The Dallas Mavericks have dropped four games in a row. San Antonio crushed the Dirk-less Mavs 101-89 at AT&T Center Friday night, making short work of their Southwest division foes. Tony Parker poured in 18 points to lift the Spurs to their fifth straight win and an NBA best 34-6 record. Parker sparked San Antonio in the first quarter and Richard Jefferson buried back-to-back three-pointers to highlight the second quarter. The visiting Mavs trailed 51-30 at the break in what has been a tailspin month for the 26-12 club. The Mavericks are just 2-7 without their big man, Nowitzki. Dallas couldn’t contain Parker or point guard,Tim Duncan during the first half. Neither Spurs’ shooter played in the fourth quarter as the Mavs were hammered on the boards all night. It was San Antonio’s 14th straight home win this season.
Shawn Marion scored 14 points to lead Dallas, who shot just 39.7 percent through three quarters. The Mavs’ Jason Terry added nine points on a 3-for-14 shooting effort. Dallas closed within 13 points on a Tyson Chandler dunk in the third quarter, put an 18-7 Spurs’ spree dismantled a Dallas comeback rally. Dallas’ bench could not surge in the fourth quarter to avoid defeat. Duncan paced the Spurs with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Former Pitt Panther standout, DeJuan Blair, collected 18 points and led San Antonio with 13 boards. Manu Ginobili contributed 11 buckets as four Spurs scored in double figures. San Antonio was a stellar 79% from the line as they carved out a 24 point lead heading into the final quarter.
Friday’s win marked the second time this season the Spurs have handed the Mavs a beat-down. The Spurs are headed for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs as long as they remain healthy and firing on all cylinders. Dallas still remains in the top three in the Western Conference (seven games behind the Spurs) but the injury-plagued Mavs must find a way to start reeling off victories instead of just reeling.
Parting Points: The Big 10 is sticking with Leaders & Legends and Cam Newton is heading to the NFL.
Showing posts with label Dallas Mavericks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dallas Mavericks. Show all posts
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Durant Dumps Dirk-less Dallas
Shawn Marion’s hook shot and 21 first half points weren’t enough for the short-handed Dallas Mavericks to drub the Oklahoma City Thunder. Marion finished with a season-high 25 points in the 99-95 loss to Kevin Durant and the top-shooting Thunder in Dallas. Durant carried Oklahoma City, scoring 28 points and adding three assists in the American Airlines Center win. Scott Brooks’ Thunder improved to 24-13 on the season following Thursday night’s road win.
Dallas played without All-Star Dirk Nowitzki for the sixth straight game, but clung to a 55-51 edge at the half. Jason Terry pocketed 19 points, while Tyson Chandler and DeShawn Stevenson contributed 14 a piece for the Mavs. Chandler was a menace on the boards, racking up 18 rebounds. Marion had 12 first quarter points to lead the charge but the Thunder roared back to trim the deficit after in the second half. The Mavericks endured poor shooting in the third quarter as the Thunder took a three point lead heading into the final frame. Cold shooting Dallas scored only 40 second half points and went just 5-for-16 in the third quarter. Jeff Green scored 16 points for the visitors to go along with nine rebounds. Russell Westbrook also had nine assists in the win and shot 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Westbrook finished with 15 points as the Thunder snapped a two game losing skid and rolled past depleted Dallas.
The Mavericks’ defense had trouble with the Thunder’s inside game during the final quarter. Jason Kidd was held without a point in 40 minutes on the hardwood. Kidd dished out seven assists and added 10 rebounds but the Thunder quickly pulled in front late in the game. Stevenson’s long trey in the final minute gave Oklahoma City a five point lead and Durant went to the line with half a minute remaining in the game. Durant banked both shots to account for the final margin and give the Thunder their first win over Rick Carlisle’s Mavs in three tries this season. Oklahoma City is just one-half a game behind Utah in the Northwest division. Dallas is also in second place, three back of the conference leading Spurs. The Mavs are just 2-4 in Nowitzki’s absence.
