NBA: Mike D’Antoni could leave Suns

WIth permission to speak to other clubs, Phoenix Suns coach Mike D’Antoni has talked to the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks about their head coach vacancies.  The Bulls offer a better team and the Knicks have Donnie Walsh.  In both cases, D’Antoni could change the landscape of the Eastern Conference with his uptempo style of play and the lack of a true big man presence across the conference.  Both teams are working on offers for D’Antoni, which could happen in the next couple of days.

NBA: Kobe finally wins MVP

Kobe finally takes home his first MVP honors, beating out worthy competitors Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett and LeBron James.  Kobe thanked his teammates and emphisized that he is after another trophy this season. 

The Lakers finished with the Western Conference’s best record this season and, with the addition of Pau Gasol, look to be the team to beat thus far in the playoffs.

Now, if he can get a championship this year his career will be complete, with years to come.  To truly finish his career right, he has to win one without Shaq.  This may be the year.

He has been one of, if not the, best players in the NBA since he joined the league.  He and Shaq had a perfect partnership and would have won more rings than fingers if they (Shaq) could have stayed out of each others way. 

NBA: Playoff Surprise

The Atlanta Hawks tied the series against the top-seeded Boston Celtics at two games a piece after a 97-92 win in game four.  They have won the last two games.  The #2 seed Detroit Pistons are also having trouble with the #7 seed 76ers.  The Pistons are up 3-2 with game six on Thursday in Philadelphia.  The Orlando Magic are at home resting after taking care of the Raptors.  The Cavs are up 3-1 over the Wizards.

In the West, the Hornets beat the Mavericks 4-1.  The Jason Kidd trade didn’t help the Mavs as much as they thought as former head coach Byron Scott got the best of the star point guard…sort of revenge for Kidd’s role in Scott losing the Nets job a few years back. 

The Lakers are also resting after beating the Nuggets 4-0.  The Spurs and Jazz are up 3-1 in their series.  The Spurs look to advance tonight against the Suns.  The Jazz can move on tonight with a win over the Rockets.

NHL: Rangers on the ropes

The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Rangers in Madison Square Garden 5-3, taking a 3-0 series lead and putting the Blueshirts in a hole that even Mark Messier couldn’t get them out of.  The Flyers, on the other hand, took a 2-1 series lead over the top seeded Canadiens after winning game three 3-2.

In the West, the Red Wings are in the drivers seat as they are about to take a 3-0 series lead on the Colorado Avalanche.  The Dallas Stars continue their hot streak as they lead the series 3-0 over the Sharks, who many thought would rebound after a tough series against the Flames.

NBA: Playoff update

The Spurs are proving the Suns wrong as they take a commanding 3-0 lead.  Shaq was brought in for a series like this…to battle against Tim Duncan and the other centers that have given them problems in playoff past. 

The Lakers are coasting and Kobe is playing great as they lead the series 2-0 over the Nuggets.  The Hornets and Mavericks are dueling…first with Byron Scott seemingly getting revenge on Jason Kidd then trash-talking Jerry Stackhouse.  The Hornets lead the series 2-1.  The Jazz lead the Rockets 2-1 also.

Over in the East, the top-seed Celtics are taking care of business thus far with a 2-0 edge over the Hawks.  The 76ers are ahead on the Detroit Pistons 2-1 and could take a strong stance in the series with game four in Philly.  The Magic and the Cavaliers are both up in their series 2-1.  The Magic are beating the Raptors and the Cavs are up on the Wizards.

NHL: Pens shoot out of 3-goal deficit

The Rangers were coasting on a three-gaol lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins in game one but the Pens kept shooting and erased the deficit to steal game one 5-4.

The Flyers were up on the top-seed Canadiens but Montreal came back to force OT and, eventually, win game one 4-3.

In the West, the Red Wings bested the Avalanche 4-3 in the series opener and the Stars upset the Sharks in game one in overtime. 

NFL: Shockey to Saints?

Apparently, Jeremy Shockey has seen his last days as a New York Giant.  Having won the Super Bowl with him in the press box, the Giants are talking to the New Orleans Saints about dealing the tight end in exchange for a second and either six rounder this year or fifth rounder next year.  The Giants are trying to land Saints safety Roman Harper in the deal but New Orleans isn’t budging.

Shockey is still a talented TE and the Giants will miss the spark he gives the offense if he is traded.  Eli and Co. will miss his energy and it will be interesting to see how the offense will act without him on the line.

NHL: Playoffs Round 2

Heading into the second round of the playoffs, the teams look very familiar…as in a blast from the past.  The East has the Rangers and Flyers are underdogs to the Penguins and Canadiens, respectively.  In the West, old rivals face off in the Red Wings and Avalanche series as the Sharks and Stars will do battle.  Both of the top two teams in each conference are alive, as are the number 5 and 6 teams.

Who’s going to win?

The Flyers may go old school and make the series a tough, physical one but goalie Carey Price can win games on his own if he has to.  This may go seven but I can see the Flyers pulling the upset in six.

The Rangers/Penguins matchup makes the league salivate as the face of the new NHL - Sidney Crosby - faces off against one of the leagues top draws.  Does Sid the Kid have enough to get his team to his first conference finals?  A Ranger fan says no and sees the Blueshirts winning in five games.

The Red WIngs and Avalanche face off in an old time rivalry and some faces are very familiar.  Names like Peter Forsberg, Joe Sakic and Adam Foote are very familiar to Wings like Kris Draper, Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom.  The Red Wings have slipped in the playoffs the last few years but behind Dominik Hasek and Chris Osgood they can’t lose.  Detroit in six.

The Sharks and Stars will face off with San Jose being the favorite but Stars goalie Marty Turco is looking to shake the “can’t win in the playoffs” moniker.  He played great in the opener against the defending champs but can he keep it up against the potent combination of Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo?  Stars in seven.

NHL: Canadiens win!

The Montreal Canadiens shut out the Boston Bruins 5-0 in the deciding game 7 of the series to advance in the playoffs.  Goalie Carey Price stopped all 25 shots, 11 in the first period, to rebound from a tough two-game slide.  With the Penguins and Rangers already in, the East is almost set as the Capitals have tied the series with the Flyers, sending it to a final game 7.

In the West, the Red Wings, Avalanche and Stars (who took out the defending champs Ducks) are waiting on the Sharks and Flames to decide a game 7 in a hard fought series.

IRL: Danica Patrick is no Kournikova

Danica Patrick becomes the first female to win an Indy Racing League (IRL) race with her win at the Japan 300.  As the leaders had to pit for fuel, Patrick’s strategy worked as she beat out Helio Castroneves for the win.