NHL Semifinal Preview

If you missed any of the first round, I truly feel sorry for you. Best hockey I've seen in a long time. Bruins swept Le Canadiens. See ya to the frenchies, after those few knuckleheads boo a country's national anthem. Grow up and learn some respect. Washington came back down 3-1 to New York. Carolina beat Brodeur in a Game 7. I still can't believe that happened. Pittsburgh beat crosstown rival Philadelphia in six. In the West the Ducks were mighty (sorry J.R.) and beat the Sharks in six. It should have been a sweep the way they played. Detroit and Vancouver easily went by Columbus and St. Louis in sweeps. The young Blackhawks blew out the Flames in six to set up an even better second round of this years playoffs.

Eastern Conference Semifinals

1 Boston vs. 6 Carolina

After that emotional Game 7 win the Hurricanes now have to face the best in the east. The Bruins are well rested although I think that might hurt them. Zdeno Chara and Andrew Ference will need to be sharp to stop the Canes attack of Eric Staal and Ray Whitney. Goalie Tim Thomas has to be up to form in this one. Learn from the mistakes of Brodeur and don't get beat in the last minute. Cam Ward has been brilliant in net so far for Carolina. The key here is defense. Both teams can score, but it will come down to who plays the best defense. Key players here are David Krejci and Milan Lucic. Both were great against Montreal, but must continue the success for the Bruins to prevail. Boston in seven.

2 Washington vs. 4 Pittsburgh

The two names of hockey are now going to clash for a spot in the Eastern Finals. Of course I'm referring to Miroslav Satan and Donald Brashear. You thought I was really that senile. CROSBY VS. OVECHKIN. You already knew anyway. Sid has something to prove here. To get back to the Finals he has to beat his top rival. He has help in Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar, but Ovie has Alexander Semin and Mike Green. Pretty even if you ask me. As in the previous round for these two it will come down to goaltending. Marc-Andre Fluery was fantastic in the net for the Penguins. And how about Simeon Varlamov for the Caps. You talk about pressure. Having to start Game 2 against the Rangers and shine the way he did for the rest of the series. Varlamov is the reason why the Caps are here. Ovechkin will win the Hart trophy and that is all he wins this year. Pittsburgh in seven.

Western Conference Semifinals

2 Detroit vs. 8 Anaheim

Everyone knows that the Ducks are no ordinary eighth seed. The defending champs will have their hands full with trying to contain Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan on the offense. Getting past Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer and Francois Beauchemin on the defense and trying to score on Jonas Hiller. Don't get me wrong. The Red Wings have their stars in Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen, Henrik Zetteberg and Nick Lidstrom. The Wings will need another great performance out of Chris Osgood. The Ducks made Evgeni Nabokov look like a regular guy. What will they do with Osgood? Key player is Marian Hossa. If Hossa is kept quiet the Ducks will have no problem knocking off the champs. This time I go with my heart. Ducks in seven.

3 Vancouver vs. 4 Chicago

Quite possibly the best matchup in the West if not the second round. The Canucks play sound defense and score when they need to. Roberto Luongo is just amazing. He can stop almost anything, key word almost. This Blackhawk team is young, fast and hungry. They can smell the Cup. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are a superstar tandem. Chicago has hockey fever again and it's thanks to them. Nikolai Khabibulin was great against Calgary and must be against Vancouver. Now more than ever Chicago needs Khabibulin to be on his game because there will be few scoring chances against Luongo. Key player is Martin Havlat. Havlat will need to take charge on offense for the Blackhawks to skate past Vancouver. Chicago in seven.

Without gloating (too much), the first round in a previous post was correct on all, but the Sharks vs. Ducks. I don't see anything short of seven games for all the series. For more great hockey playoff previews and chatter check out hockeytalkbiz.

The Sharks choke, Brashear is a tool, Torts throws down and some other stuff from round one...

Musings, ravings and general ranting on the first round of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Sharks Choke

“Do you know the way to San Jose?” That is one question that Phil Pritchard and Craig Campbell, the most visible employees of the Hockey Hall of Fame and the keepers of the Stanley Cup won’t have to ask anyone again this spring. That’s because the San Jose Sharks got bounced out of the first-round of the playoffs. Again.

