Page 972 of 2957

      Bench keys Suns’ win over Spurs

      May 5, 2010 /

      Phoenix 110, San Antonio 102

      When starters Amare Stoudemire (23 points), Jason Richardson (19), Steve Nash (19) and Grant Hill (18) combine for 79 points, it may seem odd to give props to the Suns bench, but without Channing Frye’s 15 points (5-of-6 from 3PT) and Jared Dudley’s all-around game, Phoenix would have been in trouble.

      Tim Duncan posted 29-10 for the Spurs, but was having a tough time matching up with the Suns on the defensive end. (By the way, Andrew Bogut got screwed out of 2nd Team All-Defensive honors. I realize that Duncan plays a lot of center, but he’s listed as a forward. Anderson Varejao made the 2nd Team at forward. Are they really serious that Varejao had a better defensive year than Bogut, who had the second most combined blocks, steals and charges in the league? They should have listed Duncan as a forward and given Varejao’s spot to Bogut.) Duncan was forced to guard Frye out on the perimeter, so at one point he switched over to Hill for a couple of possessions and Hill just dribbled into his range and knocked down a pair of key jumpers.

      With this win in Game 2, the Suns own all the momentum in the series. Their mission now is to win one game in San Antonio, while the Spurs desperately need to win both Game 3 and Game 4 if they hope to come back and win this series.

      It’s funny — for years, I’d always root for the Suns in their playoff matchups with the Spurs, but now I find myself rooting for San Antonio. Maybe they’re a bit of an underdog, or maybe they’re the team that could seriously challenge the Lakers in the Conference Finals. Or maybe it’s a combination of the two.

      Anyway, they’re in big trouble, so there’s a great chance we’re going to see a Lakers/Suns matchup in the next round.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Bill Simmons breaks down the three types of Laker fans

      May 5, 2010 /

      Celtics die-hard (or should I say supposed Celtics die-hard) Bill Simmons attended a Laker playoff game and wrote a typically long column about his experience. Here’s an interesting bit on the three different types of Laker fans:

      The inherent problem with any Lakers game: There are three types of Lakers fans, so the balance of any crowd depends on Type A and Type C overriding Type B. Type A would be the die-hards — mostly middle or lower class, populating the upper levels of the arena as well as the higher corner seats. These are the ones who attend championship parades, stick flags on their cars, wear jerseys to games and defend Kobe to the death. They are my mortal enemies, and I love when they are unhappy … but I respect their passion. Type C would be the wealthy die-hards — upper class, connected, and in many cases, family-owned season-ticket holders since the days of Magic/Kareem or even West/Baylor — only it’s a disproportionately large group compared with any other NBA city except New York. I don’t mind these fans unless they are giving their tickets to Spaulding Smails-type relatives, which happens more than you think. They always return for the playoffs, just one reason why those games are always better.

      The wheels come off with Type B: wannabe die-hards, locals there to be seen, couples showing up late and leaving early, C-list celebrities, agents or producers jabbering with clients and ignoring the game … it’s everything I hate about Los Angeles in a nutshell. Every negative impression of a Lakers fan comes from the Type B’s, who tend to cluster for weekend games and Game 7s — anything that’s a difficult ticket — so instead of “Night of the Living Dead,” it’s “Night of the Living Pseudo-Fan.” The worst possible Lakers crowd? Any Finals game. It’s mostly Hollywoodites who called in favors or paid big bucks; the real fans get shoved into the upper decks or priced out entirely. (Important note: I will always believe that the 2008 Celtics won Game 4 of the Finals because it wasn’t a typical Lakers crowd.) If you want to have a sports experience with a healthy amount of L.A. sprinkled in, you want to attend a Lakers playoff game during the week. You get the highest percentage of real fans that way.

      I live in Newport Beach, so I’ve run into my fair share of Laker fans, but it’s usually at a sports bar. Type B fans are the worst; they’re front runners and extremely annoying. They’re the ones that pop a Laker flag on their window when the team has a shot at the title, but in the post-Shaq years that flag was sitting in the trunk.

      Simmons goes on to discuss why Laker fans are irritating:

      1. The constant gushing over Kobe.
      2. The unwavering collective belief that any time Kobe misses, this absolutely means he was fouled.
      3. The unwavering collective belief that any time Kobe gets whistled for a foul or a turnover, he definitely didn’t do it.
      4. Everyone’s willingness to overlook the two or three times per game when Kobe blatantly shows up one of his teammates or sells them out with a nasty look.

      I witnessed all of these firsthand when I went to the Bucks/Lakers game earlier this year. Plus, the guy behind me wouldn’t shut up. Ridiculous.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, Humor, NBA

      Wise move? Saints make Jahri Evans richest guard in NFL history.

      May 5, 2010 /

      The Saints officially announced on Wednesday that they have reached a seven-year contract extension with All-Pro guard Jahri Evans. The contract is believed to be worth $56.7 million, which would make Evans the richest interior offensive lineman in NFL history.

      The first thing that seems to get brought up when a contract like this is announced is whether or not the team is making the right decision. Paying a guard $8.1 million annually is a huge financial risk, but in the case of Evans – he’s worth it.

      A four-year starter, Evans hasn’t missed a single game in his career and is only 26. He’s now under the Saints’ control through 2016 (Evans will be 34 at that point) and considering guards have long shelf lives, it’s a wise investment for New Orleans. (Let’s not forget that Evans is arguably the best all-around right guard in the league, either.)

      Good teams have to shell out big bucks in order to keep their core together. Evans is a great player and will likely be worth the contract in the end.

      External Sports, NFL

      Vikings’ propsal for new stadium defeated

      May 5, 2010 /

      The Vikings are pushing for a new stadium, but after their $791 million proposal was defeated on a 10 to 9 vote, it appears as though their hopes have been crushed. Critics of the bid have stated that the plan had been hastily put together and was “fundamentally flawed.”

      From the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

      Rep. Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead, another major supporter of the plan, said after the hearing that he felt the proposal now had less than a 5 percent chance of passing before legislators adjourned in 12 days.

      While the plan was defeated by just one vote, there were indications the support was not that strong. At least one legislator said that while they had significant reservations, they were voting for the proposal in an attempt to temporarily keep it alive.

      Unlike Red McComb, who threatened to move the team if he did not get a new stadium, owner Zygi Wilf promised to keep the Vikings in Minnesota when he bought the team in 2005. But the team has already announced that it won’t renew its lease when at the Metrodome after 2011, so it’ll be interesting to see how Wilf proceeds after his proposal fell through.

      We’ll see if Wilf is a man of his word.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Should this be a travel?

      May 5, 2010 /

      According to the NBA Video Rule Book, this is not a travel. Here’s why:

      An offensive player may end his dribble by alighting off of one foot and landing simultaneously on both feet. The offensive player on this play gathers the ball, alights from his right foot, and then lands with both feet simultaneously on the floor. Note that at this point, the player may not pivot; if he lifts either foot, the ball must be released prior to that foot returning to the floor.

      That’s exactly what LeBron did. So under the rules, it’s a legal play.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