10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (5/9-5/11)

10. No Credentials Fantasy Football Hero Josh Gordon Likely Facing a 2014 Suspension
            We’re guessing he’s a pretty big supporter of legalizing marijuana.

9. Strange Indy Car Road Course Race at Indianapolis Was an Awful Idea

            We’re not sure which was worse, running the cars backwards on the road course, or the standing start that nearly killed the mayor of Indianapolis. Either way, less people showed up for this event than the first two Nationwide races at the Brickyard.

8. Nets Batter Miami From 3-Point Line, Claim Game 3

            Not a good sign for Brooklyn when it takes 60% shooting from downtown to win.

7. Michael Sam Lands With St. Louis Rams
            Of all teams he could’ve landed with, ending up in the same state he went to college and with the chance to learn from Robert Quinn and Chris Long was the best destination Sam could’ve asked for.

6. Paul George Goes Bonkers, Leads Pacers to 3-1 Series Lead Over Washington

            There’s the Paul George who looked like an MVP candidate before the calendar turned to 2014.

5. Rangers Push Penguins to Unlikely Game 7

            Kudos to New York for playing inspired hockey in honor of Martin St. Louis’ mother, who just passed away a few days ago.

4. Bruins Dominate Game 5, Up 3-2 on Montreal

            Through two periods, it looks like we’re going to a Game 7 in Boston.
         
3. Jeff Gordon Barely Holds Off Kevin Harvick, Wins at Kansas
            Career win #89 solidifies Gordon’s standing in the playoffs. Harvick has been the most dominant driver this season, but Gordon has been the most consistent.
         
2. 20-Year Old John Gibson Pitches Shutout in NHL Playoff Debut, Helps Ducks Even Series With Kings
            Gibson had only logged three career NHL games before becoming the youngest goalie in the history of THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE to pitch a shutout in his playoff debut. Remarkable.

1. Down 16 in the Fourth, Clippers Rally to Even Series With Thunder

            Just when it looked like we could begin discussing the implications of another Spurs-Thunder Western Conference Final, the Clippers rallied to make a series of it.

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (5/2-5/4)

10. Jon Lester Racks Up 15 Ks
            It was an extremely gaudy number of strikeouts for Lester, who isn’t known for a high strikeout rate. He hasn’t pitched this well in a game since his no-hitter all the way back in 2008.

9. Denny Hamlin Earns First Win of 2014 at Talladega

            Denny can thank his lucky stars that NASCAR didn’t throw a caution flag before he took the white, as there was no way he would’ve held the lead on the backstretch during the final lap.

8. Pacers Survive 3-Point Chucking Hawks
            Atlanta set NBA records for most threes in a series and a single playoff game Saturday, but that wasn’t enough to overcome a Pacers squad that sort of look like it figured things out. We’ll find out when they face John Wall and the Wizards tonight.

7. Thunder Outrun Z-Bo-Less Grizzlies

            Marc Gasol wasn’t able to clog up the paint without his fellow star big man, and Oklahoma City took full advantage.

6. California Chrome Dominates Kentucky Derby

            California Chrome couldn’t have asked for a better set of circumstances for the Derby, but that’s because he’s a horse and he can’t ask questions.

5. Brooklyn Survives Late Raptors Rally, Advances to Second Round Date With Miami

            We were pulling for the Raptors, but ultimately Brooklyn will deliver the greater test for Miami than the young Toronto club would have. The Nets are 4-0 against the Heat this season.

4. Marion Gaborik Ties Game Late, Then Delivers Kings Overtime Victory Over Ducks

            When he’s engaged, there are few snipers more effective than Gaborik in THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE. Saturday night, Gaborik was engaged.
         
3. Bruins Rack Up Four Third Period Goals, Even Series With Montreal
            It’s hard to remember another hockey team that has as much of a flair for the dramatic as the Bruins have had over the past five years or so. Saturday was another memorable comeback, which ensures they wouldn’t travel to Montreal in a 0-2 hole.
         
2. Clippers Outlast Warriors in Game 7 Shootout
            Doc Rivers looked more excited Saturday night than he was when the Celtics won the title six years ago. I guess with all his team has dealt with over the past week, it was warranted.

1. Damian Lillard Delivers the Dagger, Eliminates Houston

            0.9 seconds was all Lillard needed to send the Rockets home for the summer. Blazers-Rockets may not have lasted the full seven games, but from start to finish it was the most entertaining series of the first round.

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (4/25-4/27)

10. Nene is Bonkers
            It was an impressive effort by the Wizards on Sunday to overcome the loss of Nene, who inexplicably head butted Jimmy Butler Friday night.

