BASKETBALL

In the NBA, two amazing playoff games.

First up, it was the Boston Celtics hosting the Miami Heat.  For the Celts, it was pretty much do-or-die with the series heading back to Miami for Game 5.  They trailed 2-1 heading into Game 4, and couldn’t afford the loss.  Paul Pierce and company had one of their solid games.  Pierce had 27 points and 8 rebounds on the night as the Celtics kept in close in the 4th.  But neither team could pull away.  Pierce had one last opportunity for the win at the end of regulation, but… NO!  He couldn’t hit it, and we headed to overtime.  And in OT, LeBron just kicked into another gear.  James finished the evening with a spectacular 35 points and 14 rebounds, as the Heat pulled away and grabbed the road victory.  The Heat now lead the series 3-1 heading back to Miami, and Boston doesn’t appear to be playing their best ball right now.  Can Miami clinch in Game 5?  Miami 98, Boston 90.

Then, in Memphis, a doozy of a game.  The Grizzlies pulled out to a 16 point lead in the first half, and looked to be running away with the game. But, the Thunder came roaring back on a 22-9 run and pulled the lead to 4 points at the half.  Then the Thunder took over in the second half and appeared to be pulling away, except the Grizzlies caught fire late.  Up by 3, the Grizzlies had one last chance to tie, and Mike Conley pulled up for a LONG three… GOOD!!!  An amazing shot to send the game into overtime.  And again, in OT, the Thuder pulled away again, but they simply couldn’t put the Grizzlies to bed. Z-Bo (Zachary Randolph) and Shane Battier were the heroes this time around, and the game would require, yes, another overtime.  And now, in double overtime, with both Mike Conley and 3-point marksman O.J. Mayo fouled out, Maryland rookie Greivis Vasquez turned into the hero, sinking an amazing 3 pointer to even the score and send it into TRIPLE OVERTIME!  Unfortunately, that was pretty much all the Grizzlies had left in the tank.  Once you hit the third overtime, people start to get winded and the team with more stars on the court tends to win.  Russell Westbrook played out of his mind for OKC, putting up 40 points on the night.  Now, the series heads back to Oklahoma City tied at 2 games a piece.  Home court advantage is back in the Thunder’s hands.  OKC 133, Memphis 123.

And, in college basketball, the University of Maryland has found their replacement for now retired head coach Gary Williams.  It looks like Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon will be the new skipper for the Terrapins.  Turgeon was relaunching the basketball program at A&M this past season, even leading them to the NCAA tourney.  He was supposed to be the guy who puts the Aggies back on the map, and he did, but Turgeon said he just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to coach at a basketball-rich program like Maryland.  He will now coach against Coach K (Duke) and Roy Williams (UNC) every year.  The ACC is an elite basketball conference (not taking anything away from the Big 12), and running a major school like Maryland is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.  You gotta take it.