Recap of the 2010-11 NHL Awards

The NHL awards for the 2010-11 season was announced on Thursday. Some were smart choices and some were not as much.

Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP in regular season): Corey Perry from the Anaheim Ducks won this which was a surprise to me. I thought Henrik or Daniel Sedin should have won it because they both help lead to the Canucks to the Stanley Cup Finals and the best record in the league. I thought Daniel Sedin should have won. Perry was 3rd in points in the NHL with 98, 1st in goals in the NHL with 50 and tied for 14th in assists in the NHL with 48. Good pick for this, but I disagree.

Ted Lindsay Award (MVP voted by NHL PA): This is voted on by the players. Daniel Sedin won it which I agree with. He lead the Canucks to the best record in the NHL and the Stanley Cup Finals. Sedin was 1st in points in the NHL with 104, Tied for 4th in goals in the NHL with 41 and 3rd in assists in the NHL with 63. I agree with this award.

Vezina Trophy (best goaltender): This award was easy to pick. They chose Tim Thomas from Boston. He help the Bruins win the Stanley Cup. He also won the playoffs MVP. He was 1st in the NHL in GAA at 2.00, 1st in the NHL in SV% at 93.8%, tied for 9th in the NHL in wins with 36 and 2nd in the NHL in Shutouts with 9. 

James Norris Memorial Trophy (best defensive player): Nicklas Lidstrom won this for the 7th time which is crazy. He is tied now for 2nd most all-time behind Bobby Orr. He didn't have great stats but I agree with the selection. He had 49 hits and 92 blocked shots.

Frank J. Selke Trophy (best defensive forward): This was won by Ryan Kesler from Vancouver. He was a good pick and I agree with the picks. He had 124 hits which was that high compared to other forwards, he was 4th in forwards with 80 blocked shots and tied for 10th in +/- among forwards with a +24. 

Calder Memorial Trophy (best rookie): Jeff Skinner won this award. He plays for Carolina and is 19. He was 38th in the NHL in points with 63 points, tied for 21st in the NHL in points with 31 goals and he had 32 assists in the season. He was the #7 overall pick in the 2010 NHL draft.

2011 NBA Draft 1st Round Predictions

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (from Los Angeles Clippers)

Kyrie Irving 

Point Guard

Duke University

2. Minnesota Timberwolves

Derrick Williams

Power Forward

University of Arizona, Tucson

3. Utah Jazz (from New Jersey Nets)

Brandon Knight

Point Guard

University of Kentucky

4. Cleveland Cavaliers

Enes Kanter

Center

Turkey

5. Toronto Raptors

Jones Valanciunas

Center

Lithuania

6. Washington Wizards

Kawhi Leonard

Small Forward

San Diego State University

7. Charlotte Bobcats (from Sacramento Kings)

Tristan Thomas

Power Forward

University of Texas at Austin

8. Detroit Pistons

Kemba Walker

Point Guard

University of Connecticut

9. Charlotte Bobcats

Klay Thompson

Shooting Guard

Washington State University

10. Sacramento Kings (from Milwaukee Bucks)

Alec Burks

Shooting Guard

University of Colorado Boulder

11. Golden State Warriors

Jan Vesely

Small Forward

Czech Republic

12. Utah Jazz

Jimmer Fredette

Point Guard

Brigham Young University

13. Phoenix Suns

Chris Singleton

Small Forward

Florida State University

14. Houston Rockets

Bismack Biyombo

Power Forward

Spain

15. Indiana Pacers

Tobias Harris

Power Forward

University of Tennessee

16. Philadelphia 76ers

Nikola Vucevic

Center

University of Southern California

17. New York Knicks

Marshon Brooks

Shooting Guard

Providence College

18. Washington Wizards (from Atlanta Hawks)

Jordan Hamilton

Small Forward

University of Texas at Austin

19. Milwaukee Bucks (from Charlotte Bobcats via Portland via New Orleans)

Kenneth Faired

Power Forward

Morehead State University

20. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Utah Jazz via Memphis Grizzlies)

