PHILADELPHIA - MAY 15: Scottie Upshall #9 of the Philadelphia Flyers makes a charge on goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Pittsburgh Penguins who makes the save during game four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wachovia Center on May 15, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Flyers won the game 4-2 but trail the series 3-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NHL
FLYERS BEAT PENS, STAY ALIVE
The Wachovia Center was good for the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night. Facing elimination in the Eastern Conference finals, the Flyers used a flurry of first-period goals to take a lead Jordan Staal, Tyler Kennedy, and Max Talbot combined couldn't overcome.
At 8:27 of the first, Joffrey Lupul scored with help from Scott Hartnell to give Philly the lead. Three minutes later, Daniel Briere gave the home crowd even more to scream about with his sixth goal of the postseason. Then, with a minute ten seconds left in the first stanza, Jeff Carter made it 3-0 with a power play goal.
The teams slugged it out in futility in the second period. Pittsburgh outshot Philadelphia 12-8, but neither team could solve Marc-Andre Fleury or Martin Biron.
In the third, the Staal-Kennedy-Talbot combo got busy, scoring two even-handed goals-one at 3:16 and the other at 14:11-to draw the Penguins to within one goal with just under six minutes left. Pittsburgh again outshot the Flyers in the period, getting 13 chances to Philly's 8, but when Lupul scored again with 33 seconds left-this time on an empty net-the Flyers had their first win of the series.
CONFERENCE FINALS
East
Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia
Game 1: Pittsburgh 4, Philadelphia 2
Game 2: Pittsburgh 4, Philadelphia 2
Game 3: Pittsburgh 4, Philadelphia 1
Game 4: Philadelphia 4, Pittsburgh 2
Pittsburgh leads 3-1
Game 5: Sunday at Pittsburgh
West
Detroit vs. Dallas
Game 1: Detroit 4, Dallas 1
Game 2: Detroit 2, Dallas 1
Game 3: Detroit 5, Dallas 2
Game 4: Dallas 3, Detroit 1
Detroit leads 3-1
Game 5: Saturday at Detroit
NBA
SPURS SWEEP PAST HORNETS AT HOME
Maybe if these games were played on a neutral court no one would win. As usual in the conference semifinals (with Detroit's win at Orlando being the lone exception) the home team won on Thursday night in San Antonio as the Spurs easily downed the New Orleans Hornets 99-80.
Maybe it's the opening exercises-the ones David Stern likes about as much as he likes cheating refs-that get the home team going. After all, the home guys are introduced as if they've just come home from conquering Europe while the visitors are introduced with all the drama of a Wal-Mart announcement asking a clerk to report to the cash register.
For whatever reason, home is where the wins are, and the Spurs dominated this game according to plan. The Hornets tried to hang around, and they were down by just seven at the half, but they were never really a threat to overtake the hot-shooting Spurs. San Antonio hit 11 three-pointers, led by Manu Ginobili's 6-for-9 effort from downtown. He ended with 25 points as he showed again how valuable he is to his team and exciting he is to watch.
Chris Paul had 21 points for the Hornets, but his sidekick David West didn't bring his shooting touch with him and often blew open shots after Paul dished off to him. He finished with just 10 points.
So now it's back to New Orleans to see if the Hornets can keep the homecourt thing going or if the Spurs can figure out to win in front of 18,000 people who are screaming for them to lose.
NBA PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
BOSTON VS. CLEVELAND
Game 1: Boston 76, Cleveland 72
Game 2: Boston 89, Cleveland 73
Game 3: Cleveland 108, Boston 84
Game 4: Cleveland 88, Boston 77
Game 5: Boston 96, Cleveland 89
Boston leads 3-2
Game 6: Friday at Cleveland
DETROIT VS. ORLANDO
Game 1: Detroit 91, Orlando 72
Game 2: Detroit 100, Orlando 93
Game 3: Orlando 111, Detroit 86
Game 4: Detroit 90, Orlando 89
Game 5: Detroit 91, Orlando 86
Detroit wins 4-1
WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. UTAH
Game 1: LA Lakers 109, Utah 98
Game 2: LA Lakers 120, Utah 110
Game 3: Utah 104, LA Lakers 99
Game 4: Utah 123, LA Lakers 115 (OT)
Game 5: LA Lakers 111, Utah 104
LA leads 3-2
Game 6: Friday at Utah
NEW ORLEANS VS. SAN ANTONIO
Game 1: New Orleans 101, San Antonio 82
Game 2: New Orleans 102, San Antonio 84
Game 3: San Antonio 110, New Orleans 99
Game 4: San Antonio 100, New Orleans 80
Game 5: New Orleans 101, San Antonio 79
Game 6: San Antonio 99, New Orleans 80
Series tied 3-3
Game 7: Monday at New Orleans
MLB
RAYS SEND YANKEES TO AL EAST CELLAR
Roughly one quarter of the way into the 2008 Major League season, the landscape around the big leagues is quite different from what most had predicted. Case in point: Thursday's game in Tampa Bay. That's where the perennial cellar-dwelling Tampa Bay Rays beat the big-spending New York Yankees 5-2.
Rays starter Scott Kazmir (2-1) allowed just three New York hits in six innings to stymie the Yankees and send them to their sixth loss in nine games-and the bottom of the AL East.
Yankees rookie Ian Kennedy (0-3) allowed five hits and five runs in five innings-not exactly the boost New York was hoping for from the youngster.
A pair of the five hits Kennedy allowed left the yard. Akinori Iwamura hit his third home run of the season in the first inning, and Shawn Riggans clubbed his third of the season in the fourth inning.
Rays closer Troy Percival earned his 10th save in 12 chances.
