Roy Leads Historic Playoff Comeback As Blazers Defeat Mavericks

Brandon Roy, has had knee injuries which forced the Blazers to bring him off the bench and limit his minutes. Roy was upset with head coach Nate McMillan after he only played limited minutes earlier in the series vs. Dallas. Roy was so frustrated post game, he became emotional from a tear standpoint. Dallas jumped out to a 2-0 first round Western Conference playoff series lead against Portland. Portland came home and won Game 3, however they trailed by 23 points in Game 4. At that point it appeared Dallas would go up 3-1 in the series, with Game 5 at home. Brandon Roy would have none of that. Roy led a historic 4Th quarter comeback as the Blazers defeated the Mavs, which guarantees a Game 6 in Portland later in the week. Dallas will head home with the series tied 2-2. Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd saw a 2o plus point playoff led disappear before. During the 2002 East Finals his Nets blew a lead to the Celtics. Good news, New Jersey came back to win the series and make the NBA Finals. Lets see if his Dallas Mavericks can do the same. Maybe this type of comeback uplifts Portland to a series win.

Peter Laviolette Changes Goalies Once Again Flyers Force Game 7

Let's see the defending Eastern Conference Champion Philadelphia Flyers, have gone through two regular season goaltenders. Now during their first round Eastern Conference playoff series vs. Buffalo, head coach Peter Laviolette has gone through three goaltenders. Sunday Philadelphia went into Buffalo with their season on the line. The Flyers beat the Sabres 5-4 in overtime to force a decisive Game 7 in Philadelphia. Bob, the rookie goaltender was pulled in Game 1 for Boucher. Game 2 Boucher was pulled for Michael Leighton. Leighton played in the minors after leading Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals last season vs. Chicago. During Game 6 Michael was pulled after giving up 3 first period goals to the Sabres. Boucher will start Game 7. Many experts wonder can Philadelphia win 16 games, which is down to 13 games, that it will take to win Lord Stanley Cup, by switching goaltenders. Laviolette won a championship in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes and led the Flyers to a historic comeback vs. Boston last season after trailing series 3-0 and 3-0 in Game 7.

Chris Paul Dominates As Hornets Defeat Lakers

Los Angeles begin their three peat journey with a loss to New Orleans during Game 1 of the first round Western Conference series. Thanks in large part to Chris Paul. Paul was unstoppable 33 points and 14 assist. Paul even added 7 rebounds. Los Angeles had no answer for the Wake Forest product. They'll need to find answers quickly before Game 2 and the remainder of the series. Kobe Bryant clearly wasn't happy during or before the game, especially with Pau Gasol who struggled throughout. The Lakers struggled with the quickness of Chris Paul, along with his passing and scoring abilities. How will Bryant come out for the next game, will he look to run the triangle or look for his offense ?

Grizzlies Beat Spurs Earn Historic First Playoff Win

0-12, those were the numbers looking at the Memphis Grizzlies franchise. During three all time playoff appearances Memphis were swept. Shane Battier were on those teams, how poetic he hit a three pointer to give the Grizzlies the lead for good. Battier was dealt back to Memphis during this seasons trade deadline. Richard Jefferson of the Spurs had an open look at a three, he missed as time expired. Memphis #8 seed took a 1-0 series lead over #1 San Antonio during the Western Conference Round 1 match up. San Antonio is vying for it's 5Th overall championship. Zaxk Randolph and Marc Gasol carried Memphis throughout the game with their points in the paint and rebounding. San Antonio will look to bounce back in Game 2, prior to the series heading to Memphis for Games 3 & 4.

