BASKETBALL

The Boston Celtics overpowered the Washington Wizards in game 7 and will advance to the Eastern Conference finals. The Celtics reserve Center, Kelly Olynyk was the star of the game posting 26 points and helping lead the team to a 115-105 win. Boston will now face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night in the Eastern Conference finals.

FOOTBALL

Former Green Bay Packer, Eddie Lacy, was signed to a one-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks for $2.865 million with extra incentives worth another $2.6 million. The weight loss section in the extra incentive clause is what’s currently making headlines.  He recently earned $55k for his first weight loss bonus, weighing in at 253 pounds.  And, he’ll earn his next bonus if he weighs in below 250 pounds by June 12th. When Lacy played at Alabama in 2013, he weighed 230 and his coaches are anxious to get him back to his prime playing days.

Speaking of the Seahawks, coach Pete Carroll, said he’s exploring signing former 49er Colin Kaepernick or former Brown Robert Griffin III as a backup QB to their starter Russell Wilson.

OTHER

Dwayne, The Rock, Johnson just released a new promo for his movie Baywatch, which debuts May 25th. In the commercial, Olympic gold medalist (many times over) Michael Phelps begged to be part of the movie. The Rock made him pass a series of tests including holding his breathe and CPR for an Orca.

BASKETBALL

The San Antonio Spurs were overpowering the Golden State Warriors until Kawhi Leonard went down with an ankle injury in the 3rd quarter of Sunday’s Western Conference final. The Warriors were down by 25 points during the game, but fought back and then went on a tear and outscored the Spurs 58-33. It was the largest comeback in finals conference history in the last 15 years. Steph Curry added 40 points and Kevin Durant 34 in the win. Kawhi will undergo an MRI today and is doubtful for Tuesday’s game 2. Warriors 113, Spurs 111.

The Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics face off in Game 7 tonight. The winner will face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference final.

BASEBALL

The New York Yankees retired Derek Jeter’s #2 jersey Sunday night. Jeter is beloved by Yankee fans. He played all 20 years of his career with the team and won 5 World Series. Watch Jeter’s emotional speech (with no notes) before the Yankee Stadium crowd.

BASKETBALL

The San Antonio Spurs were playing without Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, but still managed to dominate the Houston Rockets to win the Western Conference semi-final. LaMarcus Aldridge was the star of the night with 34 points and 12 rebounds in a 114-75 rout of the Rockets. The other star, with the best background story, was Jonathan Simmons, who started in place of the injured Kawhi. Coming out of the ABL and working as a Barber, Simmons paid $150 dollars in 2013 for a D-League tryout with the Spurs. He played his first NBA game in November of 2015. For the whole story, click here.

The Spurs will now face the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals. Game 1 is on Sunday at 3;30 pm.

FOOTBALL

Some are speculating Colin Kaepernick is getting black-balled by NFL teams, particularly after Kaepernnick’s backup on the SF 49ers Blaine Gabbert was recently signed by the Arizona Cardinals. Kaepernick’s advisor, Harry Edwards, claims he’s been contacted by three teams since free-agency began. Edwards said, “I don’t think there’s any question that there are some owners who wouldn’t have him in the league, much less on their team. But I fully expect one [team to sign him], because it’s in the best interest of the league to have him on a team.” Kaep has also stated he will stand for the National Anthem next year.

BASKETBALL

The Washington Wizards’ defense were all over the Celtics’ 5′ 9″ Isaiah Thomas in game 5, so Thomas mixed things up by setting screens for teammate Al Horford who came out strong to lead the team. Then Avery Bradley added a playoff career high of 29 points to put the Celtics up 3-2 in the Eastern Conference semi-final. Game 6 is on Friday night. Celtics 123, Wizards 101.

Speaking of Isaiah Thomas, he was fined $25K for swearing at at a disrespectful fan during game 3 against the Wizards.  The video of him yelling at the fan was sent out on social media. He said “I’ll f— you up. You know that. Make sure after, come right here and say it.”

