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- Harder to win without LeBron James: The Miami Heat have been either the NBA Champion or the runner-up in each of the last four years. That was when they had LeBron James on their team. This season, LeBron James has been playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and they look like they’re going to make the finals. The Heat, meanwhile are struggling to just make the playoffs. Last night’s loss against James’ new team, the Cavaliers, drops the Heat to a tie with Boston for the last playoff spot.
Line: Hard to believe that James might not win the Most Valuable Player award given the stark contrast between the Heat last season with him and this season without him. And the same for the Cavaliers.
- With no reason to win, the Warriors still do: The Golden State Warriors have already clinched the top seed in the NBA Western Conference playoffs, so there’s no real reason for them to care about the rest of their regular season games. Still, they found a way to win last night’s game against the Phoenix Suns by a single point, 107-106. That must have totally infuriated the Suns whose playoff hopes are still alive, but only just barely.
Line: Damn, the Warriors are good.
- Crisis in Detroit: Detroit is known as “Hockeytown” and their team has made the playoffs in each of the past 23 years. They’ll probably keep that streak alive this year, but it’s going to be agonizingly close. Over the past fifteen games, they’ve only won four. That’s not good, especially not when one of those losses comes against a team with the same record in the same division, like it did in last night’s 3-2 loss to the Boston Bruins. The Bruins are now tied with the Red Wings in the standings.
Line: Detroit missing out on the playoffs is unimaginable but it could happen if they don’t start playing better soon.
- Playoff hopefuls winnowing: It’s starting to look like, of the four teams fighting for the last playoff spot in the NBA’s Eastern conference, two of them are emerging and two are falling behind. Last night, the two that are emerging, the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics, each won the games they were playing, of the two that are falling just a little behind, the Indiana Pacers lost and the Charlotte Hornets won. In a new development, the Miami Heat, who had been ahead of the fray, a few games ahead in seventh place, have dropped far enough back that they’re now tied with Brooklyn for eighth place. Add them to the mix and there are five teams fighting for two playoff spots now.
Line: With the Heat swooning, now there are two spots open for five teams to fight over.
- California hockey hopes: The San Jose Sharks beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-1 last night, so California hockey fans can still hope to get all three of their teams into the playoffs. If the Sharks and Los Angeles Kings do make it, it would come at the expense of Canadian hockey fans whose Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets would really have to fall apart.
Line: Choosing who to pull for between California and Canada for the casual fan is usually pretty easy.
- Pennsylvania hockey hatred: I don’t think there’s a more petulant rivalry out there today than the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers are by all accounts the worse team this year but that didn’t stop them from doing their normal act against the Penguins and beating the snot out of them on and off the scoreboard. The game ended with the Flyers up, 4-1.
Line: The Penguins are soft.
- A moral tie: There’s a controversial concept in sports of a “moral victory” when a team loses but, because of something circumstantial — the way they played, the fact that they were expected to lose by a lot and only lost by a little, etc. — it’s seen as a good thing anyway. Yesterday’s game between the United States Men’s National soccer team and Switzerland ended in a 1-1 tie and, in my mind, felt like neither a moral victory, nor a moral defeat. It was a tie and it felt like a tie. The U.S. team went up 1-0 in the first half but then couldn’t defend the lead after striker Jozy Altidore foolishly got kicked out of the game for cursing at the ref.
Line: We’ve passed the point where I’m excited about the U.S. team earning a draw.
- In the land of the blind…: There’s a race going on for the last playoff spot in the Eastern conference of the NBA. It’s not a race that includes any great basketball teams. The Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Boston Celtics, and Indiana Pacers have all lost far more games than they’ve won this season. But, since it is a race, it is exciting to follow. Last night the Nets beat the Pacers 111-106 to stay just ahead of the other three teams.
Line: The Nets look like a new team in the past couple weeks. They’ve won six of their last seven games!
- Not quiet dead yet: The race for the last playoff spot in the Eastern conference of the NHL didn’t mathematically end last night, but it almost did. The Boston Bruins came from down 2-1 and scored two straight goals in the third period to beat the Florida Panthers 3-2. This widened their lead over the Panthers in the standings to six points with only five games left in the season. It’s not impossible for Florida to catch Boston, but it would take a remarkable effort on their part and a laughable one on the Bruins part.
Line: It’s not really surprising that Boston would be in line to make the playoffs. It would be more surprising if they missed them.
- Celtics win a big one: Every game from now on is big for the four teams squabbling over the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference of the NBA. Two of those teams, the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets played last night and the Celtics won 116-104. With about eight games left, the Celtics, Hornets, Brooklyn Nets, and Indiana Pacers are all within 1.5 games of each other in the standings. This should make for an exciting end to the season.
Line: Big win by the Celtics last night. Big win!
- You don’t always win when you need (to): The Los Angeles Kings are in a similar position. They’re in ninth place in the NHL’s Western Conference and they are chasing two teams who are reasonably close in seventh and eight place. Losing 4-1 last night to the Chicago Blackhawks is not going to help their case.
Line: Big loss for the Kings last night. Big loss!
- Chalk reigns supreme: The women’s NCAA basketball tournament is running about a day behind the men’s tournament. Yesterday, the second two of four Elite Eight games were played, and pretty much like the men’s tournament, chalk (or the favorites) prevailed. The overwhelming favorite in the tournament, Connecticut, beat Dayton 91-70, and 1 seed Maryland beat 2 seed Tennessee 58-48 in a game that was closer than it seems from the score. With one minute to go, Maryland was only winning by three points.
Line: Four number one seeds made it to the women’s Final Four. In some years, people would complain about that being indicative of a lack of depth in the women’s game. This year, with three number one seeds making it in the men’s tournament, I bet you’ll hear less of that.
- I wish to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky: Not since the Civil War, when President Abraham Lincoln apparently said that, has Kentucky been so powerful. In the lead up to last night’s game, West Virginia got a little chesty and a little mouthy. Looks like they chose the wrong team to mess with. Kentucky beat them last night 78-39.
Line: And that’s what happens if you get Kentucky Mad.
- Closer but not that close: The other three March Madness games last night were closer but not that close and in each one, the better ranked team won. That’s a little boring but fans from Notre Dame which beat Wichita State 81-70, from Wisconsin who beat North Carolina 79-72, and Arizona that beat Xavier 68-60, won’t mind one bit.
Line: All the favorites won. Boring!
- Desire or just a streak?: It’s easy to see what happens near the end of a season as a matter of desire. For example, in the NHL, some teams are coming through when it matters most, like the Winnipeg Jets who beat the Montreal Canadiens last night 5-2 for their sixth win in seven games. Other teams fighting for playoff spots or positioning, like the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins lost and just don’t seem to have the desire that hockey requires of its practitioners this year. It’s also possible that streaks always happen and we don’t imbue them with meaning except at the end of the season.
Line: Looks like the Jets are going to make the playoffs. The Penguins and Bruins on the other hand, are sinking fast.
- Something rotten in the state of Denmark: The United States Men’s National Soccer Team went to Denmark last night to play a friendly against the Danish team. Like Shakespeare, an early sports pundit, predicted over 400 years ago, something was rotten in the state of Denmark and it was the United States team’s play. The U.S. jumped out to a 1-0 lead and then a 2-1 lead before losing 3-2 on three goals all scored by Nicklas Bendtner.
Line: The United States seems to be sliding backwards as a soccer nation.
- Some streaks continue, some streaks end in the NBA: People say that basketball is a game of runs, where one team scores a bunch of points and then the other team scores a bunch. The same could be said of basketball on a game by game basis too. The Chicago Bulls extended their streak of victories over the Toronto Raptors to five last night with a 116-103 victory. The San Antonio Spurs ended the Oklahoma City Thunder’s four game winning streak by authoritatively beating them 130-91.
Line: No matter how you look at things in the NBA, you can always find some statistic that looks like a streak is continuing or ending.
- A frustrating victory for Philadelphia: The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 last night. This put them within 9 points (two points for a win, one point for an overtime loss) of the last playoff spot. With only seven games left in the season, they almost definitely won’t be able to climb their way up into the playoffs and winning games like this one against top-flight opponents is a frustrating reminder of how much talent this team has.
Line: Too little, too late for the Flyers.
- Field set for March Madness: The last two play-in games (or first round games as the NCAA insists we call them) were last night, so this morning the field of 64 teams is locked and loaded for today’s action. Dayton beat Boise State 56-55 in a game that was controversial for a potentially missed call by a ref at the end of the game and because the game was played in Dayton, Ohio. Robert Morris beat North Florida 81-77 for the right to play against Duke on Friday.
Line: Let the tournament begin!
- Field set for Champions League final eight: Over in Europe, their slower version of the NCAA tournament, soccer’s Champions League is happening. Yesterday’s games were the last in their round of sixteen. Barcelona advanced over Manchester City and Juventus beat Dortmund to advance as well. The final eight include three Spanish teams, two French teams, and one team from Germany, Italy, and Portugal. No English teams.
Line: I thought the British Premier League was supposed to be the best soccer league in the world? Why can’t any of their teams make it deep in the Champions League?
- Doubts about the reality of Atlanta continue: Oh sure, the city exists, we’re talking about the quality of their basketball team, the Atlanta Hawks. They’ve been leading the Eastern Conference all season but every time they get into a game with another top three team, they seem to lose. That’s what happened last night agains the Golden State Warriors beat them 114-95.
