Certainly the more intense NHL playoffs frustration “resides” in Toronto, as the home team Maple Leafs have not “titled” or made the final round since winning a 4th crown in 6 seasons in same calendar 19677.
Last Saturday night, by virtue of their third OT win at Tampa, they 6’d the classy Lightning, who had made 3 straight final rounds and five since ’04, winning it all in ’04,’20 and ’21, to win their first ‘offs series since ’04, ending an 11 series loss skein. Additionally they ended an 11 game losing streak in potential series clinching games.
Surely they preferred the Florida Panthers as a quarterfinal round opponent, but at least through 2 games, each a home Tor loss, the bromide “be careful what you wish for has manifested.”
The Panthers a franchise not only in a questionable business situation are also seeped in ‘offs failure.
“Fla” had won just their second ‘offs series since winning 3, before being swept by the Colorado Avalanche in the ’96 final (the same night Fla 7’d top ranked Boston, Seattle now (1-1) vs Joe Pavelski and Dallas did the same to the defending champion ‘Lanche, who also won the 2001 title) when they beat the record breaking, top ranked Bruins.
The opening game of the “quarter” was in Toronto, on Tuesday May 2nd, the exact 56 year “ann” of the Leafs’ (3-1) home game 6 win vs the two time champion Montreal Canadiens, that gave them their last title.
Florida won that game (4-2), won again, this time (3-2) in #2 to lead (2-0) with #3 in Florida on Sunday.
The Panthers, who may face a team from an area that has a same name NFL team, (the Carolina–their NFL team is the Panthers— Hurricanes “opened” the Devils. The former had won a home #7 and their round of 16 series vs the Rangers after losing the first two games at home), in the “semis,” have won 5 straight games, 4 on the road. They are (5-1), with 5 straight such wins, on the road in these ‘offs and (1-2) at home.
I referenced a great, veteran player, Joe Pavelski above. He had 4 goals for his Dallas Stars in a game 1 loss to second year team Seattle (Kraken) in their “quarter” opener and a goal in the Stars’ series squaring win last night.
Incredibly, the night after Pavelski tallied 4 times in a loss for his team, Edmonton (Oilers) star player Leon Draisaitl did the same as Las Vegas (Golden Knights) won at home (6-4) in their opener.
Speaking of series opening games, truly sad news is that Petr Klima, pictured above, who scored to end the longest NHL final game, the Oilers’ 1990 game 1 win at Boston, died far too young at the age of 57.
There are ends, there are games, there are notes, there are people whose dreams wither “like a raisin in the sun,” yet we must try. (Ode to Superman talking to his split version.)
The (43-39) Los Angeles Lakers, who “play in’d, in a no cover of eventual 8 seed Minne to become the Western Conference “7” seed, surely loom in a bid for a record breaking 18th title. (That is if you count the 5 they won in the above referenced “Minne”apolis.
After “6’ing” the second seed Memphis Grizzlies, whose player “poked the bear” daring to criticize the so great but I will say it at least once more, not near the greatest, now Lakers’ (third time he jumped teams) player LeBron James, L.A. went to defending champion only (44-38) themselves, Golden State (Warriors) and won the quarterfinal opening game.
Anthony Davis, at least as important to L.A. as James (of course it will be an unbearable but in many ways deserving barrage of accolades for Leb if he , as he sensed, pulls this off. Of course there is a long way to go, but from the start just as I did not see the NHL ‘Lanche, I did not see Golden State, which won #’s 5 and 7 at Sacramento to advance to the quarters repeating. The hope likely is Denver (Nuggets) a team that has never made the NBA final, losing 4 times in the semis, thrice/3 times, to the Lakers. Yet the networks and Silver, who contributed mightily to a LeBron Cleveland crown in ’16, would not want Denver–ergo L.A. and alas in the East, other issues abound!), had 30 points and 22 rebounds and guilty of “LeBron this/LeBron that,” I note James’ teams are now (8-15) in ‘offs games vs Golden State and last night was the first time in 5 series opening games, they emerged victorious.
