This is a great time for television, especially if you just had a stressful week full of midterms, late nights and cough medicine like I did. Seeing as I have a window of about five days before I have to spend countless hours in the library which, by the way, also means I'll be spending all my DBA at KAF I feel like I must take advantage of that time by watching televised sporting events. My options are endless. Baseball season is well underway, and I know that because 75 percent of SportsCenter's highlights are baseball-related, unless there was a game-winning goal in a thrilling double overtime NHL playoff game. If either of those isn't on, you're in luck because the NBA playoffs kicked off on Saturday to start TNT's "40 Games in 40 Nights."
The roller coaster that is the NBA playoffs began with a huge twist. Derrick Rose, starting point guard for the Chicago Bulls, went down in a heap during the fourth quarter of game one of his team's first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers, and the result crushed Chi-Town: a torn ACL for the reigning MVP. This changes the landscape of the playoffs, as my hometown team, the polarizing Miami Heat, now have a clear path to the NBA Finals. The Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder will prove to be troubling speed bumps, but I fully expect the Heat to be crowned champions when the dust settles.
Before any team is awarded the Larry O'Brien Trophy, however, one player in the NBA shall be named the regular season's Most Valuable Player. The vote will probably come down to either Miami Heat forward LeBron James or Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant. Kobe Bryant, the star shooting guard of the Los Angeles Lakers, will surely garner a couple of votes, but those will only be out of respect.
Much like with the NBA, a number of Dartmouth teams have wrapped up their regular seasons and are now awaiting the playoffs. Soon, seniors will be playing in the biggest games of their lives, as they seek to write their own chapters in Dartmouth athletic history before heading into the real world. Two seniors in particular, Sarah Plumb '12 and Joe Sclafani '12, have already earned significant ink in the Dartmouth record books during their four-year careers. This spring, these two student-athletes have shown their superstar skills while leading their teams to very successful seasons. Plumb and Sclafani have what it takes to be crowned Dartmouth's MVP, so let's take a look what these two have to offer.
Plumb has played like an champion this season, and her many pictures on the DartmouthSports.com homepage display her ferocity and sportsmanship. She is also a nominee for the Tewaaraton Award, which is given to the top male and female collegiate lacrosse players in the country. Plumb's 33 goals are tied for first on the team and seventh in the Ivy League. She also has a strong passing game, leading the team in assists with 11. Her prowess on the field has led Dartmouth to a 10-4 record, including a 5-2 record in Ivy League play. Similar to LeBron James, Plumb's multifaceted game has carried her team into the postseason, and a championship is expected in Hanover, as well as in Miami. The Heat need LeBron to show up every game in the playoffs, and the Big Green has realized that the team succeeds if Plumb is on her game.
Sclafani has been a leader on the Dartmouth baseball team since he stepped foot in Hanover. Sclafani won the Ivy League's Rookie of the Year award as a freshman and has twice been named first team All-Ivy at shortstop. This season, Sclafani is batting .303 through Sunday, and his 44 hits rank him second on the Big Green. The two-time captain is also a proven winner, as Dartmouth has captured four Rolfe Division titles and two (perhaps three?) Ivy League championships during his career. Much like Kevin Durant, Sclafani is one of many pieces on a winning team, and the cohesiveness of the team will determine how far the team goes in the playoffs.
When it comes down to decision time, I believe Plumb deserves the award for Dartmouth's MVP. Her play this season has been LeBron-esque, befitting of a Most Valuable Player. I'm hoping that Plumb and Sclafani both carry their teams far into the postseason and that two championships come back to Hanover.
