I wonder if LeBron James watched his buddy Dwyane Wade go nuts against the Celtics. Because he certainly looked inspired against the Bulls, posting 37 points (on 11-of-17 shooting), 12 rebounds and 11 assists in the Cavs’ 121-98 victory in Chicago. When James is hitting his threes — and he went 6-of-9 on Sunday — he’s unstoppable. And he was unstoppable on Sunday.
The Cavs are going to move on to the second round; it’s just a matter of when.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
In a recent article for CNN.com, Ethan Trex informs us of some of MLB’s strangest contracts. I’ve inserted my favorites below, but read the whole thing and count how many times you mumble to yourself, “Must be nice.”
2. Support for Rollie Fingers’ ‘stache
Former A’s owner Charlie Finley never thought of a gimmick he wouldn’t try, including a mechanical rabbit that delivered fresh balls to the umpire and hiring a 13-year-old MC Hammer as his “Executive V.P.”
In 1972, Finley offered his players cash for growing a mustache by Father’s Day, thereby giving birth to reliever Rollie Fingers’ trademark handlebar ‘stache.
The A’s went on to win the World Series that season, and Fingers’ contract for 1973 contained a $300 bonus for growing the mustache as well as $100 for the purchase of mustache wax.7. Roy Oswalt’s big toy
Before pitcher Roy Oswalt made a start in the 2005 National League Championship Series, Astros owner Drayton McLane promised to make the ace’s dreams come true if he won, specifically his life goal of bulldozer ownership.
After Oswalt dominated the Cardinals to send Houston to its first World Series, McLane came through with a Caterpillar D6N XL.
Since Major League Baseball requires high-dollar gifts be disclosed, Oswalt signed an addendum to his contract, a “bulldozer clause,” authorizing the club to give him his new toy.
9. Ichiro won’t be homeless
One would think a guy making a guaranteed $17 million a year wouldn’t be too worried about keeping a roof over his head. Not Ichiro Suzuki, though.
The Seattle Mariners star outfielder signed a five-year contract extension in July 2007 that included, among other perks, four round-trip airline tickets to Japan each year and the services of an interpreter and trainer throughout the season. It also included a housing allowance for each year of the deal.
While the numbers themselves aren’t eye-popping — the allowance ranges from $32,000 to $36,000 a year over the life of the deal — kudos to Ichiro for getting someone else to pay his rent.
How savvy is Ichiro? Dude not only signs a huge contract but somehow manages to score a (most likely) sweet pad free of charge. Roy Oswalt must be kicking himself in that complimentary bulldozer of his.
Check out this series of plays over a six-minute stretch of the Heat’s 101-92 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 4:
00:14.5 [MIA 71-75] Wade 3pt Shot: Made (27 PTS)
START OF 4TH QUARTER
11:45 [MIA 73-77] Wade Jump Shot: Made (29 PTS)
11:09 [MIA 76-77] Wade 3pt Shot: Made (32 PTS)
10:36 [MIA 79-78] Wade 3pt Shot: Made (35 PTS)
10:36 [MIA 79-78] Wade 3pt Shot: Made (35 PTS)
08:17 [MIA 86-80] Wade Free Throw 1 of 3 (39 PTS)
08:17 [MIA 87-80] Wade Free Throw 2 of 3 (40 PTS)
08:17 [MIA 88-80] Wade Free Throw 3 of 3 (41 PTS)
06:12 [MIA 93-82] Wade 3pt Shot: Made (44 PTS)
He did miss one shot during that stretch (tsk, tsk), so in that 6:03 span, he scored 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting (5-of-5 from 3PT) and almost single-handedly took the Heat from a seven-point deficit to an 11-point lead. Mike Breen called it one of the greatest playoff performances he’s ever seen.
Wade’s run of five-straight threes is especially impressive considering he is just a 29% career shooter from behind the arc.
If that wasn’t enough, a few minutes before Wade’s 20-point run, he posterized Kevin Garnett:
Even with the win, the Heat trail in the series, 3-1, and head back to Boston for Game 5 on Tuesday.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
And now, ladies (yeah, right) and germs, your slow news day in the buff: Earlier today a Cubs fan fell 14 feet over the outfield railing during batting practice at Miller Park.
From ChicagoBreakingSports.com:
The man wearing Cubs gear and believed to be in his 20s was trying to catch a ball in the left field corner when he fell over a railing into an area behind the left field wall. The Cubs’ trainers rushed out to try and provide help, and batting practice was halted.
There was no immediate word on the extent of the injury, though the fan was said to be conscious when the paramedics arrived. Brewers head athletic trainer Roger Caplinger said the man was cut and bleeding from the face.
Hope the guy is OK. Per usual, Lou Piniella has placed the fan on the 15-day DL. Micah Hoffpauir has been called up from Triple-A Iowa to take his place.
Through the first eleven quarters of this Lakers/Thunder series, Ron Artest held Kevin Durant to 23-of-67 shooting (34%). Over the past five quarters — the 4th quarter of Game 3 and all of Game 4 — Durant has shot 10-of-19 (53%) from the field.
But it wasn’t Durant that was the difference in OKC’s 110-89 blowout win over the Lakers in Game 4. There were four other Thunder players in double digits: Russell Westbrook (18), Jeff Green (15), James Harden (15) and Eric Maynor (13). Harden has played especially well in Game 3 and Game 4, scoring 33 points in the two games after going 0-for-5 for nary a point in Game 1 and Game 2.
But can this young team take this fine play on the road and steal a game in L.A.? Only six teams in the league had more road wins than the Thunder, so the answer is yes they can. The real question is whether or not they will.
As for Artest, while he played pretty good defense for the first 11 quarters, he has been an absolute disaster on the other end of the court. He is averaging 7-3-2 and is shooting 30% from the field and just 13% from long range. This wouldn’t be so bad if he were taking just a few shots per game, but he has averaged 10 attempts from the field and almost six threes per game in the series. Even with a decent season percentage (35%), he has no business taking that many threes when he’s in this kind of a rut.
Most pundits thought that OKC wasn’t ready to push the Lakers to six or seven games, but since that question has already been answered, now it’s time to find out if they’re ready to pull the upset. They are younger, faster and more athletic than the Lakers, but L.A. has the experience. Which will win out?
Game 5 in L.A. is on Tuesday.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
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