NBA & NHL Playoff Pulse - Winding Down Round 2

As Round 2 comes to a close, there are some teams that have gone out with a whimper (see picture), some teams that exorcised demons in advancing, and some teams that are locked in classic duels to get one step closer to raising the trophy at the end of the season. Let's check the Playoff Pulse as we inch towards the Conference Finals.

1) Biggest Winner - Montreal Canadiens

-The Habs have emerged as the model for all #8 seeds to live by. They got in on the last weekend of the season, and entered the playoffs with the least number of points of any team. Most NHL observers, and us Johnny come lately Stanley Cup fans, figured the team with the most points, Washington, would sweep them. Or, when the series stood at 3-1, we thought the Caps would win in 5 games. Or 6. Surely they wouldn't lose Game 7 at home would they? Oh, they did. Well, Sidney Crosby and the Pens would surely end their Cinderella run.

Except, here we stand at another Game 7, with the Canadiens staring down the defending champs and the biggest star in hockey. It seems impossible, except this team has already done the impossible. The only precedent for what the Canadiens are doing came in 2006 when the 8th seeded Edmonton Oilers made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals before losing in 7 games to Carolina. Montreal's similar run has been led by a blueprint that all underdogs should follow - timely scoring, outworking opponents, and being firmly convinced that destiny is on your side. It could take them past Pittsburgh and well beyond.

2) Biggest Loser - Basketball Fans

-Basketball fans just suffered through a Conference Semifinal round with 3 sweeps. I wouldn't even call the Orlando/Atlanta thing a "series", it was more like a 4 game beatdown (more on that in a sec). The Lakers were never challenged against the Jazz like they were against Oklahoma City. After the high of the Thunder/Lakers duel, the Utah series was a total letdown. The third sweep, Phoenix over San Antonio, was at least a tad compelling. We had the side attraction of Los Suns, interesting games, and an underdog finally conquering one team's voodoo spell over them. But, that's 3 sweeps out of 4! Now, we're stuck without basketball for most of the next week... the West Finals don't start until next Monday. That's more than a week off for both teams! Well, at least there is hockey!

3) Best Performance - Rajon Rondo Game 3

-Bill Simmons has another interesting article in which he legitimately compares Rondo's Game 3 performance, and his numbers throughout this year's playoffs to Bird, Magic, Oscar, Wilt, and Jordan. Wow. That's basically the Mount Olympus of basketball players. Even when Mike Breen said we were watching one of the great Celtic playoff performances in history (Rondo's 29/18/13), it was hard to believe until you see the numbers that no other Celtic had ever had a game like that! Only Oscar and Wilt have had games as prodigious as Rondo. Regardless of who wins the Boston/Cleveland series, one thing is sure, the Rondo Era has begun in Boston.

4) Best Game - Game 6: Canadiens 4 Penguins 3

-One fair criticism of this year's playoffs is the lack of unbelievable games. The best game from the past few days has been the Canadiens surviving Game 6 and forcing a Game 7. The Montreal home crowd lifted the home team in an exciting, competitive game, and they were able to hold on at the end. Let's hope Game 7 provides just a little more drama.

5) Biggest Surprise - Not Closing The Deal

-Throughout these playoffs, the NHL version has been the antithesis of its NBA counterpart. Earlier in the playoffs we discussed the lack of home advantage in the NHL vs the NBA... now, NHL teams cannot close the deal in this round while NBA teams get the brooms out. 3 NHL teams (Chicago, Boston, Pittsburgh) have had opportunities to close out series and none have taken the chance. The Hawks and Bruins even blew chances in their own arenas to move on to the Conference Finals. Yes, Philly and Vancouver played well to extend their series, but one has to think its only a matter of time before they bow out. It should surprise nobody if Chicago and Boston bounce back to close the deal on the road... or even if Montreal can beat Pittsburgh and shock the world again.

