Thursday, May 19
NBA Playoffs
Western Conference Finals – Game 2
Oklahoma City Thunder at Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks lead this series, 1-0, after Dirk Nowitzki’s monumental, 48 point performance in Game 1. A fitting encore to that show stopping effort is pretty unlikely. What fans should expect is Dirk to be very tough to stop and therefore it will be extremely hard to beat the Mavericks at home.
Kevin Durant of the Thunder did not exactly vanish in Game 1, with 40 points. In spite of the Mavericks having…well…everything appearing to go their way, the Thunder still had a puncher’s chance in the final minutes. This just in: Durant is not a carriage that turned into a pumpkin at the stroke of midnight after Game 1. The Durantula is going to get his.
I think this game will come down to guard play and bench play. The Mavs’ Jason Kidd is steady, even money. He will deliver the ball, but do not expect a scoring explosion from him. J.J. Berea of the Mavericks is a reserve guard who, during the playoffs, has delivered blows to opponents and demonstrated toughness when he comes off of the bench.
The Thunder? Russell Westbrook needs to play with the intelligent aggression he has played with in the playoffs. Someone…anyone…needs to come off of the Thunder bench and keep up the pace. I expect another close game, but I also expect Dallas to win at home again.
Advantages – Game: Mavericks, Series: Mavericks
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| Dirk's Game 1 performance was one for the ages. 1 |
Friday, May 20
MLB
Texas Rangers at Philadelphia Phillies
Interleague play is here! This matchup of two division winners from 2010 should be a battle. C.J. Wilson (4-2, 3.38) will take the hill against reigning Cy Young winner Roy Halladay (5-3, 2.21) of the Phillies.
The first place Phillies’ bats have cooled of considerably since the beginning of the season. Their third baseman, Placido Polanco (.331, 2 HR, 25 RBI) and first baseman Ryan Howard (.247, 9 HR, 35 RBI) continue to maintain impressive season totals. However, Howard has been slumping of late, with a .100 average in the past week and Polanco is only hitting .221 in the month of May. The team as a whole is batting .228 in May, meaning that it will take a lights-out pitching performance from Halladay and the other starters to keep the team in first place.
C.J. Wilson is looking to regain the form of his early season hot start. He has given up 7 earned runs in his last 12 innings pitched, including a pair of home runs, and issued 9 walks to only 4 strikeouts in his last two starts. These numbers are not catastrophic, but not World Series caliber performances either. Against Halladay, Wilson can ill afford any runs yielded from mental mistakes or lack of focus.
Texas is good. The Phillies, in spite of their collective hitting slump, are better because of starting pitching. The Phillies are also at home. This is going to be a very difficult series for the Rangers.
Advantages – Game: Phillies, Series: Phillies
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| The big man needs to get his groove back. 2 |
Saturday, May 21
MLB
Cincinnati Reds at Cleveland Indians
I cannot remember the last time, if ever, that this intrastate, interleague matchup had as much significance beyond the Ohio borders as this weekend’s series will. Last year, the Reds were National League Central Division champions, but the Indians were irrelevant. In 2008 and 2009, neither team offered much to write home about. And in 2007 and a few years prior, the Indians were the toast of Ohio while the Reds were just toast.
The 2011 campaign is a different story. The Indians have the best record in the Major Leagues while the Reds are in first place, slugging it out with their rivals to the west, the St. Louis Cardinals. Homer Bailey (3-0, 1.89) has looked very good in his 2011 starts. He will get the ball and match wits against the Indians’ Josh Tomlin (5-1, 2.56). Tomlin has not issued multiple walks in a game in over a month, a significant part of the Indians’ early success.
Indians shortstop Astrubal Cabrera (.287, 7 HR, 27 RBI) has been delivering a punch from his position while DH Travis Hafner (.345, 5 HR, 22 RBI) is making an early run for the American League batting title. The Reds are absolutely loaded with hot bats. Joey Votto (.340, 5 HR, 24 RBI) is a viable contender for a second straight National League MVP award. While Jay Bruce (.249, 9 HR, 25 RBI), and Brandon Phillips (.327, 5 HR, 26 RBI) make the Reds batters extremely tough outs at the plate.