Quickly-the above referenced Nuggets (1-3) in previous ‘offs series vs Phoenix, lead them (2-0) but they are (5-0) in these ‘offs at home. In Eastern Conference play, both the Philly Sixers, who lead the still, pretty big plurality favorites to title (if they do, they also would get #18 (Bailey Howell/Dave Cowens) to go by 17 (John Havlicek) Boston Celtics (1-0) and the Miami Heat, who won then lost in the first two of their “quarter” at New York’s Madison Square Garden vs the Knicks,
Neither the Heat or 76ers, each just (2-0) (thus room?) have lost at home and seemingly every team does/will.
Oh the Lakers, impressive in 3 home wins vs Memphis, #6 the series clincher a 40 point rout also have not lost at home giving the Warriors (19-0) in Western Conference ‘offs series under Steve Kerr, much or just some hope.
That is Ray Allen, (you figure out why), pictured above.
I must take care of things more important than this stuff.
Also a search for Allen yielded (wanted the sign, but do not know how) a business, which is what all of this is, with never a better example of what I consider so negative, being LeBron James, his “brand” and all that goes with it.
Already, in a far bigger upset, (one is basketball, the other hockey), Miami had say 9 to 1’d top ranked Milwaukee, and ode to “The Spinners” “Games People Play,” memories did NOT get in the way, all year as the Bruins, I say foolishly, kept winning.
I posted here and will have “mucho” in the way of notes in the days ahead, but for now, the sad Bruins’ song is that Florida overcame a (3-1) series deficit, twice fought back to tie from 3rd period, one goal deficits in #6 and then dramatically got the tying goal from Brandon Montour with a minute left in “reg,” and then advanced on Carter Verhaeghe’s overtime goal.
Montour had “opened,” the Panthers led (2-0) before Boston, which had 65 wins and 135 points, each the most in a season, rallied to lead (3-2).
However, after “Fla” coach, Paul Maurice (he guided Winnipeg over top ranked/President’s Trophy winning Nashville in the 2018 “quarters”) pulled netminder Sergei Borbovsky–he was on the Columbus Blue Jackets team that swept and eased vs a Tampa Bay Lightning team that had almost as great a regular season as the 2022-2023 Bruins.
Again what for?
Perspective in one case is that the Lightning came back to win 2 straight crowns and make 3 consecutive final round appearances.
A better example is the loss by the Bruins, which evokes one they suffered in #7 of a “quarter,” on a Sunday afternoon at home vs Montreal and Ken Dryden in their first series, after greats like Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito and others, shattered individual records in ’71, took place on the exact 51 year anniversary of their (6-5) game 1 final round triumph vs the New York Rangers.
Those Bruins who won that Sunday afternoon and a first Cup in 29 years on one 2 years earlier, went on to title.
In that opening game, Boston dissipated a (5-1) lead before Garnet “Ace” Bailey took a pass from Mike “Shaky” Walton (Michael Waldman, a hockey fan then had died in the past few years), and scored the winning goal.
More or less, the same 29 years passed and on September 11, 2001–Bailey was killed, having been a passenger on one of the planes forced into a building.
Seemingly, only I recall all of that, but even aware of it, I lack the perspective– maybe not as much as most, that this sports stuff, even when both winter sports’ top ranked teams are out in the round of 16 (had it ever happened, you do the research and let me know and I will cite you here), with one a record breaking team, it really means so little.
Garnet “Ace” Bailey scored the winning goal for the eventual champion Boston Bruins in game 1 of the 1972 NHL final.
Five NHL round of 16 series have ended.
Four did so in six games, one in 5 games while 2 #7’s are on tap today with the final game of the first round/round of 16, tomorrow night.
Las Vegas (Golden Knights) dispatched the Winnipeg Jets and their very annoyed coach, Rick Bowness in 5 games, however, a rarity as two teams from Canada, the Maple Leafs of Toronto and the Edmonton Oilers clinched their in 6 games, last night.
