Vancouver: the team with two countries behind them

Both the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks enter the Stanley Cup finals with a lot of history to overcome.  The Bruins are an original 6 team who haven't won the Cup since back to back season in '69/'70 and '71/'71, while the Canucks entered the NHL during the second expansion in 1970 and have never won a Cup.  Vancouver and Boston are both worldly cities that have die hard hockey fans, but while the whole of Canada is behind Vancouver it is hard to believe anyone outside of New England is pulling for the Bruins.

For generations the Boston sports fan was the most tortured sports fan in the country, the curse of the Bambino hung over the Red Sox, the Celts became a joke after the Bird years and the Patriots were a laughingstock before the Tuna years.  The landscape has changed dramatically for Boston sports fans 30 years of age and younger.  The Red Sox have won 2 World Series' since 2000 and have been in the playoffs 6 of the last ten years.  They have gone from scrappy underdog rivals of the Yankees to executing the same off-season game plan, no one seemed to blink when they spent half a billion dollars this past offseason and almost the entire '04 and '07 title teams have been linked to performance enhancing drugs.  The mentality of the all Red Sox fans has changed so dramatically that a 3 game losing streak seems to elicit the same response on ESPN Boston that it did in the owner's box in the Bronx when George was in charge.  Thanks to Kevin McHale handing Garnett to his friend Danny Ainge for 10 cents on the dollar the Celtics were able to dominate their division since '08 while winning one title and making it to last year's finals.  That one move allowed the Celtics to quickly move back into the NBA's elite and gave their fans the opportunity to steal back the title of most arrogant NBA fans from LA. The Patriots have won 3 Super Bowls since 2000, 6 AFC titles and 11 AFC East divisions since '85.  Now when the Patriots lose as favorites in the playoffs you would think New England was back under British rule as ESPN has turned Tom Brady's draft position into a national crisis along with the on camera tears, while sweeping "spygate" under a Jim Tressel size rug.  It is not like Boston is led by US born stars, their one American on the roster is goaltender Tim Thomas, who has been terrific this year, but was MIA in last year's Olympics as Canucks center Ryan Kesler was vital for the US silver medal winning squad.

Meanwhile, the Cup hasn't been won by a team north of the border since the '93 Montreal Canadiens led by Patrick Roy and Kirk Muller beat the Gretzky led Kings coached by Barry Melrose in 5 games.  The Flames and Oilers lost in 7 heartbreaking games to teams from the US sunbelt sandwiched around the lockout cancelled '05 season and the Senators were outclassed by Anaheim (another traditional hockey market) in 5 games during the '07 Cup finals.  This year's Canucks is Canada's best chance to win the Cup since the Montreal teams of the 70's and doing it against a Boston team would be that much sweeter for the capital of BC and US sports fans south of Connecticut.

I think I speak for America outside of New England when I say, Let's go Vancouver you have two countries counting on you as now every Pat's and Celts writer has hopped on the Bruins bandwagon and if I have to hear one more "I had given up on the Bruins, but this team is different" angle to a story I might flip out Will Hunting style.  Hopefully the return of Canuck's center Manny Malhotra will swing the tide for Vancouver and quickly turn the ESPN Boston and New England sports fans focus back to John Lackey's struggles, Rando's injuries, and the Pat's lack of pass rusher.

Heatin' It Up

Granted I'm not the most knowledgable or passionate NBA fan in the world, or even on this staff, but one thing I know for sure is that LeBron James is truly unstoppable. The way he has been closing out games and the suffocating D he played on Rose was unbelievable. I feel all LeBron critics have been silenced.

It's amazing how much more dominant LeBron has been than Dwyane Wade during these playoffs. While Wade is trying to do his best Tim Duncan impression and kissing all of his shots off the glass and turning the ball over at a rate that even Stephon Marbury would be proud, LeBron has been taking the ball to the rim, getting fouled, hitting foul shots, making big 3s, and stiffling anyone he guards.

The Heat were Wade's team. LeBron was brought in to help bring another few titles to Miami. Now it is LeBron's team. His passion and determination can't be matched on the Heat. He never sits, he's always on the court. They need him on the court. Wade, not so much. Other than a solid OT performance in game 4, he has been rather quiet, and at times a detriment to the squad. I'm sure Wade will turn it around for the Finals, but at this moment he isn't even close to being in the same realm as The King. In fact, right now, the Big-3 should be ranked in this order: James, LeBron; Bosh, Chris; Wade, Dwyane.

That's all I have to say about the NBA.

I can't decide which NHL matchup I would rather see: Vancouver v. Boston, or Vancouver v. Tampa Bay.

Both series would be fun to watch. Think how many goals would be scored in a Canucks/Lightning series. Think how fun it would be to watch Big Fat Tim Thomas flopping around with all the weapons that exist for Vancouver.

Boston is a way bigger market for hockey than Tampa and could be good for the game, but casual fans like goals, and the Lighting can provide that. Either way it should be fun.

When hockey and basketball are finished it will be time for a real sport to begin. That sport is The Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Rivals. Bitter rivals from previous seasons will team up with each other. No one else. Just two people that despise the other. Plus we get C.T. back. Who knows what he will do this time. All the fun begins June 22 only on MTV.

1st Finals Preview

 

With both favorites up 3-1 in their respective conference finals and this not being the NHL, I think it is safe to preview the Finals.  A Mavs/Heat series might not have the name appeal of LA/Boston to the average fan, but it is a better story when you factor in the '06 history, Dirk's title chase, and the possible vindication of the "superfriends" and Lebron specifically. 

The Mavs road to the Finals has been as difficult as it could be, Portland was a trendy underdog selection (myself included) with talent and depth, the Lakers were the odds on favorites, and OKC was the talented new generation team that was staking their claim to the era after the Spurs and Lakers.  The Mavs appeared vulnerable after two games in Dallas where only a Dirk game for the ages allowed them to split, but as the Mavs have shown all postseason, on the road is where they play their best.  Grinding out game 3 defensively when Dirk had an off night set the tone and then applying pressure down 15 in the fourth and taking advantage of the Thunder meltdown took all the suspense out of the series.    The Mavs played like a veteran team with a proven superstar who has done this before, while the Thunder looked like a figure skater or tennis player blowing a big lead and being unable to stop the onslaught.  Watching you almost wanted to stop the game and put your arm around them as they were losing it.  If you have to lose a few before you win big, Game 4 for the Thunder should count as double.  Durant is a postseason or two from being great and the Thunder's minor issues concerning Westbrook's development, adding a shooter, a post identity, and Scott Brooks' limitations can all be addressed with minor tweaks going forward.  No team is a better example of shrugging off playoff disappointments and moving forward than the Mavs and though only Dirk and Terry were on the '06 team, you have to believe the memories of that series for the two of them, the front office, and the fan-base will be a major intangible advantage for the Mavs.

