The San Jose Sharks Flirt With Disaster and Survive

Like something out of a Greek or Shakespearean Tragedy, the San Jose Sharks blew a 3-0 series lead against the mighty Detroit Red Wings, which lead to a game 7 in the Shark Tank in San Jose yesterday. It seemed all too real, and eerily similar to San Jose Shark collapses of past seasons. It was like the Ghost of Christmas Past and Christmas Future coming to Ebeneezer Scrooge all at once. The vibe around San Jose and the Bay Area was a "Here We Go Again" type feel after the Wings won game 6 in Detroit to knot the series at 3-3. The Sharks played with little energy on Tuesday night in the Motor City and seemed doomed for another epic San Jose Sharks collapse. To quote Woody Paige of the Denver Post "We all know what happens in the Shark Tank. The Sharks Tank!" That quote speaks to exactly what die hard fans of the San Jose Sharks have had to put up with for the past 20 years and especially the last 6 years when San Jose has had teams that appear to be serious contenders.
As a Bay Area native, I find myself rooting for this San Jose Shark team more because I think it would be cool if San Jose (which is 20 minutes south of where I live) would win a championship. It would be cool for the city, the bay area, and also for the Sharks organization. But I would be lying to you if I told you I was a die-hard Sharks fan. But I am a die-hard sports fan, and anytime a team is on the verge of an epic collapse or epic victory like the Sharks were, it catches my eye, especially if it involves a team that I have some vested interest in. I enjoy watching anything that is post-season in sports, including the NHL, even though the only sports I follow through the whole season are the NBA, NFL, and MLB. The NHL is the sport I follow the least of the four major sports, and yet I have found myself very interested in this years NHL playoffs.
The Sharks to their credit beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 yesterday in the Shark tank to the massive relief of Sharks fans across the Bay Area. Had the Sharks lost yesterday, the Sharks players should have hung themselves in utter shame, and the Shark Tank should have been lit on fire. The Sharks showed tremendous toughness, grit, and pride as they avoided what would have been the most embarrassing loss in franchise history. Devin Setoguchi scored San Jose's first goal in the opening period off a nice pass from Joe Thornton and then Logan Couture scored the second goal for San Jose late in the first period, giving them a 2-0 lead which they would never surrender. The Wings made things interesting however in the 2nd period, getting a goal from Henrik Zetterberg to creep within a goal. The Second Period was not a good period for the Sharks, as they allowed that one goal from Zetterberg, and also played a lot more lethargically.
However, in the 3rd period, the Sharks awoke and started attacking the net and started to get some good looks. They were rewarded with a goal from Patrick Marleau with around 7 minutes and change left in the third period. The Wings got one more goal a a couple of minutes later, making it a 3-2 game. The next 5 and a half minutes or so of the game with the Sharks up 3-2, was a crazy scene to behold. Bodies flying everywhere, with the Red Wings scrambling like madmen to get the game tying goal to send the sucker into Overtime. But the Sharks fought off a brutal Red Wing attack much like the Americans had to fight off the British in the American Revolution. The final minute of the game, the Wings pulled their goaltender and brought in a 6th guy to have a 6 on 5 advantage. Even that didn't work, and the Sharks held on to win by the final score of 3-2.
Marleau was the hero of the game from an offensive perspective scoring the game clinching goal, but the defensive MVP was the Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi. He made some spectacular saves that you figured would be impossible. He was clutch in the most critical moments and didn't falter late when the Wings were making their aggressive attack.
So what is next for the San Jose Sharks? A trip to the Western Conference Finals to take on the Vancouver Canucks, another team known for choking and blowing post-seasons away like Dandelion spores. The Vancouver Canucks haven't been past the 2nd round of the playoffs since 1994 when they lost to the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup Finals. That same week, OJ Simpson committed one of the most hideous murders and famous crimes in the world, and he got off scotch free thanks to some crafty lawyers from LA and a prosecution so bad, that even Hitler himself wouldn't have had to worry about had he gone to trial. But I digress, perhaps another OJ crime is needed for the Canucks to get back to the Stanley Cup finals, but I doubt it, and I sure hope not.
The Sharks haven't been to a Stanley Cup Final before, and last year they got humiliated by the Chicago Blackhawks in 4 games. It was a gut-wrenching series to watch for all Sharks fans, and this year seems to be more promising. The Canucks also gave up a 3-0 lead this year and won in game 7 against the Chicago Blackhawks. So, both teams have had similar roads to the conference finals.
I don't have enough of an opinion on who will win, other than the fact that the Canucks should win this series because they are the #1 seed, have home ice advantage, and finished with more points than any team in the NHL. Their goaltending is good with Luongo blocking away shots, and the famous Sedin twins are supposed to be scarier on the ice than they do off the ice, and that is really saying something. If you look at them, you realize that they have faces that only their mother could love, and even that is no slamdunk. The Sharks have Antti Niemi at the Goaltending position, and he has a Stanley Cup ring which Roberto Luongo doesn't have. That is probably the most noted advantage the Sharks have is their goaltending. Which is a big advantage.
But, the Canucks are supposed to have more offensive fire power and a better overall team to combat that. The Sharks have a good team as well tho, and they can score. The only real flaw I see in the Sharks from the hockey I've observed is they have the tendency to not give their goalie much help in terms of preventing easy shots from going off. If the Sharks can play solid defense and prevent the Canucks from getting easy shots at Niemi, Niemi should be fine, and the Sharks should win. That is easier said than done, and Vancouver has a very potent offense. But, Luongo has gotten lit up good this post-season, giving up 5 and 7 goals in back to back games against the Blackhawks this post season. So he can be vulnerable. Niemi has shown the same vulnerability, but neither has shown it recently. Look for the Goaltenders to both play well.
I won't make a prediction on this series, since every prediction I seem to make backfires. But I will say that I am pulling for the Sharks, and I hope they win. Go Sharks!

