Game 2: Bitter tasting.

The Sharks seemed to have it. They seemed to have the energy and the skills and the enthusiasm to plow through Motor City and bring they commanding lead home to the Tank. They led 2-0 for most of the 1st two periods. Team Teal looked dominating, looked like they were the best team in the NHL.

Then the red wings woke up, and showed the Sharks that they will not go quietly. The Red Wings outskated, outsmarted and outplayed the boys of San Jose. The two split the first two games and remain knotted up at one a piece.

The Sharks still hold home ice advantage though and haven’t lost at the Tank this postseason. Even more, the Sharks were not brutalized by the Wings either. It was a hard fought third period and only a lucky bounce and the ubiquity of Pavel Datsyuk were the difference.

With over 90 seconds remaining in the game, however, the Sharks packed it in. The late goal sucked the wind out of our club and turned Joe Louis into a frenzy. The Sharks will need to match the frenzy and give their fans something to spring board from early in Game Three.

The Sharks waited too long and should never have turned of the afterburners. We could be coming home with chance to sweep the runners up to the President’s Trophy. Now all we get is the bitter taste of Octopus and a fire(i hope) that the Red Wings wont be able to handle.

Series tied 1-1.

NBA: Game Three- The return to dominance

The pressure is all on the Mavs. That’s what I said, that’s what the team has said. The W’s have never felt that the series wan unwinnable, and to that end stand in a shocking 2-1 series lead over the best team in the NBA. The Mavs just don’t seem like they can keep up with this zealous group. Dirk has been seemingly absent from this series. Minus a emotional outburst in Game Two, the City Warriors have remained calm, yet enthusiastic and will look to take advantage of that mo-jo tonight at Oracle.

If the warriors win this game, they will take a strangle hold on the series and force the Mavs to win three straight. This is the game, to be sure. My Prediction: If Dallas evens the series at two apiece, they will advance to the Western Conference Semifinals.

Warriors handle the Mavericks lead series 2-1.

Game 1: Traditional Style, Predictable Outcome

The Sharks shut down the Red Wings with a typical road game strategy. Judging by the excitement of the contest, you can understand why the comments on the Bullet will be brief. A hum-drum contest lacking spark has pushed the Sharks ahead of their 1995 nemesis. This series is far from over.  The Red Wings are about to get real chippy.

Where’s Jamie McClellan when you need him?  You can bet the Red Wings will pull a page from Edmonton on Saturday.

For now, All Hail Griersy!

MLB: Who are these Giants?

I was prepared to suffer through this one… with the All Star Game and Barry’s Quest. I was prepared to wait another two or three season for the rebuilding era. I was prepared to watch Ray Durham go down with an injury in the first twenty games and for Frandsen to take his spot. I was prepared for our 72-90 club to return to the field and celebrate the moneymaker of the 2007 season in its entirety, drawing every last penny of the hype and publicity.

I wasn’t prepared for this Giants club, though. The scrappy, lucky, and calmy collected veterans that have found a way to win somehow. And we’re not just talking these pull-it-out in the ninth type victories from 2005, no we’re talking about winning games. really winning them. The question remains, though: who are these giants?

These guys have stood up in the face of criticism and scandal and quietly won 10 of their last eleven. Went from worst to first in a week and five days. Benitez isn’t blowing saves. Durham is hitting, Bonds is actually running, and pitching is holding us in there. A shock to as many fans as i have talked to is the actual confidence in this club.  They are having fun and winning games in the process. Eight in a row! Sweep after sweep!

The Giants are on a tear and should open up a gap in the standings early this season, that way they can let all of our vets chill during the grinding part of the summer. Who are these Giants, though?

They’re pretty good and it seems they’re making a move…

Only time will tell if they can hang on to this good fortune.

NBA-Game 2: Whoa Nellie!

