All posts for the month April, 2012

Rangers-Capitals: NHL Second-Round Preview

Barely 96 hours ago, I posted a sizzling rant directed at a listless Rangers squad that was a game from a gut-wrenching first-round series loss to the Senators, doubly galling because the Blueshirts were the No. 1 overall seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Apparently, the message was received.

Thanks to stellar second periods in Games 6 and 7, New York eked out a pair of one-goal wins to dispatch the pesky Sens and advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2008. With overall No. 1 seed Vancouver, defending champion Boston and betting favorite Pittsburgh all eliminated in the first round, the Rangers have to be considered the de facto favorite to (gulp)… win the Stanley Cup.

But this NHL postseason has not been kind to favorites and marquee names thus far, and the Rangers have a familiar foe awaiting them in the second round. That would be the Washington Capitals, who bounced the Blueshirts in their last two playoff appearances (2009 and 2011). Unlike last season, however, the Rangers enter this series as the heavy favorite, especially with Capitals star forward Alex Ovechkin basically reduced to a decoy role in Washington’s first-round series win over Boston.

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by jfs360 on April 27, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Hockey, Rangers

Posted by jfs360 on April 27, 2012

http://deadmansalley.com/2012/04/27/rangers-capitals-nhl-preview/

Knicks/Heat First Round Preview

In the last 15 years, only one player on the Knicks has made me believe in greatness.

Longtime NBA fans know what I’m talking about. There are dozens of elite players in the league at any given time, but only a handful that keep you from going to the bathroom when they’re having a hot night. Only a select few have the potential for a historic game every time they get on the floor, to the point where you’re salivating for the chance to watch your star when he drops 57 points (Deron Williams) or scores 17 points in the last five minutes of a game (LeBron James). You’re willing to sell the house for a guy like that, even if it means trading five quarters for a dollar (copyright Bill Simmons 2010). Because with the exception of the 2004 Pistons, five quarters won’t win you a championship. You need at least one “dollar player” on your team, a guy who on any given night can basically win a game by himself.

That, of course, was the Knicks’ thinking when they acquired Carmelo Anthony. And for the last month, Melo has played at a level that Knicks fans have not seen from one of their own since Patrick Ewing was in his prime.

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2 Comments
by jfs360 on April 27, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Basketball, Knicks

Posted by jfs360 on April 27, 2012

http://deadmansalley.com/2012/04/27/knicksheat-first-round-preview/

Giants/Jets NFL Draft: First-Round Recap

Well I managed to completely whiff on both first-round picks for the Giants and Jets. The Giants’ miss was actually defensible — I don’t know anyone who predicted a running back in the first round for the G-Men, much less David Wilson (who?? I know, right?!). But I kicked myself when I saw that the Jets had drafted North Carolina defensive end Quinton Coples, who could give the Jets the outside pass rusher they’ve been looking for since Vernon Gholston (the Jets’ 2008 first-round selection) turned out to be a colossal bust.

I actually saw a piece about Coples in Sunday’s New York Post — the Jets had worked him out prior to the draft and raved about his speed off the edge. But I discounted the story in favor of Dontari Poe and Michael Floyd, both of whom were picked before the Jets made their selection. It would have helped to know that coach Rex Ryan apparently promised Coples that the Jets would pick him after he worked out for the team (I would have taken it with a grain of salt because it’s Rex, but still).

As for Wilson, I’m as surprised as you undoubtedly were. Yes, the Giants had the worst rushing offense in the NFL last season, lost Brandon Jacobs to free agency and needed a running back as insurance for injury-prone starter Ahmad Bradshaw. But the consensus was that when it came to the first round, this draft class went one-deep at running back: Alabama’s Trent Richardson, selected by the Browns with the third overall pick.

The selection is vintage Giants, though — draft a super-athletic but raw player in the first or second round and mold him into a Pro Bowler. The strategy worked with Osi Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul, and the jury’s still out on last year’s athletic-but-undisciplined pick, cornerback Prince Amukamara. Wilson is the most athletic runner in the draft, even more than Richardson, because of his Dave Meggett-like lateral quickness. Can he be an effective second back behind Bradshaw? If he can cut down on his fumbles and improve his pass blocking, then yes. The kid had 1,709 yards rushing and nine touchdowns in 13 games last season for Virginia Tech — the talent is obviously there.

More to come next week, when I break down and grade the draft class of both New York teams.

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by jfs360 on April 27, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Football, Giants, Jets

Posted by jfs360 on April 27, 2012

http://deadmansalley.com/2012/04/27/giants-jets-nfl-draft-first-roundp/

Giants/Jets NFL Draft Preview

Lights? Check. Cameras filling Radio City Music Hall? Check. Massive over-coverage on ESPN? Big check.

That’s right folks, it’s the NFL Draft! The now-three-day extravaganza kicks off Thursday at 8PM Eastern with the first round, headline by purported can’t-miss quarterback prospects Andrew Luck (going with the No. 1 pick to the Colts) and Robert Griffin III (going second to the Redskins). I say ‘purported’ because for every Peyton Manning, there’s a Ryan Leaf.

