Archive for May, 2015

Thibodeau Fired By Bulls, Wade Open To Leaving Team, Marshall & Smith Roommates

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In the NBA, there won’t be any games until June 4th, but that doesn’t mean there are no important headlines.  The Chicago Bulls decided to fire head coach Tom Thibodeau after 5 seasons even though many felt it was premature as he was relatively successful during his tenure.  The Team had a great winning record, but were plagued by injuries that kept them from having success.  Derrick Rose alone missed almost two full seasons.  Fortunately for Thibodeau, there are some coaching vacancies (e.g. the Pelicans, the Magic) that would love to have a winner like him.

Dwayne WadeElsewhere in the NBA, Dwayne Wade has spent his entire career with the Miami Heat.  He is beloved there.  Wade, however, said that he was open to leaving the team if a fair contract deal wasn’t reached.  Wade is in the twilight of his career, especially because of all his injuries, but there are still teams out there that would love to utilize his explosive skills even if those skills aren’t available to them all season long.  This could be an interesting off-season for Wade.

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450222ed6301f59fa1cc0a9bbcbf07ebIn the NFL, with training camps about to get under way this summer, some players are looking to build a good rapport with each other.  In New York, the Jets brought back their star receiver Brandon Marshall, hoping to give their young QB, Geno Smith, a good target.  Marshall is hoping to get some solid camaraderie with Smith, so they have decided to become roommates.

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Warriors Meet Cavs In NBA Finals, Two Game 7’s In NHL, FIFA In Trouble

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Stephen CurryIn the NBA, the Golden State Warriors had a chance to close out the series on their home floor.  But the Rockets have shown in these playoffs that they don’t lose elimination games.  That is why Houston has been nicknamed “Clutch City” this post season.  The Rockets kept it competitive for a little while, but when Golden State heated up, there was simply no stopping them.  The Warriors pulled away in the 4th and are headed to the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.  LeBron vs. Stephen Curry.  Experience vs. Youth.  This is going to be a great series! Golden State 104, Rockets 90.

HOCKEY

In the NHL, the Chicago Blackhawks were also facing elimination on their home ice against the Anaheim Ducks.  But, unlike the Rockets, they did what needed to force a Game 7 back in Anaheim.  That means that we will have 2 Game 7s in the conference finals — Chicago vs. Anaheim and New York vs. Tampa Bay.  Chicago 5, Anaheim 2.

SOCCER

The FIFA organization, the group that is in charge of regulating and promoting soccer,  is under fire for extensive shady dealings: bribery, racketeering, laundering, and backroom deals.  Apparently, this corruption has been going on for 24 years.  FIFA is a very wealthy organization in charge of the famous World Cup Tournament. Even though the next World Cups are set for Russia and Qatar respectively,  these new revelations might cause officials to reconsider the locations.  This is a big story, and high ranking officials will likely be going to jail.

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Cavs In NBA Finals, Dwight Howard Under Scrutiny For Throwing Elbow, Kaepernick In Hot Water

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In the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers were looking to sweep the #1 seed Atlanta Hawks.  In these playoffs, the Hawks have not looked like the juggernaut they were in the regular season, and LeBron took advantage of that weakness.  The Cavs absolutely destroyed the Hawks Tuesday night and are now headed to the NBA Finals!!!!! Cleveland 118, Atlanta 88.

Elsewhere in the NBA, the Rocket’s Dwight Howard is under extreme scrutiny for an elbow he threw at the Warriors’ Andrew Bogut’s face.  Everyone was saying the act was intentional and that he should be suspended for the next game.  The NBA, however,  has reviewed the play and ruled that the elbow was not intentional, but rather just part of his aggressive motion to peel himself away from Bogut.  Howard will in fact be playing Game 5 in Oakland, and the Rockets will need him to have the game of his life if they want to stand a chance against Golden State.