A bit after the fact, but The Bullet has to make at least a small comment about the Warriors extraneous efforts during Game two, and it’s penultimate demise on the outcome. Easy Baron… easy. Baron Davis received two technicals and an ejection in the second half of the game that may have well been the deciding factor. Steve Jackson seemed unable to be contained until his emotions got the rest of him.

So What the hell happened?

As Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Merc put it, The warriors have been riding a wave of emotion this past month, and that wave may have culminated Wednesday night. But, that’s not the point… Two ejections in an early round playoff game seems a little excessive… to me. Baron and the boys lost their cool because the refs seemed to be calling the Mavs way. Another thing that is right: The refs aren’t going to do the W’s any favors. It’s bad enough the best team in the NBA is getting run up and down the court, having to put up a fight against a team that just barely clinched its spot on the last day of the season.

Game Two shows the intensity of the Warriors and how it can hurt them in the postseason. Nellie needs to keep his team as far ahead in these games as possible, and that wont be easy. Baron needs to keep his cool and calmly lead his ball club. If not, the Miraculous Magic of Golden State will end in Dallas.

Series tied 1-1.

Round Two: Not a hard prediction

Okay, So the second round is upon us, and before any of these shenanigans begin, The Bullet will make the ultimate second round predictions.  After the first round, the Silver Bullet sits at 7-1, only dropping the Flames debacle of Detroit. So, with great decisions and perfect confidence, I offer these choices for you:

Eastern Conference 

#1 Buffalo   vs.   #6 New York

This one will be difficult for the Sabres, but I think they will prevail. Jagr and the Rangers will push them to seven, and may come very close to winning. The Sabres just wont lose here though. They are the quicker, faster, better scoring team, and the rejuvenation of the Rangers will end up being the victim.   Sabres win in six.

#2 New Jersey vs. #4 Ottawa

I think the Sens have something here…  There isn’t much to say. Sens upset the Devils.  Senators in Five.

Western Conference

Of course, my forte here in prediction land is the West, seeing these teams at least four times a year.

#1 Red Wings vs. #5 Sharks

I seem to agree with most National writers… I don’t see a way that the Red Wings can match up with the Sharks. The big, tough young team of the Teal will end up with the upper hand in this conference. Yet, the Red Wings will scare these Sharks. They may win one or two games in Detroit, sending a nauseous shiver through Sharks Fans. Either Way, big joe and the boys will figure them out and push them out of the playoffs. My thoughts: Sharks in six.

#2 Ducks vs. #3 Canucks

Here’s a problem I have. The Canucks seemed like a much better team earlier in the playoffs. Now i Just don’t know. And justifiably, I must support the Ducks in this round. It always seemed the Sharks were on a crash course from the start with Anaheim, and it wont be a surprise here. The Ducks will win this easily with Pronger and Giggy standing tall.   Ducks win in Five.

It will be the Wings!

1994: The last time the Warriors made the playoffs

1994: The eight-seed San Jose Sharks upset the best team in the regular season Detroit Red Wings in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

2007: The Warriors make the playoffs after a thirteen year drought.

2007: The Sharks will face off against the Detroit Red Wings in Round Two of the Cup Playoffs.

Can’t be a coincidence. The Sharks won in 1994 won Game Seven and eventually went on to lose in Toronto. That 1994 game seven was the last time San Jose has won a game in a playoff series against Detroit. The two faced off in the Second Round in 1995, after an upset of Calgary in the first round. The Sharks did not win a game, being swept by a Red Wing club looking for revenge from a year earlier.

But this is more than a decade later, and the Sharks have established themselves as a dominant club in the Western Conference. They are one of the elite boasting many impressive young stars in the prime of their careers. These are not the scrappy Sharks of 1995. These Sharks are calm, poised, and focused, and they expect nothing less than to be standing under the shine of the cup. The Number One seeded Detroit Red Wings are the next foe and it all begins Thursday.

