Retirements and records were the name of the game in the NBA last week. This week is all about the playoffs in both basketball and hockey.
National Basketball Association (NBA)
And the rest is history…Kobe Bryant played his final NBA game Wednesday and went out like a king. Kobe, the 20-year veteran and all-time great, scored 60 points, the highest total in the NBA this season. He’s still got it.
Watch Kobe, the ultimate villain, conduct his haters in this Nike Ad that aired during his last game. #MambaOut
On the same night as Kobe’s farewell, the Golden State Warriors won their last regular season game, finishing 73-9 and establishing a mark for the best regular season in NBA history. The Warriors eclipsed the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls that featured Michael Jordan, and also included Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr.
The first round of the NBA playoffs began over the weekend with few surprises.
Eastern Conference:
The only major upset in the East was the #7 Indiana Pacers beating the #2 Toronto Raptors on Saturday. The Raptors bounced back and dropped the Pacers on Monday to tie the best-of-seven series 1-1.
LeBron James and the #1 Cleveland Cavaliers got a scare from the #8 Detroit Pistons, but ultimately won game one of their series 106-101 on Sunday. LeBron, you are not alone…co-stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love contributed playoff career highs 31 and 28 points, respectively, in the win.
Western Conference:
Just a bit of history repeating…Most Western Conference favorites easily won their first round playoff games. The one exception was the Oklahoma City Thunder who fell to the Dallas Mavericks (Mark Cuban’s team) Monday, tying their series 1-1, when a Thunder put-back at the buzzer was disallowed.
No Steph, no problem. The Golden State Warriors won Game one of their series with the Houston Rockets Saturday but lost reigning MVP and best-basketball-player-on-the-planet Steph Curry for a game or two to an ankle injury. Even without Curry, the Warriors handled the Rockets Monday night to go up 2-0.
Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA)
History in the making…As the WNBA begins its 20th season, their Draft was one for the ages. For the first time ever, the first three players taken were all from one school: the University of Connecticut. Breanna Stewart (Seattle), Moriah Jefferson (San Antonio), Morgan Tuck went 1-2-3 and will start their WNBA careers May 14th.
National Hockey League (NHL)
The NHL playoffs are underway and here are first round results so far:
|
Eastern Conference |
Western Conference |
| NY Islanders lead Florida (2-1) | San Jose leads Los Angeles (2-1) |
| Tampa Bay leads Detroit (2-1) | Nashville leads Anaheim (2-0) |
| Washington leads Philadelphia (3-0) | Dallas leads Minnesota (2-1) |
| Pittsburgh tied with NY Rangers (1-1) | St. Louis leads Chicago (2-1) |
The standout NHL team continues to be the Washington Capitals, the regular season champs, who lead their playoff series 3-0 and are rolling towards the nexts round.
National Football League (NFL)
Even the NFL pressed pause to honor Kobe Bryant last week. The Los Angeles Rams (the team that moved back to LA from St. Louis after 21 years) and Tennessee Titans made a major trade involving the first overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft but delayed the announcement until Thursday morning so Kobe and the Lakers could enjoy the spotlight.
Mark your calendar…the NFL schedule was released and the season opener is a Super Bowl 50 rematch between the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos, Thursday, September 8th. There are two games on Christmas Night and much more. Check out the full schedule if you’re planning parties or gatherings in the Fall.
Major League Baseball (MLB)
Beautiful Beltway Baseball…The Washington Nationals (9-3) and Baltimore Orioles (8-3) are near the top of their leagues, and the talk of the town in the Baltimore/DC Area. The Nationals are led by defending MVP Bryce Harper who homered in four straight games and is among the league leaders in home runs and RBIs. The baseball season lasts until October, so there is plenty of time to stumble, but right now politicos are catching baseball in between debates and primaries.
Not a total disaster…Both the Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves started the season 0-9, but won three in a row this weekend to give their fans something to cheer about (though it might not last long).
In a case of family comes first, New York Mets star pitcher Jacob deGrom left the team to be with his family and was placed on emergency leave after complications with his newborn son. #GetWellSoon
Remember at TINK Sports we watch the games so you don’t have to.
See you next time…
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