The box score tells the story of Game 6. The Bucks shot just 33% from the field and 27% from long range, and were outrebounded 52-41. The Bucks’ backcourt (Brandon Jennings and John Salmons), which has played so well of late, shot a combined 6-of-28 from the field for 20 points. Milwaukee just couldn’t find a rhythm offensively for much of the game.
Credit the Hawks’ defense here. They were solid throughout the game, and although the Bucks cut the lead to seven in the middle of the fourth quarter, Jamal Crawford and Joe Johnson were there to hit a few big shots to put the game away. This was a nice (and surprising) performance from a team that has been terrible on the road in the playoffs in recent years.
The series moves back to Atlanta on Sunday for Game 7.
Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com shared an interesting tidbit the other day about how Colt McCoy wound up being a Cleveland Brown. Apparently McCoy has Corey Peters to thank for that.
Who is Corey Peters you ask? He was the Falcons’ selection at No. 83 in the third round of last week’s draft and had Atlanta not taken him, he more than likely would have ended up a Brown. That’s because according to Yasinskas, Cleveland GM Tom Heckert was “leaning heavily” towards taking Peters with the No. 85 pick, which was the selection Cleveland used to take McCoy.
What’s interesting about this report is that Mike Holmgren wanted McCoy at No. 85. So had the Falcons not intervened and taken Peters at No. 83, there would have likely been a debate between Holmgren and Heckert over whether or not to take McCoy.
It’s also kind of noteworthy that many draft pundits (including Mel Kiper) criticized the Falcons for reaching on Peters (who had a late round grade) in the third round, yet as it turns out, he was wanted by at least two teams (Atlanta and Cleveland). It’s always interesting to hear how things play out in the war room and this story is no different.
Never one to be shy about taking swipes at celebrities and athletes, rapper Eminem made Ben Roethlisberger his latest victim in one of his new songs.
From E Online.com:
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ star quarterback joins an elite roster of those with the dubious honor of being dissed in rhyme by Eminem. In this case, Big Ben’s recent off-field problems are name-checked in the new Em cut “Despicable,” which debuted online yesterday.
“I’d rather turn this club into a bar room brawl/Get as rowdy as Roethlisberger in a bathroom stall,” Eminem raps.
The line references a March incident in which Roethlisberger allegedly sexually assaulted a 20-year-old college student in a women’s restroom in a Georgia nightclub.
I haven’t heard the song yet, but it can’t be any worse than the ultra-horrendous “We Made You,” in which he dresses up like Tony Romo for the video. I’m not a big fan of Eminem’s “work” as it is, but I’ve dropped deuces that were more impressive than that song. (Although I’ll be the first one to admit that “Til I Collapse” will always be on my MP3 player when I hit the gym.)
It’s kind of amazing that Big Ben has gone from two-time Super Bowl MVP to the butt of one of Eminem’s jokes in just a couple of years.
This is arguably the worst soccer play I’ve ever seen. From YouTube…
In Saturday’s MLS match against LA Galaxy, Kansas City Wizards striker Kei Kamara made history. He found himself right in front of an open net, managing to miss an open goal from less than six INCHES with no one near him.
Instead of netting the sitter in the middle of the goal after the ball hit the post, leaving keeper Donovan Ricketts stranded, Kamara took a wild swing, missed it completely, fell over and knocked the ball in with his ARM.
The stunned linesman immediately flagged, and Galaxy defender Gregg Berhalter admitted: “It was one of the most unbelievable things I’ve seen in soccer.
“It was unfortunate for Kamara but it was handball and credit the linesman for seeing it.”
At age 25, James becomes the second-youngest to win back-to-back MVPs. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a couple of months younger when he won his back-to-back award in 1972. The others two win back-to-back are Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Moses Malone, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Abdul-Jabbar. Only Bird, Chamberlain and Russell ever won the award three years in a row.
Last year James won in a landslide, getting 109 of the first-place 121 votes given out to sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the league. This year, James is expected to approach winning the award unanimously.
LeBron has a good chance to win this award again and again, though NBA writers are fickle and they’ll start looking for reasons to give the award to someone else once voting for LeBron wears thin. The same thing happened to Michael Jordan.
Right on time, Brett Favre has figured out a way to skip training camp this year.
