It’s been a pretty interesting weekend in Sports, with the NHL and NBA season’s nearing the end, and the MLB really getting things going. Here’s some of my thoughts on the latest in the world of sports.
NHL
Rangers/Lightning
1. This NHL post-season has truly been the coming out party for Tampa Bay’s “Triplet” Line, their top forward line of Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov, and Ondrej Palat. Though some may have never heard of these guys before this year’s playoffs, this is not a recent trend. Tyler Johnson was the leading scorer for the Tampa Bay Lightning this year, and he played in less games than Captain Steven Stamkos. Nikita Kucherov was the highest scoring forward at the All-Star break to not be invited to the festivities and finished the year with 65 points. Palat also had 63 points, as the 3 combined for the highest scoring line combo in the league, and the main reason as to why Tampa Bay led the league in scoring this year. The Bolts also have 5 of the top 10 scorers in this year’s playoffs thus far, with Johnson, Stamkos, Kucherov, Palat and Alex Killorn. And remember when Stamkos only had 3 assists to show for himself in the Opening round of the playoffs? He’s scored 13 points in his last 10 games and is now one point behind Johnson for the team lead in scoring.
2. Rangers/Lightning has certainly been a refreshing change from what was Rangers/Capitals. By refreshing, I mean the score of the games has not been 2-1. Oddly, the superb goaltending we saw from Holtby and Lundqvist in that epic 7 game series, has been replaced with inconsistent showings from Lundqvist and Ben Bishop, with both goalies giving up 6 and 5 goals in back-to-back games respectively. First it was Lundqvist that was dissected by the media for his uncharacteristic play, and he came back to deny the Bolts a 3-1 series lead as the Rangers took Game 4, 5-1. Then Ben Bishop took on the media onslaught as writers asked Head Coach Jon Cooper if a change in Goal was necessary. Cooper responded by calling the questioning ‘asinine’, and Bishop stonewalled the Rangers at MSG. In short, if any goaltender needs their tires pumped, the media is always there for you.
Ducks/Blackhawks
3. The Chicago Blackhawks are the Marathon Men. Whatever the Ducks game-plan for Game 5 is, they need to remember that they can’t let the game go to Overtime, because that’s where the Chicago Blackhawks take over. The Blackhawks have been involved in 4 Overtime games this postseason. 2 went to Double OT, 2 went to Triple OT, and Chicago has won all of them. That’s more than two full extra games Chicago has had to play. While it may seem physically exhausting, it’s more draining for the other teams who lose these lengthy contests. Game 2 of the West Final lasted 116 minutes and 12 seconds, only 16 other games since 1967 have gone that long, and the winner of those games have gone on to take the series 15 of those times. That’s a 94% success rate.
4. Chicago’s big acquisition at the trade deadline this season was Antoine Vermette, and before Saturday night, he had pretty clearly disappointed. Vermette had only recorded one goal in his 29 game stint in Chicago and ended up being a healthy scratch for Game 3. So with Vermette being unable to catch a break in Chicago, he’d be the last guy you’d pick to become a Hero at the Madhouse on Madison…
5. As huge as Vermette’s heroics were, Stan Bowman is probably regretting dishing out a 1st round pick for him instead of a decent D-Man. After Michal Rozsival’s gruesome injury and with Kimmo Timonen skating like a 58 years old, the Blackhawks have become desperate on the back end. David Rundblad was thrown into the fire and promptly abused by the Ducks in Game 1, forcing Kyle Cumiskey to draw in for Game 2, who hadn’t played an NHL game since February 27th, nearly 3 months ago. Chicago’s top 4 of Keith, Seabrook, Hjalmarsson, and Oduya have been relied upon heavily, as each played over 46 minutes in Game 2 against the Ducks which went to Triple OT. Duncan Keith was on the ice for 49 minutes and 51 seconds! It’s truly remarkable Chicago has still been able to play solid Defense with the work these 4 have put in.
6. Before Game 4’s crazy Double OT however, it looked like Chicago had locked up a victory and a series deadlock after Brent Seabrook and Jonathan Toews had scored 2 quick goals to give the Blackhawks a 3-1 lead with just under 12 minutes to go. Then this happened…
The Ducks scored 3 goals in 37 seconds! The Second Fastest 3-goal stint in NHL playoff history, behind only the 1979 Toronto Maple Leafs, who scored 3 in 23 seconds. What’s more ironic? Chicago Blackhawks Head Coach Joel Quenneville was on that Maple Leafs team.
7. Also this photo is spectacular. 90% of that has to do with that guy’s Charlie Conway Jersey. The photo is still all kinds of awesome, but Charlie Conway is the man.
