Spurs vs. Clippers: Game 3 Highlights, Twitter Reaction and Analysis
The Los Angeles Clippers came out hard, but no team is playing better than the Spurs right now.
The Spurs used a 24-0 run in the third quarter to erase a 24-point deficit from the first half. This team is plain scary right now, as they handed the Clippers a crushing 96-86 defeat.
The Spurs are undefeated in the postseason.
Blake Griffin showed up, but he couldn't stop the Spurs' 24-0 run in the third quarter, and that stint gave the Spurs control of the game.
The Clippers simply couldn't buy a bucket in the third and they trailed by eight at the end of three quarters.
Here is a deeper look at the game, starting with the Twitter story:
Tweets of the Night
Griffin only had one rebound in Game 2, and you better believe people noticed. This tweet from someone called I Say What They Can't—yeah, him—chimed in quickly on Blake's Game 3 rebounding numbers:
Blake already has more rebounds than he did in Game 2 #NBAPlayoffs, and he has 2
— I Say What They Cant (@ISAYWHTTHYCANT) May 19, 2012
Inside Hoops gave us this to sum up the Spurs "plan" in Game 3:
So the #Spurs let the #Clippers take that huge early lead just to toy with their emotions. Got it.
— InsideHoops.com (@InsideHoops) May 19, 2012
ESPN's J.A. Adande seemed to be otherwise distracted, or likening the Spurs dissecting of the Clippers to a calculated murder with this reference:
What the Spurs are doing to the Clippers reminds me: I need to download Season 3 of "Dexter" to the ipad before I hit the road again.
— J.A. Adande (@jadande) May 19, 2012
Must-See Highlight
As usual, the Spurs didn't have any eye-popping highlights; they left that to Lob City, as they will be happy with winning the game. That said—Blake did consume Tim Duncan on this play (small consolation):
Grades for Key Clippers Players
Blake Griffin: B+
Blake had a huge first half, but he was unable to make his presence felt in the pivotal third quarter. He brought it in the fourth, but the team couldn't get enough stops in the final quarter. He gave great effort, but like most of his teammates, he went cold at the wrong time. He finished with 28 points and 16 rebounds.
Chris Paul: C-
CP3 facilitated well with 11 assists, but he couldn't shoot a skittle in the ocean today. He missed several wide-open shots, and this hurt his team more than his passing helped.
Grades for Key Spurs Players
Kawhi Leonard: A+
Leonard was huge on offense and defense. He used his length to guard Paul and others, and he knocked down two huge three-pointers.
His energy was instrumental in the third-quarter run.
Tony Parker: B+
Parker had a solid game (23 points and 10 assists), but not a great day. He facilitated well, but it wasn't one of his better games of the year.
Deciding Factor: Clippers Terrible Shooting in the Third Quarter
The Clippers couldn't hit the broad side of a barn in the third quarter, and it killed them. The Spurs played solid defense, and they executed well on offense, but the Clips missed wide-open shots as well.
This sequence cost them the slim chance they had at competing in this series.
Game MVP: Leonard
He had solid stats (14 points, nine rebounds), but his energy was key. The Spurs' stars had good games, but no player had a bigger Impact on the outcome of this game than Leonard.
What's Next?
Doom and gloom if you're the Clippers. I can't see them having another first quarter like they did in this one. This was a demoralizing loss, and this team is dead in the water.
The Spurs will wrap up the sweep tomorrow night.
Follow Brian Mazique and Franchiseplay.net for reactions, analysis and news from the world of sports and sports Video Games
Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea: Didier Drogba Makes Blues History with Epic Goals
Of course, 90 minutes of heart-pumping soccer wouldn't be enough to find a winner in the Champions League Final between Bayern Munich and Chelsea. Of course, extra time wasn't enough to find a winner.
Of course, Didier Drogba would be the hero riding off into the sunset.
The only way this game could have been won was by penalty kicks, and oh, did the Champions League Final deliver an epic finish.
It was an epic game, and somehow Chelsea was able to hold on, survive and pull off the incredible Champions League final win.
It was an incredible game worth looking back on for years to come, as the last 10 minutes of regulation, extra time and penalty kicks brought some of the most exciting play you'll see.
Here's a recap of the epic final moments of the match:
For a while it looked as if regulation time was going to do the trick, especially once Thomas Muller got the ball into Chelsea's net with an awesome header. All Bayern Munich had to do was play good defense, run out the clock, and the Champions League title would be theirs.
As seems to be the custom for the Blues, though, they never went away, and somehow they found a way to tie the game up and force an overtime.
