The second round of the NBA playoffs are around half way done, and it has surprised me that 3 of the 4 series are 3-0. The second round is suppose to be a lot closer than this, since the lower seeded teams have been eliminated. The 2-3 series is also suppose to be very close. We have 1 2-3 series this year, the Magic against the Hawks, and that series is 3-0, and it’s not even close. The closest game has been by 14 points. The other two games were more than twice that. The Magic have dominated the Hawks. The only close series, the Cavs and the Celtics, has been fun to watch. Rondo has been amazing for the Celtics, often outplaying King James himself. From the looks of it, it looks like the Magic are going to have another long rest before they play again, and could be well on their way to another NBA finals.
Great game by Dallas Braden, as he tossed a perfect game against the Rays. Coming into today, the Rays had the best record in the league, yet Braden was still able to retire 27 of them in a row. Remember when A-Rod ran over the mound against him? Well, no one is going to disrespect Dallas Braden in any way for a long time after today. The last perfect game ever thrown was last year by Mark Buerhle against the Rays last year. One might get the impression that the Rays aren’t a very good team, but that is untrue. The Rays do have a formidable lineup, with the likes of Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford. Yet, they have come up empty in two games against two solid south paws.
Another big series going down is the Yankees- Red Sox series. Any time they play each other there is always a big commotion. Remember the start of last year when the Red Sox won eight straight games against the Yankees? Well, that’s all ancient history, as the Yankees beat them 9 out the next 10, won the World Series, and now have won 4 out of 5 games in Fenway Park to start the season. What about that turn around? With a win today the Yankees will sweep the Red Sox in Fenway Park, and will move in to first place in the AL East due to the Rays loss. Note: The Yankees still haven’t played the Red Sox in Yankee Stadium.
What about the Mets? Weren’t they suppose to roll over and let the Phillies win another division this year. They don’t seem to think so. They’re one of the hottest teams in the league right now, and hit two walk off homers to beat the Giants in two straight games. Despite losing today, they still managed to get runs off Tim Lincecum in 6 innings. That’s actually quite an accomplishment. Rod Barajas has also been huge for them, as he has 9 homeruns thus far for them. That’s amazing when you realize that he’s on pace to get around 40 this year. The scary part is that they don’t have Carlos Beltran, one of their best players, back from injuries yet. They have also found a solid second starter in Mike Pelfrey. They definitely have the potential to make a run at the division, and maybe more.
First off, congrats to Braden for his perfect game, it shows just how strong the A's are as a team. And in regards to NBA playoffs, some of these series I expected to go a lot longer. For example, I expected that the Suns-Spurs series would be really close because both teams are evenly matched in many categories. However, it seems that Suns just took over the show and haven't let the Spurs take any control. In terms of the Jazz- Lakers and Magic-Hawks series, those were expected sweeps because the Lakers and Magic are both very experienced and strong teams. The only series that is really going close is the Cavs-Celtics which to me is a huge surprise. The Cavs had the best record heading into the playoffs and this should have been easy. Lebron has got to prove he is MVP worthy right now. If he doesn't then he can just say good bye to the hopes of winning a title with the Cavs.
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