Conn Smythe Race
Tyler Johnson, TBL (12 G, 6 A, 18 P)
Corey Perry, ANA (9G, 8A, 17P)
Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (10 W, .929 SV%, 2.06 GAA)
Patrick Kane, CHI (9G, 6A, 15P)
Ryan Getzlaf, ANA (2G, 15A, 17P)
8. With 4 teams left in the playoffs, each team’s leading candidate for Conn Smythe has become pretty clear. Tampa Bay has Tyler Johnson, who in case you didn’t know, went undrafted. The Rangers have stayed alive thanks to the outstanding play of King Henrik Lundqvist. Who knows where Chicago would be if it weren’t for Patrick Kane coming back from injury and returning to top form so quickly? And then there’s the Ducks, with the two-headed monster of Perry and Getzlaf. Nikita Kucherov (17 Points and 2 OT winners) and Frederik Andersen (10 W, .929 SV%, 1.92 GAA) earn my honourable mentions.
NBA
Hawks/Cavaliers
9. It’s been a rough few days for Kyle Korver and the Atlanta Hawks. Earlier this year, I talked about how Kyle Korver couldn’t miss this season. That was the regular season. We’re in the second season now. Korver shot a ridiculous 49% from beyond the arc in then but during the playoffs he could only hit 35%, and 39% from the field, certainly not up to the standards that earned him an All-Star Nod this year. He then got flat-out embarrassed in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final, as LeBron James made him look like Courage, the Cowardly Dog, and in Game 2, Matthew Dellavedova crashed into him while chasing down a loose ball. Korver suffered a severe high right ankle sprain, and will not be playing Basketball again this season.
As Korver’s season comes to an end, the Atlanta Hawks’ franchise-record breaking run gets one step closer to its anti-climatic demise. LeBron James did have an incredible 37 point, 18 board and 13 assist performance in game 3, but he also missed his first 10 shots of the game. When a guy like LeBron isn’t making his shots early, you need to capitalize and open up a big lead early, but Atlanta couldn’t do that. Despite everything going wrong for the Hawks, they were still a Jeff Teague 3-pointer away from winning Game 3, but they couldn’t get that either. The magic has run out.
Al Horford’s ejection just before halftime, deserved or not, was the alarm clock ringing to wake up the Hawks from their Dream season.
10. On to the Cavaliers, and how LeBron James is willing Cleveland to a Championship. Even with the Cavs missing Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, they’ve still dominated Atlanta and you can accredit a lot of it to James. He’s not exactly playing with superstars next to him right now like he was in Miami. The Starting 5 that hit the Court yesterday (James, Tristan Thompson, Timofey Mozgov, Matthew Dellavedova, and Iman Shumpert) aren’t much better than the 2007 Cavaliers that got swept by the Spurs in the NBA finals (James, Drew Gooden, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Sasha Pavlovic, and Larry Hughes). Who was the highest paid player on the Cavaliers that season? That’s right, you guessed it….
Larry Hughes!
Ilgauskas, Gooden and even Eric freaking Snow also made more than LeBron that season, and Snow averaged 4.2 PPG!
Back on topic though, James has done it all this postseason. He’s averaged 27.9 PPG (2nd among active players), 10.5 Rebounds (2nd), 8.4 Assists (1st), 1.8 Steals (2nd), 1.3 Blocks (5th), 41.6 Minutes (1st) and a 29.2 Offensive Efficiency Rating (1st). LeBron gave everything he had in game 3 in order to give his team the win, and in the process, he’s making his teammates look pretty good while doing it. Not everyone can make Matthew Dellavedova play like Gail Goodrich.
Warriors/Rockets
11. Look for the Warriors to book their ticket to the NBA Finals for the first time in 40 years tonight, as they go for the sweep against the Rockets in Houston. This battle between the NBA’s MVP and the MVP runner-up has been fairly one-sided, highlighted by a Game 3 Bloodbath where Golden State was up 25 before halftime and eventually came out on top 115-80. League MVP Stephen Curry scored 40 points on only 19 shots and also broke the NBA record for most 3-pointers in one postseason. He’s hitting 58% from 3-point range in the West Finals, and is averaging about 36 points a game. You cannot stop Steph Curry, you can only hope to contain him.
But the Warriors wouldn’t be this good with Curry alone. Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut have terrorized Houston down low, with Green recording a Double-Double in 2 of 3 games in the West Final, totalling 9 this post-season. The Veterans are stepping up as well; Shaun Livingston had 18 points off the bench in Game 1, Andre Igoudala had a momentum-changing dunk in Game 2, no matter what someone always comes through when the Warriors need them to.
Also in case you missed it, here’s Stephen Curry’s post-game press conference with his daughter, Riley Curry, because she’s just so damn cute.
12. The Rockets are blasting off again, and not in a good way. The first few games of the Western Conference Final, the Rockets really put up a dogfight and stuck right with the W’s in both games at Oracle Arena, but couldn’t come out on the winning end. Houston probably could’ve taken Game 2, a game where James Harden was lights out with 38 points and was an assist away from a triple-double, but Curry and Klay Thompson clamped down and trapped Harden, allowing Golden State to hold onto the 99-98 win. Despite Harden’s big game, it seems as if that was the moment the Warriors clinched the series. Game 3 had huge implications; Houston desperately needed to win, and instead, they laid a big fat egg on home court and got spanked. Anyone who believed James Harden deserved the MVP over Curry, has likely changed their tune after the recent events. Kevin McHale better have a game-plan to slow down Chef Curry and the Dubs in some way, because if not, him and his Rockets are going to be cooked.
