NBA: Eastern Conference Finals Recap:Toronto Raptors vs Milwaukee Bucks

By: Adamo Marinelli

Monday, May 27th

    After a lopsided game two in favour of the Milwaukee Bucks, everybody gave the Raptors no chance heading into game three being down 0-2 in the series. Oh my, did the Raptors ever prove every single hater wrong. They would go onto win four consecutive games to win the series 4-2, knock off the best team in the league and earn the right to have home-court advantage in their first ever NBA Finals appearance against the dynasty which is the Golden State Warriors. In this article, I will analyze the Eastern Conference finals and predict the winner of the NBA finals.

    Home court advantage proved to be huge in this series as the home team won five of the six games. Game one was close, but several missed shots and key turnovers in the fourth quarter by the Raptors proved to be the difference in a 108-100 Bucks’ win.

    Game two was a blowout. The Bucks took the lead early and never looked back. In a 125-103 win to take a 2-0 series lead, the Bucks outbattled the Raptors physically, they outshot them from the field and beyond the arc, outrebounded them, had better ball movement, won more battles for the loose ball and had more energy. They simply wanted the win more and it showed. They led by as much as 20 points twice and the Raptors could only cut it down to 13.

    After game two, many people gave up on the Raptors, including famous sports analysts like Steven A. Smith, Adam Schefter, Max Kellerman and Skip Bayless. They claimed the series was over. That the Bucks would sweep the series. Little did everyone know, the game two win was ultimately the Bucks’ last win of their stellar season.

    The Raptors would eventually end up winning four consecutive games to beat the Milwaukee Bucks, who had a league-best 60 regular season wins, four games to two in the Eastern Conference Finals and advance to their first NBA Finals series in franchise history.

    There are a few things to note about this Raptors’ playoff run. It has been in the making for years. Masai Ujiri, the general manager of the Toronto Raptors has done an incredible job putting the current roster together. The Raptors have had some trouble signing big name free agents, meaning they’ve had to build their roster with trades and through the draft. The Raptors have done a spectacular job at that because most of the big names they have were acquired from lottery picks, and Ujiri was able to use his amazing GM skills to trade irrelevant players to desperate teams for positions, players and picks he is in dire need of.

    Anyways, in essentially a do-or-die, must-win game three, the Raptors came out with plenty of energy.

They played very well on offence, moving the ball and creating scoring chances, hitting open shots and capitalizing on turnovers by the defence with their strong transition game, that does not allow the Bucks’ defence to get set up. They also did a good job on second-chance points, despite getting slightly outrebounded by the Bucks by a tally of 74-68. However, it was their defence that really stepped up and was the difference maker in this game and the entire series. After game two, Nick Nurse regrouped and used Kawhi Leonard as the main defender against Giannis Antetokounmpo. Once that switch occurred, the Raptors were able to limit Giannis’ production in the paint; his area of expertise and were able to slow him down. This helped as Giannis’ strength is on fast break points. They also shut down the Bucks’ three-point shooting for the most part and limited their field goals and points from the paint. The Raptors controlled the momentum for the whole game and of the 58 minutes they played, including both overtimes, they led for 54.5 minutes. Pascal Siakam missed a game-winning free throw at the end of regulation which sent the game to overtime and Raptors fans worried about going down 0-3 in the series. But Kawhi took advantage of Giannis fouling out in double OT, took control and led the Raptors to a win. They now only trailed the series 2-1. It was a great team effort on offence and on defence, but Kawhi’s 36 points helped a lot in a 118-112 win for Toronto.

    In game four, it was more or less the same. The Raptors didn’t want to go back to Milwaukee down 3-1 in the series, so it was another must-win game. The Raptors came to play again. So did Drake - who cheered on his team from the sideline, taunted the opposition, massaged Nick Nurse and hyped up the fans all series long. The Raptors defence was again the difference maker in the game, shutting down the Bucks’ offence, not allowing them to have open shots or drive down the floor for easy transition points, which is what the Bucks excel at, causing turnovers and creating transition points for their offence. The Raptors defence, along with Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry and Fred Van Vleet, were the MVPs of this series. They limited the Bucks - the highest scoring team in the NBA - to under 100 points in two games and under 105 in three. And they limited the two best scorers on the Bucks, Giannis and Middleton to only a combined 55 points. That’s awesome! Also, after Kawhi played 53 minutes in game three, everyone chipped in on offence and the Raptors had a whole team effort result in a dominating 120-102 win to tie the series two games apiece. Leonard still had 19 points, but Lowry had 25, Gasol had 17, Powell had 18, Ibaka had 17 and Van Vleet chipped in with 13 points. Even Siakam had a huge game, especially in the rebound and assist department. After Lowry, Gasol and Powell all fouled out in game three, they all bounced back in massive fashion in a game four blowout win. This was their best team effort and possibly their biggest win of the playoffs beside game seven against Philadelphia and games five and six against Milwaukee.

