NHL
WINGS COMPLETE SWEEP IN COMMANDING FASHION
Thursday was a special time to be a Motown sports fans as all three teams in action ended series on winning notes. The Detroit Tigers swept the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium for the first time in decades. The Pistons won their third straight to dispatch the Sixers. And the Detroit Red Wings, another Detroit team expected to contend for a title, blasted the Colorado Avalanche 8-2 to end their Western Conference semifinal game in spectacular fashion.
At 6:51 of the first period, the game was knotted at 1-1, and the folks at the Pepsi Center may have thought the Avs had one last chance to salvage something of this series. Their Nuggets had been swept by the Lakers, and surely they didn't think two of their beloved teams would face that fate in one season.
But then the Red Wings but the peddle to the floorboard and left the Avalanche reeling in the dust of seven straight goals. Tomas Holmstrom and Johan Franzen scored late in the first to make it 3-1. Then, in the second, a barrage of goals came off the sticks of Henrik Zetterberg (2) and Franzen (2 more for hat trick). Mikael Samuelsson notched his second goal at 8:02 of the third to make it 8-1. Halfway through that period, John-Michael Liles got the Avs' last goal of the season on a power play.
The Red Wings now await the winner of the San Jose-Dallas series.
New York 3, Pittsburgh 0
Home ice was good to the Rangers on Thursday, and Jaromir Jagr did what Jaromir Jagr does best: Score. The veteran scored twice and Brandon Dubinsky scored once to pace the offense for New York. Meanwhile, Henrik Lundqvist was busy between the pipes, stopping all 29 of Pittsburgh's shots, including shutting the Pens down on all four power play opportunities.
CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS SCHEDULE
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Montreal vs. Philadelphia
Game 1: Montreal 4, Philadelphia 3 (OT)
Game 2: Philadelphia 4, Montreal 2
Game 3: Philadelphia 3, Montreal 2
Game 4: Philadelphia 4, Montreal 2
Philadelphia leads 3-1
Game 5: Saturday at Montreal
Pittsburgh vs. New York Rangers
Game 1: Pittsburgh 5, New York 4
Game 2: Pittsburgh 2, New York 0
Game 3: Pittsburgh 5, New York 3
Game 4: New York 3, Pittsburgh 0
Pittsburgh leads 3-1
Game 5: Sunday at Pittsburgh
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Detroit vs. Colorado
Game 1: Detroit 4, Colorado 3
Game 2: Detroit 5, Colorado 1
Game 3: Detroit 4, Colorado 3
Game 4: Detroit 8, Colorado 2
Detroit wins 4-0
San Jose vs. Dallas
Game 1: Dallas 3, San Jose 2 (OT)
Game 2: Dallas 5, San Jose 2
Game 3: Dallas 2, San Jose 1 (OT)
Game 4: San Jose 2, Dallas 1
Dallas leads 3-1
Game 5: Friday at San Jose
NBA
DETROIT FINISHES OFF PHILLY; MAGIC NEXT
After a bumping start to their first-round showdown with the Philadelphia 76ers, the Detroit Pistons finished things off quite handily, including a convincing 100-77 shellacking of the upstart Sixers in Game 6 at a non-sold out Wachovia Center. With the win, Detroit moves on to play Orlando in the conference semifinals.
Richard Hamilton took scoring honors for Flip Saunders' crew, pouring in 24 points. Chauncey Billups scored 20 as the Detroit guards took over when needed most. Detroit shot 58 percent in the contest-taking seven fewer shots than Philly but connecting on 14 more field goals.
Andre Iguodala led the Sixers with 16 points as Philadelphia closed out their season.
NBA PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
EASTERN CONFERENCE
#1 Boston vs. #8 Atlanta
Game 1: Boston 105, Atlanta 81
Game 2: Boston 97, Atlanta 77
Game 3: Atlanta 102, Boston 93
Game 4: Atlanta 97, Boston 92
Game 5: Boston 110, Atlanta 85
Boston leads 3-2
Game 6: Friday at Atlanta
#2 Detroit vs. #7 Philadelphia
Game 1: Philadelphia 90, Detroit 86
Game 2: Detroit 105, Philadelphia 88
Game 3: Philadelphia 95, Detroit 75
Game 4: Detroit 93, Philadelphia 84
Game 5: Detroit 98, Philadelphia 81
Game 6: Detroit 100, Philadelphia 77
Detroit wins 4-2
#3 Orlando vs. #6 Toronto
Game 1: Orlando 114, Toronto 100
Game 2: Orlando 104, Toronto 103
Game 3: Toronto 108, Orlando 94
Game 4: Orlando 106, Toronto 94
Game 5: Orlando 101, Toronto 92
Orlando wins 4-1
#4 Cleveland vs. #8 Washington
Game 1: Cleveland 93, Washington 86
Game 2: Cleveland 116, Washington 86
Game 3: Washington 108, Cleveland 72
Game 4: Cleveland 100, Washington 97
Game 5: Washington 88, Cleveland 87
Cleveland leads 3-2
Game 6: Friday at Washington
WESTERN CONFERENCE
#1 LA Lakers vs. #8 Denver
Game 1: LA 128, Denver 114
Game 2: LA 122, Denver 107
Game 3: LA 102, Denver 84
Game 4: LA 107, Denver 101
LA wins 4-0
#2 New Orleans vs. #7 Dallas
Game 1: New Orleans 104, Dallas 92
Game 2: New Orleans 127 Dallas 103
Game 3: Dallas 97, New Orleans 87
Game 4: New Orleans 97, Dallas 84
Game 5: New Orleans 99, Dallas 94
New Orleans wins 4-1
#3 San Antonio vs. #6 Phoenix
Game 1: San Antonio 117, Phoenix 115 (2 OT)
Game 2: San Antonio 102, Phoenix 96
Game 3: San Antonio 115, Phoenix 99
Game 4: Phoenix 105, San Antonio 86
Game 5: San Antonio 92, Phoenix 87
San Antonio wins 4-1
#4 Utah vs. #5 Houston
Game 1: Utah 93, Houston 82
Game 2: Utah 90, Houston 84
Game 3: Houston 94, Utah 92
Game 4: Utah 86, Houston 82
Game 5: Houston 95, Utah 69
Utah leads 3-2
Game 6: Friday at Utah
MLB
HERE COME JOE'S BOYS; DODGERS WIN SIX STRAIGHT
Joe Torre and the LA Dodgers are chasing a very good team as they make an early season correction after a poor start, but they are making up ground. The Dodgers beat the Florida Marlins 5-3 on Thursday to win for the sixth straight time.
