It might not be the biggest story in sports last night. To me, it is a very important moment for the NHL and a telling moment for the Dallas Stars. In case you did not catch the Red Wings/Stars game last night, here is the end of the game.
Number one warning, I am a Red Wings fan attempting to be impartial and simply look at this as a hockey fan. The Stars will undoubtedly blame Osgood for sticking his stick out and striking Mike Ribeiro. I cannot do that for one important reason. The little move that Osgood made is not uncommon in the NHL or hockey for that matter. He stuck his blocker out there to protect himself and teammate Lidstrom from being destroyed in the corner. It was unlucky that Ribeiro ran into the butt end of the stick, but there is no way, and no reason, that Osgood would purposely spear the Stars’ player. Growing up playing youth hockey, there were several occasions that I came close to the goalie and took a shot from the blocker. It is natural for a goalie to protect his goal area.
The real issue here is Ribeiro’s ridiculous reaction, and how telling it is that the Stars could possibly be swept in this series. This type of behavior has no place in hockey, especially the NHL. It is unacceptable to take a swing at another player. I love fighting in hockey. I was even excited at the end of the game when there was a little group meeting behind the net, but then the baseball swing took place. Fighting is normal and should be allowed to a point. Swinging your stick can seriously hurt another player, and that is “intent to injure.” I will try not to be too biased and admit that Osgood looked like he milked the hit a little bit. Still, there is no question in my mind that there is a suspension in store. It will most likely be one game because it is the playoffs, but during the regular season this type of action should be at least five games. There is no reason to ever do this.
The actual series is looking to be a blowout. The Stars are clearly frustrated as they picked fight after fight in the 3rd period acting like a bunch of “Bantam” players. (A hockey level for about age 15) They reacted immaturely. The Wings will not lose their cool. I expected the series to go rather long, but the Stars are not the same in control team the beat the Ducks and Sharks. I wonder why? Maybe the reason is that they aren’t winning. Finally, a quick message for Mike Ribeiro. Watch out for number 25, Darren McCarty, next time you are on the ice. You don’t want him to go Claude Lemieux on you.
You want excitement? You want drama? While March Madness is hailed as one of the greatest events in sports, many of those blind fans refuse to admit that this year’s NBA playoffs are filled with just as much excitement and drama. If you do not see this, that is fine. I understand. The NBA playoffs take a lot more time and energy to find exactly what it is that makes them so exciting. If I was to walk around and ask the casual sports fan a question about the Utah Jazz, most would not be able to answer. On the other hand, everyone can tap into the media frenzy that is the NCAA tournament without caring, or needing to care, about the players, matchups, and strategy.
There are four series going on right now. Each one is so unique in the drama that has or will soon unfold. In the West, we get to see one of the best players of the game transform into the ultimate teammate. We see Bryant’s Lakers playing so well that they have taken an early lead on an extremely talented team in Utah. Comparisons to Stockton/Malone are circulating. While that may be a bit premature, the Jazz are giving a 2-0 series great excitement as it goes back to Utah. We also see the boring champion Spurs struggling with the up and coming New Orleans Hornets. Going back to San Antonio, the Spurs trail 2-0. Chris Paul is putting up quite the show, and the Hornets are on the brink of knocking off the most solid team in the NBA.
Over in the East, on the surface, things seem quieter. It is just the opposite. The Cavaliers/Celtics series is must-see TV. Lebron is attempting to kill the dreams of thousands of KG fans. That alone should make things interesting. The Celtics seem far superior, but one loss in Boston could make things rather difficult for KG to prove that he deserves the credit many of his fans think he deserves. The Pistons/Magic series just got a little more interesting with Chauncey Billups getting injured. He should be back by Saturday or at worst game 5 so things are not as exciting. Still, “Superman” Dwight Howard is fun to watch in itself. Game 4 on Saturday will either create more drama or allow the Pistons to take control.