It was Toronto’s first series win since 2004 and the series clinching goal credited to John Taveras (“it only took” one shot, ode to the Tavaras hit song “It Only Takes A Minute To Fall In Love”) was the third, “at classy Tampa Lightning,” overtime win for the Leafs in the series.
Toronto will meet the winner of tonight’s decisive game between visiting Florida (Panthers) and the top ranked Boston Bruins.
Elsewhere, Carolina (Hurricanes), the East “2” seed 6’d the Islanders and will meet the winner of tomorrow night’s #7 Rangers at Devils game.
Paul Stastny, the son of the great player, Peter Statsny and nephew of two other top players Marion and Anton Stastny, had the series winning, overtime, road goal.
Peter Statsny had the O.T. decisive 7th game “quarter” winner for the Quebec Nordiques, now the Colorado Avalanche, at Montreal (Canadiens) in 1985.
Las Vegas will have home ice advantage vs Edmonton but my prediction is “Edm” in 6.
Meanwhile the Dallas Stars, once the Minnesota North Stars, who 6’d the Minnesota Wild, will either open at defending champion Colorado (Avalanche) or host the second year Seattle Kraken, when their “quarter” begins either Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on tonight’s “Sea” at Colorado 7th game result.
Once, the long having disappeared “Schtunk,” who knew his “stuff” commented on players, who more than once were on teams that defeated the vaunted Yankees in post-season play.
Dick Groat, a tremendous player and the 1960 N.L. batting champion and MVP, playing on that year’s Pirates’ title winner was one such player.
In a fabulous World Series, the Pirates though handily outscored, defeated the Yankees in 7 games, as Hal Smith, Rocky Nelson and the best known of the blasts, Bill Mazeroski hit big home runs.
Groat had one hit, one run and one rbi, all in the big 5 run Pirates’ 8th inning that yielded a (9-7) lead when Smith’s 3RHR sailed over the left field wall (the same score they won #7 in 1925, the last time before ’60 that the Pirates “titled”) only to have the Yankees tie the game T9 before “Maz” hit the W.S. winning home run.
In 1963, Groat, in his first season with the St. Louis Cardinals finished second to a great pitcher, Sandy Koufax in the MVP race.
The next season Groat was the shortstop/infield anchor on a world championship team, a second one in 5 seasons/4 years that 7’d the Yankees in the World Series with a home decisive game win.
Dick loved basketball and was an All American player at Duke University. He set a season points scoring mark in the 1951-1952 season.
Later, he played briefly in the NBA for the then Fort Wayne Pistons before committing to baseball and what manifested in an excellent career.
He played the games the right way, another from a better time now gone, but whose achievements and memories thereof live on.
Dick Groat, pictured above.
In what was roughly a 25 to 1 pay out (Beano again from above, screaming “you have to be willing to lose!!!) both the 9;5 series underdog New York Knicks and 8 to 1 “u/dog” Heat won their round of 16ers, in 5 games, each winning twice on the road and in fact, both teams winning games 1 and (3-5) vs the Cleveland Cavaliers (the Knicks are (4-0) in series vs the Cavs and (12-2) in such games) and top ranked Milwaukee Bucks respectively.
Last night on what was the exact 51st anniversary of the Knicks’ incredible shooting (surely Bill Bradley and Jerry Lucas) in a game 1 rout win at L.A. vs the (69-13) Lakers, another solid performance by Jalen Brunson led an easy Knicks win (plus 5 plus) to “5” the Cavs.
Remember the then “my” Lakers won the next 4 to finally gain an L.A. based crown and complete an incredible season, in which they set a still standing major North American sports record with 33 consecutive victories.
Oh did I take “heat” after the Knicks win in game 1 and being different (a again, then not now Lakers’ fan in N.Y.) got relief not exultation from my team’s win, a constant as my dad often cited, in my existence. (By the way, on the exact “ann” of that #1 loss to the Knicks 51 years earlier, the Lakers were again routed, this time by the Memphis Grizzlies, this time in #5 of a prelim/”round of 16er,” in which L.A. is (-5) to go home and advance.