    Game five and six were in different cities but very similar games. Game five was a crucial game in the series that is tied 2-2 and whoever won this game would be one win away from the NBA Finals. The home team is a perfect 4-0. The Raptors trailed by 14 points midway through the fourth quarter and didn’t take the lead until there was 8:30 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Again, it was the Raptors’ defence that led the way in this game, not allowing the Bucks to get inside the paint and get open dunks, Giannis’ speciality, but their defence controlled the game and got crucial turnovers and blocks that led to transition points for Toronto all game long. Their defence was the catalyst of their offence thanks to their great transition attack and ball movement to open up the floor and spread defenders out. Siakam had three blocks and a steal. It was a huge defensive effort from him and the whole team. Not to mention Kawhi was spectacular with 35 points, for his 11th game of 30+ points and Fred Van Vleet was on another level, shooting 7-9 from three-point range. He is 80% from beyond the arc so far in the series. The Raptors fought back from two huge deficits, 14 points in the first quarter and ten points twice in the fourth quarter and worked around a few bad calls from the officials to take a stranglehold in the series against Milwaukee and hand the Bucks their third straight loss for the first time since March of 2018.

    Game six was probably the biggest game in Raptors history because there was a trip to the NBA finals on the line. And the Raptors have never been there before. It was raining all day before game six and Jurassic Park was closed for a while but fans lined up and still managed to fill the streets of downtown Toronto hours before the game including Jurassic Park. The Scotia Bank arena and the Jurassic park were loud, positive and energetic all series long. Game six was another game where the Raptors, led by Kawhi Leonard, the MVP of this series and their defence, came back from several huge deficits. They trailed by as much as 15 points early in the second quarter, 13 points midway through the third quarter and they were down 76-61 with 2:18 left in the third quarter. But a 26-3 run from the Raptors in the next ten minutes, which started with a 10-0 run led by eight points from Kawhi and a Serge Ibaka dunk assisted by Leonard. Kawhi had another huge night with 27 points, including a three-pointer that bounced around the rim before going in - reminiscent of the shot in game seven against Philadelphia - 17 rebounds (on a night where the rest of team was having trouble rebounding) and seven huge assists. Again, it was the Raptors’ defence that led the way in this game, not allowing the Bucks to get inside the paint and get open dunks, Giannis’ speciality, and their defence controlled the game, controlled the momentum, got turnovers and blocks that led to clutch transition points for Toronto. The Raptors also outrebounded the Bucks' defensively and offensively which led to transition points and second-chance points respectively; both are very helpful when a team is trailing big. Their defence also did an excellent job closing the game out in the final minutes by playing physically knowing the Bucks’ were in the bonus, meaning every foul would result in free throws. They also overcame several iffy calls from the referees again like in game four and five. Overall, their defence won the Raptors the series and everyone played fantastic defence. On the offensive side of the ball players like Kawhi, Lowry, Van Vleet, Gasol and Siakam, and the majority of the players on the team had an amazing series and will be awarded an Eastern Conference Finals Championship and a trip to the NBA Finals. Truly, resilience is the word to describe this team. No matter how much they trail by, how bad the refs are, they always united as a team, play their heart out and win.

    Moreover, the referees were pretty evenly matched on both sides; by making and missing calls on both teams, however, there were a several fouls on Toronto that definitely shouldn’t have been called, which gave the Bucks points from the free throw line, keeping them alive in some close games during the series and there were some calls against the Bucks, that should have been called but weren’t. There were also some defensive fouls against Milwaukee that were called as offensive fouls against Toronto and some offensive fouls against the Bucks which were called as defensive fouls against the Raptors. This happened all series long but was most clear in game three when several Raptors fouled out, like Lowry, Gasol and Powell. Also, there were definitely some possessions when a Bucks’ player stepped out of bounds before taking a shot - in most cases to keep the game close - that should have been stopped and times when it should have been Toronto ball, but they ruled it to be Milwaukee’s ball. This happened to occur the most when Milwaukee was trailing and needed some momentum to catch up to the Raptors who have taken the lead. So the officials might have been a little biased in favour of the Bucks, at least that’s what several analysts, including Jack Armstrong, have mentioned.

