NBA Finals – Game 5
Miami Heat at Dallas Mavericks
Tonight is the pivotal Game 5. The winner will have two chances to win one more game and be NBA Champions. The loser will have its back against the wall in Game 6. While either team will claim a significant strategic advantage with a win, this game, tonight, is more critical to Dallas than Miami.
Should the Mavericks lose, they would face the daunting task of having to win back-to-back games in Miami, including a Game 7. Seventh games are rarely won on the road. The last time it happened in the NBA Finals was 1978, when the Washington Bullets beat the Seattle Supersonics in Seattle.
Miami has outplayed Dallas for the majority of all of the games in this series, but has inexplicably taken its foot off the gas pedal late in games. The problem for the Mavericks is that Miami has more talented players and if the Heat are focused for all 48 minutes, they are extremely difficult to beat. I think LeBron James will play with a sense of urgency tonight and I don't think the Mavericks can stop The King in that mode.
Advantages - Game: Heat Series: Heat
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| The King hasn't quite gone this far, but he and the Heat only have themselves to blame for not yet planning the victory parade. 1 |
Friday, June 10
NHL
Stanley Cup Finals – Game 5
Boston Bruins at Vancouver Canucks
I have absolutely no read on this series. The home team has won every game. Vancouver has slipped by Boston on its home ice while the Bruins have obliterated the Canucks in Boston. Vancouver had the best regular season record in the NHL, with 117 points. Yet the Canucks have never really solved the Bruins in any of the first four games. No game is played in a vacuum, but if a couple of unlucky bounces were removed from the equations of games 1 and 2, the Bruins could have swept this series and hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1972.
Home ice has dictated this series thus far. Vancouver is the better team on paper. The absence of injured Bruins forward Nathan Horton, who was lost for the series after a blindside hit from Aaron Rome (suspended for the series) of the Canucks will not help the Bruins cause. I think the Canucks regain control of the series on Friday.
Advantages - Game: Canucks, Series: Canucks
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| Michael Ryder of the Bruins chipped in one of several goals in Game 4. 2 |
Saturday, June 11
MLB
Cincinnati Reds at San Francisco Giants
Mike Leake (5-2, 4.63 ERA) – Reds vs Tim Lincecum (5-4, 2.85 ERA)
The defending World Series champion (and first place in the NL West) Giants host the defending NL Central champion Cincinnati Reds, who have cooled down considerably after a hot start to the season. Tim Lincecum will get the ball for the Giants. He has kept on rolling this season, with 93 strikeouts so far and reaching his 1000th career strikeout in his last start. Lincecum will match wits with Mike Leake of the Reads. Leake is riding a string of three straight quality starts.
The Reds have suffered from porous pitching, in spite of getting a solid number of innings from starting pitchers. Their monster bats have kept them in the hunt. Joey Votto (.335, 8 HR, 38 RBI), last year's National League MVP and Jay Bruce (.299, 17 HR, 47 RBI) continue to anchor a strong lineup. However, in baseball, particularly the National League, strong pitching usually trumps strong pitching. The Giants will need a strong performance from Lincecum, though, as their bats continue to be anemic.
Advantages - Game: Giants, Series: Giants
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| I KNEW it! Hey! Two Cy Youngs? 1000 career strikeouts at age 26? Don't criticize! Leagalize! |
Sunday, June 12
NBA Finals – Game 6
Dallas Mavericks at Miami Heat
Someone could hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy on Sunday night. I expect that to be Heat. I think Dallas has used all nine of their lives in the playoffs.
Advantages - Game: Heat, Series: Heat
Monday, June 13
NHL
Stanley Cup Finals – Game 6
Vancouver Canucks at Boston Bruins
The NHL playoffs have had a lot of close games and seventh games during this post season. This series appears to be indicative of that pattern. Vancouver has yet to dominate the Bruins in any game in this series and has had no answer for them in Boston. I think this series goes 7 games.
Advantages - Game: Bruins, Series: Canucks
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| Not really ebony & ivory, but cute. 3 |
MLB
Cleveland Indians at New York Yankees
Carlos Carrasco (5-3, 4.52 ERA) – Indians vs A.J. Burnett (6-4, 4.37 ERA) – Yankees
The Cleveland Indians, in first place in the AL Central, have come down to Earth, a little. The Indians had the best record in the American League for most of the season, but were recently passed by the Boston Red Sox. The New York Yankees are only a game behind the Red Sox and trail the Tribe by only a half game in the American League. The Detroit Tigers are only a game and a half back of Cleveland in the American League Central. That makes this series both compelling and critical to standing in the league.