Tampa Bay improved to 24-17 on the season-the best record in the American League. The Yankees fell to 20-22.
AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Kansas City 8, Detroit 4
Cleveland 4, Oakland 2
Chicago White Sox 4, Los Angeles Angels 3
Toronto 3, Minnesota 2 - 11 innings
NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Washington 1, New York Mets 0
Chicago Cubs 4, San Diego 0
Arizona 8, Colorado 5
Philadelphia 5, Atlanta 0
Pittsburgh 11, St. Louis 5
Los Angeles Dodgers 7, Milwaukee 2
Houston 8, San Francisco 7
Cincinnati vs. Florida - Postponed
SPORTS SPECTRUM INSIDER
Getting to the heart of what matters in life -- in the words of an athlete in the news.
TODAY'S FEATURE:
LANCE BERKMAN, first baseman, Houston Astros
BIO NOTE: Berkman, who is currently hitting .391, has a career batting average of .300. His best year for average was 2001 when he hit .331.
RECENT NEWS: On Thursday, Berkman went 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBI to help the Astros beat the Giants. Berkman has 15 home runs to lead the majors.
FAITH QUOTE: "First and foremost, I'll know I'm successful if I instill the values of Christianity and a relationship with God into my children. The recognition of Christ and his values is the most important thing for my family and me. If I can do that and have an impact on people around me- my teammates, my extended family, and anybody I come in contact with-and show them the love of God, then I will have been a successful person."
-Sports Spectrum magazine
MINI MEMOS
Putting the SS spin on today's sports news
NBA
CAVS LOSE GIBSON FOR GAME 6
There will be no heroic repeat of Daniel Gibson's remarkable shooting performance in Game 6 of the 2007 Eastern Conference finals. He will be on the sideline as the Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Boston Celtics in the East semifinals Game 6 on Friday in Cleveland. Gibson shot the Cavs past Detroit last year as the Cavs beat the Pistons and advanced to the finals. But after separating his left shoulder on Wednesday night in Boston, he is out of this series. That puts an added offensive burden on the middling offensively skilled Cavaliers. Gibson has hit 45 percent of his threes in the postseason, so his outside deadeye shooting will be missed. Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak should be spending some extra time in the gym getting ready to hit some bombs if the Cavs are to take Game 6 against Boston.
MLB
INTERLEAGUE PRIMER
Things are changing in major league baseball at a dizzying pace. New, young, exciting players are cropping up all over, and teams with youth seem to be trumping teams with rich veterans throughout both leagues. And the National League appears to be catching up with the American. The superiority of the AL will be severely tested this weekend as the first round of interleague play takes place. Here's a look at some interesting matchups.
Tampa Bay at St. Louis. A real test for the upstart Rays as they battle a team that is surprisingly better than anyone expected. The Cards have drifted to two games back after being in first for a while. Can the Rays dominate St. Louis as they did the Yankees?
Yankees at Mets. Nobody in New York is happy with his or her favorite baseball team. At least the Mets are over .500, and they have their two best pitchers lined up to take on the last-place Yankees. Willie Randolph can quiet the barking dogs if his Mets can take care of the Yankees.
KC at Florida. Both teams are among those good, young teams that are getting better and getting the best of some of the teams with rich veterans. KC is tantalizingly close to the .500 mark and the Marlins are in first place. If the Royals can play with the first-place Fish, it may give them confidence in their battle or AL Central respectability.
Dodgers at Angels: A couple of wily managers get a chance at each other in Anaheim. Joe Torre's Dodgers are trying to keep up with Arizona, which has baseball's best record (which should get better against the listless Detroit Tigers). But the Angels have not only a top manager but also a tough lineup and a top pitching staff. It'll be a good test for the Dodgers to see if they are equal to the Angels.
Others: Milwaukee at Boston; Washington at Baltimore; Houston at Texas; San Diego at Seattle; Toronto at Philadelphia; Oakland at Atlanta; Cleveland at Cincinnati; Chicago White Sox at San Francisco; Minnesota at Colorado.
NBA
A GOOD CAUSE
Dikembe Mutombo wants to play another season in the NBA. If he indeed does receive a contract to play as a 42-year-old backup center for the Houston Rockets, that will be good news for a lot of people-people who may never have seen a basketball game or heard of the NBA. That's because Mutombo is one of the most generous philanthropists in sports. One of his main efforts was to finance and build a hospital in his native country of Chad. Mutombo, who was named the NBA Philanthropist of the Year in 2007, has a foundation that seeks to improve the health, education, and quality of life for the Congolese. Mutombo was honored by President George Bush during the 2007 State of Union address for his efforts. He has recently become involved with Opportunity International, which helps provide financing for folks to get small businesses going in various African nations. Mutombo told Sports Spectrum magazine: "I believe we are all created equal in God's eyes and that the gospel teaches us to find a way to serve humanity." Let's hope the Rockets decide what we all already know: Dikembe Mutombo is a keeper.
SPRINT CUP STANDINGS
We are 11 races into the 2008 NASCAR season. The next race is Saturday is the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Challenge at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. This is not a points race, so the standings will stay the same until May 25 when the Coca-Cola 600 takes place at the same speedway. The Chase for the Cup looks like this.
1. Kyle Busch 1,690
2. Jeff Burton 1,611
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1,556
4. Denny Hamlin 1,500
5. Clint Bowyer 1,490
6. Jimmy Johnson 1,442
7. Carl Edwards 1,400
8. Tony Stewart 1,397
9. Kevin Harvick 1,396
10. Jeff Gordon 1,326
11. Greg Biffle 1,308
12. David Ragan 1,266
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.