Nikola Mirotic

Small Forward

Serbia

21. Portland Trail Blazers

Marcus Morris

Power Forward

University of Kansas

22. Denver Nuggets

Markieff Morris

Power Forward

University of Kansas

23. Houston Rockets (from Phoenix Suns via Orlando Magic)

Norris Cole

Point Guard

Cleveland State University

24. Oklahoma City Thunder

Donatas Motiejunas

Power Forward

Lithuania

25. Boston Celtics

Justin Harper

Power Forward

University of Richmond

26. Dallas Mavericks

Iman Shumpert

Ponit Guard

Georgia Institute of Technology

27. New Jersey Nets (from Los Angles Lakers)

Tyler Honeycutt

Small Forward

University of California, Los Angeles

 

28. Chicago Bulls (from Toronto Raptors via Miami Heat)

Jimmy Butler

Small Forward

Marquette University

 
29. San Antonio Spurs

Davis Bertans

Small Forward

Latvia

30. Chicago Bulls

Reggie Jackson

Point Guard

Boston College

Recap of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals: Boston Bruins are the 2011 Stanley Cup Champions

The Boston Bruins beat the Vancouver Canucks in 7 games to win the Stanley Cup. Boston won their 6th Stanley Cup and first since 1972. The home team each time besides Game 7 when Boston won in Vancouver. Tim Thomas won the Conn Smythe Trophy for being the playoffs MVP. He was the first goalie to win since 2006. Tim Thomas was the winning goalie in the 4 games Boston and only lost by 1 in each lose. Before Game 7 Boston only scored 2 goals on the road, but 17 at home. Boston outscored Vancouver 23 to 8 goals in the series. Both the Sedin twins disappeared during the series. Daniel only scored one goal and had 3 assists and Henrick only had 1 goal and no assists. Vancouver could have been the 3rd Canadian city to host the Olympic and then win the next Stanley Cup. Montreal hosted the 1976 Olympic then the Montreal Canadians won the 1977 Stanley Cup and Calgary hosted the 1988 Olympics and the Calgary Flames won the 1989 Stanley Cup. Boston probably can defend their Stanley Cup. They can probably win their division next year. Vancouver will probably easily win their division next year, coinciding they were the only playoff team for their division.

Recap of the 2011 NBA Finals: Dallas Mavericks are the 2011 NBA Champions

The Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat in 6 games to win the NBA Championship. Dirk Nowitzki was named the NBA Finals MVP after leading the Mavericks to this win. Dirk Nowitzki averaged 26 PPG, 9.7 RPG and 2 APG. Dirk Nowitzki becomes the 11th player in NBA history to win a MVP, a Finals MVP and be a 10-time All-Star. The other 10 players are Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Moses Malone, Kareem Abjul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain. The Heat won Game 1; 92 to 84 and Game 3; 88 to 86. The Mavericks won Game 2; 105 to 95, Game 4; 86 to 83, Game 5; 112 to 103 and Game 6; 95 to 93. All 6 games games were really tight. The average win margin was 5.7 points. LeBron James struggled only averaging 17.3 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 6.8 APG. LeBron again lost his 2nd NBA Finals last time to the Spurs in 4 games. Dwyane Wade had a good Finals but was able to lead like in 2006 when the Heat beat the Mavericks in 6 games. He averaged 26.5 PPG, 7 RPG and 5.2 APG. Chris Bosh had a O.K. series, this was his first time in the big stages in the NBA Playoffs. He averaged 18.5 PPG, 7.3 RPG and 1 APG. Jason Kidd had a good series finally win the Finals after losing twice with the New Jersey Nets. Jason Terry also got his ring after losing to the Heat in 2006, he made a lot of key 3 pointers in the series. Not to take away from Dallas but I don't see Dallas repeating next year. Dallas could be good next year but there are many good young Western Conference teams like the Thunder, Blazers and Grizzlies. On the other hand the Heat were built to win many championships. It was hard for the Heat to lose in the Finals but they will keep win the East for a long time. LeBron James needs to step up in the Finals if he wants to win a NBA championship.