Howard Monster Game Not Enough Hawks Take Opening Game

Dwight Howard registered 46 points and 19 rebounds while shooting 16 for 23 from the field. Atlanta came into Orlando and survived that offensive outburst. Atlanta left with an Eastern Conference Round 1 Game 1 victory. Orlando fell 103-93. Jameer Nelson was the only other Magic player beside Howard to step to the plate offensively with 27 points and 6 assist. Atlanta held Orlando to 6 for 22 from three point range. Now the Hawks have the home court advantage, heading into Game 2, prior to the series shifting back to Atlanta for Game 3 & Game 4 respectively. The Hawks were led by Joe Johnson who scored 25 points and Jamal Crawford added 23 off the bench. Atlanta had five players score in double figures. Last season Atlanta were swept by Orlando during the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Thunder vs. Nuggets Potential To Be A Dynamite Series

The most intriguing first round playoff series, comes out of the Western Conference. #4 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. #5 Denver Nuggets. Oklahoma City is lead by young guns Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Since the Nuggets parted ways with Carmelo Anthony, they added more talent and overall team depth. Denver doesn't have a player better than Durant or Westbrook, however they are two deep at every position. They have guys like J.R Smith who can score, Danilo Gallinari that can shoot the three, guys who can score on the low post in Nene, Kenyon Martin who can finish in transition and Birdman Anderson that can rebound. Among other players like Ty Lawson, Wilson Chandler and company. Also what will make this series interesting, their is no love lost between the teams. Their is a strong chance Denver could take this series to seven games and win.

Ryan Miller Leads Sabres To Game 1 Road Victory In Philadelphia

Ryan Miller carried his teammates from Buffalo to a Game 1 victory in Philadelphia. The goaltender stopped all 35 shots he saw at the Wells Fargo Center. Buffalo now has taken home ice advantage from Philadelphia in this #2 vs. #7 Eastern Conference 1st round series. 'Bob' the Flyers rookie goaltender stopped 24 of 25 shots he faced, not bad for his 1st playoff game. However it wasn't good enough, the lone goal he surrendered was the game winner. Both teams entered the 3rd period scoreless. Flyers bugaboo have been the power play, it didn't help them in Game 1. 0-5 including a short 2 man advantage, during the Flyers power play. Special teams and a lights out goaltender was truly the deference. Flyers lead Sabres 4-2 in their all time playoff series and in recent history, the winner of Game 1 between the teams, go on to win the series.

When Will Sidney Crosby Return To The Penguins

The 2011 NHL Playoff run for the Pittsburgh Penguins will begin without Stanley Cup Champion and team captain Sidney Crosby. The Penguins will begin their series versus Tampa Bay on Wednesday. Crosby hasn't played since January. Pittsburgh managed to finished second in the Atlantic Division behind Philadelphia and fourth overall in the Eastern Conference. There is no telling if Crosby could return during the first round or if Pittsburgh does advance, returning some point after that. However Pittsburgh and Crosby could be playing this situation safe. Clearly he's one of the faces of the league and his long term feature is more important. I'm sure most hockey people wouldn't be surprised if they didn't see Crosby until next season.

Francona Red Sox Begin Season On A Slide

Terry Francona and the Boston Red Sox, need better starting pitching performances and better clutch hitting especially with runners in scoring position. Boston are many experts selection to win the AL East and represent the American League in the World Series. However that's why 162 games are played on the field opposed to on paper. Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford were new off season additions. 2-7 is the current record after taking two of three games at home versus the Yankees. Prior to arriving at Fenway Park, the Red Sox were swept by the Cleveland Indians and AL Champion Texas Rangers respectively. The entire lineup struggled offensively and Boston had to go to it's bullpen repeatedly in the early going. Boston has last place Tampa Bay coming into town as they'll try to begin a winning streak beyond one game. The heat will be on all season in Boston as expectations are sky high.

UConn Huskies Capture National Championship

The 2010-11 UConn Huskies finished the season perfect in three tournaments. Connecticut won the Maui Invitation to begin the season, followed by winning the Big East Tournament with 5 wins in 5 days and then winning the National Championship. Jim Calhoun now has won a third title and his second in the state of Texas. UConn defeated Duke in 1999 in St. Petersburg, defeated Georgia Tech in 2004 in San Antonio and in 2011 defeated Butler in Houston. Led by junior guard Kemba Walker and freshman forward Jeremy Lamb. The Huskies only allowed an amazing 96 points at the Final Four versus VCU & Butler respectively. 11 Big East Tournament teams made the field of 68, may where gone early. Many critics said the league was overrated. UConn finished 9-9 in conference play, cut down the nets. The game wasn't beautiful, nevertheless a win is a win, a title is a title.