Loathing

Certain things inspire a particular loathing in the fans of a sports team. This year, the Kings managed to hit most of them during a single playoff series; they managed to hit most of them in one game:

1. Fail to win at home
2. Fail to win in overtime while losing in overtime regularly
3. Fail to score on the power play

Yup. My expectations were low for this series with Kopitar out, but as I watched the Kings build a 4-0 lead a the start of the second period of the third game in a 1-1 series, I foolishly allowed myself to believe that the Kings were, somehow, improved over the team that lost consecutive games to Anaheim and choked away the 4-seed.

In reality, the season was something of a success. They lost their best player and still finished with the same number of playoff wins as they did last year. Regardless of what happens in the offseason, though, failing to make it out of the first round next season must (and likely will) have dire consequences for the team and front office. The Kings were ahead of schedule in making the playoffs last year. They will be behind schedule losing in the first round next year.

Es el tiempo, amigos. This was the last playoff series the Kings are allowed to lose while still blaming youth, inexperience, and a developing system. This was the last year of my standing up for Dean Lombardi and Terry Murray when results don't reflect effort. This was the last season of writing off Doughty's defensive lapses, Kopitar's missed nets, and Quick's soft goals.

There is no more room for error. And there wouldn't be next season regardless of the ultimate results of this season. Kings fans put up with some very, very lean years with the promise that, given 5 years, the team would be able to regularly contend for the Stanley Cup. This was the fifth year.

2011-12 will be the most important Kings season since their acquisition of Wayne Gretzky. Failure will once again implode a promising core of young players in an effort to improve the product on the ice, a process which rarely succeeds in professional sports. It will derail all of the progress made over the last 5 years and, in my mind, severely impact the future of the franchise in Los Angeles. It will be entirely up to the players to play to their abilities, earn a strong seed in the playoffs, and make it out of the first round.

I can't say I'm angry. I'm disappointed, to be sure. Next season, failing to score on a 5 minute major through the last 3 minutes of regulation and the first 2 minutes of overtime will engender a very different response.

Pens (and Thiessen) win the Cup

Congrats to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and congrats to former Husky goalie Brad Thiessen for getting the chance to lift the Cup during his first taste of the NHL. He got the Cup from Crosby...look at the jersey in the background. Weird seeing him out of red and black.

Playoffs

Lakers 113, Utah 100

The Lakers played some extremely mediocre basketball in the second half and won by 13. During their sloppiest quarter of the game, they led by no fewer than 9. Kobe Bryant ensured the game was over once LA led by 22 at the half.

They play again tonight, and it will be closer. Lakers in 5.


Boston 118, Chicago 115

I'm going to go ahead and say that basketball coaches are idiots. Unlike managers in baseball, NBA coaches actually have to do things fairly often, like dictate substitutions and call set plays. They all make the same error at the end of games, and I'll show you what they should be doing.

If your team is tied, particularly on the road, with less than a shot clock remaining and with possession belonging to the other team, FOUL. I know it sounds crazy. But the second the ball touches someone who doesn't shoot 80% free throws, foul.

But Marcus, you're clearly an idiot, you say. Then you're just giving the lead to the home team with 15 seconds t play!

I know, and that's good. The last shot at the end of a quarter is highly overrated. The last shot at the end of a game is highly underrated. Let's go through the scenarios:

1.) You don't foul:

• They make the shot with under 5 seconds remaining and win the game.
• They miss the shot with under 5 seconds remaining and the game goes to overtime.

2.) You do foul:

• They make both free throws and you have a chance at a tying shot/winning three.
  
• They miss one and you have a chance at a winning shot.

I'm sorry, but I'd rather be down a point with 15 seconds left and the ball than tied with 15 seconds left without possession. Particularly in a game where you're on the road (and thus looking to steal a game), where overtime naturally favors the home team, and where there's clearly been no defense whatsoever the whole game (115-115), this seems like an easy choice. I ask this: If the Bulls were playing the Lakers of 2001 last night, would they have fouled Shaq?

Shaq career FT%: .581
Kendrick Perkins career FT%: .601

Yeah, coaches are dumb. Despite all the mantra about "don't play to not lose," that's exactly what coaches do.


NHL Playoffs

The Ducks, behind rookie goalie Jonas Hiller, are the luckiest team to take the ice since the Boston University Terriers. I suspect Scott Niedermeyer has a horseshoe so far up his ass he can't digest his daily salad of four-leaf clovers.

The Sharks were pretty much my team for these playoffs, and they're now down 2-0 because a +20 shot differential in the NHL apparently means nothing anymore.


Angels

I'd just like to get to .500, please. At 4-8, that means we need a 4 game winning streak, which is about as likely as Tim Salmon coming out of retirement and hitting 40 homers in a shortened season.

At this point, I'm having a hard time seeing this team suddenly fix its bullpen and generate offense from any of the SS, 2B, 1B, and RF positions unless Abreu is in right (in which case LF is a problem). I think Aybar has a real shot at being a capable major league hitter, as his minor league numbers are superb, but he certainly hasn't proved it yet. Howie Kendrick is failing and clearly not built for the 2 spot in the lineup. Kendry Morales started hot but has since cooled down and is not providing the offense needed from an offense-first position. Juan Rivera and/or Gary Matthews Jr. are not hitting homers, and are therefore not suitably good outfielders. Neither is Abreu, but at least he gets lots of hits and gets on base.

The bullpen is a mess, turning brilliant starts from Nick Adenhart, Dustin Moseley, Darren Oliver, and Shane Loux into losses. Part of the problem is Mike Scioscia's asinine bullpen strategy, and part of it is a reliance on AAAA-type players Kevin Jepsen and Jason Bulger, neither of whom would be playing anywhere near a major league bullpen if not for the Angels' thus far extensive use of the disabled list. Lots of people are pointing to the loss of Francisco Rodriguez as the problem. Don't believe them. Since Scioscia doesn't allow his closer to pitch outside the ninth, the only game the Angels might have won with Frankie over Fuentes would've been Adenhart's start versus Oakland.

This team still has a chance at the playoffs, but they need to turn it around quickly. And if they don't, this team NEEDS both a great draft and a fire sale before the trading deadline. Major league talent needs to be packaged for high-level prospects and the farm system needs to be reloaded at the AA and AAA level to allow this team to compete in two years instead of five. I'm serious...if the Angels still suck in two months, they need to make sure they'll be good again sooner than later. Texas, Seattle, and Oakland will all be good as early as next season.


Misc:

I picked up a 1992(!) Trek 930 on Craigslist for $90, and wow, talk about improvement. It's the first "real" mountain bike I've had in quite a few years, and the massively better ride/feel over a year-old Schwinn is crazy. Plus, the brakes still work, something which can't be said about the old bike. I'm surprised there's not still a market for lugged steel frames. This thing is solid.