The Oklahoma City Thunder were at the mercy of their opponent. They were in a tight spot and at the mercy of their opponent, and I’m not talking about the other night when they were eliminated by the Memphis Grizzlies. The opponent in this case was Rob Pelinka. Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Pelinka wanted the max contract for Harden at $60 million over four years. The Thunder GM Sam Presti was only willing to go as far as $54 million to avoid paying the luxury tax. This was after, of course, Pelinka turned down $52 million deal before. Presti had to do something.
So he gambled. In the Houston Rockets, he found a team desperate for the services of James Harden. Rockets GM Daryl Morey wanted James badly enough to pay the extension, and then some. The Rockets paid Harden $80 million over 5 years. In exchange for Harden (as well as Daequan Cook, Cole Aldrich, and Lazar Haywood) Oklahoma City received Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, 2 first round picks, and a second round pick.
It was a two way gamble. Rockets bet that James Harden was an elite player that could finally garner them post season success and the Thunder gambled that they could replace Harden and keep enough firepower to return them to the Finals. They were almost right.
Russell Westbrook’s torn meniscus in game 2 against the Rockets in the first round, made sure the Thunder’s plan backfired. Without Westbrook or Harden from the year before, the undermanned Thunder lost in the second round to the Memphis Grizzlies in just 5 games. Kevin Martin didn’t provide the firepower that Harden once did and without Westbrook, Durant was forced to carry the load of a team that had no punch. For instance Kendrick Perkins posted a -0.7 player efficiency rating the worst of a player in the playoffs with at least 200 minutes played, in league history.
Oklahoma City’s first year without James Harden ends in a failure almost directly related to not having Harden on the roster. That’s not to say that the Thunder are in long term danger without him. If Jeremy Lamb develops into the player the Thunder front office thinks he can be they hope to regain some scoring power there, as well as adding to it with the draft picks acquired in the trade. While Kevin Martin as a Harden replacement was initially a flop the Thunder still have pieces to work with.
In two different cities, two young leaders of two burgeoning franchises, playing two different sports suffered two separate ACL injuries. These young men, both possessing the most important knees in their respective cities have one more thing in common. A single question that haunts them, and their fan bases.
When do I return?
The Season Derrick Rose, the Bulls point guard, is known for his quickness and devastating crossover. He tasked himself with carrying the offensive load of his team in his fourth season. He also became a solid defender as well. In the 2011-12 NBA season, Rose led his Bulls to the league’s best record and the number 1 seed in the eastern conference. That season, Rose 21.8 points per game and 7.9 assists per game. While not career highs, these are extremely impressive numbers all the same.
The Injury When the playoffs began, the Bulls faced the surging Philadelphia 76ers. Philadelphia was inconsistent all season but, had won four out of their last five games heading into the post season. Still, the Bulls were heavy favorites going into the matchup with the upstart eighth seed 76ers. Then it, happened.
With 1:22 left in the game, Derrick Rose jumped off his left in the lane as he attacked the basket. This is a routine move for Rose but, this time, he didn’t finish the play. Lacking elevation, he fell to the ground and crumpled in a heap. He attempted to stand but simply could not. Rose had torn his ACL.
The Return Without Derrick Rose, the Bulls in the 2012-13 season, are playing playoff caliber basketball. Not quite at the level that they were a season ago, when they were considered championship contenders. With a current record of 39-31, the Bulls sans Rose are more than capable of holding their own. They displayed their mettle when they ended the Miami Heat’s historic winning streak at 27. The Heat with the best player in basketball, playing the best basketball of his career are all but a shoe in to return to the finals. The kicker? They did it without the team’s second best player, Joakim Noah.
There are obvious downsides to Derrick Rose missing games. Prior to the injury, Derrick Rose was the focal point of the offense. Since then, his Bulls have had to find ways to win in his absence. There will definitely be chemistry issues when he returns. However, by not playing, Derrick Rose and the Bulls staff are hoping to prevent further injury. This is a great decision. It hurts the Bulls now, but if Derrick Rose is the player that everyone believes he can be, and reaches the heights that fans believe that he can reach, Chicago has everything to gain.
Which brings us to Robert Griffin III.
