The NHL and NBA ‘offs are well into first round play with one team NBA 68 wins/top ranked Oklahoma City (Thunder) having swept Memphis (Grizzlies) with 2 routs and 2 tough wins while after 5 of the 7 games involving a series not tied, resulted in a series trailing team win, yesterday 6 of 8 teams took seemingly commanding (3-1) series leads with road victories.
Thus in the NBA, certainly it is very likely to be top East seed Cleveland (Cavaliers) vs the Indiana Pacers and a 12th ‘offs clash between the only 2 original NBA teams that have stayed in one city (the Warriors of both Philadelphia and the San Francisco/Oakland area are the other NBA franchise that has played in all 79 seasons (1947-2025) and in fact have a (2-1) series lead vs Houston (Rockets) in a slower scheduled ‘offs first round entity) as both the defending and altogether 18 time champion Boston Celtics and New York Knicks (handing the Detroit Pistons a record tying 9th straight home ‘offs loss, tying a far better 4 year run of Philly Sixers teams, their streak starting with home losses in #’s 5 and 7 in 2 of the last 3 Wilt Chamberlain games as a “Philly” player as the Celtics down (3-1) overcame the Sixers on their way to a 10th crown in 12 seasons) took (3-1) first round series leads with road wins yesterday.
| 1968 Eastern Division finals | Boston Celtics | Philadelphia 76ers | The Celtics won two games on the road during the comeback, and also won the NBA Finals.[16] |
Then as I told the great director Chet Forte who did such for ABC/NBA telecasts, on my cable tv show in ’91, none of the last 3 games of that epic Celts/Sixers–Bill Russell vs Wilt were shown.
Now all ‘offs games are on and believe me none “hold a candle” to what the above referenced rivalry and history, (most (as in Johnny) in Boston’s favor), meant and the intense great action that manifested.
Today marks the 60th anniversary of the death of the great reporter/journalist, Edward R. Murrow, a scant 2 days after I enjoyed a great program hosted by Paley Center For Media curator, Ron Simon, about Murrow, 117 years after his birth.
Simon, mixing notes, anecdotes and superb audio and video (available to be viewed at Paley Center) gave the audience great insight into Murrow and his great reporting achievements.
Murrow set and upheld standards in journalism that so sadly are severely lacking today.
He was in London when that city endured heavy bombing during a war, his reporting praised for its quality and by both Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt for helping morale.
Murrow took on the evils perpetrated by the “Junior Senator from Wisconsin” Joseph McCarthy, hosted programs such as “See It Now” and the “lighter,” “Person to Person.”
Clips were abundant in Mr. Simon’s presentation, including lighter more humorous ones, with Edward “Duke” Ellington, Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra.
Also included in the program that recalled some of what Murrow accomplished, was the documentary “Harvest of Shame” that he produced and voiced.
It was a truly inspiring, nice tribute/recap of Mr. Murrow’s greatness conducted so well by Mr. Simon.
The great Edward R. Murrow is pictured above.
There is so much to see at Paley Center. I highly recommend a visit there.
Click the link above for more information.
This is just the fourth playoffs clash between the New York Knicks and Detroit nee Fort Wayne Pistons.
In that first round series/a best of 7 “preliminary” such, the Knicks say a 1 plus point(s) “fave,” won game 3 by 2 points and lead the entity, 2 games to 1.
They are (4-0) in games 3 vs the Pistons. Meanwhile the Pistons are (4-0) in games 2 vs the Knicks.
The Knicks went to (3-1) in games 1, with last Saturday’s opening game win.
The 1984 best of 5 prelim, won by the Knicks in 5 featured incredible performances by both the Knicks’ Bernard King and Detroit’s Isiah Thomas in the decisive 5th game.
In ’92 the same Knicks/Pistons/Knicks/Pistons/Knicks pattern as ’84 and thus far here in 2025, manifested in another (3-2) Knicks prelims series win vs the Pistons.
Detroit on their way to a repeat title in ’90, fairly easily easily beat the Knicks (4-1) in a best of 7 quarterfinal series, winning games 1,2, 4 and 5. “Det” is (3-0) in previous #’s 4 vs the Knicks, who in turn are (2-1) in previous game 5’s between the two teams.
Bernard King is pictured above.
A number of calls and comments have come my way jokingly ask if I will be going to Rome to attend the funeral for a good man, better known as Pope Francis.
The reason is that by fluke circumstances, I stood in the streets of Rome for the entire funeral service for another good man, better known as Pope John Paul “The Second” (Roman numerals on this?).
When a song played that reminded me of and sounded so much like “My Yiddishe Mama,” a favorite of my father’s, through tears during that moving ceremony, I looked above uttering “See Dad It’s All The Same,” surely exaggerated but largely true.
Maybe remember similar and at least respect, the so many differences in this life.
There is a name for it, you know it—-“Do unto others …….”
After dissipating a (4-0) lead, evoking memories of the Oilers doing same with a (5-0) lead in #3/’82 Prelims, unlike those Oilers, L.A. won said tilt, getting a fluke last minute goal from Phillip Danault to (6-5), yes Edmonton, in their best of 7 prelims/first round NHL playoff series opening game.
The Kings (2-8) in ‘offs series and the losing team in 6 straight, 3 in first round clashes in each of the last 3 seasons, (they won that first such clash in ’82 and the other was in ’89, the first season after Wayne Gretzky “Janet Jones’d” from Edmonton to L.A. I feel denying what could have been a top 3 or so all-time sports dynasty and in fairness led by Gretzky and Messier was a great one, winning 5 crowns (Kings, crowns, “The Wanderer”) in 7 seasons, the last sans Gretzky and with Messier in ’90) win made the favorite team (7-0) in games 1 thus far (on the 4th night Bettman says “let there be Florida at Tampa Bay”), the home team going (6-1) in such and currently both home teams and favorites are (8-1). (Exceptions are both in the Colorado at Dallas games as the favorite team, ‘Lanche of Colorado, eased in #1, but lost as such in overtime, last night in game 2.
Click above to hear the great Dion (DiMucci) sing his smash hit, “The Wanderer.”
That referenced above (including in the post title) so memorable Kings’ (6-5) home win vs Edmonton in #3 of the best of 5 ’82 prelims, is recalled in the video above.
I did not see that game and surely it was not TV’d nationally, but watching it I recall the fans standing blocking the camera, as shown in the video, which so often manifested at both great “Forums,” the one in L.A. and the one in Montreal, to which I rode a bus overnight to see my first and one of the last Canadiens’ games there.
An observation above indicates areas, thus I note 5 cities/areas have qualifying teams in both the NBA and NHL ‘offs, one L.A. , which had a bad games1 start yesterday, has 3, while none of the 5 have home advantage in all their first round series.
In addition to L.A. which has the Lakers, beaten decisively by the Timberwolves, of the Lakers former area Minneapolis-St. Paul, Clippers (lost by 2 at Denver (Nuggets) and Kings, who have home advantage vs the Edmonton Oilers, hoping to reverse first round series losses in each of the last three seasons, Minneapolis, New York/New Jersey as “areas,” join Miami and Denver with qualifying ‘offs teams, in both the N.H.L. and N.B.A.
The Lakers “off” as over 2 to 1 series “faves” now slight underdogs to Minne (The Wolves are a so impressive (7-2) in road ‘offs tilts the past 2 seasons), and Kings have home “adv” as stated above, while the Clippers, also as noted, do not.
Elsewhere the New York Knicks won at home vs the Detroit Pistons in their series opener while the New Jersey Devils start their series as surprisingly big underdogs vs Carolina (Hurricanes), sans home advantage, with a game at “Robin” Raleigh today.
Denver with both the ’23 season title winning Denver Nuggets, as stated above, at home, and ’22 champion Avalanche doing so at Dallas, vs the Stars joins Minnesota (the NHL Wild open at the ’23 champion Las Vegas Golden Knights) and Miami (the Heat “played in” 2 wins and are huge series underdogs vs NBA East top seed, Cleveland (Cavaliers) while in a highly anticipated series, the defending NHL champion Florida Panthers open at Tampa Bay, vs the ’20 and ’21 NHL champion Lightning.
