For the second time in three days, the NHL Stanley Cup finals and the NBA’s conference finals were taking place at the same time in Detroit. So which takes precedence? For last night at least, the NHL actually wins.
How the Red Wings are shutting out the high-scoring, highly-touted Penguins is something to marvel at. Chris Osgood is yet to allow a goal in the finals and that means Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin haven’t tallied a point — much less showed their true worth. While I’m sure the two phenoms will get at least a point in either game three or game four — in Pittsburgh — they have do more than pot one or set one up in a losing cause. 4-0 and 3-0 look bad but 4-1 and 3-1 don’t look much better. Are these two “saviors of the sport” big game duds? The NHL better pray they’re not but the case is probably a lot simpler. Sid and Geno are just two kids going up against a stacked, powerhouse of a team in the Red Wings. There’s no shame in losing to a superior squad, but the least they can do is show up while doing it.
In NBA action, the Celtics went back to their usual way on the road by falling to the Pistons by 19 points. While the final score of 94-75 and the fact that Detroit led wire-to-wire may seem a bit lopsided, Boston actually kept the game close for the most part. Detroit really got great games out of Rip Hamilton and Antonio McDyess, but then again, they were facing against a woeful Ray Allen and inexperienced Glen “Big Baby” Davis. Right now, you have to think that Game 5 is going to determine the winner of this series. Even if Detroit loses in Boston while keeping it close, I can see them taking the series.