May 24, 2012

Game 7 Saturday in Da Garden!!

 

Jrue Holiday scored 20 points, and Elton Brand had 13 points and 10 rebounds to lead the tough-and-determined Philadelphia 76ers past the Celtics, 82-75 on Wednesday night to send the Eastern Conference semifinals back to Boston for Game 7. No team has won consecutive games in a series where neither team has played well enough to seize control.

Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo could be playing their last game together Saturday night if they can’t find a way to hang onto the ball and put away a Sixers team that won’t quit.

Former 76ers All-Star Allen Iverson earned a roaring standing ovation when he presented the game ball. By the end, the fans were on their feet for Holiday, Brand and Andre Iguodala for keeping the eighth-seeded Sixers alive for at least one more game.

The Celtics posted ugly numbers across the board: Blame the loss on the 33 percent shooting, the 17 turnovers or the 3 for 14 3-point shooting. Either way, there’s enough to go around.Pierce had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Garnett had 20 points and 11 boards.

May 24, 2012

NBA Tonight

Heat @ Pacers 5pm ESPN

May 24, 2012

Mariners take 2 out of 3 from Rangers

 

Considering his rarified place in baseball history, it’s no wonder Alex Liddi could not stop grinning.

 

He also wouldn’t mind getting use to the occasional curtain call.

 

”Obviously big-time guys do it and when you have to do it, it’s a good thing,” Liddi said.

 

Liddi hit the first major league grand slam by an Italian-born player in half-century, Kevin Millwood threw six shutout innings and the Seattle Mariners took two of three from AL West-leading Texas with a 5-3 win over the Rangers on Wednesday.

 

Liddi made Texas manager Ron Washington pay for the decision to pitch around Dustin Ackley with one out in the fifth inning. Ackley was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Liddi lined the first pitch from Scott Feldman (0-2) just over the yellow line on top of the left-field wall for his third homer this season.

 

The opportunities for Liddi have been few. Wednesday was his 20th start in 46 games. He came up as a third baseman, but with the emergence of Kyle Seager as the Mariners everyday third baseman for now, Liddi has learned how to play first base and made his second start of the season on Wednesday in left field.

 

Almost on cue, his day started rough when he lost a fly ball against a cloudy, but bright sky and committed a two-base error in the second inning. But that became an afterthought thanks to his slam in the fifth.

 

”He’s a guy that’s capable of doing some damage up there. He works as hard as anybody we have. That’s the reason he’s able to maintain the way he does when he doesn’t play,” Seattle manager Eric Wedge said. ”He’s still a young hitter, but he’s learned how to hit.’

May 23, 2012

Heat up 3-2…Bird calls team Soft….

Larry Bird called the Indiana Pacers soft. Players agreed with their team president.

Bird told The Indianapolis Star early Wednesday that he ”can’t believe my team went soft,” making the comments not long after the Pacers were beaten 115-83 in Game 5 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Miami Heat.

Miami leads the series 3-2, with Game 6 on Thursday in Indianapolis.

The Pacers practiced in Miami before flying home Wednesday. Indiana forward Danny Granger says the team got ”beat up, we got bullied and we really didn’t respond well” in Game 5.

Granger sprained his ankle in Game 5. The Pacers hope he can play Thursday. Granger also says he expects the league to sanction Heat players Udonis Haslem and Dexter Pittman for flagrant fouls committed Tuesday night.

May 22, 2012

MLB Power Rankings

 

Power Rankings

May 22, 2012

Lakers go Bye Bye

 

Russell Westbrook scored 28 points, Kevin Durant added 25 points and 10 rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder surged ahead in the second half to beat Los Angeles 106-90 in Game 5 on Monday night and eliminate the Lakers from the playoffs The two All-Stars both bypassed their breaks in the second half and used the time they’d normally be resting to fuel the big run that put away the game and end the Lakers’ season.

Westbrook had a pair of three-point plays during a 14-3 burst that put Oklahoma City ahead to stay late in the third quarter, and Durant hit two 3-pointers as the Thunder scored the first 10 points of the fourth to push their lead to 93-77.

