The NBA Quarterfinals begin with two games today. First, the West top seed, Oklahoma City Thunder face the five seed, Memphis Grizzlies. That will be followed by the East two seed, New York Knicks hosting the three seed, Indiana Pacers.
The Knicks/Pacers series evokes memories of five quarterfinal or semi final series between the two teams from (1994-2000.) Twice, the Knicks were victorious in the semi-final series while the Pacers prevailed in one “semi” and in both quarterfinal clashes.
Tomorrow, two other quarterfinal series begin with the respective conference favorites, the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs swinging back into action after seven days off.
The Heat will be heavy favorites vs the Chicago Bulls, who handed the borough of Brooklyn (vs the Nets) another home game seven loss. That kindled memories of far more important home Brooklyn Dodgers’ losses in game seven of the World Series, vs the Yankees in 1952 and 1956. The Dodgers did win their only title in a game seven, road win at Yankee Stadium in 1955.
The Spurs are eight to one favorites vs the Golden State Warriors, who upset the Denver Nuggets in six games. The Warriors were (6-0) vs the point spread in that series.
Five NBA prelims ended in six games. All four games this past Friday resulted in the team up three games to two winning and those four winning teams play today.
Last year, the Los Angeles winter sport’s teams were creating a scheduling problem as three of them, all playing in the Staples Center, had advanced to their league’s quarterfinal round. This year is a different story.
First of all, the Lakers have already been ousted in four straight games in the first round. The other L.A. basketball team, the Clippers, have lost three straight games to the Memphis Grizzlies and face elimination tonight in game six at Memphis. If the Clippers win there will be a decisive seventh game at the Staples Center on Sunday.
Last year, the Los Angeles Kings won it all with one of the great playoff performances ever staged. They went up three games to none in all four series, winning the first two games on the road each time. No team had ever accomplished that feat and I doubt one will do so again in the foreseeable future.
However, this year the Kings lost the first two games of their preliminary series at St. Louis, vs the Blues. Last year the Kings swept the Blues in four straight games in the quarterfinal round.
Additionally, both L.A. area baseball teams, each touted to do big things this year, are playing under .500 baseball. The Dodgers are (13-14) while the Angels are (10-18).
Finally, the Anaheim Ducks are the NHL West two seed but find themselves sans home ice advantage. This manifested after a (5-4), game two, home loss vs the Detroit Red Wings.
Six is the operative number thus far in the NBA playoffs as six preliminary series will go at least six games.
While the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs swept the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers respectively (all eight times the Lakers have been down (3-0) in a playoff series they were swept out in four games), the other six series have some intrigue and will go at least six games.
Three series favorites, with home court advantage, still have that advantage and three to two, series leads. Those teams, the West one seed, Oklahoma City Thunder, (vs the Houston Rockets) the New York Knicks (vs the Boston Celtics) and Indiana Pacers (vs the Atlanta Hawks) are still big favorites to advance. The Thunder, however, have lost one of their stars Russell Westbrook to injury.
Meanwhile series underdogs, sans home court advantage, the Memphis Grizzlies, (vs the Los Angeles Clippers), Golden State Warriors, (vs the Denver Nuggets) and Chicago Bulls (vs the Brooklyn Nets) get a chance to win their series at home in game 6. A home team loss results in a decisive seventh game on the road.
Russell Westbrook
In light of active NBA player Jason Collins saying he is gay, let’s take some time (time the operative word as why did it take so much of that most valuable thing for Collins or anyone to do so ?!!) to remember former NFL running back, Dave Kopay.
Three years after his retirement from the NFL in 1972, Kopay announced his sexual orientation was homosexual. That happenstance was incredibly brave and a good deal of time in the past.
Mr. Kopay has gone on to do great work on behalf of athletes, who happen to be gay.
One way to look at all this and maybe it is advanced for some of you but Dave Kopay was not exactly Jim Brown or even that good an NFL running back. Yet do you know how good a running back he was to make the NFL which surely had less available spots then.
When and then— as WHEN this country evoke standards of performance and not race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and perhaps most of all lineage, THEN “we” will have something much(o) better than what now exists.
Yesterday I listened to part of a baseball game for the first time in a long time. I have my reasons why I do not listen.
Hearing Boston Red Sox broadcaster Joe Castiglione during the seventh inning of the game vs the Houston Astros was a good experience.
Castiglione, who once teamed with Ken Coleman to form an outstanding broadcast team, does a fine job. The game was one sided and he offered some good notes.