Speaking of heat, the Miami Heat led by the incredible play of Jimmy Butler dispatched the top ranked Milwaukee Bucks in 5 games, riding Mr. Butler’s 42 to a (128-126) overtime win in #5.
Earvin “Magic” Johnson, pictured above, predicted a Knicks’ series win vs the Cavs and that they in turn would give Milwaukee a tough “quarters” series.
It turns out they face Miami (the Knicks are (-4) game 1 and (-130) series “faves”) whose Jimmy Butler, evoked Magic’s 42 point game in #6 vs Philly in the ’80 final.
Butler also had 56 points as the Heat rallied to win #4. They were as high as 13 point underdogs in game 5. Magic, Jamaal “Silk” Wilkes (he had 37 points in that 1980 title clincher) and the Lakers were about 8 point “dogs” playing without Kareem in that ’80 game.
What goes around …..
An incredible, dynamic, great looking entertainer and far more important, an eloquent, productive, caring activist for human rights, Harry Belafonte, died yesterday at age 96.
It is pretty certain that with the attributes and accomplishments along his name, that he followed in the great footsteps of his mentor, the one and only Paul Robeson, and that high, well deserved praise would please Harry Belafonte.
One can imagine a 5 person team above with Harry now a 6th, to spark them, a la John Havlicek, who might be on a similar great, departed team, with 5 and 6 as basketball numbers.
Mr. Belafonte accomplished so much and the five I cite, while beyond great and important, are a “tip of the iceberg,” as among others, where is Nelson Mandela?
Harry had Eleanor Roosevelt in his home. I believe ditto regarding President Kennedy and his brother Robert. As cited, Paul Robeson was his mentor. Together they did so much good.
Maybe most meaningful among Mr. Belafonte’s associations, was the one with the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King.
Stressing the good moral compass, the Kennedys eventually showed, but society has still nowhere near attained, King and Belafonte organized and with help (Mr. Poitier among them, as cited in a previous post here that I will “link”), leaving to enter the dark, dangerous, southern nights (no Glen Campbell song here or there then, now?) made strides for people so incredibly, unfairly and systemically denied them.
Mr. Belafonte, while better known for his incredible singing, (a little “day-o” will help vs those chemicals, just about now) was an exceptional, under rated actor.
The sheer beauty of Dorothy Dandridge and Harry in the Otto Preminger directed “Carmen Jones,” Harry as a “turn the tables,” abusive, racist, but with the power, Black man opposite John Travolta in “White Man’s Burden” are just two, among many, not only worth watching but studying, films in which he performed.
His book “My Song: A Memoir” is so “chock full” of great notes, one might think of Horn and Hardart.
Gina Belafonte, one of his four children, now takes the full reins of Sankofa.Org, a truly inspiring organization, helping in the much needed quest for social justice.
Of course when I met Mr. Belafonte he was polite and classy.
So much more I can say and perhaps will.
For now some links below from previous posts regarding Harry Belafonte.
I am not ashamed to tear up thinking about all he did, the great deserved praise, the sad reality of now but also the progress he led (forgive: “Harry The Change Yo Helped Bring, We Keep-ode to another Harry, (Chapin) whose care for the hungry lives on now 42 years since a tragic car accident took him) with the fervent hope it will continue.
Look down and try to again help us, while being an entertaining activist, as you were here, above.
Harry Belafonte Tribute At Town Hall
Six of the 16, round of 16 NBA and NHL playoff series are through 5 games, the other ten have completed four.
Only (bad one coming up) one team, was 10-4’d as in “over and out,” in 4 straight games (told you it was bad) while two ended in 5 games, yielding the first of the 8 “quarters” matchups, as the top 2 Western Conference “odds” choices, the “1” seed Denver Nuggets and “4” seed Phoenix Suns, will meet in that round for the second time in 3 seasons/2 years.
Both Denver and Phoenix won home 5th games with just the third and fourth “win/no covers” of these ‘offs, dispatching the Minne Timberwolves and L.A. Clippers respectively.
