Playoffs and Awards 2006

NHL

It’s wide open. It really depends on who gets hot. Detroit and Carolina (slight edge over Ottawa) are favored to come out of their respective conferences. Personally, I’m going to cheer for the Flames. Kipper is a wall out there and even the shittiest team can win with a hot goalie. Not that the division champion Flames are a bad team.

Hart – Joe Thornton (over Jagr and Ovechkin)

Did you think the Sharks were going to make the playoffs before the Thornton trade? Not to mention, because of Thornton, Cheechoo is a threat to win the Richard trophy.

Vezina –Miikka Kiprusoff (over Legace, Brodeur and Vokoun)

The Flames are 27th in the league in goals for, yet they won the Northwest division. I wonder why.

Calder - Alexander Ovechkin (over Crosby and Phaneuf)

Overall: 3^rd in points (102), 4^th in goals (50). Crosby had good teammates (Leclair, Lemieux, Plaffy, Gonchar). Ovechkin has no one. Dainius Zubrus is second on the Washington Capitals with 23 goals and 55 points.

NBA

It ultimately comes down to the Pistons, Spurs, Mavs and Suns. The Nets and Heat have an outside chance of coming out of the east, but I don’t think either can stop the Pistons. Every other playoff team is cannon fodder.

The Suns will have the path of least resistance to the west finals. The Mavs and Spurs will most likely meet in the western semis in a close series. The Suns can beat the Mavs, but without Amare, they have no shot of beating the Spurs.

Overall, I like the Pistons beating the Spurs decisively in a finals rematch

Deeeeeeeeeeee-troit Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasketball.

MVP

This award is so ambiguous. Is it awarded to the best overall player? The player with the most impressive stats? The player that is most important to his team? The player with not quite the best stats but carried his team to a good/great record?

Ultimately it comes down to the following five:

Dirk Nowitzki
Dwayne Wade
Steve Nash
Lebron James
Kobe Bryant

If Steve Nash wins again, he’d moving into an exclusive back-to-back MVP club (Russell, Chamberlain, Abdul-Jabbar, M.Malone, Bird, Magic, Jordan, Duncan). But I don’t think he’ll win it again this year.

Personally I like Lebron edging out Kobe. Kobe has Lamar Odom. Lebron only has big Z. Big whoopee di do.

Defensive Player of the Year

Beats me. The usual suspects this year: Artest, B. Wallace, Bruce Bowen.

Personally I’d like see Bruce Bowen win for once. Did anyone see that great job Bowen (6’7) did on Nowitzki (7’0)? Dirk was like 1 for 9 that night.

Rookie of the Year

Chris Paul. Duh.