9. Warriors Demolish Embattled Clippers

            Sadly, a Clippers team that had the look of making a Finals run looks like it could be derailed by it’s idiot owner.

8. Penguins Grab 3-2 Series Lead

            They finished the job Monday night. So much for No Credentials’ upset special.

7. Pacers Save Season, Even Series With Hawks
            Sadly, they squandered their Game 4 effort with a lackluster performance at home Monday night.

6. Joey Logano Wins Wild Shootout at Richmond

            There’s been tons of talk this year about the potential of young studs Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, which makes a lot of people forget that Joey Logano is only 23 years old. He took over the points lead (sort of) with his spectacular run to the front with 5 laps left Saturday night.

5. Trail Blazers Push Rockets to Brink of Elimination

            In a series where either team could’ve won every game, we’re still not counting the Rockets out despite Houston facing a 3-1 deficit.

4. Ducks Pull Off Improbable Comeback, Eliminate Dallas

            Dallas came flying out of the gate, but almost looked a little like their local NFL team in gagging away a third period lead.
         
3. Thunder Survive Game 4
            On a night where Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were both awful, it was Reggie Jackson who gave Oklahoma City a lift.
      
2. Bruins Advance to Second Round Date With Montreal
            Apparently it’s an NHL rule that the Bruins have to play at least one Canadian team every single playoff year.

1. Vinsanity Takes Down San Antonio

            Vince arguably was the most maligned superstar in the NBA during the 2000s, so it was nice to see him make the greatest shot of his career Saturday night.

2014 Stanley Cup Playoff First Round Picks

     For the rare breed that enjoys both basketball and hockey (I'm proudly in this group. No need to hate one or the other in my book), the first half of the best stretch of the sports year begins tomorrow night. We haven't followed hockey as closely since the end of the Olympics, so even more than usual, take these picks with a grain of salt.

Western Conference

#4 San Jose Sharks vs. #5 Los Angeles Kings

            You don’t bet on Sharks in April, unless they are deep in the Pacific Ocean matched up against a manatee. Kings in 6

#3 St. Louis Blues vs. #5 Chicago Black Hawks

            Interesting match-up here, as you have the two top teams from the first two thirds of the season facing off in an unlikely first round match-up. Chicago was ravaged by injuries, but should be back to full strength with Patrick Kane returning to the lineup. How soon he shakes the rust off will determine Chicago’s chance of moving on. St. Louis choked away the Central Division with six straight losses, but teams have sputtered into the postseason before and then turned it on for a deep playoff run. This will be the best series in the West, and we see it going the full seven. Advantage to the team not needing a bunch of injured dudes to return at 100%. Blues in 7

#2 Colorado Avalanche vs. #7 Minnesota Wild

            It’s cool to have Colorado back as a competitive team. Apparently all it took was putting their best players from their hey-day in the late-90s in management gigs (we love Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy, anyway we can get Forsberg involved?) to return the team to relevance. Only Los Angeles scored fewer goals among the remaining playoff teams during the regular season than the Wild, and unfortunately Minnesota doesn’t trot out Johnathan Quick in goal. We think the next generation of Aves take care of business in round 1. Avalanche in 4

#1 Anaheim Ducks vs. #8 Dallas Stars

            The Ducks are solid, and Dallas doesn’t possess the necessary depth on the blue-line to contain them. Tyler Seguin (remember him Bruins fans? He only had a career year this season) is talented enough to steal a game, but Dallas will be lucky to push this to 6. Ducks in 5

Eastern Conference

#5 New York Rangers vs. #6 Philadelphia Flyers

            This shit is going seven games, and New York employing Henrik Lundqvist was the tiebreaker for me. Rangers in 7

#3 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. #4 Montreal Canadiens

            Here’s your best goalie match-up of the first round, with Vezina Trophy candidates Carey Price and Ben Bishop facing off. Tampa Bay’s 2013-14 campaign is criminally underrated, as they were able to hold the fort down even after shipping a disgruntled Martin St. Louis to New York. However, we expect Gold Medal winning goalie Price to stand on his head and steal a Game 7 on the road. Canadiens in 7

#2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #7 Columbus Blue Jackets

            Pittsburgh wobbled into the postseason, and Columbus is better than you think after posting the fifth best goal differential in the Eastern Conference. Here’s our upset special. Blue Jackets in 6

#1 Boston Bruins vs. #8 Detroit Red Wings

            At first glance, it looks like a bad draw to end up with the Red Wings in Round 1, but Nicklas Lidstrom isn’t walking through that door. Steve Yzerman isn’t walking through that door. Boston will roll. Bruins in 4

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (4/11-4/13)

10. Phil Mickelson Misses Masters Cut
            The TV ratings were already in the toilet with Tiger Woods involved. With golf’s second biggest draw done for the weekend, this could go down as the lowest watched Masters tournament in decades.