The Season Fresh off of his Heisman winning season at the University of Baylor, the second overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft was ready to take the league by storm. He did exactly that. Griffin passed for 3,200 yards and completed 65.6% of his passes. He threw 20 touchdowns and accounted for 7 touchdowns on the ground. He threw 5 interceptions, all season. The Redskins began the season an underwhelming 3-6 but, won 7 straight games to win the NFC East title for the first time since 1999 and make the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
The Injury The week 15 matchup between the Redskins and eventual Superbowl champion Baltimore Ravens marks the beginning of a two part tale. In order to get a first down Robert rolled out of the pocket and scrambled upfield. As he attempted to get down he was hit by Raven’s tackle, Haloti Ngata. The weight of the 330 lb Ngata hit the leg of Griffin causing his knee to bend momentarily in the opposite direction.
Griffin led the Redskins down the field twice in the first quarter of the playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks. Twice they scored but, on the second drive, Robert’s knee buckled in an attempt to elude defenders. It is at this point that Robert Griffin III should not have been in the game. Whether the coach, staff or player is at fault is the question that still needs to be answered.
The Seahawks rallied and climbed back into the game. The Redskins were deep in their own territory with 6:15 to go in the 4th quarter, and they needed a drive to hold off the Seahawks. The ball was snapped low and as Griffin reached to pick it up, his knee gave out. The Seahawks recovered the ball and scored.
The Return Orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews, who is overseeing the recovery of Griffin had only great things to say about his recovery so far.
He wants his recovery to be fairly private, but I can tell you he’s way ahead of schedule. His recovery has been unbelievable so far.
- Dr. James Andrews
This statement and the an interesting Adidas ad almost make it seem like Robert is trying to come back for week 1 of next. This is not smart. When a team trades two first round picks and a second round pick to take a guy, they expect to build around that guy for the next ten years. Robert is that guy. He’s got to be smart and learn from Derrick Rose. Comeback 100%. If that’s week 1, which is unlikely, then it’s week 1. If it’s week 7 then so be it. However, if Griffin needs to miss the whole season, he needs to accept that that’s just how it’s got to be. Everyone is wondering if he, and the Redskins will make the same mistake twice. If the Redskins make the wrong decision and set him back, then it won’t matter if he’s superhuman or not.
Two young players, two big decisions, and two very bright futures on the line.
For years, LeBron James has lived in the shadow of Michael Jordan. All great players, especially those with an aptitude for scoring, usually wind up there. This is a testament to how larger than life Jordan is. However, this season is different, LeBron James has found his style and hit his stride. One NBA season after his first ever championship, LeBron has found a way to slide from behind the shadow of Jordan. By playing his own game. LeBron with his size and new found agression, is playing in a style that Michael Jordan never could. He’s scored 30 points in his last 6 games while shooting 60% from the field. This has never happened in NBA history. His efficiency is staggering. The tear that LeBron is on has him garnering consideration for a second consecutive MVP award. Deservedly so, but with this attention going towards James it is leaving an unlikely player in his shadow.
Kevin Durant.
Yes, Durant. LeBron has been playing at such a high level that it’s easy to overlook what Kevin is doing with the Thunder. It’s also easy to miss the fact that statistically, James and Durant are nearly identical. I don’t mean identical in some statistical categories, I mean almost all of them.
Typically in a Kevin Durant versus LeBron James debate, LeBron always gets the edge because he, like no one else in the league, is capable of filling out a stat sheet. Except, that isn’t quite true. Durant is more than able of filling out a stat sheet himself.
Comparison
Points Per Game - James: 27.1 Durant: 30
Rebounds Per Game – James: 8.1 Durant: 7.4
Assists Per Game – James: 6.9 Durant: 4.4
Steals Per Game – James: 1.6 Durant: 1.6
Blocks Per Game – James: 0.9 Durant: 1.2
Field Goal Percentage – James: 56.% Durant: 51.9%
3-Point Percentage – James:42% Durant: 43.2%
Kevin Durant is more of a shooter than LeBron is, attempting more shots and scoring slightly more points but, LeBron maintains a higher shooting percentage. This is likely because he takes higher percentage shots, especially since he has put more of an emphasis on attacking the basket and playing in the low post. They are both proficient on defense averaging the same amount of steals per game and a high number of blocks.
This is not to say that Kevin Durant has been getting no consideration or that he’s “underrated” or anything along the lines of those cliches. Far from it.
The point is that LeBron is playing more dominantly than he has ever played. He has elevated his game to such a high level that he has actually managed to out shine a fellow all star and a player with stats comprable to his. Durant and James play the same position and are both dominating at it in very different ways. The race for MVP and an NBA title may be one in the same, and it’s a race that is much closer than it looks.