    With all that being said, it will be the Raptors vs the Warriors in the NBA Finals. The Raptors are trying to win their first NBA championship; the Warriors are trying to win their third consecutive championship and their fourth title in five years. The Raptors are an amazing team, that has talent all over the roster, with a superstar in Kawhi Leonard, an amazing defence, possibly the best one in the NBA, and a great supporting cast filled with many other talented players on both sides of the ball like Lowry, Gasol, Powell, Van Vleet, Siakam, Green and Ibaka. But so are the Warriors. The Warriors are almost unbeatable when they score slightly over 100 points. However, if they are kept to under 100 points, they begin to struggle; they live and die with their offence. The Raptors have the defence to stop the Warriors, they just need to find the right matchups. For sure, I believe Gasol will guard KD when he comes back. Until then, he will probably guard Draymond and Lowry and Leonard will guard Steph and Klay in my opinion. Pascal will take over covering Draymond when KD returns and so on. If the Raptors’ defence can keep the Warriors to under 100 points, they have a great chance, if not, the odds of winning decrease. The Raptors' defence will surely be the X-Factor in this series. Regardless of how many points they score, the Warriors are perhaps the best NBA team in the 21st century and are definitely a dynasty akin to the New England Patriots. Can their offence even be stopped? The Clippers tried to prioritize defence against the Warriors and were manhandled by them. The Raptors are good, but the Warriors are better, at least on paper, as much as it pains me to say it. Despite this, if anyone can pose a challenge to the Warriors, it will be the Raptors who took down the league’s best Milwaukee Bucks in dominating fashion in six games in the ECF. Home court advantage will definitely help the Raptors because they are the loudest fans in the NBA and the fact that Kevin Durant will not play in game one of the finals will help the Raptors because it is one less weapon on offence to defend and one less weapon to prevent the Raptors from scoring. KD is one of the best defenders in the NBA. Apparently, however, the Warriors play better without KD, it allows them to shoot more with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Let’s remember, shooting from the field and beyond the arc - where the Bucks struggled - is where the Warriors excel. It is their bread and butter. Another factor to consider is simply experience. The Raptors have lots of playoff experience but no one on their team has been to the finals before except Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. The Warriors have been in the finals five straight years. That’s plenty of experience. This series is going to be excellent and both teams will have their moments, but realistically thinking, I predict the Warriors will win in six games. I want the Raptors to win and hope they do, but I’m just being a realist with my prediction.

How the Toronto Raptors became a Dynasty

By: Adamo Marinelli

May 29th, 2019

    Clearly, on the verge of appearing on their first ever NBA finals against the Warriors' dynasty after beating the Bucks in six games in the ECF, the Raptors are a very talented and strong team, with plenty of talent all around the roster, possibly on the verge of becoming a dynasty.

    However, it hasn't always been this way. The Raptors had several years of losing seasons and playoff failure with older and unproductive players. But, bit by bit, especially with the addition of GM Masai Ujiri, the Raptors' luck would begin to turn around.

    Let's flashback to July 11th, 2012, about a year before the start of Masai Ujiri as general manager, the Raptors acquired Kyle Lowry from the Houston Rockets for Gary Forbes and a 2013 first round pick.

    On May 31st, 2013, Masai Ujiri was named the GM of the Toronto Raptors. Once in office, he had a few things to take care of. The first was Andrea Bargnani, who wasn’t as productive as he was projected and was labelled as a bust to many. Due to the New York Knicks’ desperate need for a power forward, Andrea Bargnani was dealt to the Knicks on July 10th in exchange for: Marcus Camby, Steve Novak, Quentin Richardson, a 2014 2nd round pick (OKC own), a 2016 1st round pick (via NYK), a 2017 2nd round pick (via NYK), and cash considerations.

    Later that year in December, the Raptors had to address an ageing Rudy Gay. Luckily, the Sacramento Kings were right there to help the Raptors rebuild. Quincy Acy, Rudy Gay, and Aaron Gray were acquired by the Sacramento Kings from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Chuck Hayes, Patrick Patterson, John Salmons and Greivis Vasquez. By the end of 2013, the Raptors were still a team with a losing record but they were seeing a lot of progressions especially the chemistry between Demar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.

    Ujiri then needed to address the lack of depth on his team especially on the bench, which leads to the 2015 draft. With the 20th pick, the Raptors selected Delon Wright, a 6’5” guard from Utah and Wright would end up filling the role of Vasquez. Later that night, with the 16th pick of the second round, the Milwaukee Bucks selected UCLA shooting guard Norman Powell. Ujiri saw this as an opportunity to pounce and traded Vasquez for Powell and a 2017 first round pick.