9. Grady Sizemore Rocks C.C. Sabathia, Leads Red Sox Victory

            Granted it’s a small sample size, but Sizemore’s improbable comeback this season has been one of the underreported stories in MLB. He took full advantage of C.C. Sabathia’s diminishing fastball velocity Friday night.

8. New York Knicks Eliminated From Playoff Contention

            The best part of New York’s comically disappointing 2013-14 campaign is that their first round pick is being shipped to Denver. Even with Phil Jackson in charge, there should be legitimate concerns that Carmelo Anthony is going to bolt for another team.

7. Milwaukee Brewers Win Ninth Straight
            Hacking at the first pitch at a rate higher than any other club in baseball, the Brewers should be the official MLB team of the A.D.D. generation.

6. Chase Elliott Wins Second Straight Nationwide Race

            Instead of attending his Senior Prom, Elliott instead decided to win at the hardest track on the NASCAR circuit in his first trip there. There isn’t a more talented prodigy in any sport than the son of Bill Elliott.

5. Bruins Clinch Presidents Cup
            That’s not necessarily a good thing, as the recent Stanley Cup Playoff success of the league’s overall top regular season team isn’t that great. Boston begins their Stanley Cup march on Friday against Detroit.

4. Kevin Harvick Dominates Darlington

            Harvick is the poster child of NASCAR’s new win or go home scoring system. He’s not even in the top-20 in most points scored, but his two wins would have him seeded first if The Chase started today.
         
3. Paul Pierce Joins 25,000 Point Club
            The future Hall of Famer joins seventeen others in NBA history to reach this milestone. Big props to the former captain of the Celtics.
         
2. Pacers Regain Control of Eastern Conference
            I had a whole paragraph written mourning the inevitability of Miami making it to a fourth straight NBA Finals after stomping all over Indiana Friday night, but then an improbable series unfolded the next two days. A physically spent Heat club (even Lebron looked sort of human Saturday) lost to the Hawks, and then Indiana pulled off their biggest win of the year so far against Oklahoma City.

1. Bubba Watson Claims Second Masters Title

            Bubba’s ridiculous 366-yard drive on 13 felt like the moment where any chance another golfer had was gone. On a weekend with no Tiger and no Phil, this is the best result the PGA could’ve hoped for.

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (4/4-4/6)

10. Another Sprint Cup Race Ruined By Weather
            The rainout on Sunday made Texas the third weekend of the year impacted by rain, which is a damn shame, because the racing is as good as it’s been in well over a decade. At least Joey Logano put on a good show Monday to secure his first win of the season.

9. Rockies Outfielder Charlie Blackmon Goes Bonkers

            Going 6-6 with four doubles and a dinger, Blackmon probably helped 0.0824% of fantasy teams across the country with his massive stat line on Friday.

8. Chris Johnson Released By Tennessee Titans

            To the uninformed NFL fan, it’s hard to believe that CJ2K is on the scrap heat just five years after setting the record for most total yards from scrimmage.

7. Connecticut and Notre Dame Will Play For Women’s Title Again
            At some point, don’t other colleges have to catch up to these two in recruiting? The women’s pool does appear to be getting a little deeper, but the sport can really take off when there are finally some squads capable of taking down the top two programs. Connecticut is probably going to win by 15 points or more Tuesday night.

6. Derek Jeter Now Eighth On All-Time Hit List
            Jeter passed TECMO Super Baseball great Paul Molitor with two singles on Sunday. If he’s healthy for the majority of the season, there’s a chance he finishes his career sixth on the all-time hit list.

5. 18-Year Old Chase Elliott Wins First Career Nationwide Series Race

            The son of 1988 Winston Cup Champion Bill Elliott, Chase took command for good with a power move off turn four on Kevin Harvick. Between him and Kyle Larson, the future of NASCAR finally looks bright.

4. Timberwolves Knock Off Heat in Double Overtime
            In what will go down as a disappointing 2013-14 campaign, it was good to see the Timberwolves finally win a close game on the road.
          
3. Boston Bruins Clinch Top Seed in Eastern Conference
            Seeding isn’t as big a deal in the NHL as it is in other sports, but of all the teams in the East, Boston appears to be the best built for a deep playoff run.
         
2. UConn Keeps Slaying Giants, Knocks Off Florida in Final 4
            It looks more and more like the Huskies were undervalued after spending their first season playing in a conference devastated by the break-up of the Big East.

1. Aaron Harrison Delivers Another Dagger, Puts Kentucky Into Championship Game

            How many more backbreaking 3s does this guy need to make before we can get a defender to put a hand in his face? Allowing him to get a shot off while protecting a 2-point lead was a fatal error by Wisconsin.

Cheer Up Boston

            It’s been a rough week for New Englanders, which isn’t good when you’re talking about a group of people that either bitch about the winter cold or complain about the summer heat. No Credentials has taken some time to analyze all of it’s local sports teams (for those not in the know, this blog is based out of the woods of New Hampshire) to determine which ones we should panic about, and which clubs we should take a deep breath and look ahead to the future.

New England Patriots

What Happened = Aaron Hernandez (who was going to be ranked #3 among all tight ends in No Credentials soon to be released fantasy football rankings) was cut, and Rob Gronkowski appears destined for the PUP List.

Reason For Panic = New England’s offense was literally built around their two dynamic tight ends. Add the loss of Wes Welker, and this looks like Tom Brady’s worst receiving corps since 2006. Brady averaged 3,593 yards and 25 touchdowns from 2001 through 2006 (not bad numbers, but not the elite level we’ve seen since 2007), so a regression to those stats is likely. Barring an unexpected development, this won’t be a team capable of dropping 50 points in a given week.

Reason for Optimism = Stephen Ridley led a rejuvenated Patriots ground game (New England hadn’t been that effective on the ground since Corey Dillon’s debut season with the Pats in 2004), so the possibility exists that the offense can be shifted to a more run dominant scheme. Throw in an improved defense, and the luxury of playing in the worst division in THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, and even without elite receiving threats this team should be able to bang out a 10-6, AFC East winning season.

Panic or Optimism? = PANIC

            Tom Brady’s 36, so wasting a year with marginal receiving talent is a shame. Danny Amendola provides the opportunity to fill the Welker void (if he can stay on the field), but it will take an incredible rookie debut by Aaron Dobson for the Patriots to be a true Super Bowl contender. They’ll win the shoddy AFC East before getting destroyed in the Wild Card round.



 

Boston Celtics

What Happened = Doc Rivers successfully abandoned the ship, making his way to the Clippers in an exchange for draft picks. Even more depressing, Boston traded both Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce (along with Jason Terry, but he sucked last year) to Brooklyn for a package that is best described as a poop sandwich (unless the Nets suck sometime between 2016 and 2018, which could happen). Lastly, it is rumored that Boston has been in serious discussions with the Dallas Mavericks about a trade that would ship Rajon Rondo out of town.

Reason for Panic = The Celtics are going to suck ass next season, and maybe the year after that…and possibly the year after that.

Reason for Optimism = What good is it to struggle to be the seventh or eighth seed every year, when instead you can bottom out and potentially land a franchise player in the draft? Andrew Wiggins has the look of a franchise player, and his presence in next years draft will lead to the first NBA Tankapalooza since the 2007 Oden/Durant class (for those not in the know, “NBA Tankapalooza” is one at five of the teams in the league blatantly try to blow as many games as possible to ensure they have the best chance in the lottery at the first pick in the draft). If Boston misses out on Wiggins, they can keep tanking every following year until they finally land a franchise player. The Celtics have never been able to attract A-level free agents, so the only way for Danny Ainge to get Boston back to a championship level is through the draft. If the ping-pong balls fall the right way next June, Boston could be making a title run in 2017, which is something you couldn’t say about the Rondo-Garnett-Pierce core.

Panic or Optimism? = PANIC, with a hint of optimism

            A hyper-competitive Celtics team has spoiled us the past five years. Win or lose, they always made a championship effort in the biggest moments. Logically though, blowing it up is the right thing to do. Remember that when Jeff Green is shooting 35% next year.

 

Boston Bruins

What Happened = Holding a 2-1 lead with roughly a minute and a half to go, Boston surrendered two goals in 17 seconds, squandering the opportunity to force a Game 7 in Chicago.

Reason for Panic = Allowing two goals in 17 seconds is really hard to do. Doing it in the deciding game of the Stanley Cup Finals is ridiculous.

Reason for Optimism = Boston wasn’t overwhelming favorites to win the Stanley Cup (the Blackhawks started the season with 24 straight games of registering at least one point. They were the best team), so it’s not like they gave away a certain championship like the Spurs did. Furthermore, the team is still young. Development by their young stars, in particular Tyler Seguin, will keep the Bruins in Stanley Cup contention for years to come.

Panic or Optimism? = OPTIMISM

             While the way they gave away Game 6 was devastating, the Bruins appear to have the emotional fortitude to bounce back from such an event (remember they blew a 3-0 series lead against the Flyers in 2010, and then bounced back to win the Stanley Cup the next year). They will be fine.

 

Boston Red Sox

 

What Happened = After a disastrous 2012, the Red Sox have the best record in the American League at the halfway point of the season.