Of course it’s probably hard to hold onto your hockey sticks when you have one fin hoisting the Presidents Trophy and the other one firmly around your neck, choking yourself.

Ron Wilson was fired after last season for apparently not being able to guide the team to post-season success. But at least Wilson’s teams made it to the second and third round of the playoffs (in the years that they made the playoffs at all). I wonder if Doug Wilson is sitting in his office polishing up his resume and maybe practicing acting surprised when he gets the ax? If he keeps his job (and by the way, he absolutely should NOT) his first move should be to get someone to lift that Winchester Mystery House-like curse off the team.

If the Sharks were a children’s story it would go something like this: “I think I can. I think I can. I think I can. Dooohhh!”

But it’s not all about the Sharks choking another post-season away. Give huge credit to the Anaheim Ducks (or as Marc Crawford of the CBC has been calling them, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks—Crawford was a bad coach and is an even worse analyst). Anaheim did just what I thought they would do and that is come out with some fire and intensity and lay the wood to the Sharks. Jonas Hiller was outstanding in net (and I predicted that Hiller would get the nod over His Jigginess) and the young guns from Anaheim proved that this is a team to be reckoned with offensively for the foreseeable future!

Brashear is a Tool

What was up with that Donald Brashear move the other night? Did he watch Slap Shot right before the game and thought that would be a slick move? Dude, the only guys that should be picking a fight before a game are named “Hanson”. On second thought, maybe it wasn’t Slap Shot that made him do it. Maybe he wanted to listen to MMMBop on his iPod before the game. When he couldn’t find it maybe he thought that Colton Orr took it from his locker. If that’s the case, Brashear must really like his Hanson!

As if the pre-game pushing match wasn’t enough, Brashear went out and blindsided Blair Betts during the first period of the Caps game 6 against the New York Rangers. Brashear proved once again that he is a first-class douche bag. This guy wouldn’t know skill if it came up and bit him on the a$$! He’s all about thuggery and intimidation. I’m not sure why people are making a big deal about this. Who’s really gonna miss his 3:25 of ice time and 7 shifts per game that he’s been averaging in the first round? Jose Theodore played only one game in the first round and even he’s averaging more ice time per game than Brashear! Have a seat Brashear and watch your team advance without you.

Torts Throws Down

Speaking of the New York Rangers, John Tortorella’s meltdown was freakin sweet! The coach squirted a fan with water? How cool is that? Going after a fan is always cool, right? Oh wait a minute… No it’s not. I understand that coaches get heckled night after night but c’mon man. If the guy goes after you first that’s one thing, but don’t start something with a fan. I did like the comment the ESPN broadcaster made, “I wonder how tough that fan would be with the glass removed?” I have the answer to that. “Not very tough”. He would be sipping his beer through a straw because Torts would have knocked all his teeth out and broken his jaw!

I especially loved that Jim Schoenfeld was the apparent voice of reason on the bench. You saw him on the video holding Tortorella back and trying to restrain him. Don’t forget that it was this same Schoenfeld that went ballistic after a playoff game on May 6, 1988, going after referee Don Koharski and calling him a “fat pig” and telling him to “have another donut”. Sweet.

Then you saw Schoenfeld in the game 6 post-game press conference, just kicking back, like he was on his couch waiting for the pizza guy to bring a deep dish and some wings over. Yeah. He knows that win or lose, he’s still the assistant GM and the interim assistant coach for at least one more game.

Kipper and the Bulin Wall

As I watched the Calgary v. Chicago series I was kind of amazed. I mean, I did pick the Blackhawks to win the series, so I wasn’t totally surprised, but who would have expected Calgary to play so poorly? The Flames were snuffed out in the first round for a fourth consecutive year and Nikolai Khabibulin was once again the Bulin Wall, as he raised his personal record against Calgary to 30-10-2. Dude wasn’t spectacular (2.52, .914) but he came up big at the right moments, like last night when he robbed Olli Chokenin (er, Jokinen) on a breakaway.

Mikka Kiprusoff was very un-Kipper, allowing 3.52 goals per game and having only a .884 save percentage. Will we see some changes in management and coaching in Calgary this off-season? With those four straight first round losses I think that it may be warranted. Team President Ken King may want to practice his Donald trump speech on GM Daryl Sutter before he uses it on head coach Iron Mike Keenan. “You’re Fired!”

