While the NHL Eastern Conference Final is set with a redux of the 1991 and 1992 Eastern finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins, the NHL West semi-finals are still going.
Tonight in Detroit is game 6 of the series between the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks, which the Red Wings lead three games to two. If Chicago wins tonight then game seven will be played in Chicago on Wednesday night.
So far, it has been an all home team, all California series between the defending champion Los Angeles Kings and the San Jose Sharks. Each team has won three games on home ice. The decisive seventh game will be in Los Angeles tomorrow night.
Meanwhile the Bruins will visit Pittsburgh for game 1 of their semi-final series vs the Penguins on Wednesday night. This is just the second semi-final appearance for Boston since losing back to back semi-final/Eastern Conference finals series to the Penguins in 1991 and 1992. The Penguins went on to win their first two Stanley Cups in those seasons.
Sadly, Flynn Robinson, a key reserve player on the glorious 1971-1972 NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers has died at the age of 72.
Roughly a year ago I noted that another key reserve player on that great team, Leroy Ellis, had died. Now Flynn Robinson, who was a big offensive spark and really played well in the pivotal fifth game vs the Milwaukee Bucks in the semi-final round, has died.
I saw the news of Flynn’s death and the nice words of Lakers’ executive Jeanie Buss, while watching a replay of sorts (so much was omitted in the condensed version) of game 1 of the Miami Heat vs Indiana Pacers semi-final series.
What struck me at the time was recalling what Flynn Robinson once said regarding the Chicago Bulls about to break the ’71-’72 Lakers (69-13) record.
Paraphrasing, he said they may break the season record but no one will ever break our 33 game win streak. Never is a long time and this year’s Miami Heat came close with 27 straight wins. Now in one day, news that Flynn Robinson is gone, and then the Indiana Pacers got even vs the Heat.
The Heat will be discussed another time and I still think they will win, but going down (2-1), as was the case last year, is not advisable because the Pacers are a true threat this time.
The ’71-’72 Lakers twice lost their playoff series opener and in their biggest test were tied two games apiece vs the Milwaukee Bucks. That Milwaukee team included Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Oscar Robertson and Bob Dandridge. In the pivotal fifth game, Flynn Robinson played great and the Lakers won the series in six and eventually the title in a five game final.
It remains a great memory. Flynn Robinson is the fourth player from that great Lakers’ team to die and I hope it is a long time before they have enough for a “basketball team” up there.
Time goes on, death is inevitable, and accomplishment remains something one strives for while on earth. That team accomplished so much.
Wilt Chamberlain, Harold “Happy” Hairston, the aforementioned Leroy Ellis (see June 4, 2012 post here) and now Flynn Robinson, all members of that great Lakers’ team are deceased.
Oh, Flynn, tell Wilt he could still play great if he was in the NBA today, especially with Happy Hairston helping on the boards.
In the NHL West, both the defending champion Los Angeles Kings, and the Detroit Red Wings, won at home last night. Each team has the lead in its quarterfinal series.
The Red Wings are up three games to one after a game four win last night against the top ranked Chicago Black Hawks.
The Kings have a three games to two series lead after their win vs the San Jose Sharks last night. Kings goaltender and last year’s playoffs MVP, Jonathan Quick has been brilliant for the Kings, who are (6-0) at home in this year’s playoffs.
Game five of the Red Wings/Black Hawks series is Saturday night in Chicago. Game six of the Kings/Sharks series is Sunday in San Jose.
It is almost certain that it will be the 2011 Stanley Cup Champion, Boston Bruins vs the 2009 champion, Pittsburgh Penguins in one NHL semi-final round.
The top ranked Penguins, who had to really battle before defeating the New York Islanders in six games in the preliminary round, now have a three games to one lead vs the Ottawa Senators.
Four teams from Canada made the playoffs, two met in the first round and the other two lost. Now it is very likely there will be no team from Canada in the semi-final round for the second straight season.
Meanwhile the Boston Bruins have a commanding three games to none lead vs the New York Rangers. It was just three years ago that the Bruins had a (3-0) series lead vs the Philadelphia Flyers in the “quarters” and still lost the series. However, since then the Bruins won the Stanley Cup two years ago and this year have won four straight games including a miracle win vs the Toronto Maple Leafs in game seven of the preliminary round.
By the way, the last five, all different, Stanley Cup winning teams are in the quarterfinals, for what I believe to be the first time in NHL history.
The others, in addition to the Bruins and Penguins are last year’s champion, Los Angeles Kings, the 2010 title holding, Chicago Black Hawks and the 2008 winners, the Detroit Red Wings.
Those three are in the NHL West and after key games tonight, there will be an NHL West update here tomorrow.
This series vs the Miami Heat will be the seventh NBA semi-final appearance for the Indiana Pacers, who advanced after winning their quarterfinal series vs the New York Knicks in six games.
The Pacers, who are over five to one underdogs vs the Miami Heat in the upcoming “semi,” are (1-5) in previous semi-final series. After losing twice to the Knicks (1994 and 1999) and once each to the Orlando Magic, remember them, (1995) and the Chicago Bulls (1998), Indiana won a semi-final series vs the Knicks in 2000. The Detroit Pistons beat the Pacers in the 2004 semi-finals.
The Pacers lost three of those “semis” in seven games and both the 1999 loss vs the Knicks and 2004 loss to Detroit were in six game series. The Pacers won in six vs the Knicks in the 2000 semi-final round.