Reason for Panic = David Ortiz took a ton of steroids while he was injured worked really hard this off season to return to MVP form, so one has to wonder how long it will be before he’s suspended by MLB cools off.

Reason for Optimism = What a difference a year makes. The return of John Farrell to the organization has done a world of wonders to the likes of Jon Lester, Clay Bucholz, and John Lackey. They are second in the league in run differential at a +80 (the Yankees are a –16. Yankees suck), and lead MLB in runs scored. Tampa Bay might track them down eventually for the division, but the Red Sox will return to postseason baseball for the first time since 2009.

Panic or Optimism? = OPTIMISM

               It’s fitting that the team only a year ago I would’ve voted as the worst of all the major pro sports franchises in New England has done a compete 180. Boston’s farm system still needs to be restocked, but that’s just picking nits. The return of the Red Sox to relevance is the one thing New Englanders can hang their hat on.

NBA/NHL Postseason Awards

            We just ended a two-month stretch where literally every night of the week there was either a playoff basketball or hockey game on. I realize most folks are split one way or the other in which sport they favor more (especially the hockey crowd. If you want to hear a slew of inappropriate words in quick succession, ask a die-hard puck-head what they think about all of the basketball highlights on Sportscenter), but for me, they almost blend into each other. And for my wife, she complains that I hog the television for 70 straight nights (it’s been four years, she should know by now right?). For my money, the NBA/NHL playoffs are the best time of the year in sports.
            On the night that we should be watching the Bruins and Blackhawks play in an epic Game 7, we hand out some fake awards for both leagues, and in the end, pick which sport had the stronger playoff season.

Most Memorable Game

NBA = NBA Finals Game 6, Spurs @ Heat
NHL = NHL Stanley Cup Finals Game 6, Blackhawks @ Bruins
            I had the Bruins epic Game 7 comeback against Toronto penciled in for this honor for a week, but when you score two goals in 17 seconds to win the Stanley Cup, that trumps everything.
            As for the NBA, Game 6 probably will go in the books as one of the ten greatest games ever played. It wasn’t a display of basketball excellence (Lebron tried to choke twice in regulation before Ray Allen bailed the Heat out), but in terms of drama, the only game that comes close in the last decade was Derek Fisher’s miraculous 0.4-second jumper in 2004 against the Spurs (which shouldn’t of counted because it should be physically impossible to catch, turn, and shoot in less than half a second, but whatever).

Team With the Best Long Term Outlook
NBA = Indiana Pacers
NHL = Boston Bruins
            Indiana could lose David West this off-season (I’m betting on him resigning, but we’ve been wrong in this space before), but with Paul George reaching franchise player status, the Pacers have two legitimate building blocks in George and Roy Hibbert. If they can add a three-point specialist off the bench (it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Pacers would’ve been in the NBA Finals if they had signed Carlos Delfino for $3 million instead of the Rockets), Indiana is perfectly positioned to contend in the Eastern Conference for the next several seasons.
            It might be hard to believe Boston is all right after their shocking Game 6 collapse, but the core of the team is still very young. Tyler Seguin still has room to grow into a franchise player (I don’t think the lockout did him any favors), and Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci established themselves as legitimate A-quality centers. The Bruins will be favorites in the East for the foreseeable future.

Breakout Player

NBA = Stephen Curry, PG-SG, Golden State Warriors
NHL = Tukka Rask, G, Boston Bruins
            It feels like years ago, but remember when Stephen Curry was assaulting Denver and San Antonio with a ridiculous 3-point barrage night after night? Watching Curry go bonkers (and simultaneously, the Warriors fans losing their minds) was the highlight of the NBA playoffs. If Curry ever figures out how to keep his ankles from rolling, Golden State now has the knowledge that a championship team can be built around him.
            Tukka will shoulder some of the blame Boston’s Game 6 collapse, but it’s important not to forget how valuable he was to the Bruins during their Finals run. He was a brick wall against the talented Pittsburgh Penguins, and was even better against New York. No one will ask about Tim Thomas anymore (at least they shouldn’t). This is Rask’s team now.

Most Disappointing Club

NBA = Oklahoma City Thunder
NHL = Washington Capitals
            The Russell Westbrook knee injury was the great what-if of these playoffs (other than of course, if the Thunder didn’t ship off James Harden before the season). A healthy Westbrook plus whatever Oklahoma City is able to add after they amnesty Kendrick Perkins (wishful thinking) should return the Thunder to the top of the Western Conference.
            I don’t think anyone was expecting the Capitals to march to a Stanley Cup, but squandering Alex Ovechkin’s return to MVP form was extremely disappointing.

