Archive for April 17th, 2012

WATERCOOLER CHAT: NHL PLAYOFFS, CLIPPERS FASCINATING, STRASBERG BACK

HOCKEY

 

In the NHL, the playoffs are in full swing, and one of the most anticipated match-ups of the first round are the defending champion Boston Bruins vs. the always-challenging, but playoff-choking Washington Capitals.  The Caps are a #7 seed, which could bode well for them, as they’ve become accustomed to early exits when entering the playoffs as a top seed.  With the series tied at a game a piece, we headed back to Washington, where the Capitals can really do some damage in front of their home crowd.  The Capitals jumped out early, getting a goal from Alexander Semin.  And from that point forward, it was a back and forth battle until the very end.  It looked like we’d be headed to overtime, but with just under 2 minutes, Boston’s Zdeno Chara busted the tie, and put the Bruins up by 1.  The Caps couldn’t rally, and the Bruins went on to take a 2-1 lead in the series.  Boston 4, Washington 3.

BASKETBALL

In the NBA, the Los Angeles Clippers have been a fascinating team this season.  They started out red-hot, and looked like they’d be the team to beat in the West.  And it didn’t hurt that they got all-star Chris Paul AND Kenyon Martin.  But then, they went on a losing skid, where they looked like they would be an easy exit from the playoffs.  Much of the blame fell on the shoulders of their coach Vinny Del Negro, many criticizing him for not being able to coach.  After all, he did quite poorly when he was running the Bulls.  But, recently, the Clippers have been on a winning tear — back to the form from the beginning of the season.  And through it all, Del Negro said he never lost focus.  Even though he was being destroyed by the media, Del Negro said he relished the pressure and did everything he could to try and rise to the occasion.  It will be very interesting to see what the Clippers do in the post-season.

BASEBALL

The Washington Nationals had an absolutely terrible year last season, but now they have their ace Stephen Strasburg back and ready to go.  He’s already got one win this season, and took the mound again to take on the Astros.  The Nationals are currently in first place, and have established themselves as a team to be taken seriously early in the season.  Strasburg would pitch 6 innings, give up 6 hits, and nab 5 strikeouts, and that’s all they would need from him to get out of there with a win.  This could be the year when the Nationals finally stand up and remain competitive for the entire season.  They’ve got a good manager in place, and their young prospects are starting to shine.  Plus, they have #1 overall pick Bryce Harper slowly rising the ranks of the minor leagues.  Once he gets to the majors… watch out!  Washington 6, Houston 3.

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