In this the same calendar year as 1978, when both the Denver Nuggets in their second NBA season and Philadelphia 76ers advanced to the NBA semis, each team has a (3-0) prelims lead with a pretty likely future as “quarters” underdogs vs Phoenix and Boston, each up (2-1) and huge series favorites, (the latter if it manifests, an “umpteenth” ‘offs clash between those 2 franchises) respectively.
Both the Nuggets (today an Islanders Mc D’s promo, still Carolina up (2-1) yielded 10 nuggets for 2 dollars, I tipped a dollar as I am one of the best in that department, the food is good but not good for you, especially if you “wolf it down” while in the car as I did) and Sixers are (3-0) (3-0) vs the Nets and Timberwolves respectively with #2 Denver and #3 Philly half point “covers,” tough to take (I always “take,” but thank goodness, small).
In ’78, the first of two straight Bullets/SuperSonics NBA final round series manifested when the Bullets, now the Wizards and SuperSonics then in Seattle, and now the Oklahoma City Thunder 6’d the Sixers (say sixed the Sixers 6 times fast even 3 times fast) and Nuggets in the semis.
Click below to view some great plays made by one of the all-time best, David Thompson a long time Denver Nuggets star.
www.youtube.com › watchDavid Thompson Top 10 Plays of Career – YouTube
David Thompson, pictured above with North Carolina State, led them to the ’74 NCAA crown.
Fellow, veteran theatre goer, Barbara Scharf was heard commenting about the superb production “Teach Me How To Die” (now through April 29th at The Gene Frankel Martel Theatre –24 Bond Street in Manhattan) and in particular, the character development pertaining to the six people, who attended a rather telling master class, that of how to write a suicide note.
Yet the play is so much more, on such a serious topic, which has alarming statistics.
Even that barely touches the complexities of the production based on Lisa Monde’s work.
It is not a “spoiler” at all, to state that the play emphasizes that there are most often, better options than suicide.
There is a truly outstanding cast.
Samuel Shurtleff stands out as “Professor Mirrormord,” while Ms. Monde, an award-winning actress and singer, in addition to her truly introspective writing, has a key role as “Poet.”
Again a superb cast: Scott Lilly, Luke Edward Smith, Robert L. Bradvica, Mark Simmons and Steven J. Harris in main roles, as class participants.
Nice efforts in multiple roles are turned in by both Cadence Lamb and Thomas R. Gordon.
Gordon along with Ms. Monde directed.
It was a truly revealing, entertaining and meaningful performance.
Click below for more information including that involving tickets purchase.
allevents.in › new york › teach-me-how-to-dieTeach Me How to Die, The Gene Frankel Theatre, New York …
An incredible 40 straight times and maybe more incredible 161 of the last 175 NBA (actual –play in games not included) playoff games, the winning team has also “covered the spread.”
Already (almost every year every ‘offs team loses at least one home tilt) 10 of the 16 teams opening their round of 16/preliminary series at home have lost a game.
In the NHL, 6 of the 8 visiting teams won road opening games.
Meanwhile in the NBA, while home teams Boston, Philly, Sacramento (a pretty big series u/dog, though having home advantage) are up (2-0) and Denver won its opener, top ranked Milwaukee, Cleveland (now (1-1) vs the Knicks), Memphis and Phoenix (now (1-1) vs the L.A. Clippers) lost in their opening home ‘offs game.
Tonight “M” and “M” (ode to Mickey and Roger, the latter more or less disgracefully not in the “Hall”–put it this way, he is far more deserving then a good number of those who are in), Milwaukee and Memphis hope to get even in home #2’s vs “M”iami and the “L”ooming” “L”eBron,”L”ed Lakers respectively.
Click to view Willie Nelson’s “On The Road Again ” and again it has been road NHL ‘offs wins again.
There are four, first round games as the 2022-2023 NHL playoffs commence tonight.
The top ranked, record breaking Boston Bruins are “top heavy,” nearly 4 to 1 series favorites vs the Florida Panthers.
Another division champion, the Carolina Hurricanes also are big series “faves” not close to as high at roughly 2 to1 vs the New York Islanders.
Two Western ‘offs begin tonight, in one the Edmonton Oilers are also big series favorites. They are roughly a 12 to 5 “choice” to top the L.A. Kings.
