NBA

Last night, the much anticipated NBA Finals kicked off between the underdog Orlando Magic, and the Los Angeles Lakers juggernaut.  Many thought this series could go either way, and that the Magic were not just “happy to be there”.  However, you just can’t underestimate Kobe’s understanding that he is in the prime of his career, and Championship opportunities will become increasingly difficult after this season.  This IS his chance to win his 4th championship, and by many standards, launch himself into the Top 7 players of all time.

And with all that said, Thursday night was Kobe’s night.  He totally dominated, putting up 40 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds.  He was a monster out there.  The game was close in the first quarter, but towards the end of the 1st Half, the Lakers pulled away, and led by 10 at the break.  Then, in the 3rd quarter, it was the Kobe Bryant show.  He just couldn’t be stopped.  Meanwhile, the Magic, a team largely reliant on their shooting, were ice cold.  Every one of their starting 5 had an off night, and even their former all-star point guard, Jameer Nelson, came into the game and was pretty average.  The 4th quarter was practically an exhibition game for the Lakeshow, and the Magic will have to truly re-focus if they want to even compete with the Lakers in Game 2.  LA Lakers 100, Orlando 75.

MLB

Elsewhere in sports, some historic news from the baseball world.  Randy Johnson, THE UNIT, finally got his 300th win against a putrid Washington Nationals team.  He only had 2 strikeouts, but also only allowed 2 hits.  It was a nice 6-inning performance, and with this win, he becomes only the 24th player in baseball history to reach 300 wins.  At the same time, his San Francisco Giants are having a pretty decent year, sitting in 2nd place in the NL West.  They could definitely make some noise this post-season.  San Francisco 5, Washington 1.

NHL

Finally, in the hockey world, the Pittsburgh Penguins were looking to knot the Stanley Cup Finals at 2 games a piece.  Well, they did it.  And the hero of the night was Pittsburgh’s superstar Sidney Crosby. He had a key goal and a fantastic assist in the 2nd period to put the Penguins up 4-2, enough to demoralize and thus paralyze the Red Wings in the 3rd period.  At the beginning of this series, it appeared that the Red Wings would dominate.  But, now, with the series tied, Pittsburgh suddenly thinks they can win, and the Red Wings, oddly, think that they can lose.  Game 5 is in Detroit, and they sorely need a win on their home ice.  Pittsburgh 4, Detroit 2.