Predicted Champions in NHL and NBA

So, it's time. It's time for the NHL and NBA Playoffs. They are all in full swing, and in around a month a champion will be crowned. Let's predict the champions.

NHL
Remaining teams: Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks

San Jose has finally broken the playoff jinx. They scored with :31 left in Game 2 in Colorado, changing the momentum for a 4-2 series win. They came back from down 3-1 in the 3rd to beat Detroit in OT in Game 3, and they won that in 5.

Chicago scored with :14 in regulation to beat Nashville in Game 5, and they won the series in 6. They went 3-0 on the road in Vancouver to win the series in 6, and now they are here. Montreal rallied from a 3-1 deficit against Washington and a 3-2 deficit against Pittsburgh to be here.

Boston and Philadelphia's series is still on, and Philadelphia tied the series at 3 by winning the last 3. Boston won close games 1 and 2 to stay in the series. Game 7 is Friday night in Boston.

Cup prediction: San Jose over Montreal in 6; The Sharks playoff jinx is broken. Joe Thornton and Pavelski, Patrick Marleau, etc. San Jose is too much. Montreal beat the President's Cup winner (best record) and they beat the defending champion, so they will make it here.

NBA
Remaining teams: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, LA Lakers, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns

The LA Lakers are obviously the defending champion, and Kobe and Pau Gasol lead a team that is truly capable of winning a second title. They can shoot the jumper and score down low. But, can they come through?

The Phoenix Suns have Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, and Jason Richardson, and a very capable bench. They have a lot of playoff experience, and they can easily win games. They swept the San Antonio Spurs, and they are coming into this series with momentum.

The Orlando Magic are history's best 3 point shooting team, and they can also knock it down in pressure situations. They are 8-0 in the playoffs, and they come into this series with Boston or Cleveland with tons of momentum.

Boston is coming off a 32 point blowout of Cleveland, who has looked like nothing these past 2 games against Boston. The series is back and forth, so Cleveland can still rally from a 3-2 deficit. However, Game 6 is in Boston.

Prediction: The Orlando Magic have Dwight Howard inside, Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson outside, and Vince Carter is "in the middle". They are 8-0 in the playoffs, and they are just too good. I think LA won't come through and Phoenix will get to the Finals, only to lose in 6 to Orlando.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Script - That Is, the Revised Script - Had This Super Bowl Matchup All Along

Image
Screenwriter Goodell has done it again! It's admittedly not the script I saw written in the stars - or rather in the combination of the NFL's Super Bowl logo and a Memphis radio station's (now) false advertising. The best explanation is that not even Goodell could have foreseen the Taylor Swift effect - and called in the cast midseason to push the Chiefs' Super Bowl hangover back one more year at Baltimore's expense. When the Harbaugh family threatened to sue, he called in a favor to the NCAA - and Jalen Milroe - to have Jim pocket the family's due 2023 ring. And then, to give big bro the upper hand, inflicted Jim with the worst curse in all of sports - that of the LA Chargers. Equilibrium is restored. It looked like the revised script was about to bring the 49ers down too in favor of the bookended schedule Super Bowl that Jake Marsh wanted to see so badly - the same kickoff game and championship game matchup. The thought crossed my mind as a minor consolation i
Read more

Taking My Talents Back to Baily's Sports and Stuff...And My Thoughts on Al Davis vs the NFL

I've recently gotten captivated by the practice of journaling - generally on my own thoughts that I notice and how I feel at various moments. This has been a transformative practice in my personal life in enabling me to be more honest with myself (which is really hard!) - whether that be about discomfort I feel, what conditions provide a state of flow, or anything in between. The ability to document my life on paper - and go back and read what resonated with me at a particular point in time - has been a similarly great practice for me. Recently, the excitement of playoff football and midseason basketball has led to me pursuing a similar practice in my personal journal - airing out thoughts on sports ranging from stats I've tried to memorize to my (often unwanted) psychological analysis on a given athlete / situation. I love the process of putting pen to paper, and plan to continue this in my personal life.  But when it comes to sports, I had the thought that maybe there's n
Read more

A's Fall To White Sox On Walk-Off Home Run

Image
In late innings, the Oakland Athletics are almost unstoppable. However, Jordan Danks found a way to stop the A's. Danks hit a home run to right with two outs in the ninth to propel the White Sox to a 4-3 win over the A's. Both teams are competing in the AL Wild Card race, so the loss is crucial for the A's, who received a solid outing from Brandon McCarthy in his return from the DL. McCarthy allowed three earned runs in six-plus innings pitched, and the two teams were tied after seven innings. Both teams received solid efforts from the bullpen, but the White Sox triumphed at the end. Dayan Viciedo, A.J Pierzynski and Alexi Ramirez also homered, all taking advantage of mistakes by McCarthy. McCarthy gave Ramirez a meatball in the fourth, and he hit it deep to left field. Viciedo and Pierzynski both hit outside pitches into the seats for the White Sox. With the game tied at three, submariner Pat Neshek delivered a pitch. Catcher George Kottaras wanted it away, but Nes
Read more