Kobe Bryant scored 42 points for the Lakers.

The Thunder open the Western Conference finals on Sunday at top-seeded San Antonio.

After getting eliminated by Los Angeles in 2010 and Dallas in 2011 before both of those teams went on to win it all, the Thunder knocked both out on their way to the West finals for the second straight year.

The only other time the franchise made consecutive conference finals was from 1978-80, including Seattle’s only NBA title in 1979.

 

May 22, 2012

NBA Tuesday Night

Pacers @ Heat 5pm TNT

May 22, 2012

Dallas to Tampa Bay

 

Buccaneers tight end Kellen Winslow appears to be on his way out of Tampa Bay..Winslow, appearing Monday on Sirius XM NFL Radio, told listeners he was informed by new head coach Greg Schiano on Saturday the Bucs no longer required his services after three seasons.

“It’s kind of shocking, but that’s what it is,” Winslow said, according to The Tampa Tribune.

The 28-year-old veteran, who led the Bucs in receptions each of the last three seasons, said one factor in the decision was Winslow’s desire to conduct offseason workouts away from the team.

“[Schiano] said he was kind of upset that I wasn’t there working with the team in the offseason and for the first week of OTAs [Organized Team Activities],” said Winslow, referring to the team’s voluntary workouts.

“That’s just what I was told. I have nothing bad to say about coach Schiano. It was just a disagreement on why I’m not there yet.”

Winslow’s routine of working out on his own has been consistent since he was traded from Cleveland in 2009, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Winslow, who has battled a painful right knee, rarely practiced with the team during the 2011 regular season. He did, however, manage to play in all 16 games last season and led the team with 75 receptions.According to ESPN.com, the Bucs held a tryout for former Indianapolis Colts tight end Dallas Clark last week and are expected to offer the 32-year-old veteran a contract.

Winslow, who was selected with the sixth overall pick in 2004, has 437 career receptions for 4,836 yards and 23 touchdowns. He missed the entire 2005 season after tearing his right ACL in a motorcycle crash.

May 21, 2012

NBA Schedule

 

4pm 76ers @ Celtics TNT

6:30pm Lakers @ Thunder TNT

May 21, 2012

Thunder 1 Away/Heat Survive

 

Kevin Durant stood above the 3-point line and watched the shot clock dwindle in the final seconds of Game 4. When Metta World Peace backed up slightly on defense, Durant hesitated only an instant before launching a 26-footer ”It left my hand, (and) I was thinking, `If this doesn’t go in, it’s going to be a terrible shot,”’ Durant said.

The three-time scoring champ trusts his instincts and his silky-smooth jumper. Neither let him down while he and Russell Westbrook engineered yet another late comeback that pushed a frustrated Kobe Bryant to the brink.

Westbrook scored 10 of his 37 points during a stirring fourth-quarter rally, Durant added 31 points and hit that tiebreaking 3-pointer with 13.7 seconds left, and the Thunder seized control of their second-round series with a 103-100 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.

Serge Ibaka scored 14 points and the second-seeded Thunder took a 3-1 series lead with a rally from a 13-point deficit in the final 8 minutes, moving one win away from their second straight trip to the Western Conference finals. ”Everybody kept fighting,” Westbrook said. ”We all believed in each other. It’s the playoffs. You can’t afford to sit back and wonder about it.” Game 5 is Monday night in Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City improved to 7-1 in the postseason.

 

 

Miami’s season, the one that’s supposed to end in an NBA championship and vindication, was slipping away LeBron James brought it back.

And this time, Dwyane Wade helped him.

James scored 40 points, Wade added 30 — 22 in the second half — and Miami’s dynamic duo took over after halftime to get the Heat even in the series with a 101-93 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Sunday.

With Chris Bosh injured and back in Florida, the James-Wade tandem saved the Heat, who will host Game 5 on Tuesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.

”Just survival,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ”This is what the playoffs are about.”

James was at his MVP best, adding 18 rebounds and nine assists and refusing to let Miami’s season slip away.

”It’s still going to be a dogfight,” James said. ”It’s a three-game series now.”

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