The clinching win for the Pacers in that series was on the road and was just their third road semi-final series win in eighteen such games. In 2004 the Pacers were (1-2) at Detroit, making their semi-final, road record (4-17) going into this “semi” vs the defending champion, Heat.
I think Indiana will be competitive in this series vs the Heat. However, too much talent and history are against the Pacers. The winner of the five previous Pacers/Knicks quarterfinals or semi final series, lost their next series. History repeats says I,—–Miami in six games.
The NHL quarterfinal round, featuring two “original six” team match-ups, is well underway.
In the Western Conference, in the 16th playoff series between the two original six teams, the favored Chicago Black Hawks and Detroit Red Wings, split the first two games in Chicago. The Black Hawks won eight of the previous fifteen playoff series between the teams.
Also in the West, the defending Stanley Cup Champion, Los Angeles Kings lead the San Jose Sharks two games to one in their series. The home team has won all the games in that series and neither team has lost at home so far in these playoffs.
In the other “original six” clash, this in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Bruins completed an incredible week by going up two games to none vs the New York Rangers. The Bruins had an incredible comeback victory vs the Toronto Maple Leafs in game seven of the preliminary round. They followed that with two home wins vs the Rangers in the quarterfinal round.
In the other Eastern Conference series, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a two games to one series lead vs the Ottawa Senators. In game two, star player, Sidney Crosby had the (three goal) “hat trick” for the Pens. Ottawa tied game three in the last minute of regulation play, before winning in the second overtime.
There were a record 17 overtime games in the preliminary round and the Ottawa win in game three was the third of the “quarters.” That double overtime game was the first of the 20 overtime games, to go beyond the first overtime.
Tonight is game six of the NBA quarterfinal series between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks. The Pacers lead three games to two, with game six at their home. If the Knicks win tonight, then game seven would be in New York on Monday night.
The other three quarterfinal series are over and for the third straight year, the Miami Heat won a series in five games, though losing the first game of the series. This was the second time in three seasons that the Heat lost the series opener, but won the next four vs the Chicago Bulls.
Last year in the NBA finals, the Heat lost the opening game, but won the next four vs the Oklahoma City Thunder. This year the Memphis Grizzlies, who have won eight of their last nine games and “covered” the point spread in an incredible ten straight games, lost the opener but won the next four vs the Thunder to advance to NBA semi-final round.
The Grizzlies’ opponents in the NBA semis will be the San Antonio Spurs. They dispatched the Golden State Warriors in six games. That series opens tomorrow in the three thirty eastern time/ABC time slot.
I preface this by saying I like Steve Kerr as an analyst. At the very least, I can listen to him, which is not the case with most analysts or play by play people.
Kerr works with the still superb Marv Albert, which for me means the volume can stay on. That is high praise from me, indeed.
Having said that, what was Kerr thinking when he said the Miami Heat, ahead by three points with 45 seconds left in their eventual game 5 win vs the Chicago Bulls, and a new shot clock (i.e. 24 seconds to shoot) should go 2 for 1?!
That meant Kerr thought, or at least via brain freeze, said they should get 2 shots to the opponent Chicago Bulls’ one shot. Why would they do that? The Heat had a lead of three points. Thus the objective is to decrease the time remaining.
The Heat could even take a 24 second violation and be ahead by 3 points with 21 seconds left. Eventually, the Bulls got the ball with 26 seconds left and missed two, 3 point shots. The Heat won by three points.
Now, in another movie, and of course when reading the book, “The Great Gatsby,” it always entertains and provides insight.
Thirty nine years after the last movie version (thirty nine being “Jack Benny’s (perpetual) age” and Mr. Benny died in 1974, the year Robert Redford starred as “Gatsby”) I really enjoyed the movie. That was the case with Mr. Redford and now with Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic book is a timeless account of the human condition, with some emphasis on money and greed. It also is a great love story.
The direction and special effects, depicting New York/Long Island in the 1920’s, are superb.
DiCaprio, as with Redford before him, is so much more than a great looking man. He literally shines in a fine performance as the dashing, mysterious “Gatsby.”
Tobey Maguire both impressed and surprised me as “Nick Carroway,” who also is the film/story’s narrator. The director is Baz Luhrmann, while Carey Mulligan plays Daisy Buchanan, the object of Gatsby’s great love.
Amitabh Bachchan lights up the screen in his brief but key role as “Meyer Wolfsheim,” the thinly disguised real life gangster, Arnold Rothstein. “Gatsby” tells “Nick” “Wolfsheim”/Rothstein fixed the 1919 World Series. “He saw an opportunity and seized it.”
That is a sobering reality, depicted effectively in the movie. Much of this fine movie, based on a classic book, does the same.
There are two related events from the 1982 NHL preliminary round, concerning the Bruins’ historic win in game seven.
That year in a decisive fifth game, the two time champion, New York Islanders overcame a two goal third period deficit and beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime.
Current Toronto coach, Randy Carlyle, who did coach the Anaheim Ducks to the Cup title in 2007, was a Pittsburgh player that night. He made a big mistake, leading to the Islanders’ goal that cut the deficit to one goal. The Islanders then roared through the last two rounds to win a third straight Stanley Cup.
Also in the 1982 NHL prelims, the LA Kings staged a miracle comeback to win game three at home vs the heavily favored Edmonton Oilers. The Kings’ owner was the late Dr. Jerry Buss, and he left the arena with the Kings way behind and missed their amazing win.
Last night thousands of fans left the arena with the Bruins way behind, having to beg security officials to let them back in the arena.
Click on the link to see a great video from 1982
Andy B Sports 