Line: I still don’t trust Atlanta to win in the playoffs because of games like this.
- Old people miss best game at Big East Tournament: My buddy and I went to the Big East Tournament yesterday and watched basketball all day from Noon until… well, until we got sleepy and left half-way through the fourth game. As luck would have it, that was by far the most exciting game of the day and the only upset. Favored Butler lost to Xavier 67-61 in overtime. In the other games, Villanova stomped Marquette 84-49, St. John’s lost disappointingly to Providence 74-57, and Georgetown beat a pesky Creighton 60-55.
Line: And that’s why you never leave a game early!
- Grizzlies decide to sit their best three players; lose: TNT could not have been happy with the Memphis Grizzlies decision to sit Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, and Mike Conley in a nationally televised game on their network. The more coaches do this, especially when it results in a boring entertainment like last night’s 107-87 Wizards win, the more likely it’s going to be that the league steps in and does something about it.
Line: It’s a tough call — I think a coach should be able to do what’s best for his team’s championship hopes, but it does seem a little wrong.
- Cavs and Spurs a finals preview: At this point, who in their right mind would bet against either LeBron James or the San Antonio Spurs. It seems like no matter what happens during an NBA season, those two end up in the finals against each other. Last night it was James’ new sidekick, Kyrie Irving, who stole the show with 57 points. The Cavaliers beat the Spurs 128 – 125 in overtime.
Line: Not only would I not bet against a Cavaliers vs. Spurs finals, I wouldn’t root against it either. It would be fun!
- Champions for now: The United States Women’s National soccer team won the Algarve Cup by beating France 2-0. The Algarve Cup is an annual international tournament that means something to win but not nearly as much as the once-every-four-years World Cup which is happening this year in Canada. As such, the U.S. team will celebrate for about five minutes before going back to thinking about/obsessing over the World Cup.
Line: Let’s see them do it in June.
- A man down but not out: Paris Saint Germain played about two thirds of regulation time in their Champions League game yesterday against Chelsea down a man after their striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was given a red card. The team seemed to use what they felt was an unfair expulsion as a rallying point. They went down a goal and clawed back to force extra time. They went down another goal in extra time and heroically gathered their energy and were able to score again to even the score. Then they just had to hold on in the final few minutes to advance thanks to a moderately complicated rule governing Champions League tie-breakers.
Line: What a heroic performance by PSG, (Paris Saint Germain) especially their center backs, David Silva and Thiago Silva. (unrelated but both Brazilian)
- Don’t count them out: The Portland Trail Blazers season was widely said to become a lost cause when one of their best players, Wesley Matthews, went down with a torn Achilles tendon last week. Their remaining players seem determined to prove that to be a false assumption. They beat the Houston Rockets 105-100 last night, even surviving a bizarre and beautiful fourth quarter surge by the Rockets, led by veteran Corey Brewer who scored 17 points in the fourth quarter alone.
Line: I still don’t think the Trail Blazers can survive a playoff series without Matthews but last night’s game is making me have second thoughts.
- Champions League Insanity: Entering yesterday’s second game of the two game series between Real Madrid and Schalke 04, Madrid was up 2-0 in aggregate goals. That meant, that, because the game was in Madrid, Real Madrid could win, tie, or lose by one goal and still advance. I didn’t expect that they would be in any real danger of not advancing — Real Madrid is one of the world’s best teams, so full of great players that it sometimes seems like an all-star team. I was wrong! Schalke 04 scored four goals and pushed Real Madrid to the brink. The final score of 4-3 in favor of Schalke 04, left Real Madrid still up by a goal (5-4) in aggregate, so they will advance but they certainly look beatable.
Line: Seven goals in a soccer game?! That’s a lot.
- Headband? We’re talking about headband? Mimicking Allen Iverson’s famous rant, that’s the question basketball fans have for the basketball media members who couldn’t find anything more interesting to write about following the Cleveland Cavaliers 127-94 drubbing of the Dallas Mavericks than the fact that LeBron James played the game without a headband.
Line: LeBron played the game without his headband? Who cares!
- Manhattan won the battle of New York but lost the war: There was a real battle of New York once, in the Revolutionary War, and the British won it handily. Today, we’re lucky that most battles of New York happen in a sporting arena. Last night’s battle for New York was between the New York Islanders and New York Rangers. The Rangers won the game 2-1 but won only two games of the five the teams played against each other this season. To be honest, this might only be the first campaign of the war. If the two teams meet in the playoffs, that would be the deciding campaign — and also very exciting.
Line: I hope the Islanders and Rangers meet up in the playoffs this year.
