by Nick Brower | Apr 12, 2018 | SPORTS
The NBA regular season came to a crazy end last night. The Wolves needed overtime to beat the Nuggets in a game that would decide the final playoff spot in the West. Russ Westbrook needed 34 rebounds in his last two games to average a triple double on the season and of course he went and got them. Westbrook became the first player in NBA history to average a triple double for an entire season twice, and he did it two years in a row. A handful of close games decided all the seeding, and finally we have our playoff matchups. I’ll give you my picks and a quick breakdown for each series. The team with home court will be listed first in each matchup.
Golden State V. San Antonio:
Golden State should move on pretty easily here, even without Curry. The Spurs haven’t looked good in awhile and are clearly not the same team without Leonard. Look for Golden State to win this series comfortably as they get their roster ready for a deeper run.
Toronto V. Washington:
This series will come down to the battle in the backcourt. Lowry, Derozan and the Raptors are definitely the favorites here, but Wall and Beal can ball with the best of them. Expect the Wizards to give the Raptors a run for their money. At the end of the day I’ve got Toronto moving on, but they’ll have to work for it.
Philadelphia V. Miami:
No one expected Philly to have home court in their opener, let alone finish at the 3 seed. I think Philly continues to shock people and moves on here. It will come down to Joel Embiid’s health. If he can be his usual self behind the mask, they’ll be in good shape. If not, Hassan Whiteside will give the 76ers problems. I think Embiid will be fine though, and the Sixers will move on.
Portland V. New Orleans:
This is one of the more intriguing first round series. The question will be if Anthony Davis can get enough help to keep up with Dame and CJ McCollum. I don’t see anyone on the Blazers being able to slow down Davis, but not many people can slow down that dynamic backcourt either. And we already know how clutch Lillard is. I’m going with Portland in a real close series here.
Boston V. Milwaukee:
A couple days ago, I would have given serious thought to the Bucks pulling off an upset here. But they’ve looked pretty bad lately and if they continue to play that way they won’t be able to beat Boston, even without Kyrie. Look for Boston’s rookie 1-2 punch to play well here and get some much needed experience. I don’t see Boston going very far this year, but I do think they’ll beat the Bucks here in the first round.
Cleveland V. Indiana:
No one around the league had Cleveland finishing fourth in the East, but here we are. And I think its going to take a toll on them. They’ll beat the Pacers, but it won’t be easy. They made their path to the Finals way harder then it had to be. And I think it will catch up with them. LeBron played all 82 this season, and now he’ll have to play some more tough ones. Let’s see if it catches up with him.
Oklahoma City V. Utah:
This will be another great series. The Jazz came out of nowhere this year and that defense is legit. It will be put to the test though against OKC’s big three. No one is really sure if the big three is gelling to its full potential, but this will surely be a test for them. Ultimately, I think Utah’s youth catches up to them and a veteran-filled roster for the Thunder get it done in a close series.
Houston V. Minnesota:
Minnesota took big strides this season and will be a contender in a year or two. But right now, they are out of their league. Houston will roll the Twolves here and get ready for their next series pretty quickly.
Well there you have it folks. The NBA playoffs will kick off this weekend with half of the series getting started on Saturday and the rest of them starting on Sunday. Be sure to check back here after the weekend to stay up to date as we move towards the Finals.
by Nick Brower | Apr 12, 2018 | SPORTS
The brawl in Boston wasn’t the only one yesterday in the MLB. The Rockies and Padres also got it popping in Colorado. Nolan Arenado charged the mound after Luis Perdomo threw behind him with the first pitch of the bottom of the third inning. Reason would lead us to believe that this was retaliation for Scott Oberg hitting Manuel Margot in Tuesday’s game between the two teams. Arenado was clearly hot, he broke into a full sprint to chase down Perdomo and began swinging once he got within range. Arenado was ejected, along with Perdomo, A.J. Ellis, German Marquez, and Gerardo Parra. All but Perdomo threw punches. Arenado successfully lit a fire under his team though, who have been struggling at the plate. The Rockies went on to score 5 runs in that same inning and won the game 6-4. The passive fan must be thrilled to see all of this fighting in baseball, but I’m not sure that the league will feel the same way. I would expect players involved in both games to receive suspensions as the league tries to tone teams down and remove the fisticuffs from the sport. From my point of view, it’s great for the sport. The use of instant replay challenges has taken away the fun of watching a manager bug out on an umpire and getting thrown out. This restores some of that excitement between pitches. Now I’m not saying I want to see a fight in every game, but it is good to see some passion from the players once and awhile. This series is over, so we’ll have to wait to see if this is the end of the bad blood between San Diego and Colorado. But we won’t have to wait too long, as the two have another three game series starting on April 23rd.
by Nick Brower | Apr 12, 2018 | SPORTS
After a blowout loss two nights ago, the Yankees showed up to Fenway pissed off last night. It didn’t take long for them to blow off some of that steam. The Yankees chased David Price out of the game after scoring 4 runs in the first. Giancarlo Stanton hit a 2-run triple to the deepest part of the ballpark and Gary Sanchez scored him two batters later with a high home run over the Green Monster. Sanchez wasn’t done for the night. The Yankees catcher finally seemed to get his timing down and finished with an insane 3-5 with two homers, a double, 4 RBIs, and 3 runs. Sanchez and Stanton showing signs of life is great news for Yankees fans, but it wasn’t the biggest story of the night. The historic rivalry is back in full swing. This game was a throwback to the early 2000s, the talent is back, and so is the hatred. On the scoreboard, the Yankees were the last ones standing in a 10-7 slugfest. But the scoreboard wasn’t the only place punches were thrown.