Gettin Screwed by the Head Devil

When the Carolina Hurricanes eliminate the New Jersey Devils from the playoffs I think it will be more the ‘Canes playing great hockey and less the Devils choking. Lou Lamoriello has done a great job over the years for the Devils and the only negative thing I can say about him and the team this season is that I wasn’t thrilled with the way they treated goalie Scott Clemenson. This guy stood on his head for the team and filled in for Martin Brodeur way better than anyone ever expected and what was his reward? A bus ticket back to Lowell. Way to reward success and loyalty Lou.

Final Thoughts

Yeah, the first round has been all that and a bag of chips. I can’t wait for Carolina and Washington to win tonight so that we can get on to the second round. I need to run to the Beer Store and pick up another two-four of Canadian so that I’m ready for my two game 7’s tonight. Catch ya after the second round. Peace out, eh!

The League of Golden Showers

Something we got from the Director of Baseball Operations of the GBL baseball league that was sent from the Calgary Vipers franchise. Let us know if you think this is in good taste or another example that the league will whizz all over you.

The Lions Guide to the NFL Draft

In less than 24 hours another crop of college athletes will make the jump into the NFL. Another year of what ifs and what could have been questions and opinions. Five years later we will look back and see who our favorite team could have taken instead of that "bust." Those unfortunate teams who have had the number one pick, have been burdened with the pressure of making that player into a success. A franchise savior so to speak. This year is no different. The win less Lions (I'm not going to gloat D-Town) are expected to pick Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford. A name which in the past two weeks I will not forget because of all the crazy non stop coverage. Will this Bulldog fair better than other number one picks? Only time will tell.










Is it really different? They're still the Lions.


Let us take a trip down memory lane with Detroit and the number one pick. Detroit had the number one pick in three previous years. In 1943, Detroit took Running Back Frankie Sinkwich out of, coincidentally enough, Georgia. Played with the Lions for only two seasons due to an injury in the military, but did win the 1944 NFL MVP award with Detroit. 1950, the Lions picked Leon Hart, Heisman Trophy winner, out of Notre Dame. He won All-Pro honors on offense and defense in 1951. All his eight seasons were played in Detroit. The last time the Lions had the number one pick they chose Running Back Billy Sims out of Oklahoma in 1980. Sims was on the verge of having a good career. A knee injury knocked him out in 1984 and had to hang up the cleats. Billy Sims had over 5,000 yards rushing, 2,000 yards receiving and 47 total touchdowns in just five seasons. Since Billy Sims, Detroit's drafts have been abysmal. Examples: Andre Ware 1990, Bryant Westbrook 1997, Chris Claiborne 1999, Joey Harrington 2002, Charles Rogers 2003, and Mike Williams 2005. The lone bright spot was Barry Sanders 1989. Calvin Johnson 2007 could be another, but I will hold judgment. The pressure is on Detroit this time around more than any other. Not for economic reasons, but just the fact that they don't compete. EVER!


Talk about the odd couple, but these two have something in common.





When you have the number one pick, it's kind of bad. You were the worst team the previous year and you need some work to get back to the top. When you have the number one pick back to back years. You have twice as much work and really almost no hope of getting out of the cellar. It's happened. Most recently with the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals. Why do I mention this? To give Detroit a break. Most teams will not screw up the number one pick. Yes it's happened quite a few times, but it won't be as bad as they two. 1994, the Cincinnati Bengals took Defensive Tackle Dan Wilkinson out of Ohio State. What did Wilkinson do while in Cincy? Nothing to warrant being the number one pick. Only played four years in the Nati. Was let go after no Pro Bowls or playoff appearances. What makes this worse is that the following year the Bengals again with the number one pick took Running Back Ki-Jana Carter out of Penn State. It wasn't that Carter didn't perform up to standards, but he was bit with the injury bug. What makes it worse is that Marshall Faulk, soon to be Hall of Famer, was taken right after Wilkinson in 1994 by the Colts. Man thats gotta hurt.

