War Sounds

Metro Boomin's "Superhero" track is blasting across the airwaves as the alarms are being raised for Round 2 of warfare in both the NBA Playoffs and the Stanley Cup Playoffs. War sounds are poppin' off. Sweeps, causalities, camouflaged civil war, and Game-Sevens. Just enough noise to keep the bar strong as we roll deeper into the playoffs.

We witnessed damn near everything across both tourney's opening rounds. From competitive warfare to soap opera vibes in Toronto. A mixture of bad and good rained down on each playoff. For fans, some experienced all bad, especially those who love the Pelicans, Capitals, and Suns. For others, it was nothing but joy & happiness, as their squads marched onward-- or a little bit of the in-between like Stars fans, who love knocking out the defending champion Golden Knights, but know their quest for Lord Stanley will only become more difficult against a thriving (and hungry) Avs squad. Allow me to break some of these war sounds down more in-depth. The good and the bad; then I'll shoot my predictions for the active rounds that will battle it out this week.

Opening round of the NBA Playoffs had my voice hit some Jim Mora high notes... playoffs? Like... this is the playoffs, right? Had me fooled once or twice. On the court, the comp' was extremely weak in RD1. I'm talkin' extremely-extremely weak. Sure we had some good & fun moments transpire to take away some of the sour taste, like Jalen Brunson and Anthony Edwards elevating another level, but all-in-all the games weren't close on the scoreboard. They weren't. Even the games that ended somewhat close, showed us a 20+ point deficit during the meat of the game. Can't tell you how many games had an active blowout in the second and third quarters. Seeing a team go on a big run is great and all, especially on their home floor, but the rollercoaster deficits need to stop. This is the highest level of basketball on the planet; it's not AAU.

It would be a dream if we had one game that was competitive across four quarters. The Magic and Cavs series was the only series off the hardwood to see a Game-Seven, but most of the games in the series were blowouts by the tail-end. You go from changing the channel to a different sport/game and refreshing the score every ten minutes on your phone to see if it's worth watching again. That's not the highest level. That's not the NBA. I will say the 76ers/Knicks series was solid, and the first game of Pacers/Knicks was one of the few games that was single digits across all four quarters. It wasn't every game, but surely the higher percentage of games were poor comp. Time to raise the bar.

Two dangerous weapons of mass destruction were used in the first round of war that left major casualties across the battlefield. The WMDs being Jalen Brunson and Anthony Edwards, of course. It's time we put respect on Jalen Brunson's name! I am tired of the degrade. J-Brun is SCORCHING hot in the playoffs as he did the most damage for the Knicks in their kill of the 76ers. The cat leads all playoff scorers with 36.6 points per game as he is a constant game-breaker ready to be activated for the Knicks. Brunson is taking over games and getting the absolute most out of the fans and his teammates. Give him the ball and watch how he rocks with it!

There was a few times that Brunson hogged the ball late in the game due to over-confidence, but besides that, the cat has been extraordinary. Brunson is the FIRST PLAYER EVER with 40+ points and 5+ assists in 4 straight playoff games. Not only is Brunson's scoring elevating the team to wins; his leadership and presence is elevating his teammates-- mostly his Villanova boys DiVincenzo & Josh Hart. The trio has been straight money in the playoffs thus far. DiVincenzo as clutch as Brunson and anyone else on the floor; Hart producing in all facets. I love watching Brunson succeed; his demeanor is of a dying breed. Same to be said about Anthony Edwards.

Ant-Man has that Kobe demeanor. That MJ demeanor. Now we are seeing his progression reach new heights. Edwards is taking over the playoffs; puttin' the Timberwolves on his back. Minnesota is now 6-0 with a sweep of the Suns & have started the conference semifinals against the defending champions with back-to-back dubs on the road in Mile High. T-Wolves aren't just winning; they are smacking the opposition around. Ant-Man is all over the floor, and all in folks' faces. The flare. The tenacity. The energy. Edwards is paving a way. He is averaging 32.3 points per; the second most behind Brunson among active playoff performers and his defense has been marvelous. The entire Minnesota defense has been marvelous. They feed off Edwards' energy.