    In the 2016 draft, the ninth overall pick from the Nicks materialized into Jakob Poeltl and with their 27th pick, they selected Pascal Siakam, easily the most improved player this season. Looking back at it now, their late first round pick turned out to be better than their lottery pick but Poeltl helped the Raptors out in other ways.

    Later that summer, the Raptors decided to bolster their depth even more by adding undrafted prospect Fred Van Vleet. He became one of the more productive bench players after bouncing in and out of the G-League. This season, he’s become an elite scorer, scoring 48% from the field and 36% from beyond the arc. He was extremely clutch in games four, five and six against Milwaukee.

    Before the 2017 trade deadline, Ujiri needed to make improvements to the Raptors’ weakest position, the power forward spot. With the Raptors acquiring many star guards from trades, the draft and even undrafted free agent prospects, the need for Terrence Ross quickly vanished. Like Ujiri normally does, he found a desperate organisation to trade for Ross. The Raptors received power forward Serge Ibaka and in return gave up an ageing Terrence Ross -- who was beginning to be less productive and the Raptors no longer required his services -- and a 2017 first round pick. But for the second straight year, the Raptors fell short to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs.

    Which leads us to the 2017 draft. Their other first-round pick in 2017, which came from the deal with the Bucks, became small forward OG Anunoby. He was projected to go a lot higher in the draft, being just a sophomore from Indiana University and already oozing with talent but a knee injury and season-ending surgery deemed him as too much of a risk and dropped him off to the 23rd pick where the Raptors got him. Anunoby played some big minutes in his rookie season and was very good off the bench with his long wingspan and good ball-handling skills. He also played very well alongside Pascal Siakam. However, in the playoffs, he was tasked with guarding all-star LeBron James. As a rookie, that didn't go so well and the Raptors were swept by the Cavaliers falling short to LeBron for the third straight season.

    It wasn't all Anunoby’s fault though. the Raptors despite having lots of talent couldn't make it over the hump; they couldn't get past LeBron James in the playoffs. Due to their playoff struggles, Masai Ujiri had massive decisions to make. In the summer of 2018, he fired coach of the year Dwane Casey after a 59 win season and decided to trade away their franchise player: a longtime and beloved Raptor, Demar DeRozan. When this happened last summer, I was very shocked and intrigued. I was worried Kawhi would be unable to play because of injury and then just walk and that we had given up our star for nothing. And as it turns out, so were many other people. They all hated on Ujiri for getting rid of the coach and the franchise player. But they couldn’t beat the Cavs. They still struggled in the playoffs. Changes were inevitable. I was very sceptical, considering Kawhi threatened to sit the season out. However, looking back at it now, Ujiri’s genius came through again in another transaction win.

    Kawhi was dominant all season long, offensively and defensively, especially in the playoffs with 12 games of more than 30 points already, and he was not overplayed in the regular season, getting 20 games of rest in which the Raptors went 15-5. So the Raptors could win without Kawhi if he leaves but I doubt that he doesn't resign in Toronto, especially because of all the success he has and the team is having this season. Anyways, the Raptors sent over Demar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a 2019 first round pick for all-star and MVP calibre talent Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. Poeltl was received from a lottery pick from the Knicks from the Bargnani trade. Finally, the Raptors decide to strengthen their depth even more and close out any remaining weak spots on their roster by trading CJ Miles, Delon Wright (another late first round pick), Jonas Valanciunas (the Raptors’ final lottery player selected 5th overall in the 2011 draft class who was thought to have so much potential, the Raptors then general manager declined a trade to land James Harden) and a 2024 first round selection, which they got in a trade with Orlando to the Memphis Grizzlies for Marc Gasol, a tall and fast center who can defend and make plays on both sides of the ball. Several years later, Valanciunas is now just part of a package for Gasol. It’s amazing how the Raptors finessed so many teams by offering them lottery players (which they got from trading older and underproductive guys like Rudy Gay and Andrea Bargnani to gullible and desperate teams) and in return got many amazing players that they have on their roster today like Kawhi, Lowry, Powell, Siakam, Gasol, Green, etc.

