Forty years ago, as defending NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors had a better record than they did in their title season. However, the Phoenix Suns shocked them in the 7th game of the NBA semi-finals thus they did not repeat as NBA champions.
This season as defending champions, the Warriors not only had a better record than last season, but broke the record previously held by the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls by winning 73 games.
Now the real season begins with the NBA playoffs.I know how good the Warriors are but feel the intangibles are against them.
One intangible just went their way when Charles Barkley, a fine but vastly over rated player, given way too much air time, guaranteed, not predicted, but guaranteed the Warriors would not win the title. Barkley, by the way never played on an NBA title team. He is so often wrong!
The NHL West top seed Dallas Stars began play as a franchise in Minnesota and were known as the Minnesota North Stars Their first season was 1967-1968 and in 26 seasons in Minnesota failed to win the Stanley Cup.
Their lone Stanley Cup triumph came as the Dallas Stars in the 1998-1999 season and was clinched on an overtime goal, still questioned in and vs Buffalo (Sabres), by Brett Hull.
Last night’s version of the long running show Jeopardy included an answer/question in which Bobby Hull, Brett’s father was the “question.” The lone contestant responding said “who is Brett Hull” and was incorrect.
Tonight the Stars take on the Minnesota Wild, a franchise in existence since the 2000-2001 season and one which has advanced to the NHL semi-final round but once and not further in their 14 previous completed seasons.(There was no NHL season in 2005.)
The following from a post I saw on the internet regarding Blackhawks/Blues playoffs history: “1973 Quarterfinals (Hawks Win 4-1)
The Chicago Blackhawks took it to the St. Louis Blues early and often in 1973. They won the first three games of the series 7-1, 1-0, and 5-2, and after a Game #4 win by the Blues the Chicago Blackhawks finished off the series with a 6-1 victory. Tony Esposito picked the shut out in Game #3, and the Hawks headed to the Stanley Cup Final that year after beating the Blues and then the New York Rangers before losing to the Montreal Canadiens in 7 games.”
This was and is on the internet, an otherwise informative piece on Blackhawks/Blues playoffs history but Montreal defeated Chicago (Blackhawks) in six games NOT 7 as stated above.
Also today ESPN.com reported the Royals had lost 4 games in which they had the lead. That is hard to do considering the Royals’ record is (5-2).
They also were redundant in first stating all 5 games of last year’s Rangers vs Penguins series were decided by one goal adding “including all four won by the Rangers.”
The teams won Stanley Cup titles 50 years apart, the Detroit Red Wings in 1954 and the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004.
This is the second straight season they are meeting in the first round of the NHL playoffs.
Last season each team won two road games in the series but the Lightning won at home in game 7 and eventually advance to the finals, losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in 6 games.
This time I say the Red Wings in 6, the teams each winning on the other team’s home ice once in the first four games. Detroit then wins the next two games.
What a great time a group of four, including me, had at the taping of the Rachael Ray Show a few weeks back.
The show airs today, check your local listings.
Rachael as always was full of energy, this despite it being her third taping of the day. There were a couple of cooking segments and a really nice mother/daughter fashion segment.
Also there was a very informative part of a series on cooking’s derivation that included of course, fire and all that entails.
I look forward to watching at 10 a.m. Eastern time in New York on WABC television.
I know the story of Jackie Robinson is about so much more than his baseball accomplishments.
In fact, Robinson was a star in so many sports. Once in talking about Jim Brown, broadcaster Marty Glickman called him the second greatest athlete he ever saw. I retorted who’s first Samson as in the Bible and Marty said Jackie Robinson.
I hope in the second installment of Ken Burns’ special on and called “Jackie Robinson,” (tonight at 9 Eastern Time), his exploits on the final day of the 1951 regular season are cited.
Robinson with his Brooklyn Dodgers team facing elimination made a great catch on what would have been a game winning hit by Ed Waitkus. Then he homered in the top of the 14th to put the Dodgers ahead to stay.
Unlike Samson pictured above with the beautiful but harmful Delilah, Jackie and Rachael Robinson stuck together helping so much.
In the 1945 World Series, the last one in which the Chicago Cubs appeared, Detroit (Tigers) took them out of game 7, scoring early and often.
Cubs starter, Hank Borowy faced only three batters, retiring none.
Tigers’ catcher, Paul Richards delivered a three run extra base hit.
39 years later, with similar credentials to Borowy, Cubs’ starter, Rick Sutcliffe also failed in the decisive 5th game of the 1984 NLCS.
If the Cubs had won that game, they would have faced the Tigers in the World Series.
There are two NHL first round rematches from last season. One is the again higher ranked, Tampa Bay Lightning vs the Detroit Red Wings.
Last year the Lightning made it to the NHL finals for the second time in franchise history, losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games. It was the third title in six seasons for the Blackhawks after a 49 year title drought. The Lightning won in their other finals appearance beating the Calgary Flames in 7 games, to capture the 2004 Stanley Cup.
The Red Wings are in the playoffs for a current North American major sports league high 25th consecutive season. In that span, thus far, they won 4 Stanley Cup crowns, the first in 1997, which ended a 42 year title drought.
On the long NBA regular season’s final night this Wednesday, I will be far more focused on three NHL opening round playoff games, but also the Golden State Warriors will be seeking an NBA record 73rd win.
They will be heavy favorites vs the Memphis Grizzlies to notch that win and break the current league record they currently share with the Chicago Bulls, a mark set 20 years ago.
Last night the Warriors won in San Antonio vs the Spurs, as 5 plus point underdogs to set up this chance.It was the first home loss for the Spurs.
Both NHL conferences, the Eastern and Western, will have five teams from one division and the minimum three from the other, participating in the Stanley Cup playoffs, which begin on Wednesday night.
In the West, five teams from the Central Division qualified while just three from the Pacific Division did so.
Meanwhile in the Eastern Conference, five Metropolitan Division teams qualified and just three Atlantic Division teams made the 16 team field
The top seeds are the Washington Capitals in the East and overall while the Dallas Stars are the Western Conference top seed.
Andy B Sports 