Parting Points: Song for Friday- “The Storm is Over Now” by R. Kelly
Dallas played without All-Star Dirk Nowitzki for the sixth straight game, but clung to a 55-51 edge at the half. Jason Terry pocketed 19 points, while Tyson Chandler and DeShawn Stevenson contributed 14 a piece for the Mavs. Chandler was a menace on the boards, racking up 18 rebounds. Marion had 12 first quarter points to lead the charge but the Thunder roared back to trim the deficit after in the second half. The Mavericks endured poor shooting in the third quarter as the Thunder took a three point lead heading into the final frame. Cold shooting Dallas scored only 40 second half points and went just 5-for-16 in the third quarter. Jeff Green scored 16 points for the visitors to go along with nine rebounds. Russell Westbrook also had nine assists in the win and shot 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Westbrook finished with 15 points as the Thunder snapped a two game losing skid and rolled past depleted Dallas.
The Mavericks’ defense had trouble with the Thunder’s inside game during the final quarter. Jason Kidd was held without a point in 40 minutes on the hardwood. Kidd dished out seven assists and added 10 rebounds but the Thunder quickly pulled in front late in the game. Stevenson’s long trey in the final minute gave Oklahoma City a five point lead and Durant went to the line with half a minute remaining in the game. Durant banked both shots to account for the final margin and give the Thunder their first win over Rick Carlisle’s Mavs in three tries this season. Oklahoma City is just one-half a game behind Utah in the Northwest division. Dallas is also in second place, three back of the conference leading Spurs. The Mavs are just 2-4 in Nowitzki’s absence.
Parting Points: Song for Friday- “The Storm is Over Now” by R. Kelly
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Spirited Spurs Seize Series Sway
The Spurs missed all seven of their 3-point attempts and one of their top players suffered a broke nose during the third quarter. Yet, San Antonio drifted past Dallas Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in the all-Texas playoff series. The Spurs closed out a 94-90 win at AT&T Center behind Tim Duncan’s 25 points and Manu Ginobili’s fourth quarter spurt while playing hurt. Tony Parker poured in 23 for the Spurs, who roughed it out in Game 3 of the Western conference quarterfinals. Ginobili was elbowed by the Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitski , but returned to the court with a bandaged nose and deposited 7-of-8 from the line to key the surging Spurs to victory. Paul Pierce may have sunk the game-winner for Boston last night, but Ginobili was the ultimate gamer for the Spurs.
The physical Texas tussle began with the Spurs taking the opening quarter edge after allowing Dallas to score the first four points of the game. San Antonio led by as many as eight points as Dallas, the best road team in the NBA, couldn’t find their road rhythm. The Mavs came back to outscore the Spurs 28-23 in the second quarter to make it a 47-44 deficit at the half. Duncan scored 16 first half points and Parker pounded the perimeter as the Spurs seized control. San Antonio converted 16 Dallas turnovers into 21 points, but the Mavericks kept it close by drilling 76% of their free throws and notching 40% from the arc. Dallas guard, Jason Terry, made four 3-pointers and Nowitski added a game high 35 points in the loss. Parker and Ginobili combined for 20 points in the final 12 minutes of the game. Duncan continued his resurgence as a premier player in the league. The fundamentally sound Duncan is averaging 26 points and 12 boards against the Mavericks in this series. The Dallas defense couldn’t contain the Big Three in the final quarter following a commendable third quarter comeback. Dallas was inconsistent on defense and stagnant on offense. The Mavs totaled just 14 fast-break points and committed four shot-clock violations. Such mistakes are inexcusable for a team known for running the court and playing crisper basketball.
The Spurs were down 70-66 going into the fourth quarter after the Mavericks unloaded a second half blitz and found their juice on offense. J.J. Barea was relentless for Dallas off the bench, securing 14 points and four assists. Nowitski and Barea were the catalysts for the visiting team until Ginobili’s gallant and gutsy return ripped their vivacity. Ginobili came through with 15 points and 7 assists and Parker was unstoppable for Gregg Popovich’s squad. George Hill chipped in 17 points and logged 45 minutes as the Spurs’ secret weapon. Nowitski’s jumper with three minutes remaining gave the Mavericks a 81-80 advantage but Parker’s 6-0 run provided the Spurs the lead for good. Parker knotted nine of his 23 during the final two minutes of the game. Ginobili capped an 8-0 San Antonio run with a pair of free throws to retire the Mavericks .Nowitski’s hot hand wasn’t enough to power the Mavs. The German big man was in dire need of his supporting cast on foreign hardwood (even though Dallas is not far from San Antonio, it was technically foreign) Jason Kidd managed seven buckets and as many assists, while blocking two shots. Dallas showed some urgency on defense in the second half, but it wasn’t intense enough to stick. The second seeded Mavericks’ defense went in the direction the team traveled to Game 3: south. It would be awfully hard for Dallas to win three consecutive games against the seventh seeded sprinting Spurs with the defense they displayed Friday.