Who other than Didier Drogba could provide the heroics needed on such a grand stage?
With just two minutes left in regulation and the hopes of the Chelsea fans all but dashed, Drogba was able to field a beautiful corner kick from Juan Mata and rocket it in off his head into the top right corner.
One great header deserved another, and somehow, some way, the Blues found their Champions League final hopes alive, and on to extra time we went.
Extra Time
Extra time started off tense as expected, as both teams tried to get a feel of how best to attack the other, all the while playing safe enough to not give up the big goal.
Both sides had their moments, but disaster struck for the Blues when Drogba (of course, sweet irony) was given a yellow for a trip in the box on Franck Ribery. This led to a penalty kick and it looked as if Chelsea's good fate had finally run out, but miraculously, Petr Cech guessed right and blocked the Arjen Robben penalty kick.
Somehow, Chelsea was able to dodge another bullet and force the second 15 minutes. Both teams had their moments in the second 15, but when all was said and done, penalty kicks were needed to find a winner.
It does not get more epic than this, folks...
Penalty Kicks
Here's a rundown of the penalty kicks:
Bayern Munich, Lahm: Score
Chelsea, Matta: Blocked
Bayern Munich, Gomez: Score
Chelsea, Luiz: Score
Bayurn Munich, Neuer: Score
Chelsea, Lampard: Score
Bayurn Munich, Olic: Blocked
Chelsea, Cole: Score
Bayurn Munich, Schweinsteiger: Hits Post
Chelsea, Drogba: Score
There could have been no better way to end this game, to end this series and to end this chapter of Chelsea football than to have it ride off the foot of Drogba.
With the whole world watching, he calmly walked up to the line and booted it into the net.
It was a classic goal and a historic moment in Chelsea history, and of course, it's all started and ended with Didier Drogba.
Bay to Breakers 2012: Changes the Race Must Make
The 2012 Bay to Breakers race is set to be held in San Francisco, California and as great of an event as it is, there are many changes that need to be made in order to further enhance its standing with the general public.
Often times, there are certain rules that can be a turn off to people and deter them from participating in such an event as the Bay to Breakers.
Here are some changes that the organizers of the event could make to better what is already a great race.
Finish Line Closure
According to the race's website, zazzlebaytobreakers.com, the finish line won't be open forever and in fact, runners could be cut even shorter than that.
The course will close at 11:30 a.m. at the intersection of JFK Drive and Chain of Lakes Drive in Golden Gate Park. Participants who have not passed the intersection of JFK and Chain of Lakes by 11:30a.m. will not have the opportunity to cross the finish line or collect a Finisher’s Medal. The finish line closes promptly at noon as stipulated by the race's road closure permit.
This is a major turn-off for the less athletic person and any potential participant with a handicap. Plain and simple, it takes some participants far longer than others to finish this race and shutting them down early is just downright mean.
I realize not everyone can win, but everyone should be able to at least finish his race considering all the preparation people put into getting ready to run it. Sometimes, too much competition can take the fun out of things and in this instance, that certainly applies.
People should have the full opportunity to finish, which is a goal by many that could be shattered if they don't get it done fast enough.
Medals for Finishers Only
Another rule that irks me is how only finishers get medals which is also according to the Bay to Breakers official website.
All registered finishers will receive a Finisher's Medal. Medals will be handed out near the Finish Line to registered participants who complete the race. Medals are not mailed to participants either before or after the race. You must have your race bib with you at the finish line in order to collect your medal.
I think all participants should receive some kind of medal, some for finishing and some for participation alone. Not everyone should automatically get the same medal, but at least get something.
It's bad enough the participants in this race could get shutdown before they finish, but it's even worse if they have absolutely nothing to show for it.
Floats Ban
Floats will be banned in this year's race.
Alcohol and floats are not allowed at the 101st running of the Zazzle Bay to Breakers. Neighborhood associations, city officials, police, and race organizers have determined alcohol and floats create a threat to public safety—alcohol laws will be enforced.
While I have no problem with the alcohol ban, the floats are an issue to me.
I think the Bay to Breakers race could be much more child friendly if they allowed floats throughout the course. This approach would not only broaden the amount of people who come to watch the race, but it also sets up a foundation for the future.
I'm not saying the runners should have to jog around them, but it wouldn't hurt to have the floats follow the runners so that the viewers of the start of the race have something to enjoy after the runners have passed.
At the end of the day, floats can achieve multiple things for this race and as long as they aren't in the way, I don't see any good reason to ban them.
