The Indiana Pacers have the length,
athleticism and defensive pedigree to create a rough night for even the most
prolific of scorers, but nobody could have expected this. The Pacers capably
defended their home court in Thursday night's 94-75 Game 3 victory over the
Miami Heat, holding Dwyane Wade to a horrific 2-for-13 night and LeBron James to
a 3-for-9 mark from the floor in the second half. Miami's frustration was
typified by a third-quarter jawing match between Wade and Heat coach Erik
Spoelstra, fueled by both Wade's sluggish play and a 52-29 run that helped the
Pacers pull away in the second and third quarters.
Indiana put Wade in this bad place. Not
only do the Pacers feature a litany of long wing defenders bent on chasing him
around his various screens, but the presence of All-Star center Roy Hibbert
loomed large in the win. Hibbert scored 19 points for Indiana, taking advantage
of that limited Miami front line, but his biggest impact came on the defensive
end as his length helped chase Wade and James into mid-range looks that they
could not connect on. Hibbert added 18 rebounds and five blocks, and his
individual defense in one significant fourth-quarter stretch almost singularly
quelled Miami's last chance at a comeback.
Spoelstra also refused to blame Wade's
woes on any possible injury, and pointed to the fact that just about every
active NBA player is banged up as they work through the second round of the
playoffs. LeBron James conceded Wade "wasn't himself," but refused to point to
any possible injury to Wade beyond "what we all have," referring to the typical
"bumps and bruises" that teams have to work through in mid-May. Wade, as you'd
expect -- "He'll never make excuses," Spoelstra said -- declined to admit to any
nagging injury and passed on discussing his third-quarter tiff with
Spoelstra.
While it's hard to imagine the graybeard
Duncan busting out a smartphone, it's not as tough to see the Pacers possibly
running away with this series. The Heat still have the best two players on the
court at any time, but Indiana can guard those best two with their best three or
even four, leaving centers wide open and forcing Mario Chalmers, who was
excellent with 25 points and zero turnovers before injuring his left wrist just
before the final buzzer, and Shane Battier, who was not, missing all seven of
his attempts from the field, to beat them. All of this can change with a few
tweaks from Spoelstra in Sunday's Game 4, and the Heat could take back
home-court advantage in a flash. But that would also have to involve the Pacers
backing off a bit.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Joe McKnight says too much McDonald’s helped him gain 16 pounds in offseason
Speedy New York Jets running back Joe
McKnight gained 16 pounds in the offseason in order to transform himself into a
more durable NFL running back. And how did he add the weight so
quickly?
"A lot of McDonald's," the 215-pound back told reporters. "I ate healthy, but the majority of the time I was eating bad. I'm not going to say I was eating all the right stuff like Tim Tebow.
Oh, McDonald's, scapegoat of weight gains worldwide. Why does it always have to be McDonald's that gets blamed? Sure, the elite sneer at the golden arches (check out the comments section in this New York Times Magazine article), but trendy burger joints like Shake Shack aren't exactly Weight Watchers approved.
McKnight said he gained the weight and then worked out to convert his bulk into muscle, but nobody heard that part because they were all wondering what Tim Tebow eats. My guess: Grilled chicken, half a plain baked potato, steamed broccoli and a glass of chocolate milk if he's been an especially good boy.
The running back shouldn't have to go far to get advice on weight loss. Portly Rex Ryan showed up at Jets minicamp looking svelte after his lapband procedure. The coach has dropped 90 pounds since January.
"A lot of McDonald's," the 215-pound back told reporters. "I ate healthy, but the majority of the time I was eating bad. I'm not going to say I was eating all the right stuff like Tim Tebow.
Oh, McDonald's, scapegoat of weight gains worldwide. Why does it always have to be McDonald's that gets blamed? Sure, the elite sneer at the golden arches (check out the comments section in this New York Times Magazine article), but trendy burger joints like Shake Shack aren't exactly Weight Watchers approved.
McKnight said he gained the weight and then worked out to convert his bulk into muscle, but nobody heard that part because they were all wondering what Tim Tebow eats. My guess: Grilled chicken, half a plain baked potato, steamed broccoli and a glass of chocolate milk if he's been an especially good boy.
