Sport Slices

The Los Angeles Lakers outlasted the Miami Heat in the sixth game of their final series last Sunday evening. The win gave the Lakers their 17^th NBA championship, tying them with the Boston Celtics for the most titles. All of the games were played at the expansive Disney facility in Orlando, under the basketball “bubble”. This was necessitated, of course, by the COVID 19 virus.

The Heat weathered the storm far longer than was anticipated. Most of that was due to Jimmy Butler. He was simply magnificent in the playoffs. He led the Heat past the Celtics to get into the finals. The Celtics, as you might recall, took care of the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern semi final. Miami had disposed of the Pacers and the Bucks, before they met the Celtics.

The Lakers had a relatively easy route to the finals. They won all of their series 4-1, with victories over the Trail Blazers, the Rockets and the Nuggets.

In game six, the Lakers were again led by LeBron James. In winning his fourth NBA title, he was also named as the playoff Most Valuable Player. The score in the game was 106-93, but the victory was never in doubt. Los Angeles led by 28 points at half time, and cruised to the final buzzer.

The National Hockey League also used the bubble technique to hold its playoffs, quite successfully. Games were played in Toronto and Edmonton. The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated Dallas to win the Stanley Cup. It certainly was far different from any other playoff series: hollow, distant, almost artificial.

Here's a few notes about Canadians playing south of our border. Kelly Olynyk plays for the Miami Heat, and played well in the playoffs. Freddie Freeman plays baseball for the Atlanta Braves. His mother hailed from Peterborough, and his father from Windsor. He was born in the States. Several years ago, he opted to play for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic, to honour his mother who had passed away from cancer. Freeman has just started the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, to see who will represent the National League in the World Series.

The brightest spotlight following the weekend is focussed on Chase Claypool. He is a wide receiver from Abbotsford, British Columbia, and plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The rookie hauled in four touchdown passes for the Steelers in their win against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Atlanta Braves plated four runs in the top of the ninth inning to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first game of their playoff series. The Houston Astros, America's favourite team, have fallen two games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in their playoff series in the American League. This should wrap up before you try on your Hallowe'en costume.

I do hope you took the time to see Rafael Nadal win his 13^th French Open. He defeated Novak Djokovic in straight sets, decisively.

Stay safe. If you are American, please vote.

James Hurst

October 13, 2020

# posted by James Hurst @ 3:43 PM