I can't remember the complexion of a series changing so dramatically in a week (without an injury) than the Eastern conference finals did from after Game 1 to after Game 3.  The Bulls went from all energy and excitement to none as the Heat defense broke the will of the regular season darlings.  The Bulls did manage to show a little more fight in Game 4, but the bottom line of the series is, sometimes effort isn't enough.  After 3 straight terrible 4^th quarters and an OT period it is clear that if they played 10 times the Bulls winning more than 2 would be a shock.  Derrick Rose joins Steve Nash as a recent highly entertaining regular season MVP who was outplayed prior to the Finals.  It probably isn't good when the MVP is outplayed in a playoff series like Rose was in this series by Lebron and no one is the least bit surprised. There is no doubt the Bulls supporting cast offensively is worse than the Hawks and the decision not to make a move for a proven 2 guard at the deadline will be a decision that haunts this team all summer, but Rose's game 4 numbers (23 pts. 8-27, 1-9 from three, 6 assists, and 7 TO's) focused the spotlight more acutely on issues that have been present all season.  Rose's potential game winner coming up woefully short and his subsequent play in OT, while Lebron took over, shows that NBA MVP votes are as much about heart over head as favorite movie lists.  Like the Thunder, the Bulls are young and the notable holes in their roster should be filled without much turnover, but unlike OKC who plays in what looks like a wide open conference the Bulls will have to deal with the Heat again, and I will go out on a limb and say the Heat will not be worse next season. 

As for the Finals, the first thing that jumps out at me is the possibility of major individual point totals for James, Wade, and Dirk.  Neither team has great matchups for the other teams best, the Mavs will need the fountain of youth for Marion, Stevenson, and Kidd as they match up with James and Wade.  While Dirk will be a challenge that Miami hasn't faced in the playoffs to this point.  James was able to defend Rose and Rando in crunch time during the last two series' and now could be forced to defend Dirk if the Bosh/Haslem, Anthony trio proved as hapless as they look on paper.  Jason Kidd has played gutty and inspired at the point this postseason, but is a good matchup for Miami since this late in his career he is primarily a spot up shooter.  Chandler will need to show why is considered the ultimate energy big guy around the hoop and JJ Barea will be vital as a guy who can draw the Heat defense on drives and score or kick to a shooter. 

Even more intriguing than the matchups in this series will be the legacies that will be shaped by the outcome.  There is little doubt that the Heat received the benefit of every whistle during the 4^th quarter of Game 3 of the '06 finals, while the Mavs let that game and the officials get to them and they were never able to recover losing 4 straight after going up 2-0.  Now, not only do Dirk and the Mavs get another chance, but it is against the same Heat team, and if you had to pick two NBA stars that are most desperate for a title Lebron and Dirk are 1 and 1(A).  I can't help but laugh when I think that 97% of NBA fans are now are relying on a Mark Cuban owned team, coached by the man who coached the Pacers who brawled with fans in Detroit, and whose best player is from Germany to derail the Heat.  Meanwhile, doesn't "The Decision" and the before the season parade become a footnote if the Heat and their "superfriends" win the title their first year together? All the talk about multiple championships that seemed so ridiculous 2 months ago now seems prophetic.  Lebron and Wade have been so good that the Heat now look rationale for sticking with the "We have enough" mantra while their role players become lionized for routine accomplishments like setting good screens, hustling, and scoring in double digits or grabbing 10 boards.  Yes, Lebron choose to join up with Wade and Bosh and admitted he couldn't do it alone, but will the conversation change if he is MVP of the Finals and says everything was done in the name of winning.

I for one can't wait and I have to believe the Heat/Mavs players can't wait either so maybe they concede a game before closing out youngsters, but it will just build the anticipation.  It is hard to not want to see Dirk's decade of consistent greatness rewarded, but as long as the Heat defend at the level they have been defending since the Boston series even Mike Bibby and Jamal Magloire will have rings.

French Open Odds

 

Nothing says spring like continuous days of rain in Pennsylvania and the red clay of Roland Garros.  The red clay is not only distinctive, but it makes for a truly different playing surface and in turn leads to  physically grueling matches and more upsets than the other three Slams.  The men's tournament the last handful of years has been about Rafael Nadal's domination (won 5 of the last 6) and Roger Federer's ('09 champion) chase of the one major that had eluded him for years.  The tournaments narrative has dramatically changed this year as Novak Djokovic enters the tournament undefeated on the year (39-0) and on the cusp of the #1 ranking.  Djokovic has always been something of an enigma; he has always had as much talent as anyone, but seemed to be missing the mental and physical toughness demanded in the sport.  From afar he seemed happy to be the 3^rd best player in the game and enjoy the life that came with it.  This year after a change in diet and fitness he looks like the Serbian kid who devoted his life to the game while living in a country shredded by war and NATO bombing raids.  His type of adversity didn't involve injuries or coaching issues or family history, he was able to maintain his singular focus on tennis while trying to survive civil war and nightly bombing raids.  His Australian Open title this year was his second and his four straight victories over Nadal in tournament finals (2 on clay) might be his third most impressive stat after his unbeaten streak and the fact that he has only lost 8 sets since November.  The question of this being a historical great run for Djokovic or if he is a historically great player we be answered after the next couple of years beginning with his opening match in Paris this week.  With that in mind below are the odds for the men's and women's draws.

Nadal (8/11): The five time and defending champ remains the favorite, but as he admitted he has not been on the level of Djokovic so far this season.  He should breeze to the finals and be comfortable on Court Philippe Chatrier, but has his mental advantage over the field and in particular Djokovic been destroyed by their last four meetings in finals?

Djokovic (11/8):  Seems like a good price for a player who hasn't lost this season.  There is no question about his physical game, but a finals appearance in this tournament will be the biggest mental hurdle of his career to date.

Federer (14/1):  As I wrote last year after he was beaten early at Wimbledon, I was hoping I would never see the day when he had odds this size next to his name in a Grand Slam.  This isn't Mays falling in the outfield of Griffey sleeping in the clubhouse, but we might be watching Emmitt Smith in a Cards jersey.

Murray (16/1) Del Potro (16/1):  Both with questions as the clay is Murray's worst surface with the quarters as his best result in Paris, while Del Potro is only 4 months back from a yearlong wrist injury in '10.

Ferrer (25/1) Soderling (25/1):  Both are interesting and potential sleepers at this price.  Ferrer is playing the best tennis of his career and if he wins a major in his career it will be on the dirt.  Soderling hasn't been up to Ferrer's form lately, but he is a heavy hitter who has had success at the French and is the only player to beat Nadal in this Slam.

 

Verdasco (80/1) Tsonga (80/1) Melzer (80/1) Monfils (100/1) Cilic (100/1):  If there is a true longshot in the field this year I think that it will come from this group.  All of these players have the weapons to be a threat, but none have showed the overall consistency needed to win a Slam.  Verdasco and Cilic have explosive games while Tsonga and Melzer have threatened before in Slams albeit on other surfaces.  Monfils might be the most athletic player in the game and has been a threat in this tournament before, but staying healthy for six straight matches has always been his challenge.  At these prices there is only upside with this group.  

As for the women's draw, this is the first Slam without a Williams sister since '03, so wearing questionable outfits will be a void left to be filled by other players.  Unlike in the men's draw the women's draw is wide open.  Both of the favorites are searching for the first career Slams, while veteran comeback stories are the next group on the board.  The defending champ as the 11^th choice on the board is an indication that this tourney is up for grabs.

Wozniacki (9/2):  She is the world #1 and has an all around game that translates to any surface, but shouldn't the #1 player in the world have more than one final on her resume?  Her 8-4 career record in Paris is her worst at all the Slams, but in a wide open draw she could be a threat and the price isn't terrible for the # 1 player.