Parting Points: “Integrity has no need of rules”- Albert Camus
90’s band of the weekend- Sugar Ray
The physical Texas tussle began with the Spurs taking the opening quarter edge after allowing Dallas to score the first four points of the game. San Antonio led by as many as eight points as Dallas, the best road team in the NBA, couldn’t find their road rhythm. The Mavs came back to outscore the Spurs 28-23 in the second quarter to make it a 47-44 deficit at the half. Duncan scored 16 first half points and Parker pounded the perimeter as the Spurs seized control. San Antonio converted 16 Dallas turnovers into 21 points, but the Mavericks kept it close by drilling 76% of their free throws and notching 40% from the arc. Dallas guard, Jason Terry, made four 3-pointers and Nowitski added a game high 35 points in the loss. Parker and Ginobili combined for 20 points in the final 12 minutes of the game. Duncan continued his resurgence as a premier player in the league. The fundamentally sound Duncan is averaging 26 points and 12 boards against the Mavericks in this series. The Dallas defense couldn’t contain the Big Three in the final quarter following a commendable third quarter comeback. Dallas was inconsistent on defense and stagnant on offense. The Mavs totaled just 14 fast-break points and committed four shot-clock violations. Such mistakes are inexcusable for a team known for running the court and playing crisper basketball.
The Spurs were down 70-66 going into the fourth quarter after the Mavericks unloaded a second half blitz and found their juice on offense. J.J. Barea was relentless for Dallas off the bench, securing 14 points and four assists. Nowitski and Barea were the catalysts for the visiting team until Ginobili’s gallant and gutsy return ripped their vivacity. Ginobili came through with 15 points and 7 assists and Parker was unstoppable for Gregg Popovich’s squad. George Hill chipped in 17 points and logged 45 minutes as the Spurs’ secret weapon. Nowitski’s jumper with three minutes remaining gave the Mavericks a 81-80 advantage but Parker’s 6-0 run provided the Spurs the lead for good. Parker knotted nine of his 23 during the final two minutes of the game. Ginobili capped an 8-0 San Antonio run with a pair of free throws to retire the Mavericks .Nowitski’s hot hand wasn’t enough to power the Mavs. The German big man was in dire need of his supporting cast on foreign hardwood (even though Dallas is not far from San Antonio, it was technically foreign) Jason Kidd managed seven buckets and as many assists, while blocking two shots. Dallas showed some urgency on defense in the second half, but it wasn’t intense enough to stick. The second seeded Mavericks’ defense went in the direction the team traveled to Game 3: south. It would be awfully hard for Dallas to win three consecutive games against the seventh seeded sprinting Spurs with the defense they displayed Friday.
Parting Points: “Integrity has no need of rules”- Albert Camus
90’s band of the weekend- Sugar Ray
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Coach Court Collision Costly in Comeback
The Dallas Mavericks kept their sixth game winning streak alive with a 111-103 overtime win in Atlanta Friday night. It was a battle of southwest versus southeast down at Philips Arena. Dirk Nowitzki had 37 points and hit a free throw on a technical foul to draw the Mavericks within one point before the end of regulation. Hawks’ coach, Mike Woodson, was called for the technical with just over one minute remaining. The refs called Woodson on the foul for being on the floor during play. Jason Kidd bumped the opposing coach. Without the foul, the Mavs may not have forced the overtime. Dallas needed to overcome a 14 point deficit in the fourth quarter. The technical assistance was facilitated their comeback charge. Kidd, the 36 year old Maverick guard, rolled up his 104th triple-double in the victory to help Dallas to their longest winning streak in two years. Kidd sits behind Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson at third most in NBA history in triple-doubles.
