NHL NBA Playoffs

May 19, 2017

Switching gears from baseball, let’s talk about NHL and NBA playoffs.

Although I fully expected the Blackhawks to to still be playing, the NHL finals have been great theater. The series between the Anaheim Ducks and those Blackhawk beating Nashville Predators is tied at two games apiece. There have been two overtimes, one goal and two goal margins. Anaheim was one of the best teams during the regular season and won their division. Nashville was an 8 seed who proved it’s not how you start or play during the season but how you finish. While I don’t know who’s going win this series, I have seen what I believe is the next great young player, Filip Forsberg of Nashville.

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The Ottawa Senators had a great season finishing in second place in the tough Atlantic division of the Eastern Conference. They are up against the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins knocked out the team who had the most points during the regular season, once again illustrating the "it's not how you start" adage. This series has also been extremely entertaining. While I am not too familiar with Ottawa you get a chance to see one of the greatest players of all-time, Pittsburgh's Sydney Crosby. All but one of the games has been decided by more than one goal. Ottawa does have a stingy defense led by Erik Karlson and goalie Craig Anderson, leading the series 2-1.  If Pittsburgh wins tonight they will regain home ice advantage. I don’t know who wins this series.
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You may think comparatively the NBA playoffs are ho hum. However, you great to watch, in my opinion, the second best player of all-time, LeBron James, The Cavaliers should cruise past the Celtics (who would have not made it this far, if not for injury to Rajon Rando of the Chicago Bulls).

The San Antonio Spurs are a good team and may win a game or two. However, with or without Tony Parker and a healthy Kahwi Leonard they will succumb to the Golden State Warriors and their superior talent. The team can put up tons of points. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and arguably the second best player in the league, Kevin Durant are prolific scorers. What makes them extra special is they play great defense. How else does a team overcome a twenty point halftime deficit?

 The finals for the 3^rd straight year will be Golden State versus Cleveland. The Warriors won the first and the Cavaliers the second, The Warriors added Durant the Cavaliers still have LeBron. I have no idea who comes out on top but it should be fun to watch.