There was a lot of Cinderella talk going into this game.

RIT had won ten consecutive games, including the Atlantic Conference Championship.  Despite playing in an inferior Conference to the Pioneers’ WCHA, the Tigers had shown an impressively balanced team effort in the final month of the season.  That kind of balance is what you want going into the NCAA Tournament.

Denver’s story couldn’t have been more different, as they dominated throughout the meaty middle of their regular season schedule.  The Pioneers went into the postseason as a favorite to win the WCHA Title, but their collapse in the Final Five made them look vulnerable to a disciplined, hard-working team like the Tigers.

So, when RIT scored the first goal of the game on an even-strength screened shot to the right of Denver goaltender Marc Cheverie, it looked like the upset was on.  The Tigers spent the rest of the 1^st Period stifling Denver with great rotating defense.  That responsible team D had the favored Pioneers frustrated going into the locker room.

A different Denver team came out in the 2^nd Period.

Throughout the period, the Pioneers built up some considerable momentum.  They pressed their defensemen into the offensive zone, buzzed around the net, moved the puck with authority, and created consistent scoring chances as a result.  RIT netminder Jared Demichiel made 15 mostly amazing saves in the period to maintain the 1-0 advantage for the Tigers.

Even with the expected transformation by the Pioneers from playing on their heels to bringing the fight right to the RIT doorstep, Denver still looked nervous.  In particular, DU goalie Marc Cheverie looked flustered whenever the Tigers eventually broke free from the Pioneers’ puck control long enough to generate a rush into the Denver zone.  Cheverie’s issues in the WCHA Tournament clearly did not get solved in the down time between the Pioneers’ losses in the Final Five and the beginning of the NCAA Tournament.

Denver players also killed a lot of their own advantages with curious or downright poor decisions in open ice.  The Pioneers’ top line played a lot in the 2^nd and put the Fear into the Tiger D in that time, but Coach George Gwozdecky certainly had some choice words for his 2^nd & 3^rd line forwards during the second Intermission.

The Pioneers came out hard and sure in the 3^rd Period.

Rhett Rakhshani was tripped twice in the first two minutes of the period, and the second trip elicited a penalty on RIT.  Denver buzzed and controlled the puck throughout the Power Play, but couldn’t connect on a number of finishing passes that would have been outstanding scoring chances.

The Pioneers kept the momentum, maintained the pressure, and gave up regular odd-man rushes to the Tigers as a result.  RIT’s best even-strength chance came on a 2 on 0 that turned into a 2 on ½ through the latter half of the Colorado zone, but a cross-ice pass turned into a shot high of a wide open net.  The Pioneers were saved for the moment.

Then the referees took control of the game.

The Pioneers’ Jesse Martin was called for an open-ice shoulder-to-shoulder hit.  Replays clearly showed a clean hit, but Martin went to the box on a phantom Elbowing call.  The Tigers scored a minute into the unearned 2:00 Power Play.

Realizing they’d changed the course of the game, the referees called a make-up Holding the Stick penalty on RIT.  The Pioneers finally got on the scoreboard when Joe Colborne stuffed a rebound past Demichiel on the resulting Power Play.

But the damage had been done, and the refs were unwilling to affect the game again.  Even when Rakhshani was hauled down behind the Tigers’ net with 2:25 to play, not a sound could be heard save the voracious cheers of the RIT faithful clogging the Albany, NY arena.  The zebras had swallowed their whistles.

Gwozdecky got aggressive with 1:40 left, pulling goaltender Cheverie to the bench.

The Pioneers held control, and managed to elicit a goaltender freeze deep in the RIT zone with 1:10 remaining.  That put the faceoff to the right of Demichiel, and DU called its timeout to draw up a play.   That play, off a DU faceoff win, turned into a Rakhshani charge to the front of the net and a desperation clear by RIT.  The Tigers were called for icing and the puck came right back into the RIT zone for another faceoff.