This is a story about parity. What is parity anyway? The dictionary defines it as; the state of being equal, or equality. So, in sports, when we talk about a league having parity we mean that there is a level of equality amongst the teams in that league. Teams that are considered bad are not so much worse than the good teams that they can’t compete.
So the first question is, does the NBA have parity? Yes. Critics of parity in the NBA, a list of people that previously included me, have said that the league doesn’t have parity. That the good teams dominate while the bad teams get screwed. The statistics show that this isn’t true. Teams haven’t been this close in a long time.
So why do fans perceive a lack of parity?
This is where we introduce the concept of championship parity. The level of equality amongst teams in the league in terms of their ability to win championships. If you look at the NBA from this angle the level of parity is laughable at best. Especially when compared to the two other popular sports in this country, football and baseball.
List of NBA Finals from 2000-2001 season to 2011-2012
The chart above shows the list of NBA Finals representatives of the last twelve years. I just wanted to start with the 2000-20001 season to cover the last decade as it went into this decade, and ended up with twelve seasons, there’s no significance to choosing that many seasons. The numbers on the chart, next to the team names, indicate the number of different teams in that category counted from the top down.
You’ll see that over the past twelve seasons the eastern conference in the NBA has been represented by seven different teams. That’s pretty impressive. The western conference on the other hand is only represented by four teams, only three prior to the Thunder, which is beyond terrible if we’re talking about parity. The other teams of the western conference quite obviously don’t have the same ability to play for a championship. If they did, they’d be there. Out of the last twelve NBA season there have only been five different champions. Five. Over a decade of basketball played and only five different champions have been crowned.
That’s not parity.
There’s a reason why NFL fans feel like every year their team can win. That’s because it can.
List of Superbowls from 2000-2001 to 2011-2012
A similar list of NFL seasons tells a different story entirely. The AFC looks like the NBA’s western conference with only five teams representing it in the Superbowl in a twelve year span (which is still more than the NBA’s western conference). Look at the NFC though! Ten different teams represented the NFC in the Superbowl. This has resulted in seven different Superbowl champions over the past twelve seasons.
That’s parity.
What about baseball? The best teams can afford the best players. There’s no salary cap at all. If ever there was a system that was made for no parity at all it would be baseball, right? Wrong.
Very, very, wrong.
List of World Series from 2001 to 2011
Amazingly, in the both the American League and National League, seven different teams have represented their teams over the past eleven years. The only thing more impressive than that there has been a whopping nine different champions in an eleven year span.
What does all of this have to do with Dwight Howard?
Everything. The NBA isn’t necessarily a top heavy league but only a few teams have a real shot at competing for a title. The Brooklyn Nets may have gotten stronger. The Denver Nuggets were able to get Andre Igoudala in part of the massive deal that sent Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers. However, the Nuggets aren’t title contenders. The Lakers are. The Lakers landed Steve Nash earlier in the summer and Dwight Howard puts them over the top without the Lakers having to give up Pau Gasol.
It seems that general managers in the NBA are just dumber than in any other league, and it’s the fan that suffers. Orlando fans now have watch their team be rebuilt from scratch with nothing really. They got back nothing in comparison with what they lost. The Lakers continue to stay dominant by forcing the issue to get a great player. The rest of the league, small market teams especially, can’t really compete with that. Particularly if they have a knuckle-headed GM which is a lot of NBA GMs.
When Dwight got moved to L.A. he made the Lakers stronger and, in so doing the rest of the league loses just a bit of that championship parity. In the face of the Lakers and Heat stockpiling weapons like it’s the arms race during the Cold War, what do other NBA fans root for? Do Pacers fans and Grizzlies fans really believe that their team is winning a title this year? Fans deserve to feel, at least once in a while, that supporting their team is going to pay off.
The NBA has great moments and spectacular athletes. It’s a league that can offer a lot of things. Unfortunately for the modern NBA fan, hope isn’t one of them.
Anytime a player has to retire before his time it’s heartbreaking. This was especially the case with Brandon Roy. Plagued by knee injuries for much of his career he decided to retire ending what would be a five year career. Nobody doubts how talented he is but, the game took it’s toll on him. Brandon Roy has no cartilage in his knees. He had no choice, the sixth pick of the 2006 NBA Draft and 2007 rookie of the year, had to retire last December at the age of 27.
