We have our first game 7 of the Playoffs

Clippers vs Spurs series has yet to disappoint being two of the best teams in the Western Conference, and game 6 was another wire to wire showcase, the Clippers won this one 102-96 forcing a well needed game 7 before we lose one of these teams to this year's playoffs. It was a close game all the way through, and it almost seemed like overtime might be needed to prove a winner, the defending champs did not look as strong as they usually do, but the Clippers looked hungry to keep their playoff hopes alive. Luckily their wasn't as much hack a Jordan stuff this game, Blake Griffin was fantastic and I think he and Redick made up for a poor shooting night for Chris Paul, Chris Paul was incredible making plays for his teammates and made some clutch baskets in the second half. Belinelli had a great game 7-11 from behind the arc, Diaw helped out with 17 points also for the Spurs, yet with the lack of points by the starters the Spurs seemed to just never have a chance in this game even if it stayed fairly close throughout. Even with a good win at San Antonio and game 7 at home Los Angeles still seems to have all the pressure on them, it's historically difficult to win back to back games against Popovich in the playoffs, though this is why they play the games. On that note Panda out!

The Deer show Fear

History was made in Milwaukee tonight, though I don't think anyone involved with the Bucks organization will want to talk about it for possibly eternity, it was an embarrassment their are no other words to describe the play by the Bucks. Not to take anything away from the Bulls who clinched the Series, they put their foot on the gas and never showed any sign of slowing down as they will face Cleveland on Monday evening. The final was 120-66, though it was truly never a close game, one of those games that is not worth watching unless you have a horse in the race.
This second round match up is between possibly the two best teams in the Eastern Conference, it's almost a shame they won't face each other for the Eastern Conference Finals as this series seems to be just that without the title, and even with a bit of a weakened Cavaliers team this series will most likely go to seven games and I believe every game will be as entertaining as the NBA Playoffs can be. These two teams do not like each other, they are both defensive minded teams, and the best part is we can watch Uncle Drew and D Rose battle it out at the point guard position, we shall see how Mozzie deals with Chicago's size inside in Gasol and Noah, and we cannot forget LeBron the best basketball player on the planet and whoever has the misfortune of guarding him.
We've been waiting for this match up and I for one am excited, we'll see how it all plays out, and how many SporstsCenter Top Ten Plays we will get from this one, and on that note Panda out!

Bulls fail to move on

As we all know in the NBA Playoffs it is survival of the fittest and the Bulls have yet to show that, they should be pressing forward to defeat a weakened Cavaliers team, why they don't want more rest may actually lay on the fact that we should fear the deer. They may be a team that everyone discounted, though they may have a bit of soul in them, and who know's they may have the killer blood necessary to force a game seven, especially after all this Cav's vs Bulls talk throughout the entire season. It would take some incredible coaching by Jason Kid, and remarkable play by everyone on his roster, but it really only comes down to a game by game attitude, otherwise we wouldn't even bother with having a playoff system to decide such important things in the NBA.
We do know that MCW aka Michael Carter-Williams did have an incredible game all the while being the primary defender against D-Rose, how is it possible for such a young player to hold D-Rose to only 5-20 shooting percentage and only 13 points in total, while able to shoot 10-15 for 22 points and also 8 rebounds, and 9 assists, no one will really ever know unless he develops into the next superstar NBA player we are all waiting for. It is hard to know will climb to the top next but we all know the playoffs tend to show us what is to come and that is what makes it hard not to root for Milwaukee in this next game, for if we don't we are not rooting for the future of this sport we love so much, and on that note, fear the deer, and of course Panda out!!!!

Nets even series, prove Hawks were never that good

Sure the Nets had a losing season this year, but they have a lot of talent on their team, though if you take anything away from this series it's that the East is weak this year. You start to see why Vegas has Cleveland seeming to be the favorite to win the Championship. Though they would still have to face off against the Bulls unless everything goes wrong for Rose and his Chicago Bulls, but it seems that this would be the Eastern Conference Finals in reality for true sports fans. I may be wrong but the Hawks, the Nets, or the Wizards are not really going to really have a chance against the two teams that we have all said were going to fight out of the East this season, stranger things have happened and we all hope for strange faery tale happenings but this is April and not March. In the end it is the reason that they play the games, we shall all see how it plays out, and on the note Panda out.