The cycle of faceoffs continued with Icings and goalie freezes taking a few seconds off the clock at a time.  The final faceoff came with 18 seconds left, and RIT was able to keep the play to the boards for a runoff and the win.

Articles similar to this:

• March 26, 2010 -- DU Pioneers land #1 seed in NCAA East, open vs RIT Friday (0)
  Despite their offensive voracity, RIT will need some se...
• March 26, 2010 -- NCAA Division 1 Hockey Tournament Preview (2)
  Yeah, I know I said that Wisconsin would roll over Denv...
• March 20, 2010 -- Two DU Pioneers among Hobey Baker Award finalists (0)
  Goaltender Mark Cheverie and forward Rhett Rakhshani jo...

The road to the Frozen Four is always a slugfest, and NCAA Division 1 Hockey is as open to upset this season as the Men’s Basketball Tournament.

To boot, this year’s Frozen Four will be played in Detroit, Michigan with the Championship game being played at the NFL’s Ford Field.  A daring leap for a tournament looking to gain a foothold in the saturated American TV market.

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association sports two #1 seeds in Denver & Wisconsin, a #2 in North Dakota, and a #3 in St Cloud State.

The Pioneers & Badgers top off a couple of average 4-team fields at the East & West Regionals respectively.  (For a preview of the DU Pioneers and the East Regional go here.)

North Dakota was unlucky to land in the toughest region in the tournament.  Those Fighting Sioux will face off against a very capable Yale squad for the chance to play the winner of Boston College-Alaska in the Northeast Regional.

That path is probably too much for ND, and my money is on Boston College to brave the turgid Northeast waters.  The Eagles will be playing what amounts to home games in Worcester, Massachusetts in their first two games.  The 4-seed Alaska Nanooks are a dangerous squad, but won’t be able to match their regular season intensity so far away from home.

Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Badgers have a fairly benign-looking path to the Frozen Four.  All they need to do to win the West Regional is dispatch two of three scrappy underdogs.  Trouble is, Wisconsin has had issues with consistently bringing their ‘A’ game this season.  They are one of the most talented teams in the tournament, but it only takes one bad game against Vermont, St Cloud State, or the other Wildcats of Northern Michigan.

For the DU Pioneers’ sake, just hope that Wisconsin slips up early.

Otherwise, with a head full of hockey steam, Wisconsin will roll straight to the Championship Game… and right over Denver along the way.  If the two teams do make it to the National Semifinal in Detroit, the Badgers will have a near home-ice advantage.  Just enough to improve upon their 2-0-1 record versus the Pioneers this year.

That leaves us with the Midwest Regional, headlined by Miami of Ohio.  The Redhawks are stacked with offensive talent for sure.  Like DU, their ranks are loaded with goal-scorers.  Also like the Pioneers, the Redhawks are very much capable of orchestrating their own undoing with undisciplined defense and a pass-happy offense.

Miami will start off against Alabama-Huntsville in what amounts to a warm-up for the Midwest Final.  But that regional final will be played against either Michigan or Bemidji State.  Michigan closed their season on a sour note, but are capable of beating any team in this tournament.  BSU has moved up from occasional Cinderella to tournament mainstay, and the Beavers are an upset-special in waiting.

My picks:

Frozen Four – Michigan vs Boston College & Wisconsin vs University of Denver

National Championship – University of Denver defeats Boston College 4-3

Yeah, I know I said that Wisconsin would roll over Denver in the Frozen Four.  So why did I pick the Pioneers to beat the Badgers and move on to the National Championship?

‘Cause I’m a DU fan, spluh.

I don’t bet money on sports for exactly this reason: it’s much more enjoyable to pick with the heart than with the head.  Go Pioneers!

(Live coverage of NCAA Division 1 Hockey Tournament games are available on ESPNU in HD.)

Articles similar to this:

• March 20, 2010 -- DU Pioneers to fight for 3rd in WCHA (0)
  The University of Denver Pioneers (27-8-4) will face of...
• March 26, 2010 -- RIT Tigers upset DU Pioneers in East Regional opener (0)
  Even with the expected transformation by the Pioneers f...
• March 26, 2010 -- DU Pioneers land #1 seed in NCAA East, open vs RIT Friday (0)
  Despite their offensive voracity, RIT will need some se...