In the end, I am not disputing the excitement of the NCAA Tournament. I am simply saying that the NBA playoffs is not too far behind in creating great drama. The excitement is only going to increase. The potential matchups are so intriguing. Pistons/Celtics. Lakers/Hornets. The 2008 version of the NBA could prove to be one of the best we have seen in recent years. The problem is that most fans will not take the time to understand each of the teams. Each one is so unique. I challenge those who are stubborn and still say the NBA is awful to watch a few Celtics games. Check out the Hornets/Spurs game tonight. Once you understand what is at stake and how much passion is in these arenas, then you may understand why the NBA playoffs can be just as good as the NCAA Tournament.
What are all these titles? They are four of the titles of articles I came across when looking for recaps of the Pistons/Magic game last night. If you live under a rock and have not heard of what happened Piston’s guard Chauncey Billups shot a 3-pointer with the clock stopped at the end of the third quarter. The refs, unable by rule to consult video replay, choose to count the shot and leave .5 seconds left on the clock.
Okay, now that the explanation is out of the way you are probably asking why I am writing about this when it is rather clear I do not like those headlines. Well, I am simply saying that the shot, while newsworthy, should not be the focus of this series! I have several points regarding my disgust. First, this is not “home cooking.” The clock operator last night is from Minnesota so the game being in Detroit had nothing to do with the malfunction. Second, the refs made the right call. There is no way that they could have taken points off the board. They could not have replayed the 5 seconds after the entire play took place. Yes, the rules should change, but the refs did what they needed to do. Third, why is a three pointer such a huge factor in this game? Heck, Orlando made seven in the third quarter alone! The headline should say “Magic lose despite Crazy-Delicious Shooting from Three!” The pistons won that game, and they should not have to deal with so-called experts saying they didn’t deserve it. The Magic did not deserve to win when they lost their composure late in the 4th.
In short, these huge stories are about a three-pointer. Would things have turned out differently? The game could have been changed, but who is to say that the refs made every single correct foul call. A charge being called a block is basically the same story, two points the team did not deserve. Let us celebrate a great performance by a championship contender and quit making excuses for the Magic, who have been outplayed in two straight games.
I have mentioned this before. NHL playoff overtime is the greatest event in sports. I continue to fail to come up with some other event that come close to creating the same excitement and intensity. Last night, the Sharks and Stars battled for 4+ overtime periods. About nine minutes into the fourth overtime Brenden Morrow, the captain of the Stars, netted a one-timer to send the Stars into the Western Conference semifinals to face the Red Wings on Thursday. These two teams played over two full games, yet the intensity never slowed down.
I will admit that I fell asleep between the first and second overtime intermission and woke up to see the end of the third and the rest of the fourth overtimes. Still, that does not take anything away from how amazing this game was to me. The first overtime was some of the most exciting hockey I have ever seen. Two of the best goalies in the game came up with unthinkable saves time and time again. Both teams had chances and you couldn’t help but hold your breath throughout. By the fourth overtime, it was visible that these two teams were exhausted and starting to play a little sloppy. The passion seen in the players never diminished, however.
What is it that people don’t like? Well, the game ended at around 2:15 local time in Dallas. To me, that just helps raise the excitement over any other sport. Just think, it could have been worse and the game could have started two hours later in San Jose! Also, at least they did not simply end the game in a tie! Another reason is that people don’t know these players or teams. If you actually watched the majority of this game, it shouldn’t matter. I don’t know these teams at all. I just sat and watched. By that fourth overtime, I felt like I had a huge interest in the game. I understand that point, but for real sports fans I don’t see how you could have been upset by what took place.
Both games yesterday resulted in overtime wins that put both teams (Stars and Penguins) into the next round in the playoffs. It only gets better from here. The games will continue to be close and the intesity will rise. For fans of the NBA, like me, there were some games to watch yesterday. Still, if given the choice, I will take the hard hitting, fast paced NHL playoffs when comparing it to a slow moving blowout on the hardwood. Don’t get me wrong, I love the NBA playoffs, but I do not see the same excitement. I don’t see the same passion that is seen on the ice during a fourth overtime in the playoffs.
I read this article a couple of weeks ago, and it is worth noting. Slamball the trampoline style basketball sport is on its way back. When? Well, the article doesn’t say, but this is some great news!
