Celtics Take 3-2 Series As Finals Head Back To LA

It was Paul Pierce early, it was Rajon Rondo late and it was stingy defense throughout the contest that gave the Boston Celtics a much needed 92-86 win in Game 5 of the NBA Finals despite a spirited 38 point performance from Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics led throughout most of the contest but the Lakers were able to get within 4 in the game's final minutes to keep the issue in doubt. The Celtics benefitted from an officiating mistake after Kobe hit 3 consecutive free throws to close within 5 with 1:30 left in the 4th quarter. The Celtics held the ball and got it to Ray Allen for a 3 as the shot clock expired, Allen failed to hit the rim on the shot and possession should have gone to the Lakers however it was too hard for the refs to tell in real time and the Celtics retained possession with a fresh 24.

Paul Pierce was on fire in the 1st half and early in the 2nd, which allowed Boston to weather Kobe's 19-point barrage in the 3rd quarter. Kobe was on his game in the 2nd half but the rest of his team failed to show up preventing LA from making much headway. The Celtics were charged-up late thanks to the energy provided by PG Rajon Rondo whose hustle plays were the difference in the game's final minutes. Once again the Celtics got contributions from all of their players including 18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocks from Kevin Garnett. The versatility of this team's offense has been very evident in Boston's 3 wins so far in the Finals. The series now moves back to Los Angeles where it will be do or die for Kobe Bryant and his supporting cast. If the rest of the Lakers come out as flat in either of the next 2 games as they did tonight then the Celtics will be hoisting another NBA Championship banner soon.

I expect Kobe to be at his absolute best in Game 6 as he returns to his home court in a must-win elimination game. He is too good and too determined to be anything but spectacular. It's hard to foresee the Lakers losing Game 6 at home after dropping their last 2 in Boston so I think we all need to get ready for a thrilling Game 7 showdown for the NBA Title this week. I think Boston will pull it out in the end but wouldn't be surprised to see Kobe take over and try and win this thing by himself, he's capable of it.

World Cup Opening Weekend: Germans Emerge As An Early Favorite

The highly anticipated World Cup began play this weekend in South Africa. Many of the world's top teams were in action over the last few days including France, Germany and England however there has yet be any particularly compelling contests so far. The much awaited opener for the USA against England looked like it could be a complete disaster after the red coats scored in the opening minutes. The US was largely outplayed but was able to scratch out a 1-1 tie after Clint Dempsey received a gift from God and got the equalizer on a shot that England's goalie Robert Green now famously couldn't corral. The star for the US was G Tim Howard who played a terrific game in net despite sustaining a rib injury in the first half. Howard's health and play in goal will be vital to the team's success if they hope to advance further in this tournament.

No team had yet to distinguish itself as a serious contender in the first few games, most notably France who scuffled to a 0-0 tie against underdog Uruguay. That is until Germany took to the pitch in Sunday's final game against the Socceroo's of Australia. The Germans were simply a well-oiled, offensive machine as they cruised to a 4-0 victory against the Aussie's. The score could have easily been much higher considering the number of chances the Germans had on offense. Germany is a perennial contender at the World Cup and this edition looks to be no different.

USC To Face NCAA Punishment

According to an ESPN source the NCAA is likely going to slap the USC Trojans athletic department with a number of sanctions following an investigation of possible violations by the football and men’s basketball teams. The investigation came after a number of allegations were put forward citing recruiting violations for superstar players like Heisman winner Reggie Bush and basketball phenom O.J. Mayo, all of which turned out to be true. If the Trojans are found culpable it has been reported that football team will face 2-year ban from bowl games, a reduction in scholarships (a number that could be 20 or more) and will likely have to forfeit wins starting from at least the 2004 season. In the last decade under now former Head Coach Pete Carroll the Trojans won 7 Pac-10 titles and a pair of National Championships. It is possible that all of USC’s success over that time could be completely erased from the books like we saw with the University of Michigan’s men’s basketball program of the early 90s during the Fab 5 years.

A lot of people were surprised when Pete Carroll left USC for the Seattle Seahawks this winter but it’s looking more and more like he made the right decision to get out when he did. Carroll had been revered as a college coaching God with all of his success during the past 10 years but now he reputation amongst the coaching ranks will be tarnished. The NCAA has not banned a football team from postseason play in the last 7 years but an Infractions Committee spokesman was quoted as saying they wanted to make an example of USC, I can’t really disagree with that thinking.