The University of Denver has a proud hockey history.

Their 7 NCAA Titles are the second-most in the history of Division 1 hockey.  The Pioneers have maintained a competitive club for most of coach George Gwozdecky’s 15-year tenure in Denver.  And their 2004 & 2005 National Championship years also produced Center Paul Stastny, the beating heart of both the Colorado Avalanche and the silver medal-winning USA Olympic Hockey team.

DU won the McNaughton Cup as the WCHA regular season Champions with a 27-9-4 record that included a 10-game winning streak and no back-to-back losses.  The Pioneers also boast two Hobey Baker Award (NCAA Hockey MVP) Top 10 Finalists in prolific Forward Rhett Rakhshani and Goaltender Marc Cheverie.

So why are Pioneer fans so nervous about the upcoming NCAA Tournament?

Well, it has a lot to do with a WCHA Tournament that saw Denver storm in as the top seed and then do what they hadn’t done all season: lose two games in a row.

DU dropped their opener to North Dakota 3-4 after dominating the Fighting Sioux in two games in the regular season by a margin of 6 goals to 2.

Then, in the 3^rd Place Game, the Pioneers were outplayed at every level by Wisconsin in a 3-6 shellacking.  Would-be star goalie Marc Cheverie was chased out of the game after giving up 3 early goals on 8 shots.

The Pioneers, who were known for their consistency in the regular season, could not find any kind of rhythm on offense or defense in the postseason.

Luckily the Conference Tournament is just a warm-up for the NCAA Tourney.  Denver can still end up National Champions this season, but the road is difficult and fraught with peril.  First up is the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Tigers, who won the Atlantic Conference in convincing fashion with a 6-1 drubbing of Sacred Heart.

Now, the Atlantic Conference pales by comparison to the WCHA.  The Tigers are only NCAA-bound because they won their Conference.  (The only way an Atlantic team was finding its way into the 16-team Tournament.)  And RIT will enter the East Regional in Albany, New York as the #4 seed.

So, despite their offensive voracity, RIT will need some serious mojo to move past the Pioneers in their first NCAA appearance.  This is a could-be trap game, but I expect Denver to find its scoring touch early en route to trouncing the Tigers by three goals.  Without an early score, though, the Pioneers may find themselves in the same position that killed them in both WCHA Tourney games: playing from behind by 2+ goals.

DU & RIT share the East Regional with the #2 Cornell Big Red and the #3 New Hampshire Wildcats.  All you Pioneers fans out there, pay very careful attention…

Cornell is built to beat DU!  Go New Hampshire!  Beat Big Red!

Seriously, the difference in match-ups for Denver is night and day.  Cornell sports a seriously stifling defense and one of the better goalies in the tournament.  The Pioneers are 4-4 in regular season play versus the Big Red and 2-2 head-to-head in the history of the NCAA Tournament.  That compared with a 9-3 regular season, 2-0 tournament record versus the Wildcats of New Hampshire.

No good can come of a second-round matchup with Cornell, as even a victory would be the kind of hard-fought, blood ‘n guts affair that wears a hockey team down.  That kind of game early in the tourney could spell doom for the Pioneers against the likes of Wisconsin, Miami, Michigan, North Dakota or Boston College down the road.

Those 5 teams are the biggest fish outside of our own region.  Check out the bracket here, and then check out the full NCAA Division 1 Tournament Preview here.

You can watch DU vs RIT live at 1:07 MST on Friday, March 26th on ESPNU HD (Direct TV 614, DishNet 148) or listen to the game in live streaming audio here.

