Well this was certainly an intriguing weekend, wasn’t it? Different types of surprises propelled this weekend forward. Whether it was the Boston-Cleveland series playing with our expectations, or the two-horse race we didn’t see coming at the Preakness Stakes, this past weekend had kept you on your toes. Let’s take a look at the action in this week’s “Weekend Recap.”

NBA: Boston Shows Some Life Without I.T.

It’s tough to wrap our heads around the reversal of fortunes like the one we saw between Boston and Cleveland. Friday, we saw one of the most lopsided playoff games of all time. Cleveland had its way with Boston throughout the first half, building a 72-31 lead halftime. Isaiah Thomas, who left the game in the second quarter, only chipped in two points for the Celtics. The second half would not get much better as Cleveland got the lead as high as 50 before the game mercifully ended with a 130-86 Cavaliers victory. If matters couldn’t get worse for the Celtics, news broke that Thomas would miss the rest of the postseason with a hip injury.

So let’s do the math real quick. Boston is down 0-2, losing both games at home. Game 2 was one of the most embarrassing losses of all time. You are now going on the road for Game 3 without your leading scorer. That doesn’t seem too foreboding. Then Cleveland is able to get ahead by 20 points just after halftime, without LeBron James being the best player on the court.

Amazingly though, Boston was able to weather all of the negatives and make an incredible comeback against the defending champions. The Celtics came alive in the third quarter, hitting five three pointers to cut the lead to five heading into the fourth quarter. Who would step up in winning time with Mr. Fourth Quarter, Isaiah Thomas out with an injury?

Well, there was no one who really took reins. It was a team effort for Boston that got them into position to have the final shot in a tie ball game. The credit will ultimately go to Avery Bradley as the game’s hero, sinking the game winning three-pointer with 0.1 seconds left on the clock.

Boston shows a bit of life, extending the series by at least one game. Don’t get too excited though, LeBron will not be doing another disappearing act in this series. Truthfully, we haven’t seen James play that badly since the 2011 NBA Finals with the Miami Heat. Look for an emphatic response from LeBron tomorrow night.

NHL: Pittsburgh and Nashville Move One Game Closer to the Stanley Cup Final

While the NBA conference finals may not be living up to expectations, the NHL conference finals have been great for the most part. The collision course that Pittsburgh and Nashville have been on since April hit a slight snag before the weekend. The Penguins were coming off of an embarrassing Game 3 loss to Ottawa, while Nashville ceded home-ice advantage to Anaheim in Game 4.

Injuries were now piling up for both teams as well. Pittsburgh has been pretty banged up since Game 1 of its series against the Senators, but the key players have all been relatively healthy. Nashville not only lost its first home game of the playoffs in Game 4, but also saw team captain Mike Fisher and leading scorer Ryan Johansen join the injured list. Fisher could possibly return in the next two games, but Johansen, the top center on the team, is out for the rest of the postseason.

You got the feeling that momentum was shifting in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Pittsburgh’s offense finally showed up in Game 4 and 5 though, dominating the action in two crucial victories. Nashville also showed some grit without two key cogs in a clutch Game 5 win on Saturday night. Now we have a pair of Game 6’s tonight and tomorrow that could set the Stanley Cup Final.

Cloud Computing Ends Always Dreaming’s Triple Crown Bid

 

In arguably the best finish of the weekend, Cloud Computing won the Preakness Stakes by a nose. Unfortunately for those hoping to witness another Triple Crown winner in horse racing, Always Dreaming was nowhere to be found at the end, finishing 8th. Cloud Computing narrowly edged out Classic Empire in a near-photo finish. While this upset wasn’t exactly a gambler’s delight, it sets up a wide-open Belmont Stakes in three weeks.

 

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with more content from Shooting the Moon. Look out for the latest episode of the Shooting the Moon Podcast later this week. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.