Hockey players rarely can be described as choir boys. It's just not in the nature of the rugged, teeth-loosening sport to be on your best behavior. But so far in the playoffs the Sharks have been, relatively speaking, little angels.
"You're calling the wrong guy that," Sharks winger Ryane Clowe said.
Maybe, but the Sharks have been finding their way to the penalty box far less often than opponents. The Sharks have been on the power play 62 times in 12 postseason games compared to having to kill off only 38 penalties.
San Jose might have dropped Game 1 of the Western Conference finals 2-1, but Sunday's loss couldn't be blamed on a lack of power-play time. While Chicago was called for five penalties, the Sharks were not whistled for a single one.
"It's not just luck," Clowe said. "We're just not putting ourselves in a position to take penalties and we're being real careful with our sticks. We need to continue that because it's a sign that we're doing something right."
Opponents will agree that it's a sign of something — but not necessarily that the Sharks are just being smart and disciplined.
In the first two rounds, Colorado's Joe Sacco and Detroit's Mike Babcock weren't shy about expressing their frustration over the disparity of penalties called between their teams and the Sharks.
The Blackhawks were more circumspect with their comments in the wake of Sunday's game, which makes sense considering they won. ButAdvertisement
it doesn't mean they were happy about the sin bin being a Shark-free zone.
"It would be nice to get a few calls out there," winger Patrick Sharp said.
Sharks center Scott Nichol countered that he would have been surprised if Chicago wasn't complaining at least a little bit.
"They're doing their job," Nichol said. "They're getting it in the papers so maybe the referees can read it. But they can't call it if you don't do anything."
Such subtle working of the officials is all part of the psychological gamesmanship of the NHL postseason. Sharks coach Todd McLellan was doing his best to send a message Monday through the media as he praised Game 1 referees Paul Devorski and Brad Watson.
"I turn on that NHL.com and all the hockey pundits out there are absolutely shocked the Sharks didn't take a penalty," McLellan said. "I know Devo and Brad Watson didn't sit down and use their 2,300 games of experience and say, 'Tonight is going to be the night where we're not going to give them a penalty.' "
Sunday might have been unique — "Zero penalties just doesn't happen," Sharks captain Rob Blake agreed — but San Jose has shown composure all postseason. The Sharks have taken 55 penalties compared to 77 by opponents.
In the process, the Avalanche and Red Wings helped prove the accuracy of the old hockey cliché about how it's hard to win from inside a penalty box.
But considering that the Sharks came out on the short end of Game 1 against Chicago despite the penalty edge, was it also an indication that the Sharks weren't playing physical enough? Are they really being too angelic on the ice?
To a man, the Sharks said no.
"If you go a bunch of games in the regular season without penalties, maybe it is a sign that you're not doing enough of the dirty work," Clowe said. "But in the playoffs we've been really good about playing between the whistles and not engaging in the scrums in front of the net that the refs are watching close."
Heading into tonight's Game 2, both teams made it clear what they hoped to do better in their special teams.
The Blackhawks want to cut down on the penalties and maybe even see if the Sharks' box door actually swings open.
"I think staying out of the box is a priority," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "We expect to play hard and draw some penalties as well."
Meanwhile the Sharks, who have converted on 12 of their 62 power plays for a 19.2 percent clip, are hoping to make better use of their time when tey have the man-advantage.
"When you get five more power plays than the other team, you really need to use that," Clowe said.here
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Monday, May 17, 2010
Lakers vs. Suns: Lakers win Game 1, 128-107
The Lakers struggled to the end of the regular season and then were dominated in Games 3 and 4 by Oklahoma City in the first round of the playoffs. But, we're seven games removed from that and it was also the last time the defending NBA champions lost.
So, how did they turn their fortunes around? Simple. Kobe Bryant started playing like Kobe Bryant again.
On Monday, in the Lakers' 128-107 win over the Phoenix Suns, Bryant had 40 points, including a remarkable 21 points in the third quarter of the Western Conference finals opener. Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Wednesday at Staples Center.
It really wasn't much of a game once Bryant took over. It was the fifth consecutive game in which Bryant has scored more than 30 points. He scored his 40 on 13-of-23 shooting from the field while making 11 of 12 from the line. He made three of six three-pointers.
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Perhaps the greatest praise for Bryant came from two-time MVP Steve Nash of the Suns, who was held to a below-average 13 points.
"I don't think we sent him to the line a lot," Nash said. "I don't think we let him inside a lot, but still he scored a ton."
Bryant played only 35 minutes as he left the game with about nine minutes to play and nothing left to prove. As the game wound down, even the normally nervous Lakers crowd started to loosen up, chanting: "We want Boston."
The Boston Celtics have a 1-0 lead over the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference finals, with Game 2 on Tuesday.
"Kobe had an outstanding game," Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said in an understatement of fact. "Pau (Gasol) played a fine game and so did Lamar (Odom)."
Gasol contributed 21 points while Odom had 19 points and 19 rebounds.
"Kobe carried a lot of the offense tonight," Jackson said. "He came in and was going to shoulder the game."
Bryant's health is a constant topic around Los Angeles. The Times reported on Monday that he recently had a "significant" amount of fluid drained from his knee, something Jackson verified although he said it was not done this past weekend.
And Bryant certainly made everyone forget about his date with a syringe early when he came out and scored 11 points in the first quarter. But there was an anxious moment with 1:46 left in the opening period when he slipped as he drove down the lane and fell on his injured knee. It hushed the sellout crowd of 18,997. But what was hurting him was his head, which banged into Phoenix guard Jason Richardson as he fell.
How did he respond?
He got up, stayed in the game and sank a 17-footer at the buzzer.
It was that kind of game for Bryant.
"When he's making those shots, there's not a whole lot more you can do about it," said Suns Coach Alvin Gentry.
"Every time he plays, he takes it personal. . . . He knows how important the first thing is."
Amare Stoudemire was the main reason the Suns were only seven points behind at the half before Bryant took over in the third. Stoudemire scored 15 of his 23 points in the first half and was the Suns' leading scorer. Richardson added 15 points with Robin Lopez contributed 14.
Besides Bryant, another subplot around Los Angeles has been the future of Jackson. He is in the last year of a contract that pays him $12 million a year. He said he would decide his future after the playoffs but in a radio interview he did before the weekend he said he was leaning toward retiring.sunshine
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So, how did they turn their fortunes around? Simple. Kobe Bryant started playing like Kobe Bryant again.
On Monday, in the Lakers' 128-107 win over the Phoenix Suns, Bryant had 40 points, including a remarkable 21 points in the third quarter of the Western Conference finals opener. Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Wednesday at Staples Center.
It really wasn't much of a game once Bryant took over. It was the fifth consecutive game in which Bryant has scored more than 30 points. He scored his 40 on 13-of-23 shooting from the field while making 11 of 12 from the line. He made three of six three-pointers.
» Don't miss a thing. Get breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox.
Perhaps the greatest praise for Bryant came from two-time MVP Steve Nash of the Suns, who was held to a below-average 13 points.
"I don't think we sent him to the line a lot," Nash said. "I don't think we let him inside a lot, but still he scored a ton."
Bryant played only 35 minutes as he left the game with about nine minutes to play and nothing left to prove. As the game wound down, even the normally nervous Lakers crowd started to loosen up, chanting: "We want Boston."
The Boston Celtics have a 1-0 lead over the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference finals, with Game 2 on Tuesday.
"Kobe had an outstanding game," Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said in an understatement of fact. "Pau (Gasol) played a fine game and so did Lamar (Odom)."
Gasol contributed 21 points while Odom had 19 points and 19 rebounds.
"Kobe carried a lot of the offense tonight," Jackson said. "He came in and was going to shoulder the game."
Bryant's health is a constant topic around Los Angeles. The Times reported on Monday that he recently had a "significant" amount of fluid drained from his knee, something Jackson verified although he said it was not done this past weekend.
And Bryant certainly made everyone forget about his date with a syringe early when he came out and scored 11 points in the first quarter. But there was an anxious moment with 1:46 left in the opening period when he slipped as he drove down the lane and fell on his injured knee. It hushed the sellout crowd of 18,997. But what was hurting him was his head, which banged into Phoenix guard Jason Richardson as he fell.
How did he respond?
He got up, stayed in the game and sank a 17-footer at the buzzer.
It was that kind of game for Bryant.
"When he's making those shots, there's not a whole lot more you can do about it," said Suns Coach Alvin Gentry.
"Every time he plays, he takes it personal. . . . He knows how important the first thing is."
Amare Stoudemire was the main reason the Suns were only seven points behind at the half before Bryant took over in the third. Stoudemire scored 15 of his 23 points in the first half and was the Suns' leading scorer. Richardson added 15 points with Robin Lopez contributed 14.
Besides Bryant, another subplot around Los Angeles has been the future of Jackson. He is in the last year of a contract that pays him $12 million a year. He said he would decide his future after the playoffs but in a radio interview he did before the weekend he said he was leaning toward retiring.sunshine
sweetheart
gorgeous
cherish
enthusiasmhttp://ctvforum.insinc.com/dance
http://www.d-7lm.com/vb
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