SIESTA KEY, FL – A few days ago it looked like New York had a pretty good chance to get its first championship in a while. But that hope is now on life support. The Nets are out and the Islanders are getting bloodbathed (screw you, it’s a verb) by a touchdown about an hour south of here, and will be one game from elimination. And on a non-related note, the Suns in Four guy is dominating the NBA playoffs. Let’s jump in.
A Game of Inches and Big-Ass Toes
Durant, Harden, and Irving managed to play only 13 games together this season. Van Halen’s reunion tour with David Lee Roth made more appearances together in arenas than those that. Durant and half of Harden was almost enough to get by the Bucks, but Durant’s gigantic toe turned a game ending three into a game tying two, and the big man ran out of gas in the extra session. The late air-ball was ugly.
The Bucks got lucky because even two healthy versions of the three would have been enough to make venison out of Giannis & Co. But thems the breaks in life and basketball, as almost every team in the playoffs has had an injury to a key player. It’s becoming a war of attrition and the healthiest teams may be the last two standing. But the Nets had the best odds to win the title going into this series and now Brooklyn will not be the team to get New York its long awaited title.
The Spin and The Save
The Ryan Puloch save on the dip-see-do, spin-o-rama by Ryan McDonagh was one of the best endings to a hockey game of all time. Or at least involving two guys named “Ryan.”
The McDonagh move was incredible, as it didn’t look like the Lightning was even going to be able to a shot on goal in a desperate attempt to tie it. But then suddenly the puck kicked out and it was on McDonagh’s stick right in the left circle, in a prime scoring spot, with the horn about to sound. I believe approximately 99.97% of players would have fired the puck at the net in that situation. But Ryan McD, cool as a cucumber, had other plans.
McDonagh let Brock Nelson go flying past in a desperate dive to block the shot, while Varlamov the goalie was charging at him to cut down the angle. Hell, there wasn’t enough time to do anything but shoot. Or was there? The Ranger’s captain made a pirouette to the middle, then whipped a backhander toward the cage that was gaping in anticipation like Jenny Mendelbaum’s mouth the first time I tried to french kiss her in the 9th grade. But out of nowhere came Ryan Puloch to come up with the best save by a non-goalie in NHL history, considering the situation. But alas, McDonagh was denied thinking he was about to score, as was I, with Jenny.
This would be their signature play when they one the Cup, people said. Well, it might just be a semi-pleasant memory for the Isles now, as the the Lightning just converted the two point conversion to go up 8-0 in Game 5. The Isles will have to win one in The Barn and then come back down here and find a way to win in Tampa. Possibly with their best player Barzal, who might be suspended for a gross check to the melon of Jan Rutta. Or New York will have to wait and hope one of the baseball teams can make a run.
Suns in Four, Punks
I don’t normally condone douchy fan fights by a grown man in a basketball tank top jersey, but the “Suns in 4” guy is a ridiculously hilarious situation. Who knows exactly what happened, but from what we saw in the video, one of the two punks Nuggets kids did take a swing at him first. Our hero did not start the fight. He just calmly pummeled the punk and held his head down while throwing a haymaker at the other one. And he made sure to let them know the Suns were about to sweep. There was nothing for the punks to do except leave in shame.
Now this hero is getting tickets to Suns playoff games and there are Suns in 4 shirts being given out in the parking lot of Suns games. Heck, I’ve beaten up plenty of punk kids in stadiums and all I got to show for it was a night in the drunk tank. Where’s my t-shirt? A few of those punks probably deserved it.
Came back tomorrow for a guy who has been in drunk tank in a tank top more times than he can count, Angry Ward. Follow us on Twitter at @benwhit, @MeetTheMatts, @Matt_McCarthy00, Instagram @MeetTheMatts and like our Facebook page, Meet The Matts.