6) Biggest Playoff Beatdown - Atlanta Hawks

-This has to rank among the all-time great playoff beatdowns, meltdowns, or whatever synonym you can think of to describe a team quitting on its coach, franchise, and each other. Good God. Could Atlanta at least have made one game competitive? At least finished within double digits one time? Would that be so hard to ask? Anybody who thought this was the next young team to take shape and become a legit contender should pack their bags and move to the Chicago or OKC bandwagon. This was such a bad beatdown that I didn't consider watching a second of any game because it was obvious after Game 1 that Atlanta was ready to go fishing. They set a record by losing a 4 game series by 25 points a game! I think that the 3 of us could grab the Van Gundys and the 5 of us could be more competitive than that. At least Stan could probably push Dwight Howard out from the basket a little bit.

**By the way... the Hawks' embarrassment was so profound that it got us thinking about the worst playoff beatdowns of all-time. Stay tuned...**

7) Tuesday/Wednesday Picks

-We'll wrap up the Playoff Pulse by picking the decisive games coming up as we finish the Conference Semifinals...

NHL

Game 6 - Chicago @ Vancouver @ Chicago - Series 3-2 'Hawks (Tuesday)

-Really, but Vancouver hasn't looked close to winning a game at home this series. Chicago has more mental toughness, and will make up for their own lapse of intensity in Game 5. The Hawks go on to face the Sharks.

PICKS: Y1/Y2: Blackhawks

Game 7 - Montreal @ Pittsburgh - Series 3-3 (Wednesday)

-Yes, Halak has done it before, but Sidney Crosby is not Alex Ovechkin. Crosby has won a Stanley Cup and scored the game-winning goal in the Gold Medal Game of the Olympics. Also, don't discount Pittsburgh's victory on the road in Game 7 last year in Detroit to lift the Cup. They know what it takes to win these sort of games, and they know what Montreal will throw at them. The Pens will be ready... I think...

PICKS: Y1/Y2: Penguins

Game 6 - Boston @ Philadelphia - Series 3-2 Bruins (Wednesday)

-There might be nothing more difficult than picking an individual NHL playoff game. I think I've said that before. This series is a perfect example. Just when you think the Bruins are on their way, the Flyers make you think that a 3-0 comeback is possible. So, logic would dictate going against that and picking Boston. That's really the best I can do people!

PICKS: Y1: Bruins Y2: Flyers

NBA

Game 5 - Boston @ Cleveland - Series 2-2 (Tuesday)

-The defining player of this series has shifted from LeBron James to Rajon Rondo. Rondo has been the one putting up sick numbers and taking games over by himself. How will LBJ respond? My take is that he will man up (as the reports indicate) and try to stop Rondo himself while putting up his own ridiculous numbers on offense. This is the most important game of the playoffs so far in either sport, something tells me the King is ready.

PICKS: Y1/Y2: Cavs

Protecting the Rings - Olympic Recap & Awards

Every week during the NFL season we Protect the Shield and recap the stories, stars, and everything you need to know from the week that was. Now that the Olympics are over (what, no curling? NOOOOO!!!), who will we look back on as the influential figures from the Vancouver Olympics of 2010? What will we remember, and what will we forget? Who wins our Olympic Awards? So many questions, so little time until the next Olympics! Let's Protect the Rings!

Underrated Story of the Olympics - North American Dominance

-The US set a Winter Olympics record by winning 37 total medals (9/15/13), while Canada's Gold Medal Hockey win gave them a record 14 Golds for a Winter Olympics. Sadly our North American friends to the south failed to medal. C'mon Mexico, even Kazakhstan won a medal! These Olympics were about the two North American superpowers going head to head in many sports and dominating the games. Whether it was hockey, snowboarding, curling, nordic combined, speed skating, skiing, figure skating, bobsled, and everything in between... there was either an American or a Canadian there in the medals. The excellence from both countries throughout the games made it compelling for fans across North America.

Truth be told, these were the most enjoyable Winter Olympics of my lifetime. Some of the major events were spoiled and shown on tape delay in primetime, but you almost expect that by now from TV Olympic coverage. There wasn't the sappiness of made up stories to dominate the games (more on that below), but real drama from beginning to end. And, as we said last week, the diversification of the Winter Olympics and addition of X Games sports has given the Winter Games a much needed boost to go along with the traditional events. There were so many great individual and team performances throughout the Olympics that it made the two weeks fun. Also, Team USA was terrific and made every American sports fan proud of the effort of its record setting Olympians. As American sports fans, we don't get too many chances to go crazy for the red, white, and blue - but the 2010 Vancouver Olympics made all of us stand up and cheer for Team USA.