Azarenka (9/2):  Heavy favorite to grunt the loudest during matches, like Wozniacki she is young (21) and more than capable from the baseline, but she has never been past the quarters in a Slam and went out in the first round of last year's French.  One thing going for her is that she is from the last communist regime of the Soviet republics (Belarus); that just sounds like old school women's tennis.

Sharapova (7/1):  She had every reason to pack it in after major shoulder surgery and has had to rebuild her serve, the most important part of the game, but she has continued playing, fighting, and competing something you can't say about her husband.  She is playing as well on the dirt as she ever has in her career and is a must play for me after her win in the Italian Open last week.  A win would give her the career Grand Slam and restore her place as one of the best in the game.

Clijsters (8/1):  She hasn't played the French in five years and this will be her first appearance since her dreaded dancing injury at a relatives wedding in February.  Her play at the US Open the last two years shows that she is a threat at the Slams, but long matches on clay are not ideal in your first tourney back from a leg injury.

Stosur (8/1):  Made the finals last year and the semi's the year before, quality price for a quality player who gained some valuable Paris experience the last couple of years.  My second favorite play of the players with single odds, behind Sharapova.

Jankovic (12/1):  A former #1 in the world who only has one final to her name ('08 US Open), but her play since that year when she played in 1 final and 2 semi's has gone downhill.  Still in a weak draw she could merit a small value play.

Kuznetsova (14/1):  The '09 champ is the Mike Stanton of the draw, meaning she will either hit a home run and be a threat to win or will strike out and be out in the first week.

Schiavone (16/1):  The defending champ had a magical run last year as the biggest surprise to win a Slam in the last decade, but defending would be even more of a surprise.

Ivanovic (20/1):  Like Sharapova she has come back to play some of her best tennis this year, but unlike Sharapova it wasn't an injury that set her back.  She fought a lose of confidence and a lost game, but she was a finalist in Paris before and I could see her making a run into the second week this year.

Pennetta (50/1):  A long shot who I think has value, like Schiavone, she is Italian and she has an all court game.  She is comfortable exchanging from the baseline or playing at net.  She might be a little more comfortable on the surface in Australia or New York City, but she is capable on dirt.

Hantuchova (66/1):  Another long shot with value, she is one of the best servers in the women's game and has been moving as well as she has in years, a few early wins could get her momentum going into the second week.

Kirilenko (100/1):  Last year was her best year on Tour as she made the quarters in Australia and the fourth round in the French.  She is confident and as athletic as anyone in the women's game and in a wide open draw these odds are worth a risk.

R.I.P. "Macho Man" Randy Savage

It is a sad day for fans of late '80s, early '90s professional wrestling as fan-favorite and wrestling icon Randy Savage has died. Savage died in a car accident that was brought on by a sudden heart attack while driving. Truly one of the sports' greatest athletes, Savage and his generation of wrestlers catapulted pro wrestling into the phenomenon it is today.







Oohhhh Yeeeah!!

The WWF named Savage their greatest champion of all time. They credited him for bringing "a higher level of credibility to the title through his amazing in-ring performances. Best known for his raspy voice, energetic performances and knack for winning titles, Macho Man is an all-time great in the the realm of wrestling. Among his 20 titles, Savage is the 7-time World Heavyweight champion: a 2-time WWF Champion, 4-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, 1-time USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion, and Also a 1-time WWF Intercontinental Champion.

Over his long career he has feuded with some of the giants of the wrestling industry: Hogan, George Steele, Bruno Sammartino, and Ric Flair to name a few. But it wasn't until he teamed up with Hogan to become the Mega Powers that his superstardom arose. The Mega Powers battled mostly with The Mega Bucks a team comprised of Ted Dibiase and Andre the Giant.



The Powers dissolved after Hogan accidently eliminated Savage during the '89 Royal Rumble and took Savage's manager Miss Elizabeth as his own. At Wrestlemania V, Savage lost the WWF title to Hogan after holding onto the title for 371 days, becoming the sixth longest reigning WWF Champion in history. No wrestler after Savage would hold the title for more than a year until John Cena did it nineteen years later.

2 years later at Wrestlemania VII, Savage faced off against the Ultimate Warrior in a Career-Ending Match, with the loser having to retire. Savage lost the match even after delivering five consecutive elbow drops in which Warrior somehow managed to kick out of. The Warrior was able to procure victory after several flying clotheslines and shoulder blocks. After the match, Savage was attacked by Queen Sherri as he lay in the ring. This attack was too much for Miss Elizabeth, who happened to be in the audience. Elizabeth rushed to Savage's aid, fighting off Sherri and reuniting with her one-time love to huge crowd ovation.

Savage eventually returned to the ring to feud with Jake Roberts and Flair before uniting with the Warrior as a tag team known as the Ultimate Maniacs. He continued in the WWF for a few more years with great success, but like most wrestlers of the era, his contract ran out and he joined WCW.

While at WCW, it wasn't hard for him to just re-create his WWF image. It was popular with the fans and he was good at it. In the WCW, he began to feud with old rivals, most notably Flair. The rivalry lasted a while and was only flushed out by the turning of Hogan against his old friend Savage.

Savage was the victim of the attack, in which Hogan revealed himself as the 3rd member of The Outsiders. After a short battle with Hogan, Savage's contract expired and he left WCW.

The exit was short-lived, as he returned at SuperBrawl VII to this time help Hogan, in defeating Roddy Piper and declaring himself a member of the NWO. The NWO reaked havoc throughout WCW, before internal issues started to tear the faction apart.

At the Spring Stampede in '98 Savage was given the opportunity to face Sting for the WCW Heavyweight Championship. Feeling that he was the only member of NWO that deserved the title, Hogan tried everything he could do to stop Savage from winning. But with the help and protection of Kevin Nash, Savage defeated Sting, despite tearing his ACL during the match. The next night, Hogan challenged Savage for the title. When it looked as though Hogan would win, Nash, for the second consecutive night, came to Savage's aid and powerbombed Hogan. Savage was unable to take advantage of this help, but held onto the title after a Bret Hart interference.

The clash with Hogan allowed Savage to join Nash and Scott Hall as members of the Wolfpac.

After a run in the Wolfpac, Savage turned on Nash and left the group. He became rogue and debuted a new look and heel character. He had new music, a slick-backed ponytail and a 22-year-old girlfriend.

In 2000, his WCW contract expired again and he left the company for good.

As good as Savage was as a wrestler, I will always remember him as a spokesman for Slim Jim. There would always be an explosion, followed by that raspy voice peddling the product. Pure advertising genius. I love Slim Jims, I don't know anyone who can honestly say that they don't like that beefy, spicy goodness. I know when I need a little excitment, all I have to do is snap into a Slim Jim.

Lotto Luck and Game 2 Advice

I hope that the Clipper's front office executive who decided not to protect their first round pick that they traded to the Cavs as incentive to take Baron Davis and his crippling contract at the February trade deadline called off sick today.  Hopefully he has enough sick time to get him to the lockout after that unprotected pick and its 2.7% chance of winning the lottery hit Tuesday night for the Cavs.  As Minnesota GM David Kahn insinuated the NBA has a Tim Donaghy like habit of producing great lottery storylines and the Cavs winning the lottery with the Clipps pick to combine with their own pick at #4 is ironic, but not up there with the Knicks winning the lotto to select Ewing, the Cavs lottery lucking into Lebron, and the Bulls with Rose. 

I understand what Clipps GM Neil Olshey was trying to do by shedding Baron's 5 yr. 65 million dollar contract (thanks Mike Dunleavy) at its midpoint and a mid lottery selection in this year's weak draft was reasonable compensation, but not protecting the pick is another four base error for the Bad News Bears of the NBA.  Instead of combining overall #1 pick Kyrie Irving with Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin to form a potent young nucleus, the Clipps will be forced to stick with a revolving door of aging veterans (paging Mo Williams) at the point hoping on hope for the 5% chance of a Bledsoe breakout.  A painful instance of "the Clippers curse" as poor management decisions and bad luck are used as the ingredients that lead to head shaking results.  At this rate is there any doubt that Blake Griffin will turn down a more lucrative Clippers' contract to get out of town the first chance he gets? While the thought of Eric Gordon escaping his "injury risk" history and Al-Farouq Aminu and Bledsoe developing in solid starters seems as likely as Vinny Del Negro winning a NBA coach of the year award.  For good measure doesn't this assure that cross town Lakers will trade for Howard this off-season and the new CBA will allow them to "Allan Houston" Ron Artest's contract, which is all part of the seemingly never ending Clippers' curse.

Even in a weak draft the overall #1 and #4 picks should allow the Cavs a chance to fast track the rebuilding process in the soft underbelly of the Eastern conference.  Duke PG Kyrie Irving and San Diego State SF Kawhi Leonard project as solid starters to combine with holdovers J.J. Hickson, Christian Eyenga, and Anderson Varaejao.  Last night's lottery was one of the few bright days for Cav's basketball since "The Decision" and the good times could continue to roll for the fighting "Dan Gilbert's" if Chicago can smother Miami again in Game 2 tonight and take a 2-0 series advantage to South Beach.

Like most of America I am pulling for the Bulls and not just because of a pre-season title future.  The team first defensive approach and humble MVP Derrick Rose are easy to support and are a stark contrast to the individual over team approach in Miami, but hopefully the series becomes more competitive than Game 1.  With that thought in mind I have a few suggestions for Heatles as they prepare for Game 2. 

First, stop waiting for Chicago to beat themselves, because it is not going to happen, this isn't the happy to be in the playoffs Sixers or the beat up and battered Celtics.  Lebron and Wade looked stunned on Sunday that the Bulls were playing them tough and not just surrendering to the Heat aura.  There is no doubt that the Bulls are younger, quicker, and deeper, but hungrier?  The Heat should be the hungrier team, winning a title was the reason so often cited as why Lebron, Wade, and Bosh came together this offseason, so after beating the Celts they should be the team smelling blood and the chance to play for the title, not the baby Bulls.  Even though they are undersized Lebron and Wade must control the area around the paint, it is something Jordan and Pippen did constantly when they were winning titles and playing bigger teams, and Lebron and Wade dominated the paint in the first two rounds of these playoffs.  Wade should be demanding that he be the primary defender on Rose and Lebron should take his turn as well, your best players defend the other teams best when your season is on the line even if the matchup is not ideal.  Energy starts on the defensive end with desire and who better to lead the Heat in this area than their stars.  Pressuring the ball and chasing Rose around will no doubt make for a tiring series for Wade and Lebron, but isn't the alternative much worse?

This series and this season is not a referendum on the Heat's supporting cast and the big 3 (or 2.5 depending on your feelings of Bosh) need to get that out of their mind and talking points.  As Denny Green would say we know who Bibby, Chalmers, Anthony, Ilgauskas, Jones, and Howard are and they are going to be who they are for the rest of the series and the rest of their careers, which are coming to a close for 2/3rds of them.  Other than Mike Miller's disappearing act this was the crew Wade/Bosh/Lebron knew they were getting when they were parading around a stage predicting 7 titles in July.  With that in mind Spoelstra needs to stop with the isolation plays on offense and run Wade off 3 separate screens or pick and roll 95% of halfcourt possessions if he has to, and allow Lebron to be the primary ball handler and facilitate the offense through him.  Movement is their only chance against one of the best and most aggressive defenses in the NBA's modern era, not only will this help Wade and Lebron who are settling for contested jumpers at a Corey Maggette like rate, but it will force the Bulls to work harder on defense and the movement should allow the aforementioned supporting cast to spot up for open jumpers and get to the boards more easily.

Finally, the Heat as a group and the big three specifically need to stop whining.  Wade and Lebron are two of the best handful of basketball players in the world and the game should be what they are concentrating on.  When Wade and Lebron are at their best and playing hard they are a joy to watch, and most of the bad feelings from "The Decision" and the shadiness of how this team was put together fade when watching them compete and play hard.  The negative feelings around this team were brought on by the stars of the team, they need to move on and play basketball and stop whining about being cast as villains every time they are in front of a camera, embrace it NWO style.

The Mavs took Game 1 with a historic performance by Dirk Nowitzki (48 pts, 12/15 FG's, 24/24 FT's, 3.2 pts/FGA) as he continues adding to his resume and legacy this postseason.  Nowitzki is 3 wins away from the Finals and a chance to make up for '06 collapse and to stake his claim as one of the best 20 players to ever play in the NBA, not bad for a slow 7 footer from Germany.  Durant was almost as equally impressive in Game scoring 40 points on 10/18 FG's and 18/19 FT's.  Game 1 was the most impressive offensive display I have witnessed and my advice is to tune in to what looks to be a great series as this postseason gains momentum like the Rambo franchise.  After the offensive outbursts in Game 1 this series is going to come down to which team can play a little defense against the other team's star and half court execution in tight spots.

My advice for Scottie Brooks as he watches the tape in preparation for Game 2 is to do everything he can to not allow Dirk to catch the ball at the top of the key.  At least on one of the blocks he has fewer options that when he is allowed to work from the top of the key.  The double teams are not as effective when he can see them coming since he is proficient at finding the open man for an open 3.  Also, once he makes a few jumpers the Thunder should force him to drive, as his numbers indicate Dirk will always make the smart basketball play and pass the ball to the open man even if the open man is Brendan Haywood.  Every time Haywood/Marion gets a pass in the paint or anyone but Terry gets an open jumper it is a win for the Thunder defense.  Other than Chandler dunks, the Thunder can live with any other Mavs big in the paint or on the line and any jump shooter other than Terry getting looks and that should be the Thunder defensive strategy going forward.

It goes without saying that the Thunder are in trouble when J.J. Barea outscores Westbrook, but 11 of Westbrook's 15 misses were in the paint, so that seems to be an anomaly.  The bigger issue is Brooks turning to Nate Robinson for six minutes of matador defense on Barea and air balled 3's.  The Thunder have a quality back up PG in Maynor, who is a guy that allows them to move Westbrook off the ball when they want to go small, and unless Brook's missed the NBA Finals last season Rivers showed that Robinson hasn't earned the trust to play meaningful playoff minutes. 

I was skeptical that the Western Finals would be able to live up to the Mavs stunning destruction of LA and the highly entertaining Thunder/Grizz semi's, but after one game it is safe to say that this is one that hopefully goes 7 and too bad it can't go best of 11.

RIP Derek Boogaard

If you pick a birthplace and hometown for a NHL player few are better than Saskatoon Saskatchewan, even one who only scored 3 goals and 13 assists in 277 games played. It lies due north of Montana and North Dakota and has an average winter temperature that wevery pro golfer wishes that could match score wise on Sunday afternoon, the name just sounds like hockey. That is where Derek Boogaard, who was found dead in his apartment Saturday a month shy of his 29th birthday, was proudly born and raised. He played his junior hockey for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League and in six seasons in the NHL racked up 589 penalty minutes. He was beloved by fans and teammates because he was the best enforcer in the NHL. He played his first five seasons in Minnesota, which could easily be Canada's 11 province, and was the most popular Wild player in the locker room and in the stands. Last year he played for the New York Rangers after signing an offseason contract for 6.5 million over four years. After watching their stars get pushed around last season the Rangers contract offer showed how valuable Boogard was on the ice, or even on the bench.

Being an NHL enforcer is not an easy job, but at 6'7", 270 pounds Boogaard was made for the job, he was imposing and he stood tall in the center of the ice. His scaps on hockeyfights.com became legandary and after his rookie year his fights dropped each consecutive years as other enforcers ducked him for their own safety. His season ended in December after a fight in which he sustained a concussion, and his legacy will be defined from the ongoing investigation into how he died. His family donated his brain to the researchers at Boston University and their future findings will be telling and could easily be the turning point for the enforcer position on a NHL roster as a whole in future seasons.

That is all for another day as this past Saturday the NHL lost a good man with the respect and love of his teammates and opponents. Boogaard knew how much it meant to play in the NHL and he cherised being an NHL player every day.

NHL conference finals preview and some suggestions for the commish

This year's NHL playoffs have been one for the ages and the best part is we are only half way through, kind of like how you feel at the one hour mark of the A-team movie. Round 1 had a record, 49 games played, thanks to 4 series' or half of the first round coming down to a deciding 7^th game. 19 of the first 59 games in this year's playoffs went to sudden death OT and there were nine straight days of playoff OT hockey making for some 3 snooze alarm mornings and downright giddiness from NHL network analysts Larry Murphy and Kevin Weekes.

Round 2 was equally compelling with the stunning sweeps of Eastern conference favorites Washington and Philly. The Caps retain the title as the NHL's most perennially disappointing team as they look for ways to void the outrageous contracts of Mike Green and Nicklas Backstrom, on a positive note at least Bruce Boudreau will always have his embarrassing clips from 24/7 to remind him that he was once a NHL head coach. The goaltending issues in Philly continue to pile up (11 playoff games, 9 games with at least one goaltender switch) like litter on Broad Street as 36 year old Chris Pronger undergoes back surgery with 9 years left on his deal (got to love a hard cap) and GM Paul Holmgren continues to ask "what if" in regard to what if we would have traded Jeff Carter to Boston for Tim Thomas when the Bruins called us with that deal last year.

In the West the San Jose/Detroit series can lay claim to the title of the most evenly matched series ever and even the upstart Preds made the Stanley Cup favorite Canucks sweat and forced them into one more cross country flight for a game 6 in Nashville. If not for a Game 6 empty net goal by Detroit every game in that series would have been decided by one goal with three games needing OT. After two straight years of evenly matched conference semi series' the Detroit/San Jose matchup is as eagerly anticipated as a new "Real World/Road Rules Challenge" season.

With the NHL's on ice product as high as gas prices it is a great time for NHL commish Gary Bettman to make some "off-ice" changes that are much needed and would continue the progress this postseason has made. First up is to allow the Atlanta Thrashers ownership group to sell the team to the True North Group who wants to move the team to Winnipeg. It might have sounded like a great idea to move teams to big cities in the US Sunbelt 15 years ago, but the experiment has failed and the Thrashers are a prime example. Atlanta is a football (NFL and college) city that doesn't even sell out Braves and Hawks playoffs games let alone mediocre regular season hockey. When the question is moving hockey teams to Canada the answer is always yes like when the question is "Should we make another Terminator movie? or Do you want another piece of ice cream cake?"

Bettman needs to forget about not wanting to relocate teams due to his legacy and local business interests and do what is in the best interest of the game, which by the way is the definition of a commish's job. It is in the best interest of the game and the specific franchise to be playing in a supportive market (fan/financial) and no country is more supportive of any game than Canada is of hockey. Can you imagine how big Dustin Byfuglien and Zack Bogosian would be in a hockey market and how much the Thrashers would benefit from a home rink advantage with actual hockey fans? The financial constraints that forced Canadian teams to leave markets 15 years ago are no longer in existence and will not be in the future making this the time to move the Thrashers to Winnipeg and the Coyotes to Toronto. While we are at it how about moving the Panthers to Surrey British Columbia, which would make for a nice 5 team conference consisting of all Western Canadian teams. Winnipeg and Surrey have both expressed interest in teams along with Hamilton, Quebec, and Toronto (second team) and if they have the financial capital to take on teams the NHL should be running to accommodate them and fleeing dead US hockey markets. Why not let hockey fans in hockey cities have NHL teams instead of force feeding the game to markets that have no interest? Games played in loud passionate home buildings benefit everyone, even fans watching on TV 2,000 miles away.

The other major off the ice issue that needs addressed immediately is the incoherent discipline punishment that is handed out by Colin Campbell. Campbell continuing to have a job in the NHL would be like BP sticking with Tony Hayward or the Caps sticking with Boudreau. Not only were emails discovered that verified Campbell dispensed discipline based on his personal feelings to the offender and the victim of on ice illegal hits, but Campbell's Richard Nixon like arrogance to these revelations and refusal to admit he was wrong and apologize was disheartening as a hockey fan and scary as a human being. Campbell's son Gregory also happens to play for the Bruins and though Campbell doesn't dispense discipline in instances involving Boston his underlings do and this is as much of a conflict of interest as him making the call. You can't tell me or anyone else with a pulse that Chara not getting suspended for his assault on Max Pacioretty or Ferrence and Lucic not get suspended in the playoffs for their headshots was not a result of Campbell's underlings making these determinations. The second major issue is that Campbell's discipline has absolutely no consistency. Hits that would have received suspensions in the regular season (Ferrence, Richards, Luicic) are brushed off in the postseason and identical hits vary from 1 to 5 games during the season for the same offender.

The NHL needs a new face dispensing discipline and the consequences need to be laid out in public so everyone, most importantly the players and coaches know the consequences of illegal hits. As a start, how about hits to the head being 2 games regardless of intent and double suspensions in the future based on the offenders history. Make Matt Cooke's "Macho Man" flying elbow ten games as a barometer and Chara's interference/assault a 5 game barometer. The fact of the matter is everyone from players and coaches to the average fan at home should know when they see a cheap shot that it will cost a player an average of so many games. Once this is determined and laid out and consistent the discipline process will run smoothly and will most likely decrease the number of suspensions. Two simple much needed changes that would benefit the game of hockey and if Bettman thinks they are too difficult to implement how about a new commish?