The running back shouldn't have to go far to get advice on weight loss. Portly Rex Ryan showed up at Jets minicamp looking svelte after his lapband procedure. The coach has dropped 90 pounds since January.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
LeBron James' brilliant destruction of Pacers can't mask his maddening habits
Early in the fourth quarter of Sunday's
Game 1 win, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra looked the NBA's MVP in the eye and said,
"You cannot get tired."Normally, LeBron James starts the final quarter on the
bench, but the coach decided the game was too close, Chris Bosh was out with an
injury and, as Spoelstra put it, "We needed him."James did not get tired. He had
16 points in the fourth quarter alone to help his team run away from the Pacers.
The newly minted MVP was unstoppable down the stretch.But why did it even come
to this?
Game 1 was surprisingly close throughout, and the Heat didn't take control until the final minutes. James scored only six points in the first half. He attempted two free throws. It seemed like every play was James hustling the ball up court, slamming on the brakes, peeling back and then throwing it to someone else. That's even what happened leading up to Bosh's injury: James was close enough to the basket to finish or draw a foul, but he deferred and Bosh got hurt underneath the glass. This isn't to say James is responsible for a teammate's injury – he wasn't – but a bull in a china shop shouldn't be so hesitant to, you know, break some things.
That's what's so maddening about James. He's an MVP who isn't always MVP-ish. Even Wade said Sunday, "Sometimes he starts out aggressive, sometimes he don't." We all know the answer: James wants to be the consummate teammate. But Wade, who is a consummate teammate, is almost always ferocious. "Flash" bolted for the basket from the beginning of Game 1 like a dad who saw his infant about to fall down the stairs. He went to the line 14 times and made 13 of his tries. There's no reason James shouldn't do the same.
The calls that went for Pacers center Roy Hibbert in the first round went against him Sunday, so it's not like the referees aren't going to give him the benefit of the doubt. James himself calls the Heat "an attack team," and it shouldn't take a close playoff game and an injury to a teammate for him to attack. Go to the rack, go to the stripe, go to the Finals.
Game 1 was surprisingly close throughout, and the Heat didn't take control until the final minutes. James scored only six points in the first half. He attempted two free throws. It seemed like every play was James hustling the ball up court, slamming on the brakes, peeling back and then throwing it to someone else. That's even what happened leading up to Bosh's injury: James was close enough to the basket to finish or draw a foul, but he deferred and Bosh got hurt underneath the glass. This isn't to say James is responsible for a teammate's injury – he wasn't – but a bull in a china shop shouldn't be so hesitant to, you know, break some things.
That's what's so maddening about James. He's an MVP who isn't always MVP-ish. Even Wade said Sunday, "Sometimes he starts out aggressive, sometimes he don't." We all know the answer: James wants to be the consummate teammate. But Wade, who is a consummate teammate, is almost always ferocious. "Flash" bolted for the basket from the beginning of Game 1 like a dad who saw his infant about to fall down the stairs. He went to the line 14 times and made 13 of his tries. There's no reason James shouldn't do the same.
The calls that went for Pacers center Roy Hibbert in the first round went against him Sunday, so it's not like the referees aren't going to give him the benefit of the doubt. James himself calls the Heat "an attack team," and it shouldn't take a close playoff game and an injury to a teammate for him to attack. Go to the rack, go to the stripe, go to the Finals.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Kobe Bryant jokes he's 'too old' to Nuggets Coach George Karl
For the sake of winning, Kobe Bryant
willingly took a back seat to his scoring. But for the sake of his competitive
streak, Bryant couldn't help but take issue with Nuggets Coach George Karl.
So after the Lakers' 96-87 Game 7 victory Saturday over the Denver Nuggets, Kobe Bryant didn't just approach Denver's coach to rub it in that the purple and gold were advancing. He also questioned why the Nuggets double-teamed him, leading him to focus less on scoring (17 points on seven-of-16 shooting) and more on facilitating (eight assists).
"All I said to him is, 'You don't have to double-team me that much,' " Bryant said. "I'm too old. I can't score the ball anymore."
Of course, that's hardly the case. The Nuggets often sent him single coverage early in the season so they could throw their resources at Andrew Bynum. Bryant's 43 points nearly proved enough to bring the Lakers back to win Game 5; they lost by three.