Overrated Story of the Olympics - Lindsey Vonn's Shin

-Going into the Olympics, Dwight Freeney's Ankle was shoved off of the injured body part stage by Lindsey Vonn's shin. It was an attempt to make her the focal point for the Vancouver Olympics. She was an SI swimsuit model, cover girl, network star, and the poster girl for Team USA. Vonn did win a Gold in the downhill, but didn't become the crossover star that the media would have hoped. Similarly, Apolo Ohno has most likely made a fortune out of his record setting Olympic career (2 more Bronzes in 2010), but he doesn't have enough Gold (2 out of 8 medals) to be an all-time icon.

And, perhaps that was what was most refreshing about these Olympics. There wasn't that one dominating presence ala Michael Phelps to control the spotlight. There was the underdog hockey team, the nordic combined stars, the Night Train and Steve Holcomb, Evan Lysacek, and countless other US Olympians that made themselves stars with their performances. The unfortunate side to the media's star obsession is that we don't hear about guys like Steve Holcomb until they are halfway to a gold medal. In 4 years, let's hope that more of our Olympians get the attention they deserve heading into the Games... instead of a hot skiier's shin.

5 American Stars

* Evan Lysacek - Gold Men's Figure Skating

-The 1st American to win Gold since Brian Boitano... and he did it by shutting up a Russian crybaby (more on him later). I'm no figure skating fan, but Lysacek's win was a great moment.

** Shaun White - Gold Men's Halfpipe

-Shaun White is sick! The star for the extreme side of the Winter Olympics. His halfpipe performance was simply awesome.

*** Bode Miller - Gold Men's Combined

-The redemption story of these Olympics. Miller grew up in a huge way by finally winning an Olympic Gold in the Combined event.

**** Steve Holcomb & Night Train - Gold Men's 4 Man Bobsled

-The 1st 4 Man Bobsled Gold in 62 years (since they had a natural track - how cool was that footage!). Holcomb has that everyman appeal thanks to the unflattering look in those aerodynamic suits, yeesh. But, he and his team, and his sled Night Train shined brightly in Vancouver.

***** USA Hockey - Silver Men's Hockey

-The stars of the Games, even with their Silver medal. They took Canada to OT in the Gold Medal game and inspired a nation with their grittiness and effort on the ice. G Ryan Miller was very deserving of the MVP award. They were the Dream Team of the 2010 Olympics, let's hope that they can now move the NHL in the right direction.

Also Considered: Apolo Ohno (2 Bronze Short Track), Shani Davis (1 Gold, 1 Silver Speed Skating), Lindsey Vonn & Julia Mancuso (1 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze Alpine Skiing), Bill Demong & Johnny Spillane (1 Gold, 4 Silver Nordic Combined)

International Stars: Kim Yu-Na KOR (Gold Women's Figure Skating), Anette Norberg SWE (Gold Women's Curling), Cheryl Bernard CAN (Silver Women's Curling), Simon Ammann SUI (Gold Ski Jump), Marit Bjorgen NOR (3 Gold Cross Country Skiing)

18 Yoder Awards

1) TO's Crybaby of the Olympics - Evgeni Plushenko (RUS)

-Plushenko do quad... Plushenko lose to American with snakes... Plushenko angry... Plushenko sad.

2) Sorry to See You Go - Curling

-Our favorite Olympic sport! Thank you to NBC for its extensive coverage of the cult phenomenon. Could we be seeing a curling boom along the lines of poker's rise? Let's hope so.

3) Redemption Song - Bode Miller

-An easy choice. Putting the demons of the past behind him and finally winning a Gold. His ride back to the top of the mountain (mountain... skiing... get it?) is what the Olympics are all about.