Preakness 2012 Results: I’ll Have Another Edges Out Bodemeister Again, Wins 137th Preakness Stakes
The 2012 Preakness Stakes is in the books, and I'll Have Another is the winner, moving him one step closer to the ever-elusive Triple Crown. Much like the Kentucky Derby, favorite Bodemeister was in the lead through almost the entire race. I'll Have Another spent much of the race in third or fourth, but coming down the stretch the horse made his move and he chased down Bodemeister to take the win by a neck. Creative Cause came in third.
The final odds on I'll Have Another were 3-1, compared to Bodemeister's 2-1. The pace in the race was a little slow, favoring Bodemeister, but halfway through the stretch jockey Mario Gutierrez urged the horse on and that was good enough for the win. I'll Have Another is now only one win away from the Triple Crown, where he would be the first horse to win that honor since 1978.
Stay tuned to this storystream for more from the 2012 Preakness Stakes, and don't miss SB Nation's horse racing blog And Down The Stretch They Come.
Roger Federer: Loss to Novak Djokovic Proves Fed Won’t Win French Open
Roger Federer has been playing great, but he has no shot at winning the 2012 French Open. That much became clear when world No. 1 Novak Djokovic easily dispatched him 6-2, 7-6 in the semifinals of the Masters 1000 in Rome.
Federer was terrible in the first set of this match. His serve was not nearly as deadly as it has been. He was broken twice, and was down a set before he even realized it.
In terms of measuring his chances for the French Open, that set can be written off; it is an aberration. Fed has been serving wonderfully all year, and he just didn't have it in the first set. There is no reason to think he is going to go back to struggling with his serve; his struggles didn't even last the whole match.
Federer came out strong in the second, and gave Djokovic all he could handle before falling 7-6. Both players had a break in that set.
That decisive second set is the one that tells us Federer is doomed at the French.
Why Fed-Ex Won't Win His Second French Open
Federer won the event prior to this one, the Madrid Open. That was a clay court title, and it filled Club Fed with hope that Roger's resurgence would be enough to win him another French Open title.
However, that tournament was on the odd blue clay, which by all accounts was far more slippery than the traditional red.
Fed handled the tricky surface like the great and classy champion he is. That should not be discounted, but it also shouldn't play a factor how he will fare in the French.
Federer was not forced to face Djokovic or Nadal in that tournament, and it is hard to imagine a path to the French for Federer where he did not have to go through at least one of those guys.
Even at his best, Federer cannot handle Nadal on clay, but there were plenty of reasons to think he would be able to handle Djokovic, and that is what makes their second match so disheartening.
Federer played great in that second set, and he still couldn't get the job done, and he won't be able to get it done at the French either.
HP Byron Nelson 2012: Vijay Singh’s Experience Will Lead Him to Victory
For those of you who thought Vijay Singh was finished, you'd better look at the 2012 HP Byron Nelson leaderboard. The old man is crushing it out there at the TPC Four Seasons in Irving, Texas and is tied for fith place at minus-six.
Maybe the heat is good for his joints or something, but he isn't a man to overlook on Sunday. I predict he'll come away with his first victory on the PGA tour since he won the Deutsche Bank Championship way back in September of 2008.
Singh, at the age of 49, is still capable of bombing his drives with the best of the 20-somethings out on the tour, and this week he is also hitting plenty of greens. Through three rounds, Singh has hit 72 out of 83, tying him for third in the field at the Byron Nelson according to PGATour.com.
If he manages to get his putter going tomorrow, the rest of the field better watch out.
The four men in front of him at this time have far less experience and haven't dealt with the pressure of leading a golf tournament like Singh. His expertise at handling his nerves under pressure gives him a fantastic shot to win tomorrow.
He'll be going out in the third-to-final group, and if Singh can post a hot number before the leaders finish up the pressure will be even greater for them to overcome.
Singh is scoring well—hitting one eagle and 13 birdies—on a course that is playing tough due to the wind. There will be plenty of players to lose their cool tomorrow under these difficult circumstances, but he won't be one of them.
Singh will overcome the weather, the course and the young, up-and-coming stars ahead of him on the leaderboard to win the HP Byron Nelson in 2012.
Washington Nationals: Chien-Ming Wang Will Pitch out of Bullpen Upon Return
The Washington Nationals have a problem when it comes to their starting pitching.
They have too many worthy starters. It is certainly a decent problem to have for any major league ballclub.
With Chien-Ming Wang looming in the minors and his rehab stint nearing its end, the Nats are going to have to decide which of their overachieving starters will have to take the fall and move to the bullpen.
Manager Davey Johnson shed some light on the topic on Saturday.
