Lakers

The Lakers are my favorite pro basketball team. They had a great season but I have been a little frustrated with their playoff intensity. Everyone expected them to blow through the Western Conference and then face the Cavaliers. I think this caused them to lack the same intensity they used to get the second best record in the NBA. They beat the Jazz in five games which isn't bad but took seven games to beat the Rockets. In the Rockets series after winning a game by 40 Points! they lose the next game by 15. How can you possibly do that? Maybe the Rockets are pretty good but common, 55 point swing? The Nuggets who won 11 less games then the Lakers in the regular season easily beat the Mavericks and Hornets. Thankfully the Lakers won game one against the Nuggets or else they would be in a hole against a much better team then the Jazz and Rockets. GO LAKERS!

The Capitals

I am not a big hockey fan but I will occasionally watch some games. I will watch the Stanley Cup, and some of the other playoffs series, and starting last year the Capitals. Before last year they were bad for about seven years (which is about when I started watching sports). then at about the mid-way point of the 2007-08 season they went from being one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference to winning their division. I for one of the first times ever then watched their series against the Philadelphia Flyers. They came back from 3-1 to 3-3 in the series, but lost in overtime at home to end their season. This season I was afraid that after went down 3-1 in the series they would have another early postseason exit. But after coming back to win the series I have high hopes for their making it to the Eastern Conference finals and beyond. I believe this because after being befuddled by Ludquinst (not sure on the spelling)(the Ranger's goalie) in three of the first four game they didn't give up. They scored four goals in game five, five in game six, and in the decisive game seven after scoring only one goal in the first 55 minutes they scored a second (which ended up being the game winning goal). Ludquinst was great but in my opinion the rest of the team was demoralized and didn't give 100%. in the final five minutes after the Caps had taken the lead (2-1) Ludquinst had a couple of great saves and the other Rangers played without urgency. Normally when you are losing in the last couple of minutes of a game then you shot a lot and you are almost always on the attack. But instead the Capitals often were on the attack and the Ranger's didn't hustle for the puck.

Now the Capitals have a 2-1 series lead on the Penguins. In the first two games, after having the game tied going into the third period they scored the game winner and kept the lead for the rest of the game. Varlamov has been sensational. 30+ plus saves in each of the games so far in the series. Including probabley the best goal of the playoffs. After leaving the goal he stuck he goalie stick to block the incoming puck, the stick pulled the puck back about an inch from crossing the line. In game three he was good but not good enough. The Caps even though they lost I think showed that they can win even if they aren't at Verizon Center. GO CAPS!