Atlanta controlled the game until the final seven minutes. Woodson’s team simply came apart and fell flat. The Mavs dusted off their rust and started playing smart ball down the stretch. Kidd keyed Dallas with 19 points, 17 assists and 16 rebounds. He knocked down 9 shots, collected 4 rebounds, 3 assists and one steal in the game’s final five minutes. Kidd deposited three fourth quarter treys to fuel the Mavericks. Dallas trailed 86-71 going into the final quarter. Jamal Crawford, Atlanta’s sixth man, secured a pair of free throws with less than nine minutes left. Crawford and Josh Smith had 18 points each for the losing team. Smith had a career high seven steals. Kidd’s 11 points helped stage an improbable Dallas comeback and send the game into an extra session. Atlanta’s Mike Bibby asserted himself by stamping out a trey before the Hawks were charged with the infamous technical. Kidd notched a 3-pointer to put the Mavs on top 99-97 in the waning minute of the fourth quarter. Smith’s put-back tied the game at 99 to force overtime.
Dallas collected the first seven points of the overtime. The Hawks didn’t score until the final minute of the extra quarter, by which time Dallas all but won the contest. Joe Johnson netted 27 points and added 10 assists to lead the Hawks. Crawford, Bibby, Al Horford and Marvin Williams combined to finish 17-of-54 from the field. Nowitzki stockpiled 15-of-26 shots. Dirk’s Dallas teammates, Jason Terry chipped in 16 and Shawn Marrion amassed 14. Dallas won their Western conference best 19th road game, while the hometown hosts dropped their seventh in Atlanta.
Parting Points: Song of the day- “Fight For Your Right (To Party)- Beastie Boys
Have you ever sung a song so many times in your head and never known the title or artist? I finally discovered the owner of one of those for me: “Kings and Queens” by 30 seconds to Mars
In other Texas hoops- The Rockets pulled out a 109-140 victory over San Antonio.
Atlanta controlled the game until the final seven minutes. Woodson’s team simply came apart and fell flat. The Mavs dusted off their rust and started playing smart ball down the stretch. Kidd keyed Dallas with 19 points, 17 assists and 16 rebounds. He knocked down 9 shots, collected 4 rebounds, 3 assists and one steal in the game’s final five minutes. Kidd deposited three fourth quarter treys to fuel the Mavericks. Dallas trailed 86-71 going into the final quarter. Jamal Crawford, Atlanta’s sixth man, secured a pair of free throws with less than nine minutes left. Crawford and Josh Smith had 18 points each for the losing team. Smith had a career high seven steals. Kidd’s 11 points helped stage an improbable Dallas comeback and send the game into an extra session. Atlanta’s Mike Bibby asserted himself by stamping out a trey before the Hawks were charged with the infamous technical. Kidd notched a 3-pointer to put the Mavs on top 99-97 in the waning minute of the fourth quarter. Smith’s put-back tied the game at 99 to force overtime.
Dallas collected the first seven points of the overtime. The Hawks didn’t score until the final minute of the extra quarter, by which time Dallas all but won the contest. Joe Johnson netted 27 points and added 10 assists to lead the Hawks. Crawford, Bibby, Al Horford and Marvin Williams combined to finish 17-of-54 from the field. Nowitzki stockpiled 15-of-26 shots. Dirk’s Dallas teammates, Jason Terry chipped in 16 and Shawn Marrion amassed 14. Dallas won their Western conference best 19th road game, while the hometown hosts dropped their seventh in Atlanta.