4) Glitch of the Games - TorchGate 2010

-As good as the Games were, it's easy to forget they were known as the Glitch Games early on. Mainly due to the epic torch fail at the Opening Ceremonies, which led to...

5) Image of the Games - Wayne Gretzky

Classic.

6) TV Personality of the Olympics - Mike Emrick

-The voice of the NHL always adds excitement to a broadcast and was perfect for the Olympic tournament. Doc is one of the most underrated broadcasters in sports and always does a great job. BTW, seeing Al Michaels and Bob Costas interact was awkward. There was definitely some alphadog tension there. Silver goes to the Curling team and Don Duguid, and the Bronze goes to that Bobsled analyst that always sounds like he's hepped up on speed.

7) Canadian Obnoxiousness Award - Whoever the ice dancing guy was wearing a Canadian hockey jersey Saturday night

-Yes, Canada can be cute with its mounted police, Celine Dion, and Cheryl Bernard. But at times, it was ultra annoying. Like the ice dancing guy with the hockey jersey at Saturday's Gala. It was a reminder that Canada went a little overboard with their medal quest - closing off courses and tracks to other countries, and being obsessive over their Own The Podium campaign.

8) Weird X Games Sport Now Masquerading As an Olympic Sport - SkiCross

-I propose that the next weird sport to make it into the Olympics be the snowmobile racing. Make it happen IOC!

9) Inspirational Moment of the Olympics - Curling Crowd Singing O Canada

-This was a pretty cool moment during the last end of Canada's Gold Medal win. Even though Canadians can be annoying at times, this was a unique sporting moment. The athletes stopped playing for the crowd to finish singing the national anthem, it gave you goosebumps no matter your nationality. FYI, it's not as inspiring when Matthew Barnaby sings it.

10) D'Oh Moment of the Olympics - Sven Kramer & Coach

-The Dutch skater won the 5000 and cruised to an apparent win in the 10000. But, his coach told him to wrongly switch lanes during the 10k and Kramer was DQ'd. The coach, Gerard Kemkers, is the origin of the D'oh! moment, but the athlete has to take responsibility and know where he is on the track. It's the Olympics after all!

11) Best Clutch Performance - Sidney Crosby

-Hockey's biggest star had a ho-hum Games until his OT winner in the Gold Medal Game. Not too often does the biggest star show up in that situation, but Crosby did.

12) Forgotten Story - Luge Tragedy

-Sadly, on the other end of the spectrum, Nodar Kumaritashvili's death before the Olympics seemed to have been swept under the rug. Give the IOC credit for remembering him during the Closing Ceremony, but the tragedy was handled poorly in the aftermath. The IOC blamed Kumaritashvili for the crash, not the track... and then tried to slow down the most dangerous track in the world. We want to see fast speeds and athletes pushed, but not to the point of no return. Racers still crashed and pulled out, but thankfully nobody else was seriously injured. In an otherwise fantastic Olympics, this tragedy can't be cast aside like it was by the IOC for the safety of future Olympians.

13) Best Finish - Women's 30km Mass Start

-Justinya Kowalczyk of Poland won the first Gold Medal for a female in her country's history, and won by .3 seconds after 30km of racing. To think that racers could be separated by that much after 30km is incredible.

14) Most Unlikely Gold Medalist - Steve Holcomb - USA Bobsled

-You tell me who the Olympian is...

And who the country music star is...

15) French Judge Memorial Trophy - The Canadian Guy Who Screwed Apolo Ohno

-A Canadian judge DQing an American skater to the benefit of 2 Canadian skaters, hmmm...

16) Team of the Olympics - Kevin Martin & Canadian Curling

-Unbeaten in the Games and the most dominant team of the Vancouver Games. Martin and Team Canada were sensational throughout the Men's Curling competition. Their strategy and shotmaking are second to none, especially Third John Morris' takeouts. These games were redemptive for Martin as well, who lost the Gold in 2002 by an inch.

