Wahoo Wire

Congratulations to the UVA Men’s Golf team who won the Cavalier Classic this past weekend. After such a strong showing at the ACC Championship and then winning the Cavalier Classic, the Cavaliers have momentum on their side as they await their seeding in the NCAA Tournament (First round May 20-22).

The NHL Hockey playoffs are still going on. Amazingly enough, a team with each seeding is left in the Conference Semifinals, meaning in the Eastern Conference the #4, 6, 7, and 8 seeded teams won and in the Western Conference the #1, 2, 3, and 5 seeded teams won. The parity in hockey is great, especially compared to leagues like the NBA where the only upset was the San Antonio Spurs over the Dallas Mavericks (which given the Mavs recent playoff struggles is not really an upset).

Monday May 3

NBA Playoffs

Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers, Game 2

In game 1 it was very apparent that the Boston Celtics are too old to last four quarters against the Cleveland Cavaliers. After three quarters of a very close game, the Celtics could not keep up in the fourth quarter. There was no answer for LeBron James, nor do I think there will be. The Cavaliers’ depth was on full display as only two players played 40 minutes or more compared to four older starters on the Celtics needing to play 40 minutes or more. If the first game was any indication, this series should end quickly with the Cavaliers setting up a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals.

San Antonio Spurs at Phoenix Suns, Game 1

The Spurs have beaten the Suns in the past three playoff series against them (and went on to win the NBA Championship in all three of those seasons). If they play like they did against the Dallas Mavericks I see no reason why they cannot beat them again (though winning an NBA Championship is a stretch). The decisive factor in this series will be the speed of the game. If the games are played fast and with very little half court sets, the Suns will destroy the Spurs, but I think that the Spurs, with the combination of Tony Parker and George Hill, will be able to both slow down Steve Nash and company and dictate the pace of the game to favor the Spurs. Regardless of the pace, the depth battle clearly supports the Suns. Nash has been sore lately with his right hip though, so while the Suns might have more depth, the question will be can they cope without a 100% healthy Nash. I expect this to be a great series that goes to at least six or seven games and for the Spurs to set up an unlikely deep playoff run.

Tuesday May 4

NBA Playoffs

Atlanta Hawks at Orlando Magic, Game 1

The Magic have had eight days off after they swept the Charlotte Bobcats. The Hawks will have less than 48 hours of recovery time before they start up a series against a much better opponent than the Milwaukee Bucks. I think the time off will favor the Magic though, as Dwight Howard has had a week to figure out how to not foul out so easily and to re-focus on not getting too upset about being roughed up. The time off also gives Vince Carter some time to make sure he is fully healthy and well rested for this important series. I think Howard will crush the undersized centers and power forwards of the Hawks and that the Magic will take the series in 5 or 6.

Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Lakers, Game 2

Unfortunately for the Jazz, Mehmet Okur ruptured his Achilles and is out for the rest of the season. With Okur, the Jazz would have a much better matchup (on paper at least) with Lakers in the big man battle. Carlos Boozer, Paul Millsap, and Jazz backup Center Kyrylo Fesenko will have to step up and try and dominate the boards against the Lakers’ Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and recently revealed as not fully healthy Andrew Bynum (partially torn meniscus). The main problem for the Jazz will be stopping Kobe Bryant. Yes, Deron Williams is going to put up 20+ points a game, but Kobe can put up 40 on any given night and if the Jazz want to stay in this series they will need significant contributions both on the offensive and defensive end from their slew of guards and forwards. Expect the Lakers to win the series in 5 or 6.

#1 UVA Baseball: versus VCU

There are only two UVA sports teams playing this week, one being the women’s golf team which begin the first round of the NCAA tournament this weekend and the other being UVA Baseball (39-9, 18-6). UVA went 5-0 last week, sweeping Duke in Durham and extending their win streak to 10 games. The Cavs are now tied for the lead in the Coastal Division with Miami. VCU is unranked and should be an easy victory for UVA. It will also be a nice way to start a five game home stand which includes a three game series against North Carolina and a re-match against VMI next week.

Wednesday May 5

Premier League Soccer: Tottenham Hotspur at Manchester City

This match will basically decide which team gets to play in the Champions League next season. Last weekend Manchester City emphatically eliminated Aston Villa from a shot at the Champions League, winning 3-1. Spurs beat Bolton 1-0 to set up a most important match at the City of Manchester Stadium. Spurs currently sit in the fourth and final Champions League spot with 67 points and two games left while Manchester City sit in fifth with 66 points. Both teams play lowly teams to end the season with Spurs paying a visit to relegated Burnley and City visiting (just barely) not relegated West Ham United. With neither team especially hot or cold or clearly better than the other, expect a close match that could even end in a draw. This game actually has implications for third place as well with Arsenal having lost four of their last five matches. If Spurs win their last two games and Arsenal lose their last remaining game to Fulham, Spurs will finish in third. If Manchester City wins or ties against Tottenham though, it assures Arsenal finishes in third.

Friday May 7

MLB: New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox

The most famous rivalry in baseball always exciting, but for the first time in many years this will be a series where the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will not both be in the top 3 in the AL East. The Yankees started the season unreasonably hot and have since cooled down, but remain second in the AL East 1.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays. The Red Sox on the other hand have started the season off poorly and sit in fourth in the AL East, 7 games behind the Rays. Although the MLB season is only about a seventh of the way through so the games do not really matter as much, these series bring out the best in both teams and are always must-see sports games.