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Colin Kaepernick Finally, in some “Athletes Doing Something Stupid On Social Media” News, the San Francisco 49ers Colin Kaepernick is in hot water on Instagram.  Kaepernick uses the number ‘7’ (his jersey number) as a nickname on social media.  He posted a pic of the devastating Houston flood that has caused severe property damage, fatalities and homelessness and said, “Houston, the 7torm is coming”.  Everyone thought it was beyond distasteful, and Kaepernick immediately apologized saying he had no idea the extent of the real damage and horror in Houston.  He said, “No disrespect.  Prayers Up!”.  These athletes need to think before they talk (or tweet).

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Steph Curry Frightening Fall, Cavs Up 3-0, Warriors Up 3-1, Josh Hamilton’s Return

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In the NBA, typically the Conference Finals match-ups are hard fought battles, and sometimes even more exciting than the NBA Finals.  But this year, it looks like there are two clear heavy weights:  The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs took a commanding 3-0 lead over the Atlanta Hawks and the Warriors maintained a 3-1 lead over the Houston Rockets.  It looks like we could see a showdown between the two best players in the league, LeBron James, and this year’s MVP, Stephen Curry.  It’s not over yet, of course, and anything can happen (see below), but the Finals that many predicted could be coming true.

Steph CurrySteph Curry took a frightening fall in the second quarter of Monday night’s game against the Rockets. Be warned, it’s a scary sight. After what seemed like hours face down on the ground, Curry got up and headed to the locker room. At that point, no one knew if he’d be back for the remainder of the game, let alone the series. The doctors administered extensive concussion tests and deemed the injury a head contusion not concussion and allowed him to finish the game. Unfortunately he didn’t get his groove back in time to prevent the Warriors loss. Thankfully, though, he seems fine and will play the rest of the series. Rockets 128, Warriors 115.

BASEBALL

Josh Hamilton’s relapse into drugs and alcohol was well documented.  The Los Angeles Angels dragged his name through the mud and then traded him away to the Texas Rangers.  This weekend, he made his return to the field, and hoped to get back into his all-star form.  He looked quite rusty out there, unfortunately,striking out a couple of times.  The Rangers shouldn’t give up hope in Hamilton, who was once one of the best hitters in the league, but it was a rough start.  The Rangers want to give this guy every chance he needs, as they are behind his recovery and believe in him.

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Warriors Win At Wire, NBA First Team Announced, Bumgarner Hits HR Off Kershaw

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Steph CurryIn the NBA, it was Game 2 between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets.  Dwight Howard was a game time decision, and it turned out that he WOULD play.   Howard actually had a fantastic game.  This game, however,  was a battle of the MVP, Step Curry, and the MVP runner up, James Harden.  As they were trading baskets, there were at least 10 ‘Oh-My!’ highlights.  The game actually came down to the wire, with the Rockets having a chance to win on the last possession. A stellar defensive effort by the Warriors caused Harden to turn it over, and the Warriors snag a 2-0 lead.  Golden State 99, Houston 98.

Elsewhere in the NBA, the “NBA First Team” was announced.  The “First Team” is a make up of the ideal best starting line-up this year. It consisted of Stephen Curry and James Harden in the backcourt, LeBron James at small forward, Anthony Davis at power forward, and Marc Gasol at center.  It would be fun to see this team play!

BASEBALL

Madison BumgarnerAnd in some crazy baseball news, the top two pitchers in the League are arguably the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw and the Giants’ Madison Bumgarner.  You typically see pitching duels between these players, but it’s rare that one of them hits a homerun off the other, but that’s exactly what happened on Thursday. Bumgarner smashed one off of Kershaw.  Bumgarner likely studied Kershaw’s  pitching style and knew exactly what was coming, but pitchers are typically not the best hitters, so this was quite rare. Even more rare was that it was a homer off of Kershaw.   Now Bumgarner has extreme bragging rights over Kershaw.   San Francisco 4, LA Dodgers 0.