OTHER

In an interview for GQ Magazine, Dwayne, “The Rock“, Johnson said he might consider running for President at some point in the future.  He said, “A year ago it started coming up more and more. There was a real sense of earnestness, which made me go home and think, ‘Let me really rethink my answer and make sure I am giving an answer that is truthful and also respectful.’ I didn’t want to be flippant.”

BASKETBALL

The San Antonio Spurs’ Manu Ginobili had the play of the game when he blocked the Houston Rockets’ James Harden’s shot in overtime. Harden is not used to getting blocked in general, and this was the first time for Ginobili had ever done it. The Spurs now lead the Western Conference semi-final 3 games to 2. Game 6 is on Thursday 8:00 pm. Spurs 110, Rockets 107.

FOOTBALL

Michael Oher, the inspiration for the movie “Blindside” and currently a Carolina Panther, turned himself in for allegedly assaulting an Uber driver. According the driver, Oher was upset with him for taking a different route to a restaurant and pushed him to the ground.

BASEBALL

The NY Mets Matt Harvey apologized to the Mets organization, the fans, and his teammates for missing Saturday’s game. Harvey admitted he stayed out too late Friday night, then golfed Saturday morning which led him to miss Saturday’s game. He was also rumored to be upset after his breakup with Victoria Secrets Super Model Adriana Lima and was drowning his sorrows Friday night. Harvey wasn’t scheduled to pitch on Saturday, but he was still expected to be at the Ballpark supporting his team.

BASKETBALL

After a sweep of the Utah Jazz, the Golden State Warriors head to the Western Conference Finals. With the Cleveland Cavaliers sweeping their first two rounds as well, it’s only the second time since 1983 that two teams enter the conference finals with a perfect 8-0. The Warriors will now play the winner of the Houston Rockets/San Antonio Spurs series which is currently tied at 2-2. Golden State 121, Utah 95.

Hall of Famer, Shaquille O’Neal claims he’d like to run for Sheriff in 2020 in either Florida or Georgia (he holds residency in both states). O’Neal has served as a reserve police officer in a number of cities, so the idea of him wanting to do more is not completely out of the blue. He stated, “You know, when I was coming up, people love and respected the police, the deputies. And I want to be the one to bring that back, especially in the community that I serve.”

Big Baller Brand, the company built around the Ball brothers (the oldest Lonzo hasn’t even been drafted yet), made over $150,000 in one day with its $495 sneaker called the ZO2. As big mouth dad LaVar Ball stated, “if you can’t afford the ZO2’s you’re not a big baller”.

HORSE RACING

“Always Dreaming” ran away with the Kentucky Derby Saturday night. The “Run for the Roses” took place on a muddy track where many horses were having bad trips.  Always Dreaming, trained by Todd Fletcher and ridden by John Valazquez, looked solid coming out of the gate and rode to a 2 3/4 length victory. Fletcher is used to winning, but has had problems at the Derby in the past. He previously had won only one 1 Derby in 45 starts.  Always Dreaming will now rest up and be back on the track in 2 weeks for the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes on May 20th.

BASKETBALL

The Cleveland Cavaliers swept the second round of the Eastern Conference semi-final against the Toronto Raptors. The Cavs have now won 8 games in a row in the post-season and will have a week off before facing an opponent in the Eastern conference final. LeBron James proved once again he’s one of the greatest recording 6 straight games with 30 or more points in a playoff game. Cleveland 109, Toronto 102.

In other playoff news, with the Boston Celtics loss on Sunday, the Washington Wizards tied the series at 2-2. James Harden came out strong with 28 points to help his Rockets even the series with the San Antonio Spurs at 2-2. The Golden State Warriors are up 3-0 against the Utah Jazz and will play game four tonight.

The New York Knicks Kristaps Porzingis sent out a confusing tweet over the weekend with just the words, “LA Clippers and three smiley face emoji’s”, suggesting his interest in being traded.  Many, including myself, were shocked he’d be so bold in showing his interest in another team. According to Porzingis, however, his account was hacked and he never intended to send this type of tweet.

BASKETBALL

The Washington Wizards came out strong with a 22-0 run in the first quarter and kept the momentum for a win against the Boston Celtics in Game 3 (Wizards down 2-1 in the series).  The game descended into chaos with 8 technical fouls and 3 ejections. It all started when the Wizards Kelly Oubre Jr. ran over the Celtics Kelly Olynyk and was ejected from the game. Tensions ran high from then on, but the Wizards held on for a big 116-89 win. As the Celtics Isaiah Thomas said of the rivalry, “We don’t like them, and they don’t like us”. Speaking of Thomas, his teeth got knocked out AGAIN and he had to miss the beginning of the second half. He said he’s done with the dentist and won’t get his permanent teeth until the end of the season.

The Golden State Warriors made their game 2 win against the Utah Jazz look easy. Draymond Green recorded 21 points and Kevin Durant added 25 for a 115-104 victory. The Warriors now lead the series 2-0.

In other basketball news, the very controversial LaVar Ball (father of UCLA’s Lonzo Ball who is expected to be a top 3 pick in the June NBA draft), debuted his sneaker and apparel line called “Big Baller Brand”. The shoe, designed for Lonzo, is listed at $495 or $995 for an autographed pair. With seemingly no money spent on marketing, Big Baller Brand is getting lots of media attention, but not such great feedback considering the crazy expensive price tag. Shaq tweeted, “Hey @Lavarbigballer real big baller brands would not over charge kids for shoes. pic.twitter.com/N2U0VPXXyt“

BASKETBALL

With 39 points in another big win over the Toronto Raptors, LeBron James recorded another milestone by passing Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become #2 on the NBA all-time playoff scoring list. Michael Jordan currently holds the #1 spot, but LeBron could pass him if the Cavs continue winning. Cleveland is now up 2-0 in the series. Cavs 125, Raptors 103.

The San Antonio Spurs evened up the Western conference semifinal 1-1 with the Houston Rockets Wednesday night, but Tony Parker suffered a leg injury which got him carried off the court. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Parker will undergo an MRI today and determine if/when Parker will be able to return. San Antonio 121, Houston 96.

BASEBALL

The Boston Red Sox/Baltimore Orioles series is getting out of control and causing some craziness at Fenway Park.  It all started on April 21st when Orioles player Manny Machado slid into Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia. The Red Sox players tried to hit Machado in retaliation. Then Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale hit a batter with a 98 mile fastball but didn’t get in trouble. Just a one day later, Kevin Gausman was ejected, without any warning, for hitting a batter with a curveball.

An even bigger issue coming out of this series is the fan behavior at Fenway. The Orioles Adam Jones was taunted with racist remarks on Monday night. Another racist incident happened Wednesday night as well, and the fan was immediately banned from the Park.

GOLF

Newly retired Dallas quarterback Tony Romo will test his skills in golf. He is scheduled to compete in a US Open qualifier on Monday in Texas. Romo is not new to the game, but reportedly had to pull out of other qualifiers due to conflicts with football.

BASKETBALL

Isaiah Thomas was the star of the Boston Celtics vs Washington Wizards Eastern conference semi-final game 2. On what would have been his sister’s 23rd birthday, Thomas took control of the game and scored 53 points. After the game, he told reporters everything he does is for his late sister. He said, “My sister wouldn’t want me to stop. The only thing about it is, once I leave this gym, I hit reality and she’s not here. So that’s the tough part. But, when I’m in this arena, I can lock in and I know everything I do is for her.” Celtics now lead the series 2-0. Boston 129, Washington 119.

In the first game of the Western conference semi-final, the Golden State Warriors looked fresh and came out strong after their 8 days of rest from sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. The Utah Jazz appeared overmatched from the very start of the game. Steph Curry put on a show and made 7-1 Rudy Gobert, known as “The Stifle Tower”, literally spin.  Warriors 106, Jazz 94.

FOOTBALL

Nick Saban, Alabama’s head coach, will get a 3 year contract extension and reportedly will be making $11.125 million this season (including a $4 million signing bonus). The contract will run through  2025 with a total of $65 million (not including incentives). The Crimson Tide clearly want to make sure Saban doesn’t leave the school for a rival or for the NFL.