Amanda Comak, the Nationals beat writer for the Washington Times tweeted,
Davey said today that he will most likely put Chien-Ming Wang in the bullpen when he's ready to return to the active roster. #nats
— Amanda Comak (@acomak) May 19, 2012
The move will allow for Ross Detwiler (3-2, 2.75 ERA) to remain in the rotation for the Nats. Comak also reported that Wang will "work out of the bullpen on a starter's schedule," and that the Nats "would be mindful of his time to warm up."
The abundance of starting pitching will allow the Nats the option to shut down Stephen Strasburg later in the year when he approaches the highly anticipated 160 innings mark.
Whether or not Wang waits around in the bullpen until that point in the season will be determined as the summer progresses.
Lakers vs. Thunder: Why Oklahoma City Will Win Game 4
Oklahoma City will return home with a 3-to-1 advantage over the Los Angeles Lakers after they win Game 4 Saturday night in Los Angeles.
Here is why Oklahoma City has what it takes to win Game 4.
Great Road Team
Some teams are great at home and awful on the road. The Lakers can attest to this notion.
However, Oklahoma City was great in both areas. They dominated at home and recorded one of the best road records (21-12) in the NBA.
Although teams struggled on the road during this shortened season, Oklahoma City knew how to get it done on the road.
Back-to-back favors Oklahoma City
Logically, if you say that two teams are playing in a back-to-back situation after a grueling, shortened campaign, the younger team would have the advantage, right?
That's exactly what I'm saying.
Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and James Harden are all in their early 20s.
Advantage Thunder.
Los Angeles, and especially Kobe Bryant, are at a disadvantage. The Lakers shot 42 free throws in Game 3, but those numbers won't even be close in Game 4. Tired legs call for more jumpers, and more jumpers equals less free throw attempts and less quality looks.
Advantage Thunder.
Better team
Los Angeles—despite having Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum—are gaining more respect than I think they deserve. It's not that they are overrated, but I just don't believe that they are in the same class as Oklahoma City this season.
Bryant is on the downside of his career, you can't trust Bynum in any game, Mike Brown is in his first year with the club, the team has chemistry issues, the back-court problems have been there all season and Los Angeles can't defend against guards who can penetrate the lane.
Oklahoma City matches up well with Los Angeles, and I think Game 3 is the only contest that won't go the Thunder's way.
Prediction
Oklahoma City defeats Los Angeles 104-101.
Roger Federer: Semifinal Defeat Proves He’s Not Elite Anymore
Novak Djokovic was too much for Roger Federer in the semifinals of the Italian Open, and the two-set victory by the Serbian shows that he is a cut above Federer.
Djokovic, the world's top-ranked player, won 6-2 and 7-6 to advance to the finals against Rafael Nadal. This is the second consecutive year these two have met in the tournament's championship match.
Federer is out of the competition, and this defeat shows how wide the gap is between him and the two men facing off in the final.
The Swiss great held the ATP No. 1 ranking for an all-time best 237 weeks between 2004 and 2008. But now, at 30 years old, he is a step slower than both Nadal and Djokovic.
Federer is still better than everyone in the world except those two players, but the dominance he displayed a few years ago is now just a memory.
The only two elite players on today's circuit are Nadal and Djokovic.
Federer still certainly puts up a fight against either of these opponents, but he is physically outmatched by the younger players.
Nadal, 25 and Djokovic, 24, are right in the middle of their athletic peaks, while Federer is slowly fading.
Federer's technical ability is still jaw-dropping at times, but the two talented players who will meet in the finals in Rome wear him down across an entire match.
Federer still has the skills to stay competitive for a few more years, but his days of seriously threatening Nadal and Djokovic in the later rounds of major tournaments are over.
As long as he has to go through Djokovic or Nadal, Federer is unlikely to win any more Grand Slams.
The memories of his dominance will go down in tennis lore, but currently we are watching Federer on the slow path toward his retirement.
Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix: Why Josh Barnett Will Wreck Daniel Cormier
They're actually going to do this. After replacements and upsets and injuries and scheduling problems and repeated insisting that the latest date would not work because hair simply does not wash itself, all the principals in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix finally gave a collective shrug and said, meh, let's go ahead and wrap this thing up.
And wrap it up they will, tonight in San Jose. Veteran submission grappler Josh Barnett stares across the cage at the highly skilled fire hydrant that is Daniel Cormier. It's a great matchup, and both men earned their way into it.
Cormier (9-0) is an Olympic wrestler, but it's those bowling balls at the ends of is arms that he likes to use on his opponents these days. Against Antonio Silva back in September, Cormier, who trains at the elite and aptly named American Kickboxing Academy, wobbled and then toppled his larger opponent with laser-guided lefts and rights.
