Steph Curry scored 15 consecutive (Warriors’) points at one juncture in the third quarter as the defending champion, (73-9) Golden State Warriors built their lead from 7 to 20 points, en route to a decisive win vs the Oklahoma City Thunder in game 2 of their NBA semi-final series.
However, the Thunder now considered almost as big an underdog as when the series began, did get a split at Golden State and remain a viable threat in this series.
The rout means little as the Thunder were routed in game 1 vs the San Antonio Spurs yet won 4 of the next 5 games.
The two fine coaches in this series Steve Kerr of the Warriors (5 NBA titles as a player and one last year as Warriors’ coach) and Billy Donovan of the Thunder (back to back NCAA titles with Florida in 2006 and 2007), have plenty of time for strategy as the powers that be made game 3 in Oklahoma City Sunday instead of tomorrow/Friday.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, coached by Mike Sullivan, took a two games to one semi-final series lead with a (4-2) win at Tampa vs the Lightning in game 3 last night.
This was the third straight home semi-finals loss for Tampa Bay as they lost games four and six at home to the New York Rangers in last year’s semis but managed to win the series in seven games, winning three games at the Rangers’ Madison Square Garden home.
Speaking of the Rangers and Madison Square Garden, Carl Hagelin playing in his third straight NHL semi-final series and fourth in five seasons, (the other three with the Rangers) opened the scoring for Pittsburgh. Both Hagelin and Phil Kessel, who is playing in his first “semi,” had a goal and an assist for the Penguins.
Carl Hagelin, pictured above.
Last night I had the pleasure of seeing “An Unseen Visitor,” 10 very well written plays, performed by 10 fine actors each approximately 10 minutes in duration. Athena Theatre in association with TARTE presented this most entertaining event.
The audience at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space was entertained with the laughs and ” heart tugs” being truly palpable.The presence of “An Unseen Visitor” was part of all the plays.
Brad Raimondo directed. The playwrights are Nora Sorena Casey, Veronica Cooper, Mateo Moreno, Alex Hersler, Sari Caine, Lia Romeo, Marianna Staroselsky, Barbara Blumenthal-Ehrlich, Kenzie Ross and Xavier Toby.
The actors, all of whom took the well written works and brought them alive are Morgan Zipf-Meister, Mateo Moreno, Veronique Ory, Lana Young, Perri Yaniv, Joanie Anderson, Sophia Gennusa, Tyler Jakes, Lauren Elizabeth and James Kenna.
I look forward to future works from Athena Theatre.
Please click below to keep up with upcoming events and information about Athena Theatre.
Athena Theatre – NYC-based non-profit theatre company …
Brent Burns (remember White Sox pitcher, Britt Burns?) scored two goals and goaltender Martin Jones notched his second shutout of these playoffs, as the San Jose Sharks, for the first time in their history, are at least (1-1) after two games of an NHL semi-final series, after posting a (4-0) series squaring win at St. Louis, vs the Blues in game 2 of their NHL “semi.”
The Sharks (0-3) in previous semis (the Blues are (0-2) since winning all 3 in the expansion NHL West (1968-1970), are now (3-7) in road semi-finals games, breaking a 7 game losing streak in such games last night.
Play in the series resumes tomorrow night in San Jose, where the Sharks are just (1-6) in semi-final games.
Probably more relevant, the Blues are (5-2) on the road in these playoffs, while the Sharks, who struggled a bit at home during the virtually meaningless regular season, are (5-1) at home in these playoffs.
I say “Whatever Bettman (NHL commissioner ) Wants, Bettman Gets,” applies and both semis, this one and Pittsburgh Penguins/Tampa Bay Lightning in the East, now (1-1) will be (2-2) and certainly can go “ching/ching” 7 games.
By the way if that does happen, at least give me Mike Emrick, not Kenny Albert, on both game 7 “calls” for NBC’s “family” of networks. The trip which in that scenario would not be that far, from Pittsburgh to St. Louis and though Albert is no “world beater” at hockey play by play, it is no disgrace to lose a game 7 assignment to Mike Emrick. Some history on this in a future post.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are both very good and very lucky.
They are playing great basketball in the NBA playoffs, raising their record to (9-0) by dismantling the Toronto Raptors in their NBA Eastern Conference finals opening game last night.
Sure routing a team in game 1 often does not augur well for the team doing the routing, witness the just completed eventual Oklahoma City Thunder quarterfinal series vs the San Antonio Spurs in which the Spurs routed the Thunder in game one.
However even though that was a big upset, as the Thunder were two and a half to one series underdogs before getting routed, the Raptors were overwhelming 9 to 1, or higher series underdogs before being routed in game 1. This despite the fact they won 56 regular season games, just one less than the Cavaliers.