Portland fans loved Brandon Roy but, so did NBA fans in general. Roy has extremely high work ethic as a result he has left us with some great memories after he retired. Who could forget his 52 point game against the Suns? It was an incredible display of efficient basketball. That night he was 14 of 27 from the field and 19 of 21 from the free throw line. Roy’s most memorable game has to be game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks in the playoffs of the 2010-11 season. Brandon Roy scored 18 points in the fourth quarter to help the Trailblazers erase a 23 point deficit.
Now Brandon Roy is back. “The Natural” has returned to the league, to the Minnesota Timberwolves to be specific. Can Brandon Roy be the impact player he was? The Timberwolves hope so. They hope that he can push them into the playoffs and provide them with the fantastic performances he used to put on. If he can, then along with the development of Ricky Rubio, and the rise of Kevin Love Minnesota can be a team that has the ability to make a playoff push.
When Brandon Roy retired, his teammate at the time Marcus Camby, said his jersey should be retired. Many Blazers fans agreed because Brandon Roy literally gave that team everything he had and he’ll do it again in Minnesota.
Welcome back to the league Brandon Roy. We’ve missed you.
-John Wall talks to Dime magazine about the expectations he has for himself and the Washington Wizards this coming NBA season. The last time the Wizards made the playoffs was the 2007-2008 season and they have never made the playoffs with John Wall at point guard. An improved roster and, for Wall, an improved jump shot gives the Wizards a bit more hope to make a playoff run.
It may have been easy to miss what the Golden State Warriors are building. It may have been easy to miss the Warriors fortifying their bench by acquiring, Jarrett Jack, drafting Draymond Green, and re-signing Brandon Rush. You may have even missed the drafting of Harrison Barnes and the signing of rookie free agent Kent Bazemore. The one thing you shouldn’t miss is the big picture.
If u don't believe what i said about Warriors, you haven't paid attention to their recent moves…— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballSource) July 31, 2012
@sportscloud see? Very quietly, and very smartly. No one will want to go to SF to play them…— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballSource) July 31, 2012
The big picture is this, the Warriors have put together a solid team. When you add to all the offseason acquisitions to an already solid base that includes Stephen Curry, Andrew Bogut, Richard Jefferson, and Klay Thompson.
The Warriors have had trouble staying healthy in the past. Especially Bogut and Curry who both battled more than their fair share of injuries last season. That’s another reason why this offseason was good for Golden State. They now have the depth to sustain injuries with quality backups at every position. When they lost Curry last season they didn’t really have a person to go to. Nate Robinson, now with the Bulls, was to erratic and unreliable.
If Andrew Bogut can stay healthy and Draymond Green provides production inside the paint that could open up Curry and Thompson to shoot three-pointers from long range. This is crucial for Thompson because he is a very good shooter and he didn’t exactly show a propensity for getting to the basket. Kent Bazemore of Old Dominion University averaged 15.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He’s adds depth to the shooting guard and small forward positions.
At worst Golden State is a very deep playoff team at their best they could do some damage in the west and even put themselves in position to take another huge step next offseason.
On Independence Day the Phoenix Suns agreed to a 3 year/$27 million sign and trade deal that would send him to the Lakers in return for LA’s first and second round picks in 2013 , a second round pick in 2014, and a first rounder in 2015. The message is clear. The Lakers want to win now. Can they?
Nash is certainly the upgrade at the point guard position the Lakers have been seeking. He brings great passing ability, court vision, and consistent 3 point shooting. Even with all of this the Nash won’t make the Lakers championship contenders. Here’s 4 reasons why.
The previously mentioned passing ability and court vision on display.
4. Mike Brown is still the head coach.
When Mike Brown became the head coach of the Lakers he found implementation of his offense . . . difficult. The Lakers, especially in the playoffs, were plagued by poor spacing and terrible shot selection as a byproduct of the aforementioned poor spacing. If a system is broken putting another player in it doesn’t make it better. If the Lakers still struggle with these issues next season, even Nash’s production could suffer.
3. The Lakers aren’t a running team and Nash is a running point guard.
Steve Nash spent the majority of his career under Mike D’antoni a most widely know for his uptempo offensive system with emphasis on fast break scoring. The Lakers have been and still are a dominantly half court team. Kobe Bryant is aging, and Bynum and Gasol have never been fast (though Gasol runs the floor pretty well). Stylistically this isn’t a perfect match. There will definitely be growing pains as both Nash and his Laker teammates are acclimated to one another.