MVP

NBA = Lebron James, SF, Miami Heat
NHL = Patrick Kane, RW, Chicago Blackhawks
            No Credentials didn’t go out on a limb here (both players were the playoff MVPs of their respective teams), but both deserve to be mentioned again. Kane carried the Blackhawks while Jonathan Toews was struggling, while Lebron cemented his status as one of the five greatest NBA players of all time.

Which League’s Playoffs Were Better?

            The NHL normally jumps out to a huge lead in this yearly race thanks to a Round 1 that actually is competitive (most NBA round 1 match-ups are runaways), but the NBA stepped up it’s game this year. Stephen Curry’s 3-point explosions were enough to pull off an upset of the third seed in the West. Chicago outlasted Brooklyn in a brutal triple overtime slugfest (friend of the blog Nate Robinson went ape shit remember?), and Houston was able to push the Thunder after the Westbrook injury. We’ll still give the first round victory to the NHL (Boston’s Game 7 against Toronto alone accomplished that), but it was close. Basketball scored higher marks the rest of the way however. Round 2 was highlighted by a valiant effort by Golden State against the Spurs, while the Pacers pushed the Heat to the brink in the Eastern Conference Finals. Finally, when your league year ends with it’s best player performing at his absolute best to win a title, the clear winner in the fight (unless you’re a diehard hockey fan) is the NBA.

Bruins-Penguins Eastern Conference Finals Preview and Prediction

            We’re busting out the “tale of the tape” method to determine who will win the right to face the Western Conference winner for the Stanley Cup.

 

Forwards

            Both teams are deep, but when you have the star power that Pittsburgh has, it’s no contest. Figuring out how to slow down both the Crosby and Malkin lines will be Boston’s toughest challenge.

Advantage = Penguins

 

Defenseman

            At first glance, you want to say Boston. They have Zdeno Chara, one of the few defenders on Earth that have a chance of slowing down Sidney Crosby, along with a cast of role players that play solid team defense. However, when you look at the other side, you have Kris Letang, arguably the top offensive defenseman in the game. If I were guaranteed that Wade Redden and Andrew Ference would be 100% for this series, it would be advantage Boston. With that not being the case, we’ll call it a draw.

Advantage = Push

Goaltending

            Tuuka Rask isn’t the second coming of Patrick Roy (his Game 4 against New York was so atrocious it had some New Englanders asking if Tim Thomas was available), but Pittsburgh’s goaltending is the Achilles heal of the team. Longtime starter Marc-Andre Fleury was benched after a lackluster performance in round 1 against the Islanders. While Tomas Vokoun has been solid in net since replacing him, one would have to wonder how long of a leash he has if the Bruins light him up in the first few games of the series.

Advantage = Bruins

Special Teams

            Barring a goalie collapse, here’s where the series gets decided. Pittsburgh was the second ranked team on the power play during the regular season, but only five other teams were worse than them at killing penalties. Boston was the fourth best team on the penalty kill, but only four teams were worse than them at scoring power play goals. The Bruins would be best served avoiding the penalty box, as Pittsburgh has already netted 13 power play goals in 11 playoff games. To put things in perspective, Brad Marchand leads the Bruins with 3 power play assists. Pittsburgh has five players who have at least three assists, with the Letang/Malkin/Crosby trio netting 7-6-5. When you trot sharpshooters like Jarome Iginla, James Neal, and Chris Kunitz around the quality of playmakers the Penguins have, it makes for a deadly attack.

Advantage = Penguins

Coaching

            I’m taking Claude “The Vacuum Cleaner Salesman” Julien over any coach not named Mike Babcock in the NHL. I love that guy.

Advantage = Bruins

Home Crowd

            Two great hockey towns here, but if I have to nitpick, I don’t like that all too often the Penguins go with the “white out” and dress all their fans in white t-shirts. That and the stirring rendition of the National Anthem just a day after the Boston Marathon bombing earns the Bruins an uncontested win in this category for the next three years against any city not named Toronto.

Advantage = Bruins

Local Announcers

            Jack Edwards is a fucking idiot, and an embarrassment to the city of Boston.

Advantage = Penguins

Prediction
            Boston is going to beat and batter the Penguins, but there’s just too much talent on the other side. Look for Pittsburgh’s juggernaut power play to be the difference in this series.
 
Penguins in 7 over Bruins

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (5/24-5/26)

10. FOX Camera Wire Snaps, Injuring Fans, Damaging Cars, and Delaying Race
            No word yet on who is to blame for the malfunction, but I have a feeling FOX will claim it has something to do with liberals.

9. Cain Velasquez Destroys Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva

            Using my betting strategy from the Kentucky Derby, there is no way I would pick a dude nicknamed “Bigfoot” to win a championship fight.

