On Saturday past, I wrote about the Milwaukee Bucks losing a home afternoon NBA playoff game exactly 45 years later.
Then in 1972, the loss ended their season. Now likely, but far from definitely it will be the key loss in a series they will lose as the higher seed, Toronto Raptors have a 3 games to 2 opening round series lead.
Meanwhile the Boston Celtics reversed history on two dates exactly 45 years later and likely but again far from definitely will win their first round series vs the Chicago Bulls.
On Friday April 21, 1972 and Sunday April 23, 1972 the Celtics were defeated by the New York Knicks in games four and five to end that semi-final series.
Exactly forty five years later, the Celts won games three and four in “Chi” on Friday April 21 and Sunday April 23 to square the series at two games apiece.
The number 45 elicits good memories of the excellent player, Homer Jones pictured above.
Click below at about 19 and a half minutes in, to view Homer return the second half kickoff for a touchdown in the first ABC package Monday night game.
Noting in an earlier before the package Monday night game, Travis “The Road Runner” Williams electrified a national audience with a kickoff return touchdown.
Keith Jackson, the first ABC Monday night play by play man, makes the call on the Homer Jones touchdown and four plus years later, a brilliant one on Anthony Davis’ second half kickoff touchdown run.
Jones TD about 19 and a half minutes into the video.
On a rainy day thoughts turned to the 1964 NFL Title game and subsequently to the game’s losing coach Don Shula.
Shula coached in games for the World title in 4 different election year seasons, losing thrice (’64, ’68 and ’84) winning in ’72.
In all four of those elections the losing national ticket had a man whose name started with “M.”
1964 was William “M”iller, coincidentally from Buffalo, New York a city which lost in all four World title tilts to date.
1968 also as a Vice Presidential candidate on the losing side was Edmund “M”uskie.
In ’72 and ’84, the losing “M’s” were at the top of the ticket, the truly kind and personable, when I met him, George “M”cGovern and twelve years later Walter “M”ondale.
Only me, my “friends.”
Another William “Bill” Miller, pictured above, in a game for the football title his team lost, caught two touchdown passes.
There are times, I get it right.
It was a great series, in which as I predicted, the Washington Capitals would prevail in six games, against a valiant Toronto Maple Leafs team.
There were 5 overtime games.
A link to my recent NHL predictions, including Washington/Toronto is below.
Some NHL Predictions
Marcus Johansson, pictured above, scored the tying and winning goals for the Capitals in game 6 at Toronto.
As stated yesterday the 2017 Rangers/Canadiens series followed the pattern of the 1974 series, between the teams: Rangers, Canadiens, Canadiens and Rangers in the last three games.
The Caps this year and the 1971 Rangers both vs the Leafs followed the same pattern Caps, ’71 Rangers, ’17 and ’71 Leafs in the next two and just as 17 and 71 are reverse digits, a series reverse as the ’17 Caps and ’71 Rangers won the last three, winning games 4 and 6 in Toronto, the 6th in overtime.
Finally it was Bob Nevin, who clinched the ’71 quarterfinals series win for the Rangers with an overtime goal.
After 12 straight days of NHL playoff games (April 12-today April 23rd), there will be no NHL games tomorrow night.
That situation manifested after the St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers and Edmonton Oilers all clinched their first round/ best of seven preliminary series with victories yesterday.
Both the Rangers aka The Blueshirts, and Oilers won (3-1) to wrap their series vs the Montreal Canadiens and San Jose Sharks in 6 games. The Blues won despite dissipating a (3-1) lead, riding Magnus Paajarvi’s overtime goal, to win at Minnesota to eliminate the Wild in 5 games.
The Rangers are now (9-7) in playoff series vs the Canadiens, going (5-0) in game six, all games in which the Canadiens’ season ended. The just completed series masked the Rangers 6 game triumph vs Montreal in 1974, as both times, New York won the opener and games (4-6) both times.
Additionally the Rangers won the pivotal 5th game in Montreal by a (3-2) score in both years, 43 years apart. In #5 in ’74, the Rangers Bruce MacGregor tied the game in the waning seconds before Ron Harris scored a rare goal to win it.
This season, Montreal got a late tying goal at Montreal in #2 and won in overtime and again in game 3, but the Rangers prevailed in a first round series for the 5th time in 6 seasons.
Today, history/game results repeated, exactly 45 years later as the Toronto Raptors dealt the Milwaukee Bucks a home, Saturday afternoon loss.
On Saturday April 22, 1972, in a game so much more important (it was the last game of an NBA semi) and meaningful to me (greats Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar) lined the rosters, the eventual champion, record breaking Lakers clinched their “semi” at Milwaukee in that sixth game which, as was the case today began around 2 p.m. Milwaukee time.
It was a rare Saturday afternoon telecast as part of ABC’s Wide World of Sports in which the Lakers battled back to victory.
Then it meant so much, now it means so little and not because the Bucks certainly still have a chance, no because it is a first round, round of 16 if you will, clash between less than great teams, in a deteriorated league.
Another great NBA center, Bill Walton talked of how fortunate he was to watch Wilt battle Kareem, while attending UCLA.
Need I tell you is Wilt is on the left, pictured above.
Last night the Nashville Predators completed a four game sweep of the NHL West top seed, Chicago Blackhawks.
In effect, it was an eight seed defeating a one seed, which is unusual in hockey, yet not anywhere near as rare as in the NBA, where it is now likely, far from certain, to happen in favor of a Chicago team. (the actual eight seed Bulls won the first two games at the top East seed, Boston Celtics).
