Friday Morning Wake Up Call

Good Friday morning! We have made it through another week, nearly, and it's almost time for the weekend. Before we get ahead of ourselves, we need to go over what happened last night and see what's on tap today. Let's jump in. 

San Jose Advances to Western Conference Finals

The Sharks held a televised practice last night when there was supposed to be a game. If any one sees Nashville's starting five, let them know that they are now on vacation. Pekka Rinne stopped 21 shots, but it was the five that got by him that were the difference. San Jose now advanced to their first Western Conference Finals since 2011 when they take on St Louis in Game 1 on Sunday. 

OKC Closes Out Spurs

Oklahoma City defeated San Antonio 113-99 to advance last night in the NBA Playoffs. A late push by the Spurs kept the score closer than it really was. The Thunder would not be denied this time. Trying to avoid sending the series back to San Antonio, they led after three quarters 91-65. In what might have been Tim Duncan's last game, he turned in one of his better performances of the playoffs scoring 19 points. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined for 65. The Thunder will meet up at Golden State for Game 1 on Monday. 

Looking forward to today, it will be a light schedule. Toronto has a chance to knock out Miami when the two teams meet in South Beach tonight for Game 6. In something we haven't touched on, The Players Championship second round is currently underway. Jason Day was the leader after the first round after a -9 round. He will tee off at 1:58 today and currently leads by two strokes. 

That's about all I have for now. Be sure to check back through the the day for breaking stories and updates. 

-Dug

@chandm1th

Thursday Morning Wake Up

 

Almost Through Another Week

And a good Thursday morning to you. This blog is almost a week old, and we are having more fun than you can imagine. Thank you so much to all of the readers who work behind the scenes to make this enjoyable for us. (Hint: Comments are welcomed and appreciated!) Let's check out what happened while you were asleep and what we can look forward to tonight.

St Louis Advances, Finishes off Dallas

St Louis absolutely dominated Dallas on their own ice. After the second period, they led 5-0. Hell, this one was over after the first when the Blues were up 3-0. Dallas played groggy the entire game. One goal in the third period doesn't even help their case. It is one thing to lose in a Game 7, but a completely different one to get pants on your own home ice. St Louis will face the winner of Thursday night's Game 7 between Nashville and San Jose in the Western Conference Finals

Toronto Takes Game 5, Leads 3-2

DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry combined for 59 points as the Raptors take down the Heat in Game 5   No leading at any point, Miami seemed out of sync from the get go. Trailing 28-18 after the first quarter, Miami had been called for more fouls (8) than made shots (6). More bad news, Luol Deng left midway through the third quarter with a wrist injury. X-Rays were inconclusive. Game 6 sees the series headed back to Miami where it's do-or-die for the Heat. 

Golden State Advances

The Portland Trailblazers are officially done. Golden State held on for a 125-121 victory last night to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the second straight year. Before the game, Steph Curry was honored as the league's MVP. However, on this night, it was another star who shined the brightest. Klay Thompson went for 33 points while shooting 13-17 from the field. He also connected on six three-pointers to lead all scorers. Golden State now awaits the winner of SA-OKC. 

Max Scherzer K's 20

20 strikeouts, are you kidding me?? That's what Max Scherzer was doing last night while you were asleep. In the first time he faced his former team, Scherzer showed us exactly why the Nats are paying him so much. He tied the nine inning record for strikeouts and now shares it with the likes of Roger Clemens, Kerry Wood, and Randy Johnson. That's pretty good company to share anything with. What might be more impressive is that of the 119 pitches he threw last night, 96 were for strikes. 

Looking toward tonight, there are two playoff matchups that you definitely should keep an eye on. The first is Game 6 between San Antonio and Oklahoma City. The Spurs will look to fight off elimination with hopes of returning the series to San Antonio for a possible winner-take-all Game 7. 

The other match-up is a Game 7 in the NHL between Nashville and San Jose. The home team has won every game throughout the series, and oddsmakers are leaning toward the Sharks tonight by a large margin. Look for complete coverage of this one tonight. 

That's all for now. Check back throughout the day for updates

-Dug

@chansm1th

Tuesday Morning Wake Up

Welcome Back, Steph!

Good Tuesday morning to all. Quick turnaround after the overtime, but let's get ready for another day!

Steph Curry returned last night, in case you didn't hear. After not playing in the team's last four games, Curry looked fresh and in rhythm. Leading all scorers with 40, he also set a league-record with 17 (17!!) points in the overtime period. Golden State survived 132-125 on the road in Portland last night to take a 3-1 series lead as they head back home. Game 5 is Wednesday night. 

Stars, Preds Force Game 7

Two teams went into the night facing dire circumstances. Facing 3-2 series deficits, both Nashville and Dallas fought off elimination to force winner-take-all Game 7s. 

Dallas led 3-0 before St Louis would charge back to make it interesting. The Blues would score two goals before Dallas held on to win 3-2. Game 7 is in Dallas on Wednesday night. 

Nashville was quite the opposite. San Jose scored twice in the opening period to jump out to a commanding lead. After Nashville broke the goose egg on the scoreboard, momentum violently swing into their favor. They would tie the game early in the second period before falling behind 3-2 in the third. Just as it seemed like all was lost, Colin Wilson would tie the game two minutes after San Jose had taken their last lead. Behind a rowdy home crowd, the Predators would score the winning goal just two minutes into overtime. Game 7 is in San Jose on Thursday where Nashville hasn't won a playoff game yet. 

Oklahoma City at San Antonio

Game 5

Series tied at 2-2

The only real action going on tonight is a pivotal Game 5 in the Western Conference to see who will take on Golden State. San Antonio and the Old Guard have only last two games at home all season including the playoffs. After being trounced in Game 4, the Spurs will look to get one win closer to the Conference Finals tonight when they defend their home court. Tip is at 8:00 on TNT. 

That's all for now. Be sure to check back throughout the day for updates and breaking news. Thanks for reading!

-Dug

@chansm1th