another St. Louis native, Ben Bishop, albeit in a loss.
Earlier in these ‘offs, the current and somewhat heavy top choice to win it all, the Boston Bruins, squared their all-time ‘offs series record at (8-8) when they 7’d the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Now the Blues are (8-6) in playoff(s) series vs the Stars/North Stars franchise, (4-1) in seventh games, (5-1) in decisive games and (3-1) in decisive overtime games.
While the Eastern Conference final series is set, with the Bruins facing the Carolina Hurricanes, once their old neighbors, the Hartford Whalers–the Blues either will travel to San Jose (Sharks) or host the Colorado Avalanche in game 1 of the “semis,” depending on the outcome of tonight’s game 7 in “Jose,” between the Sharks and ‘Lanche.
I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend the movie, “The Catcher Was A Spy,” currently on Showtime.
Paul Rudd stars as Moe Berg, a big league catcher, who also worked for the U.S. government, during the second World War.
Berg was a complicated, brilliant man and Rudd does a fine job portraying him.
The film based on Nicholas Dawidoff’s biography of Mr. Berg, airs tonight at 8:15 on Showtime.
While the Carolina Hurricanes, at least a conference finalist in each of their last four ‘offs appearances (’02,’06, ’09 and ’19), won 4 straight vs the New York Islanders in one NHL “quarter,” at least one other will have a 7th game.
In their 14th playoffs clash, (each team’s first season was 1967-1968), the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars will play in that aforementioned #7 Tuesday night in St. Louis, the fifth time a series between the teams has gone to a game 7.
This is the twelfth best of 7 clash between the two teams and one of their two best of 5 series went the distance.
Elsewhere, tonight, both the Columbus Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche are slight favorites to make NBC, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and their fans happy, by winning #6 and forcing a/two game 7’s on Wednesday.
In those series, higher seeded, Boston (Bruins) (vs Columbus) and San Jose (Sharks) (vs Colorado) won one goal games two nights ago, to take (3-2) series leads.
In today’s NBA quarterfinal playoff round action, (the 1977 NBA finalists) both the Portland Trail Blazers after an historic 4 overtime, game 3, win and Philadelphia 76ers are seeking home wins vs Denver (Nuggets) and Toronto (Raptors) respectively, that would give them a (3-1) series lead, albeit sans home advantage.
While the Trail Blazers and 76ers have won previous NBA crowns and have a number of final round appearances, neither the Nuggets in now in their 43rd or the Raptors in their 24th NBA season, has ever reached the final round.
Portland has won one title, that in ’77, (the Nuggets’ first NBA season), beating them in the quarterfinal round, en route to that Bill Walton/Maurice Lucas led crown.
Portland lost in their other two final round appearances to repeat NBA champions, Detroit (Pistons) in ’90 and Chicago (Bulls) in ’92.
The 76ers franchise has 3 titles, two as the 76ers (’67 and ’83) and one as the Syracuse Nationals, led by Dolph Schayes, in 1955.
They are (3-6) in the final round, which includes a (1-5) record vs the Lakers both Minneapolis and Los Angeles.
George Mikan and “Minne” beat the Nationals in ’50 and ’54 while L.A. beat the Sixers in ’80, ’82 and ’01.
The Sixers lost in the NBA final round to Portland in ’77 and as cited to the Los Angeles Lakers in ’80 and ’82. Earvin “Magic” Johnson earned ‘offs MVP honors in both ’80 and ’82.
Speaking of the Nationals, they were involved in the only other 4 overtime game in NBA playoffs annals. On March 21, 1953 the Celtics clinched a best of 3 NBA “quarter” with a (111-105), 4 overtime, home win vs Syracuse. The great Bob Cousy scored 50 points, making 30 of 32 free throw attempts in that game.
Another day, another true sports great, Leonard “Red” Kelly, age 91, has died, however this is a celebration if you will, of his great life.
Mr. Kelly almost surely is the only major North American major sports league figure to play on as many as 4 title winning teams (Red played on the Red Wings’ Stanley Cup winners in ’50,’52, ’54 and ’55 as a defenseman and then on 4 Leafs Cup winners (’62-’64) and the last Toronto Maple Leafs crown in 1967, as a center. Truly incredible!) with two different franchises.
He won the first Norris Trophy, an award given to the (voted) top defenseman, in a given NHL season, among many great individual honors.
As a center with Toronto, he helped develop the great career of winger, Frank Mahovlich, who like Kelly served in the Canadian Government and played on more than one title winner with two different franchises. (the same 4 as Kelly with Toronto and two with the Montreal Canadiens).
Red was married to Andra McLaughlin a skating great, who survives him.
I have included her performance on an NBC show in 1955 and the retirement ceremony in Detroit this year of Kelly’s #4. What took so long I ask, however, this is a celebration of Red Kelly’s great life. Enjoy!
Click below to view Andra McLaughlin’s performance on the NBC show, “Your Hit Parade,” which originally aired on Christmas Eve (December 24th) 1955.