17) Best Game/Moment - Gold Medal Hockey Game

-No doubt the leader in the clubhouse for the Top 10 Games of the 2010's. Zach Parise, one of the American heroes, scored in the last minute to send the game into OT. But, 20 minutes of 4 on 4 hockey was to Canada's edge with their skilled players. And, it was Iginla to Crosby that won Canada the Gold Medal. It was a game of great drama, great intensity, great players, and great effort. It was a game that symbolizes the best of the Olympics and all of sports.

18) Shuster Award - John Shuster

-This is really all you need to know.

What We Will Remember... Hockey Takes Center Stage

-The defining moment of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics was the amazing Olympic Hockey Tournament. Since the NHL Lockout cancelled the '04-'05 season, hockey has struggled mightily on the sports landscape. The ineptitude of Gary Bettman and the hockey brass has been stunning this decade. But, the game was showing signs of life heading into these Olympics - the Winter Classic has been successful, stars are starting to be made, and there have been exciting Stanley Cups the past few years. But, hockey has been given an unbelievable gift in the drama and significance of the 2010 Olympics. The NHL can't ask for more than Sidney Crosby scoring the Gold Medal winning goal in OT against the USA. But, can they take advantage of such a memorable 2 weeks for the sport? We'll remember the USA's underdog team fight their way to a Gold Medal behind Ryan Miller, and we'll remember Canada saving the sanity of a nation by winning Gold. We'll remember one of the best hockey games of all-time... but we'll remember it even more fondly if that game and that tournament can bring hockey back to the center stage of American sports.

7 Things We've Missed From The Olympics

We're into the second week of the Olympics, and it has been exciting thus far. With the hockey and curling approaching the medal rounds, and many memorable performances in the history books, it's time for us to take a look at 7 Things We've Missed from the Olympics so far. This week, we'll take a more detailed look at all of the action from Vancouver as we close out the Winter Games.

1) USA Hockey's Sorta Kinda Miracle

-Yesterday's game was heart-pounding, thrilling, intense, and invigorating. But, anyone saying this upset approaches 1980 needs to be arrested by the Mounties. Remember, these are NHLers beating fellow NHLers. However, the starpower and depth on the Canadian team far outmatches their US counterparts. Last night's stunning 5-3 victory is a microcosm of what the Olympics are all about. It was the best hockey game since last year's Stanley Cup Game 7 between Detroit and Pittsburgh and captivated the whole sporting landscape (at least those of us with access to MSNBC).

Seeing the American team outwork, outhustle, and outphysical the more fancied Canadians was inspiring. Ryan Miller from the Sabres is playing like he's the best goalie in the world and this USA team is full of guys that aren't as talented as Canada or Russia, but can get the job done through their physical, hard-working style. No play typified this USA team, or the American spirit in general (ok, maybe a tad jingoistic) than Ryan Kesler's diving empty net goal to clinch the win. The American victory was huge because it gives them an easy path to the Gold Medal Game - v SUI, v FIN most likely, while Canada and Russia must play in the Quarters. Regardless of which medal the USA ends up with, the men's hockey team has been one of the highlights of the 2012 Games. That makes this seem like more than 12 years ago.

2) Shaun White's Sickness

-The biggest individual highlight was Shaun White's Gold performance in the Men's Snowboard Halfpipe. While the X Games' infiltration into the Winter Games might shock some of the purists, it does add much needed diversity and excitement to the Winter Olympics. Shaun White is the poster boy for the Winter Olympian of the 21st Century. His big air and Double McTwist were absolutely stunning during his celebratory run. Even if you know nothing about snowboarding, you had to have been in awe of his performance.

3) Winning the Cold War

-Nothing gets the juices flowing like some old fashion USA-Russia feuding! While figure skating isn't exactly a sport we follow or even enjoy, Evan Lysacek's Gold Medal comeback to beat Evgeni Plushenko was a cool patriotic moment. Lysacek goes way up in our eyes because Plushenko dared to call him out before the second session for not attempting a quad jump. Lysacek didn't do the quad, but had the better program and well deserved his Gold. Even better than having the USA win the Gold was seeing Plushenko eat his words and sulk on the second podium step while Lysackek grinned from ear to ear. Drago, whoops, I mean Plushenko, was less than graceful in the aftermath...

