OT THRILLER

53 minutes were played in last nights game with Miami and Boston. Rajon Rondo played all of them...Kevin Garnett played 45..Ray Allen and Paul Pierce played 43...LeBron played 48 minutes...D.Wade played 44...im just tired thinking about this.

Pick it up in the closing seconds of the 4th quarter. Ray Allen tied the game at 99 with 34 seconds to go in the game. Next possesion for the Heat, LeBron missed a lay up got the offensive rebound and then, it was that time again. The LAST SECOND SHOT.  LeBron gets the ball back at the top of the key with Rondo guarding him; dribble...dribble...dribble...pull up from the right elbow...and CLANK!!! OVERTIME

From there on, you can call it the D.Wade show. He scored 8 of 23 points in OT. Including a 3 point play where he was fouled by Garnett and while Wade was on the ground and proceeding to stand up the two ballers from Chi-Town starred each other down. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mtn-sT5VBM

Rondo scored all 12 of Boston's points in the overtime period. He finished with 44 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds in the game, One of the most unbelievalble performances ive seen by a point guard or anybody period in the playoffs. The only thing is, they lost. In the postgame conference Rondo said, "We lost, simple as that."

This was Miami's fifth straight game in which they outscored its opponent by double digits in the 3rd quarter. In each of the previous 4 games, Miami never trailed in the final period. Miami was down by 15 in the1st half and by as many as 11 in the 3rd quarter, before a pair of 3 pointers by James started a comeback. Wade made consecutive jumpers midway through the 3rd to shake off a slow start to his night. Moments later, Wade set up Haslem for a 3 point play with 2:55 left that gave Miami its first lead, 73-71, since the opening minutes. Game 3 is in Boston Friday at 8:30 on ESPN.

The #1 Pick Is....

The 2012 NBA Draft Lottery took place yesterday in New York. This is always an exciting time of the year, especially for the team that didn't do so good the year before. What that does is give that team a better chance at getting the #1 pick in the draft and the best player coming out of college.

In this case, it didn't work out for the Charlotte Bobcats. They lose again and the season hasn't started yet. Instead, the New Orleans Hornets get the #1 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft next month. The good news for the Hornets comes after a season in which they traded All Star point guard Chris Paul and a couple of years where they couldn't do much to upgrade the roster while the league was looking for a buyer. Its safe to say, the Hornets should have a solid season next year, by adding future #1 overall pick in the draft Anthony Davis to add with the pieces from the team last year. Sorry Bobcats!!! #FEARTHEBROW

Weekend Re Cap

NBA

The San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder got the conference finals started Sunday night. The Spurs looked rusty in the early going. But, if you think about how the game was played...the young and talented Thunder team got off to a quick start and led by 9 points going into the 4th quarter. But like any new car, it runs good for the first thousand miles or so then something happens and it doesnt run right and you have to put it in the shop. Well, the Spurs are like an old school car. Give it some time to warm up and get going and it will run like brand new. Thats exactly what happend; the Spurs rallied from 9 down in the 4th quarter to win game 1 101-98. That momentum carried over to game 2 where they won 120-111. I thought they were supposed to be old? O_o

The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat got the Eastern Conference Finals underway Monday night. The Celtics looked old and tired, while the Heat were still red hot. Even though people insist that the 5 technical fouls the Celtics got, lost them that game. I think other wise. The game was tied at halftime, and they scored 35 points in the 2nd quarter. The Heat were just better all around in the 2nd half, as they went on the smash the Celtics 93-79 in game 1. LeBron and D.Wade were still in sync, as they went on the score a combined 54 points. Game 2 is tonight in Miami at 8:30 on ESPN.

MLB

Former Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tiger Magglio Ordonez has decided to hang up the spikes.
The6 time All Star played 92 games last season with a surgically repaired right ankle, hitting a career low .255 with five homers and 32 RBIs. I will forever remember Mags for his game winning homerun against the Oakland A's in the ALCS to send the Tigers to the World Series for the first time since '84.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WV5oFj6zfI&feature=related

Angels pitcher Jered Weaver is headed to the 15 day disabled list with an lower back injury. Weaver threw 12 pitches and faced 4 batters Monday night against the Yankees before pulling up awkwardly after a pitch. He was diagnosed with lower-back spasms and a strained muscle around a disk in his lower spine.

Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay will be on the disabled list for about 6-8 weeks. Halladay is 4-5 with a 3.98 ERA in 11 starts. He has pitched at least 220 innings in each of the past 6 seasons, and 4 times led the league in innings. He has pitched 72 1/3 innings this year so far.

Tennis

Venus and Serena Williams were knocked out of the French Open this past weekend.

