Okay, this is easy, While there are plenty of stories to report on, and I will later in this blog, there are two main topics that must be addressed first. And while I am not talking about Hurricane Sally, it felt like a hurricane happened in the sports world.
The first story is the Western Conference Semi-Finals series between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Denver Nuggets. The result has been described as the biggest choke in NBA history.
Down 3-1, the Denver Nuggets came back, through sheer determination and the Clippers ineptitude. Clearly, the Clippers were caught looking ahead to playing their Staples Center rivals, the Lakers for the Western crown. Which led them to overlook how talented the Nuggets really are.
I am not here to extol the Nuggets. Coach Mike Malone did a fine job of readying his troops. Denver did not panic when behind, stayed within themselves and were rewarded for their patience and perseverance. Besides, I have a warm spot for an old ABA team, especially the colorfully clad Nuggets and their mod coach, Doug Moe.
No, this is more about the Clippers. Glenn “Doc” Rivers is a fine human being. We know this for his reasoned approach to the turmoil in this nation. While Rivers had won an NBA title and actually is a good coach, he is the only coach to ever blow a 3-1 lead not once, not twice, but three times.
Rivers immediately took the blame for the term’s collapse. He took the sword for his players. To shield them from the criticism they richly deserved.
LA went out and got Kawhi Leonard, fresh off of his title run with the Toronto Raptors, to lead this downtrodden franchise to the Promised Land, which probably required a series win over the Lakers. I am not directly criticizing Leonard—without him, the Clippers would be a very average team. He is a legitimate superstar. His 2 for 11 shooting in the 4th quarter of Game 7 was very unlike him.
Then again, Leonard was trying so hard to make up for the flawed team the Clippers were by carrying the team by himself. That rarely works. That is usually left to players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Michael Jordan. While Kawhi is extraordinarily talented, is a superstar in the NBA, he is not those three players nor did he have a team as talented as Cleveland, Miami, the Lakers, Golden State or the Jordan-led Bulls. I don’t think this group was as talented as the Raptors of 2019-20, and I really like the Toronto coach, Nick Nurse.
Which leads me to Paul George. “Playoff P” as he is known. I think George is an okay player. But just okay. I can name a number of players on other teams who are more complimentary to their superstar than Paul George. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson come to mind with how they interacted with Durant. And those Golden State teams also had Draymond Green and a host of other more talented players who were far better than what the Clippers put on the court.
With Leonard futilely trying to make up for the bad play of George (who I also think is on a downward trajectory after his serious injuries) along with the disappearance of Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams, two very selfish players, it not surprising that a team with good, positive chemistry like the Nuggets could prevail over the Clippers.
Look, I do not expect the Nuggets to defeat the Lakers as the team stand entering the the series. For that matter, the two evenly matched teams in the East, Boston and Miami, will likely slug it out to see who makes the Finals. This is the Lakers championship to win, and I just don’t see them losing.
One more NBA morsel. The block of Jason Tatum’s dunk attempt by Miami’s Bam Adebayo was incredible. The timing was perfect as was his strength. Simply spectacular, with the game on the line.
It made me look again as to why this wasn’t goaltending, since Tatum’s arm was in a downward motion when the block occurred. The answer is that the ball hadn’t left Tatum’s hand. And after Thursday night’s loss, Boston trails the Heat 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The second story is the reversal of the Big Ten to allow football to begin on October 23-24. It will be an 8 game schedule, followed by each of the 8 division streams squaring off against a team from the other division in a final game, with the #1 teams potentially playing for a chance in the playoffs. With Selection Sunday the day after the top teams play.
I have read the proposal. It is a sound one. There will be copious testing and heart monitoring. But it doesn’t take into account that these are kids 18-22 years of age, existing on a college campus, not necessarily engrossed in their studies in their free time. Unless they are babysat by their coaches and the team support staff, trouble is always lurking ahead.
Do not be fooled by the NBA, NHL or even the NFL over the first week. Look more at Charlotte, whose offensive line has been decimated by COVID-19, forcing the cancellation of the game against North Carolina. Houston-Baylor, set fr Saturday, was postponed because of an outbreak. Or what has happened at Virginia Tech, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Memphis among others, let alone conference schools like Maryland, Michigan State and Rutgers.
COVID is lurking, the weather is changing and the flu season is almost upon us. I haven’t seen any signs saying that it is all clear, let’s resume play. There aren’t going to be fans in the stands. No bands or cheerleaders. Just football.
The “Why?” Is easy. It’s for the money. Like it always has been. Put any spin on it that the Big Ten or other colleges offer, and dismiss the rhetoric. The possible loss of millions of dollars is still the compelling force.
I wish all the college football players well. How can I not? No matter how misguided or unwilling they are to heed the warnings of doctors and scientists, it is their lives that are in jeopardy. Football may limp to its eventual expected finish line. I hope the cost isn’t too much in the health and safety of others.
In baseball, the Yankees have started a surge with dormant bats suddenly awakened and slugging home runs. Concurrently, the pitching has dominated both the Orioles and Blue Jays in games at Yankee Stadium. The injured players are healthy and the lineup is playing even better.
Yet I am not quite sold on their resurgence leading the Bombers on a run though the American League and a date in Arlington, Texas with the National League winner. If the winning keeps on going with the 7 road contests in Boston and then a return engagement with the Jays this time back in Buffalo, then I might be persuaded that this team is for real.