The Broom comes out as Cav's sweep the Celtics

LeBron James is now 10-0 in first round playoff series in his career, though for the first time in his Cavaliers playoff career he had players who had his back, even ones who weren't even that well known on the scorecard, which for LeBron is a welcome sight. Problems might be forthcoming for the Cav's in round two but that is talk for tomorrow, as he might have a team in Cleveland that will do what it takes to bring that ever coveted banner into Cleveland. The Bulls look scary with an old school look D Rose at the helm, though discounting the Cav's on their goal is as stupid as ignoring stock tips in the nineties about Google and Apple, don't get me wrong I'm looking forward to a great series against the (in my opinion) two best teams in the east, and the Bucks still have something to say about this, though the smart money is on Chicago. We still need to know how bad Kevin Love's injury was in game four against the Celtics, and what the league decides to do with Smith's flagrant 2, all that being said, even if it takes 7 games I still see the Cleveland Cavaliers lead by LeBron James will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals and eventually get out of the East to most likely face the Warriors in the NBA Finals. They (the Cav's) dominate in the fourth quarter as well as at the end of every half, their defense is much better in the playoffs than it was in the regular season, and LeBron has a thirst unmatched by anyone in the league, and don't get me started on his leadership. On that note Panda out!

Doc beats Pop in game one

The series to watch in the first round is of course the Clippers against the Spurs, or the ever salivated over Doc Rivers versus Greg Popovich matchup. The defending champs against an upstart team that seems to have a touch of maturity this year, enough so that the Clippers are the 3 seed in the west in this year's NBA playoffs, sure they only did what they should defending home court, but the Spurs are a difficult beast to take apart as they were able to do in game one. We all know this series is far from over, though taking that first step to show a bit of the age in this crumbling empire that is the San Antonio Spurs is how you can slowly wear them down and possibly win the series. This series is what most think should be the coaching duel that we should see in the Western Conference Finals, though we are fortunate enough to see it battled out in the first round of these playoffs. The only player that really can be the X factor as they say in this series is Blake Griffin, as he goes so do the Clippers and tonight it was a champions performance, though all is to be seen in the next few games, Pop is the master at altering his game plan from game to game throughout a series. All the same we cannot lose sight of the fact that Doc Rivers is also an elite coach with almost flawless results in the postseason, if this series does not go to seven games I personally would be shocked and it could end up being more exciting than this year's NBA Finals matchup. We all know what to expect, expect the unexpected, though all we as fans can do is watch the art and magic happen, and on that note Panda out!

The Jury is in on Uncle Drew

So if you have any questions on the 23 year old known as Kyrie Irving a Duke alumni, he is playoff ready after a 30 point showing in game one against the ever eager Celtics. Uncle Drew was so present we all wondered, when are those commercials coming? Okay maybe a bit of a stretch, but we were all in awe watching his first game playing in the NBA playoffs, though he held no fear in his heart, he seemed a cold blooded killer upon that court, this was a display he has been waiting to show the world. LeBron may be the best player on the planet at this point in time, though that does not diminish how incredible Kyrie is, also he might be the heir apparent to this Cavaliers franchise that needs hope desperately. In all accounts Cleveland dominated, though it speaks to LeBron's growth that Irving and Love were an augmentation that he was encouraging in every possession. We never know what game two will hold but we do know that David Blatt is now a very respected coach in the NBA at this time, though why the media questioned him to to begin with is quite questionable. It is time for the doubt of this change in power in the Eastern Conference to change publicly, the Miami Heat were terrible this year, and the Cav's were great, so the result is in LeBron can change a franchise. On that note, Panda out!

Beat to shook ones seems prophetic to Pelicans play

During the ABC halftime show while some replays were being analyzed of how exactly the Pelicans went from fighting to be only down by five with 4:16 left in the first half, to the eventual eighteen point Warriors lead at half time, and it was all beautifully balanced by the beat of Shook Ones by Mobb Deep, kudos to the ABC production team on that one for it really empowered the fact that New Orleans had been shook in that first half. The third quarter wasn't much better for the Pelicans, as they were down by twenty points for almost the entire quarter, they fought back in the fourth quarter but the entire game seemed to be in control from the start by the Warriors and even if it was close at the end Golden State still cruised to an easy victory by NBA playoff standards. Sure Anthony Davis had 35 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks, and was 9-10 at the free throw line he just didn't have enough help to defeat the best team record wise in the regular season of the NBA. Steph Curry was far from lights out behind the arc, but he was still almost impossible to guard and still got 34 points, on top of that the Golden State starters all went for double digits in points while only three of the New Orleans starters hit that mark, actually the only three Pelican players to do so, and only one of Davis's teammates got 20 points, which wouldn't be so bad if after Gordon's 16 points some one would've gotten more than 8 points for the Pelicans. All in all, it seems the Pelicans actually were beaten by Golden State's defense one of the strengths that is often overlooked as their offense can be so explosive, but if you break it down that is truly what occurred on Saturday in game one of this playoff series. We still have a few games to see what this young team can do to challenge the Warriors who seem redefined this year with first year coach Steve Kerr who is my front running candidate for coach of the year. So let's all enjoy the beauty that is playoff basketball and see who makes it out of the first round, and on that note, Panda out!