Boston Bruins (-140) vs. Tampa Lightning (+120): A matchups of contrasts as the original six Bruins whose franchise is as old as Jimmy Carter take on the Lightning whose franchise is as old as Miley Cyrus. The Bruins are big and physical and haven't won the Cup since '72, while the Ning are small, quick, and skilled and won a Cup in '04. I think the Bruins will miss Patrice Bergeron badly as he is out at least the first two games of the series with the dreaded concussion, and though Thomas has been as good as it gets in net I wonder if that can continue against a skilled Ning top 6 and power play especially when Denis Seidenberg is playing 1^st D pairing minutes. As for Tampa, goalie Dwayne Roloson looks to be as young of a 41 as Shaq is an old 41 and as long as Ryan Malone continues to kick in goals at a Pele type pace they should score. Tampa also has this year's Claude Lemieux/Max Talbot in Sean Bergenheim who scored 14 goals during the season and has 7 so far in the postseason. Tampa has only 4 wins in 35 played games in Boston, but they also have never had head coach Guy Boucher and his 1-3-1 before this year. I like Tampa to go the Cup finals and add the Bruins to their playoff pelt that already contains the Pens and Caps.

Vancouver Canucks (-130) vs. San Jose Sharks (+115): All chalk in the Western conference finals as the two best teams made it through a gauntlet to reach the conference finals. The Sharks should give hope to every Caps fan as they have recovered from previous playoff setbacks to make it to consecutive Western conference finals, but again this year they face the best team in hockey without home ice. The Sharks have a lot of size up front in Thornton, Marleau, Clowe, and Couture and will need the confidence inspiring play of Antti Niemi to continue vs. Vancouver. The Sharks defense is vulnerable vs. speed and to a solid forecheck and I expect Kesler to continue on his Conn Smythe pace, but he will need help from the Sedin sisters and a defense capable in the transition game. Both teams are far from strong mentally, so that matchup has to be comforting to the favorites and I think Luongo will be just good enough to win a game 7 at home and advance to a cross North American Cup final.

Changing of the Guard

The NBA playoffs have been better than expected and as we close in on the conference semi's there are numerous storylines of interest, over the next few weeks there will be ample chances to breakdown the teams moving forward, but over the span off ten days we witnessed the changing of the guard in the Western conference as the Spurs and Lakers bowed out meekly in this year's postseason.

Either the Spurs or Lakers have won the Western conference 11 of the last 12 years, with only the Mavs and their Finals collapse vs. the Heat in '06 as the exception. The Spurs made the finals four times and won all four titles while the Lakers went to 7 Finals' and won the title 5 times. They were as reliable as Mark Paul Gosselaar being cast in a courtroom drama as the two franchises became measuring sticks for the rest of the league even as they went about their success differently.

LA has always been home to superstars and celebrities and the Lakers built their teams around that philosophy with the early title teams featuring a dominant Shaq and a young athletic Kobe, while the recent back to back title winning teams featured a dominant Kobe and an efficient Gasol. Even the Lakers role players were stars as guys like Rob Horry, Fisher, and Rick Fox made their names with title teams and few teams could bring in Karl Malone and Gary Payton to fill out a starting lineup late in their careers, while recent teams featured the Ron Artest comeback storyline and a guy in Odom who has his own reality show after marrying into the first family of reality TV. All of these Lakers teams have been coached by Phil Jackson and you could make the argument he is the biggest coaching "star" of all time. Memories of these Lakers team feature Shaq's dominant postseasons and Kobe's skill and will for the teams of the second half of the decade.

Meanwhile the Spurs have been the epitome of small market success building their team around Tim Duncan, great drafting, free agent values, and international scouting. You don't win in the NBA without stars and in Duncan the Spurs have had the best power forward in the history of the game since his graduation from Wake Forest. The Spurs drafted Parker and Ginobili and have stuck with both, even when a young Parker was thought of as a liability and Ginobili as injury prone. The Spurs role players don't have the big names of the Lakers' aside from Horry who played for both, but they have been equally effective from Steve Kerr and Captain Jack to Matt Bonner and Gary Neal. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has overseen it all and his military background shines through when watching how his team plays and how he conducts himself. After Duncan the image I remember most about this Spurs dynasty is the SI cover after the Finals in '07 with all five starters walking off the court together, always a unit "one for all and all for one".

When the Mavs won the west in '06 it felt like an aberration as Kobe was in his prime and capable of scoring 80+ points/game while Parker was turning the corner to join Duncan/Ginobili as a star. The Lakers upgraded from Smush Parker and Kwame Brown while the Spurs tweaked their bench as both teams unsurprisingly returned to their winning ways.

This season and especially the post season has been something entirely different. Even after the Spurs raced out to a commanding lead and the West's #1 seed they seemed vulnerable especially as possible opponents rested starters to lose games to draw them in round 1. Duncan and Ginobili were unable to carry the offense for long stretches and the lack of help down low made the once vaunted Spurs' post defense vulnerable. Popovich did an excellent job during the regular season behind a mirage of 3 point shooting and matchups as he was able to massage wins out of this group like a trusted mechanic getting a few extra miles out of dying car. After the first half of their game 1 series vs. the Grizz it was obvious that the Spurs were overmatched and only a Grizz collapse could save them. Even an amazing last 20 seconds to stave off elimination and get a win in Game 5 did little to change the conclusion as the Spurs were overmatched in Memphis during game 6. The Spurs continue to have the pieces to make the playoffs and maybe win a round of 2 over the next couple of years, but winning the West is out of the question in the near future. Few have been better than Duncan over his career and he will be equally hard to replace as the Spurs foundation and superstar. Consistency is one of the most cherished traits in sports and the Spurs had it and maybe they had less high and lows than some would like, less lead ins on Sportscenter and can't miss games, but they also didn't have articles on TMZ and dissension on and off the floor, but they are going to be missed, kind of like when your favorite syndicated TV show is taken off the air.

The Lakers were the prohibited favorite to win the West this year, they were the defending champs and the Kobe/Gasol nucleus was intact along with the Fisher, Artest, Bynum, Odom role players from a team that had been to three straight Finals. Even when they struggled for prolonged stretches during the season it was thought that they would "flip the switch" in the postseason. In hindsight game 1 vs. New Orleans should have been a sign that not all was right in LA. The Lakers were roughed up by a team with Chris Paul and that is it, it was also the first playoff series in some time where Kobe was clearly not the best player on the floor. The Lakers regrouped and beat the undersized and undermanned Hornets in 6 games as everyone waited for the switch to be flipped. I have heard the Mavs sweep over the Lakers compared to Chicago sweeping Detroit in '91, but in that instance Chicago was playing a heated rival who had their number and Chicago wanted revenge, in this instance the Mavs just outclassed the Lakers and left the Lakers in need of a new "era". The transition from the Shaq to Kobe era was a bloody coup, but it was necessary the Lakers were correct in going with the younger perimeter scorer and that decision allowed them to return to winning multiple championships almost immediately. After the beating the Mavs inflicted on them the Lakers are left to search for their new identity. It will be interesting to see how Kobe reinvents himself after being outplayed consecutively by Paul and Dirk, can Gasol be salvaged or is he really as mentally shaky as it seems after the rumors surrounding him this postseason, is Bynum a winning part of the nucleus or the punk he showed himself to be with his hit on Barea in game 4, is Odom incapable of being anything more than a frontrunner or the husband of a Kardashian (and not Kim or Kourtney's)?