Cleveland in 1999, their first year back since the now Baltimore Ravens left town, decided to take Quarterback Tim Couch out of Kentucky to lead the franchise back to greatness and maybe a Super Bowl championship. Couch was the first of five QB's taken in that first round. Couch was given way to much on his shoulders. There was no line to protect him and pretty much no weapons either. Sheep to the wolves in this case. When the Browns started to turn things around an injury kept Couch from getting them into the postseason. The following year he lost the starting job and his career began to come to an end. The year after Couch was drafted the Browns, again with the number one pick, chose Defensive End Courtney Brown out of Penn State. Brown like Wilkinson for the Bengals, never lived up to the hype and faltered quickly in Cleveland. Seven seasons and no Pro Bowls later, Brown did land in Denver, but could not salvage his career. The person taken after Couch in the 99' Draft was Quarterback Donovan McNabb. Taken by the Eagles McNabb, as you all know, is one of the best QB's in the league. I'm not saying Donovan would've lasted longer than Couch in that mess, but you got to wonder.







Jeff has fallen on his head so many times during his career.








I now come to my decision on the worst number pick of all time. It might come as no surprise to those that truly were wronged by him. Expectations are hard to live up to. Especially when you were brought into a losing franchise from the start. Quarterback Jeff George drafted in 1990 by the Indianapolis Colts is my worst number pick of all time. I went back and forth between him and Linebacker Aundray Bruce. Bruce did produce, but to label him the next Lawrence Taylor was not fair to him. There will never be another L.T. Oh, I forgot about LaDainian Tomlinson, anyway I didn't go with Bruce based off that. I could have gone with Michael Vick or David Carr, but that was too easy. And since this is the worst number one pick that takes out Ryan Leaf (told myself I wasn't going to mention him), Akili Smith, or Lawrence Phillips. Wow those three were terrible. Jeff's career totals were not that bad, but no Pro Bowls, two playoff appearances and several bad teams. His best year oddly enough was in Oakland 1997. Jeff threw for under 4,000 yards passing with 29 touchdowns to only 9 interceptions for a 4-12 Raider team. That epitomizes Jeff George's career. When expecting great things, fail. When expecting nothing, truimph. Beware those with the number one pick. Many will turn your franchise around, but those will also become Jeff George. Yikes.

Marc Crawford is a tool

I stayed up tonight to watch game 4 of the Ducks v Sharks series. I was happy when I found out that CBC was going to cover the game, since their broadcasters are generally pretty good. Imagine my surprise when I tuned in tonight only to find Marc Freakin Crawford as the color analyst.

Now, let me first make one point. I'm a decent color guy. I could do better, but I could do a whole lot worse. Everyone makes mistakes, but tonight I came to fully realize why I think Marc Crawford is a putz. (as a sidenote, if you want to read more on what I think of Marc Crawford the coach, follow THIS LINK to a column I wrote for Hockeytalk.biz)


But back to Marc Crawford the crappy color analyst. Tonight the dude said two really stupid things. Each was completely lame in its own right, but coupled together he made himself out to be a total fool. The first thing he said, was uttered not once. Not twice. Not even thrice. No, friends, he said it four times in the first 10 minutes of the first period. After that I turned the volume down and grabbed my headphones to listen to the Ducks broadcast on the net. What was the first thing he said?

he called them the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Four freakin times in only half a period! That's pretty sad to not know the name of the team you're calling. It's even sadder when you realize that he coached the L.A. Kings--their cross-town rivals! Hello! Do you not know the name of your biggest rival? Wow!

The second thing he said was equally boneheaded, but since he only said it twice (before I turned the sound off)I guess it's a bit more forgiveable. He called the Ducks home arena the Duck Pond. For the record Crawford it's the Honda Center. But even if you wanted to go old school, it was the Arrowhead Pond.

I wonder if dude calls Staples Center "The Castle". Whatever. I would like to grab a cold Canadian (cuz thats just how I roll) and propose a toast: "Here's to you Marc Crawford, for being a bad coach and a crappy broadcaster!"

John Hangs Up the Headset

(Say it ain't so John)



"No one has made the sport more interesting, more relevant and more enjoyable to watch and listen to than John," quote from broadcast partner Al Michaels. I couldn't have said it better myself. The decision came as a shock to the entire business. He could've gone another 30 years. But to be realistic, it was his decision to leave. He was not forced out due to illness, crummy bosses or even being bored. John went out on his own terms. Very rare that this happens in this day in age. We always think we know when it's time for athletes to leave the sport, but ultimately we should hold back and let them decide. It comes as a shock when those in our business leave when they still have so much more to give. Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas passed away just last week before a game against the Nationals. We will dearly miss Harry's "Out of here" homerun call during every Phillie game and his brilliant narration on NFL films.

