I am sorry for the cynicism, but I say it was no real surprise that the 8 point underdog, Cleveland Cavaliers won game two, on the over rated Golden State Warriors’ court.
The Cavs, being led by a great, but also over rated entity, LeBron James, played well, in losing game one by 8 points, in overtime, as a 6 point underdog.
Neither team played well in a sloppy game 2 which again went into overtime, this time with the Cavaliers prevailing, the final score (95-93).
Golden State was a little more than a 2 to 1 favorite when the series opened, which is what they are now with the series tied at one game apiece.
In between, however, the Warriors became 7 to 1 favorites after Kyrie Irving, perceived as Cleveland’ second best player (after James of course), was lost to injury.
Game three is Tuesday in Cleveland and the home team is a slight favorite. Yesterday’s win was the Cavaliers’ first in six NBA finals games and ended a 5 game, 40 year Golden State win skein in the NBA finals.
The three year old horse, American Pharoah, led from start to finish to not only capture yesterday’s Belmont Stakes, but also became the first horse since Affirmed in 1978, to capture horse racing’s “Triple Crown.”
The “Triple Crown” consists of three races all within 5 weeks, first the Kentucky Derby then the Preakness Stakes two weeks later and then the Belmont Stakes three weeks hence.
“Pharoah’s,” victory ended a streak of 13 times that a horse had won the first two Triple Crown races only to fail in the Belmont Stakes since Affirmed won all three races in 1978.
The victory by American Pharoah also ended some frustrating streaks by two outstanding figures in the “Sport of Kings” (of course never forget the people with holes in their shoes, from betting on the “Sport of Kings”).
“Pharoah”‘s trainer Bob Baffert had failed three previous times after one of his horses had won the first two races of the Triple Crown.
Meanwhile its jockey Victor Espinoza had twice ridden horses that won the first two Triple Crown races that failed in the Belmont Stakes.
This weekend two great National League rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers, are playing 4 games at Dodger Stadium in L.A.
There is so much history involved with the two teams and throughout the season, I will look back at history involving some major league clubs and their individuals.
Today to start the series of looking back at greats, some comments about Stan Musial concerning he and the Dodgers.
In Brooklyn, where the Dodgers played through the 1957 season, there were great but rabid Dodgers’ fans. Some opposing players were “less than popular.”
Stan Musial of the Cardinals was respected. He seemed to do always do well, “wearing out” Dodgers’ pitching.
As the story goes, when he came up some fan said “here comes that man again” and eventually Stan became Stan “The Man” Musial.
Not only was Stan “The Man” when it came to baseball, as an all time great player, he was a truly good and giving man and oh do we need more like him.
In researching the Golden State Warriors *nee Philadelphia Warriors) playoffs history on “Yahoo! Sports,” I saw a glaring factual error.
Their record of the then Philadelphia Warriors’ 1962 playoffs indicated a 7 game loss to the Boston Celtics in the “NBA FINALS.”
That is INCORRECT as it was an “Eastern Division” series. The Celtics/Philadelphia Warriors or Philadelphia 76ers (as in Boston vs Philadelphia, as in two eastern cities, as in one of the great NBA rivalries, as in that year Bill Russell vs Wilt Chamberlain) has never been a final.
It bothers me to see that, but nowhere near as much as when in 1991, broadcasting the NBA, the esteemed Dick Enberg (I like Enberg, certainly compared to today’s announcers) called a Boston/Philadelphia NBA series a final. Doesn’t or didn’t he have any sense of NBA history?!!!
Click here to see the Yahoo! Sports Page with the mistake (Hopefully they will correct it soon).
Not an “NBA Final”–it was an Eastern Division Series.
During a 49 year title drought after their Stanley Cup win in 1961, until their next one in 2010, the Chicago Blackhawks played in and lost 5 finals series.
After last night’s (2-1) road win at Tampa vs the Lightning, in game one of the 2015 finals, the team is heavily favored to win a third straight finals series, all in the past six seasons.
Additionally Chicago at one point had lost 16 of 17 road finals games until Patrick Kane’s “reviewed” Stanley Cup winning goal at Philadelphia, in game six in 2010.
Including that game, “Chi” has won 4 of 5 road finals games, including the Stanley Cup clinchers in 2010 and 2013, the latter in Boston.