The Lakers road back to the Finals depends on how Kobe reinvents himself and how quickly the Lakers can lure the next superstar to LA. The Lakers have had two superstars during the time Duncan has been in SA and that number could easily extend to three if Dwight Howard finds his way to the west coast over the next couple of years as expected. Even if another superstar is around the corner the end of the Lakers era as we know it is over as Phil Jackson heads to Montana and Kobe moves towards a likely role as veteran sage. While the Spurs were understated and consistent the Lakers were as up and down as a relationship with Paris Hilton, some parts brilliant other parts cringe worthy, but all parts consuming.

The NBA's future is bright as this year's postseason is displaying, witnessing the first of many Miami/Chicago and OKC/Memphis series' has/will be great and the rise of young teams like Atlanta, Denver and the resurgent veteran Mavs have all helped define this postseason. These teams along with father time have pushed out the Spurs and Lakers as we have known them and all that is left is their obituaries and memories.

How Bout Dem Buccos

It's May 10th and currently the Pittsburgh Pirates are above .500. I know, I know it is way too early to jump around and anoint this team as the one that breaks the losing streak, but at least it is something for Pittsburghers to cheer about.

Hockey is finished, we never know when football will be back, Mendenhall doesn't tweet everyday, and Hines Ward is now a ballarina (I'll get back to this in a minute) so there isn't much sports related to talk about from the Steel City.

The Pirates over .500 this late in the season is news. There's no denying it. I mean they don't even have a regular hitting over .300, so how are they doing it?

They are 21st in runs scored, 22nd in batting average, 19th in on-base percentage, and 26th in slugging. Solid.

They have no one with more than 6 HRs or 20 RBIs, but they do have a ton of strikeouts.

They aren't stellar on the mound either.

They are 11th in ERA (not too bad), 14th in quality starts (sort of an oxymorn in Pittsburgh), 19th in WHIP, and 18th in Batting Average against.

Paul Maholm leads the team with 29 K. I went to a game early in the year against the Rockies and it looked like the guy was playing pepper with the batters. He got lit up like the Pittsburgh skyline after a Zambelli firework show leading up to a Donny Iris concert.

Jimmy McDonald has looked good recently, good enough to grab the picture on ESPN's Power Rankings page. The last time the Pirates were on ESPN, Randall Simon was laying the lumber to a sausage in Milwaukee.

Maybe they really like playing for Clint Hurdle. He seems like a good guy, a good coach, and someone who can motivate a team that hasn't had a winning record since New Kids on the Block were on tour.

What! What? They are touring again? Must have spent their money wisely. Can't imagine how many 30+ year old women will be dolling themselves up for that one.

But back to Hurdle, seems like he gives a shit. Although anyone following John Russell will look like Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday.

They score runs early. I guess if you score enough runs early, you have a nice cushion to blow later on.

They have 11 wins on the road, and have already won more road series this season than they did all of last year.

Motivational coaching, scoring early, Bob Walk and John Wehner in the booth, and winning on the road, all recipes for a .500 record in mid-May.

We will check back in June.




So back to Dancing with the Stars. I have always been a Steelers' fan, always will be, but the yinzer nation is out in full effect when it comes to Hines and this dancing crap. I have heard people at work say that they call, text, email, twitter, smoke signal, basically do everything to vote, and that is to vote before Hines even dances. If Casey Hampton were on the show he would probably be winning, just because he is a Steeler. Don't get me wrong, Steeler nation is great, we have the greatest fans in America. They have Steeler bars at all the beaches. But come on guys lets cheer for something that matters. Something that is significant to life. Something that actually has to do with sports (if Kirstie Alley can dance, then it is not a sport.)

Let's cheer for the Buccos.

The Fabulous Fifth Installment of "Fast and Furious"

Friday night I went to my local theatre and eagerly handed over my $9.25 for the latest installment of the "Fast and Furious" franchise Fast 5. I was not alone as the movie would go on to make $83.6 million over its opening weekend, the highest April movie opening ever and the highest ever for a films fifth installment beating the likes of Star Wars and Harry Potter's fifth films. The parking lot at the local movie-plex was packed with Honda CRX's, low riding Toyota's and Acura's as I wheeled my Pontiac G5 and the theatre was just as crowded. The previews allowed me to get acclimated to the IMAX viewing experience and before long I was ready for the first scene. Going to the movies especially on opening night is not something I do regularly, but I was confident that the Fast franchise would stick to what made the franchise a success and like a good restaurant or NBA official all you can ask for in a movie franchise is consistency. I enjoyed all of the previous four installments some more than others, loved the first, second and fourth while I lost a little interest in Tokyo Drift with Vin Diesel appearing in only the last scene while Bow Wow played a prominent role, and sometimes you just need a mindless action movie in the same way that sometimes I just want to eat a Sheetz hot dog or a Beef and Cheddar from Arby's. (Spoiler Alert, if you are planning to see the movie and like Frank Costanza you want to go in fresh stop reading as part of my review will reveal "plot" details).

I loved that the first scene opened right where the Fast 4 ended with Dom (Vin Diesel) being transported by bus to a maximum security prison in the desert while his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) and Brian (Paul Walker), who is still an FBI agent at this point, follow closely in street racing cars. Mia and Brian manage to flip the bus while we in the audience are forced to put out of our mind the more likely conclusion of the bus running over these plastic cars like it would run over a speed bump. The bus rolls multiple times and the movie cuts to a news report where we learn that no one was seriously injured in the accident (first audience wide laugh erupts in the theatre), but that Dom has escaped. You have to figure that the actors, writers, and director are in on the joke as well, but it is important to make the point that though these three are all now fugitives from the law that they aren't bad people. This is the same thing the Steelers organization did after last summer when they made a point to show how much Ben gave in the community and how the Lakers highlighted Kobe's off the court involvement with LA's children hospital after his adventures in Colorado. Next, Mia and Brian show up in the slums of Brazil looking haggard, hungry, and low on options, sort of like Ronaldo after his last World Cup comeback ended. They go to Vince's house, one of the original members of Dom's gang from Fast 1, we aren't sure what to make of him since he and Brian have a long and complicated past kind of like Hawks fans and Joe Johnson. Vince tells Mia and Brian that he has an easy job for them and Dom (didn't Riley tell Spoelstra the same thing?), a smash and grab job of a couple of cars being transported by train. This leads to one of the best action scenes in recent memory as Mia, Brian, and Dom join with a crew (who they are going to eventually double cross) that pulls a truck next to a train, using a welding torch they open the train car and extract three DEA seized cars from the train. After the DEA agents realize the ongoing robbery they try to stop it and are eventually shot by other members of the Dom, Brian, and Mia's crew (again an important distinction that Dom, Brain, and Mia might be on the other side of the law, but they are not unlikeable, the same fine line the Blazers tried to walk for years in the late 90's). Brian is left clutching the side of the train while Dom tries to pull one of the stolen cars beside him while the train is heading for a bridge overpass, Brian manages to jump on to the back of Dom's car before the bridge, but the car heads over a 200 foot cliff and both guys have to jump out of the car as they splash in the water like they jumped off a diving board into a pool (second audience wide eruption of laughter). Maybe a bit unrealistic, but not as unrealistic as Harrison Ford surviving a standing broad jump into a damn in "The Fugitive" or Arnold jumping from a plane into a marsh in "Commando". Mia gets away with her part of the double cross as the bad guys wait for Dom and Brian outside of the water and tie them up and take them to a warehouse. They quickly break free from their chains and take out the five guys with guns guarding them and meet back up with Mia at Vince's place. Dom, Brian, and Mia let Vince know their displeasure with his job as this was more than a smash and grab job and now they have DEA blood on their hands. They do have the stolen cars and now they must find out what is so important with these cars that the DEA seized them. Low and behold there is a micro chip in one of the cars that shows all the safe houses where the biggest drug lord in Brazil hides his money. This could be the last big job this crew on the run from the law needs to set them up for life, at this point the audience knows that Mia is pregnant, but Brian and Dom are still in the dark.