    All of this has led to the Raptors appearing in their first ever NBA finals to play the Golden State Warriors after beating the league-best Milwaukee Bucks in six games after beating the 76ers in a seven-game second round series and the Magic in five games in round one. This all simply highlights Ujiri’s genius when acquiring players and building a formidable roster. Obviously, the team and all the players played well all season long and had excellent chemistry, Nick Nurse was an amazing coach all year long -- he's a really excellent coach who develops young talent, mentors players and is phenomenal making offensive and defensive schemes. And don't get me wrong, I loved Dwane Casey but hiring Nurse to be the head coach was the right move -- and LeBron being out of the East helps too, but alas.

    Whoever, doubted Ujiri’s judgement to trade DeRozan and fire Casey, does not doubt it anymore, the Raptors are in the NBA finals and despite being the underdogs; have a great chance to win the championship, after all they beat the Bucks who were the league's best team this season, so what can't they do. Congratulations to the Toronto Raptors and good luck to them against Golden State in the Finals.

NHL: Eastern and Western Conference Finals Analysis and Stanley Cup Final Predictions

By: Adamo Marinelli

May 23rd, 2019

Throughout the 2019 regular season and the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Carolina Hurricanes’  young and fast core, veteran leadership, physicality, their playmaking abilities which lead to several scoring chances and their tough defence which causes turnovers has made them a very talented team and granted them a lot of success, especially in the playoffs beating two very well rounded teams: the Washington Capitals and the New York Islanders. However, as we witnessed in this series, the Boston Bruins were clearly the better team. The Boston Bruins are arguably the most versatile team in the entire playoffs this year, at the very least they’re the best all-around team left in the playoffs, even topping the San Jose Sharks who are talented on the offence and the defence, with young and veteran players. The Bruins have an excellent offence, topped off by their production line, their first line, consisting of Bergeron, Marchand and Pasternak. The rest of the Bruins offence also has done an amazing job putting pucks in the net while the production line is off. Their defence is also incredible. They don’t sit back. They are physical and always win the majority of the puck battles and they control the clock and the momentum of the game. They have many great defensive players like Torey Krug, Charlie McAvoy, Matt Grzelcyk, Zdeno Chara, and rookie Brandon Carlo. Furthermore, just as these defensemen help out with the scoring, the forwards help out with the defence. That’s what makes Boston such a powerhouse on offence and defence. Finally, Tuukka Rask has been playing on another level. He has been stellar all playoffs. In 17 games played, he has 12 wins, a save percentage of .942% and a goals' against average of 1.88, the best of all goalies in the playoffs. Robin Lehner, the Islanders goalie has the next best GAA with 2.19. He also only allowed 32 goals on 549 shots and posted two shutouts. Both of his shutouts came in the series-clinching game. That is clutch. Rask is definitely a candidate with Joe Thornton for the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the MVP of the playoffs. The Hurricanes played well throughout the playoffs and in this series, but Boston was just too much to handle. Boston outscored Carolina 17-5 in the four-game sweep. The Bruins’ offence was just too much to handle and their defence wouldn’t allow the Hurricanes to get going, which they were never able to. So, Boston will appear in its first Stanley Cup Finals since 2013, when they lost to Chicago. However, the trend in this playoffs is sweep and get swept. The Islanders swept Pittsburgh, got swept by Carolina. Carolina swept New York and got swept by Boston. Boston swept Carolina so it is their turn to get swept by either the Blues, who beat the Sharks in six games.

    If there was one moment that you could pick as a turning point in the Western Conference Finals, it would be the controversial hand pass which wasn’t called that led to Erik Karlsson’s overtime winner in game three to give the Sharks a 2-1 series lead. That missed call infuriated everyone on the Blues and they brought that energy every game for the rest of the series. In the last three games, the Blues completely outmatched the Sharks on both sides of the puck and outscored the Sharks 12-2. Their speed, ability to create chances and their ability to win faceoffs and control the puck led to a productive offence and their physical defence caused a lot of turnovers and controlled the momentum of the game, keeping the puck out of their end. To put it simply, after the Blues started slowly in the first three games of the series -- especially the first game, where they were outsped, outmatched physically, their defence was walked all over and couldn’t get their offence going -- they only trailed 2-1 after three games, but they should have led 2-1 because of the subpar officiating and the missed hand pass that led to the controversial overtime winner in game 3. After that, the Blues dominated the last three games, like aforementioned. Rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington who has 12 wins, 1 being a shutout, a 2.37 goals against average and a .914 save percentage this playoffs, veteran Jay Bouwmeester -- who has played 1,252 NHL games to get to the Stanley Cup Finals, -- the sniper Jaden Schwartz who’s having the best postseason of his career with 12 goals and 4 assists and Vladimir Tarasenko all led the way to eliminate the Sharks, who couldn’t overcome their injuries (Karlsson, Hertl and Pavelski each missed one game with an undisclosed ailment) in six games. Now they will advance to play the red-hot and well rounded Boston Bruins in their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 1970 when they lost to who else but the Bruins in four games after Bobby Orr scored his famous goal where he flew through the air after someone tripped him as he took a shot. The Bruins are back for the first time since 2013 after losing to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Bruins are favoured to win and are the better team (at least on offence and defence, both goalies are pretty even in my opinion, Rask only has a slight advantage in stats), but St. Louis has had a remarkable season. Being in the Cup Finals after being dead last in the league on January 3rd is an amazing story. Plus, Rask is a great goalie and is a candidate for the Conn Smythe trophy, but Binnington has also played very well this year and is a candidate for the Conn Smythe too. I have the St. Louis Blues winning their first Stanley Cup in franchise history in seven games against the Bruins. It will be an overtime thriller by Jay Bouwmeester in game seven that wins the cup. Game one of the Stanley Cup Finals is Monday, May 27th, 2019. I can't wait!