The Blackhawks’ (2-1) win at Tampa vs the Lightning last night, was similar to their Cup clincher at Boston in game six in 2013.
Last night Chicago scored two goals in just under two minute’s time, the first with less than seven minutes to play, to overcome a one goal deficit and gain the victory.
In 2013, in a truly dramatic display (last night’s was not exactly “chopped liver”) the Blackhawks scored two goals in a seventeen second span in the last eighty seconds to overcome a one goal deficit in a road sixth game and win the Stanley Cup.
The Stanley Cup finals get started tonight in Tampa Bay, with the home team Lightning (Tampa Bay) hosting the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Blackhawks are seeking their third title in six seasons, after not winning the title for 49 years from 1961-2010.
The Lightning won in their only Stanley Cup final appearance, defeating the Calgary Flames in 2004.
Current Blackhawks’ player then with the Lightning, Brad Richards, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the outstanding player of the playoffs that season.
In the Lightning’s last three semi- finals or this final appearance, the three Lightning opponents were the three teams their broadcaster Phil Esposito played for in the NHL: the Boston Bruins, who beat the Lightning in the 2011 semis, the New York Rangers, whom the Lightning just beat in this year’s semis and now the Chicago Blackhawks.
Recently I had occasion to see a wonderful play called “Mallorca” at the Abingdon Theatre (312 West 36th Street) in New York City.
The five person cast, consisting of four men, all but one of whom have not communicated nor in any way gone “deep” with his emotions, and one woman was superb.
Written by Sheldon Bull (“Newhart”) and directed by Donald Brenner, the extremely humorous play took me on a journey back and hopefully forward, about expressing what is truly important.
The cast in order of appearance: L.J. Gasner “Stan,” Brian Russell “Leo,” Steven Hauck, “Arthur”, Rory Scholl “Julius” and Lisa Riegel as “Roberta.”
Without giving much away, I related to not being able to open a bag of chips and Gasner came back to the topic beautifully.
Additionally, I became even more outraged as to how expensive tickets to (my words) a meaningless NBA regular season game involving at least one bad team, have become.
Unlike the case with the basketball, “Mallorca” is more than worth the cost, and proved an entertaining and extremely insightful experience.
For ticket info, click here.
Currently both New York baseball teams (the Yankees and Mets) are in similar positions, playing fairly well and right in the thick of divisional races with a slow pace.
Each team won on the West Coast last night a week after each played and swept simultaneous three game series at home.
The rarity last week saw the Yankees sweep the Kansas City Royals and the Mets sweep the Philadelphia Phillies winning Monday and Wednesday afternoon and Tuesday night games.
Last night the Yankees won against the fine Seattle Mariners’ pitcher Felix Hernandez. They are but two games over .500 at (27-25) but that is good enough for a one game lead in the A.L. East
The Mets won in San Diego last night and have a (29-23) record which puts them just percentage points behind the Washington Nationals, who have a (28-22) record in the N.L. East.
A person could be ready to say “back up the Brink’s truck” were he or she to “go against” ESPN (and other networks) hockey analyst Barry Melrose’s predictions.
He almost always picks the favorite, but it is not his poor record on predictions nor the fact his picks lack imagination that draws my criticism, though that does not place him in high esteem.
It is because he so often does not get the facts correct.
In “building” his New York Rangers to win game seven prediction, which of course was wrong, he said the Rangers were (5-0) facing elimination so far in the playoffs. In fact, they were (4-0).
This is typical of unbeatable and unbearable ESPN, which rewards so called style over substance. Melrose has lived off his one good coaching season (The Montreal Canadiens beat the Melrose coached L.A. Kings in the final round). He flourishes, no matter his inaccuracies.
The Chicago Blackhawks got two first period goals from their great captain Jonathan Toews and beat the Anaheim Ducks (5-3) in game seven, at Anaheim, to advance to their third Stanley Cup final in six seasons.
They will face the Tampa Bay Lightning. The first game of the finals series is in Tampa on Wednesday night.
The city of Chicago again won a semi-final from Anaheim having done so 30 years ago (Bears beat the Rams in the NFC title game/NFL semi-final) and ten years ago (the White Sox took the Angels in the ALCS/Major League Baseball semi-final).
After those semi-final wins, the Chicago teams went on to win it all. The Bears devouring the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl and the White Sox winning their first World Series in 88 years, sweeping the Houston Astros.