Articles similar to this:

• March 26, 2010 -- RIT Tigers upset DU Pioneers in East Regional opener (0)
  Even with the expected transformation by the Pioneers f...
• March 26, 2010 -- NCAA Division 1 Hockey Tournament Preview (2)
  Yeah, I know I said that Wisconsin would roll over Denv...
• March 20, 2010 -- Two DU Pioneers among Hobey Baker Award finalists (0)
  Goaltender Mark Cheverie and forward Rhett Rakhshani jo...

The top ten finalists for college hockey’s best player were announced Thursday, and include two University of Denver Pioneers.

Goaltender Mark Cheverie and forward Rhett Rakhshani joined two players from their WCHA Tournament Final Round opponent Wisconsin.  Blake Geoffrion and Brendan Smith of the Badgers joined Cheverie and Rakhshani as finalists for the Hobey Baker Award.

Unfortunately, Mark Cheverie’s chances may have disappeared along with his formerly dominant goaltending after a poor showing on Friday and Saturday.  Wisconsin defeated Denver 6-3 on Saturday to lock up 3^rd Place in the conference tournament, and Cheverie’s play was one of the primary reasons for the loss.  The WCHA contest serves as a warm up for the NCAA men’s hockey tourney.

The six other Hobey Baker finalists are rounded out by Bobby Butler of New Hampshire, Gustav Nyquist of Maine, Mark Olver of Northern Michigan, Chase Polacek of Rensselaer, Cody Reichard of Miami/Ohio & Ben Scrivens of Cornell.

Rakhshani is still a favorite to grab the award, but Cheverie may be out of the running after a terrible WCHA Tournament.

Mark allowed four goals against the North Dakota Fighting Sioux on Friday night, and followed that poor showing with an atrocity versus Wisconsin Saturday.  Cheverie allowed 3 goals on 8 shots in the first period before being pulled from the game.  He was replaced in net by Adam Murray.

Rakhshani, however, scored the Pioneers first goal of the game, a Power Play tally early in the 2^nd Period.  That score pulled Denver to within two goals of Wisconsin before the Badgers pulled ahead 5-1 towards the end of the period.  The Pioneers showed their scoring ability by bringing the deficit back to 2 goals at 3-5 early in the 3^rd, but couldn’t overcome poor defense and terrible goaltending.

The 4^th Place showing in the WCHA Tournament is a blemish on an otherwise brilliant season by the Pioneers.  They will still enter the NCAA Tournament as favorites to make the Frozen Four.  However, without Cheverie playing at his best, Denver’s chances of a 3^rd NCAA Title in 7 seasons will evaporate along with Mark’s hopes of making the Hobey Baker Award final three.

The top three candidates for the Hobey Baker Award will be announced at the Frozen Four on March 31^st.

Articles similar to this:

• March 20, 2010 -- DU Pioneers to fight for 3rd in WCHA (0)
  The University of Denver Pioneers (27-8-4) will face of...
• March 26, 2010 -- RIT Tigers upset DU Pioneers in East Regional opener (0)
  Even with the expected transformation by the Pioneers f...
• March 26, 2010 -- NCAA Division 1 Hockey Tournament Preview (2)
  Yeah, I know I said that Wisconsin would roll over Denv...

The University of Denver Pioneers (27-8-4) will face off against the University of Wisconsin Badgers (24-10-4) today at 1:07pm MST in the final round of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament.

After failing to come back from a 3-1 deficit yesterday versus the North Dakota Fighting Sioux, a loss in the 3^rd Place Game today would make this WCHA tourney an abject failure for the top-ranked Pioneers.  Denver has had its strongest regular season in 2009-2010 since their last NCAA Championship win after the 2004-2005 season.  The Pioneers also won the WCHA Tournament that year.

While this game is not a must-win as far as the NCAA Tournament is concerned, it would be disappointing to see such a strong season end in conference championship losses against two of Denver’s traditional nemeses.  Denver beat the Fighting Sioux in the 2005 NCAA National Championship Game a year after their thrilling 1-0 finals win versus the Maine Black Bears.  Those back-to-back National Titles broke the Pioneers out of a 35-year NCAA Championship drought.