8. Nico Rosberg Wins Monaco GP

            I caught the last 18 laps of this one (kudos to NBC for broadcasting it live, a first for network television in the United States), and came way thinking that it would be really cool to hang out in Monaco.

7. Anibal Sanchez Comes Up 2 Outs Short of Second Career No-Hitter
            The Twins trotted out four players with batting averages that were .212 or worse Friday night. Reason number 93,481 why we need to get MLB hitters back on the juice.

6. Bayern Munich Wins the Champions League Final

            I have nothing in the form of substantial analysis to offer on this event, but here are my takeaways.

a.       This is the second week in a row a soccer championship has been won, and made the weekly top 10.

b.      Bayern Munich will play for another championship next week.

c.       It was pretty cool that two German clubs were playing for the title in an English stadium. Sehr gut!

 

      d.  Someone needs to message me and explain why there are 5,254,192 soccer trophies.

           

 

5. Penguins Beat the Piss Out of Ottawa, Advance to Eastern Conference Finals
4. Bruins Finish Off Rangers
            Finally, Boston gets to exact revenge for what Ulf Samuelsson did to Cam Neely in the 1991 Conference Finals.

            Crosby and Malkin better have their heads on a swivel.

3. Pacers Hang on For Game 2 Win in Miami
            Indiana’s triumph in Miami would’ve been #1 if Miami didn’t beat the living shit out of them Sunday night. It was fun for 48 hours when people thought there was actually a chance the Heat wouldn’t make the finals.

2. Kevin Harvick Steals Another Crown Jewel Event, Wins Coca-Cola 600

            I think I ranked Harvick in the low teens in my pre-season NASCAR column. With his second win of the year (virtually assuring him a spot in the playoffs), he’s quickly added that to the long list of poor No Credentials predictions.

1. Tony Kanaan Finally Wins the Indianapolis 500

            While not as noteworthy as the failures of the Andretti family over the years at Indy (they are 1 for 69 as a family, which is remarkable when you consider that Mario and Michael were two of the greatest Indy Car drivers of all time), Tony Kanaan has been snake-bit at the Brickyard for the last decade, routinely having a fast car, but being unable to reach victory lane. A perfectly timed pass before a caution assured him of finally breaking through.


           This post concludes another riveting season of weekend reviews. Check No Credentials all summer long for thoughts on the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup Finals, MLB, and the NFL team previews. The weekend review will return to recap Week 1 of the NFL season in September.

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (5/17-5/19)

10. Atletico Madrid Stuns Real Madrid to Win One of 683 Soccer Trophies Given Out Every Year
            Anything involving pretty-boy Cristiano Ronaldo getting thrown out of a game while his team loses, I’m down with.

9. Bob Burnquist Wins 24^th X Games Medal

            Burnquist was one of the top skaters back in the early days of the Tony Hawk video games, so how he’s still getting it done all these years later, I have no idea.

8.  San Jose Scores Season-Saving Overtime Win Over Kings

            Going down 3-0 to the defending Stanley Cup winners wouldn’t of been a recipe for success. Still think L.A. will take care of business though.

7. Miguel Cabrera Posts a 3-Dinger Game
            About the only way someone will make this list during the last sporting event of the weekend (NFL season not included) is hitting three home runs in one game. I’m sick of pitchers flirting with perfect games, so that wouldn’t even cut it anymore.

6. Jimmie Johnson Wins Another All-Star Race

            By all accounts this event was virtually unwatchable, but it serves as an excuse to link to one of No Credentials favorite video clips, the end of the 1992 Winston.

5. Orb Finishes Fourth in the Preakness
            The perils of being pinned to the rail.

4. Sidney Crosby’s Hat Trick Leads Penguins to 2-0 Series Lead Over Ottawa

3. Facing 3-0 Hole, Ottawa Rallies to Win Game 3 in Double Overtime
            Crosby was brilliant on Friday, but it was the goalie’s turn to shine in Game 3.

2. Boston Beats the Hell Out of the Rangers, Take 2-0 Lead

            No Credentials is looking forward to the inevitable confrontation between the Bruins and Penguins.

1. Pacers Eliminate Knicks

            There’s some measure of irony that New York City’s greatest high school player was responsible fore the end of the 2012-13 Knicks.

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (5/10-5/12)

10. Grizzlies Grind Out Game 3 Win Over Thunder
9. Knicks Can’t Shoot in Indiana
            ESPN and ABC should’ve billed this doubleheader on Saturday as “games so atrocious you’ll almost wish you were watching college basketball”. New York needs to ditch iso-ball in order to turn their series around, while there is a little too much Reggie Jackson involved (which wasn’t a bad thing for the Athletics and Yankees during the 1970s) for Oklahoma City to have a prayer of advancing past Memphis.