Round Two Schedule:

Series “K”                    Time         #1 Detroit vs. #5 San Jose         Network
Thursday, April 26        4:30 p.m.      San Jose at Detroit                      VERSUS
Saturday, April 28        12:00 p.m.      San Jose at Detroit                      NBC
Monday, April 30          7:00 p.m. Detroit at San Jose                      VERSUS
Wednesday, May 2      7:00 p.m. Detroit at San Jose                      VERSUS
* Saturday, May 5        11:00 a.m.       San Jose at Detroit                      NBC
* Monday, May 7            TBD               Detroit at San Jose                     VERSUS
* Wednesday, May 9    TBD               San Jose at Detroit                     VERSUS.

NBA-Game 1: Golden State Magic

The Warriors stole one. They beat the best team in the NBA on the road and in the postseason. Somebody pinch me.  Any loyal follower of the Bullet knows that I am not much of a Basketball writer. At this point in my Bay Area Sports experiences, I suppose I haven’t had a reason to.

BUT, the Warriors are in the playoffs and their ahead in the series. A tumultuous third quarter by B-Dizzle aided in the double digit defeat of the Dallas Mavericks. The W’s now have home court advantage and will return to action Wednesday Night. Coach Nelson said that this was a lucky win for his eighth-seeded club, and that every win in an intense situation is good experience for his club. Yet, I don’t think that this is the end of it. The W’s were one of the strongest teams in that last twenty games of the regular season. They earned their playoff bid and could have been a higher seed if there weren’t injuries to the regulars in the starting lineup.   Don’t let Baron’s 33 dissuade you, this is still the best team in the NBA and they will not be embarrassed in the post season.

For now, Golden State should relish the victory and prepare for a much more difficult Maverick club come this mid-week. Though, the strategy between Ancestor Don Nelson and protege Avery Johnson is a compelling storyline through the whole thing.

Favorite Moment: Near tears Dallas Owner Mark Cuban when waddling across the court at the end of Game One.

Best stat: Dirk Novitski: 4 for 16 from the field, with 14 points.  LOVE IT!

Warriors take game one. Warriors 97, Mavs 85. Warriors lead series 1-0. 

Game Five: Moving On.

A stroke of luck for Ron Wilson and his club as they prevail in five games over the Predators of Nashville for the second postseason in a row. It was his gut call to throw Patty and JT on the same line… and it worked. For all intents and purposes, this series will be considered a handling, though, it was a lot closer than the 4-1 series record would dictate. The Sharks scored just 2 goals more than Nashville in the entire series. The Sharks did win though and that will push them to the second round, against a team to be named in  the coming days. Most certainly, the sharks will rest. Rest the bruises and strains of a Nashville club that could have been seeded number one this postseason. Unfortunatly, they will regret the late season stumble that allowed Detroit to pull a ahead and eventually win the division.

The Penalties and Bickering was all a backdrop for a very entertaining and suspenseful Western Conference Quarter Final. Barry Trotz and Peter Forsberg may not return to music City, but I expect Nashville will be a force to be reckoned with in the next season.

As for the Sharks, it was a combination of skill and grinding with our big forwards that won this series. The Sharks tired out the Preds in their pursuit of the puck and constant pressure up front. Team Teal will move on, but there is no one here in Teal Town that is satisfied. In Fact, it still feels like the regular season. These are just part of the season at this point. The real games begin soon.

Twelve more wins.

Sharks win 3-2, win series 4-1.

Game Four: The Beginning of the end.

With one final gasp, the Nashville Predators gave us a scare. But the Sharks of San Jose outplayed, out hit, and out smarted the Preds. The truth is the Nashville squad played better in this contest. The truth is Tomas Vokoun is having a good series. The truth is the penalties have been bouncing the direction of the Teal. The most important truth, though,  is the Preds now have to win three straight, and legend holds they cannot with a playoff game on the road. Milan Michalek started the season on a tear and now has started his postseason in the same manner. The Sharks are finding ways to win and the Preds will need some help and luck to scramble back in.

While this isn’t the end of the series, it may be the beginning of something inspirational. Thirteen wins to go.

Sharks 3,  Predators 2