Venus Williams played in her first major tournament August, and sister Serena
lost in the first round of a major tournament for the first time.

FLASH-BACK

Just a week ago, some people started to write off the Miami Heat and their chances of advancing to the next round of the playoffs or even winning an NBA Championship. LeBron missed big free throws and Dwyane Wade played the worst playoff basketball game in his career. Worry no longer, the Miami Heat have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.

After game 3 against the Pacers, the 2 superstars for the Heat took their game to a whole new level. They took it to a height, that they havent even seen before in the playoffs. They just took the game into their own hands and basically said, if we win or lose it will be on us. LeBron finished the game with 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists. Stuffing the stat sheet as usual. But, Dwyane Wade looks as if he turned the clocked back a few years. Im thinking more like 2006, when he led the Heat to their first championship in franchise history and was named Finals MVP.

Wade had his knee drained after game 3, the worst playoff game of his career. He also talked to his former college coach from Marquette, Tom Crean for some added motivation. All of those things has Wade playing at a very high level right now. In last nights game he posted 41 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. He shot a ridicolous 68% from the field and it looks like flash is back. The Heat also got huge contributions form Mike Miller (12 points) and Mario Chalmers (15 points). Now they can sit back and relax for a day or two before they get back to work, while they await the winner between Boston and Philly. This also gives Chris Bosh more recovery time from his abdominal injury. The Eastern Conference Finals begin Monday night in Miami, time is to be determined.

Shaq for GM?

So there were reports out there that Shaquille Oneal was interested in being the next GM for the Orlando Magic. Well, that didnt last long at all. Shaq is no longer interested in the job. Shaq is currently an NBA analyst for TNT. He sits along side Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Ernie Johnson. O'Neal played for the Magic from 1992-96 and led the team to the NBA Finals in 1995. When asked about the GM vacancy in Orlando Shaq said,

"When I first heard about the vacancy for the Orlando Magic general manager position, I was clearly intrigued. I was drafted by the Magic, I have a great love for the franchise, and I have made the city of Orlando my home. Additionally, I have great admiration and respect for the DeVos family. However, this is not a job I have an interest in pursuing. I feel very fortunate to be with TNT and to have the best job in sports. I look forward to many more years with Charles, Kenny, and E.J. I wish the best for the Magic and I am confident that they will select a great GM and coach."

Leagues Best

The All NBA teams have ben announced. Highlighted by scoring champ Kevin Durant and MVP LeBron James. The All NBA Teams were chosen by a panel of 120 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The media voted for All NBA First, Second, and Third Teams by position with points awarded on a 5,3, and 1 basis. The first, second, and third teams are listed below:

All NBA First Team

1. LeBron James- Heat
2. Kevin Durant- Thunder
3. Dwight Howard- Magic
4. Kobe Bryant- Lakers
5. Chris Paul- Clippers

All NBA Second Team

1. Kevin Love- Timberwolves
2. Blake Griffin- Clippers
3. Andrew Bynum- Lakers
4. Russell Westbrook- Thunder
5. Tony Parker- Spurs

All NBA Third Team

1. Carmelo Anthony- Knicks
2. Dirk Nowitzki- Mavericks
3. Tyson Chandler- Knicks
4. Dwyane Wade- Heat
5. Rajon Rondo- Celtics

NBA ALL DEFENSIVE TEAM

The NBA released the top defensive players of the league. The odd part about this list, the defensive player of the year Tyson Chandler was not on the NBA First Team. Interesting...but league MVP LeBron James led in the voting, he received 24 first place votes and 53 points overall. Here is the NBA 1st and 2nd all defensive team:

NBA ALL DEFENSIVE FIRST TEAM

1. LeBron James- Heat
2. Serege Ibaka- Thunder
3. Dwight Howard- Magic
4. Tony Allen- Grizzles
5. Chris Paul- Clippers

NBA ALL DEFENSIVE SECOND TEAM

1. Kevin Garnett- Celtics
2. Luol Deng- Bulls
3. Tyson Chandler- Knicks
4. Kobe Bryant- Lakers
5. Rajon Rondo- Celtics

The Answer

The Philidelphia 76ers took on the Boston Celtics last night in a must win game 6 at home. As if they needed more motivation to keep their season alive. Well, the organization thought they could use a little extra. I can see them in a meeting now; note pads, pens, water bottles, closed door, and then bam...they come up with something to get the crowd rocking before the game. The answer is, lets have Allen Iverson deliver the game ball before the game! GENIOUS

The 76ers have forced a game 7 against Boston in the Eastern Conference Semi Finals. Neither team has won back to back games at all in this series. That cant sit well with Philly. Basically, the 76ers could just stay in Philly and not bother going to Boston for the final game of the seires. But that is why the game is played. If the Celtics plan on winning game 7 at home, they cant shoot 33 percent, have 17 turnovers, or go 3 for 14 on 3 point shooting. That just wont get the job done. But you have to credit Philly for scraping in this series and throughout the playoffs. The final game of the series is Saturday in Boston.