NBA Playoffs 2nd Round: Which Series is most likely to have an Upset?

This year's NBA playoffs have been as exciting as any playoff in recent memory. Specifically the 1st round. The exciting 1st round of the playoffs have set up 4 very intriguing matchups, three of which are David vs. Goliath like Situations.
The First matchup that has everybody drooling is the series between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics. Both teams seem to be pretty evenly matched and for the most part, the consensus among most sportswriters, and sports analysts seems to be that the Boston/Miami series is a toss up series. Lebron James, Dywane Wade, and Chris Bosh certainly seem to make up the best starting 5 due to the fact that they are younger and less injury prone, giving Miami the edge in the starting 5 department. However, In the role player department, the Celtics seem to have the edge with more weapons to use like Glen Davis, Jeff Green, Delonte West, Nenad Kristic, and Shaquille O'Neal (should he become healthy). So it's depth vs. better talent. The Celtics have Depth, and the Heat have better talent. But let's not forget the talent on Boston's side as well. Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Rajon Rondo. The Celtics have just as much star power as Miami does, but the Heat are younger and their best three is a better combo than Boston's best three. Who do I expect to win the series? I expect Boston to squeak it out in 6 games, but not without a tough battle.

The other three series that are also going on is the Atlanta Hawks/Chicago Bulls series, the Memphis Grizzlies/Oklahoma City Thunder series, and the Dallas Mavericks/Los Angeles Lakers series. In all three series, there are teams that are heavily favored to win, and all three of the favorite teams trail in the series 0-1. Memphis, Atlanta, and Dallas are all the underdogs in their respective series, and yet all three have stolen home court from their favored opponents. But which team is most likely to pull the upset over 7 games? Which team is most dangerous to their opponent? To answer this question I'll break down all three matchups.
The Memphis/ Oklahoma City series is interesting because you have the most explosive young team in the league in Oklahoma City and the most mysterious young team in the league in Memphis. Can the Grizzlies continue their hot streak that they brought over from San Antonio into this series? Will Zach Randolph continue to produce? These are all critical questions. The answer can be found in the matchups. In my opinion the Grizzlies match up well with the Thunder because they have a better post game. Mark Gasol and Zach Randolph is a more offensively prolific duo than Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins of OKC. Not only that, but the Grizzlies are a much deeper team than the Thunder are. The Thunder rely too heavily on Westbrook and Durant to shoulder the scoring load. The big question for the Thunder is who will the third scoring option be? James Harden's name comes up as that possible guy, but he hasn't shown enough to suggest that he will step up to the plate. The Grizzlies have much more options in terms of scoring the ball. Mike Conley Jr at point, Zach Randolph and Mark Gasol in the paint, OJ Mayo off the bench to score points, Shane Battier to play some defense along with Tony Allen, Sam Young, Darrell Arthur etc. The Grizzlies have more players to work with and are deeper in terms of getting more guys involved. Greivis Vasquez, the rookie out of Maryland has looked especially good providing scoring for the Grizz. In short, Memphis has a great shot of knocking off OKC because they have more depth as an overall whole, and have a better paint. The key to the series is this: If Zach Randolph can match the productivity of Kevin Durant, the Thunder will lose the series.