Advantages – Game: push, Series: Indians
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| Gapper, the Reds' mascot. Can anyone tell me what that thing is? 3 |
NBA Playoffs
Western Conference Finals – Game 3
Dallas Mavericks at Oklahoma City Thunder
The Mavericks have the advantages of experience and a stronger bench. Still, Oklahoma City has a very enthusiastic crowd and, regardless of what happens in Game 2 of this series, I expect the Thunder to feed heavily off of the crowd energy.
Advantage: Thunder
Sunday, May 22
NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference Finals – Game 3
Chicago Bulls at Miami Heat
The Heat rallied to tie this series at 1-1 last night. Now the Heatles are looking to gain control of this conference finals series. Both teams have demonstrated their strengths and weaknesses in the first two games.
LeBron James scored 29 points for the Heat last night, making several critical baskets that put enough separation between the Heat and Bulls to give Miami late game control and, ultimately, the win. Derrick Rose is going to have to get more offensive support from his Bulls teammates than he did in Game 2 if Chicago is going to have a chance to win this series.
Having lost home court advantage, the Bulls are now forced to win at least one game in Miami. Unless the Bulls are to face a 3-1 series deficit (usually a kiss of death in pro sports), they must win one of the next two games at the Heat. A performance off the bench similar to the boost Udonis Haslem gave the Heat last night, with timely baskets and hustle rebounds, can tip the scale for either team.
The momentum, heading to Miami, has shifted to the Heat. The Bulls, in their youth and relative playoff inexperience, face a very tough task in Game 3. Chicago plays very disciplined, fundamental basketball with sound defense, but James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh are not the typical offensive threat. The Bulls need a duplicate of their Game 1 effort, at least one time, in Miami.
Advantages – Game: Heat, Series: Bulls
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| Derrick Rose could use a little more of this from his teammates. 4 |
Western Conference Finals – Game 4
Dallas Mavericks at Oklahoma City Thunder
In the absence of additional information, like how both teams performed in Game 3, it is very difficult to add much insight to what a Game 4 may look like. In the absence of that information, I would expect a show very similar to the one I would expect in Game 3, which I believe slightly favors the Thunder.
Advantage: Thunder
Tuesday, May 24
NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference Finals – Game 4
Chicago Bulls at Miami Heat
I expect a split in Miami’s two game home stand in this series. More specifically, I do not expect the Bulls to fall down 3-1. The order in which it happens is tough to predict with much certainly, but I expect this series to be 2-2 after Game 4.
Advantage: Bulls
MLB
Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees
The Blue Jays, again, are off to a respectable start and within striking distance of the division leaders, the Tampa Bay Rays. Typically, the Jays are not part of the discussion come September. Could this season be different?
Ricky Romero (3-4, 3.35) is expected to start for Toronto. He has been more of the solution than the problem north of the border. Romero was brilliant in his last start, just one out short of a complete game shutout, against the Minnesota Twins. His 3-4 record is misleading. Romero has had two hard luck losses and a no decision in April after 7.1 innings pitched with just one earned run surrendered. The Jays lineup, anchored by right fielder Juan Bautista (.372, 16 HR, 27 RBI), a contender for the American League’s Triple Crown, has generally provided adequate run support for most pitchers, just not necessarily on the days Romero has started.
C.C. Sabathia (3-3, 3.47) will get the ball for the Yankees. The big guy has been touched up in his last three starts, going 1-2 with an ERA just under 6.00. This included a drubbing at the hands of the Boston Red Sox last Saturday in a 6-0 loss.
The Yankees are a team, this season, which has hit well for power, but been just average for batting average. They face an opposing starter, in Romero, who similarly, gives up very little, but when he does, it can come in bulk. In light of the clubhouse controversy involving manger Joe Girardi, shortstop Derek Jeter, and DH Jorge Posada, this game could be either an opportunity to snap out of a funk, which the Yankees are in, by any standard. It could also make a delicate situation worse in the Bronx.
Advantages – Game: Blue Jays, Series: Yankees
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| Perhaps C.C. shouldn't have given up the Cap'n Crunch. 5 |
Wednesday, May 25
NBA Playoffs
Western Conference Finals – Game 5 (if necessary)
Oklahoma City at Dallas Mavericks
Here is a bold prediction: Game 5 will be necessary. Here is another: I think the team that wins this pivotal game will win the series. Here is a third: Dallas wins at home.
Advantage: Mavericks
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1) Image from thebleacherreport.com
2) image from philliesblunt.com
3) Image from baseballmascots.blogspot.com
4) Image from yougotdunkedon.com
5) Image from bosoxinjection.com
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