The Miraculous Shot

By: Adamo Marinelli

May 13th, 2019

    It was indeed a magical night yesterday at the Scotia Bank arena in Toronto, Ontario. After Philadelphia 76ers’ shooting guard Jimmy Butler tied the game 90-90 late in the fourth quarter, Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse wisely called a timeout with 4.2 seconds to play. On the ensuing inbound, Marc Gasol found Kawhi Leonard running the floor and fed him the ball. Leonard ran past two defenders, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, and set up in the corner before shooting over the outstretched arms of Joel Embiid as the buzzer sounded. After being suspended in the air for about five seconds and hitting the rim four times, the ball finally went in the hoop.

    After that, madness ensued. There was ratcherous joy in the faces of Raptors fans in Toronto and all over the world. Even Kawhi, who is normally as cool as a cucumber, screamed very loudly after the shot went in. He said: “I’m a guy that acts like I’ve been there before… So probably the last time you saw me scream was when we won,” a reference to when the San Antonio Spurs won the NBA championship in 2014. He continued by saying: “Whenever it’s a moment where I haven’t really experienced, I’ll probably try to show some emotion… Tonight was one of those nights.” That clearly explains the extremely enthusiastic scream.

    It is also very fascinating how history turns the tables with the passage of time. In 2001, the Toronto Raptors lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games after a Vince Carter’s shot to tie the game missed at the buzzer. 18 years later, it is the Raptors and Kawhi Leonard who got the last laugh and the lucky bounce to shock the 76ers and win a thrilling game seven by a score of 92-90. That shot will be remembered forever in Toronto.

    Additionally, Kawhi’s famous shot - that was heard and seen all over the world - is the first game seven buzzer beater in NBA history. Michael Jordan’s buzzer beater in a winner take all game five in 1989 was before the NBA had expanded to best of seven series for all series in the playoffs.

    Another funny tidbit of information. Drake was not courtside, however, while watching the game at home, he wore a pair of 76ers shorts. The Drake Curse continues. Buy this man a Milwaukee Bucks jersey too now.

    Kawhi’s shot was legendary. However, it wasn’t just a shot. It is a moment, a memory that will last forever in the hearts of all Raptors fans. It helped the Raptors advance to just their second Eastern Conference Finals in franchise history. If the Raptors go on to win the NBA Championship, this shot will mean even more than it does right now!

    But most importantly, that shot by Kawhi at the buzzer; it may be the reason he stays with the Raptors this offseason. If the Raptors can keep Kawhi, they might be the next dynasty of the NBA, at least in the Eastern Conference. And to all those who think the Milwaukee Bucks are better than the Raptors, the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals series will determine what team reigns superior.

My 2019 NHL Playoffs - Round Three Predictions:

Carolina and Boston have both had a phenomenal playoffs so far. Carolina took down the defending Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals in a gruelling seven-game series and then proceeded to sweep the powerful New York Islanders who swept the Pittsburgh Penguins in round one. Meanwhile, the Boston Bruins beat the Blue Jackets in a six-game series, who swept the President Trophy winning Tampa Bay Lightning in round one after taking down a young, fast and strong offensive Toronto Maple Leafs squad in another seven-game series. Both teams have been playing extremely well. Also, Carolina’s young offensive talent, excellent defence, two-way depth, their speed and the underrated talent of their youth makes for a difficult opponent for anyone, even the Bruins, considering they’ve taken down Washington and New York handily. It will match well with Boston’s excellent first line, consisting of Marchand, Bergeron and Pasternak, their great young defence, their dominance in the faceoff circle and the stellar performance from Tuukka Rask throughout these playoffs. That being said, the Bruins are the most complete team remaining in the playoffs and possibly the most complete the Hurricanes have seen in the playoffs. This will make for a very amazing and entertaining series that will go back and forth with several momentum swings for each team, but despite Boston’s overall dominance and overall talent all over the roster; I do foresee the magic continuing and I predict the Hurricanes will win in six games, advancing to the Stanley Cup Final.