"If Olympic champion doesn't know how to jump quad … I don't know," Plushenko said after the result. "Now it's not men's skating. Now it's dancing. That's my point."

The point is that you were outskated and lost to the better man. Yo Adrian!

4) Bode & Lindsay

-On the slopes, the anti-drama of Lindsay Vonn's shin failed to capture the imagination like Dwight Freeney's ankle. Nevertheless, Vonn took home a gold to validate her status as the world's top female skiier and can certainly add more medals later this week. For me though, the biggest skiing story is Bode Miller winning Gold in the Men's Super-Combined event. Miller personified everything wrong with the American Olympian once upon a time when he favored partying over winning in 2006. A matured Miller's redemption is one of the top 2010 stories. He won't turn into Drew Brees, but at least he was finally able to achieve a landmark win. These Gold Medals are well deserved for the best American skiiers of all-time.

5) Speed Skating Stories

-Apolo Anton Ohno surpassed the record mark for US Winter Olympians by winning his 7th medal with a Bronze in the 1000m. Make one thing clear, Apolo Ohno is not the Michael Phelps of the Wintertime. Ohno has won only 2 Golds, along with 2 Silvers, and 3 Bronzes. Short track speed skating is cool, and it is a nice accomplishment, but it doesn't change the American Olympic landscape forever. Shani Davis's second Gold medal in the 1000m might change the American Olympic landscape. In 2006, Davis became the first black athlete to win an individual Gold Medal in the Winter Games. That accomplishment means more than most other Olympic medals possibly could. In 2010 though, Davis became one of the great US Winter Olympians regardless of sport or race by repeating his '06 victory.

6) Random Observations
-NBC's Olympic coverage has fallen under question yet again. Important events like Vonn and Miller's Gold Medal runs are on tape delay and the US-Canada hockey classic was live... on MSNBC! The home of Keith Olbermann!! Yuck! Meanwhile, much less important events like Ice Dancing and Biathalon are shown live on NBC throughout the day. Let's not even get into the shoddy work that is their live online coverage (although the links to highlights above are very good).

-With the tragic death of luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, these Olympics were put under a pall from the start. Some bobsledders have even pulled out of the upcoming competitions. The top speeds are thrilling to watch, but the Olympics is not the venue to be walking the tight rope between the ultimate triumph and tragedy. For the sake of the Games, let's hope that these athletes stay safe.

-As we said above, the addition of sports like Snow/Skicross and other extreme sports have helped raise the profile of the Winter Olympics and makes the 2 weeks more enjoyable for Olympic fans. Through Week 1, these are the most enjoyable Winter Olympics I can remember.

7) Curling Central
-Enjoyable if your name is not John Shuster or Debbie McCormick. Curling, which we profiled here, has emerged as the sport du jour amongst many Olympic fans. The fact that we get to see it every day on CNBC and MSNBC is a great thrill for curling fans that show up once every 4 years. Unfortunately, the 2 American teams performed terribly and are on their way to elimination. Men's skip John Shuster blew 4 out of 4 game winning chances to begin the event. You have to feel for Shuster because of all of the negativity on the internet and blogosphere. It's easy to forget that these curlers aren't pros by a long shot. Sadly, we'll have to wait until 2014 for the next US curling medal.

Elsewhere in the competition, the Canadian men and women have looked strong. The third highlight for me of the Olympics so far was watching the Great Britain/Canada men's curling match. GBR skip David Murdoch and Canada skip Kevin Martin had their teams playing at their best and Canada emerged victorious. Reigning world champs GBR has their work cut out to get to the medal round, and even then they may meet unbeaten Canada in the semis.

On the women's side, the Diane Lane of curling, Canadian skip Cheryl Bernard has her team in a 3 way race with Sweden and China as the Gold Medal favorite. The Chinese beat Canada last night and might have the edge with their execution. Currently, Bernard is rebounding by pounding Sweden into submission. For both Canadian teams though, the question is whether they can stand up to the pressure of winning on Canadian soil. It should be great sporting theater over the next week. Only March Madness will be able to cure my post-Olympic curling blues.