It all started in the third inning when Tyler Austin slid hard into second base and spiked shortstop Brock Holt. Holt took offense to Austin’s slide and after a little jawing back and forth both benches and bullpens cleared. The scrum was uneventful, just a lot of shouting. But it set the tone for the night, and the rest of the season for these two teams. Later in the game, Boston’s fireball pitcher Joe Kelly sent a message to Austin in the form of a 98mph fastball to the back. He didn’t take kindly to the slide back in the third and was standing up for his shortstop. Austin, of course, did not take kindly to the beaning either. He damn-near snapped his bat in half on the plate and began to walk out towards the mound. Kelly removed his glove, returned words, and the brawl was on. Benches quickly cleared again, but this one was not as verbal. Austin came out swinging at Joe Kelly and Aaron Judge quickly had Kelly in a headlock. Kelly got a few good punches in on Austin in the scrum and left him with a bloody lip as the pile got pushed towards the Boston dugout. A handful of players were ejected on both sides, and just like that, the best rivalry in sports has been reignited.
Regardless of who you root for, these teams hating each other is great for the game. As much as the league will tell you they don’t want this violence on the field, the fans love it and they know that. It brings a level of excitement to the game that goes beyond your diehard fans. This rivalry gives people who normally don’t watch baseball a reason to tune in. And with both of these teams fully loaded and expected to be in the playoff hunt, it will make for a full season of drama. They’ve still got 15 meetings left this year, and they’ll all be must-see-tv.
As for the teams, this might just serve as the spark they need. The Yankees haven’t quite got it clicking yet on offense, but last night’s 10-run outburst and the pair of brawls should snap them into shape. Both Sanchez and Stanton had good nights last night and it looks like they’re finally headed in the right direction. The Red Sox haven’t been playing as well as their record reflects and have taken advantage of weak opponents before this series. They could use a good kick in the ass like this to start playing up to their potential. Round three will get underway tonight at 7PM. Sonny Gray and Rick Porcello will be the starters. Let’s see who can take the rubber match and the win the first series between the two division foes.
by Nick Brower | Apr 12, 2018 | SPORTS
The NHL playoffs got off to a hot start last night with three great games. The Penguins put the smackdown on Philly, starting their series off with a huge 7-0 win. Sidney Crosby showed the world once again why he’s the best as he turned his third career postseason hat trick. Four other Penguins chipped in with a goal a piece as the Pittsburgh offense dominated the game, scoring 5 goals in the first half hour worth of game time. Philly pulled Brain Elliot and couldn’t get it going at all. Pens goaltender Matt Murray stopped all 24 shots he faced. The Flyers looked completely overmatched, this series might be over quicker than most thought. The defending champs are back firing on all cylinders after a slow finish in the regular season, and the rest of the league should be on notice.
Winnipeg outlasted Minnesota in their first game to take the early series lead. Minnesota scored twice early in the third to take a 2-1 lead but Patrick Laine scored just one minute later off a turnover to tie it up and Joe Morrow delivered the deciding goal halfway through the final period. This is the first playoff win in Winnipeg’s franchise history (entered the league in Atlanta in 1999). The Jets will look to capitalize on the momentum they built following the Laine goal which seemed to really demoralize the Wild.
In the final game of the night, Las Vegas took home the win in their series opener against the Kings. Shea Theodore turned in the game’s only goal just three minutes into the first and Marc Andre Fleury carried the Knights from that point on, stopping all 30 shots he saw. Vegas was able to control the pace of the game most of the night through a great forecheck. The Kings will have to find a way to break through if they want to compete in the rest of the series.
We’ve got another 5 Game 1’s to look forward to tonight. The Devils and Lighting will get under way in Tampa at 7PM ET. As will the Maple Leafs and Bruins from Boston. Washington will host Columbus for their series opener at 7:30PM. The Preds and Blue Jackets will get started in Nashville at 9:30PM and San Jose and Anaheim will round out the night, starting at 10:30PM. Enjoy another action-packed night and make sure to check back here tomorrow for more coverage.
by Nick Brower | Apr 10, 2018 | SPORTS
The Yankees have traveled north and will face the Red Sox for the first time this season in Fenway tonight. One of the best rivalries in sports will start all over again. And this year is sure to be a great one. Both teams have high expectations for this season after big additions to their rosters and most experts will tell you that they will be battling all year for the division title. The race for the AL East is going to be a close one and it will only add fuel to the fire that is this rivalry. Many fans will tell you it has gotten boring of late. There hasn’t been the pure hatred between the teams like there was in the past. I’m here to tell you it will be back this year. I’m sure Boston fans haven’t forgotten their last encounter with Aaron Boone in a Yankee uniform (I know I haven’t), and both teams being legit World Series picks always helps.