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Cavs Win Game 1, #1 Draft Pick Doesn’t Want Minnesota, Rangers Lose Game 3, Hershey Syrup To Endorse Nationals,

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In the NBA, it was Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Atlanta Hawks.  The Hawks were out to prove that they’re the Spurs 2.0, but they still had to take on LeBron and the Cavs.  That’s anything but easy in the playoffs.  While LeBron did play well, the real hero for the Cavs was J.R. Smith who caught fire from behind the arc.  Smith hit a whopping eight 3-pointers, and proved that he is still a super valuable commodity. The Cavs win Game 1 and steal home court advantage.  Cleveland 97, Atlanta 89.

Every NBA draft prospect typically wants to go #1 overall — it shows that you were the most coveted player and it’s an honor.  But this year, a very likely #1 pick, Karl-Anthony Towns MAY have said to some friends that he would prefer to go #2 just so he gets to play in Los Angeles for the Lakers and have a more glamorous career.  There is nothing wrong with Minnesota, but they don’t play on TV as much, they don’t have as strong of a fan base, and it’s freezing.  The exact oppossite is true in LA.  It would be interesting if the top projected picks faked injuries or something to that effect to fall to #2.

HOCKEY

The New York Rangers are now down 2-1 against the Tampa Bay Lightening in the Eastern Conference Finals. It is the second consecutive game in which the Rangers and their goalie, Henrik Lundqvist gave up 6 goals. Game 4 of the best of seven series is Friday night.

BASEBALL

Hershey SyrupFinally, in baseball, the Washington Nationals have a very strange new tradition.  Instead of dumping Gatorade on each other’s head during a celebration, they pour chocolate syrup.  They said the reason is that “Syrup makes ice cream better — it’s the syrup on top that makes it that much sweeter”.  So that’s their rationale.  The Hershey chocolate company was so enamored by the use of their product, they decided to give the Nationals free chocolate syrup.  It’s a great endorsement opportunity for Hershey.

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Warriors Win Game 1, NBA Lottery, American Pharoah Worth $20Mill For Breeding, PAT Changes

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Dwight HowardIn the NBA, it was Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets.  Houston was coming into the game playing their best basketball of the season.  The Rockets started slowly then got some bad news when Dwight Howard struggled to play due to a sore knee.  Houston muscled back to close the gap, but the Warriors 3-point shooting was simply too great and the Warriors grabbed Game 1.  Golden State 110, Houston 106.

Also in the NBA, the NBA Draft Lottery took place.  This year, two major market teams, the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers, had good odds for getting the top 1 or 2 picks and reviving their franchises.  When the ping pong balls were drawn, however, the #1 pick went to the worst team in the league, the Minnesota Timberwolves, with the Lakers getting the second pick. The Philadelphia 76ers drew the 3rd pick and the Knicks finished 4th.

HORSE RACING

In horse racing, all the excitement is around American Pharoah in his quest to win the Triple Crown.  But how horse owners really make their money by selling breeding rights and it’s reported that they are receiving offers in the range of $20 million for American Pharoah.

FOOTBALL

The NFL added a new rule for the 2015 season. The extra point will now be kicked from the 15 yard line (previously the 2 yard line) while the two point conversion will remain on the 2 yard line. The kick will now be a 32 yard attempt. The defense will also be able to score a touchdown if they intercept or return a blocked extra point. Previously, the ball was ruled dead.

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Dolphins Sign Tannehill To $96 Mill Contract, 49ers Defense In Trouble, Mayweather Wins $500K Bet

Bit of a quiet day in the sports world with the conference finals in the NBA playoffs set to tip off Tuesday night.

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Ryan TannehillIn the NFL, the Miami Dolphins quietly signed their young quarterback Ryan Tannehill to a long term contract worth roughly $96million.  Of course, these numbers are inflated and largely bonus based, but it’s still around $20million guaranteed.  Even though Tannehill has had some major shortcomings late in each of his few seasons in the NFL, the Dolphins think he has the ability to be a franchise quarterback.  They have no interest in starting from scratch with another rookie.  Plus, they added some serious receiving weapons in the draft to help Tannehill.  Could be a good move for the Dolphins.
Elsewhere in the NFL, what was once a mighty defense in San Francisco for the 49ers is quickly going soft.  Earlier this off-season, the Niners star linebacker Patrick Willis decided to retire.  And now, their star defensive lineman, Justin Smith, has decided to call it quits as well.  This leaves major holes in their defense, and that is not good news in the increasingly difficult NFC West division.   It’s going to be a rough ride in SF this fall.

BOXING

Undefeated boxing champ Floyd Mayweather went on a gambling spree this weekend, and won nearly $500,000 by going against the grain.  In one such bet, he put his money down on the Rockets to win Game 6 in Los Angeles, when everyone thought the Clippers would wrap up the series.

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Wizards And Clippers Collapse, Hawks And Rockets Move On To Eastern/Western Conf Finals, American Pharoah Wins Preakness

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This weekend saw the epic collapse of some NBA teams.  First up, the Washington Wizards were hoping to defend their home court against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 and force a Game 7.  Everyone expected them to win the game as they now have a relatively healthy team.  Unfortunately for the Wizards, however, they fell down big early, and couldn’t get their rhythm.  They stormed back late in the 4th, but some costly mistakes gave the Hawks all the advantages to snag the win and eliminate the Wizards.  The Wiz will now have to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to avoid collapsing down the stretch. The Hawks go on to play the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.  Atlanta 94, Washington 91.

Speaking of failures, the Los Angeles Clippers had an all time epic collapse against the Houston Rockets in their Game 6.  The Clippers had a 19 point lead late in the 3rd quarter at home with a chance to win the series.  They not only blew the lead, but allowed to Rockets to crush them.  They were forced to go back to Houston to try and win Game 7 in front of a raucous Houston crowd.  Houston, however, came out strong and never let up.  The Rockets easily grabbed the win and will now take on the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.  Houston 113, LA Clippers 100.

HORSE RACING

American PharoahThis weekend was the second leg of the quest for the Triple Crown in horse racing: The Preakness at Pimlico in Baltimore.  The favorite was the Kentucky Derby winner, American Pharoah.  And in a big surge at the end, Pharoah took home 1st place again.  Now all the talk is , “will he be able to win the Triple Crown at the Belmont Stakes in three weeks”?   It’s not such an easy feat, however. Fourteen  horses in the last 36 years, including last year’s California Chrome won the first two races of the Triple Crown but came away defeated at the Belmont. The last Triple Crown winner was Affirmed in 1978.

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Cavs Advance To Eastern Conf Finals, Clippers Choke, Tom Brady Appeals Suspension

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In the NBA, it was Game 6 between the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers.  The Cavs led 3-2, but the Bulls had the chance to defend their home court and force a Game 7.  One would expect the Bulls to come out fiercer than ever, but they looked absolutely terrible.  LeBron and the Cavs easily dismantled the Bulls.  The Cavs grabbed an easy win, and will now await the winner of the Atlanta/Washington series to fill out the Eastern Conference Finals.  Cleveland 94, Chicago 73.

Then, it was Game 6 for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Houston Rockets.  The Clippers had a chance to close out the series on their home floor.  They even led by 12 with roughly 6 minutes to go in the 4th.  But they just did everything wrong down the stretch, while the Rockets, with nothing to lose, played comfortably and hit every shot.  If you look at the Final score, it appears that the Rockets crushed the Clippers, but that lead was built in the final minutes of the game.   They erased the Clippers lead and did it WITHOUT James Harden, because the coach felt the group on the floor was playing so well the team didn’t need him. The Clips choked, and now we will get a Game 7 in Houston.  Houston 119, LA Clippers 107.

FOOTBALL

 

Tom BradyFinally, in the NFL, New England Patriots’ QB, Tom Brady’s wants to appeal his 4-game suspension for deflategate.  He doesn’t think he’s being treated fairly and that the report doesn’t take into account the science of balls naturally losing air.  Brady definitely wants to try and be on the field at the beginning of the season.

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