Remember the teams’ historic best of 5 prelims clash in ’82 when a Kings’ Saturday night miracle comeback win in #3, (incredibly they entered the final period down 5 goals and eventually took a (2-1) series lead with an overtime win) led to a 5 game series, more or less shocking L.A. triumph.
In a series perceived competitive, the Dallas Stars, once the Minnesota North Stars, are say 3 to 2 favorites vs their old home city Minnesota Wild.
All five New York/New Jersey NBA or NHL teams qualified for the playoffs and will be involved in 4 different, largely simultaneous preliminary series.
In the NBA, in series commencing today, the 76ers of Philly are huge favorites vs the Brooklyn Nets while in another, perceived much more competitive series, the Cleveland Cavaliers are roughly 8 plus to 5/person to person favorites vs the New York Knicks.
Meanwhile in the NHL, starting two days hence on Monday night April 17th, the Carolina Hurricanes are roughly 2 to 1 series favorites vs the New York Islanders.
On Tuesday in a series considered virtually even, the New Jersey Devils have home advantage (do they? as at the Rangers the crowd is for the Rangers while at New Jersey, it has been half and half and not the kind one puts in coffee) vs the New York Rangers.
This is just the second time in 48 possibilities (that counts the Devils’ previous incarnation as the Kansas City Scouts in ’75 and the Colorado Rockies ’76-’83) that all 5 of these franchises have qualified for the playoffs in the same year. It happened in 1994 and after the Rangers “prelim’d” the Isles and 7’d the Devils in 2 overtimes in the semis, they ended a 54 year/53 seasons title drought by 7’ing the Vancouver Canucks.
Also in ’94, after “prelim’ing” the Nets and winning respective quarters and semis in 7 vs first the Bulls and then the Pacers, the Knicks lost games 6 and 7 at Houston vs the Rockets in the NBA final.
That is the closest any city or area came to winning both the NBA and NHL crowns in the same year/season.
Stephane Matteau, (his son, currently, I believe playing for a team in Germany is Stefan and started his NHL career with the Devils), scored not only the above referenced Rangers’ 7 game,2 overtime “semis” series winning goal vs the Devils in ’94, but also a game 3, second overtime “gamer.”
Tonight, the last non (real) ‘offs action will conclude with two essentially playoffs, albeit added by a commissioner who despite his name, W.J. Bryan would never respect, no less die for, tilts, called NBA “play in” games.
Meanwhile in the NHL, one meaningful and one meaningless tilt end its regular season. In the former, the defending champion Colorado Avalanche, need a win at Nashville to secure a “div” crown and home ice advantage, certainly through the “quarters.”
Yesterday, a remarkable Boston Bruins’ “reg” “downplayed by me,” concluded with their (5-4) win over the Canadiens in Montreal.
They/the Bruins “went” 65(wins)- 12 (losses) and 5 OT or (BS) shootout losses, not quite the ’76-’77 Canadiens’ 60 wins, 8 losses and 12 “legitimate/played 60 minutes, same score for the two contestants” ties, however, a great mark which includes most wins and points (135) in a regular season.
Many more notes, results and some opinions in the days to follow.
The RECORD album above reviewed the Boston Bruins’ (then “my” Boston Bruins) RECORD breaking ’70-’71 seasons, in which Phil Esposito had 76 goals and 76 assists, the Bruins scored 399 goals with 10 players scoring more than 20 goals.
Bobby Orr amassed 102 assists and still a rare feat, captain John Bucyk hit 51 goals.
Boston (Bruins) won it all in ’70 and ’72 (only in 2011, when they won #7 at Vancouver (Canucks) in the final, since) but not in their scoring record ‘770-’71 season.
Montreal, so down now and still by far the all-time NHL franchise, denied those Bruins in the “quarters” led by a not yet, rookie status goaltender named Ken Dryden.
Buyer, Bruins and Bruins “Buyers” Beware!!
Two more NBA round of 16/preliminary series are set, each involving one of the two NBA glory teams, the 17 time champion Boston Celtics and the 16 time champion, L.A. Lakers.
Five of those 16 Lakers’ crowns were amassed while they played in Minneapolis.