Parting Points: Song of the day- “Fight For Your Right (To Party)- Beastie Boys
Have you ever sung a song so many times in your head and never known the title or artist? I finally discovered the owner of one of those for me: “Kings and Queens” by 30 seconds to Mars
In other Texas hoops- The Rockets pulled out a 109-140 victory over San Antonio.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Dallas' Demoralizing Defeat
It’s not often I get to write about the worst team in NBA history. The New Jersey Nets’ futile 0-18 start to 2009 has given me the chance. Before tipoff, there was talk of an historical night at the Izod Center. The Nets are the epitome of professional basketball futility after passing the record for the worst start in NBA history. New Jersey 117-101 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday nipped the record previously held by the 1988-89 Miami Heat and 1999 LA Clippers. Four Mavericks scored in double digits as Dallas pounded Kiki Vandeweghe’s hapless Nets. Former New Jersey assist accumulator, Jason Kidd, had his way with Vandeweghe’s new crew. The old Nets’ captain had 10 assists in his second trip back to New Jersey. The Nets defense may as well have been doing pushups on the sidelines. That’s how effective they were in countering an 80% first half Dallas shooting effort. Kidd finished with 16 points and Dirk Nowitzki terrorized New Jersey by dishing out 24 for Dallas. The Mavs took a 77-50 lead in the East Rutherford locker room at halftime. Dallas dashingly dominated by as much as 31 points in the third quarter. The Nets trimmed the lead to 16 in the losing effort. New Jersey actually out-shot the Mavs in the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late to salvage the record-breaking fate of defeat.
The former Memphis Tiger standout, Chris Douglas-Roberts amassed 24 points in 40 minutes of floor time for the Nets. Stanford product, Brook Lopez, grabbed six rebounds and totaled 16 points, and Wisconsin’s own, Devin Harris, had 17 points. The 26 year old former Badger, who was acquired for Kidd, hit one of five three points. Those numbers weren’t much worse than the team’s 6-of-18 stats from the arc last night. The Nets appeared to stop fighting even before the half. Dallas hit the home team with a 49 point second quarter outburst, hitting their final nine shots and making all ten free throws. The Mavericks built their budding 27 point second quarter lead following a mediocre first in which the Nets tied the game at 28-28. New Jersey hung around and converted six Dallas turnovers into eleven points. Rick Carlisle’s Mavericks were a model of consistency and physicality all night. Jason Terry didn’t miss a shot in the first half. Tim Thomas was for 4-for-4 shooting. The team had 24 second quarter possessions and hit a bucket on all but two. The 77 first half points were the most scored by Dallas all year. The Mavs were routinely great on offense, as no player missed more than one shot before halftime. Dallas sternly steered and shot with skilled surety while stomping and scorching the sorry Nets.
The Nets are a rebuilding project. Vandeweghe was ironically part of the Mark Cuban-managed Mavericks when they were retooling. The Dallas franchise succeeded in turning the team around. Del Harris was a part of the Mavericks organization back then. Today he fosters the same leadership in New Jersey as Vandewegh’s assistant. The outlook is bleak without a legitimate head coach. The Nets are a young team composed of overworked and injured players. New Jersey made a coaching change by firing Lawrence Frank and bringing in Harris. It seems as if the Nets are only going from bad to worse. The defense is slow to react, allowing opponents to slip in uncontested layups. They look flat and slow in defending and rebounding. Wednesday, the Nets allowed the Mavs to shoot unattended jumpers and crowd the basket with dunks. The parade of layups and amount of turnovers proves New Jersey’s perimeter defense is barely adequate and transition defense is nonexistent, respectively. The Nets are staggering when trying to stop the fast break. Players aren’t sure their responsibilities or simply just don’t have the talent to execute them. Boxing out seems an entirely novel concept to these Nets. Passing is also a problem for the Nets. New Jersey’s interior game exhibits nothing but poor rotations and befuddled blocking. The team is consistent in recording turnovers, nothing to gloat about in any game. It’s no wonder the team hasn’t won a game this season. The Nets problems can’t be fixed overnight or with the changing of the guard. In fact, don’t be surprised if New Jersey’s losing streak extends well beyond 18. It’s hard to believe these are professional athletes sometimes. These Nets just can’t find the basket. Sometimes, they’d be lucky to find the ball.
Parting Points: Tonight’s Civil War between the Ducks and Beavers will decide Ohio State’s Rose Bowl opponent. I am pulling for Oregon State but think the Ducks are favored to win.
