SportSpectator Blog

June 15, Week in Sports

:: Lakers Win NBA Finals (Pro. Basketball)

:: Pittsburgh Penguins Win Stanley Cup (Pro. Hockey)

:: Tiger Prepares for U.S. Open (Golf)

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VALIDATION: KOBE, LAKERS WIN TITLE

On Sunday night, the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA championship over the Orlando Magic after winning Game 5 of the Finals by a score of 99-86. This is the Lakers’ first championship title in seven years.

The Lakers are a powerhouse franchise, so their championship can hardly be considered surprising–especially since, at the beginning of the year, analysts across the board picked them as one of the favorites to win the Finals. And yet, this championship is just as much about Lakers guard Kobe Bryant as it is about the Lakers organization. Bryant has been criticized by many for never winning a championship without Shaq. Now, Bryant has silenced those critics by winning a championship ring “on his own,” and being named Finals MVP in the process.

This Finals series could have gone very differently, had the Orlando Magic executed better. The Magic will have a long off-season as they reflect on all the missed opportunities they during the championship. Missed shots, missed free throws, sloppy defense, and turnovers doomed this Orlando team, and made for a relatively easy victory for the Lakers.

Quote of the Week: “Kobe Bryant has the NBA title he needed most–the one without Shaq.” — Associated Press

Further Reading: “Seven Year Itch” — Associated Press, via ESPN

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PANIC IN DETROIT: PENGUINS TOPPLE RED WINGS IN GAME SEVEN

On Friday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins stunned the league by beating the Detroit Red Wings in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Pens came back from an 0-2 series deficit, and ultimately finished off the Red Wings in Detroit.

The Red Wings were favored in Game 7, mainly because they have been virtually unstoppable at home during the 2009 post-season. However, after a tightly played first period, Max Talbot of the Penguins scored two goals in the second period, and Detroit was in desperation mode for the rest of the game. Jonathan Ericsson of the Red Wings cut the Penguins’ lead to 2-1 with just 6 minutes left in the game, and as the final seconds ticked away, Detroit had an opportunity to tie the game. But Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made a diving save as time expired, and the Penguins became the Stanley Cup champions for the first time since 1992.

Since Friday’s victory, the main storyline has been the behavior of Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby after the game. Red Wing Kris Draper accused Crosby of “snubbing” Detroit captain Nick Lidstrom. Crosby, who shook hands with many of the Red Wings after he finished an on-ice celebration following the game, denied the insinuation that he had been a sore winner. The story is sure to fade quickly, though it certainly adds fuel to the fire for those within the league who already dislike Crosby.

Quote of the Week: ”The torch has been passed. From Mario Lemieux, the heart and soul of this franchise, to a new generation of wondrous talent. Let the dynasty talk begin. And, yes, a dynasty is in the offing.” — Bob Smizik, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Further Reading: “Well-dressed, clean-shaven no way to end it” — Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press

TIGER, TIGER BURNING BRIGHT

This week marks the start of the U.S. Open, the second of the four major championships in professional golf. As with every year, the final round of the U.S. Open will be played on Father’s Day Sunday.

Of course, going into any major championship, the focus is on Tiger Woods. Tiger’s performance this year is especially anticipated since last year, his victory over Rocco Mediate at the U.S. Open was one of the greatest golf performances of all time. Now Woods is after his 15th major championship at Bethpage in New York. The last time they held the U.S. Open at Bethpage in 2002, Woods was the winner.

The media will also be focused on Phil Mickelson, the closest thing that Woods has to a rival. Mickelson recently announced that his wife Amy is suffering from breast cancer. His family’s plight has been highly publicized, so he is expected to be a fan favorite this weekend.

Quote of the Week: ”Woods is preparing to defend his title this week at Bethpage Black on Long Island…but he’ll forever be asked about the week in Southern California when he hobbled to victory on two stress fractures in his tibia and a knee that just more than a week later would be surgically reconstructed.” — Bob Hariq, ESPN.com

Further Reading: ”The Torrey Story ” — Bob Hariq, ESPN.com

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

:: GOLF: The U.S. Open begins on Thursday of this week. The final round of the tournament will be played on Father’s Day Sunday.

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ALL-SPORTS UPDATE

 

ACTIVE SEASON

:: BASEBALL

MLB (Pro. Baseball): The 2009 season is underway, and it runs through October. [Official MLB Website]

:: BASKETBALL

NBA (Pro. Basketball): The 2008-09 NBA Finals are now over, with the Lakers defeating the Orlando Magic in win the title.  [Official NBA Website]

NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL (College): “The Tournament” is now over. The University of North Carolina won the 2009 national championship over Michigan State. [CBS Sports]

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:: FOOTBALL

NFL (Pro. Football): Now that the NFL Draft is over, things will be relatively quiet until training camp begins in the middle of July. [Official NFL Website]

NCAA FOOTBALL (College): The college football season is now over, with Florida defeating Oklahoma in the national championship game. [NCAA Football, ESPN]

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:: GOLF

MEN’S GOLF: While there are professional tournaments throughout the year, the most important tournaments are the four Major Championships: The Masters, U.S. Open, The Open (The British Open), and the PGA Championship. The U.S. Open will be played this week. [Official PGA Website]

NOTABLE PLAYERS: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson

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:: HOCKEY

NHL (Pro. Hockey): The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings to win the 20090 Stanley Cup.  [Official NHL Website]

 

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:: TENNIS

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TENNIS: While there are professional tournaments throughout the year, the most important tournaments are the four Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. The next Grand Slam tournament is Wimbledon. [USTA Website]

NOTABLE PLAYERS: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic

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June 8, Week in Sports

:: Lakers Take 2-0 Lead over Orlando Magic (Pro. Basketball)

:: Federer Wins French Open (Tennis)

:: Red Wings Poised to Win Stanley Cup (Pro. Hockey)

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HALFWAY HOME: LAKERS TAKE 2-0 LEAD IN L.A.