They will need a big crew, "Ocean's Eleven" style, for this job and since this is the 5^th installment of the franchise they know just the people to call. Most notably the get Tej (Ludacris who looks like his back in his "Chicken and Beer" 'album release prime), Roman (Tyrese Gibson who is very good in the role of crew funny guy), Han (Sung Kang who was prominent in Tokyo Drift and was also in another great action thriller "Live Free or Die Hard"), and Gisele Harabo (Gael Gadot who was Braga's liaison in Fast 4 and came under the all encompassing Dom curse in that installment). They all think the plan is crazy and a sure death sentence, but they are all persuaded to stay by an $11 million payday and the driven leadership of Dom (something never said of Henrik Sedin or Jay Cutler's leadership styles). At this point The Rock is introduced as the commanding officer of an elite unit that has been deployed to find Dom, Brian, and Mia and bring them to justice and to answer for the DEA killings. The Rock exits a transport plane in his first scene and looks like he is fresh off a Manny Ramirez HGH cycle with a two sizes too small Under Armor shirt, camo pants and more Coco butter than a Hawaiian Tropic photo shoot. When the rest of Dom's crew finds out he is hunting them Brian gives him the ultimate compliment by saying "He is the guy the FBI hires when they need to bring someone in" (Spurs coach Greg Popovich probably said something similar to Zack Randolph after their recent playoff series). The Rock chooses a rookie Brazilian cop, Elena Neves, who is easy on the eyes (a Fast franchise requirement) as his team's translator under the premise that she is a rookie whose husband was killed in duty and therefore will not be corruptible.

The plot moves along with the crew planning their Ocean's Eleven like heist and the cat and mouse game between The Rock's crew and Dom's crew. One notable scene occurs after Brian finds out that Mia is pregnant and Paul Walker and Vin Diesel are alone in an emotionally epic scene together talking about memories and the lack of memories of their respective fathers. Let's just say this scene is closer to the Stallone/Lundgren interactions in "Rocky 4" than DeNiro/Pacino in "Heat" and was as uncomfortable as watching the Collins brothers play one on one or a Kordell Stewart/Donovan McNabb accuracy contest. Eventually The Rock locates Dom's crew's warehouse and we get our much anticipated Rock vs. Diesel fight which was as entertaining as a Rock/Triple H battle for the Heavyweight title. The fight scene was very entertaining thanks to the "Bourne Ultimatum" like cinematography and the fact that Vin Diesel looked like Jason Terry standing next to Andrew Bynum. Dom had a chance to hit The Rock with a wrench and kill him, but following the theme of the movie he thought better of it and surrendered along with Brian and Mia. As The Rock and his crew take Dom, Brian, and Mia through the streets of Rio to the airport they are ambushed and The Rock's crew is killed, the Brazilian cop/translator Elena Neves releases Dom, Brian, and Mia from their handcuffs and they help fend off the ambush and Dom saves the injured Rock's life by pulling him to the car. When The Rock realizes that the people who ambushed him and killed his crew are the same drug gang that Dom and his crew are trying to rob they join up like Lebron and Wade.

At this point all the drug lord's money has been moved into a safe in the Brazilian police station/jail and the robbery becomes that much more difficult. The Rock and his only surviving crew member Elena use their tank like transport vehicle to smash through the walls of the police station as Dom and Brian follow in their cars and hook the safe up to chains on their respective cars and pull the safe in tandem out of the police station. In what should go down as one of the great action movie scenes of all time the next twenty minutes of the movie revolve around Dom and Brian pulling a safe on chains around the city of Rio (destroying most of it in the process) as corrupt cops, drug crews try to stop and/or kill them with Dom's crew and The Rock running interference. The play out to this scene and how Dom's crew gets the money out of the safe while everyone is chasing them is the one plot point I will leave out and let you discover when you watch the movie. In the second to last scene The Rock tells Dom and Brian that they have a 24 hour head start, but that he will continue chasing them, because he always get his man. Dom grins and ensures The Rock this is the last time they will see each other and the final scene is Dom and the Brazilian translator cop Elena together (these two getting together is unexplained but it follows the franchises theme of every woman who comes in contact with Dom falling in love with him which is also what happened to every girl who met Dylan on 90210) and visiting Brian and a very pregnant Mia on the beach of a secluded island. Brian challenges Dom to one last race to settle a franchise long debate about who is the better wheel man. Isn't it all about who has the better car, I might think I am better at cutting my grass than my 70 year old neighbor, but as long as he has a John Deere tractor and I have a push mower he is going to finish in half the time. My point being isn't it all about the machine and nothing about the personal skill of the operator?

Suffice it to say after a lot of high fiving we in the audience were glued to our seats as the credits rolled at the end of the movie and thankfully we were as a final scene during the credits showed US Customs Agent Monica Fuentes (Eva Mendes) from Fast 2 showing The Rock a surveillance picture of Dom's presumed dead girlfriend Leticia Ortiz (Michelle Rodriquez) who is a suspect in a recent military convoy hijacking in Berlin. Let's just say cheers erupted as everyone got a glimpse of the first scene of Fast 6 which will hopefully be released next summer.

Fast Five lived up to the lofty standards of the first four movies and I think it was the best of the bunch, the action scenes were second to none while the stunt work and cinematography was jaw dropping. After seeing both this movie and the latest Batman on IMAX it was no contest that Fast 5 benefitted more from the technology. I talked about the franchise prospering due to consistency of the movies and the same can be said about the actors, Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, The Rock, and even Ludacris and Tyrese know their roles and play them well. You don't see Paul Walker and Vin Diesel (anymore) trying to do comedies or dramas or hosting award shows and open mic nights. They are good at what they do and they leave the public intrigued and wanting more. They remind me of Pens center Jordan Staal who is an excellent 3^rd line center and penalty killer who is badly miscast as a top line center who is counted on to deliver points consistently and becomes exposed when injuries force him into this role. The writers and director also know their audience and they would have been more than pleased to see the reaction their movie got from a packed theatre outside of Harrisburg on opening night where 95% of the audience was in the marketers desired demographic of 18-39.

As for Fast 6 I can't wait and since the characters struck it rich in this installment the next will we have to be about more than money, but they won't be a problem with the after credits scene. At this rate I think they can easily push the franchise to double digits and challenge Phil Jackson's ring total.