The Dodgers were the first to clinch a playoff spot, done so on the road where they took 2 of 3 from their closest pursuers, the Padres. Tampa and the White Sox have also clinched spots. None of the playoff slots have been decided heading into this weekend, which will make this new format even more exciting. Home field will become very important for the first round—especially to a team like the Yankees.
After that, all teams head to their respective bubbles—the AL at Dodger Stadium and San Diego, which the NL will be in Houston and at the Rangers new home in Arlington. Pitching will be at a premium and there will be no days off, since travel will be minimal (although the trip out to California will be a long one for most of the qualifying AL teams).
Starting this weekend, the teams are quarantined for the remainder of the season and through the playoffs. This will become an extra burden for the teams to cope with, in this year of COVID-19. Here’s where baseball can prove that they are the equal of the other sports who have magnificently pulled off their playoffs.
Still, there were games postponed this week and now we have learned that an umpire tested positive for COVID-19, creating problems in reconfiguring the umpiring crews. Which means baseball’s attempt to conclude its season always has some lingering doubt attached to it.
The NFL opened its season last week. Both the Jets and Giants looked as bad as anticipated. The Eagles lost to Washington—I just don’t see Carson Wentz to be a QB that a team can win a championship with. Sam Darnold of the Jets falls into that category, too. Elite QB’s like Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay and Drew Brees oil New Orleans continue to shine; Cam Newton was spectacular in New England’s win over Miami, as was Russell Wilson for Seattle over Atlanta; Lamar Jackson of the Ravens and Patrick Mahomes II of the Chiefs are the top flight names we hear repeatedly. Dak Prescott of Dallas and Jared Goff for the Rams are very nice QB’s, just like Houston’s Deshawn Watson; if given the right talent, they are capable of winning a championship. Joe Burrow played admirably in his first two games for the Bengals; he and Baker Mayfield in Cleveland are up and comers. Same thing with Kyler Murray in Arizona. I cite Gardner Minshew II of Jacksonville for his 19-20 performance in a win over the Colts.
Don’t see two familiar names who are now operating with different franchises? That’s because Tom Brady and Philip Rivers both showed their age and didn’t have particularly good games. I recognize that one game does not define a season, but these older guys are going to have to get it right sooner than later.
I saw an interesting ESPN rating of NFL football venues (with fans, history, and the amenities). The top place is Lambeau Field in Green Bay, followed by Century Link Field in Seattle, Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium. Heinz Field in Pittsburgh and U.S Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings. Jerry Jones’ AT&T Stadium is in sixth place, followed by the Linc—Lincoln Financial Field, the aerie for the Eagles. Met Life Stadium, the bland mausoleum known to be the home of the Giants and Jets, placed in at number 21. The worst is Fed Ex Field, the home of the Washington Football Team. Honorable mention for the worst sites goes to TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, and Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium—which I have been to and I can actually say that Met Life is better.
As promised last week, here are some more lists:
Favorite NYJ Players
Curtis Martin
Al Toon
Joe Klecko
Best Opponents
Tom Brady
Dan Marino
John Elway
Best College Games (In Person)
Rutgers-Louisville 2006
Rutgers-USF 2007
Lehigh-Lafayette 2014 (Yankee Stadium)
Best College Games (on TV)
USC-Wisconsin 1963 Rose Bowl
Boston College-Miami 1984
(tie) Clemson-Alabama 2017
USC-Texas 2006
Turning to the NHL, the Stanley Cup Finals matchup is set. Dallas masterfully defeated Vegas with powerful hitting and timely scoring. The Islanders impressive run ended with an OT loss to Tampa Bay, who was the superior team. I feel this is the Stars’ year to shine, so I am going with Dallas to win the Cup.
Honorable mention for the past week goes to:
Naomi Osaka and Dominic Thiem for rousing comeback wins to collect the U.S. Open Women’s and Men’s singles titles;
Cubs’ hurler Alec Mills, a walk-on at Tennessee-Martin, who looked impressive in his 12-0 no-hitter win in Milwaukee;
Albert Pujols slamming his 660th career home run, tying the great Willie Mays on the all-time list;
Luke Voit of the Yankees, who leads MLB in homers;
Louisiana upsetting #17 Iowa State in Ames and then getting ranked fr the first time since 1943;
,
Former Devils GM Lou Lamoriello named GM of the Year in the NHL for his resurgence in putting together this Islanders team.
In my mindless quest for information on all things sports, I wondered if the two colleges which call Athens home—the University of Georgia and Ohio University have ever clashed on the gridiron. The answer is no. But I did find some interesting things in the opponents of the Bulldogs. They are 0-3 against Southern Cal and…Holy Cross. 0-3-1 with Pitt. 0-1 versus the U of Chicago, Rice, Miami (OH), Stanford, Syracuse, West Virginia, Harvard and Cumberland. 1-1 against Columbia , Michigan and Dartmouth. 1-2 playing Wake Forest and Nebraska. 2-2-1 against Davidson. 1-1-1 with Centre. 2-3-1 against Maryland. 3-3 with NYU. 0-0-1 versus Arizona. 0-2 with Navy. A perfect 22-0 when playing Mercer. And they are ahead 6-5 with Yale. Georgia has met Auburn, Georgia Tech, Florida and, surprisingly, Vanderbilt the most. They have a losing record playing SEC schools Alabama and LSU. No games against Big Ten schools Rutgers, Northwestern, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois nor Ivy League colleges Cornell and Brown.
To end this blog on a 2020 college basketball note, the Maui Invitational is moving to North Carolina for this year. So perfectly COVID.
Lots of news in a short span. One thing for certain: the elephants are definitely in the room.
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