For those of you who are not familiar with the sport, it is essential basketball with carefully placed trampolines on the court. This produces some great action. I am not sure how else to explain it so here is an example of a Slamball game.
Okay, time to travel back to Earth and use some rationale. I probably watched a few games when the show was on back a few years ago on SpikeTV. It was…interesting. If promoted right, I think it could be somewhat successful, like Arena Football. The game itself is rather weird and most people will most likely not enjoy it. Still, the And 1 Streetball Mixtapes were popular when they were a constant on ESPN. If Slamball can convince people that it is a legitimate league, I think it could survive as a fun sport to watch.
People need to take this as it is. A fun sport that shows some athletic people do what they have fun doing. It can be ridiculed, but it is no different then watching the And 1 tour or watching any sort of skills challenge. My final verdict? It most likely will not succeed. Still, if and when it does come back, I urge you to watch a game and see what you think. If nothing else, it will entertain you for a few minutes!
Throughout the last few months of the NBA season, all we heard was how great the Western Conference was. I was fooled into believing that the East was a joke and the playoffs would be all about the West until the final four. Well, we were oh so wrong. I admit it. I was wrong as well.
Let us go through where we are on the first day of May. The East has one series done; the other three are at 3-2. The West has three series done; the other one is at 3-2. Right away we can see that all the drama is in the East. Is anyone outside of Utah or Houston on the edge of their seats for game 6 in that series? I highly doubt that. At least personally, I see no real drama in that series. Meanwhile, I was thoroughly intrigued by the Celtics battle with the Hawks, and the Cavs blowing the close-out game at The Q.
From here on out, things could easily change. Still, I have to believe that people are pretty excited to see if the 76ers can take the Pistons to game seven, or if the Wizards can pull off the miracle against Lebron. (Oops, I meant the Cavs) It seems as if the talent in the West, while most likely superior to the East, does not reflect a what kind of playoffs we will get. Let’s be honest. Could these records not be receiving contributions from the fact that these teams just were beating up on each other?
I’m not going to sit here and say that the East has the more talented teams. (Although they do have the two most talented in the Celtics and Pistons) I will say that we were all wrong to count out the excitement of young athletic teams going up against the big guns in the East. Did we all forget about the Warriors last year? That fast, athletic team gave us one of the greatest upsets in NBA history. The 76ers and Hawks are providing us with another chance at that excitement. It is time to give the East some credit for putting on a great show. The first round in the West was hardly played, it seems now, while the East is at its climax.
Anybody who visits this site must have known that I was not going to let this series go by without my own take on the rivalry. There are plenty of articles out there with much more comprehensive knowledge and analysis of the current series, which begins tonight at 7:30pm. Instead of focusing on that, let us take a look back on, what I believe, one of the greatest rivalries in sports history.
It is not clear when the rivalry initially began although the two teams met in the playoffs multiple times. In 1996, the Avalanche took the first shot as they defeated the Wings in the Conference Finals. The Avs would go on to win the Stanley Cup. That initial series would start a series of battles for years to go. Claude Lemieux created quite the stir with his cheap shot on Red Wings’ Kris Draper.
The next season brought us the greatest hockey game ever in my opinion. I did some research for the this post, but I did not need any to remember the date of this game, March 26, 1997. I was able to rewatch this game through the joys of DVD and I highly suggest any hockey fan to get the Red Wings DVD from netflix or somewhere. The puck dropped and fights broke out. Every 4-5 minutes a new fight started. The big one came when Darren McCarty avenged Draper by going straight and Lemieux. This classic brawl ended with Lemieux taking a bloody face, goalies fighting at center ice, and more bad blood. The Wings won the game in dramatic fashion with a game-winning goal in overtime to win 6-5. It is the greatest regular season hockey game of all time.
So, what happened the rest of the Nineties? Well, the Wings won in 1997 in the playoffs. No series in 1998, but the Red Wings won the cup. In 1999, the Avs took down the Wings and went on to win it all. The last great series was in 2002 when the Wings took down Patrick Roy and the Avalanche in seven games, winning game seven in a blowout.