    San Jose and St. Louis have also had an amazing playoffs. San Jose took down the Vegas Golden Knights in an amazing game seven aided by a controversial call that led to four power-play goals and then proceeded to take out the Colorado Avalanche in seven games too. To continue, St. Louis was dead last in the NHL on January 3rd with a record of 15-18-4. Since then, the Blues posted a 30-10-5 record, for 65 points for an overall record of 45-28-9; for a grand total of 99 points. They then beat the Winnipeg Jets in six games, shutting down their offence and in round two, they beat the Dallas Stars in a tight, evenly matched seven-game series. The Blues and Sharks are both pretty evenly matched. Both teams are also very versatile – able to win games with scoring and/or a strong defence, with the occasional night stolen by a stellar performance from an amazing goalie. This series is a toss-up unlike the ECF, which Boston is the massive favourite to win. St. Louis has a good defence but also has had an amazing offence all throughout the playoffs, with players like Jaden Schwartz, Vladimir Tarasenko, Patrick Maroon, Ryan O’Reilly and Brayden Schenn. San Jose has a great mix of young players and veteran leadership to score, but their main talent is on defence, with veteran players like Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, Marc-Édouard Vlasic among others. However, despite Martin Jones has had an alright playoffs, he’s had a shaky regular season and we don’t know what form will show in the playoffs. In comparison, Jordan Binnington has played amazing in net all throughout the regular season and through the first two rounds of the playoffs. Also, the Sharks have had two seven-game series, the Blues have only had one, so the Sharks are a little beat up even with the return of Joe Pavelski. With all of that being said, I have the Blues in seven games. I predict it will be the second wild card teams from each conference -- the Hurricanes and the Blues -- in the Stanley Cup Finals.

2019 NHL Playoff Recap & Analysis - Round 2

    Wow! It is unbelievable! The New York Islanders are the first team since the 1993 Buffalo Sabres to sweep a playoff series and then get swept in the next round after they easily swept the underwhelming Pittsburgh Penguins and then proceeded to get swept by the feisty Carolina Hurricanes who beat the defending Cup Champs, the Washington Capitals, in overtime of the seventh game. The Islanders were pretty evenly matched with the Hurricanes in most of the stats' departments and they played pretty well throughout the series. Granted, the Hurricanes played better than the Islanders defensively, holding the Islanders to only five goals in the series and capitalized on several mistakes by the Islanders defence to spark their offence, which outscored Barry Trotz’s team 13-5. Some significant mistakes include a turnover in game one before Jordan Staal scored the overtime winner and when Robin Lehner turned the puck over in the third period of game three which led to a Justin Williams game winner which effectively sealed the series. I really had faith that the Islanders would go to the ECF especially because Washington lost against Carolina in the first round and Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh had already been swept. But these “Bunch of Jerks” are headed to the ECF for the first time since 2009. Congrats! Also, I predicted the Islanders win in five games, but the Carolina Hurricanes won in four games. The madness of these insane NHL playoffs continues.