From ESPN.com:
Brett Favre has been informed he requires surgery on his left ankle to play the upcoming season for the Minnesota Vikings, and the quarterback is deliberating whether to have the procedure or simply to end his 19-year NFL career by retiring.
“We have spoken,” Favre said in an e-mail. “To play again, I would need the surgery, as I suspected. This decision would be easy if not for my teammates and the fans and the entire Vikings staff. One year truly felt like 10 — much like Green Bay for many years. That’s what I was missing in my heart I suppose, a sense of belonging.”
Favre said he must determine whether his affection for the Vikings and his belief they are capable of winning the Super Bowl overrides his disdain for surgery.
He’s not going to retire. He never actually retires, so let’s just put that debate to rest. He’ll have the surgery, but he’ll make sure that his recovery time puts him on the practice field right after two-a-days and not a moment sooner. He had a similar situation last year, when he had a partially torn biceps tendon in his throwing shoulder repaired. He played then, and he’ll play now – as long as it’s on his terms.
The Vikings haven’t stressed about their quarterback situation this entire offseason, meaning Favre is coming back. If for some reason he doesn’t, Tarvaris Jackson will be counted on to be the starter, but chances are Jackson will be picking splinters out of his ass again this season while riding the pine.
Investigators told Channel 11 News reporter Renee Kaminski that former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes had to be escorted off a plane Thursday night at Pittsburgh International Airport.
Investigators said it the incident happened shortly after 9 p.m. They said Holmes wasn’t arrested but was escorted off the plane for what investigators call being a “disruptive passenger.”
No other information has been released at this time.
Let’s see:
- Sued by a woman following an incident in a nightclub. Check.
- Suspended four games for violating the league’s drug policy. Check.
- Traded for a fifth round pick despite being a former Super Bowl MVP. Check.
- Escorted off a plane for being a “disruptive passenger.” Check.
As soon as Holmes bunches some babies and pushes some old people down, his offseason will be just about complete.
Update: It sounds as though the situation was blown out of proportion.
Earlier reports from two Pittsburgh-area television stations had said Holmes was escorted off the plane after being “disruptive.” However, Holmes got off the plane by himself, and police officers reminded him of complying with flight regulations. The wide receiver was not charged.
“I know what has been told to me and it kind of got blown out of proportion it sounds like in some of the media outlets and things,” said coach Rex Ryan, who addressed reporters during the team’s rookie minicamp.
On Wednesday, when asked, Deron Williams declared himself to be the best point guard in the NBA.
On Thursday, after local and national media members in search of fresh and deadline-friendly story angles from the Jazz’s first-round playoff series with the Denver Nuggets jumped on the claim and ran with it, Williams expressed dismay over the hullabaloo.
“It’s stupid,” he said. “I’ve said it before. I mean, I don’t know how many times I’ve been asked that, and now it gets blown out of proportion.”
“If you are a competitor, you are going to think you are the best at something,” Williams said. “It’s as simple as that. That’s how you keep your edge. That’s how you stay focused, stay sharp.
“It is what it is. Chris Paul thinks he’s the best point guard. Steve Nash thinks he’s the best point guard. Kobe (Bryant) thinks he’s the best shooting guard, best player in the world.
“That’s how it is” he added. “That’s how you are supposed to think.”
It’s not like he scheduled a press conference to make this announcement. He was asked by FanHouse who he thought was the best point guard in the NBA, and he responded with his honest opinion.
A humble player might have responded with a name like Chris Paul or Steve Nash, but you don’t get to the top of the mountain in the NBA by being humble. Williams is right in that players of his caliber think they are the best in the league, that’s part of why they are so good.
Confidence is half the battle. If you are playing against a guy and are thinking, “Wow, this guy is better than me,” then you’re probably not going to play very well. Part of being great is believing that you’re great, that you’re up to the challenge of beating the best players in the world.
Moreover, he has a point. Who is playing better at the point than Williams right now? Chris Paul struggled with injuries this season and is sitting at home watching the playoffs on television. What Steve Nash is doing at the age of 36 is incredible, but he’s always been something of a defensive liability.
Williams just might be the best point guard in the league.
Not a lot of players have made a position change look as seamless as Houston Texans’ tight end Owen Daniels, who started off his football career as a quarterback at Naperville Central High School in Illinois and at the University of Wisconsin. But after switching to tight end for the final two years at Wisconsin in order to see more playing time, Daniels has developed into one of Matt Schaub’s most reliable targets. (He also has a Pro Bowl appearance under his belt as well.)
