Your Weekend Sports Lineup

Having fun with the playoffs yet? Many of these first-round series in the NBA and NHL have been filled with surprises and odd results. Let’s hope for more.

Take the Boston Celtics. This was the team everyone in the NBA’s Eastern Conference was angling to play, due to Boston’s many injuries. Instead, the Celtics hold a 2-0 lead over the Milwaukee Bucks. The series moves Friday night to Milwaukee. ESPN will show Game 3 at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Warm up for that one with the Cleveland Cavaliers-Indiana Pacers game on the same network at 7 p.m. LeBron James comes off a 46-point showing, but he can’t do it alone every night for the Cavs. The series is tied at 1-1.

We’ll give some of Saturday over to the NHL. Drop that heiner in the recliner at 3 p.m. for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals in Game 5. The Caps let the first two games – both at home – get away in overtime, then evened the series on the road. NBC will show this and also has the Toronto Maple Leafs-Boston Bruins matchup at 8 p.m. A Bruins win ends the series in five.

We, as a nation, hunger for so much – peace, prosperity, college football. Can’t help with the first two and the answer for the third right now is the spring games that signal the end of practice. There’s a bunch of them on, but we’ll recommend Alabama’s at 2 p.m. on ESPN and Georgia’s at 4, same network.

Our friends who run in a circular motion are in Richmond, Virginia for a Saturday night go-round (and around and around). NASCAR’s Toyota Owners 400 starts at 6:30 p.m. Fox will show it.

There’s a nice variety of NBA and NHL playoff games (if needed) on Sunday. Check Friday night results to pick the matchup you favor. Have all the fun you can stand.

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman