Speak of the Devils
Staring their own doom in the face down three games to none in the Stanley Cup Finals, the sixth-seeded New Jersey Devils refused to blink. Playing in a raucous STAPLES Center against the miracle eight-seeded LA Kings of the Western Conference, the Devils avoided a sweep with a clutch 3-1 victory in 60 scintillating minutes last night.
Certain future Hall-of-Fame goalkeeper Martin Brodeur had 21 saves and rookie Adam Henrique had the winning goal with less than five minutes left, keeping the Devils' season alive for at least three more days, and denying the Kings the chance to match the all-time best playoff run at 16 wins and 2 losses.
"We have to go back to Jersey anyway," Brodeur said cheerfully after the game. "We figured we might as well bring them with us, and play another game."
The Devils' victory called into question-again-the go-for-the-throat killer instinct of a Devils team that obliterated the #1, 2, and 3 seeds in their conference but seemed to lose focus every time they were on the verge of a sweep.
"We know it's going to be a tough task," moustachioed rookie Henrique admitted, "but there's no quit in this group. We know we can do it."
That belief is somewhat validated after a game in which the Devils were held without even a single shot on goal for nearly 17 minutes in the second period, but nonetheless scored first (Patrik Elias knocked a ricochet past LA netminder Jonathan Quick 7:56 into the 3rd period) and then shook off a game-tying goal by LA's Drew Doughty exactly one minute later. Veteran Ilya Kovalchuk added an empty-net goal with twenty seconds left to push New Jersey's advantage to 3-1.
"We stayed alive," Elias added. "Marty (Brodeur) had to work hard, but he gave us a chance. All we've got to do is keep playing hard."
Saturday, the Devils will, on their home ice, look to stave off elimination again, to see if they can come without shouting distance of the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, the only team to ever win the Stanley Cup Finals after losing the first three games (it has been done three other times in the NHL playoffs).
"It's fun," Henrique said. "This is where every kid dreams of playing one day."
How The West Was Won
How was the West(ern Conference of the NBA) won? To use another easy play on words: the Thunder rolled. Not a 34-point first quarter by the San Antonio Spurs, not an early 18-point deficit, not a 15-point halftime deficit, not even the fact that the Spurs hadn't lost four games in a row in over a year, could stop the quick, athletic, flashy Oklahoma City Thunder. Up 3-2 in the Western Conference Finals but down early at home, the Thunder's young stars refused to give in to their much-ballyhooed, multi-championship-winning foes, eventually pulling out a 107-99 victory in front of 18,000 screaming fans.
"I know it's just one step closer to our dreams but it felt good," Thunder superstar forward Kevin Durant said.
Durant, who was on the court for all 48 minutes, led the winning team with 34 points and 14 rebounds. Point Guard Russell Westbrook added 25 points, and guard James Harden added 16.
They needed every one of those points against a Spurs attack that was firing on all cylinders early, to the tune of 63 first half points. Point Guard Tony Parker had 29 points, including an incredible 17 in the first quarter explosion; center Tim Duncan (25) and shooting guard Stephen Jackson (23) each added 20 in an attack that had the Thunder back on their heels early. In fact, the Spurs reached the locker room at half-time sitting on a 15-point lead and the knowledge that, never in their playoff history, had they blown a half-time lead of more than 11.
"There's not much to complain about," Spurs point guard Manu Ginobili said. "We had a great run. We just couldn't beat these guys."
The Thunder did it by outscoring San Antonio 59-36 in the second half, including crucial fourth-quarter three-pointers by Harden and former Los Angeles Laker Derek Fisher (known for his crunch-time prowess anyway) that kept the home crowd on its feet, screaming at the decibel level of a jet engine, throughout the fourth quarter.
By the end, the Thunder were so secure in the driver's seat that Durant stepped toward the edge of the court and hugged his mother with 14 seconds left.
"I never want to take those moments for granted," he said.
He may just have more moments to take or not take for granted in the next week.
The Thunder can relax and watch Thursday night to see if their Finals opponent will be decided. The Boston Celtics currently hold a 3-2 edge on the Miami Heat, and will begin play on their home court at 9 p.m. ET. If needed, a Game 7 in that series would be played in Miami on Saturday night.