Man Down

The Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers square off tonight in game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semi Finals tonight. After Tuesday's night smack down, the league officials have made a decision.

Heat forward Udonis Haslem has been suspended for tonights game in Indiana. This could hurt the Heat in so many ways. With already a short bench to begin with, that means LeBron will probably play about 45 minutes tonight and we will see more James Jones, and possibly Juan Howard. Heat center Dexter Pittman will be suspended for 3 games after he close lined Lance Stephenson in game 5. It will be interesting to see how game 6 is played tonight. Im guessing there will be a lot of ticky tack fouls called, which will take away from the players actually playing the game versus the refs winning or losing the game. If the refs do let them play...Dwyane Wade and LeBron James will go off again. My prediction is, the first team to 80 points wins the game.

Uncle Drew

If you havent seen the Pepsi MAX commercial starring Uncle Drew, then youre missing out. Pepsi MAX went to a pick up game in Bloomfield, NJ pretending to shoot a documentary on a player named "Kevin." When his Uncle Drew came into the game, well lets just say...IT GOT REAL!

NBA star and 2012 rookie of the year Kyrie Irving got a full makeover. He transformed in about 4 hours, from a 20 year old kid, to about a 65 year old grey haired man. From there Kyrie aka Uncle Drew went over to the court to participate in a late night run and just shut the park down...ENJOY!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DnKOc6FISU

REALLY DUDE

This "Really Dude" portion of my blog came to me as I watched the Heat vs. Pacers game last night. I give credit to 2 people for making this possible;

1. Mike Miller
2. Kevin Hart

If it wasnt for Mike Miller losing his shoe in the 3rd quarter yesterday and continuing to play without it, I wouldnt have said "really dude." And I wouldnt have said "really dude" if it wasnt for stand up comedian Kevin Hart. Everything just went hand in hand, and it made me think to myself...I have to make this apart of my blog. So special shoutout to both of you for making this happen. Without further ado, here is the play that made me say, "really dude." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-wBdwXxR6g

WHITE HOT

Most thought Game 5 in Miami would be a competitive game...it was anything but that from about the last minute and a half of the 2nd quarter through the remainder of the game. The Pacers just looked as if they just gave up.

The Miami Heat are one game away from going back to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Indiana Pacers got hammered 115-83. Not only did the Heat beat the Pacers down, they would also leave a few players  with some nicks and bruises. Danny Granger suffered a ankle sprain after coming down on LeBron's foot...David West left the game with what appeared to be a minor knee injury. Not only were those two players injured but in the closing seconds of the game, Heat center Dexter Pittman went to "box out" and sent a forearm to Pacers guard Lance Stephenson. Stephenson gave the "choke" gesture towards the LeBron James in game 3. I guess this was retaliation. Either way, it was uncalled for. Im sure league officials will look at that, along with the Hansbrough foul on Wade and the Haslem foul on Hansbrough.

Depsite all the fouls, the Heat managed to shoot a  franchise playoff record 61 percent from the field. Thats the best if any team in the playoffs this season. The Heat finally got the transition game going, scoring  29 transition points in Game 5. Miami is now 6-0 this postseason when they score at least 14 points on fastbreaks. In each of the Heat's three losses this postseason, they were outscored in transition. The highlight play of the game, had to be in the 3rd quarter. Chalmers sent a outlet pass to LeBron James, that appeared as if it was going out of bounds. James caught the pass with one hand, while falling backwards and then slung the pass to Wade for the dunk! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Scb53J8dkIE

The Heat will try to close out the Pacers in game 6 in Indiana Thursday night at 8:00 on TNT.

Throwback Tuesday

We meet again...another Tuesday with yours truly JR3!!! This is a special week. I say that because, I really wanted this to be a segment where the people get to know who I am. With that being said, this weeks throwback athlete/person is none other than, yours truly...Jarrod Rice.

Growing up on the westside of Detroit, sports played a big part in my life. At the tender age of 5, the first sport I played was tee ball. At Peterson Park on Curtis and Evergreen is where it all started. Playing shortstop and 3rd base for the Rangers. Team name inspired by the cartoon, "Power Rangers" we went on to win 4 championships in a span of 6 years. I would go on from tee ball, to coach pitch, then to fastball. Thats when I would be tested as a baseball player. It was huge transition going from being coached by your father, then moving onto a coach and organization that you have never been apart of. Not only did I switch teams, but I would have a position change.