The quick jabs found Silva's jaw every time, while the big overhands repeatedly buried themselves in that special spot behind the ear. It was clear Cormier's standup was ready for prime time, and had improved greatly since his previous fight, in which he also showed improvement in decisioning Jeff Monson.
The Silva win was Cormier's sixth win by KO, TKO or taps from strikes. I'm no Bas Rutten, but that would appear to be a not insignificant data point. Cormier is dangerous in all phases, and has a shark's keen sense for blood.
And yet, you likely saw the headline. You know I think Barnett is going to win. Convincingly. Why do I think that in a matchup that seems so even? Let me count the ways.
First of all, Cormier has fallen in love with his own fists. Call it the Liddell strategy: Cormier has honed his MMA wrestling so that he need never use it. True, the Olympic freestyle wrestler has his reasons. He is an Olympic freestyle wrestler, after all.
In his last fight, Cormier brushed off Silva's takedowns like he was pushing away a begging dog, and put Bigfoot on his back just as easily the one time he tried. But he didn't follow up. Against Silva and before against Monson, Cormier made no attempt to mix it up on the ground. When his adversary hits the mat, Cormier doesn't follow.
But Monson and Bigfoot are not Josh Barnett. Not when it comes to grappling. They also don't have Barnett's guile or guts. Barnett may be the cagiest cage fighter on Earth. That's the kernel of his advantage in this grand prix final, both on the feet and on the mat.
First, the standup phase. Barnett is no slouch here; in fact, his striking is pretty underrated. But that's not his bread and butter and we all know it. Not so for Cormier. But for all its power and precision,
Cormier's standup is pretty vanilla. He's got good combos, and he'll throw a knee from the clinch or wing a head kick here and there. But for the most part, he's planting and punching. His hand speed is terrific, but the rest of his body movements are not exactly Dos Santosian.
It's not a challenge on par with landing the Space Shuttle to stay away from the end of Cormier's fists. Sure, easier said than done. But a little creativity, a little evasiveness and a little unorthodoxy could go a long way. And that's just where Barnett excels.
But let's put a finer, more tangible point on it. If the striking game is merely a means to an end for Barnett, then the key to this fight might be the leg kick. Cormier likes to throw those to find his range and "stay busy" while he's loading the next overhand into the chamber.
There is almost nothing behind those leg kicks. Barnett could easily catch one, as he did to great effect against Brett Rogers. It epitomizes the kind of destabilization on which Barnett thrives and which Cormier has probably never encountered.
The notion of catching a leg kick leads to the central question of the fight: can Barnett get the Olympian to the ground, and keep him there long enough to do damage?
The leg kick could provide an opening. But Barnett knows how to time his takedowns to capitalize on all sorts of vulnerabilities. Like when an opponent plants himself to swing, which, as noted, is something Cormier sort of likes doing. Often.
And don't forget about Barnett's prodigious chin; he's only been knocked out once, and that was 11 years ago to the young demon that was Pedro Rizzo. So he's likely not going to fall victim to the big shot. And if he does get caught, there could be a bit of a rope-a-dope opportunity when Cormier charges in for the kill.
So let Cormier plant. Let him swing. Barnett knows how to exploit opponents who don't even realize they're being exploited.
As you can probably surmise, I think Barnett can find a way to get this on the ground. Once it's there, Barnett knows how to chain moves together. Triangle, armbar, kimura, rear naked, heel hook, knee bar. What if Barnett goes for a key lock? It's all on the table. He won't let Cormier rest, and might throw things at Cormier that he's not used to seeing or defending, particularly with Cormier focusing so heavily on kickboxing. Barnett's 15-pound, four-inch size advantages won't hurt him here, either.
Bottom line: Cormier is an outstanding wrestler and an ardent headhunter. But his ability to thrive during chaos is unproven. What happens when the game plan goes awry? It just so happens that Barnett eats game plans for breakfast and produces chaos like it's a bodily function. He builds houses out of it in the cage, drags his opponents inside and draws down the blinds.
He'll find a way to get Cormier horizontal, either on his own or by frustrating Cormier on the feet to the point that he compels Cormier to deploy Plan B. Barnett may be the only heavyweight in the world whose ground game is such that getting taken down by a world-class wrestler constitutes getting that world-class wrestler right where he wants him.
Barnett will find a way to kick up enough dust to confound his less-savvy adversary. That's been the Josh Barnett story in the cage for years now, and it will be the story again tonight.