The former Memphis Tiger standout, Chris Douglas-Roberts amassed 24 points in 40 minutes of floor time for the Nets. Stanford product, Brook Lopez, grabbed six rebounds and totaled 16 points, and Wisconsin’s own, Devin Harris, had 17 points. The 26 year old former Badger, who was acquired for Kidd, hit one of five three points. Those numbers weren’t much worse than the team’s 6-of-18 stats from the arc last night. The Nets appeared to stop fighting even before the half. Dallas hit the home team with a 49 point second quarter outburst, hitting their final nine shots and making all ten free throws. The Mavericks built their budding 27 point second quarter lead following a mediocre first in which the Nets tied the game at 28-28. New Jersey hung around and converted six Dallas turnovers into eleven points. Rick Carlisle’s Mavericks were a model of consistency and physicality all night. Jason Terry didn’t miss a shot in the first half. Tim Thomas was for 4-for-4 shooting. The team had 24 second quarter possessions and hit a bucket on all but two. The 77 first half points were the most scored by Dallas all year. The Mavs were routinely great on offense, as no player missed more than one shot before halftime. Dallas sternly steered and shot with skilled surety while stomping and scorching the sorry Nets.
The Nets are a rebuilding project. Vandeweghe was ironically part of the Mark Cuban-managed Mavericks when they were retooling. The Dallas franchise succeeded in turning the team around. Del Harris was a part of the Mavericks organization back then. Today he fosters the same leadership in New Jersey as Vandewegh’s assistant. The outlook is bleak without a legitimate head coach. The Nets are a young team composed of overworked and injured players. New Jersey made a coaching change by firing Lawrence Frank and bringing in Harris. It seems as if the Nets are only going from bad to worse. The defense is slow to react, allowing opponents to slip in uncontested layups. They look flat and slow in defending and rebounding. Wednesday, the Nets allowed the Mavs to shoot unattended jumpers and crowd the basket with dunks. The parade of layups and amount of turnovers proves New Jersey’s perimeter defense is barely adequate and transition defense is nonexistent, respectively. The Nets are staggering when trying to stop the fast break. Players aren’t sure their responsibilities or simply just don’t have the talent to execute them. Boxing out seems an entirely novel concept to these Nets. Passing is also a problem for the Nets. New Jersey’s interior game exhibits nothing but poor rotations and befuddled blocking. The team is consistent in recording turnovers, nothing to gloat about in any game. It’s no wonder the team hasn’t won a game this season. The Nets problems can’t be fixed overnight or with the changing of the guard. In fact, don’t be surprised if New Jersey’s losing streak extends well beyond 18. It’s hard to believe these are professional athletes sometimes. These Nets just can’t find the basket. Sometimes, they’d be lucky to find the ball.
Parting Points: Tonight’s Civil War between the Ducks and Beavers will decide Ohio State’s Rose Bowl opponent. I am pulling for Oregon State but think the Ducks are favored to win.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Thursday Take-Twos
Say goodbye to the Dallas Mavericks, Washington Capitals and Ryan Zimmerman’s 30 game hitting streak in this week’s installment of Thursday Take-Twos.
The Denver Nuggets put the finishing touches on the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 to reach the NBA Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1985. The Nuggets won the series 4-1. The 124-110 victory occurred in front of the Nuggets’ home crowd at the Pepsi Center. Denver shot 64 percent in the first half to build a 69-55 halftime lead. Carmelo Anthony netted 30, Chauncey Billups bucketed 28 and J.R. Smith scored 18 points for Denver. Billups also led with 12 assists and 7 rebounds while Nene Hilario rebounded 7 and tipped in 17 points. Denver forward, Kenyon Martin, stole four balls and fired 15 shots with success. Anthony hit a 25 foot jumper with 7 minutes left and the Mavericks on his heels to lift the Nuggets. Billups’ drew a technical foul from Dallas’ Antoine Wright to make it a 10 point game. Denver displayed excellent execution and had an answer for everything Dallas drew up. Dirk Nowitzki flicked 32 through the hoop and Jason Kidd added 19 for the Mavericks. The trade for Billups from Detroit appeared to make a difference for Denver this season. Chauncey and Melo are sparks and proven winners for the dark horse Denver team. Both players are forces in generating offense from downtown. The Nuggets are 8-2 in the playoffs and won a franchise tying 54 regular season games. They face the winner of the L.A.-Houston series in the finals. Denver is a championship quality team and will give fits to either of their next foe. An opponent has not beaten Denver at home since March 9th.