2. Steve Nash doesn’t play defense well.
Nash is for all intents and purposes a defensive liability. In a league full of young point guards with speed and quickness Nash, who is 38 years old right now will not only be a hindrance defensively, he’ll be worse defensively than he has ever been in his career. Nash’s size and (lack of) speed means that there aren’t a lot of other people he can guard well, if at all. On the plus side though, Nash is a pretty good help defender.
1. The Thunder still exist.
As long as this is still a fact I don’t see the Lakers getting to an NBA Finals with their current roster. The Thunder are a younger more solid team with experience. They have been playoff tested, they are supremely talented, and they are certainly more athletic than the Lakers. Gasol and Bynum are the keys to that possible match up and they don’t play transition defense well enough to slow up Oklahoma City. Nash can’t change that. It’s out of his control.
The Lakers need to believe that none of this matters because they mortgaged their future for a 38 year old point guard in the hopes that he makes them championship caliber. It’s a lot to ask of one player to do and that’s exactly why it won’t work.
Dwayne Wade and the Heat Lay Get Stomped In Indianna
To say that the Miami Heat miss Chris Bosh would be like saying a construction worker misses his hammer or a singer misses her voice. It seems that important. Bosh apart from being the glue guy that makes many of Miami’s play work, is the closest thing that they have to a big man. This easy to notice in the difference in rebounds. Miami got their clock cleaned on the boards. They were outrebounded 52-36. An unencumbered Roy Hibbert contributed 18 rebounds alone.
George Hill played a great game with 20 points and 5 assists. He really stepped and easily played his best game of the series. While that was happening though, Dwayne Wade scored just 5 points. Just 5. He was outscored by fellow teammate, non-superstar, and non-franchise player Mario Chalmers who scored 25 points. Wade and Spoelstra also had an argument in the huddle as the team unraveled. The Heat lost and for once the blame should be place no where near Lebron.
Wade was 2 of 13 from the field and seemed to be an offensive liability but, the Heat have no other options. Especially when fellow starters Dexter Pittman and Shane Battier combined for 0 points in total. They were 0 of 9 between the two of them.
Miami needs a more efficient way of scoring than 3 point shots of which they were 4 of 20 as a team. The Pacers out rebounded them and these bad shots are a part of the reason why.
San Antonio Wrote The Book On Basketball, Apparently.
If there is a kid that you know that wants to play basketball, make them watch the Spurs, specifically the Spurs in these playoffs. The Spurs play the game of basketball the right way. They move the ball to all the right places. They San Antonio plays, its just cool to watch because everything makes so much sense. Every shot they take is the result of an offense that has moved the Clippers out of place defensively that most of their shots are nearly uncontested.
With Tim Duncan looking like the 2007 version of himself the Spurs really do look unstoppable. Duncan had 18 points making 9 of 14 of his shots. Once Tim gets going it opens up things for Tony Parker who scored 22 points and the rest of the Spurs. Duncan was also a presence to be reckoned with defensively. He deterred many would be Clipper shots. He didn’t block any but just being there makes Los Angeles really think twice about going inside.
There’s been a lot of Blake Griffin hate lately. Not from me but it has been around. I like Blake as a player. I think he’s a better and more well rounded player than people give him credit for. He doesn’t have that many post moves or a consistent shot but, he is better on the low block than he’s given credit for and his mid range jumper, though not great, is a whole lot better than people give him credit for. Blake scored 20 points on 7 of 16 shooting and it wasn’t all just dunks. Offensively he played well. All of that being said though, Blake Griffin needs to rebound. His team needs him to. Griffin grabbed a single rebound. Just the one. This is nearly as shocking as Dwayne Wade’s 5 points. A big man must rebound. It should be a law. A guy with Blake’s size and jumping ability grabbing a single rebound in a playoff game is nothing short of a heinous sin. Especially when Chris Paul the team’s highest scorer is fighting multiple injuries. Having a few extra possessions could come in handy.
BLAKE GRIFFIN 1 REBOUND? EPIC FAIL OF A PLAYOFF PERFORMANCE— Michael Grier, Jr (@MikeGrierJr) May 18, 2012
“All the King’s horses and all the King’s men kicked the Coyotes butts all over again.” — Barry Melrose
That about sums it up. In a game Phoenix had to win they didn’t. They weren’t able to stop the Kings in almost any capacity. The Kings out shot them 28-19. This is despite the fact that Los Angeles had more giveaways than Phoenix did.