Denver has battled for decades for most WCHA Tournament wins, with the Pioneers behind 13 Titles to 14 for the Fighting Sioux.  The Pioneers last won the WCHA Tournament Title in 2008.

This season the Pioneers feature a lineup led by Seniors Rhett Rakhshani & Tyler Ruegsegger, a native of Lakewood, Colorado.  Junior goaltender Marc Cheverie has been hot and cold this season, and Denver will need a strong showing from him in this game.  Cheverie will have to be even better if the Pioneers hope to make a run to the NCAA Frozen Four and Finals.

The game is not showing on local Colorado television, however you can see the game on Fox Sports North (Minneapolis, MN), DirecTV 668 & Dish Network 436.  The game can also be found in live streaming audio here.

Articles similar to this:

• March 20, 2010 -- Two DU Pioneers among Hobey Baker Award finalists (0)
  Goaltender Mark Cheverie and forward Rhett Rakhshani jo...
• March 26, 2010 -- NCAA Division 1 Hockey Tournament Preview (2)
  Yeah, I know I said that Wisconsin would roll over Denv...
• March 26, 2010 -- RIT Tigers upset DU Pioneers in East Regional opener (0)
  Even with the expected transformation by the Pioneers f...

Trap-Style Defensive Hockey: Natural Predator of the Chaos-Style Hockey Team

In order to understand the way I view hockey, you must first understand how I watch the games.

North American Pro Hockey is a goal-based game with a field of play separating two goals, and an object that must pass into one goal or the other for a score.  In these types of games, position & movement (whether individual or coordinated) become the most important facets of the game. Furthermore, position & movement influence who will do well or poorly, not only in given situations but also over the course of the game.

In the case of hockey, the most intriguing aspect is that the game is played on ice. This detail removes much of the control a given player may have over the object, especially compared to Basketball or Lacrosse where a player will have much greater control.  Basketball & Lacrosse (and to a certain extent soccer) are sports where teams may take their time setting plays up before the action begins, and then run a set play that has been carefully laid out and practiced ad nauseum. So the scheme can change from team to team or from situation to situation.

But hockey is so unpredictable in its nature that you can’t scheme more than a handful of scripted plays, and even then you will rarely run through the progression perfectly (despite what you may have seen in a certain investment firm’s commercials.)  All professional teams have chosen to rely less on micromanaging a multitude of unpredictable events, and rely more on developing a basic philosophy about how to react.  Playing Style has become the cornerstone of dictating how teams will try to use position and movement.

To elaborate:

Styles of Play break down into three major categories…

Control Hockey

Chaos Hockey

Trap Hockey

The perfect examples today of Control-Style teams are the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins.  These are teams that want to control the puck, obviously.  They are forceful and decisive.  On defense they take calculated risks when challenging attackers for the puck.  They frequently engage in aggressive fore-checking, though only when they have the play backed up.   On offense, puck movement is the name of the game and player movement is almost always rigidly coordinated (or at least as rigid as you can get in a fluid, unpredictable sport.) They will play in triangles frequently so that the player with the puck will have passing options.  They knife toward the net frequently, but typically in situations when they have two defenders at the blue line in case the play back-fires; and the knifing player is frequently a decoy to draw away defenders from a sharpshooter.  In short terms, they are teams that try to blend talents of smart positioning and smart movement.

Good Chaos-Style teams are the Avalanche & the Washington Capitals.  Chaos teams play up-tempo, damn the cannons, full speed ahead.  They are resourceful and quick.  On defense, they take numerous risks and almost always engage attacking players.  They fore-check constantly in all situations, the goal being to move the game into its unpredictable tendency, and then quickly grab the upper hand.  On offense, common strategies are Dump and Chase and Crash the Net.  Chaos teams believe in a simple philosophy; no one knows what will happen on the ice, so the fact that they know no one will know is an advantage. (Try saying that three times fast.)   Chaos teams try to make position as useless as possible, and turn the game into a series of actions entirely composed of movement.