One criticism: perhaps due to a sports update involving a local NBA playoff game, Castiglione went a good chunk of one of the half innings without giving the score. It was at least four and a half minutes.
Overall, hearing Castiglione brought me back to better times. It was a nice treat.
With the NHL season in its final days, there is the possibility of not only all six “original teams” making the playoffs (five already have) but three first round playoff battles matching original teams.
Certain remaining regular season games will determine the first round pairings. The New York Rangers became the fifth original team to clinch a playoff spot when they came back from a (3-2) third period deficit to win at Carolina vs the Hurricanes.
The Detroit Red Wings bidding to extend their streak of making the playoffs to 22 straight seasons are in a three team battle for the two remaining spots in the NHL Western Conference.
“42” a movie about Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in major league baseball in 1947 certainly was a story worth telling. Largely, the movie was a story that dramatized what did not have to be dramatized.
First, however, the movie with a great performance by Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers’ executive who was determined to bring a black player to the “big leagues,” did work in telling the story. It brings attention to an incredible chapter, largely bad, in this nation’s history.
As stated in the closing credits, certain events and dialogue were dramatized. That is an understatement. However, the movie showed some of what the extraordinary Jackie Robinson endured in his pioneer role.
Chadwick Boseman as Jackie and Nicole Beharie as Rachel Robinson both gave excellent performances.
It is so important that Robinson’s and other stories about what people had to be subjected to due to racial or ethnic bigotry be told.
The movie ends with baseball events that did not happen. I want to recount the incredible baseball exploits of Jackie Robinson on the last day of the 1951 regular season.
The Dodgers needed a win at Philadelphia vs the Phillies to force a playoff with the New York Giants. With the game and season on the line, Robinson made a great catch to keep the game going. Later his home run put the Dodgers ahead to stay.
The man’s place in history is assured. What a man and what courage he and his wife Rachel showed. Additionally he was a tremendous player in an historic Brooklyn Dodgers’ era that produced six pennants in Jack’s ten seasons. None of that had to be dramatized with false history.
Six of the eight NBA Preliminary series stand at two games to none in favor of the higher ranked team which played each of the first two games at home.
Three of the four series in each conference are (2-0). In the better Western Conference, the top ranked Oklahoma City Thunder, second seed, San Antonio Spurs and fourth seed, Los Angeles Clippers all have (2-0) leads vs the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies respectively. In the only (1-1) series, the Golden State Warriors, after nearly winning Game 1, upset the Denver Nuggets in game 2 at Denver.
In the Eastern Conference, the top three seeds, the defending champion and overall top seed, Miami Heat, the second seed New York Knicks and third seed Indiana Pacers all have (2-0) series leads vs the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and Atlanta Hawks respectively. After being routed in game 1, the Chicago Bulls evened their series with the Brooklyn Nets by winning game two.
Thus the six teams leading (2-0) are huge favorites to advance while the Denver Nuggets, despite losing the home court advantage are still two and a half to one favorites to advance the quarterfinals. The Bulls vs Nets series is considered virtually even with Chicago just a six to five favorite.
With less than a week left in the shortened NHL regular season, there are still some playoff spots and divisional titles up for grabs.
Until 1967-1968, the NHL had only six teams and those teams are known as the “original six.” Recalling the old NHL fondly, the playoffs excitement is heightened when those teams are in playoff contention.
This is already a good year for those memories and teams and may be the “jackpot” year in which all six original teams qualify for the playoffs.
There will be at least four “original six” teams in the playoffs. Those are the overall top seed, Chicago Blackhawks, the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. Additionally, the New York Rangers are likely playoff participants while the Detroit Red Wings have a chance to make it: all six in the playoffs for the first time since the 1995-1996 season!
“Four Messages,” is a thoroughly enjoyable, musical play about singer, songwriter, and actor Ned Massey.
It combines great pathos with some humor.The music with words and lyrics by Mr. Massey is excellent.
The play is nicely done and has a very good pace. Ned narrates and also plays himself. Christopher Sutton and Sarah Hund also do great work in flashbacks, playing Ned and his wife respectively.
It is Ned’s story in which he did receive four messages from God. Clearly, the story is about faith but not traditional faith. One name evoked, in fact by the first message, is legendary musical record producer, John Hammond.
I highly recommend “Four Messages” which is playing at The Studio Theater at 410 West 42nd Street. The musical play, with fine direction by Larry Loonin, runs through May 4th.