Does any of this matter tonight? Not really. There are a few players still around for the Red Wings like Kris Draper, Darren McCarty, Nikolas Lidstrom, and Chris Osgood. The Avalanche have a few players left including Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, and Adam Foote. It has been so long since the hatred between these teams took place. In the end this series should give fans of both teams a great reminder of what was the greatest rivalry we have seen in our generation.
I apologize as this is a few days late. I was out of town and did not have access to my Xbox. Here it is folks…
Western Conference
Lakers def. Nuggets (4-1)
Rockets def. Jazz (4-2)
Spurs def. Suns (4-1)
Mavericks def. Hornets (4-1)
Rockets def. Lakers (4-2)
Mavericks def. Spurs (4-1)
Eastern Conference
Celtics def. Hawks (4-3)
Cavaliers def. Wizards (4-2)
Magic def. Raptors (4-1)
Pistons def. 76ers (4-0)
Celtics def. Cavaliers (4-2)
Pistons def. Magic (4-2)
Mavericks def. Rockets (4-1)
Celtics def. Pistons (4-1)
Mavericks def. Celtics (4-0)
There it is! Your 2008 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks! Yea, I do not see that happening either, but who knows? It is entirely possible, especially with the crazy Western Conference.
The Washingon Wizards made it widely known that they were excited to be playing Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs. They also talked extensively about how they were going to knock LeBron James around in an attempt to shut him down. How’s that working out for you, Wiz?
Let’s just say the Cavs have dominated the first two games of the series and will probably end up sweeping or winning in five. The fantastic beat-down strategy of Washington’s coach Eddie Jordan has yet to pay off as LeBron has torched them twice now.
I don’t know what anyone else thinks but Eddie Jordan needs to be fired, especially if this is the best he can do. You know the team isn’t going to win a playoff series when their strategy is to hit and hurt the other team’s players. Jordan obviously has no confidence in his players to go out and beat a mediocre Cavs team. Congratulations for looking like the biggest idiot in the league right now for not being able to 1) come up with a feasible strategy to stop ONE player; 2) control your players and keep them from flagrant fouls; and 3) not being able to win, or come close to winning, with what was the ‘best’ Big Three all of last season! Sure it doesn’t help that Agent Zero has done zero thus far, but something tells me Butler and Jamison have some confidence in their abilities after what was a respectable regualr season.
To reflect, the Wizards are embarassing themselves, Eddie Jordan is an awful coach, and the Cavs look like stars. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t exactly like the Cavs or LeBron but when a 7-foot Center intentionally shoves him from mid-air into the first row, something has to be said. Hopefully the Cavs get the sweep so we don’t have to watch this pathetic Wizards team. Hey, Washington’s GM, I hope you’re reading me and do something about it…you know your team’s in trouble when an NBA fanatic like me can’t stand watching your team anymore. Do the right thing.
A barrage of spring games have or will occur on campuses around the nation. What do people see in these games? Tens of thousands of fans go to see the Florida, Oklahoma, and other spring games. The only good to come of this, it seems to me, is to get out in the sun to do something. Is this country really that obsessed with college football, or football in general? The answer is yes if we are constantly discussing these games. We do realize that the NBA and NHL playoffs are in full swing right? The purpose of pointing this out is to give some sense to people who love sports.
I have a couple of problems with the spring games. First, the importance is so small, yet, we are seeing stories all around the country about these games. People take time out of their day to analyze how players did. It is common to see analysts seriously predict who will start for teams based off of this game! I am hoping that the majority realize that this is a practice that does not determine these positions. Games will not start for months. It is simply a glorified practice that is more of a show than a predictor of the future.
Second, their are some that want to see all these star players in an intense game situation. Well, I don’t want to see my star running back out on the field for the whole game taking a beating. The risk of injury is so great in football already, why do we want to risk the health of these players?
While I am personally not obsessed with the sport of football, I understand that people love the game. Still, these spring games are way over-glorified. There is no true importance, and the risk of injury is too great. I do not want to tell people not to go to these games. Go for it. Have fun. Enjoy the nice weather. Hang out with friends. I am only asking not to take too much from this practice that is four months removed from the start of the actual college football season.