Shaquille O'Neal is Retiring After 19 Seaons

It was announced by Shaquille O'Neal on Wednesday that he is retiring from the NBA. Shaq had the official press conference on Friday at his house in Orlando. Shaq might be the best center ever. Personally, I think Kareem 1st, Wilt 2nd, Shaq 3rd, Russell 4th and Olajuwon 5th. Shaq in his playing career played from 1992-2011, he played for the Magic, Lakers, Heat, Suns, Cavaliers and Celtics, he wore 32, 33, 34 and 36 in his career. He won 4 NBA titles, 3 in a row with the Lakers in 2000-2002 and the Heat in 2006. He also went to the Finals in 1995 with the Magic losing to the Rockets and in 2004 with the Lakers losing to the Pistons. He won Finals MVP in the 2000-2002 Finals with the Lakers. Shaq is currently 5th All-Time in scoring with 28,596 points behind only Kareem, Karl Malone, Jordan and Wilt, although Kobe is only 728 points behind. Shaq is 12th All-Time in Rebounds with 13,099. He has the most 20 PPG and 10 RPG season with 13 season which is most All-Time. Shaq made 58.23% of his field goals, that is the best ever, although he was terrible at free throws shooting 52.7% for his career. Amazing he only won one regular season MVP in 2000. He was drafted #1 overall by the Magic in 1992. He averaged 23.4 PPG and 13.9 RPG and won Rookie of the Year. He is was a 15-time NBA All-Star which is 2nd all-time only to Kareem, but could be tied by Garnett next year.Shaq had 2 NBA Scoring Titles one in 1994-95 averaging 29.3 PPG and in 1999-00 averaging 29.7 PPG. He is one of 15 players with more than one Scoring Titles and he is the only Scoring Titles winner since the 3-pointer has added not to make one and win the it. Shaq had 8 All-NBA 1st Teams, 2 2nd Teams and 4 3rd Teams. He is tied with Karl Malone for 2nd most total selections only behind Kareem. He had 3 All-NBA Defensive 2nd Team selections, he was a pretty could defend because he weighted more then 300 pounds. He also had 3 All-Star Game MVPs one in 2000, one in 2004 and a co-MVP with Kobe in 2009. He is tied for 3rd All-Time for those only behind Pettit and Kobe. Shaq has had 2 gold medals win the 1996 Basketball Gold Medal with the Dream Team 2 and the 1994 FIBA World Championship. Shaq career high was 61 points on his birthday (March 6th) in 2000 against the Clippers. His 61 his tied for 41st All-Time most of the one ahead of him was Wilt who has 23 games with more than 61 points. Shaq rebounding game high was 28 boards on 11/20/1993 against the Nets. That is nothing compared to Wilt getting 55 boards in one game. Shaq is one of my favorite players of all-time he is so funny and likeable. I always will remember the video of him breaking a backboard and the other time pulling the whole home down. Shaq will be a easy Hall Fame in 2016 after he waits is 5 years if this is really the end of Shaq.

Preview of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals: Vancouver Canucks vs. Boston Bruins

The Vancouver Canucks will play the Boston Bruins for the Stanley Cup. Vancouver is the first Canadian team to play in the Stanley Cup Finals since 2007 and could be the first Canadian team since 1993 to win the Stanley Cup. Vancouver won the President's Trophy with 117 points, with they win they would be the first President's Trophy winner to win the Stanley Cup since 2008. This is Vancouver's 3rd Conference Championship and they are looking for their 1st Stanley Cup. This is Boston's 3rd Conference Championship and they are looking for their 6th Stanley Cup. These 2 teams have never played each other in the postseason before. Vancouver went 12-6 to get here and beat the Sharks in 5 games to win the Western Conference. Boston went 12-6 to get here and beat the Lightning in 7 games to win the Eastern Conference. The Sedin brothers are a force for Vancouver and both goalies are very good. Daniel Sedin won the Art Ross Trophy he scored 104 points to lead the NHL. Roberto Luongo had the best GAA in the NHL and Tim Thomas had the best save percent of shots that were goals. Henrik Sedin was 4th in the NHL in points with 94. I think the Vancouver Canucks will win in 7 games. The MVP of the series will be Henrik Sedin from Vancouver scoring 5 goals and 2 assists in the 7 games.

Game 1: Boston @ Vancouver: BOS 1 - VAN 2. Vancouver leads the series 1-0.

Game 2: Boston @ Vancouver: BOS 2 - VAN 3. Vancouver leads the series 2-0.

Game 3: Vancouver @ Boston: VAN 3 - BOS 4. Vancouver leads the series 2-1.

Game 4: Vancouver @ Boston: VAN 1 - BOS 2 OT. The series tied 2-2.

Game 5: Boston @ Vancouver: BOS 2 - VAN 4. Vancouver leads the series 3-2.

Game 6: Vancouver @ Boston: VAN 3 - BOS 4 OT. The series tied 3-3.

Game 7: Boston @ Vancouver: BOS 1 - VAN 2 OT. Vancouver wins the series 4-3.