Carlos Carrasco has won four of his last five starts for the Indians, but has been prone to occasionally giving up runs in bunches. He will continue to need the support of red hot Astrubal Cabrera (.302, 12 HR, 42 RBI) and the Cleveland lineup. In contrast, A.J. Burnett of the Yankees was rocked in his last start yesterday, giving up seven earned runs in less than 6 innings of work in a loss to the Red Sox. In addition, it has been difficult to predict how many innings the Yankees can expect to get from Burnett. Sometimes he can last into the late innings, sometimes he barely lasts past the 5th inning. The Yankees will need to rely on their power hitting in this game. Mark Teixeira (.258, 18 HR, 43 RBI) has continued to offer support to a gradually resurgent Yankees lineup, but has been feast or famine in the month of June, thus far.
Consistency is key. Neither team offers it, lately. I'll defer to home field advantage in this series matchup.
Advantages - Game: Indians, Series: Yankees
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| C.C. has had a lot of fat jokes made at his expense, but I'd rather be "Captain Cheeseburger" or "Charleston Chew" than be lampooned like his teammate, Joba Chamberlain. 4 |
Tuesday, June 14
NBA Finals – Game 7 (if necessary)
Dallas Mavericks at Miami Heat
Miami has lost once at home in this postseason, to Dallas. No team has won a Game 7 of the NBA Finals on the road in over 30 years. I do not expect lightning to strike twice if a Game 7 is necessary.
Advantages - Game: Heat, Series: Heat
MLB
Texas Rangers at New York Yankees
Alexi Ogando (7-0, 2.10 ERA) – Rangers vs C.C. Sabathia (7-3, 2.80 ERA) –Yankees
Though not technically a rookie because of the number of innings pitched in relief last season, Alexi Ogondo is off to a fantastic start to his career as a starter in the Major Leagues. He is undefeated in all of his starts for the Rangers, in first place in the AL West, and continues to be hot on the mound, only giving up two earned runs in his last 15-2/3 innings pitched. His unbeaten string will face a challenge from C.C. Sabathia of the Yankees. The big guy has won his last four consecutive starts and pitched 8 or more innings in those starts.
Rangers right fielder Nelson Cruz (.237, 14 HR, 33 RBI) has been on a tear of late, hitting four homeruns in the past week. In concert with the consistent Michael Young (.310, 3 HR, 37 RBI) and Adrian Beltre (.257, 12 HR, 45 RBI), Sabathia will face a tough challenge of his own. Whether or not Ogando gets a decision, I do not think he gets a win in Yankee Stadium, opposing a red hot former two time Cy Young winner in Sabathia.
Advantages: Game – Yankees, Series: Yankees
Wednesday, June 15
NHL
Stanley Cup Finals – Game 7 (if necessary)
Boston Bruins at Vancouver Canucks
I think this game will be necessary and the rule of thumb in seventh games is that, absent some other momentum shifting change, such as an injury, the home team has a tremendous advantage. The Pittsburgh Penguins won Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals at Detroit in 2009. The last time a team won Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals on the road was 1971, when the Montreal Canadiens beat the Chicago Blackhawks on their own ice.
Advantages - Game: Canucks, Series: Canucks
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| If a seventh game is necessary, it will all be on the line. 5 |
Florida Marlins at Philadelphia Phillies
Anibal Sanchez (5-1, 2.97 ERA) - Marlins vs Kyle Kendrick (3-4, 3.78 ERA) - Phillies
Anibal Sanchez has continued to be on a roll, with 79 strikeouts on the season and having won five consecutive decisions. Sanchez was touched up in his last start, against Milwaukee (5 ER in 5 IP), but had a string of five straight quality starts, including a complete game shutout, prior to that. Kyle Kendrick is making his fifth start of the season for the Phillies.
The Marlins are in the midst of a vicious slump, having lost nine of their last ten games and falling into third place, behind both the Phillies and Atlanta Braves, five games back of the NL East leading Phillies. In addition, Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez (.310, 10 HR, 38 RBI), who is having a breakout year, so far, has cooled off in the month of June, hitting only .231 with 1 HR and 3 RBIs during the month.
The Phillies have also cooled somewhat, having lost five of their last eight games. Their bats have simply not gotten the job done, hitting only .214 with 1 homerun as a team in the month of June. Still, the Phillies have the clear advantage over almost every other team in the National League, except for possibly the Braves and Giants. They are at home and the Marlins are struggling to find themselves right now.
Advantages - Game: Phillies, Series: Phillies
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| If you wanna win, put Billy in! 6 |
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1) Image from dallasobserver.com
2) Image from usatoday.com
3) Image froom boston.com
4) Image from thebestdamnsportssiteever.com
5) Image from legendsofhockey.net
6) Image from blogs.trb.com
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