Some Trap-Style teams are the Florida Panthers & the bane of the Avalanche, the Minnesota Wild.  Trap teams like the game to move slowly. Trap teams are cautious and patient.   On defense, they take firm positions and rarely engage an attacker until they have a clear advantage.   The fore-check is not used until it is a clear fore-check situation.  On offense they will always leave two and frequently three defenders near the line, thus forcing their own attackers to play 3 on 4 or 2 on 3 hockey.   The philosophy is to play safely and eventually the other team will make a mistake.  Trap teams try to remove as much movement from hockey as possible, and make the game entirely composed of positioning.

These three styles create a kind of paper, rock, scissors effect.  Your typical Chaos team will beat your typical Control team consistently, while your typical Trap team will stifle the Chaos team while struggling mightily against the Control team (But Dan, how come the Red Wings beat us for so long?  Simple. Because we sucked for a long time.)

This explains part of the sudden, though not unexpected (at least not by me), resurgence of the Avalanche.  The Red Wings and Penguins are the last teams to win the Cup, and the league is beginning to copy some of what they do.  Remember back in the Mid-ots when the Wings, Devils, Senators & Stars were all really dominant, and now all but one has fallen on hard times.   Remember the Avs were struggling to make the playoffs half the time, and the other half struggling for respect.  It’s because everyone and their sister was playing Trap hockey, from Anaheim to Florida and St. Louis to Carolina (I even saw Edmonton play trap one game… seriously! Edmonton!) So a more balanced control team would rise to top by playing with a consistent advantage.  But copy-catism isn’t just for the NFL or the major political parties, the NHL is changing to a more Control-Style of play to follow in the footsteps of recent Champions.  Teams like the Avalanche, the Capitals, Edmonton (eventually), and the Rangers get a boost from being handed an advantage by the copy-cats, while teams like Florida, Carolina, and Minnesota sink to the bottom.   But the inherent mismatch of the Trap vs. Chaos still exists, which brings me to last week’s game versus the Wild.

Articles similar to this:

• March 6, 2010 -- Avalanche cool off red-hot Blues, send Mason packing (0)
  Chris Stewart recorded his first career hat trick in wh...
• April 16, 2010 -- NHL Game Ones show heart of Cup Playoffs (0)
  With Game One finished in 7 of 8 Conference Quarterfina...
• March 17, 2010 -- The Wolski-Mueller trade two weeks later (0)
  Wojtek may yet win some games for the Coyotes. He’s an...

1. Soap on a Rope. For Josh McDaniels’ mouth.

2. Prescription Glasses. For Knowshon Moreno, maybe he’ll be able to see the hole and then run through it.

3. The best possible medical care for Chauncey Billups. (Come back,, buddy, we miss you!)

4. A real big-boy apartment for Matt Duchene – he’s growing up in the NHL before our eyes. Can’t wait to see what the future brings with this kid.

5. Electric Blanket for Carmelo Anthony. Anything to make sure he doesn’t suddenly cool off on us.

6. A decent starter to join the Rockies rotation. Nothing witty about this one, it’s just something we won’t go too far in 2010 without.

7. A checkbook for Dan O’Dowd, blank checks pre-signed and ready to spend from the Monforts. (I know, a guy can dream, can’t he?)

8. A big fat fruit basket for every team that passed on Ty Lawson in the NBA draft. Thanks guys… you’re almost as precious to us as Joe Dumars after the Darko draft and AI trade…

9. A t-shirt cannon for Kyle Orton. Oh yeah, and an evil genius to cybernetically remove his right arm and replace it with said cannon.

10. Ah heck, I’ll just say it – I really really really really really RE-HEE-HEE-HEELY want to see October baseball again in 2010.

What do you wish for? Whatever it is, leave it in the comments so we can all enjoy… and no matter what you’re celebrating today, I hope your day is filled with joy, peace, and a Nuggets win against the Blazers tonight.