These sanctions will have a serious impact on college football in California and the Pac-10 in general, in fact it will probably have an effect on college recruiting throughout the country. Under Pete Carroll the Trojans brought in the best High School athletes year after year and maintained a talent pool that drew the ire of every other team in the Pac-10. In addition to dominating the state of California, USC was also notorious for pilfering some of the best players from the North-East and other regions where there aren’t many prestigious football programs. The bowl ban and scholarship reduction is going to cripple USC’s football program for years to come but may go a long way to restoring the former glory of many other teams in the Pac-10 like Cal and UCLA who have fallen into mediocrity as USC rose to astronomical levels since 2000. The NCAA is essence is going to break up the Trojans’ recruiting monopoly so you can expect to see a lot more talent on teams that have competed with USC for recruits in the coming years. Head Coach Lane Kiffin will have a tough task ahead of him and may be regretting taking his dream job after spending only one year as the coach of the Tennessee Volunteers before jumping ship. Then again he has the opportunity to prove that he really is a great coach if he can steer USC through the next two years and re-establish one of the Nation’s most glorified programs in the coming years.

As an endnote it will interesting to see how the rest of Pete Carroll’s career pans out. He was a failure in his first attempt at NFL head coaching with the New York Jets and New England Patriots before coming to USC. I never thought Carroll was a particularly good game-planner or play-caller, he was simply a terrific recruiter who won games with talent alone. Now it appears he brought that talent in thanks to illicit means and if he cannot succeed at the helm of the Seahawks I feel many college programs will be very skeptical of hiring him where only a few months ago they would drooling at the opportunity. In an off season filled with college football shakeups, USC’s punishment will have far-reaching implications.

Blackhawks Win Stanley Cup in OT of Game 6

Got to hand it to the Blackhawks, they were the superior team in this series and showed it in games 5 and 6. Too much offense, too much depth and the Flyers were simply out of gas. I was impressed with how Philadelphia was able to rally in the 3rd period but ultimately this series was all about Chicago. It sucks that they had to celebrate in Philadelphia and the refs could have done a much better job signaling the game-winning goal in OT that everyone on the ice seemed to miss but it was a good game and a good series regardless. Get 'em next year.

Also former Flyers Centerman Jeremy Roenick cried on national TV in case you missed it

Flyers Face Elimination Again Tonight, 8 PM

The puck drops on tonight on game 6 on the Stanley Cup Finals in Philadelphia where the favored Chicago Blackhawks hold a 3-2 series lead and look to eliminate the Flyers on the road. That will be a difficult task as a home team has yet to lose a game in these finals and the Flyers have won their last 7 games at the Wachovia Center this postseason.

After falling in an 0-2 hole the Flyers rallied to win both games at home before the series shifted back to Chicago. After a series filled with close games the Blackhawks showed up ready to play in game 5 by jumping out to a 3-0 lead after the first period. The Flyers were able to mount some offense of their own but the Blackhawks’ offensive attack was simply too much as the home team earned a 7-4 victory. Chicago’s effort was spearheaded by Dustin Byfuglein who had been largely absent in the first four games of the series thanks to effective defense from the Flyers’s Chris Pronger.

Both teams have suffered from inconsistent goaltending in this series with the Flyers taking the worst of it in game 5. Michael Leighton had been stalwart in the net after replacing the injured Brian Boucher in round 2 of the playoffs, leading all playoff goaltenders in GAA, Save % and Shutouts entering the Finals. Leighton’s struggles in the first period of game 5 forced Flyers’ coach Peter Laviolette to pull him in favor of the freshly healed Boucher, who fared only slightly better. While there is no official word on who will start game 6 Laviolette has hinted at Leighton who has seen much more action lately but don’t be surprised if coaching staff has a short leash with him.

As we have seen the Flyers have been in this position before this postseason and will once again need everything they have in order to stave off elimination. They’ll need to be motivated by the home crowd and perhaps more importantly by the image of the Blackhawks carrying the Stanley Cup all over their home ice.

Trying To Find Some NFL News

The months of May, June and July are the doldrums of NFL news updates after the NFL draft in late April. For most of us this is simply too long of a time to wait, especially after the impending conclusion of the NBA and NHL seasons in the next week or so. I decided it was time for some NFL (read Eagles) news, even if there isn’t really that much to talk about.