Phoenix which opened a 7 to 5 series “fave” (Denver is -2 plus in #1 on Saturday, however Phoenix is just plus 160 to win the West, while Denver is plus 330, just ahead of defending champion Golden State and the “Leb League” Lakers. For the record, Sacramento though (2-2) with Golden State in the current round and with home advantage is 20 to 1, while Memphis with “home adv,” but trailing L.A. (3-1), is 40 to 1), swept the Nuggets in the 2021 “quarters.”
Denver has never made an NBA final, while the Suns lost in 6 games, in all 3 of their final round appearances.
In ’76 the last ABA season, both the Nuggets, who had home advantage and the Suns, who did not, were 6’d in the final round, by the New York Nets and Boston Celtics respectively.
Walter Davis, pictured above in 1987 was a star player for the Suns.
Research yielded the fact that the #30 on the uniform was in memory of Suns’ player, Nick Vanos, who died in a plane crash.
Very few teams in either the NBA or NHL have gone unbeaten at home in the playoffs, in say the last 50 plus seasons.
Already in the NHL playoffs, where but 28 games have been played (Monday through Sunday, 4 each day, mostly at night), an incredible 15 of the 16 ‘offs teams have lost at home.
Only the East “2” seed, and “div” winning, Carolina Hurricanes, who won the first two at home and yesterday #4 at the Islanders (looks as though after a great run of 4 straight titles (’80-’83), it will be a streak of ten times that many seasons sans a title and 39 without a final round appearance for the Isles), are (2-0) at home.
All the other teams, including the top ranked Boston Bruins, the only other (3-1) series leader have lost at least once at home.
In the NBA, where it is much less likely to secure a road win, half of the 16 ‘offs teams have lost at home.
Another Boston team, (as with the Bruins “plurality” faves to title), the Celtics, who lead the Atlanta Hawks (3-1), their almost certain “quarters” opponent, the 76ers (it would, almost can say “will” would George? –be a 22nd series clash between the rivals), a third Atlantic “div” team, the Knicks and West top seed, Denver are the only “(2-0) at home,” NBA teams.
The Sixers swept the Brooklyn Nets while the Knicks and Nuggets have (3-1) series leads vs the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves respectively.
Elsewhere, both the defending champion but 6 seed, Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings are (2-0) at home. How
However, they are playing each other.
Lower seeded L.A. (Lakers vs Memphis) and Miami (Heat vs heavily favored, top ranked Milwaukee), the 2020 final round opponents in a series/season that culminated in “a Bubble” and is another “cheap” James, the so called “King,” crown. Again he is a great player, but nowhere near the greatest) are (1-0) at home and have (2-1) prelims leads.
Joe Torre, pictured above, guided the Yankees to an (8-0) road post-season record and the ’96 title.
Thus far in this the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 55th season since their last title and for that matter final round appearance in 1967, the first two games had reverse results from exact dates, in same calendar 1967.
However, the third was the same result as exactly 56 years earlier.
On Tuesday April 18, 1967, Brian Conacher rifled in two goals as the Leafs beat top ranked Chicago (Black Hawks, now Blackhawks) (3-1) at Toronto in #6, to advance to the Cup final vs 2 time defending champion, Montreal (Canadiens).
In game 1, exactly 56 years later, Tampa Bay (Lightning) ripped the Leafs (7-3) in #1 of their round of 16/preliminary series.
Then on Thursday April 20, the Maple Leafs became the first NHL team in ‘offs play to score and win with 7 goals, one game after losing yielding 7 in the previous one.
A reverse result 56 years earlier when just 2 nights after the semi ended, the final series opened with Montreal “tripling” Toronto (6-2).
On Saturday April 20th’s exactly 56 years apart the Leafs repeated their road win at the Montreal Forum vs the two time champion Canadiens that squared the ’67 final, winning at Tampa vs the Lightning a repeat champion in ’20 and ’21 and a finalist last season.
“Tor”now leads what is just a round of 16 series, 2 games to 1.
Andy B Sports 