John is one of the reasons why I have gotten into the broadcasting world. Growing up I had no idea this man was a former coach. I figured he was just a regular guy who really loved football and knew a lot about the game. Of course as I grew older I realized this guy was a great coach who went out on top. The best winning percentage of any NFL head coach with at least 100 victories. Thirty years being the voice of the NFL. It's hard to believe he's been giving us great analysis for that long. I truly will miss him talking about the 49ers in the early 90's with Pat Summerall. Him fumbling (pardon the pun) his words talking about Brett Favre, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. That will be one thing missing with Cris Collinsworth taking his place. Cris is good, but he's not John Madden. No one will be.

I think my other contributor J.R. (who is a die hard Raider fan) will agree with me in saying that John deserves all the happiness and prosperity in retirement that he can get. Just don't take a job in the Raiders organization. I don't know how this came about, but John does not need it. Oakland needs him, not vice versa. Stay away from there John. Only bad things can happen there. John is an icon not just for football broadcasters, but all of them in any sport. We will miss him and hope he lives out the rest of his life to the fullest. You also made one hell of a video game John. Madden football rules.

Anaheim Takes Game One

I don't profess to be a psychic or one of the great North American hockey minds--I leave that title to others. I am, however, a guy who knows a little somethin-somethin about the sport and I'm here to say that I am not at all surprised that the Ducks took game one in the Shark Tank up in San Jose last night.

San Jose is a great team and no one can take their Presidents Trophy from them. What the Sharks are, however, are big time choke artists. These guys wouldn't know playoff success if it came up to them at a bar and handed over its number!

Yeah, they went to the Western Conference Finals once (2004), but lets face the facts, everyone gets lucky once in a while.

The Ducks know a little something about taking a great team, punching them in the mouth and knocking them out of the first round. Don't believe me? Ask the Detroit Red Wings, a team many considered favorites to win the Stanley Cup in 2003. The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim gave them an early summer with a first-round sweep of Sergei Federov and company en-route to a seven game date with Scott Niedermayer, Martin Brodeur, Scott Stevens and the New Jersey Devils.

Will the Ducks have another miracle march to the Cup Finals in 2009? It would be nice, but I doubt it. The bottom line is that the San Jose Sharks choke come playoff time and this season will be no different.

After they get knocked out in the first round maybe Todd McLellan and his boys can sip a six-pack out of the Presidents Trophy. Oh wait a minute, no they can't. You drink from the Stanley Cup....

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Beckett Needs to Wake Up

He really does. Let me set the scene for you. For example. Team A is playing at home against Team B. Team B's pitcher, in first inning mind you, is in a jam. A runner on second and a good hitter at the plate. The pitcher waits nearly 12 seconds before finally throwing the ball towards home plate. Team A's batter waits as long before asking the umpire for time. Key word "asking" for time. Knowing the umpire might not grant it. Time was granted. The pitcher saw that time was called, but in a split second decided to throw the ball. It happens. The momentum of his delivery carries him forward and he releases it. Not at the guy's head though.
(Josh will get to do a lot of sitting)

With that, Team A's batter was Angels outfielder Bobby Abreu and Team B's pitcher was Red Sox starter Josh Beckett (pictured above). Now I'm not one to label anyone a head hunter. That's not the label I'm giving Beckett. He is a very emotional and competitive guy. Just look at his postseason numbers for one. But I will go as far as to call him a dirty player though. You don't throw at a guy's head. In any situation. Baseball has it's unwritten rules when it comes to retaliation. Bean him in the hip, butt, foot even as high as the back. Never the shoulder, neck or noggin. There is also a double standard in Baseball when it comes to when guys get thrown out. If Abreu had taken one step towards the mound, "Your Out." Beckett however, waltzed toward the plate appearing more upset than Abreu. For what? I get that picther's don't like it when batters call time when their about to throw. I get that. Time was awarded to him Josh. Get mad at the ump.
(Don't pull a hammy there Joe)

