Archive for May, 2011
Yesterday, I previewed the NBA finals, today it’s hockey’s turn. Tomorrow night, the Stanley Cup finals will begin; pitting the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins against each other. Unlike the high powered offenses that the teams faced in the conference finals, these teams are very similar. Both are built from the net out. Both have good, deep defensive corps. The similarities will help, as they have only faced each other 6 times in the past 6 years.
The goaltending match-up may pit the 2 best in the league against each other. Both Tim Thomas and Roberto Luongo are up for the Vezina as the league’s top netminder. But that is where the similarities end. Luongo is the classic butterfly goaltender, who uses his big frame and solid positioning to make saves. Thomas has neither of these qualities. He is often out of position and makes up for that with incredible acrobatics. To his credit, Thomas has proven more clutch and has never lost to Vancouver. But Luongo is more consistent so I would give a slight edge to Vancouver in net.
The finals begin tomorrow, will the Heat continue their hot play and win the first of the six championships that Lebron wants? Will Jason Terry justify his championship trophy tattoo? Both teams have endured a lot during the regular season and throughout the playoffs. Each has a legitimate chance of taking home the hardware. These aren’t the same groups that met in 2006 when Miami bested Dallas for it’s first championship, but will it have the same results? Perhaps, both teams could win, we will look at what each team would need to be crowned the NBA’s best.
For Dallas it’s all about Dirk. No one has been able to stop him, and he knows it. His devil-may-care attitude only increases with each person who fails to meet the challange. When faced with doubles and triples, he dumps off usually to the post for easy baskets. If this keeps up, then the Mavs will be hard to beat.
One win, that’s all the Miami Heat need to return to the finals for the first time since 2006. One win, that’s all it will take for “the King” to get his second chance at his first ring. One win. But judging by last night’s game, that may be easier said than done. While it was true that the Heat emerged victorious during the game, it wasn’t without quite the fight from the Bulls. The game was extended in to overtime and for a large
part of regulation the Heat seemed to be on the ropes.
For much of the game, the big three of the Heat weren’t exactly lighting it up on offense. One may look at the box score and see that they all ended with at least 14 points, but there were long stretches where they proved ineffective. This was especially evident with former finals MVP Dwayne Wade, who did not score the entire second half. But there were signs that might prove discouraging for those looking for a Bulls comeback.