That's why Kobe Bryant couldn't help but feel amused by Karl's reaction."He said he wasn't falling for that," Bryant said with a smile.
So after the Lakers' 96-87 Game 7 victory Saturday over the Denver Nuggets, Kobe Bryant didn't just approach Denver's coach to rub it in that the purple and gold were advancing. He also questioned why the Nuggets double-teamed him, leading him to focus less on scoring (17 points on seven-of-16 shooting) and more on facilitating (eight assists).
"All I said to him is, 'You don't have to double-team me that much,' " Bryant said. "I'm too old. I can't score the ball anymore."
Of course, that's hardly the case. The Nuggets often sent him single coverage early in the season so they could throw their resources at Andrew Bynum. Bryant's 43 points nearly proved enough to bring the Lakers back to win Game 5; they lost by three.
That's why Kobe Bryant couldn't help but feel amused by Karl's reaction."He said he wasn't falling for that," Bryant said with a smile.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Steve Nash is the general manager of Canada Basketball
The NBA's international superstars are
usually identified as different-looking people with unpopular haircuts and thick
accents.
Take one look and hear one sentence from Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming and Pau Gasol, and it's clear none of them were born in the United States of America. Yet there are other, less obvious foreign players in the league: those who hail from the mystical land of Canada, where a wise moose acts as spiritual leader and Wayne Gretzky is allowed to make up laws as he pleases.
Among the NBA's Canadians, Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash stands out as the most famous and best player. Now, after retiring from the national team and as he nears the end of his NBA career, Nash will serve as general manager of Canada Basketball, the nation's basketball organization.
"Canada Basketball has been huge in my career but it's also been hamstrung on many occasions — daily, yearly — in its existence because of funding," Nash, who deflected questions about whether he might sign with the Toronto Raptors this summer, said at Tuesday's press conference at the Air Canada Centre. "We've never had the funding to do the things or supply the resources that we wanted to. But now, because of the power and the human resource and the capital of our Sixth Man Group [a group of private investors supporting the team], we have the potential to do some amazing things.
"We want to be playing in the Olympics perennially and we want to be in the hunt for medals," Nash added
Team Canada has a chance to make some noise on the world stage, and it's important for Nash to be involved in some way if they want to maximize their potential. As he said in his remarks, money is an issue, and there's no better way to raise money than by having a true national superstar involved.
But Nash will also gain a lot from this experience himself, and not just in the sense that it's a good PR move to show some patriotism. Nash has never been shy about exploring opportunities off the basketball court, whether that involves charitable endeavors or selling suits for Indochino. Holding an important management position that allows him to work with Canada Basketball's private investors can only help his career. No matter what he chooses to do with the rest of his life, Nash will have more options and connections after this experience.
Take one look and hear one sentence from Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming and Pau Gasol, and it's clear none of them were born in the United States of America. Yet there are other, less obvious foreign players in the league: those who hail from the mystical land of Canada, where a wise moose acts as spiritual leader and Wayne Gretzky is allowed to make up laws as he pleases.
Among the NBA's Canadians, Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash stands out as the most famous and best player. Now, after retiring from the national team and as he nears the end of his NBA career, Nash will serve as general manager of Canada Basketball, the nation's basketball organization.
"Canada Basketball has been huge in my career but it's also been hamstrung on many occasions — daily, yearly — in its existence because of funding," Nash, who deflected questions about whether he might sign with the Toronto Raptors this summer, said at Tuesday's press conference at the Air Canada Centre. "We've never had the funding to do the things or supply the resources that we wanted to. But now, because of the power and the human resource and the capital of our Sixth Man Group [a group of private investors supporting the team], we have the potential to do some amazing things.
"We want to be playing in the Olympics perennially and we want to be in the hunt for medals," Nash added
Team Canada has a chance to make some noise on the world stage, and it's important for Nash to be involved in some way if they want to maximize their potential. As he said in his remarks, money is an issue, and there's no better way to raise money than by having a true national superstar involved.
But Nash will also gain a lot from this experience himself, and not just in the sense that it's a good PR move to show some patriotism. Nash has never been shy about exploring opportunities off the basketball court, whether that involves charitable endeavors or selling suits for Indochino. Holding an important management position that allows him to work with Canada Basketball's private investors can only help his career. No matter what he chooses to do with the rest of his life, Nash will have more options and connections after this experience.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Floyd Mayweather celebrates his win with Justin Bieber
Floyd Mayweather believes the key to his
hard-fought victory over Miguel Cotto on Saturday night stemmed from the night
he shunned a trip to an Orlando strip club and went for a six-mile run at
3a.m.