Knicks and Timberwolves are playing like the two scariest teams in the playoffs as they ride the shoulders of their respected superstars. Can Brunson and Edwards continue their tear? Can their squads keep rising; keep advancing? It's hard to bet against either guy. Becomes even harder after seeing how the two of them have started the conference semis. I expect them both to keep balling out. I won't change my Nuggets pick, despite the 0-2 start. I don't feel that series to be over, barring a Jamal Murray suspension. Not me betting against Ant-Man; more like just betting on Jokić and co. Edwards should continue his tear.

What a series between the Bruins and Maple Leafs. I expected the series to be packed full of noise and storylines, but never did I expect the level of craziness that we received. I still sit here appalled. Drama and heartbreak on one side; relief and glory on the other side. Gotta love the Stanley Cup Playoffs, baby. If you don't rep the Maple Leafs that is.

Toronto seemed doomed from the very start. Since the start of the Nylander saga. A saga that leaves me with with some strong opinions. Toronto was without Nylander for the first three games of the series... their second leading scorer, and the team's only player to play in all 82 games of the regular season. We were given no real reason or information regarding Nylander's absence-- just that it was an "undisclosed injury". Twice Nylander was seen during early-morning skate, but he wasn't on the bench or dressed for the game. It pisses me off that we allow teams to be vague regarding a players' health/game availability. To think I should change my mind on sports gambling... right! Here is what Nylander said AFTER the team was booted from the playoffs:

What a load of cap and crap. Pure joke. I don't think I need to elaborate on how much hockey players will withstand in order to stay on the ice for a chance to write their name on Lord Stanley. If you know puck, you are well aware on the injuries we have seen guys push through... especially the type of guys that a team and city relies on. A guy like William Nylander. If it was a "migraine" or for "concussion symptoms", then the team should have announced that before the start of GM-1. Plain and simple. To make it some mysterious saga and drama fest is a shame. That finger gets pointed at all parties- Nylander, Maple Leafs, and the NHL for allowing it with no protest.

Little man had a migraine. That's his reason for bailing on his teammates. To make things worse, Nylander shows up and actually plays in Game-4, just to have the highlight of the night for the Leafs be a diva fight between their top players Nylander, Matthews, and Marner:

video via Sportsnet//X

The gull of Nylander, ha. Don't get it twisted, I am a-o-k with barkin' down Marner's front door. The cat had been playing awful and was obviously not taking accountability. For it to be from Nylander is just embarrassing, however. You miss the first three games under BS circumstances (for what I have gathered) and think you have a place in the room to point degrade at a teammate? Nah Willy... you should have said stfu in the mirror. Junior Hockey is exactly the level where guys who complain about migraines play. Then we got Matthews forgetting that he was awful in that game, as well as in GM1. Comedy. I like the guys being mad they are losing, you gotta have an unreal level of competitiveness to become a winner, but bottle in the finger pointing and perform better. Those emotions will never push you to a winning circle. Looked like a little diva fight. Marner's glove toss tantrum was the cherry on top. There is a reason that John Tavares is the one who wears the C. There is a reason why the Maple Leafs now sit at home watching the rest of the Cup play out. I think Sheldon Keefe needs to be on the hot seat. Mmm hmm, no cap! Terrible playoff exit.

Prevailing over the defending champion only raises the difficulty more. Stars are ridin' high after eliminating the Golden Knights in a thrilling Game-7. The entire series was a thrill; GM7 was the perfect ending. An extremely tough first task on the quest for Lord Stanley. The bittersweet reality for Dallas? They now have to face the red-hot Avalanche, who just ran right on through the Jets.

Colorado is looking ferocious as they took out Winnipeg in five games; outscoring the Jets 28-15. Avs put up the most points across the opening round and have a league leading 5.60 GF/G in the Cup. Stars had been in a fist fight in every game across the series with Vegas; now they play the scariest team in Chel at the moment (at the moment!). Quite the story they are writing. They have the game on the highest difficulty. If they want Lord Stanley; it's going to be one helluva path to win it. I rocked with them in RD1, but do have the Avs prevailing in RD-2. Lets see if the Stars can keep building their playoff run.