The time has once again come for blood and lost teeth

We have journeyed through the regular season and the wondrous Stanley Cup Playoffs are upon us, where everyone one that ice has blood, guts, and the glory of lifting the coveted Stanley Cup. There are five Canadian teams in the mix, Canadians, Canucks, Flames, Jets, and Senators, the Jets being the only team facing off against an American foe in the first round. Excited as we all are for to watch speed skaters physically attempt to destroy their opponents I would not be giving you the whole story if I only wrote of the puddles of icey blood, fractured smiles, and guaranteed concussions. Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals scored 53 goals this year joining Mario Lemieux, Guy Lafleur, and Marcel Dionne in history for having 6 seasons with 50 or more goals. He is still young enough to possibly catch up to Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy who have 9 seasons with 50 or more goals, though unfortunately for Ovechkin his team has done next to nothing in the playoffs causing nothing but disappointment for such a talented player, will this be the year he can lead his team to victory and drinking champagne from the Stanley Cup, or will he have to go home hoping that next year will be his chance.
Will the Penguins shrug off years of injury issues and win their first Stanley Cup since 2009, will the Wild make it to their first ever Stanley Cup Finals, will Chicago do what they tend to always do love them or hate them for it, or will it be Detroit make us feel like is 5 or 6 years ago. This will all be played out on the blood stained ice, and this Panda will be here to watch each tooth fly, every blow thrown and hopefully a goalie fight or two. On that note Panda out.

It takes 12 innings to decide it at Petco ballpark

The only time Maxwell House Coffee will ever be brought up on the same coast of the U.S.A. as some of the best coffee roasters in the country are in business, as from this moment on all will know it will be known as Maxwell Time due to Justin Maxwell the rookie baseball player who hit his first MLB RBI in the top of the 12th inning in a game that had been scoreless until that point. The game had been a pitching duel that would only broken by one of the two teams not being able to recover from a slight error, and apparently Casilla was still able to close it out for the giants, the padres did their best to not lose game one of the series but in the end it came down to some clutch hitting and some focused closing pitching to put that game into the books.
We shall see how San Diego treats the Giants after their game one heart wrenching win, though we can only imagine the crowd will only get more determined tonight to see the defending champs lose inside of their ballpark. All in all it seems every team the Giants face this year might have to deal with some of that left over magic from their championship run, though all we as baseball fans can do is simply watch. On that note Go Giants!!!! and Panda Out.

As Bo Ryan throws words, Coach K see's the net cut

        What more do we need to know about Coach K, a figure in sports known for nothing less than pure excellence, a consummate professional, this man coached 5 completely different teams into a championship breed. This is almost unheard of, though for this man he will also donate his spare time to finding gold medals for NBA stars. Though this scourge to college basketball in the form of Coach Bo Ryan using such terms as renting players against such a great man is just pure jealousy in it's ugliest form. The fact that Bo Ryan can't attract the kind of talent that would only spend the required freshman year in NCAA basketball is more than likely the reason he doesn't have "one and done" players (as the rest of the world refers to it), no coach would not try to recruit the best players coming out of high school for then they would not be doing their job.
      Basically this man is a poor loser, and in the most childish of ways blurted an excuse for being beaten by a better team, Calapari didn't resort to such behavior after his team was defeated by Wisconsin in the final four, yet Bo Ryan just couldn't help himself. With Frank Kaminsky a senior he will depart for the draft and Wisconsin will have to rebuild, sure they will still be good, but not National Championship good. While Duke will have another good recruiting season and be ready to play their way into a one or 2 seed in the dance next year, and who really cares if it's with players that Coach K is renting from the NBA if that is what Bo Ryan meant by that remark.
And on that note Panda out!