Archive → April, 2010
Would You Believe Thunder vs. LeBron?
Filed under: NBA
This has been an NBA postseason of blood, balls and bile, exquisite in its unpredictability and laughable in its whining. Who cannot admire the audacity of Kevin Durant, who at 21 has stared into the eyeballs of a coach with 10 championship rings and turned Phil Jackson into a griping, melting mess, all while making Kobe Bryant look old, feeble and broken down? And who can’t appreciate the San Antonio Spurs, called out by their coach as “dogs” and looking ready to throw an expiration date on their glory era, only to take a 3-1 lead over the favored Dallas Mavericks even as Manu Ginobili dripped blood from his nose and George Hill, best known for his nude pictures on the Internet, had to rescue the Big Three on Sunday night?
Playoff life is proceeding according to form in the grinding Eastern Conference, where LeBron James continues to exhibit why he might be an MVP in perpetuity — please, a triple-double AND a halfcourt shot at the third-quarter buzzer — while Orlando and Boston carry on as eventual Cavaliers victims. “I’ve done some great things in the past, I’ll do some great things in the future,” said James, who went for 37 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists against overmatched Chicago after scoring 40 and 39 points in his previous two games. “But we’re in the present now, and I’m feeling pretty good.”
He should be. Because if he scans out West, he’s seeing chaos that only can fuel the idea of Cleveland, woeful Cleveland, finally winning its first championship in a team sport since 1964 and keeping James in town as the savior of northeast Ohio’s self-esteem. The compelling story, of course, is how the Oklahoma City Thunder, who began their move from Seattle with a 3-29 start and represent the very antithesis of all things L.A. and Lakers, are teaching the suddenly staggering defending champs about heart, hustle, energy and, yes, maturity. It was Jackson, remember, who tried to sink his faux Zen into Durant’s head by criticizing league officials for allowing him to march to the free-throw line more often than he deserves. Durant said he felt disrespected, which was perceived by some media observers as a victory for Jackson but, so far, has been a statement of purpose for Durant and this unlikely success story.
O, Say Can You See Venus and Serena?
Filed under: WTA
Venus and Serena Williams keep saying how much they want to play for the U.S. flag, but whenever the U.S. Fed Cup team calls, darn the luck, they’ve had other plans, they’ve had to wash their hair, the dog ate their invitation.
This weekend, Serena was fatigued and … no wait, that was November. This week, both sisters had too much knee pain for the U.S.-Russia matchup. Venus let the team know on Wednesday.
This little dance has become so tired and transparent. First, the sisters say they want to play. Then, they pull out. Then captain Mary Joe Fernandez publicly and without self-respect, thanks them. Then the team plays on, hard feelings below the surface.
Until now.
Liezel Huber, who is always there for the American team, told reporters this about Venus and Serena:
“It’s very tough for me to be supportive of their decision. Come Olympics time and they want to play, they have to understand the people that [are] going to be loyal, I would hope, are going to go ahead of them.”
Huber went off the deep-end there. Does she honestly think she should be picked for the Olympic team over Venus or Serena? Based on attendance?
It reminds me of an old Saturday Night Live routine when Chris Farley thought he should have made the Chippendales over Patrick Swayze because he had done well in the interview portion of tryouts.
The Williams sisters should be in the Olympics. And their approach, their entire career path, is an example to society that you can have balance and still become a superstar athlete. Although they seem to be putting self-interest above the national team’s interest, and they don’t always handle things right, in the end they are doing what’s best for the game and the country by preserving their own sanity and longevity.
Top Spanish Bullfighter Gored in Mexico
MADRID (AP) — One of Spain’s top matadors was seriously injured in Mexico when a 1,100-pound (500-kilogram) bull gored him in the groin and hoisted him into the air, causing major blood loss, his manager said Sunday.
Jose Tomas lost up to eight liters (17 pints) of blood after being gored Saturday by a beast named Navegante in the Mexican city of Aguascalientes.
The bull’s horn penetrated 4 inches (10 centimeters) into Tomas’ groin and punctured a vein and an artery, manager Salvador Boix told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser from Aguascalientes.
Tomas, one of Spain’s most popular matadors, has a relatively rare blood type — A- — and bled so profusely that bullring officials appealed over the arena loudspeakers for compatible donors to come forward for transfusions, Boix said.
Bullring doctors operated on the 34-year-old Tomas immediately to stabilize him, and he underwent more surgery later at a hospital for more than three hours.
“Now he has new blood and is in intensive care, waiting to see how things evolve,” Boix said, adding that Tomas is not conscious.
Gordon Angry at Jimmie Johnson, Again
Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Talladega Superspeedway, Hendrick Motorsports
TALLADEGA, Ala. — All weekend Hendrick Motorsports teammates and four-time champions Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson insisted their simmering rivalry is one of “healthy respect.”
They smiled on Friday and promised that “everything is fine” and the rough racing between the two last week at Texas Motor Speedway was just an inevitable result of two highly-motivated champions wanting the same thing: to win a race.
But that good will and respect was put to another test at Talladega Superspeedway Sunday where a close call between the two of them left Gordon angry and not inclined to mince words or drop euphemisms this time.
“I can tell you the 48 (Johnson) is testing my patience,” Gordon said of an incident between the two late in the Aaron’s 499 Sprint Cup race. “It takes a lot to make me mad and I am pissed right now.”
“He’s been testing my patience and it’s about reached its boiling point.”
FanHouse TV: 2010 NFL Draft Winners
Filed under: NFL Draft
The University of Oklahoma may have been the biggest collegiate winner in the 2010 NFL Draft, with three of the first four picks representing the Sooners.
As for which NFL teams fared the best, FanHouse TV’s Dan Graziano breaks down the big winners.
Click below to watch:
Cavs Defensive About Game 4 Victory
Filed under: Bulls, Cavaliers, Playoffs
CHICAGO — One might think a team that scores 121 points on the road in an NBA playoff game would be proud of its offensive effort.
But the Cleveland Cavaliers insisted that their 121-98 Game 4 win over Chicago on Sunday was because of defense, not offense.
“It was good to see us get back to who we are,” coach Mike Brown said after the Cavs took a 3-1 series lead over the Bulls.
Even with LeBron James recording a triple-double the Cavs want to be a strong defensive team. In Games 2 and 3 of the first-round series, they weren’t.
In Game 2, Chicago had 13 offensive rebounds and 56 points in the paint. In Game 3, the Bulls scored 108 points. The Bulls topped 100 in both games, averaging 105. It’s not what the Cavs expect of themselves, and not what they want — especially if they hope to advance.
Jason Bohn Closes Deal at Zurich Classic
Filed under: PGA
First of all, you ask, “who is Jason Bohn?”
Well, until Sunday he was known mostly for wining a $1 million hole-in-one shootout while attending the University of Alabama in 1992 and turning pro because accepting the prize money voided his amateur status. He has received a $50,000 payment every October since, the final payment scheduled to arrive in 2012.
But on the way to making the Zurich Classic of New Orleans his second career victory, Bohn may have earned himself a new page of notoriety at TPC Louisiana.
He’s now a battle-tested, honest-to-goodness closer.
One day after a quiet 37th birthday celebration, Bohn on Sunday birdied three of his last four holes for a final-round 67. He finished 18-under, two shots better than runner-up Jeff Overton.
For a guy winning for only the second time in a seven-season PGA Tour career — five years since breaking through at the 2005 B.C. Open — it was a finish of incredibly satisfying proportions. Tied with Overton as they came down the stretch with four holes to play, Bohn took it home with the finishing kick of a long-distance runner.
He smashed a 218-yard approach shot to inside five feet for birdie at 15. At 16, with Overton eyeing a 12-foot birdie chance that could have brought him back into a tie, Bohn dunked a 22 footer that might have rattled his playing partner to miss, and went up by two. And finally, at the par-5 18th, all Bohn did was finish with a 148-yard wedge shot that stopped inches past the hole for a tap-in birdie.
With the weather-delayed third round completed Sunday morning before the final day’s competition began, Bohn made seven birdies and one bogey in the 30 holes he had to play. And he took to heart the advice provided by long-time caddy and friend Billy Spencer.
LeBron James Masterful as Cavs Take 3-1 Lead Over Bulls
Filed under: Bulls, Cavaliers, Playoffs
CHICAGO — Prior to Sunday’s playoff game between the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James said simply that the he and his teammates “understand how important this game is.”
Then he went out and played like it was more than that important. And in doing so he deflated the hopes of a team and its fans.
James has had some outstanding games, but it would be tough to find one better than Sunday’s. His triple-double led the way as the Cavs handily won Game 4. The 121-98 win sends the Cavs back to Cleveland up 3-1 with a chance to end the series Tuesday night.
James did everything. In the first quarter he shot four times and scored five points, but finished with four assists and five rebounds. By the end of the third quarter, he had 28 points and was one rebound from a triple double. By game’s end he had 37, 12 and 11.
“It’s what this man is capable of doing,” coach Mike Brown said.
Dwyane Wade Leaves Miami With One to Remember
Filed under: Celtics, Heat, Playoffs
MIAMI — If Dwyane Wade really does leave Miami as a unrestricted free agent this summer — and if this was his last home game here — he threw one unbelievable goodbye kiss on Sunday.
He just wasn’t ready for THIS season to end.
Wade single-handedly forced a Game 5 Tuesday in Boston — a game that likely will end the series — by willing his team to an emotion-packed 101-92 victory before a crowd that left thrilled to see it, but still wondering if they had seen him for the final time in a Heat uniform.
Sitting courtside was his mother, a Chicago resident who had flown to South Florida on Saturday after seeing him Friday night on television get carried off the court with severe cramps in the closing seconds of the Game 3 loss.
Ken Green: Survivor, Hero, Golfer
Filed under: PGA, Champions Tour
SAVANNAH, Ga. — Thanks to his long pants, Ken Green looked like every other golfer Sunday. What the black slacks hid, the white shoes gave away.
His left one was a size 10. The right one sported a size 6. It had four names scribbled on it.
“Brother Bill, Jeannie, Hunter and Nip.
Share
“The four that I’ve lost,” Green said.
It’s actually five if you count body parts.
What was man who’s lost his brother, his son, his girlfriend, his dog and his lower right leg doing in a pro golf tournament?
“If I start talking about it,” Green said, “I’ll probably end up bawling.”