    After sweeping the Tampa Bay Lightning, who won the President Trophy this year, the Columbus Blue Jackets felt super confident heading into their second-round matchup with the Boston Bruins who beat the evenly matched Toronto Maple Leafs in a hard-fought seven-game series. The Blue Jackets played very well at the start of the series and Sergei Bobrovsky reverted to his dominant form in net, similar to how he played against the Lightning. Despite being a little rusty in game one because of the week’s rest they had after advancing to round two, the Blue Jackets defence played amazing in game one and Columbus controlled the pace of most of that game, despite losing in overtime. Columbus dominated games two and three for the most part, including possession time, shots and hits despite being beat in the faceoff circle. The Bruins have several guys who are very good at faceoffs like Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, etc. After being outplayed in the first three games of the series and being down 2-1 in the series after a Matt Duchene double OT winner in game three, Boston picked it up in games four, five and six. They were more physical, faster, still dominant in the faceoff circle and they were able to play with leads. That was key in winning the series, they are 8-0 in the playoffs when leading after 40 minutes. The Blue Jackets also couldn’t score, they scored four goals in three games and averaged under two goals per game this series, compared to about 4.25 last series. In the final three games, Bobrovsky was good, but Tuukka Rask played better, allowing only four goals on 115 shots and won two crucial games on the road only giving up one goal that shouldn’t have even counted because it hit the netting. Their young defence also played a big role in helping Rask. This was the deciding factor in Boston’s series win. Bruins and Canes in the Eastern Conference Finals. Charlie McAvoy also got suspended one-game suspension for the hit to the head against the Blue Jackets’ Josh Anderson when he should’ve got suspended for at least five. Also, he only got a two-minute penalty, he should’ve been ejected but at least he was facing the player he hit, unlike Marchand. Because the refs gave the Vegas Golden Knights player a five-minute penalty that should’ve been two, they didn’t want to accidentally give another five-minute major that shouldn’t be called and get yelled at again. But for goodness sakes, the play stopped already, take a minute to look at the replay. I hate how the NHL has replay but some stuff is not reviewable or challengeable. Dang-it, NHL. Anyway, Hurricanes vs Bruins in the ECF. I got the Canes in seven.

    The St. Louis Blues and the Dallas Stars who are both coming off amazing victories in the first round of the playoffs; the Blues took down the red-hot Winnipeg Jets in six games and the Stars took down the well-rounded Nashville Predators in six games. Entering this series, both teams were pretty evenly matched. Both teams were alright on offence, but they both had excellent goaltending (Binnington and Bishop played amazing all season long up to the end of this series) and had a lot of talent on defence. It was a defensive battle all series long, both teams combined for only 30 goals in six games, one of the lower numbers so far this playoffs. The Blues have veteran talent on their blue line such as Jay Bouwmeester, Alex Pietrangelo and Michael Del Zotto and the Stars have a mix of veteran leaders and rookies with players like Marc Methot and John Klingberg. Both of these defences are very good and have been playing like that all season long, including the first two rounds of the playoffs. However, Dallas has $15 million invested in their defence, which is very cheap for good production. St. Louis has $28 million, which makes sense because of their high talent level. The series was very evenly matched. St. Louis won game one, Dallas tied the series in game two. St. Louis took a 2-1 lead, in game four Dallas tied it. Dallas took game five, St. Louis won game six to force a game seven. Both teams played well defensively in game seven, but the difference was the Blues’ defence in the second period. The Stars only took one shot on goal in the 2nd period. St. Louis completely controlled all momentum in this game. Ben Bishop was the only reason why the game was tied 1-1 after 40 minutes. The third period was even, but St. Louis won in double overtime on a counter attack. Great series, Blues advance to WCF.

    The Sharks and Avalanche both had impressive wins in the first round of the playoffs. The Sharks came back from a 3-1 series deficit and in game seven scored four goals on a controversial five-minute major penalty that shouldn’t have been called. Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche dominated the Calgary Flames and beat them in five games. Their offence, defence and goaltending were better than the Flames’. This series was very evenly matched and Colorado’s high powered offence with the likes of Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen was matched by the excellent talent on the San Jose Sharks’ defence led by Erik Karlsson, Dan Boyle and David Schlemko. Both goalies, Jordan Binnington and Martin Jones both had an amazing series despite allowing a few bad goals at some certain points in the series. The potent San Jose Sharks’ offence led by Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns, Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl was the difference in this series. Their ability to win faceoffs, control possession time and create counter attacks from their defence was insane. They also did a very good job of getting lots of chances to score and scoring lots of goals. This series was a roller coaster. The two teams were pretty evenly matched for the most part and when San Jose would take a lead in the series which they did three times, the Colorado Avalanche would win the next game and even the series up. So that being said, the Sharks were going to another game seven after the emotional one against Vegas. San Jose struck fast and controlled the pace for most of the first period and took a 2-0 lead. The Avalanche controlled possession in the last four minutes of the first period and cut the lead in half with seconds left in the frame. Midway through the second period, Colin Wilson tied the game 2-2 on a pass from Nathan MacKinnon. But, it was ruled after a Sharks’ coaches challenge that Gabriel Landeskog, the sixth man on the ice was offside. He hadn’t put both feet on the bench before making a change. He still had one foot on the ice in the offensive zone when the puck crossed the line. Even if it wasn’t offside, it would have been too many men. Another favourable call goes San Jose’s way in game seven. The Sharks added a goal later in the second period to make it 3-1 and the Avalanche couldn’t come back. Sharks vs Blues in the WCF. I got the Sharks in seven.