Sydney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins closed out their Eastern Conference semi-final series in Washington. Crosby propelled the offense and scored twice as the Pens scorched Washington 6-2 Wednesday night in the marquee match up between the teams. Captain Crosby stole the show with his post-season league-leading 11th and 12th goals. The Penguins skate to their second conference final in as many years. Wednesday, Crosby scored two power-play goals and assisted on the Pens‘ third goal. Sid the Kid wasn’t the only star of the game. Craig Adams slipped in his first goal in 42 post-season appearances. Youngster, Jordan Staal, 38 year old, Bill Guerin and defensive dasher, Kris Letang, both contributed with goals for Pittsburgh. Sergei Gonchar returned for the first time since being sidelined with a knee injury to provide an assist for Pittsburgh. Marc-Andre Fleury was nifty behind net with 19 saves and the defense kept the Caps’ Alex Ovechkin in check throughout the deciding game. Fleury fended off a breakaway attempt by Ovechkin when the game as still scoreless that could have provided momentum for Washington had Alex’s puck gone in the net. Ovechkin did score a late goal for Washington to improve his playoff series points to a commanding 14. The total has not been reached by any NHL player since the 1995 season. The Capitals switched goalies after the Penguins pounded in four goals. It was Crosby who struck first about seven minutes into the game. He added his second in the third period after stealing the puck from rival, Ovechkin, and parlayed the puck past replacement goalie, Jose Theodore for a 6-1 Penguins advantage.
It was a great story to follow. Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals was silenced at the plate for the first time in 30 consecutive games Wednesday. The Nats’ gnat, Zimmerman ,was collecting hits with currency in one of baseball’s hard-to-accomplish acts. It’s difficult enough to get a week’s worth of hits but thirty in a row is quite the accolade. It’s rare in today’s game too because when hitters start getting hot, pitchers intentionally walk them more often. Joe DiMaggio holds the record with his famed 56 game tear in 1941. Only 44 players in MLB history have a hit in 30 games. Moises Alou was the last to secure 30 in his 2007 stint with the Mets. Six players can claim a hitting streak of 40 or more games. Ryan drew two walks and went 0-3 against the San Francisco Giants in the National’s 6-3 win. Zimmerman faced another “z” last name major leaguer. Birthday boy, Barry Zito, was on the hill. I love Zito and am happy he is quietly turning his season around. Hopefully this indicates a return of the old curveball master from his Oakland days. Zimmerman did score a run in the 6th but fell short of the franchise record 31 games streak held by Vladimir Guerrero. Zimmerman grounded into a force with runners on first and second base in the ninth inning during his final at-bat. His streak began April 8th with a 6th inning double against the Florida Marlins. April 13th, he clobbered a 9th inning homerun in Philadelphia to keep the streak alive. An 8th inning shot on May 9th kept it going for 27 straight in a one-run Washington win over Arizona. The 24 year old third baseman batted .382 during the streak. He had 8 frozen ropes and 26 RBIs.
Parting points: I hear the music of Cracker; listening to “Low”.
The salacious story out of USC is making headlines. Did basketball coach, Tim Floyd, pay Rodney Guillory? According to former sportswriter for the Long Beach Press-Telegram, Louis Johnson, he did. Johnson is penning a book about O.J. Mayo and he accused Floyd of paying Guillory to help deliver Mayo to the Trojans program. Who should we believe? I am fascinated by stories involving college compliance. I will follow the ongoing drama from Hollywood and if the accusations turn out true, we could also be saying goodbye to Floyd.
The Denver Nuggets put the finishing touches on the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 to reach the NBA Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1985. The Nuggets won the series 4-1. The 124-110 victory occurred in front of the Nuggets’ home crowd at the Pepsi Center. Denver shot 64 percent in the first half to build a 69-55 halftime lead. Carmelo Anthony netted 30, Chauncey Billups bucketed 28 and J.R. Smith scored 18 points for Denver. Billups also led with 12 assists and 7 rebounds while Nene Hilario rebounded 7 and tipped in 17 points. Denver forward, Kenyon Martin, stole four balls and fired 15 shots with success. Anthony hit a 25 foot jumper with 7 minutes left and the Mavericks on his heels to lift the Nuggets. Billups’ drew a technical foul from Dallas’ Antoine Wright to make it a 10 point game. Denver displayed excellent execution and had an answer for everything Dallas drew up. Dirk Nowitzki flicked 32 through the hoop and Jason Kidd added 19 for the Mavericks. The trade for Billups from Detroit appeared to make a difference for Denver this season. Chauncey and Melo are sparks and proven winners for the dark horse Denver team. Both players are forces in generating offense from downtown. The Nuggets are 8-2 in the playoffs and won a franchise tying 54 regular season games. They face the winner of the L.A.-Houston series in the finals. Denver is a championship quality team and will give fits to either of their next foe. An opponent has not beaten Denver at home since March 9th.