To make matters worse was the umpire crew at the game. Lead by crew chief Joe West (pictured above) who was at second base and not at home where the incident started. The only thing I remember Joe for, outside of Baseball mind you, is his apperance at the end of the first "Naked Gun" movie. That was a great 25-30 minute baseball scene at the end. Classic. Anyway, where was I, right, Joe West started to toss people. Four in all. From the same team, that didn't even start the incident. Beckett was not tossed, but Torii Hunter was. Guess the reason. Give up? Yelling. Mickey Hatcher was next. The reason, yelling. Justin Speier was the third to go for the same reason. Manager Mike Scioscia decided to yell some more the following inning and of course he was going to follow suit. That set the tone for that boneheaded crew.
(Hey Josh, how about throwing it to Varitek, not my head)

Beckett's quote is priceless. It's right up there with Patrick Ewing's during the 1999 NBA Lockout. "We make a lot of money, but we spend a lot of money to." Beautiful. Here is Beckett's, "I don't really feel like I've done anything, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. Am I supposed to give him a hug? I wasn't really in a hugging mood right then. I really don't know what he wanted me to do." Nothing wrong Josh? A guy almost got hit in the head. Did the sun blind you as you threw the ball towards his head? That's one excuse you haven't used yet. Again, I'm not calling him a head hunter, but this is not a case of the ball slipped or I didn't have enough pine tar. Believe me, these guys aren't hiding it. Who said you had to hug him? Here's a thought. You made a mistake, own it and people will forgive. Maybe not right away, but they will. You did not have to throw the ball when time was given. Check the video for yourself. Six games is nothing. One freakin start. You sit the other five days anyway. This could've been avoided. You have a lot to learn there Becks. Joe, this doesn't help your image. "Naked Gun" or not. Baseball needs to put pitchers on notice to. And they've done that starting with Josh Beckett.

NBA Playoff Preview

The 2009 NBA Playoffs some say will not provide much excitement or intrigue. It'll be similar to the NCAA tournament which I just woke up from. We'll I say to them, where have you been? Yes the great teams are easy to pick from the good teams, but it will not be sweeps galore this year. On the contrary, it will be better than all the summer movies from last year. Well, except Dark Knight, but anyway here are the preview and predictions for the first round.



Eastern Conference Round 1

1 Cleveland vs. 8 Detroit

I don't see much of a fight here from Detroit. No Allen Iverson or Chauncey Billups. What a stupid trade that was Joe Dumars. A deteriorating Rasheed Wallace and really no identity on offense. LeBron James will run up and down the court on their division rival. Mo Williams will light it up from all over. The one area I'll give Detroit the advantage is that they will have their offseason plans down before this series is over. I mean really, does D-Town have a chance? Cavs in 5 games.

4 Atlanta vs. 5 Miami

The Hawks have a great trio of Al Horford, Joe Johnson, and Josh Smith. Not to mention a good point guard in Mike Bibby. Their bench is stronger compared to last year primarily with the addition of Ronald Murray. Miami has MVP candidate Dwayne Wade and a slew of young talent. Jermaine O'Neal will provide a boost, but the Hawks are better on both sides of the court and with more experience than the young Heat. Miami will be back next year, but Atlanta will build on last year and this years success. Hawks in 6 games.

3 Orlando vs. 6 Philadelphia

Orlando would've been the number 2 seed if not for Jameer Nelson's shoulder injury. Still this a formidable team. When you have Dwight Howard in the middle and the 76ers have. The Sixers have hmm... Sorry I lost the name, Samuel Dalembert. Nuff said. The Magic live and die by the three. Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu have to get their shot going to get Orlando into the conference finals. The Sixers do have a great player in Andre Igoudala, but past that they don't have enough to upset the Magic. Orlando in 6 games.

2 Boston vs. 7 Chicago

With the injury to Kevin Garnett it should be noted that they still are the defending champs and still are the team to beat. On that note, the Celtics are not going to repeat. Yes Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are still great players and Rajon Rondo, Glen Davis, and Leon Powe have been better. They still need Garnett. Playoffs are different from the regular season. I can't wait to see Derrick Rose vs. Rondo. That is a great matchup to watch. The Bulls have a good seven man rotation with Brad Miller and John Salmons added from the Kings at the deadline. This will be a competitive series, but the champs will prevail in 6 games.