Mayweather defeated Cotto by unanimous decision following an arduous battle that left him with a bloodied nose and mouth. He was forced to rely on the stamina built up during a grueling training camp.
That camp was scheduled to begin at the start of March but instead Mayweather opted to start his preparations a week earlier in the middle of the night during NBA All-Star weekend.
"That is what he is all about, working hard and showing that kind of extreme work ethic no one else has. He showed a lot of spirit and determination. Everyone understands what it takes to be successful but he does it better than anyone."
Information come from online news.Thank you for your reading.
Mayweather defeated Cotto by unanimous decision following an arduous battle that left him with a bloodied nose and mouth. He was forced to rely on the stamina built up during a grueling training camp.
That camp was scheduled to begin at the start of March but instead Mayweather opted to start his preparations a week earlier in the middle of the night during NBA All-Star weekend.
"That is what he is all about, working hard and showing that kind of extreme work ethic no one else has. He showed a lot of spirit and determination. Everyone understands what it takes to be successful but he does it better than anyone."
Information come from online news.Thank you for your reading.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Bryant, Bynum Lead Lakers to 3-1 Edge Over Nuggets
Kobe Bryant scored 22 points, Andrew
Bynum added 19 and the Los Angeles Lakers' stars got plenty of help from their
supporting cast in a 92-88 win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night for a 3-1
lead in their first-round playoff series.The Lakers can wrap it up Tuesday night
when the series shifts back to Staples Center for Game 5.
Reserve Jordan Hill was big for L.A., posting a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Steve Blake scored 10 points, including a key 3-pointer in the final minute as the Lakers overcame a six-point halftime hole and a 71-70 deficit heading into the fourth quarter.
"This was fun," Blake said. "It doesn't get any better than this. Playoff basketball, this is what it's all about."
With the game tied at 86, Danilo Gallinari was covering Bryant when a hard screen from Pau Gasol sent him to the floor grabbing his face. Bryant worked the ball to Sessions, whose 3-pointer from just in front of the Nuggets bench put the Lakers ahead 89-86 with 48 seconds remaining.
Andre Miller was whistled for basket interference at the other end, and Blake sank a 3-pointer from the left corner with 18.9 seconds left for a six-point cushion, L.A.'s biggest of the night.Gallinari led the Nuggets with 20 points, and Miller had 15.After torching the Lakers for 50 points combined in the previous two games, Ty Lawson was held to 11 points and Nuggets big men Kenneth Faried and JaVale McGee weren't nearly as effective on offense or disruptive defensively as they were in Game 2, when they combined for 28 points and 30 rebounds.
(Ps: I'm very sorry . Some time ago I was sick, so I can not update the news in time . I will do better from now on . Thank you for your support! )
Reserve Jordan Hill was big for L.A., posting a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Steve Blake scored 10 points, including a key 3-pointer in the final minute as the Lakers overcame a six-point halftime hole and a 71-70 deficit heading into the fourth quarter.
"This was fun," Blake said. "It doesn't get any better than this. Playoff basketball, this is what it's all about."
With the game tied at 86, Danilo Gallinari was covering Bryant when a hard screen from Pau Gasol sent him to the floor grabbing his face. Bryant worked the ball to Sessions, whose 3-pointer from just in front of the Nuggets bench put the Lakers ahead 89-86 with 48 seconds remaining.
Andre Miller was whistled for basket interference at the other end, and Blake sank a 3-pointer from the left corner with 18.9 seconds left for a six-point cushion, L.A.'s biggest of the night.Gallinari led the Nuggets with 20 points, and Miller had 15.After torching the Lakers for 50 points combined in the previous two games, Ty Lawson was held to 11 points and Nuggets big men Kenneth Faried and JaVale McGee weren't nearly as effective on offense or disruptive defensively as they were in Game 2, when they combined for 28 points and 30 rebounds.
(Ps: I'm very sorry . Some time ago I was sick, so I can not update the news in time . I will do better from now on . Thank you for your support! )
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