Tonight, on the same day, date, with the same series standing and in the same city in which they met 45 years ago, in the NBA final, the Milwaukee Bucks visit the Boston Celtics for game 3 of their quarterfinal series.
As was the case 45 years ago, the Celtics won game 1 of this “quarter,” on a Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee, each game played on April 28th.
Then and this year, the Bucks squared the series with a Tuesday April 30th victory. The victory 3 days back was on the 48 year anniversary of the Bucks’ lone NBA crown, clinched on Friday night April 30th. Imagine basketball ending in April!
The 4th, 5th and potential 7th games of this Celts/Bucks “quarter” will/would be played 45 years and a day after their 1974 final series “equivalents.”
However, should a game 6 be necessary, which is likely, it would be played 45 years after the classic, 2 overtime Milwaukee win in #6/’74 final.
The memory of that Friday night May 10, 1974 game, featuring greats Kareem Abdul Jabbar of “Milw” and the recently deceased John Havlicek of the Celts, exchanging late baskets is a great one.
Kareem won game 6 with a made “sky,” however series MVP, Havlicek and Dave Cowens led the Celtics to their 12th crown (first post dynasty, in which they won 11 titles in 13 seasons–you would think Durant, Klay Thompson or Gretzky before them would stick around and try to “approach” –let’s hope but…) with a game 7 win in Milwaukee.
The play by play announcer is the great Pat Summerall. Enjoy these moments from game 6 of the ’74 final.
The Carolina Hurricanes, nee Hartford Whalers, are on the precipice of just their fourth semi-final/conference final appearance, after an easy, home win vs the New York Islanders, gave them a (3-0) series lead.
Rod Brind’Amour has done a great job coaching the ‘Canes, who overcame a pair of two goal deficits to defeat defending champion, Washington (Capitals) in a thrilling two overtime, game 7, in the United States capital.
This is the second time (an upstart one, as in both years they made the ‘offs, after failing to qualify the year before) the Islanders have followed 4 straight wins to eliminate the Pittsburgh Penguins, with losses in the first three games of their next series.
This season the Islanders swept the Penguins in 4 straight games, in the NHL first round.
In 1975, the Islanders overcame a (3-0) quarterfinal series deficit, winning the last 4 games vs the Penguins.
Next, they lost the first three games to the defending champion Philadelphia Flyers, before winning the next three.
“Philly” brought their “good luck charm,” Kate Smith in to sing “God Bless America” and it “worked” again, as the Flyers won game 7 and the subsequent final series vs the Buffalo Sabres.
Carolina coach, Rod Brind’Amour, the captain on the Hurricanes/Whalers lone NHL title team in ’06, is pictured below.
Another sports great, Gino Marchetti, has died. He was 93.
In addition to being an all-time great defensive lineman, Marchetti was in World War 2 and in a more peaceful endeavor, was among the founders of the hamburger chain, “Gino’s,” has died.
Gino participated in the game that made pro football, more than any other, the 1958 NFL title tilt, in which Marchetti’s Baltimore Colts won in overtime vs the New York Giants.
He also played on the 1959 Colts’ title team and the 1964 team that lost to the Browns in that year’s title tilt, the Browns’ last crown.
On a crucial play late in the ’58 title game, the Giants’ superb player, Frank Gifford was stopped, or at least ruled to be, short of a title clinching first down.
“Fearless,” (Gifford) went to his grave insisting he made the first down. Marchetti broke his leg on the play. The Colts still needed great John Unitas/Ray Berry/Alan Ameche led drive(s) to tie and eventually win the late NFL commissioner, Bert Bell’s “dream”/ overtime game.
Computers and modern science have tried to determine if Gifford made the first down. We still do not really know.
Perhaps now, Gino, Frank, John Unitas and others get to hear from the infallible (hope that entity starts helping here, but alas you know about his/her/its “strange ways”) one, on that determination and others, far more important.
Click above to view many of the big plays in the ’58 title game, however not the disputed Gifford run, a play on which Gino Marchetti broke his leg.
While the 1951 remake of “M” shown last Sunday morning on the Eddie Muller hosted, “Noir Alley” on TCM, is not as brilliant as the Fritz Lang directed 1931 classic, in which the magnificent Peter Lorre exploded onto the scene, it was quite good.
Director Josef Losey and a fine cast headed by David Wayne (two fine actors with surnames beginning with “W’s,” the inverse of “M,” played “Digger Barnes” on “Dallas”–Wayne and Keenan Wynn) made this remake a very good one.
I note the fine performance by Martin Gabel in “M,” additionally noting he was an original member of The Mercury Theatre repertory company, formed by the legendary, Orson Welles.
Mr. Gabel was married to Arlene Francis, and at times was a panelist on “What’s My Line,” a great show on which Ms. Francis was a regular.
David Wayne in “M” pictured above, next to a machine that dispenses “Chiclets,” once a popular gum.
Andy B Sports 