Articles similar to this:

• April 26, 2010 -- Leaderless Nuggets on brink of elimination (0)
  Denver’s bigs couldn’t make layups, their bench had no ...
• April 16, 2010 -- NHL Game Ones show heart of Cup Playoffs (0)
  With Game One finished in 7 of 8 Conference Quarterfina...
• April 12, 2010 -- Memphis Grizzles at Denver Nuggets 4-12-10 recap (0)
  This was just what the doctor ordered for the Nuggets’ ...

Will the real Tiger Woods please stand up?

As a hyperactive media plays Six Degrees of Tiger, we begin to wonder if the whole world has been tainted by Woods’ fall from grace.

Reports of the arrest of Canadian doctor Anthony Galea have provided a convenient way to drop Tiger’s name into a slew of local bi-lines across North America.  Galea treated Woods and a laundry list of other pro athletes in the past, so charges that the doctor smuggled growth hormones across the US/Canada border draws fuzzy (but buzzworthy) lines between Tiger and the likes of Chris Simms and Huston Street.

Simms (Broncos QB), Street (Rockies Reliever) & Woods were likely treated with the doctor’s unique plasma-therapy method for rapid healing, and have almost assuredly never had contact with human growth hormones.  But a vague connection to post-scandal Tiger is yellow-journalism gold.  The two-degree tie-in has warranted headline stories on local Colorado TV news outlets.

The obsession with Tiger’s personal life is, of course, not puzzling at all.

He is one of the most widely recognized people in the world, and yet so little is known of him beyond his amazing golf game and mountains of endorsement deals.  So when reports circulated that Tiger was a fallible, imperfect human… the game was on.

Alternate and conflicting messages have sprung up since the depth of Tiger’s extramarital affairs broke.  Some called for media to back off from what is surely a very personal matter for the Woods family, while others openly celebrated a falling star crashing to earth so rapidly and brilliantly before the eyes of the world.

Had this story broken relative to a moderately popular blue-collar athlete, we would have blinked once and looked away.  But Tiger is playing a gentleman’s game, and his face is recognizable to the far reaches of civilization.

For his part, Tiger has stepped forcefully out of the public eye.

What started with a withdrawal from his own tournament turned into a complete denial of his pro career until family matters are resolved.  Whether this is a publicity stunt or an honest attempt by a mostly good man to clean up his life is pure opinion.  But what is certain is that Woods’ handling of this saga over the coming weeks, months & years will speak as much to the man’s character as his apparently habitual cheating ever did.

Articles similar to this:

• December 3, 2009 -- State of the 4 Major Colorado Sports Teams Part One: Avs (1)
  Read in as PSC celebrates the triumphant return of Dani...
• November 22, 2009 -- Chargers dominate, take control of AFC West (1)
  It's now the Chargers division to lose as Denver's slid...
• November 15, 2009 -- Orton limping as Broncos fall (0)
  Some questions are being answered about the Broncos, an...

A cursory glance at the Conference Semifinal series between the Denver Nuggets and the Dallas Mavericks gives you the impression that these teams are simply going to work to outscore each other on the way to the Conference Finals. But this series will be defined by which team’s defense can find consistency in the second round.

Both the Nuggets and the Mavericks bullied their way through the first round with impressive 4-1 series wins. Denver blew out the offensively-challenged Hornets, thrice resorting to resting starters in the fourth quarter of games that were over at the end of the third. Dallas fielded occasional challenges from a Spurs team missing its most dependable scoring threat (Manu Ginobili). By double-teaming Tony Parker, the Mavs defied Tim Duncan to beat them on his own, and the aging star was not up to the task.

Now the teams roll into Denver with two collective heads full of steam, and firing on five of six cylinders respectively. Despite the first round smack-downs, neither team received outstanding performances from their biggest scorers. Dirk Nowitzki struggled to find a rhythm, and the Spurs worked overtime keeping him out of the paint. Carmelo Anthony hit a few hot streaks that propelled the Nuggets to impressive offensive runs, but he was a catalyst not a finisher in the first round largely due to the Hornets’ stout defense. Expect both players to outshine their teammates in a more open run ‘n gun game-plan featuring two offensively dynamic rosters.

