![]() Welcome to my sports blog! I have been meaning to create one for quite some time but better late then never, I guess. If you're reading this, I encourage your comments, questions, and criticism alike. Today, I'm previewing the Stanley Cup Finals as well as the NBA's Conference Finals round. Let's start with the Stanley Cup Finals and an intriguing match-up between the LA Kings and New Jersey Devils. Both teams enter the finals with the hottest goaltenders in their respective conferences. Leading the way for 6th seeded New Jersey is Martin Brodeur, who at age 40 is still a dominant force between the pipes. Brodeur, who holds just about every meaningful record for his position, is looking to cap off his Hall of Fame career with a fourth Stanley Cup championship. Surrounding him are Kovalchuk, Parise, Sykora, and Elias - four players who are near the top at their positions. The Devils boast a balanced and efficient roster - one that ranked tops in the league in Penalty Killing (89.6%), and averaged slightly more goals per game (2.8) than it allowed (2.5) during the season. New Jersey finished with a 48-28-6 record in the regular season and has home-ice advantage in the series. The LA Kings enter as the NHL's hottest and perhaps most surprising team. Led by a stingy defensive unit, the 8th seeded Kings have taken the Western Conference by storm and advanced to the Stanley Cups in only 14 games. Crucial to any Cup contending team is a solid goalie and Jonathan Quick has been excellent for the Kings. Quick has resembled a brick wall throughout the postseason as LA has made quick work (no pun intended) of the top 3 seeded Western conference teams. The odds-on favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy has to be Quick in light of his superb playoff numbers (11-1 record, 1.41 Goals against, .951 SV%). Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty are two players who will look to fly down the ice and score some goals for the Kings. Overall, the Kings are a very physical team with an emphasis on checking and defense. My prediction? I foresee a very tough, physical match-up between the two teams. Expect some low-scoring, gritty games in this series. Brodeur and Quick will garner the headlines for their efforts in goal. Regardless of the end result, both teams can be happy with their performance in the playoffs to this point. Ultimately, I predict that the New Jersey Devils will win in an exciting series that will go to game seven. ![]() Kevin Durant.. lethal closer Now for my favorite sport, basketball. With the conclusion of tonight's game 7 between the Celtics and 76ers, all the match-ups will be set for the Conference Final round. For me, the much more intriguing match-up is taking place in the West. We'll start there first. The San Antonio Spurs enter on an 18-game winning streak - and no, that is not a typo. With the best record in the Western Conference and the entire league, the Spurs have the same look and feel as the championship winning teams from '05 and '07. Boring? Yes, but successful? Definitely. Tim Duncan and Co. are about as consistent as they come and are led by the best coach in basketball, Gregg Popovich. Tony Parker is an extremely efficient leader at the point and Manu Ginóbili leads a very deep bench unit. Although they are captained by Duncan, who is averaging just under 18 and 9 in these playoffs, the Spurs play as a team. A large part of their emphasis is on floor spacing and sharing the ball. This team philosophy led the Spurs to 103.7pts/gm in the regular season(2nd in the NBA) and has them looking like a team poised to win another ring. On the other side are the number two seed Oklahoma City Thunder. This youthful bunch is headed by Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, the highest scoring duo in the NBA. The Thunder have a lot of good complimentary players, including James Harden off the bench (the 6th Man of the Year), and the intimidating frontcourt of Ibaka and Perkins. OKC looks to have taken the next step towards contention after sweeping the defending champion Mavericks and out-executing Kobe and the LA Lakers. If there's any team that can match the depth, scoring punch, and toughness of the Spurs, it's the Thunder. This 1 vs. 2 match-up is sure to be a great one. Realistically, I can see this matchup going either way. However, in a seven game series on top of an already condensed season, I have to think the OKC Thunder will be the team with the freshest legs. The deciding games will be determined in the closing minutes and right now the best closer in the game is none other than the Durantula - Kevin Durant. This series will go to seven games, where the OKC Thunder pull a shocker on the road. No discussion of the NBA playoffs would be complete without mentioning the Miami Heat - led by the 'Big 2' of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. Even without Chris Bosh, who has missed time with a strained abdominal, the Heat still have the look a championship team. In 11 postseason games so far, LeBron James has averaged a staggering 29/9/6 line. Not too shabby for the three-time MVP, I suppose. Dwyane Wade has chipped in with averages of 24/5/4/1.3 to boot. When those two are at their best, there are few (if any) who can stop them. Their opponent for the next round has yet to be determined, but you can safely say the Heat would rather be playing the 76ers. They went 4-0 against Philly in the regular season, compared to just 1-3 against Boston. Regardless, playoff basketball is an entirely different game and Miami will be favored in either case. If the Heat can manage modest contributions from the combo of Chalmers/Battier/Haslem/Miller, then they will be able to offset the loss of Chris Bosh, whose status for the series is still undetermined.
Forgive me for being arrogant, but I just can't envision the Heat losing to either Boston or Philadelphia in a seven-game series. The stakes are just too high for LeBron and Miami has proven itself as a tough, physical team. Miami Heat in 5.
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AuthorHey, I'm Ted Sorensen and this is my sports & personal blog. Leave some comments and let me know what you think! Archives
June 2016
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