MLB
Here is my All-Star Ballot at this point in the season.
AL
C – Stephen Vogt, OAK
1B – Miguel Cabrera, DET
2B – Jose Altuve, HOU
3B – Josh Donaldson, TOR
SS – Marcus Semien, OAK
OF – Mike Trout, LAA
OF – Adam Jones, BAL
OF – Josh Reddick, OAK
DH – Nelson Cruz, SEA
P – Dallas Keuchel, HOU
13. Vogt has been a back-up catcher for his entire career, but he’s been phenomenal to start the year, so I’ve got to give him the nod over Russell Martin. Miggy, Altuve, Donaldson, and Trout are all pretty much clear-cut choices, as well as Jones, simply because his hitting his sky-high. Nelson Cruz has undoubtedly been the best hitter in baseball. I also went with two more Athletics in Semien and Reddick, and honestly, you could make a solid argument for Sonny Gray as the American League Starting Pitcher, giving the last place Oakland Athletics 4 All-Star Starters. Before you try to check me into a mental institution, let me explain. Josh Reddick is 4th in WAR (Wins Above Replacement) and 3rd in wRC+ (Weighted Runs Created) amongst AL Outfielders, while also hitting .309. Cleveland’s Michael Brantley is marginally better in these categories, but Reddick has demonstrated more power and therefore gets my vote for now. Some would have Detroit’s Jose Iglesias and his .333 Batting Average at Short, but he’s had 56 less at bats than the .291 hitting Semien. Oakland’s shortstop also has the most HRs of any AL shortstop and is tied for 2nd in RBIs. The Athletics are 17-30, have the worst record in the American League, and yet could send 4 players to the All-Star Game. Insane.
NL
C – Buster Posey, SF
1B – Paul Goldschmidt, ARI
2B – Dee Gordon, MIA
3B – Matt Carpenter, STL
SS – Brandon Crawford, SF
OF – Bryce Harper, WSH
OF – Joc Pederson, LAD
OF – Justin Upton, SD
P – Max Scherzer, WSH
14. Posey is obvious. I’ll take Goldschmidt, though Adrian Gonzalez will definitely be there as well. Dee Gordon is hitting .379, he’s in. Carpenter over Todd Frazier because he’s just hitting the ball way better than anyone else at his position. I like Crawford over Starlin Castro, he’s quietly had a very strong season. Rookie sensation Joc Pederson also deserves to start, as well as Justin Upton, but both will likely be reserves as bigger names like McCutchen and Stanton earn Starter Nods.
Indy 500
15. The 99th Running of the Indy 500 was yesterday, and even though Oakville’s very own, James Hinchcliffe, missed the race due to a serious thigh injury suffered in practice earlier in the week, it was still a pretty enjoyable race.
Juan Pablo Montoya stole a victory from Will Power and Scott Dixon, making a move with 4 laps to go when it seemed certain that Power or Dixon were destined for victory after duelling for the lead for what seemed like ages.
Memorial Cup
16. The 2015 Memorial Cup tournament kicked off this weekend in Quebec City, the premier junior ice hockey tournament outside of the U-20 IIHF World Championship, and a big performance here could put a player’s career on the map. The Four Teams this year include the Host Quebec Remparts, the WHL Champion Kelowna Rockets, the QMJHL Champion Rimouski Oceanic, and the OHL Champion Oshawa Generals. Maple Leafs fans have much incentive to watch as former 1st Round Pick Frederik “Freddy the Goat” Gauthier is a key player for the Oceanic, and won the Q’s best defensive forward award this season. As great as that sounds, it’s most notable winner in recent memory is Marc-Andre Cliche, which isn’t great news.
Some other players to watch in this year’s tournament include former 3rd Overall pick, Kelowna’s Leon Draisaitl (Drafted by EDM), Quebec’s Anthony Duclair (ARI), and Oshawa’s Michael Dal Colle (NYI). Check out http://www.insidethepressbox.ca for awesome Memorial Cup coverage.
NLL
17. Although it seems like all of Toronto’s teams are down on their luck yet again, there is still the Toronto Rock. The Rock pulled off the big upset over the defending NLL Champions and their rivals from across Lake Ontario, the Rochester KnightHawks, and are moving on to face the Edmonton Rush in the finals. The Rock have won Championships in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2011, and yet they’re the 6th most popular team in Toronto (Maple Leafs, Blue Jays, Raptors, TFC, Argonauts, are all ahead of the Rock, Marlies are behind) because Lacrosse simply isn’t as popular as other sports, and yet those 5 franchises have won 2 titles for the city in the same time frame, and those were both won by the Argos. Game 1 of the Final is this coming Saturday against the Edmonton Rush.
Do what you can to support Toronto’s only winning franchise.
nolancattell 
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