Last night's playoff action was a pivotal evening with one team staving off elimination, one team on the brink, one team getting back home court, and one team taking its second straight game on the road... and Goran Dragic! Today, the Playoff Pulse hits the NBA and NHL Playoffs to tell you what you need to know from last night's action and looks ahead to the pivotal weekend showdowns.
1) Biggest Winner - LeBron James
-For 3 days we've heard nothing but doom and gloom surrounding LeBron James, his elbow, and the Cavaliers. They lost homecourt, their star was injured, and the LeBron Era would go out with a whimper in Cleveland while Cavs fans watch him leave today for New York, New York. Whispers are even going around that LeBron might not even be good enough to ever win a title. Ok... maybe that was a little premature. For 3 days, LeBron had to sit and listen to this and wait for his chance for redemption. The Cavs needed to win Game 3 and they did... and then some. LBJ outscored the C's 21-17 in the 1st Quarter and led the Cavs to inflict the worst home playoff defeat in Boston. James ended with 38/8/7 and reclaimed homecourt, but more importantly he got his mojo back.
2) Biggest Loser - San Antonio Spurs
-It's been a roller coaster year for San Antonio. Before the season started, we imagined them challenging the Lakers with their astute addition of Richard Jefferson. Then, an injury filled, subpar regular season had them 7th and an afterthought in the postseason. THEN, they beat the Mavs again and looked to be back on track with the emergence of George Hill and DeJuan Blair to help out the Spurs core. In the 2nd round, they faced a team they've bullied the entire decade - the Phoenix Suns. Shockingly, the Spurs have been in all of the games against Phoenix, but have seemed to run out of gas at the end and are on the brink of getting swept. The Suns' energy and improved bench play might finally be enough to see them conquer the Alamo.
3) Best Performance - Jonathan Toews
-Yes, there were flashier performances and probably more memorable ones... but, Jonathan Toews gets our nod for leading the Blackhawks to their second straight win in Vancouver with a hat trick in Chicago's 7-4 win. Toews scored all 3 of his points on the power play and also added 2 assists to take over the scoring lead in the NHL Playoffs. Toews, 22, gets lost in the shuffle of Crosby and Ovechkin, but his leadership from the front has brought the Blackhawks from despair to an appearance in the Conference Finals.
4) Best Game - Game 4: Flyers 5 Bruins 4 F/OT
-With the other 3 games being blowouts, this is an easy choice with the Flyers surviving against the Bruins and getting their first win in the series. Simon Gagne made his first appearance in the series and scored in OT to give the Flyers the win. It's a nice story and a good day for Philly fans... but expect it to be their only joy in this series. The Bruins will win Game 5 and set up a possible grudge match in the Conference Finals with the Pens (remember Matt Cooke knocking out Marc Savard) provided they get by Montreal.
5) Biggest Surprise - Goran Dragic?? Really??
-One of the most underrated cool things about the playoffs is when a guy comes from out of nowhere to put on the performance of a lifetime. That happened last night in Game 3 in San Antonio where little known Goran Dragic scored 23 of his 26 points in the 4th Quarter to pass and put away the Spurs. The 2nd year player from Yugoslavia had what Grant Hill called the best 4th quarter playoff performance he'd ever seen. Considering that the Spurs are 4 for 4 against the Suns in the playoffs since 2003... Dragic's heroics in putting Phoenix up 3-0 was a big deal. The Suns have always lacked that player that could lift the team behind Steve Nash - problem solved.
6) Highlight Play - LeBron's Alley Oop Lay In
-While not a posterization or a chasedown block, this play shows LeBron's sick athletic ability as he's able to take a short lob pass and flip it up and in...
7) Weekend Picks
-We'll wrap up the Playoff Pulse by picking all of the weekend games in the NHL and NBA Playoffs and Y2 joins me for our Weekend Preview...