Sydney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins closed out their Eastern Conference semi-final series in Washington. Crosby propelled the offense and scored twice as the Pens scorched Washington 6-2 Wednesday night in the marquee match up between the teams. Captain Crosby stole the show with his post-season league-leading 11th and 12th goals. The Penguins skate to their second conference final in as many years. Wednesday, Crosby scored two power-play goals and assisted on the Pens‘ third goal. Sid the Kid wasn’t the only star of the game. Craig Adams slipped in his first goal in 42 post-season appearances. Youngster, Jordan Staal, 38 year old, Bill Guerin and defensive dasher, Kris Letang, both contributed with goals for Pittsburgh. Sergei Gonchar returned for the first time since being sidelined with a knee injury to provide an assist for Pittsburgh. Marc-Andre Fleury was nifty behind net with 19 saves and the defense kept the Caps’ Alex Ovechkin in check throughout the deciding game. Fleury fended off a breakaway attempt by Ovechkin when the game as still scoreless that could have provided momentum for Washington had Alex’s puck gone in the net. Ovechkin did score a late goal for Washington to improve his playoff series points to a commanding 14. The total has not been reached by any NHL player since the 1995 season. The Capitals switched goalies after the Penguins pounded in four goals. It was Crosby who struck first about seven minutes into the game. He added his second in the third period after stealing the puck from rival, Ovechkin, and parlayed the puck past replacement goalie, Jose Theodore for a 6-1 Penguins advantage.
It was a great story to follow. Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals was silenced at the plate for the first time in 30 consecutive games Wednesday. The Nats’ gnat, Zimmerman ,was collecting hits with currency in one of baseball’s hard-to-accomplish acts. It’s difficult enough to get a week’s worth of hits but thirty in a row is quite the accolade. It’s rare in today’s game too because when hitters start getting hot, pitchers intentionally walk them more often. Joe DiMaggio holds the record with his famed 56 game tear in 1941. Only 44 players in MLB history have a hit in 30 games. Moises Alou was the last to secure 30 in his 2007 stint with the Mets. Six players can claim a hitting streak of 40 or more games. Ryan drew two walks and went 0-3 against the San Francisco Giants in the National’s 6-3 win. Zimmerman faced another “z” last name major leaguer. Birthday boy, Barry Zito, was on the hill. I love Zito and am happy he is quietly turning his season around. Hopefully this indicates a return of the old curveball master from his Oakland days. Zimmerman did score a run in the 6th but fell short of the franchise record 31 games streak held by Vladimir Guerrero. Zimmerman grounded into a force with runners on first and second base in the ninth inning during his final at-bat. His streak began April 8th with a 6th inning double against the Florida Marlins. April 13th, he clobbered a 9th inning homerun in Philadelphia to keep the streak alive. An 8th inning shot on May 9th kept it going for 27 straight in a one-run Washington win over Arizona. The 24 year old third baseman batted .382 during the streak. He had 8 frozen ropes and 26 RBIs.
Parting points: I hear the music of Cracker; listening to “Low”.
The salacious story out of USC is making headlines. Did basketball coach, Tim Floyd, pay Rodney Guillory? According to former sportswriter for the Long Beach Press-Telegram, Louis Johnson, he did. Johnson is penning a book about O.J. Mayo and he accused Floyd of paying Guillory to help deliver Mayo to the Trojans program. Who should we believe? I am fascinated by stories involving college compliance. I will follow the ongoing drama from Hollywood and if the accusations turn out true, we could also be saying goodbye to Floyd.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