The Dodgers got the win in Miami when Matt Kemp drove in the winning run on a single in the ninth. The teams were tied at 3-3 headed into the ninth before LA scored twice.
Juan Pierre led the Dodgers by going 2 for 3 with two RBI. Kemp's key ninth-inning single was his first hit of the game. Joe Beimel had one of those magical outings: He threw one pitch, got a guy to pop up to close out the Marlins' eighth inning, and picked up the win. He's now 3-0 with an ERA under 1.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Milwaukee 4, Chicago Cubs 3
Washington 3, Pittsburgh 2
Philadelphia 3, San Diego 2
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay 4, Baltimore 2
Texas 2, Kansas City 1
Detroit 8, New York Yankees 4
Cleveland 3, Seattle 2 (11 innings)
Toronto 3, Boston 0
Oakland 15, LA Angels 8
SPORTS SPECTRUM INSIDER
Getting to the heart of what matters in life -- in the words of an athlete in the news.
TODAY'S FEATURE:
NATE ROBERTSON, pitcher, Detroit Tigers
BIO NOTE: Nate Robertson was drafted three times before he signed a pro contract: twice by the White Sox and once by the Marlins.
RECENT NEWS: On Thursday, Robertson picked up his first win of the season as he helped the Tigers sweep the Yankees.
FAITH QUOTE: "Every night, I thank God for everything. There's an appreciation there, but I'm always on guard about allowing God's blessings to turn into something that could destroy me. What I have is His . . . but I'm one bad decision away from turning what God has given me into something bad. So I'm always on guard to make sure I don't do that." -Sports Spectrum magazine
MINI MEMOS
Putting the SS spin on today's sports news
NASCAR
That'll be $875. Can I check the air in your tires? Oh, you need rubber all around? That'll be $1,200. We all have sticker shock every time we are brave enough to stop at the gas station for a fillup. And new tires? That's a nice luxury. But what about the folks who are driving around just for fun? What about the NASCAR crowd? They pay about $7 per gallon and get about four mph. That means in a 500-mile race, they drop $875 just for gas. And then those tires. At $300 each, that's $1,200 for every tire change. And imagine having to pay the gas to get that hauler from Darlington to Talladega and then on out to Sonoma, California, and back again. Sure there's a lot of money in NASCAR, but just like everyone else, these prices have to be taking a bit out of the old budget for the racing teams.
MLB
WHAT'S NEXT FOR SMOLTZ?
It appears that John Smoltz may be headed back to the bullpen. As he did several years ago to save wear and tear on his oft-injured arm and shoulder, he left the rotation and hung out with the relief pitchers-saving more than 150 games for the Braves. When Smoltz' shoulder inflammation calms down enough for him to pitch at all, he says, he probably can't risk the long innings needed by a starter. Smoltz is a valiant athlete, and the pain he's endured to keep pitching would have sidelined a lesser person a few years ago. He'll pitch as long as he can be effective because his courage and determination spur him to succeed.
NBA
WOODSON STANDS BY HIS MAN
You've got to love Mike Woodson's loyalty. Upon learning that Kevin Durant of the Seattle SuperSonics had captured the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award, Woodson protested. As coach of the Atlanta Hawks, Woodson has been watching his own price rookie, Al Horford, come into his own and play well in his first season. Horford nearly averaged a double-double for the Hawks (10 points and 9 rebounds), but the award went to the more famous and well-known Durant, who averaged 20 points a game-which is a pretty impressive stat on its own. But Woodson saw that his new guy helped his Hawks get into the playoffs, which gave him one more reason to think he had coached the league's best rookie. If nothing else, Horford should be encouraged to know that his mentor is willing to speak up for him and give him such widespread support.
SPRINT CUP STANDINGS
Nine NASCAR races are in the books. After Kyle Busch's win at Talladega on Sunday, here is the way things look.
1. Jeff Burton 1,347
2. Kyle Busch 1,325
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1,268
4. Denny Hamlin 1,248
5. Jimmie Johnson 1,245
6. Kevin Harvick 1,208
7. Clint Bowyer 1,182
8. Greg Biffle 1,148
9. Tony Stewart 1,137
10. Carl Edwards 1,084
THIS JUST IN
Notes of significance from the Christian sports community
New Book: The Mulligan
By Wally Armstrong
After ending a successful career as a PGA golfer, Wally Armstrong began a venture of teaching golf and of using gold analogies to teach biblical principles. One of his latest ventures is teaching timeless truths through golf is a book called The Mulligan. It's a book that can be used by the Christian for edification, and it can be given to the non-Christian as an outreach tool. Find out more about the book at www.wallyarmstrong.com.