The Northwest Detroit Red Sox would be my new home and family for years to come. I would be a member of the Red Sox until I turned 16. Our coaching staff of Coach Hurt and Coach Walt would be my mentors and high school basketball coach my freshman year at Benedictine High School. I fell in love with baseball and basketball even more once I was under the guidance of those two coaches. One thing they would instill in the team, that we all can use in our everyday life is the "5 P's": PROPER PREPARATION PREVENTS POOR PERFORMANCE. At a young age and still learning, I just took it as, this is just another speech. But, it really is a life lesson. Once I got to high school, basketball grew on me. I played JV basketball for a year and a half. Freshman year at Benedictine High School, then transferred to Clarenceville High School in 10th grade to finish out school. Thats when I would find my passion for writing and editing. I served as the chief editor for the sports column in the Shades of Gray newspaper.

After graduating from high school, I went to college and majored in Mass Communications. I graduated from Specs Howard School of Media Arts and continued sports writing for Rochester College. From there, I got the idea to start my own sports blog. I am currently involved in a very competitive rec league, and continue to stay active in the sports world on and off the court. My long term goal is to become a Sports Analyst/Columnist for ESPN and to have my own sports show.

LAKERS STRUCK BY THUNDER...AGAIN

The Los Angeles Lakers have been struck by Kevin Durant, Russell Westrbrook, James Harden and the Oklahoma City Thunder for the last time in the 2012 NBA playoffs. For the second consecutive summer, the Lakers will probably be having another team makeover.

With a little over 4 minutes to play in the 3rd quarter, the game changed drastically on this play: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dkBfKZslTg

From that moment on, the Thunder just poured it on. They would go on a 14-3 run to blow the game wide open and send the Lakers fishing for the summer. Despite Kobe dropping 42 points, the Lakers really had no answer for the young team. Now the Thunder will play the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. Game 1 is Sunday AT 8:30 on TNT.

Dynamic Duo

"Ni**as hate ballers these days...ain’t that like LeBron James? Ain’t that just like D-Wade? Wait..." - Jay Z

After a terrible game 3...Dwyane Wade in particular, he and LeBron James put on a show for all 18,000 towel waving Pacer fans. The NBA MVP and former Finals MVP pretty much did what they wanted and there was no answer for the 2 stars the entire game. Wade scored 8 points in the first half of the game, then went on to explode for 22 in the 2nd half, including 14 in the 3rd quarter. During one stretch of the game, Wade and James scored 38 consecutive points. Mind boggling or just no answer?

They 2 stars combined for 70 of the teams 103 points in the game. They also got help from Udonis Haslem, who had 14 points, and 2 big jump shots down the stretch. With the series tied up at 2 games a piece, and game 5 back in Miami. The Pacers might have picked the wrong time to have a bad game and to awake a sleeping giant.Wade and James outscored the Pacers 43-39 in the 2nd half for the second time this series.Wade had a very impressive game by posting, 30 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. LeBron James put together the 2nd best single performance in playoff history. James tallied 40 points, 18 rebounds, and 9 assists. LeBron is the first player to do that since Elgin Baylor in 1961. Pacer fans, you all might want to start sweating now. Game 5 is tomorrow night at 8pm on TNT.

 

CLEAN SWEEP

The San Antonio Spurs are for real in case you haven't noticed. They knock off the Los Angeles Clippers in 4 games in the Western Conference Semi Finals. The Spurs have won 18 straight games, going back to the regular season. Whether you want to admit it or not, but the San Antonio Spurs have a legit shot at winning it all this year.

The Spurs are currently waiting to see who they will play in the Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and Thunder. To put things in perspective as to how the Spurs have been playing; they have won their last 18 games; They are 8-0 this post season; and they are 29-2 in their last 31 games. Its safe to say, they are the hottest team in basketball. Before the season began, no one gave the Spurs a chance to win the title, yet alone make it to the Western Conference Finals. Im not sure if sports fans remembered, but in the last NBA lockout season (1998-99)...the San Antonio Spurs won the NBA Championship.

No matter how you look at it, or what excuse you come up with...the Spurs are playing some serious basketbal right now. Im not even sure a young and energetic Thunder team can hang with these guys for an entire 7 games. In the mean time, San Antonio is the team to beat in the West until someone can at least win a game.

Thunder Struck

Lets set the scene...Lakers up by 7, with 2 minutes to go in the game. You have one of the greatest players in NBA history on your team, a former defensive player of the year, and a couple of 7 footers on your team, playing against a young and talented team in a pivotal game 2 of the Western Conference Semi Finals. You should win right? That would be a negative people.

The Oklahoma City Thunder might be a young team, but they seem so poised this post season. When down 7 against the Lakers last night, they couldve easily packed it in and said we'll just go back to LA with the series tied. Instead, they dug down deep and took the lead on a Kevin Duran floater with just about 18 seconds to go in the game. Thunder head coach Scott Brooks said,

"They won't quit. That's not in their DNA...they're not wired that way and if they were, they wouldn't be here. We're not going to win every game, but we're going to fight to the last second of the game and we did that tonight."

The only thing was that there was still time on the clock for the Lakers aka Kobe Bryant to win the game. The twist to this is that, Kobe never got a chance to get the ball. LA had no timeouts left and Metta World Peace inbounded the ball to a wide open Steve Blake. Im pretty sure that wasnt their first option, but World Peace made a good decision. Westbrook fell asleep guarding him and if you're a Thunder fan, you held your breath until the ball clanked off the rim. Now the Thunder go to LA with a 2-0 series lead and will try to go for the sweep. Game 3 is Friday at 10:30 in LA on ESPN. #ThunderUp

Throwback Tuesday

Welcome to the 4th edition of Throwback Tuesday. This week I had no clue as to what athlete I would choose to be my throwback player. With baseball season in full swing, and the NBA playoffs intensifying. I thought to myself, hockey doesn't get much love around this time of the year. So the player I chose, is none of than "The Captain" Steve Yzerman.

A young man from across the water (Canada) brought his talents to the NHL back in 1983. Steve was drafted 4th overall by the Detroit Red Wings. In just his rookie season with the Wings, Yzerman scored 39 goals and had 87 points. He also finished 2nd in rookie of the year voting. If that wasn't enough, Steve was voted to the all star team at 18 years old. In just his 3rd season with the Wings, he was named team captain. The youngest captain in team history, and it showed as "The Captain" led the Red Wings to its 1st division title in 23 years. Fast forward to 1993 when Scotty Bowman took over as head coach of the Red Wings. Scotty and Steve didnt exactly see eye in the beginning, but that changed quickly. At one point the team thought about trading away Yzerman, but they held on to. Within 2 years, in 1995...Steve and Scotty led the Wings to the Stanley Cup Finals for the 1st time since 1966 (well before my time), only to be swept by the New Jersey Devils. Even after getting the team to the Finals, his leadership was still in question.

The Detroit Red Wings organization as a whole could put all of the questions they had about Stevie Y and his ability to lead a team and commit to defense to rest. In 1997, the Red Wings went on to sweep the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cups Finals and bring the cup back to the city of Detroit for the 1st time in 42 years. The winning didnt stop. The following year the Wings defended their title and swept the Washington Capitals. Yzerman was named the Stanley Cup Finals MVP. Steve was in his prime, and he had the team playing at a very high level. In 1999, Steve became the 11th player in NHL history to score 600 goals. The following year he made the NHL All Star First Team and won the Frank J. Selke Trophy (Defensive Player Award). Stevie Y and the Wings would go on to win the Stanley Cup again in 2002.

Steve Yzerman would then suffer some injuries later in his career, which caused him to miss some games and not play to at a high level. In 2005, Steve would sign his last contrat as a player. In that season, he scored his 691st goal passing Mario Lemieux for 8th place. Steve Yzerman went on to retiree from the NHL in 2006, and then appeared on Sports Illustrated for the first time. The Red Wings would keep him in the organiztion, by putting him in the front office as team vice president. 3 years later, Stevie Y would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Steve Yzerman is a legend in the city of Detroit. When you think  Detroit Red Wings or Hockey Town, Steve is one of the first names you think of. He had the longest career wearing the "C" as the longest serving captain on one team (20 years). The Captain has had many accomplishments, below is the legacy he left here the Hockey Town:

• 9x NHL All Star
• NHL First Team
• 2002 Olympic Gold Medalist
• 3 Stanley Cups
• Sixth in NHL history in points
• Eighth in NHL goals
• Seventh in NHL assists
• First in Red Wings history in assists; second in points and goals; third in games played; second all-time in seasons and games played with only one NHL franchise
• Longest-serving captain for a team in league history (1,303 games)
• Lester B. Pearson Award
• Conn Smythe Award
• Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
• Frank J. Selke Trophy
• Lester Patrick Trophy
• Inducted into Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame
• Inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame
• Inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
• Inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame
• Number 19 retired with Detroit Red Wings