Therein lies the quandary for the teams’ coaches; how do we slow them down? The difference in this series is likely to come down to defensive bench play, and the Nuggets definitely have the edge. Chris Andersen was second in the league in blocks in limited playing time, and his fanatically energetic defense demands that opposing teams change their natural approach to scoring. With JR Smith lending Denver’s second team a healthy helping of offense, the Nuggets’ bench will be able to challenge the Mavericks on both sides of the ball. While Dallas does have equally dangerous scoring threats off the bench in Jason Terry and Jose Juan Barea, they are severely lacking in defensive depth. The Mavs will have enough trouble stopping the Nuggets’ first team offense. Beyond starting center Erick Dampier, Dallas does not have a player capable of defending the paint against Denver’s many low-post threats.

This will not be a short series, though. Dallas plays extraordinarily well at home, but Denver has home-court advantage as the West’s second seed. The Nuggets may steal one game on the road, but definitely not two. What’s more, Denver’s regular-season sweep (4-0) of the Mavericks was a bit misleading, as three victories came by a combined total of seven points. Expect this series to go the distance, with Denver outlasting the Mavericks in a seven-game slug-fest.

Most Commented Posts

• June 18, 2010 -- Finals by Foul: the NBA Finals Fix (31)
  The Celtics were whistled for 12 personal fouls to the ...
• June 10, 2010 -- Philadelphia: the Un-Hockiest City in the World (25)
  As the Stanley Cup Finals wrapped up in Philadelphia la...
• April 4, 2010 -- Rob Blake must die… but Avalanche down San Jose in OT (21)
  Unfortunately, the big win against the West’s best team...

Nuggets sixth-man JR Smith

The Denver Nuggets may have won by 21 points on Wednesday night, but this game was not as lopsided as the Nuggets’ three other victories in this series. Denver trailed the New Orleans Hornets by 9 in the first quarter, were tied at the half, and withstood a barrage of inspired play from Chris Paul and the New Orleans bench.

Even a solid effort from the Hornets was not enough to derail the Nuggets on this night; their first chance to win a playoff series since 1994’s upset victory at Seattle. In fact, this was the Nuggets’ first winner in a best-of-seven series since a four games to one triumph over Utah in 1985. And this dangerous Denver squad played like a team that could afford the luxury of enjoying this win.

Despite their early struggles, the Nuggets stood tall and delivered late in the third quarter when they turned a tie game into an 86-66 lead on the wings of a 24-4 run. By the fourth quarter, J.R. Smith was calmly burying deep threes, and Carmelo Anthony was brutalizing a tired and resigned Hornets team with powerful drives through the lane. The Nuggets knew that New Orleans would come to play in an elimination game, and they patiently produced a resounding victory.

Chauncey Billups brought more than just playoff swagger and consistent play to this undisciplined Denver team. He also sparked the Nuggets to victory with his 36-point performance in Game 1 of the series. In the Game 5 finale, Chauncey took a back seat to the Nuggets’ talented offensive core, instead dishing out 11 assists. Carmelo rang up 34 points as the top scorer for the Nuggets, but was paced by an impressive performance off the bench as J.R. Smith scored 20 in limited play.

By beating the Hornets in five games, the Nuggets stayed on-par with the Dallas Mavericks, who finished off the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of their first round series on Tuesday night. Denver will tee off in the Western Conference Semifinals series at home versus Dallas Sunday afternoon at 1:30pm MST on ABC.

Most Commented Posts

• June 18, 2010 -- Finals by Foul: the NBA Finals Fix (31)
  The Celtics were whistled for 12 personal fouls to the ...
• June 10, 2010 -- Philadelphia: the Un-Hockiest City in the World (25)
  As the Stanley Cup Finals wrapped up in Philadelphia la...
• April 4, 2010 -- Rob Blake must die… but Avalanche down San Jose in OT (21)
  Unfortunately, the big win against the West’s best team...