If anyone still has doubts about how good Anze Kopitar is they should probably let go of them now. The guy is legit. At the beginning of the playoffs I didn’t know the guy from Adam but, in the postseason he’s really come on and is proving to be a threat that must be watched.
The eight seeded Kings are one game away from shattering expectations. I didn’t have them making it this far. The level of parity in the NHL is unreal. Even in the Playoffs its hard to know who can turn it on and compete and who can’t.
The Boston Celtics Amp Up the Defense and Embarrass The Philadelphia 76ers At Home
The Celtics trailed the 76ers by 5 points going into the 2nd quarter of this game but upon regaining the lead never trailed again. In fact, wether or not the Sixers would ever see the lead again was never in doubt as the Celtics rolled on to a 107-91 victory. There are two main differences between this game 3 and game 2.
The first difference is, that Paul Pierce was more aggressive and more productive. In game 2 Pierce scored 7 points while shooting an anemic 2 of 9 in that game. In game 3 Pierce started the game with two dunks. He would go on to score 24 points on 6 of 17 shooting. That’s the Paul Pierce the Celtics are going to need if they plan on winning this series or any future ones.
The second difference, is defense. Boston murdered Philadelphia on the defensive glass gathering 37 defensive boards. Also none of the Sixers starters scored over 20 points. In fact, none of them scored greater than 15 points. Philadelphia shooting guard Evan Turner was held in check as he scored just 4 points and made 1 of his 10 shot attempts.
The Sixers are not out of this series but will need to make some offensive adjustments to match the re-emergence of the Celtics defense.
The Oklahoma City Thunder Erase A 7 Point Deficit In the Final Two Minutes to “Steal” A Game At Home.
In the first quarter of game 1 of this series it became apparent that the Lakers had a distinct size advantage inside over the Thunder. When the Lakers wandered away from what many perceive to be their game plan, pounding the ball down low, they spiraled out of control allowing the Thunder to run and hit shoot often uncontested jump shots. In game 2 the Lakers stick to the game plan and control much of the game thanks to the dominating play of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. So L.A. wins right?
Not so fast amigo. A series of gaffes nearing the end of the game caused Los Angeles to surrender a 7 point lead in the final two minutes of the game. First Kevin Durant stole an inbound pass from Kobe Bryant and slammed home an easy 2 points. Then James Harden was allowed to go coast to coast for an easy lay up that brought the Thunder within 1 point. Kevin Durant hit the floater on the baseline that would give the Thunder a 1 point lead. The Lakers last possession was a flare for Kobe Bryant but Metta World Peace caught Russell Westbrook sleeping on the inbound pass and hit a wide open Steve Blake. Blake however would not hit the wide open 3 point shot and the Lakers lose by 1 point.
Steve Blake had a few options. He could have made the shot, he could have used the fact that Westbrook had to jump to recover to defend him and pump faked and then drove to the basket for a better look, or he could have passed it to Bynum who had emerged on the low block. He had 5 seconds. That’s more than enough time. Despite all of this to blame the loss on Steve Blake would be asinine. The Lakers attempted 77 shots before that last one and if they had made more than 30 of those this game may not even have been close. If anyone is to blame it should be Kobe. He shot a an inefficient 9 of 25 from the field and hit none of the 6 3-pointers he attempted. None. Steve Blake played a hand in the loss but Kobe’s impact was certainly bigger.
New Jersey Devils Even The Series Against the New York Rangers
When the Devils took the ice in game 1 of the NHL Eastern Conference Finals they got run over. Plain and simple. They didn’t look ready and the Rangers looked very ready. New Jersey did a great job of bouncing back in game 2. They were able to do something few teams this season have. Fool Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, arguably the league’s best at his position. This did so with a number of redirected shots including David Clarkson’s go ahead shot in the 3rd period. Clarkson has proved once again in the playoffs that he can be relied upon for clutch plays.
Speaking of clutch plays, Devils goalie Martin Brodeur made an amazing save. As Rangers right wing Marian Gaborik attacked the goal he tried to flip a shot over Brodeur who had fallen over. Brodeur raised his right leg up, as he was on his stomach, and kicked the puck away saving a goal. I gush about Henrik Lundqvist being the best in the league but it’s plays like those that remind us why the 40 year old Brodeur is a legend and one of the best to play the game. Ever.