Additionally, in the NBA, a league I certainly am not enamored with, does its seeding in a reasonably fair way, unlike the NHL whose emphasis on divisions and rivalries has caused rather acute and unfair advantages/disadvantages in playoffs competition.
The NHL is certainly my preference over the NBA, one reason being the nature of the sport makes the outcomes so much more unpredictable.
However the current set up where teams play within a division and are not ranked according to points has manifested in advantages not earned for teams with less points and disadvantages for teams that achieved more in the regular season.
Ubiquitous NHL announcer Kenny Albert imparted INACCURATE information as he ended his broadcast work on the Ottawa Senators (1-0), #4 victory at Boston vs the Bruins, which gives the Sens a seemingly commanding three games to one first round/preliminary/one round too many, lead.
Albert stated that this was the first time since 1969, that the Celtics and Bruins playing on 4 consecutive days at home, lost all four games.
He may have said in the playoffs, which I immediately knew was incorrect as the ’69 Celtics lost but one home playoff game en route to an incredible 11th NBA crown in 13 seasons despite a fourth place finish in the NBA East during the regular season.
I checked both the 1968-1969 and 1969-1970 regular seasons and the Celtics and Bruins never lost 4 home games on 4 consecutive days.
The play “A Piece of My Heart,” about the beyond prolific and great songwriter/record company executive/ Bert Berns, was astounding and now his son filmmaker Brett Berns has brought us a masterful, insightful, beautiful documentary, “Bang,” about the life of his father.
Some of the greatest musical performers of our, or any time, Paul McCartney and Keith Richards to name two, are interviewed giving their thoughts on the greatness of the largely forgotten Bert Berns. (Long story and it was told so well).
Mr. Berns, who knew he would die at a young age, put together a six year period of greatness in his field, comparable to the great Sandy Koufax, in his 6 great years of pitching.
“Twist And Shout,” and “Brown Eyed Girl” (he helped launch Van Morrison’s career) are just two of Mr. Berns’ iconic songs.
It is a long, interesting story, as to why you probably do not know Bert Berns, who did die so young at age 38 in 1967, but when you see this incredible documentary narrated by Steve Van Zandt and featuring so many musical greats, you will be amazed at his incredible story and talent.
Brett and his sister Cassie did so much in bringing the incredible story of their family to our attention in “A Piece Of My Heart” and hope to bring the play to Broadway.
Their mother, Ilene, who recently passed away, was so great in the movie and lived to see it come to fruition.
Click below for more information and screenings dates around the country.
There are four cities with teams in both the NBA and NHL playoffs.
Thus far in games involving those cities’ teams, the lower seeded or in one case (Ottawa is a higher seed than Boston, but the Bruins were clear series favorites) underdog teams are (9-3).
The Nashville Predators have a commanding three games to none lead, vs the West top seed, Chicago Blackhawks. I “knew” when NBC network commentator, Pierre McGuire likened the Blackhawks, as stated here last week, a fine organization, to the awesome New England Patriots, that did not augur well for “Chi.”
Meanwhile, the lower seeded Chicago Bulls won at Boston, vs the NBA East top seed, Celtics and now are only slight underdogs in that series.
As stated, the lower seeded Boston Bruins were clear series “faves” vs the Ottawa Senators, but after two overtime (4-3) wins, Ottawa has a (2-1) series lead.
The huge underdog, Toronto Maple Leafs, 50 years removed from their last Stanley Cup crown (that year’s (1967) Stanley Cup highlights film was narrated by long time Jeopardy host, Alex Trebek) lead the top ranked Washington Capitals, two games to one after Tyler Bozak’s overtime tally lifted “Tor” (4-3), in #3 at Toronto last night.
The other “Tor” team, the higher seeded NBA Raptors lost their series opener vs the Milwaukee Bucks, while the other “Wash” spring playoffs team (is not there a “spring wash”—guess it is spring cleaning— in the culture?!), the Wizards, nee Bullets (changing an NBA team name is NOT the answer to stopping crime! try kindness, try specks of humanity, try no guns!), the higher seed, won their series opener vs the Atlanta Hawks.
Last year the Preds made the quarters, losing in 7 to the eventual NHL runner up, San Jose Sharks.
After the “F’s” (two third period goals by “F”ilip “F”orsberg to tie the tilt while Kevin “F”iala won it in overtime) did in Chi in #3, Nashville is very likely to play higher seeded St. Louis (Blues) in this year’s “quarters.”
Two 1967-1968 NHL expansion teams have commanding three games to none first round/preliminary series leads.
One is the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins, who lead the Columbus Blue Jackets by that count after Sidney Crosby’s brilliant play/pass set up rookie Jake Guentzel’s hat trick, overtime winner in game 3 in Columbus.
The other team is St.Louis (Blues), unlike Pitts, which has titled 4 times, a team looking for its first title.
They are now, very likely in this their 49th season, to dispatch the Minnesota Wild, coached by Bruce Boudreau, a coach who now is very likely to be denied as much as a finals appearance, for the ninth time, in as many ‘offs appearances.
An omen only I would cite is that the Blues, sans a title in 48 previous completed NHL seasons, evokes the 1948, last title of the Cleveland Indians, whose player manager was Lou Boudreau.
The great Sidney Crosby, pictured above.
Andy B Sports 