The Yankees and Red Sox come into this series with very different records, but I think they are in about the same spot. The Sox are sitting at 8-1 and are off to a hot start, but I don’t think they are playing all that well. They have played just well enough to beat up on bad teams in the Rays and Marlins. The Yankees have not been playing to their full potential yet either and are currently 5-5. Strikeouts and a shaky performance by most of the bullpen have hurt the Yanks big time. The bullpen isn’t worth stressing over though, there are a bunch of electric arms out there. They’ll figure it out. The strikeouts are a problem though. The big hitters in the middle of the lineup, Stanton especially, have been trying to do too much. They need to shorten up and focus on making good contact. Guys like Stanton, Sanchez, and Judge don’t have to swing their hardest to do damage. They are strong enough to drive the ball even without their A+ swing. They need to dial it down and focus on putting the ball in play and the homers will come. Overall, I think this series will give us a really good look at what these two teams are actually about this year. Both teams will find their toughest opponent of the season so far in this series and it will be a good measuring stick of how the teams are playing.
We’re in for a real treat too as the early season off days have allowed both teams to line up their rotations. We’ll get started tonight with a battle of the aces, Chris Sale and Luis Severino. Let’s see if Sevy can continue his early dominance against the best lineup he has seen this far. It will also be interesting to see how Sale deals with all the right-handed power in the Yanks lineup. Either way, it’s sure to be an interesting game. First pitch is at 7:05PM in Boston, don’t miss it.
by Nick Brower | Apr 10, 2018 | SPORTS
Now I know I don’t cover much hockey here for y’all, but its that time of year again. There aren’t many phrases that get me more excited in sports than “Playoff Hockey”. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are electric every single year. The level of intensity on the ice and in the arenas is unmatched and it makes for one hell of a tournament. Anything can happen, except boredom.
The 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs will begin tomorrow night when Minnesota takes on Winnipeg. Also starting at 7PM ET is the Pennsylvania series, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia will do battle once again. Los Angeles and Las Vegas will cap off opening night at 10PM ET. Since we haven’t covered hockey really at all, I’m just gonna jump in and give you my picks for all the first round series and quick reason why. All the home teams will be listed first.
Nashville V. Colorado:
I’ve got Nashville winning this one comfortably. The Predators have been great all season and will overpower a smaller Colorado team. The big boys come out to play in the playoffs, and muscle and defense will prevail.
Winnipeg V. Minnesota:
I’ll take Winnipeg here in a close one. Winnipeg has had a great year on the backs of Patrick Laine and Connor Hellebuyck. Laine is second in the league in goals and Hellebuyck led the league in wins in net while posting a .924 save percentage. Look for them to continue to carry the team.
Las Vegas V. Los Angeles
The Golden Nights have been the story of the season. The expansion team finished 5th in points overall in their first season in the league. I think they continue making history and make a deep run in the playoffs. This roster was built extremely well and they play a great brand of hockey.
Anaheim V. San Jose
Both of these teams have been regulars in the playoffs as of late. Both of them have struggled to meet expectations as well. I think Jon Gibson plays just well enough in an offensive series to carry the Ducks through. This will be one of the more exciting series of the first round for sure.
Tampa Bay V. New Jersey
The Devils had a great season and did well to sneak into the playoffs, but their swinging out of their weight class here. Tampa Bay is just a step above this team and should cruise into the next round after leading the East in points.
Boston V. Toronto
This is sure to be a great series too as the two teams were only separated by 7 points at the end of the regular season. Just like Nashville, I think Boston’s physicality carries them through here, but not as comfortably. These teams will have to grind through this series and I think Boston has enough grit to finish on top.
Washington V. Colombus
Washington has too much firepower here and shouldn’t have many issues with Columbus. But we all know that Ovechkin and the Caps are yet to really put it together in the playoffs. Either way, I think they have enough to get out of the first round this year.
Pittsburgh V. Philadelphia
This matchup has become common in the Eastern playoffs and has delivered some of the best games of recent history. The storyline hasn’t really changed either. Can Philly be scrappy enough to take Crosby and the bunch out of their offensive groove. They sure will try, expect a bunch of huge hits in this series and maybe even a suspension. But in the end, the defending champs move on. The amount of offensive talent on this team is overwhelming.
So there you have it. Get used to seeing some more hockey coverage as the playoffs get rolling. I’ll be keeping you updated all the way up until Lord Stanley’s Cup is raised by the champs.