Speaking of Minneapolis, the current home team Timberwolves went as cold as Minne winter weather and dissipated a nice lead and lost the West 7/8 game to the Lakers in overtime last night.
The manifestation is the Wolves get another chance and will be home favorites vs tonight’s West 9/10 winner, in which the New Orleans Pelicans are hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Lakers now face the Memphis Grizzlies, who are decent sized 3 plus point(s) favorites in game 1, but just say 6 plus to 5 series favorites.
Meanwhile on a night a “Hawks” team, the low points, Chicago Blackhawks shocked the Pittsburgh Penguins to severely jeopardize the Pens’ 16 straight ‘offs appearances streak, the Atlanta Hawks upset the Miami Heat, at Miami and now face the Boston Celtics for the 13th time in playoffs annals.
Boston, which won 10 of the 12 previous series vs the Hawks, going (3-1) vs the then St. Louis and Western Division Hawks in final round play), is an overwhelming 10 to 1, 8 plus to 1 “person to person” series “fave”and 9 plus points favorites, in #1, to be played Saturday afternoon, in Boston.
That game will be the second of the round of 16 games, beginning around 3:30 Daylight Savings Time.
In another Saturday afternoon Celtics/Hawks game, likely “overseen” by the great broadcaster, Lindsey Nelson, the Celtics prevailed (122-103), in what was the 1960 NBA finale, a game 7 for “all the marbles”
Frank Ramsey led Celtics scorers in that game with 24 points. The Celts hit 122, both Bill Russell and Tom Heinsohn had 22 points.
Today is the exact 56 year anniversary of a great 1966-1967 Philadelphia 76ers team ripping the beyond great Boston Celtics (perhaps not that year, however that group still had “2 more” in them) (140-116) in #5 to advance to an NBA final, they would win in 6 games vs the S.F. Warriors.
Sixers’ broadcaster, Andy Musser called the end saying “it was one of the great moments in Philadelphia sports history.”
Mucho I could and perhaps will say down the road.
“For now” (ode to Karen Carpenter and The Carpenters) “my song” is though “Russ” (the great Bill Russell, for the first time at this time, no longer on this earth) and his teams prevailed all but that time in ’67 vs Wilt (the great Wilt Chamberlain) in ‘offs series, I do not believe the Celtics ever won vs a Wilt team, either the Warriors or Sixers (for that matter later on vs the Lakers but alas they did win and it really does not matter by how much), they never did so as convincingly as those ’67 76ers did.
Add 40 and 16, get 56, it is 56 years since that also Tuesday April 11, 1967 when the 76ers and Wilt finally advanced past those great Boston Celtics.
Click below for a really nice highlight package con “The Supremes” music of Wali Jones.
Walter “Wali” Jones had a big third quarter 56 years ago today. He is 81 years old.
5 Sixers, Hal Greer, Wilt, Chet Walker, Billy Cunningham and Wali combined for 131 of the 76ers’ 140 points in that tilt.
The truly great, never gave up and won so often, John Havlicek led all scorers with 38 points.
As you might know, very little about today’s big league baseball appeals to me.
There is a team to admire, however, the Tampa Bay Rays, who are off (10-0).
Yet I feel that means little and the Rays to finally win a crown after nary one despite years of really good play despite a relatively low payroll, is far away.
OK if they get a top seed or even #2 in the A.L. they still have to win 3 rounds and 11 games. Alas the (10-0) start does not anywhere near insure a top 2 or even the A.L. East crown.
In their “div,” the high payroll, consistent high wins, albeit of late post-season under achieving Yankees still loom.
Throw in highly rated, unproven Toronto and maybe surprises from Baltimore and Boston.
Keep going Rays, (they have beaten me in all 10 but again small is the way to bet and better not to bet), but the “road of going” is a long, dare I say (ups and downs) winding one.
The Lightning have 3 crowns (by the way I lose every time on the Leafs, but this season I go “limbing,” they will win vs the Lightning in an NHL prelim that will commence next week. They are roughly 7 to 5 favorites to do so), the Buccaneers won in both their Supes but the Rays are (0-2) in W.S. play, (3-8) in games.
Click above as the truly great broadcaster, Harry Kalas calls the last out giving the Phillies the 2008 crown with a game 5 home win vs the Rays.
Andy B Sports 