Western Conference Round 1

1 LA Lakers vs. 8 Utah

The Lakers are healthy and ready for another run at a championship. The deepest team in the league from top to bottom. Utah doesn't have a great chance, but a chance. Carlos Boozer has been struggling since his return and the bench has been lackluster. The lone bright spot has been Deron Williams. The Lakers lone weak spot is on defense. Specifically at point. I'm a huge Derek Fisher fan, but it is getting harder to watch him against the elite point guards. With that, the Lakers have no threat of losing this one. LA in 5 games.

4 Portland vs. 5 Houston

No team has flirted with greatness and disappointed so many with it. The Rockets have that chance now with this series against a hungry, young, upstart Portland squad. Yao Ming has to step up here. Now is his chance to show his worth. If the Rockets can beat the Blazers, it will be a huge accompishment. He hasn't seen the second round of the playoffs. Ron Artest has been a model citizen so far. The True Warrior has to be at his best to help the Rockets. Portland has Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge as their top scorers. Both teams have great depth and it should be a pretty even matchup. The Blazers need to neutralize Yao and keep Artest quiet to avoid watching the rest of the playoffs from home. Portland in 7 games.

3 San Antonio vs. 6 Dallas

A Texas sized rivalry between these two. Tim Duncan vs. Dirk Nowitzki will be a site to see. Tony Parker will be the key. He has to be the agressor against Jason Kidd and Jason Terry. Dallas is not as deep as they've been in the past. It will show against the Spurs who are using the mix of veterans and youngsters to perfection. No Manu Ginobili will be a blow to the Spurs. A friend of mine said "So goes Ginobili, so go the Spurs." And that will be true in these playoffs. Spurs in 6 games.

2 Denver vs. 7 New Orleans

The Nuggets have come a long way. Trading Allen Iverson was the best move they could've ever done. Chauncey Billups should get more MVP votes than he will. The Hornets have been inconsistent all year. Nearly trading Tyson Chandler (if the Thunder didn't refuse the trade) and not having the same intensity from last year have been some of the problems with this team. Chris Paul and David West have been stellar. James Posey will prove his worth here, but with Billups, Carmelo Anthony and former Hornet J.R. Smith coming off the bench, Denver can easily score 100 in every game. Nuggets in 6 games.

NHL Playoff Preview

It's the most exciting time of the year for hockey fans. The 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs will provide great matchups and some of the best hockey you will ever see. The first round promises to be very competitive with virtually no chance of any first round sweeps. Let's get started with the preview and predictions for the first round.




Eastern Conference Round 1

1 Boston vs. 8 Montreal

This is perhaps the most lopsided matchup in the playoffs. The Bruins finished with the most points since their Cup winning season in 72'. This is a great rivalry that should be mentioned, but with Vezina candidate Tim Thomas in net and captain D Zdeno Chara leading the way. The Bruins have nothing stopping them. Montreal's 100th season will result in a 4-1 series loss to rival Boston.

2 Washington vs. 7 NY Rangers

Star power galore in this one. Hart trophy winner Alex Ovechkin (yes he will win), Alexander Semin, Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom for the Caps. Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Markus Naslund and Wade Redden for the Rangers. The most intriguing matcup is G Henrik Lundqvist against the scoring onslaught of the Capitals. Henrik will be lucky to win 2 games in this series, but I will give him two as the Caps win 4-2. JR's boy Sean Avery is back in the playoffs. What will he do this time? (Avery is really not JR's boy, J/K)

3 New Jersey vs. 6 Carolina

I've been going back and forth on this one. Carolina has finished the season better than any playoff team. G Cam Ward is as good if not better than their Stanley Cup run a few years ago. New Jersey on the other hand has finished the season in the worst way. Going 4-5-1 in their last 10 games was not how they wanted to enter the playoffs. Eric Staal is primed for another great postseason for the Canes. Carolina wins 4-2. A record season for Brodeur will go down in flames.

4 Pittsburgh vs. 5 Philadelphia

Coach Dan Bylsma has taken the Penguins from the bottom to home ice in the first round. Amazing accomplishment considering how abysmal this team was playing in February and early March. Nonetheless it's a rematch of last years conference final. Crosby and Malkin is all you have to say about Pittsburgh. Yes Gonchar will be a factor on defense, but lets be honest. Everyone will be watching the Kid and Malkin. Philly isn't too shabby either. Simon Gagne, Scott Hartnell and Daniel Briere are great forwards. Kimmo Timonen is healthy for this rematch. Ultimately it will all come down to goaltending. Go figure. Martin Biron for the Flyers and Marc-Andre Fleury for the Penguins. Who will outduel the other? I have Fleury and Pens in 7 games.