Owen was kind enough to chat with us recently about a host of topics, including what it’s like to play alongside the dynamic Andre Johnson, what he believes the Texans must do to get over the hump and which NFL safeties are the hardest to shake down in coverage. He also spoke about how the uncapped year has affected his contract status and how he hopes to remain in Houston long-term.
For more on Owen including updates on the Texans’ offseason, check out his official Twitter page.
The Scores Report: Hi, this is Anthony.
Owen Daniels: Hey, this is Owen Daniels.
TSR: Hey, Owen! It’s great to talk to you – thanks for calling in.
OD: Sure, no problem.
TSR: You’re a Naperville Central grad, right?
OD: Yeah.
TSR: I went to Neuqua Valley and graduated around the same time as you. I remember you tearing it up for Central.
OD: I appreciate it. We never played you guys in football for whatever reason; they didn’t start playing each other until after I was gone.
TSR: I remember we played you guys a couple times in baseball, but never football.
OD: Yeah, we definitely didn’t play you guys in football.
TSR: Did you watch the draft?
OD: I saw a little bit of it, but I was out of town because my brother goes to Princeton and I was at his spring game. So I didn’t see much of it, but I kept track of our draft picks and stuff like that.
TSR: How did you think the Texans drafted?
OD: I think we addressed some needs by getting a couple of cornerbacks and another running back. Let’s see, what else did we get…we got a linebacker and another tight end from Wisconsin, which is kind of funny.
Mavs owner Mark Cuban didn’t trade for Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood in February, taking on millions in extra salary and luxury tax in the process, to make such a swift return to the early playoff misery inflicted by Golden State in 2007. Dallas became the first No. 1 seed in league history to lose a best-of-seven series in the first round that year … and just became the first No. 2 to lose in Round 1 since the NBA went to a best-of-seven format in 2003.
“We’re a failure,” Mavericks guard Jason Terry said. “We failed. There’s no other word but failure. That’s how we feel right now.”
Cuban himself acknowledged after the Mavs’ Game 1 triumph that the F word — yes, failure — was going to be the reaction all over town and all over the league “if we don’t win a championship.”
“We’ve got a great base,” Cuban said. “We’ll have a chance to work with each other [in training camp before next season]. You could see some of the uneasiness because we haven’t had a full season to play together, and that showed a few times, but we’ll pull all the pieces together and we’ll go at ‘em again next year.”
Cuban’s “we’ve got a great base” comment implies that he’s not planning to blow up the roster. Dirk Nowitzki, however, is suddenly a candidate to join an already stellar free agent class this summer, though it’s still far more likely that he’ll re-up.
But back to Cuban — the whole we-haven’t-had-enough-time-to-gel line of reasoning is starting to wear thin. Butler and Haywood had 27 games to work the kinks out — how long does it take to develop the necessary chemistry? That’s an entire season for most college and high school teams, and most of them gel just fine. Chemistry can develop over time, but typically speaking, it’s either there or it’s not.
Complicating matters is Cuban’s tendency to drastically alter his roster. In February of 2008, he swapped Devin Harris and two first round picks for Jason Kidd. Last summer, he signed Shawn Marion. And this February, he pulled the trigger on the Butler/Haywood trade. Who’s to say that he’ll be able to control himself when a few more aging, expensive stars become available at the next trade deadline?
As long as Nowitzki is around, the Mavs will be competitive. If he returns to a team that already has Butler, Kidd, Marion, Jason Terry and Roddy Beaubois, Dallas will once again win 50 games and make the postseason. But with the way that they were worked over by an aging Spurs team, does anyone really think the Mavs will make another Finals appearance anytime soon?
It has to be frustrating to let a title slip through your fingers in 2006 and then spend the next three or four years trying to get back to that level. Under the current circumstances, the Mavs seem destined to be a Western Conference also-ran. I don’t blame Cuban for trying to build on what he has, but unless there’s a major infusion of talent — I’m talking a top 10 or 15 player acquired via sign-and-trade — it doesn’t look like the Mavs are a real threat to make the Finals.
That’s the nice thing about knowing that you’re rebuilding. There are no delusions of grandeur.