The very lucky part concerning the Cavs, is obvious. They are beating the teams put in front of them (the abrasive, so often wrong Charles Barkley may be right in saying Cleveland would not lose a game within the NBA East in the playoffs) but alas are doing so, while three teams all on par if not better than them are for the most part facing each other.
Opening the semi-finals on the road for the 8th time in 10 such appearances, the Oklahoma City Thunder nee the Seattle SuperSonics, gained home advantage in one of the first two games for the 5th time, this in game 1, stunning the 8 point favorite, Golden State Warriors.
“OKC” has now won 5 of 6 games (why did the great Marv Albert keep saying they won 3 of 4, when it was 4 of 5, during game 1, but still it is a pleasure to hear Mr. Albert broadcast?!) vs a 67 win and 73 win team, after being routed in game 1 by the 67 win Spurs and of course vilified by the media.
As the SuperSonics, the franchise went (3-3) in “semis,” breaking through on the road in one but ONLY one, of the first two games vs the Denver Nuggets in 1978, the Los Angeles Lakers in 1980 and Phoenix Suns in 1993.
Residing in Oklahoma City as the Thunder, they gained a split in Dallas vs the Mavericks in 2011 and now at least that vs the record breaking, defending champion Warriors.
Most likely, the Warriors will make it 5 of 5 times that the Thunder nee SuperSonics got only one of two, but the way this team is playing do not rule out (in Seattle Bob Rule was a star player) another road win in game 2 and certainly not an upset win in the series.
It would still be an upset according to those who seemingly know best as “G.State” is still an 8 to 5 series favorite, but that is a far cry from the nearly 4 to 1 “faves” they were before the series commenced.
Sidney Crosby, who once scored in overtime to give the Olympics’ top prize to his native Canada, scored the first Stanley Cup playoffs overtime goal of his career at the 40 second mark, lifting the Pittsburgh Penguins to a (3-2) victory vs the Tampa Bay Lightning in game 2 of their semi-final series.
That series is now tied at one game apiece with the venue shifting from Pittsburgh to Tampa for games three and four.
Pittsburgh ended a 5 game semi-finals losing streak and a 4 game playoffs home losing streak to the Lightning, as “T.B.” had won the last three road games at Pittsburgh in winning their 2011 quarterfinal series.
The Lightning’s 4 game road semi-finals winning streak also came to an end.
Normally gaining a split on the road is good but the Lightning lost a tough one in a bid to go up (2-0) and as I felt at the start of the series, will first gain then lose the home advantage.
Crosby’s OT winner gives Penguins 3-2 win in Game 2
Click above to view and hear Mr. Crosby’s overtime goal and other highlights with the excellent hockey announcer, Mike Emrick calling the action.
Please annoying media, do not make a big deal out of tonight’s game, nor the upcoming 3 game series between the defending National League champion, New York Mets and the Washington Nationals.
Likely, there will be good crowds at the Mets’ Citi Field and that is all well and good, but the season has not even reached the one quarter point.
Last year the Mets had lost a horrible game for them to the San Diego Padres just before the Nationals came to N.Y. for a three game weekend series in late July. Oh the doom and gloom surrounding the Mets via the hyping, “just have a story,” “feed the 24 hour news cycle,” media!
The Mets won all 3 games vs the Nationals and won the N.L. East fairly easily. It is a long season, one whose “tournament” includes the horrific wild cards and while each game counts and at least on paper, a team’s chances are better with a division title than a wild card berth, these games and maybe ones in the entire regular season, do not mean all that much.
The NHL Eastern Conference final series continues tonight in Pittsburgh as the Tampa Bay Lightning, holding a one game to none series lead visit the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Pittsburgh has lost 5 straight Eastern Conference/NHL semi-final games, having been swept by the Boston Bruins in the 2013 NHL Eastern Conference final.
Meanwhile the Lightning have won an astounding 4 straight road games in this round over the last two seasons. Last year they won games 2, 5, and 7 at New York’s Madison Square Garden vs the Rangers after dropping the series opener at that esteemed venue.
Tonight the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors begin their semi-final series at home vs the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“OKC” upset the San Antonio Spurs denying a series between 73 and 67 win teams. However this one between the 73 win, NBA record Warriors and the 56 win Thunder is no slouch.
I was surprised by the Thunder upsetting the Spurs and think they have a legitimate chance to topple the Warriors.
Here I go, but it is too bad that the 56 wins the Thunder achieved in the far tougher NBA West would not give them home advantage vs the very likely NBA East winners, the Cleveland Cavaliers, whose 57 wins were attained playing in the weaker NBA Eastern Conference.
Andy B Sports 