The Big Boy Sports Are Back

This is it. Our first jam-packed weekend of sports since this whole thing began. With the NBA and NHL set to return to action and the MLB somehow pushing through (despite a massive outbreak within the Miami Marlins organization), we’ve finally got a full schedule of professional athletic competition to look forward to.

There’s also a UFC card Saturday night, the return of Formula 1 Sunday morning, and a PGA event all weekend but with that being the only show in town for the past couple months, I’m itching to talk about something else.

For baseball, we’re roughly five games into a 60-game season and there was parody from the very beginning. No team swept their opening series, leaving not a single undefeated or winless record on the board. Now that isn’t to say that there weren’t hot and cold starts. The Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians and Tampa Bay Rays are all 4-1 with seven teams only winning once so far. That includes the last two World Series winners in the Washington Nationals and the Boston Red Sox, respectively.

The NBA returns Thursday night with a double header featuring the Utah Jazz vs. the New Orleans Pelicans and the LA Clippers vs. the LA Lakers. As a reminder, there are 22 total teams invited to the bubble located in Orlando, Florida; 13 from the West and 9 from the East. Each team will play 8 games to determine the seeding for a 16-team playoff.

The NHL has adopted a two bubble system with the Eastern Conference playing in Toronto and the Western Conference playing in Edmonton. 24 teams are set to compete in the season restart with eight automatic playoff bids locked in and the remaining 16 teams competing for the remaining post-season slots. Hockey officially returns on August 1st with the New York Rangers vs. the Carolina Hurricane at 12pm ET.

With all the chaos surrounding sports-during-a-pandemic, there’s been a lot of debate over the validity of this year’s championships. Is there an asterisk next to the 2020 Champion* moniker? Does the shortened season or limited playing field somehow negate the result or should it be considered an even more meaningful championship based on all the outside distractions?

The short answer is this: If my team wins, then it absolutely counts and if a team that I hate wins, then there’s most definitely an asterisk. So shoutout to the Bruins and the Celtics who are the only two teams eligible to win it all this year. I mean… the Red Sox too, but I don’t see that being an option this year.

WHAT TO WATCH

NBA: LA Clippers vs. LA Lakers

We won’t have to wait long for the NBA’s top teams to square off in the bubble. Starting with a highly anticipated battle between the #1 LA Lakers and the #2 LA Clippers, we’ve got two legitimate title contenders looking to make a statement early.

The Lakers are unquestionably the team to beat in the west. Currently 49-14 on the year, Lebron James has a golden opportunity to seize his fourth NBA title in the strangest of circumstances. But if there’s one team that the Lakers have struggled with this season, it’s the LA Clippers.

The Clippers hold a 2-1 series lead over the Lakers, the only team in the NBA to beat them twice. With a stacked lineup of their own, led by superstars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George as well as a ton of help from Lou Williams off the bench, it’s no surprise that they’ve proven to be a difficult challenge.

Still, it’s hard to argue with the production of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, averaging 26.7 and 25.7 points per game, respectively. That’s good for #9 and #11 in the league, just a fraction of a point behind the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard in the #8 spot. Lebron also leads the league in assists with Anthony Davis holding the 3rd most blocks per game.

Both of these teams have earned the right to call themselves the kings of LA, but only one can be crowned the king of Orlando. With the schedule set up the way it is, this will be the last time these teams will meet prior to a potential matchup in the playoffs. So the pressure to perform is only amplified.

NHL: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens

Okay hear me out. There are far better matchups this weekend with the top four teams from each conference squaring off against each other, but I’m much more interested in the desperation of teams who haven’t locked down that playoff spot yet.

I’m not saying that seeding doesn’t matter, because it obviously does. But the stakes associated with having an automatic bid pale in comparison to the teams fighting for a spot in the post-season. While I’ll watch and cheer for the Boston Bruins, I’m far more invested in the Canadiens getting knocked out of the playoffs all together.

I hate the Montreal Canadiens.

And I kind of hate Sidney Crosby too, so it’ll be fun to be in his corner for a change. I mean, Crosby is coming up on his 1000th game, with more than 1200 points since 2005. How could you not love this guy? Did I mention he was the 1st overall pick and has led the Penguins to three Stanley Cups?!

…that is how much I hate the Canadiens. I’m now a Crosby fan.

At any rate, it should be a well-fought series. The Penguins are just outside of the playoff picture, sitting at 40-23 on the year with 86 points. The Canadiens sit at an even 31-31, good enough for fifth in the Atlantic Division, just barely earning an invite to the bubble. But a storied program with plenty of championship experience, it won’t be an easy road for the Penguins. Even if I’m secretly hoping it will be.

HIGHLIGHTS

I miss Fight Club Joe Kelly.