Outside of the Game-7 between Boston & Toronto, the Eastern Conference had a sweep and two 4-1 pieces. Panthers dominated the Lightning, Hurricanes get the last laugh on the Isles, and Rangers make easy work of the Capitals. Eastern ease across the map.

Sixteen of the twenty Eastern Conference games across all four series in the opening round were decided by two goals or less- the comp bar was high, despite the ease in quick victory. The battle of Florida was a bloodbath; Panthers were just far more hungry. Hurricanes and Isles had a strong showcase of games & the Leafs/Bruins series brought major noise as previously discussed. I expect the Conference Semifinals to have deeper series; I wouldn't be shocked if they each went six or seven games. Time to find out. Fill up that comp bar!

Eastern Conference semifinals have already started; Western start tonight in Dallas. I have to say, making predictions for this round was difficult, especially on the Western side. Here are my selections for the current round:

I'm taking the Avs in a tight series over the Stars; six to seven games. MacKinnon and Rantanen are hittin' on all cylinders; the offensive storm is going to be tough to tame. Stars would be the squad to do it; I don't doubt them proving my pick wrong by any means. The Avs are just hot right now; I gotta rock with Colorado this go around. Then there is the Pacific War. Boy, was that a tough-tough pick to make. More so than Stars/Avs, even.

Canucks may have swept the Oilers 4-nil in the regular season, that doesn't mean they will have their way with the Oilers here and now. I have Edmonton in a bloodbath. Canucks not having goalie Thatcher Demko (knee) until at least GM-4 is a huge deal. Huge deal. I'm placing my chips on McDavid and Draisaitl. It's time they break through in the playoffs.

Carolina and New York has a chance to be the best series of the entire round. As much as I want to rock with the Hurricanes; I got the Rangers advancing on. Should be a bloodbath. Top notch warfare on the ice. Best of the best special teams. Hard hittin' action. It's going to be stellar... hopefully the Bruins/Panthers rematch can follow suit. Game-1 stunk the bed (not for Bruins fans), but fell into my pick. I think Boston will conquer their revenge of the playoff upset from last year. Pasta is LOCKED in, cha heard.

Second-Round please-please-please raise the noise bar. I'll trade all my picks being wrong for the noise bar to be loud again. Seriously. I know the teams are capable of it. I believe in them! Here are my picks for the Western Conference Semifinals:

I won't change my Nuggets prediction despite being a little behind on writing this piece. I also won't count them out against Minnesota despite being down 0-2. You never count Joker out until he is dead and buried. The fact the T-Wolves did win out in Denver is wild though. They blew the Nuggets out of their own arena by halftime. Not a soul saw that coming. If Ant-Man can keep his heatwave, then there is a strong chance Minnesota marches on to the Conference Finals.

I first did that graphic having the Thunder moving on. I have since had a change of heart. I think Kyrie and Luka can get over that hump. I am confident on my stance that this will be the learning experience type of playoff experience for the young star-studded Thunder. Originally I thought the lesson would be in the conference finals to the Nuggets, instead it will be to the 5-seed Mavericks. Book it! That's my sleeper pick, no doubt.

Boston over Cleveland was an easy pick. Could Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs upset? They could; they could. I'm just not betting on it. Celtics just smoked them in GM-1, so I don't feel outlandish with pickin' them with ease. Knicks and Pacers are a different story. A 90s playoff rivalry renewed. The two winners of the trade-deadline dukin' it out.

Outside of watching the Brunson Show, my interest will be in the Siakam vs Anunoby matchup. The two prized trade-deadline acquisitions now going head-to-head in the playoffs for their new squads. Great stuff. The first game of the series was a thrill-ride. I expect the entire series to be that way. I'm rockin' with J-Brun. Was foolish to go against him and the Knicks last round; I won't do it again here. Give me the Knicks in five to six games.

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Opinion. Fact. Or Straight Up Cap.