As for New York’s two teams, the Jets own the 16th overall pick. The Giants, meanwhile, have the coveted final pick in the first round that is awarded to the defending Super Bowl champion. Speaking as a diehard Giants fan, please this let be the start of a slew of 32nd overall picks, if you know what I mean.

So who will the Jets and Giants pick with their first-round selections? Here are three possibilities for each team:

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by jfs360 on April 26, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Football, Giants, Jets

Posted by jfs360 on April 26, 2012

http://deadmansalley.com/2012/04/26/giants-jets-nfl-draft-preview/

Michael Pineda: Still The Right Move

First things first: Brian Cashman made the right call when he traded catcher/DH Jesus Montero for Seattle Mariners pitcher Michael Pineda. I believed that when the trade was announced in January, I believed it when Pineda struggled in spring training, and I believe it today, in the wake of reports that Pineda has a torn labrum in his right (throwing) shoulder and will have surgery and miss the entire season.

Given the production of Montero last year, that may seem like an odd sentiment. But before you judge Cashman for the trade, remember two things: Good pitching always trumps good hitting, and you make blockbuster trades with a view to your team’s long-term future.

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by jfs360 on April 26, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Analysis, Injury Updates, Player Profiles

Posted by jfs360 on April 26, 2012

http://deadmansalley.com/2012/04/26/michael-pineda-injury/

The New Jersey Nets’ Last Home Game: A Running Diary

The New Jersey Nets, who debuted in the NBA in 1976, played the last home game in its history Monday. The franchise is moving to Brooklyn next season, and the Nets were in no danger of making the playoffs this year. For the last game, the team brought back a battalion of former players from throughout the franchise’s 35-year history. They interviewed many of the players and asked them about their favorite memory from their Nets career.

And it was astonishing to hear how uninterested the players from recent years sounded. The players from the Nets teams in the late 70s and 80s were full of stories you could barely believe. The players from the last 15-20 years looked as if they were explaining a bee sting or some other mildly unpleasant memory. Below are the verbatim responses from several former players and coaches about their favorite Nets moment, along with the years they played for the Nets:

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by jfs360 on April 24, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Basketball, Nets

Posted by jfs360 on April 24, 2012

http://deadmansalley.com/2012/04/24/new-jersey-nets-last-home-game/

An Open Rant to the Rangers

The Rangers, the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 overall seed, are down 3-2 in their first-round series with the Ottawa Senators and must win the next two games to advance to the next round. Game 6 is tonight in Ottawa. If Blueshirts’ coach John Tortorella let me address the team before the game, I’d say something like the following (BE ADVISED, AN R-RATED RANT LIES AHEAD)

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2 Comments
by jfs360 on April 23, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Hockey, Rangers

Posted by jfs360 on April 23, 2012

http://deadmansalley.com/2012/04/23/rangers-open-rant/

A Big Fourth Quarter For Stat and Melo

In my preview of the second half of the Knicks’ season, I said the team would have to earn at worst the No. 6 seed in the playoffs to have a viable chance at a first-round series win, and thus a successful year. I even titled the piece “Six or Better” a tongue-in-cheek reference to five-card draw that was nonetheless an accurate description of the team’s second-half goal.

A six-game losing streak in early March that led to the resignation of coach Mike D’Antoni pretty much put the kibosh on the Knicks’ dreams of catching the Magic, Celtics or Hawks for the coveted No. 6 spot (the seventh and eighth seeds in this year’s Eastern Conference playoffs will face the Bulls and Heat in the first round, two teams the Knicks almost certainly can’t beat in a seven-game series). But the team’s dim hopes of catching the Magic for the sixth seed (and drawing the beatable Pacers in the first round) remained alive Sunday thanks to the rarest of occurrences: a strong fourth quarter from both of the Knicks’ stars.

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2 Comments
by jfs360 on April 23, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Basketball, Knicks

Posted by jfs360 on April 23, 2012

http://deadmansalley.com/2012/04/23/stat-and-melo/

Jake On The Radio! (LeBron James Edition)

On Tuesday, I penned an impassioned argument for LeBron James’ MVP candidacy at The Atlantic Online. On Wednesday, I went on the Bobby Curran Show on ESPN Radio’s Honolulu affiliate, KKEA – 1420 AM, to talk about it. Listen to my lively two-part discussion with Bobby here and here.

1 Comment
by jfs360 on April 19, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Basketball

Posted by jfs360 on April 19, 2012

http://deadmansalley.com/2012/04/19/jake-on-the-radio-lebron-james/

Bizarro World At Yankee Stadium

My first trip to Yankee Stadium this year was supposed to be a calm affair. A mild Tuesday night, an uninspiring Minnesota Twins squad in the opposing dugout, the ballpark only half full… nice and easy. Instead, I saw two balks, a hitter get ejected while in the batter’s box and a backup catcher batting .000 get the game-winning hit. And that was only the first three innings.

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by jfs360 on April 18, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Analysis, At The Stadium, Game Recaps

Posted by jfs360 on April 18, 2012

http://deadmansalley.com/2012/04/18/yankee-stadium-bizarro-world/

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