8. Brooks Orpik Grips and Rips the Penguins Into Round 2

            Orpik picked a great time to net his first goal of 2013.

7. Jon Lester One-Hits the Blue Jays.
6. Shelby Miller One Hits the Rockies
5. Adam Wainwright Carries No Hitter Into the 8^th
            Here are three more reasons why MLB hitters need to get back on the juice. Honorable mention goes out to Chris Sale, who tossed a one-hitter Sunday night after this post was written. Just for grins and giggles, every time we post about multiple no-hit bids in a single weekend, I’ll list some home run totals from the steroids era (you know, when baseball was tons of fun). Here’s everyone that hit 30+ dingers in 1996.

1: Mark McGwire (52)
2: Brady Anderson (50)
3: Ken Griffey (49)
4: Albert Belle (48)
5: Juan Gonzalez (47)
6: Andres Galarraga (47)
7: Mo Vaughn (44)
8: Jay Buhner (44)
9: Barry Bonds (42)
10: Gary Sheffield (42)
11: Todd Hundley (41)
12: Greg Vaughn (41)
13: Ellis Burks (40)
14: Ken Caminiti (40)
15: Vinny Castilla (40)
16: Frank Thomas (40)
17: Sammy Sosa (40)
18: Cecil Fielder (39)
19: Rafael Palmeiro (39)
20: Jim Thome (38)
21: Dean Palmer (38)
22: Alex Rodriguez (36)
23: Geronimo Berroa (36)
24: Mike Piazza (36)
25: Henry Rodriguez (36)
26: Ed Sprague (36)
27: Terry Steinbach (35)
28: Robin Ventura (34)
29: Eric Karros (34)
30: Ryan Klesko (34)
31: John Jaha (34)
32: Barry Larkin (33)
33: Manny Ramirez (33)
34: Dante Bichette (31)
35: Jeff Bagwell (31)
36: Joe Carter (30)
37: Steve Finley (30)
38: Benito Santiago (30)
39: Jeff King (30)
40: Chipper Jones (30)
41: Bernard Gilkey (30)
42: Ron Gant (30)
43: Tim Salmon (30)
 

4. Kyle Busch’s Car Gets Tight, Matt Kenseth Steals a Darlington Victory

            Kenseth hasn’t won at a rate like this since the year before his championship-winning season in 2003.

3. Tiger Woods Shows Sergio Garcia Who’s Boss, Wins Players Championship
            Was there any doubt that Sergio would choke on the 17^th hole?

2. Maple Leafs Come Back From 3-1 Series Deficit, Defeat Bruins

            Boston looks like they could use the benefit of a reverse jinx right now.

1. Down Late, Golden State Rallies to Even Series Against San Antonio

            Win or lose, there isn’t a more entertaining team in all of sports right now than the Golden State Warriors.

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (3/1-3/3)

10. Kyle Busch Dominates Nationwide Race at Phoenix
            Because you know, it’s a good thing when an established Sprint Cup driver dominates a second tier race.

9. Rick Finds Morgan on “The Walking Dead”

            Unfortunately, Morgan was off his rocker.

8. Real Madrid Knocks Off Barcelona For the Second Time in a Week

            Surprisingly, pretty boy Cristiano Ronaldo actually got the better of Lionel Messi for a change.

7. Joe Flacco Inks Largest Contract in NFL History

            Not to take away from Flacco, who had an incredible postseason, but I could think of 12 to 15 quarterbacks I’d rather have starting for my team instead of him next season.

6. Blackhawks Extend Point Streak to 22 Straight Games

            I don’t think we’ve seen a hockey team play this well since the late-90s edition of the Detroit Red Wings.

5. Magic Johnson Offers Lebron James $1 Million if He Wins Dunk Contest
            No Credentials has been suggesting that cash should be used as the primary motivator for all exhibition events involving professional athletes, so kudos to Magic Johnson for making the offer.

4. Heat Net 14^th Straight Win in Madison Square Garden

            The Knicks jumped out to a 16-point first half lead, but it wasn’t a large enough cushion to hold off Lebron James. Miami pushed the streak to 15 games tonight.

3. Penguins Win 7-6 Barnburner in Montreal
            Who needs an NHL All-Star team when these two teams combined for 80 shots Saturday night.

2. Carl Edwards Brings Back the Back Flip, Wins at Phoenix

            I think everyone can agree that NASCAR is a way more fun when Cousin Carl is relevant.

1. Bruins Score 3 Times in Third, Stun Lightning

            Sunday night’s loss to arch rival Montreal put a damper on the weekend, but Boston’s efforts at home Saturday afternoon should not be forgotten.