All posts for the day April 27th, 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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2 Comments
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/

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