The Atlanta/Chicago series is perhaps the most perplexing of them all. Atlanta last year rolled over like dead animals against the Orlando Magic, and this year came out and crushed the Orlando Magic in 6 games. Atlanta looked like the team that everybody thought they would be last year. Young, athletic, versatile, and dangerous. Joe Johnson played up to his 100+ Million dollar contract, Josh Smith played above the rim really well, Kirk Hinrich hit big shots, and most importantly was Jamal Crawford and his overall leadership. Crawford has hit big shot after big shot for Atlanta. The Hawks have shown to be a very deep complete team with a lot of weapons to use. Other guys I haven't mention are Al Horford, Zaza Pachulia, and even Jason Collins who have all stepped up in the paint. The team they face is an equally young and exciting Chicago Bulls team lead by NBA MVP Derrick Rose at point guard. The Bulls have some dangerous players of their own besides Rose. They have Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah in the middle and Luol Deng as a swingman. The most important player for Chicago is Carlos Boozer, because he is the only real scoring threat they have in the paint. Noah's job is more or less to grab rebounds and play defense. Boozer's job is to score points and grab rebounds. Boozer hasn't done either yet in the playoffs, averaging 10.7 points and 7.7 rebounds. That doesn't cut if for an 18 million dollar guy. Those are numbers I'd expect from a modest role player like Andris Biedrins of the Golden State Warriors. The rest of the Bulls have been playing well. Rose is carrying his team as much as he can, averaging 27 points a game and 6.8 assists. And Luol Deng's 19 points per game is keeping Chicago alive right now. In terms of scoring it really drops off after Rose and Deng. With a hobbled and sub-par Boozer, the Bulls are in deep trouble. The key for the Hawks to beat the Bulls is to slow down Rose, and keep Boozer in his current state of driveling rubbish. Not only that, but if Atlanta is smart about their shot selection, plays good defense, and gets as many players involved as possible, they have a real shot as winning this series.

The Mavs/Lakers series is an interesting one, because for the first time in human history, the Dallas Mavericks are playing some defense, and showing some toughness. Overcoming a 16 point hole on the road in LA, the Mavs came back to beat the Lakers and silence the sleazy Los Angeles crowd. Mark Cuban leaped for Joy and had the look of a little Jewish boy who was getting a brand new bike for Channukah instead of the usual dreidel and pair of socks that he gets from his great depression era grandparents. The Mavs showed resolve and toughness last night. Dirk Nowitzki stepped up in the clutch and hit big shots for his team. That turn around shot that Dirk hits off one leg is as close to unguardable as any shot in the league. But the real key is defense for Dallas. We all know that the Mavs have been a great offensive team. But the "D" has been lacking in the "Big D". Tyson Chandler is adding a defensive presence to the Mavs that they've been lacking in the middle, and even Jason Kidd at the age of 38 is playing good defense. The Mavs unlike the Lakers have more weapons on the bench to use like Peja Stojakovic, Jose Barea, and Corey Brewer. The only concern for the Mavs is the size of the Lakers with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum in the middle. But as Charles Barkley pointed out, Dirk makes the Lakers very uncomfortable because their bigs can't guard Dirk on the perimeter. Dirk is a matchup nightmare for the Lakers, and with the depth on the bench and more balanced scoring of Kidd, Dirk, Terry, Chandler, and Shawn Marion, the Mavs have the pieces to really challenge the Lakers. The only player that really scares the Mavs is Kobe Bryant. If Kobe goes off, he's gonna give them serious problems. But if Dirk rises to the challenge, he can cancel Kobe out, and also damage the psyche of the mentally fragile LA Laker front court. In closing, here is the Key to the Mavs success: Defense! If the Mavs play some defense, don't turn the ball over, and play good basketball on both sides the court, they will be tough to beat and will put themselves in a great position to knock off Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. The loss of Caron Butler will be missed, but with the edge in the Point Guard department and the big man department, the Mavs have a lot to use in their favor.

In closing, I think that Atlanta has the best chance to pull the upset because they have a more rounded out team than the Bulls do. Plus, the Bulls have Carlos Boozer. The Hawks to me seem to have a good shot to win their series over the Bulls. Next is Memphis, I think Memphis has a good shot, not as good as Atlanta's but still a real shot to knock off an OKC team that lacks experience in the playoffs (I'm picking Memphis and Atlanta to win). The only concern for the Grizzlies is star power. The Thunder have Kevin Durant, who is the best player in the series. That gives the Thunder the edge. But like I said, I feel like if Zach Randolph Matches Durant, they have a great shot.

Lastly, is Dallas, I find their odds to be the least likely simply because of who they are playing. The Lakers are the best team of all the favorites. Beating the back to back champs is the toughest order of all, but in sports, anything is possible. I honestly am rooting for all the underdogs to win their playoff series and advance on. Go Grizzlies, Go Hawks, and yes as much as I hate them, I have to say Go Mavs, because I hate the Lakers at a whole other level.