Game seven in this semi-final series will be played on Sunday, May 17, 2009. What should you look for and what will it take to turn the tide either way? Well, here are five key points for each team that could be the difference between victory and defeat.
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Month: May 2009
There’s an NBA story that won’t get a lot of attention that deserves to – the Raptors have dropped the interim tag from coach Jay Triano and given him a three year extension. At first glance this might not make much sense – he was just 25-40 after taking over from Sam Mitchell. You need to look at two things, though – what he had to work with and how he finished. The team was a total mess last year between injuries, the whole Jermaine O’Neal debacle, the big trade at the deadline, and so on. The fact that he won even 25 games in those circumstances is a miracle. On top of that, down the stretch when nothing mattered and the team had every reason in the world to collapse, he got them to finish at 9-4. Granted, there were some soft opponents in there, but they did beat Orlando in Orlando. I’ve been partial to Triano for a long time – he’s a Canadian like me, and the only guy in recent memory who has had any success coaching our national team. He’s also one of the good guys in the sport – he’s intelligent, strategic, and he knows his stuff. Toronto desperately needs some stability and something that works, and that can start with a good coaching regime. Triano brings that. I was high on Toronto coming into this past season. I won’t be fooled again, but this certainly improves their chances next year.
It turns out that drug cheating isn’t just limited to baseball. NASCAR driver and team owner Jeremy Mayfield tested positive for an illegal substance and has been suspended indefinitely. He’s following the script exactly as he is supposed to – he claims that this is all a big misunderstanding and that it was just prescription medication that caused the problem. Shocking. This should be a much bigger story than the baseball ones. What’s the worst that can happen if a baseball player is high or juiced – he hit better than heshould and makes a mockery of the record books. There is nothing good at all that can come from a guy who is driving 200 miles an hour inches away from other cars who is baked out of his mind.NASCAR really should have a one-strike-you’re-out policy.
The first seed Cleveland Cavaliers easily handled the Detroit Pistons in round one of the NBA playoffs, winning the series four games to zip. However, the fourth seed Atlanta Hawks had a much tougher time dispatching the fifth seed Miami Heat, finally taking the series in the seventh game. In the regular season, the Cavs took the series 3-1. However, one game was a one-point win and another a six-point victory.
In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the second seed Boston Celtics will meet the third seed Orlando Magic. Boston went the full run against the Chicago Bulls, the seventh seed, finally beating them in the seventh game. The Magic met and were victorious over the Philadelphia 76ers, taking their series four games to two.
It’s not particularly surprising that LeBron James was named MVP today – he certainly deserved it. What was surprising, though, is the margin by which he won it. There are 121 first place votes cast, and James picked up 109 of them. He’s the youngest player since Moses Malone in 1979 to win the award, and the third youngest ever. Cleveland coach Mike Brown was also named coach of the year last month, and that raises a surprising stat – this is just the fourth time that a team has had the MVP, top coach and the best record in the league in the same year. Just one of those teams, the 1996 Bulls, has gone on to win the title.
In round one, the Los Angeles Lakers, the number one seed in the West, easily dispatched the Utah Jazz in five games to move onto the Western Conference Semifinals. Meantime, in the initial round of the NBA playoffs, the fifth seed Houston Rockets beat the fourth seed Portland Trailblazers four games to two. Thus the stage is now set for what should be a tough, hard-fought series between the two clubs. Simply put, the Lakers are favored in this one. Can the Rockets stop them?
Continue reading “Los Angeles Lakers Versus Houston Rockets”
The Denver Nuggets, the second seed in the West, easily beat the New Orleans Hornets four games to one in their opening series, while the Dallas Mavericks, the sixth seed, surprised the third seed San Antonio Spurs, winning their series four to one. The result is the Denver Nuggets will take on the Dallas Mavericks in the second round. Both teams have had plenty of time to rest and prepare. Which team looks to have the advantage in this one?
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