NHL
Game 5 - Montreal @ Pittsburgh - Series 2-2 - Saturday 7PM
-There might be nothing more difficult than picking an individual NHL playoff game. We established a couple days ago that homeice teams are actually below .500 this year. The most important game of the playoffs for the defending champs is tonight in Game 5 against the Cinderella Canadiens. It's time for the Pens' stars to step up and win a game in the 3rd period. Tonight is the night for Crosby and Malkin to shine.
PICKS: Y1/Y2: Pens
Game 5 - Detroit @ San Jose - Series 3-1 Sharks - Saturday 10PM
-Thanks to the 4 goal effort of Detroit's Mule, Johan Franzen, the Red Wings are still alive against the West's best team. San Jose has a history of shaky playoff play, but they've been able to ride the hot hand of Joe Pavelski to a 3-1 lead. Still, the Red Wings are the defending conference champs, and that series-clinching victory is always the hardest. So, even on the road, I'll favor the veteran Wings to extend the series.
PICKS: Y1: Sharks Y2: Red Wings
Game 5 - Vancouver @ Chicago - Series 3-1 'Hawks - Sunday 8PM
-The Canucks have looked for revenge against the Blackhawks in the playoffs since their defeat to Chicago in this round last year. But, too much sloppy play has led to penalties, which has led to the Blackhawks cashing in on the power play, including 4 in Game 4. Both of us agree that the Canucks look a defeated team, and if the 'Hawks can keep up the pressure on Roberto Luongo, Chicago should close out the Canucks in five.
PICKS: Y1/Y2: Blackhawks
NBA
Game 3 - Orlando @ Atlanta - Series 2-0 Magic - Saturday 5PM
-Ugh. Will anyone watch this game? Orlando swept Charlotte, and they'll continue their run through the southeast by sweeping Atlanta, who has absolutely no answer for Superman. Normally you would expect a team in Atlanta's spot to bounceback... but the Hawks don't seem to have that type of attitude, and this is a terrible matchup for them. I would be shocked if the Hawks win a game in this series... I wonder if we'll hear anyone talk about the Magic going fo fo fo to get to the Finals?
PICKS: Y1/Y2: Magic
Game 3 - LA Lakers @ Utah - Series 2-0 Lakers - Saturday 8PM
-This series has looked remarkably similar to the Lakers' first round series against the Thunder. They were tested at home, but not challenged or threatened greatly in holding serve. They'll face another great home crowd in Utah. The Jazz have a better chance of winning Game 3 than Game 4, so they get one tonight, but it doesn't seem like they have enough firepower to get through the Lakers.
PICKS: Y1/Y2: Jazz
Game 4 - Cleveland @ Boston - Series 2-1 Cavs - Sunday 3:30PM
-The series nearest to my hear, the Celtics got embarrassed on their home court by a Cavs team who finally looked the part of a champion in these playoffs. It seems Game 4 comes down to two factors. First, if LeBron comes out with the same aggressive mentality from the beginning of the game in Game 4 that he did in Game 3, the Celtics have no chance. Balky elbow or not, James is unstoppable when he decides to be. But, the Celtics defense can also play a part by showing up. Second, the Celtics need consistent contributions from all of their top 4 players, most of all Finals MVP Paul Pierce, who aside from a 32 point outburst in Game 3 versus the Heat, is only averaging around 15 PPG in the playoffs. Y1 thinks the former champs will bounce back, while I believe King James is ready to begin his coronation as the ruler of the playoffs.
PICKS: Y1: Celtics Y2: Cavs
Game 4 - Phoenix @ San Antonio - Series 3-0 Suns - Sunday 8PM
-Nobody, not even the diehard Suns fans (if there are such people) saw this one coming. Regardless of what you think about Los Suns, perhaps that has unified and rallied this team together. In fairness though, they have looked like they have had great chemistry all year long with a starting unit and bench that need each other. For the Suns, it's been guys like Jared Dudley and Goran Dragic that look like getting Phoenix back to the Conference Finals. Tough to see Tim Duncan getting swept, but it either happens in Game 4 or 5, so why not just get it over with now, right?
PICKS: Y1: Suns Y2: Spurs
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