Notes from a post on the subject, later in last year’s ‘offs, are below.
Cities/Areas With At Least One Team In Both The NHL And NBA Playoffs on May 14, 2024
There has never been an instance in which teams from the same city/area won both the NBA and NHL crowns in the same season.
The great Bobby Clarke, pictured above was an integral member of the title winning 1974 Philadelphia Flyers, who 1 week after the Boston Celtics grabbed their 12th title with a road #7 win at Milwaukee (Bucks) 6’d the Boston Bruins, denying Boston titles in both leagues.
The “technicalities” regarding the three NHL ‘offs qualifying franchises, that have not won a previous Stanley Cup title are seemingly worth noting.
13 “qualifiers” have won the crown before, none this year are U.S. based original 6 teams while once dominant teams from Canada, Toronto (Maple Leafs) and Montreal (Canadiens) did qualify. (Channeling Sydney Greenstreet’s “Ferrari” in the classic film, “Casablanca” “carrying charges or the similar, however, not humorous, tariffs).
The Minnesota Wild, whose likely retiring, now backup netminder Marc-Andre Fleury, he on 3 title teams with the Pittsburgh Penguins (’09,’16 and ’17), played in an essentially meaningless OT in the game “Minne” clinched an ‘offs spot, Ottawa Senators and Winnipeg Jets, this year’s top points team, are the three “qualifiers” never to have “titled” in previous NHL annals.
Minnesota’s North Stars moved to Dallas where they reside as the Stars, having won it all in 1999. Way back as another Ottawa incarnation, also called the Senators, Ottawa won numerous titles as a dominant 1920’s team.
Meanwhile Winnipeg (this team nee Atlanta Thrashers) once had the W.H.A. Jets with Bobby Hull, Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nillson, garnering 2 of that defunct league’s titles.
Ottawa made the 2007 NHL final, losing to Anaheim (Ducks) in 5 games, while neither the Wild or Jets have made an NHL Final appearance.
The great actor, Sydney Greenstreet, pictured above. “Carrying charges.”
Nearly 58 years after the entire 1967 NHL season, playoffs included, “wrapped” with the last Toronto Maple Leafs’ title in what was their last NHL final appearance (Alex Trebek, yes that Alex Trebek narrated that year’s NHL playoffs film), the Leafs clinched something far less, but on paper, at least, gives them a better ‘offs position.
Toronto’s (4-0) win at Buffalo vs the Sabres, clinched the “reg div” title and sets up a Toronto vs Ottawa first round matchup.
In other “reg” news, the Winnipeg Jets nee Atlanta Thrashers, won the President’s Trophy, Alex Ovechkin became the NHL’s all-time goal scoring leader, while in last night’s tilt “Tor” players, Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews notched their 100th point this season and 400th career goal respectively.
Rory McIlroy, the pre tournament second “choice,” behind Scottie Scheffler, survived a bad last round and won a playoff vs Justin Rose, to win the prestigious Masters golf crown for the first time.
Oh he nearly blew it, but now has won 5 major golf tournaments.
McIlroy is now the sixth golfer ever to win all four majors and achieve the career Grand Slam, joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
Quite good company!
I prefer roller coasters to golf and it was a “roller coaster” triumph for McElroy, hitting a white ball to earn green, both money and the famed jacket.
This week the great player George Mikan was part of a Jeopardy question/answer and just now I saw and now post, the photo above, with George (on the right) and the one and only Mickey Mantle.
Each man was a center of sort, Mikan literally, as he dominated basketball leading the then Minneapolis Lakers to 5 titles in 6 seasons (’49,’50, and ’52-’54) while Mickey patrolled center field for the vaunted New York Yankees, an integral, great part of 7 (his #, ’51-’53, ’56, ’58, ’61 and ’62) title teams and 12 pennant winners.
Recently a non descript NIT was held (Nebraska won something called The Crown Tournament thus one was played in Las Vegas while none were in New York) and when it was more prestigious than the NCAA such, Mikan led DePaul University to the title in New York.
Also in New York and at Madison Square Garden, the marquee read ” Tonight Mikan vs Knicks.”
Andy B Sports 