The Los Angeles Lakers won the first two games of the 2009 NBA Finals against the Orlando Magic over the course of the past week. Winning the first two games of an NBA Finals series virtually guarantees a series win, which means that the Lakers are poised to bring home a championship to Los Angeles.

While the Lakers blew out the Magic in Game 1, the second game of the series was much closer. The Lakers ultimately won the game by a score of 101-96 in overtime. However, were it not for a missed layup by Orlando rookie Courtney Lee at the end of regulation, Los Angeles would never have had that chance. The Lakers went on to dominate in overtime, and now they head to Orlando for Game 3 with a very solid series lead.

As this series moves forward, there will be an even bigger focus on Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. Though Bryant has a reputation as perhaps the best player of his generation, he has drawn criticism because he has never won a championship without Shaquille O’Neal as a teammate. Now Bryant is in prime position to silence his critics by bringing home another championship for the Lakers.

Quote of the Week: “If Orlando doesn’t come back and win a game in the series, Lee’s miss may go down as one of the biggest gaffes in finals history.” — Associated Press

Further Reading: “Point Taken” — Associated Press, via ESPN

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AT LAST! FEDERER WINS FRENCH OPEN
Roger Federer, arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, won the French Open on Sunday, handily defeating Robin Soderling. This is Federer’s first victory at the French Open–the second of the four Grand Slam tournaments in professional tennis.Though the 27-year old Federer had already firmly established his reputation as one of the all-time greats before Sunday, his victory at Roland Garros further padded his tremendous resume. With a victory at the French Open, Federer has now won each of the Grand Slam tournaments at least once. Only five other men have ever accomplished that feat. Sunday’s victory also marked the 14th Grand Slam title of Federer’s career, tying Pete Sampras for the most titles ever by a male tennis player. The past few years, the only barrier between Federer and a win at the French Open has been Rafael Nadal, who, fortunately for Federer, was upset earlier in the tournament.

In the women’s singles final, Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Dinara Safina, the No. 1 female player in the world. Though Safina continues to be the top ranked woman in the sport, she has yet to win a Grand Slam tournament.

Quote of the Week: ”It’s maybe my greatest victory, or certainly the one that removes the most pressure off my shoulders. I think that now and until the end of my career, I can really play with my mind at peace and no longer hear that I’ve never won Roland Garros.” — Roger Federer

Further Reading: ”Slam Complete ” — Associated Press, via USA Today

RED WINGS WIN AGAIN AT HOME SWEET HOME

The Detroit Red Wings won Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday night to take a a 3-2 lead in the series over the Pittsburgh Penguins. With one more win, Detroit can win the Stanley Cup.

The Red Wings jumped out to a quick lead in this finals series, winning the first two games in Detroit. However, the Penguins responded with two wins of their own in Pittsburgh, evening up the series. The trend of the home team winning every game continued in Game 5, as the Red Wings completely dominated the Penguins by a score of 5-0. That is bad news for the Penguins, who would need at least one victory on the road to win the championship.

If the Red Wings win either Game 6 on Wednesday or Game 7 on Friday, they will have won the Stanley Cup two years in a row. The last time that happened was in 1997-1998, when the Red Wings raised the Cup in back-to-back years. But this series is not over just yet, and Detroit still has to win one more game over Sidney Crosby and the Pens to make it happen.

Quote of the Week: ”The situation is pretty clear for us. We have to go home and be desperate now.” — Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

Further Reading: ”Datsyuk, Wings now on Cup cusp” — Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

:: PRO. BASKETBALL: The 2009 Finals continues this week in Orlando on Tuesday night, as the Magic hope to start a comeback against the Lakers, who lead the series 2-0.

:: HOCKEY: The Stanley Cup Finals continue this week, as Detroit hopes to close out the Penguins on Wednesday night.

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ALL-SPORTS UPDATE

 

ACTIVE SEASON

:: BASEBALL

MLB (Pro. Baseball): The 2009 season is underway, and it runs through October. [Official MLB Website]

:: BASKETBALL

NBA (Pro. Basketball): The 2008-09 NBA Finals are currently underway.  [Official NBA Website]

NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL (College): “The Tournament” is now over. The University of North Carolina won the 2009 national championship over Michigan State. [CBS Sports]

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:: FOOTBALL

NFL (Pro. Football): Now that the NFL Draft is over, things will be relatively quiet until training camp begins in the middle of July. [Official NFL Website]

NCAA FOOTBALL (College): The college football season is now over, with Florida defeating Oklahoma in the national championship game. [NCAA Football, ESPN]

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:: GOLF

MEN’S GOLF: While there are professional tournaments throughout the year, the most important tournaments are the four Major Championships: The Masters, U.S. Open, The Open (The British Open), and the PGA Championship. The next Major Championship is the U.S. Open. [Official PGA Website]

NOTABLE PLAYERS: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson

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:: HOCKEY

NHL (Pro. Hockey): The Stanley Cup playoffs are currently underway.  [Official NHL Website]

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:: TENNIS

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TENNIS: While there are professional tournaments throughout the year, the most important tournaments are the four Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. The next Grand Slame tournament is Wimbledon. [USTA Website]

NOTABLE PLAYERS: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic

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