The Philadelphia Eagles began their final series of voluntary OTAs this with two notable absences. Pro-Bowl CB Asante Samuel has left the team because of a recent death in the family while electrifying WR DeSean Jackson is a holdout because he is unhappy with his contract situation. I’m not really bothered by this hold out because it is entirely a business decision and Jackson has displayed absolutely no animosity toward the team despite voicing his desire to be paid what he deserves. It is unlikely that Jackson will receive the contract extension he is seeking this offseason for two reasons. First the Eagles’ management has been notoriously stinging when it comes to contract extensions and has rarely caved to players’ holdouts and trade demands (a relevant case is that of CB Sheldon Brown a few years ago, the often-underrated Brown wanted a contract extension after a terrific 2007 campaign and demanded an offseason trade. The Eagles had him under contract through last season and played hardball knowing Brown was nearing the end of his NFL effectiveness. There was no ill will afterwards and Brown continued to be a stalwart fan favorite for the next two seasons.) Secondly the prospect of a lockout following the 2010 has become a near certainty at this time and teams are clearly unwilling to commit large salaries and years to players in the face of that. In fact don’t expect any major contract extensions anywhere in the league this summer (with the possible exception of a guy like Colts QB Peyton Manning, but then again he’s no run-of-the-mill NFL superstar).

Offseason holdouts have become a normal procedure for players seeking a pay increase and don’t carry the same sinister implications they used to. Generally the only really serious holdouts tend to come from highly drafted rookies like Michael Crabtree last year or Jamarcus Russell in 2007 which lasted nearly the entire season. Everyone in the Eagles’ organization knows that DeSean Jackson deserves to be paid like one of the best WRs in the game (which of course he is) but they are further limited by a rule which only allows salary increases of up to 30% on existing contracts. I think the best way the team could handle this situation would be to hand Jackson a big chunk of guaranteed money in excess of $10 million. That would allay his contract demands and allow him to get back to work with QB Kevin Kolb as he prepares for his first season as the team’s undisputed starter. I believe the Eagles’ offense is set to explode this year in a way most people don’t think possible. People tend to forget that starters Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy were rookies last year despite their heavy workload. Jackson and Maclin had very similar rookie campaigns and we all know what happened in Jackson’s sophomore season, if Maclin can come anywhere near the production we saw from Jackson last year it could be a long 2010 for NFC secondaries.

On a side note that Washington Redskins have been courting former Eagles RB Brian Westbrook. The ‘Skins have been stockpiling veteran running backs this year with additions of Larry Johnson and Willie Parker but I wouldn’t be surprised if they shipped Parker out in training camp if they brought Westbrook in. If Westbrook can be somewhat healthy in 2010 he could be a nice albeit not-as-explosive safety blanket for QB Donovan McNabb. Personally I wouldn’t mind seeing that reunion, especially since I am much more content with their replacements in Philadelphia and am only minutely concerned that those two might come back to haunt the Eags.

Strasburg Dominates in MLB Debut

Washington Nationals rookie SP Stephen Strasburg made perhaps the most anticipated debut in the history of the MLB on Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He didn’t disappoint. In fact he was nothing short of brilliant and dominating. Strasburg hurled 7 very strong innings with the only blemish being a 2-run homer on a good piece of hitting by Delwyn Young of the Pirates. Other than that one pitch I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a guy pitch as well as Strasburg did. He allowed on 4 hits over 7 while striking out a somewhat ridiculous 14 hitters and walking none. Strasburg finished his start by striking out the final 7 batters he faced and by the end of his outing they didn’t even stand a chance.

Last season Strasburg’s college coach, HOF player Tony Gwynn, said he thought Strasburg could have been an All-Star right then (a month before he was the number 1 overall selection). I immediately dismissed that idea as one of those hype-building statements coaches and scouts like to make about athletes to increase their exposure. After watching a single Strasburg start I realize I was wrong. Very wrong.

Strasburg has four terrific pitches: a 100 mph 4-seam fastball, a mid- to high-90s 2-seam fastball (that moves more than most MLB sliders), a changeup that he can throw any time for a strike and a power curve that has sharp, late movement. Strasburg can get a strikeout with any of those 4 pitches and to make matters worse for hitters has impeccable control of all of them.

Now obviously once there’s enough tape hitters around the league will have a better idea of what Strasburg is trying to do on the mound but then again there’s plenty of tape on guys like Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum and that hasn’t seemed to stop them from winning Cy Youngs. Stephen Strasburg is simply the real deal. Period. Unfortunately this guy now pitches in the NL East and the Mets will have to face him multiple times a season for years to come. This guy has 4 “out” pitches and again can throw any of them at any time in the count, that’s is a rare talent, Nolan Ryan-like talent.

Stephen Strasburg has arrived, MLB hitters beware.