Tag: Boston

Stanley Cup Rematch Preview

This afternoon we all learned that backup goalie Cory Schneider will be in net for the Canucks tomorrow, not Roberto Luongo. Quite frankly, I don’t blame the Canucks for making this move. Luongo was god awful in his starts at Boston in the Stanley Cup, and he looked like he couldn’t save a beach ball. I was really hyped up for this game the past few days, but now I am not sure it is going to be the type of game we all might have hoped it would be. You would think these Canucks would want to come into Boston and stand up for themselves after last years embarrassing upset in the Finals. I think the Canucks are just playing this game for damage control right now. Think about the turn their season would take if they went into Boston tomorrow with their best goalie and the Bruins chased him out and embarrassed them again? Think of the emotional damage that would have on the psyche of the Sedin sisters and the rest of the Canucks. So let’s put in our backup, write the game off as a loss, and hey, maybe we will come out with a win some how and that will be a boost for us. That doesn’t sound like the Canucks though, playing scared.

My prediction for tomorrow is the Bruins are going to embarrass the Canucks, maybe even put up another nine spot. I think they should all wear their rings under their gloves too just for good measure. I feel bad for Luongo tomorrow. He is going to be a sitting duck on the bench for the always polite Boston fans to shout their compliments at him. Poor guy. Regardless of if the Canucks want this to be a physical game or not, it is going to be physical. Hopefully the Canucks will put Aaron Rome into the lineup so Horton can get some retribution for that disgusting hit he took last year from him. So now I guess I will go and watch the Bruins Stanley Cup DVD so I can get hyped again for this game. Final score- Bruins 6 Vancouver 2.

Celtics vs. Heat Preview

The Celtics and Heat are set to square off in about an hour on TNT, thank god. The longer I can go without having to hear Tommy Heinson’s voice the better. The Celtics are coming off a disappointing loss against the New York Knicks on Christmas day, and the Heat are coming off an impressive redemption win against the Mavericks as their 2011 Championship banner was raised to the rafters. It appears Paul Pierce won’t play again tonight, which is a huge loss for the Celtics. I did not get to watch any of the Christmas day game, but Rondo lead the Celtics with 31 points and 13 assists, having a very good game. I was not surprised that he played well. Rondo obviously can’t feel very secure being in Boston as they nearly traded him away in the offseason for Chris Paul, so it is in Rondo’s best interest that he plays at a very high level every game or he could be out the door. In my opinion, the Celtics know that Rondo is a pretty good player, but only if he has a supporting cast. With the big 3 nearing the end of their days in the NBA, the Celtics organization knows that in a few years, Rondo could be the only big name left in Boston (that is assuming you consider Rondo a big name). Chris Paul, as we all know, can at least keep a team afloat without a supporting cast, but I do not have much faith that Rondo could do the same. Look for Rondo to have another big game tonight with Pierce out, but for his efforts to come up small again. The Heat big 3 have a year under their belt now, and this year they could be a very scary team.

I also can’t believe Garnett did not get a suspension after grabbing Bill Walker’s neck at the end of the game on Christmas. It was totally unnecessary and something like that could easily have led to something more. With that being said, he will be playing tonight and don’t expect to see much of him. He has shown the most signs of aging of the Big 3, sustaining injuries the past two years that have forced him to miss significant time. It will be very interesting to see how these older teams deal with the plethora of back to back games this season, as the league is trying to fit as many games in as possible. Final score tonight will be Heat 100 Celtics 88, as the Heat will improve to 2-0 and the Celtics to 0-2. Happy New Year.

NBA Season

You should all know off the bat, I hate the NBA. It’s 10 guys playing one on one for 48 minutes, nothing like how it used to be. And ever since Allen Iverson left the league I have lost much interest. But this year could be the year the Sixers make a push deep into the playoffs.I mean we all know Lebron is going to win this year since he always plays really good 3 quarters of the season, but hopes are high for the Sixers. Young Evan Turner is a year older as well as point guards Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams. I know I say it every year but I honestly do believe this year the Sixers can compete for the Division. The Celtics are old, and I mean old. And with the shortened season, the Celtics have to play a ton of back to back games throughout the year, and it’s not easy for guys that old to play games on back to back days, plain and simple. They also lost Jeff Green who was looking to be their 6th man so things aren’t looking too good for the Celts at least for now. The only one who doesnt seem to be aging is Tommy Heinson who couldn’t age faster. He’s got the annoyance of Joe Buck and the brain capacity of John Madden. Chris Paul and Kobe are going at it right now in L.A. and I really could care less. I along with much of the country would rather watch the lights go on and off in San Francisco right now than that game, mostly just because it’s hard to get into basketball until football is over. Look for the Sixers to get off to a hot start this season and Lou Williams to suprise a lot of folks this year off the bench.

Bruins Habs Update

So this game has been like watching paint dry. There is no emotion at all and you expect that out of a last place team but not a Bruins team who is playing at home against their biggest rival. Theres no hitting, terrible passing, and nobody looks like they want to be there especially Chara who just stood there and watched the puck go between his legs. Luckily for the Bruins, Montreal is not good and they are missing key players as well, so being tied 1-1 after the first is nothing to worry about. Hopefully Claude throws Thornton out there for the opening faceoff to drop the gloves and give the team a little spark and the fans something to cheer about.