Western Conference Round 1

1 San Jose vs. 8 Anaheim

President's Trophy winner for the best record San Jose has to play division rival Anaheim who played probably the best hockey of anyone just to get in. I could go on and on about the Ducks, but I will hold back. Thanks to the great play of the Niedermayer brothers, Chris Pronger and Bobby Ryan down the stretch along with Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and goalie Jonas Hiller the Ducks are in position to upset their rivals. The Sharks have had rotten luck in the past. You can attribute that to bad finishes, sluggish starts or some have said flat out quitting when it comes to the postseason. I think it's different this year. Rob Blake and Dan Boyle were great additions. Jonathan Cheechoo and Patrick Marleau are the backbone of their attack. Goalie Evgeni Nabokov has to be up to form to stop the Ducks if they want to contend for the Cup. Randy Carlyle has a tough decision at goalie. Go with experience (J.S. Giguere) or go with youth (Jonas Hiller). I have a saying that I got from someone else whose name escapes me, "Go with what got ya there." With that said I have to go with my head and not my heart. Sharks in 7 games.

2 Detroit vs. 7 Columbus

Poor Columbus. Their first postseason birth since coming into existence and they have to play the defending champs. Johan Franzen, Pavel Datsyuk, and Henrik Zetteberg. Oh, and Nicklas Lidstrom. That is all I have to say about Detroit. Really, same team from last year with Marian Hossa. That's the Red Wings. Calder Trophy winner Steve Mason (yes he will win) and his 10 shutouts for a rookie goalie will make some amazing plays in this series, but it won't be enough. Everyone who doesn't know already will finally get to see Rick Nash in the national spotlight for the Blue Jackets. Nash will get at least five goals, but Columbus will lose to the defending champs 4-2.

3 Vancouver vs. 6 St. Louis

The Canucks came up and basically slapped Calgary out of the division lead. Vancouver is a great defensive team and will not allow easy goals. Goalie Roberto Luongo is in my opinion the best goalie in the NHL today. The Sedin twins are solid and even late arrival Mats Sundin is playing good hockey. The Blues have had a ressurgence in the blink of an eye this year. No one had them in let alone getting the sixth seed. Paul Kariya is banged up which will hurt the Blues tremendously. Good defense, but inexperienced. As is goalie Chris Mason, but he might surprise some people. He was doing that all season long (27-21 W-L, 2.41 GAA, .916 S%, 6 SO). The Canucks have the advantage though in all the important areas. Cancuks win 4-1.

4 Chicago vs. 5 Calgary

The Blackhawks are here to stay. First playoff appearance since 2002. Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Martin Havlat have lead the way on offense. While Brian Campbell, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook have on defense. Sammy Pahlsson was a great addition for the Hawks and it will show in the postseason. Goalie Nikolai Khabibulin has returned to Stanley Cup champion form at the right time for this young team. If Khabibulin continues, it will lead to a conference final for these guys. Calgary struggled after their deadline deals. The Olli Jokinen and Jordan Leopold deals were supposed to ignite the Flames (pardon the pun) into a competition for the second seed with Detroit. Alas it backfired and resulted in losing out on the second seed, the division title and home ice in the first round. Goalie Miikka Kiprusoff, who lead the NHL in wins, still has something left. With Jarome Iginla playing at a high level the Flames will not go out that easily. Youth will prevail in this series. Chicago is a darkhorse in these playoffs. Blackhawks win 4-2.

For more NHL playoff previews and analysis check out hockeytalk.biz. You'll be glad you did.

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This is the start of something special. Most blogs that I've seen (about sports mind you) will not give you the kind of insight, analysis and of course opinions that this one will. This will be a first for myself, an avid sports fan. You will get a weekly column that will be up every Friday, daily discussion of the day in sports and it wouldn't be a great sports blog without my co-host on KLBC J.R. Reed. Stay tuned for insightful, honest, and funny posts in the near future.


Wes the Sports Guy
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