Follow-up on yesterday's calls (Game 1's of Stanley Cup Finals and NBA Finals)

Stanley Cup Finals Game 1 Final Score: Bos 0, Van 1

My prediction was relatively accurate. I called the shutout, Alex Burrows was a jerk in typical Burrows fashion (he cemented his title as "Biggest Douche of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs" by literally BITING Patrice Bergeron's thumb. WTFFFFF!!!!), and Kesler had a huge game, creating the one and only goal late in the third by poking the puck away from a Boston defender into Vancouver's attacking zone and setting up the eventual goal by Raffi Torres (Kesler got the secondary assist). Kesler was a monster on the forecheck and created many chances for Vancouver.

While the Sedins failed to light the lamp, they used their creativity to manufacture many should-have-been-goals, including one rip by Henrik that careened off the post. And if Vancouver had scored with 1:18 left instead of :18 left, believe me, Burrows would have scored an empty-netter (he was on the last shift that killed off the final seconds).

NBA Finals Game 1:

The real game assassinated my prediction. An important lesson was learned in game 1, never count out the King (and Mario Chalmers for that matter). It seemed like every time Miami needed a big bucket to right the ship, LeBron was there with a bone-crushing three or an exclamation point play/dunk. Lots of credit must be given to Mario for sinking two huge shots from downtown late in the first half. Twice when Dallas was surging, Chalmers calmly drained a three to stifle their run. Without those threes, Dallas would have been up by 6-9 going into the half, leaving the Heat demoralized and the Mavericks energized; instead Dallas only held a one-point lead.

Bron went 4-5 from three and 9-16 overall. His biggest shot was the three that beat the buzzer to end the 3rd quarter. It killed Dallas's confidence, got the crowd fired up, and set the tone for the rest of the game.

Qualms from the game:

• B.S call of the night- Mid-way through the first quarter LeBron dives on the floor to grab a loose ball (good hustle), gets to his knees (okay, still fine), then clearly and blatantly stands up without starting his dribble (even the refs at the Jewish Community Center 5-year-old league call that a walk!). He then proceeds to plow his right shoulder into a vertical Nowitzki, drains the shot and Dirk gets whistled for standing in the same spot with his hand up straight. It's a good thing this didn't happen in the 4th or I would have gone crazy.
• The introductions. Miami's PA announcer makes my ears bleed every time he said something into the mic. He prolongs every word that doesn't need to be prolonged. "Fans, stand up and cheer for your Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeastern Conference Champions, the Miamiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeat."