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Wednesday, June 20, 2012

So Good It Hurts


LeBron James



MIAMI -- The pain was so great, LeBron James said, that his body practically shut down on him.
He could hardly stand, certainly couldn't run. Good thing all he needed to do was shoot.
A limping, grimacing James shook off the pain of left leg cramps to hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 2:51 remaining and the Miami Heat held off the Oklahoma City Thunder for a 104-98 victory Tuesday night and a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals that no team has ever blown.
"He was hurting," teammate Dwyane Wade said. "But that's what it's about this time of the year. It would hurt more if we lose the ballgame, so it feels a little better if you can win it."
Imagine how good it will feel if the Heat get one more victory.
Better get well fast, LeBron. You're one win from the biggest party of your life.
Game 5 is Thursday night and James will have a chance to finish a nine-year chase that started in Cleveland before he famously -- or infamously -- left for South Florida before last season.
"Of course it's there to think about," said James, making it clear he plans to play. "I'll be ready for Game 5."
With James watching the final moments, Mario Chalmers finished off a stellar 25-point effort that matched Wade. James had 26 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds, missing a shot at a triple-double only because he was on the bench at the end after the thigh cramps emerged following a fall near the Thunder basket.
The Heat needed all James could give and more to hold off Russell Westbrook. He scored 43 points for the Thunder, who wasted an early 17-point lead but were never out of the game because of their sensational point guard. Kevin Durant had 28 points but James Hardenthrew in another clunker, finishing with eight points on 2-of-10 shooting. Westbrook and Durant were the only Thunder players to score in the last 16:46.
"Shots were falling," said Westbrook, who was 20 of 32. "It really doesn't mean nothing. We didn't come out with the win."
James stumbled to the court on a drive midway through the fourth quarter, staying on the offensive end of the floor as the Heat regained possession on a blocked shot, and he made a short jumper that made it 92-90. After Westbrook missed a jumper, the Heat called timeout as James gingerly went to the court. Unable to walk off, he was carried to the sideline.
He returned to a huge roar with a little over 4 minutes left and the Heat down two, and after Chris Bosh tied it, James slowly walked into a pull-up 3-point attempt -- perhaps doing so knowing he couldn't drive by anyone -- and drilled it.
"That 3 was just sheer will and competitiveness, to contribute in some way," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
That made it 97-94, and when Wade followed with a layup with 2:19 left, the Heat finally had enough room to withstand Westbrook, who kept coming all night.
"I was just trying to make a play," James said. "If I was out on the floor, I wanted to try to make a play with the limited mobility I had at that time, and I was happy I was able to come through."
Chalmers, the player who was struggling so badly that the Thunder put Durant on him in hopes of avoiding further foul trouble, made 9 of 15 shots, scoring more points than he had in the previous three games.
"Obviously LeBron James is one of the most dominant players in the game, and he explodes many nights scoring-wise. But we've always got his back, and certain nights like tonight when he wasn't feeling his greatest, you have guys like Mario Chalmers step up, big plays, big moments," said Wade, who had to shake off his own aches and pains after landing hard on his back in the first half following a spectacular block by Serge Ibaka. "That's what this team is built on, and that's the reason we're playing together."
The Heat couldn't have done it without James, who refused to let any pain prevent him from taking the biggest step of his career.
The Heat led 2-1 in the finals last year but James' struggles were their biggest problem as they lost the next three to Dallas. He was at his brilliant best in this one, keeping up his scoring surge but also willingly kicking it out to open teammates whenever he was double-teamed.
He tried to play through the pain, but the Heat had to call another timeout and remove him for good shortly after his go-ahead basket, and Spoelstra said the Heat couldn't keep playing four against five.
Bosh finished with 13 points and nine rebounds for the Heat, who quickly climbed out of the 17-point hole by scoring 16 straight points, with Chalmers and backup Norris Cole helping steady them until James and Wade got going.
"We're going to keep fighting," Durant said. "It's just frustrating, but we're going to keep fighting. That's how we've been since I got here."
In foul trouble the last two games, Durant began the game covering Chalmers, an adjustment that freed him from the burden of defending James. It kept Durant safe from fouls -- but the Thunder probably didn't count on the scoring explosion from Chalmers after he totaled just five points over the previous two games.
"I took that as a little sign of disrespect," Chalmers said.
Neither team could gain separation during a dizzying middle two periods, one score quickly answered on the other end as Miami took a 79-75 lead to the final 12 minutes.
Westbrook hit his first four shots and the Thunder made six of their first seven in a 13-3 burst out of the gate. A run of six straight made it 23-12 against the stunned Heat, who started 5 of 17, and it grew to 33-16 on Harden's fast-break layup with 21 seconds left.
The Heat found their spark in Cole, who hit a 3-pointer and then opened the second quarter with another to kick off a 16-0 burst, and the Heat would come all the way back to tie it at 35 on Wade's 3-pointer with 7:57 remaining in the half.
With the crowd back in it, Bosh got them even more fired up by diving on the floor for a loose ball, then leaping up after he was fouled and screaming toward the fans.
Yet the Thunder never gave up the lead, Westbrook constantly coming through with a bucket every time the Heat seemed to get within one point in the final minutes. The Thunder took a 49-46 lead into the break after Shane Battier missed a 3-point attempt just before the buzzer.
Miami finally went in front again in the third, Wade hitting a pair of free throws and James rifling a pass to him after a rebound for a basket that made it 50-49, and the Heat would play from in front for most of the remainder of the period.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Mets eye Johan Santana rest days



NEW YORK -- Mets left-hander Johan Santana said he "feels fine" on Saturday, a day after throwing a 134-pitch no-hitter, the first no-hitter in the history of the franchise in its 8,020th game.
But the Mets, wanting to be cautious with Santana, who missed all of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery, have a plan in place where the 33-year-old would be pushed back a day or two, according to manager Terry Collins.
Santana's next start is scheduled for Wednesday. But he said he'd have no problem with starting on Thursday in Washington or on Friday in the Bronx against the Yankees.
"Definitely, the next couple days are going to be important to see how I recover," said Santana, who has now thrown back-to-back complete games. "To see when I'm gonna throw my bullpen, and if we have to take an extra day, there's nothing wrong with that."
Collins struggled with his decision to keep Santana, who was supposed to be on a pitch count of 115, in the game. But given that Santana was on the verge of making history, Collins said he wasn't going to pull him.
"My heart told me to take him out due to the fact that I'm playing with a huge piece of the organization. If this guy goes down, it'd be pretty drastic for us," Collins said. "But also, there was history in the making, and in the moment, he wasn't coming out. I wasn't gonna take him out."
Part of Collins was wishing Santana would give up a hit so he could take him out and wouldn't have to worry.
But after the game, owner Jeff Wilpon and general manager Sandy Alderson told their manager he'd made the right decision to leave him in.
"They told me, 'Don't beat yourself down over this. You made the right move,' " Collins said. "I appreciated their confidence in the move."
Collins also got a call from former St. Louis Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa on Saturday.
"He said, 'Look, you did the right thing,' " Collins said. "When it comes from those people, I feel a lot better about it."
After accomplishing the rare feat, Santana said he'd never thrown a no-hitter at any level -- even in a video game. So he wasn't about to take himself out.
"I never give up. I've been through a lot," Santana said. "And to have an opportunity like [Friday night], it was unbelievable. It might be once-in-a-lifetime. You may spent your entire career and never have a chance to do it. And right when I had that opportunity, I was like there's no way that I'll come out."
Santana approached Collins after the game and gave him a hug.
"He said, 'I told you to trust me,' " Collins said. "And I said, 'Yeah, you did.' "

Collins joked that Saturday's starter, knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, is on a pitch count of 130.
Collins said that outfielder Mike Baxter, who slammed up against the wall after making a tremendous catch out in left in the seventh inning, was still wiih the doctor undergoing a battery of tests.
Collins said aside from an MRI, Baxter also received a CT scan and was being tested for a concussion.
"The report was he was really, really in pain this morning," Collins said.
According to a report in the New York Post, reliever Elvin Ramirez, who just got promoted to the majors on Friday, hurt his hamstring diving into the celebration pile after Santana finished off his no-hitter, and is likely headed to the disabled list.
Right-hander Chris Schwinden, who was designated for assignment by the Mets, was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays, the team announced.
Shortstop Ruben Tejada, currently on the DL with a quad strain, will run on Saturday and run the bases on Sunday, Collins said.

Friday, May 11, 2012

He's A Third King




A source close to James confirmed to ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst that the Heat star won the award.
A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press that James will be announced Saturday as this year's winner of the league's top individual honor, and that he will be formally presented with the trophy by commissioner David Stern on Sunday afternoon before Miami hosts Indiana in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the league has not announced the results.
James is winning the award for the third time in four seasons. Only seven other players -- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson andMoses Malone -- have at least three MVP trophies.
James said last week that while another MVP award "would be amazing and would be humbling," it's not what drives him. In his ninth season, James still has not won an NBA title and it's clear that, although he wanted to reclaim the MVP trophy, winning a championship is far and away his top basketball priority.
"What I'm all about is team and ever since I was a kid, I was always taught it's team first," James told the AP on Friday. "My first time playing basketball, we went undefeated and won a championship and Frank Walker Sr. gave everyone on the team a MVP trophy. Right then and there, I knew that this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to see my teammates reap the benefits as well."
James
James
Abdul-Jabbar won the MVP six times, Jordan and Russell five times each and Chamberlain four times. After this weekend, they'll be the only players with more than James.
"I think he's probably as committed as he's ever been in his career," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said this week, asked to summarize James' season. "And he's always been committed. ... We all respond to his energy on the court."
James averaged 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists -- making him only the fourth player with those totals in at least two different seasons, according to STATS LLC, joining Oscar Robertson (five times), John Havlicek (twice) and Bird (twice).
Add James' 53 percent shooting and 1.9 steals per game into the mix, and the club gets even more exclusive. Only Jordan had a season with numbers exceeding what James did this season in those categories -- 1988-89, when he averaged 32.5 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and 2.9 steals on 54 percent shooting.
And Jordan wasn't even the MVP that year, the trophy going to Johnson instead.
"I think LeBron is an MVP candidate every year," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said last month. "It's just who he is. He only does everything. So I don't know what more you can ask from him."
"LeBron, to me, is the favorite every year," Rivers added. "The years he doesn't win it, it'll usually be because people are just tired of voting for him. Statistically, if you go all-around game, I don't know how you don't vote for him every year."
LeBron, to me, is the favorite every year. The years he doesn't win it, it'll usually be because people are just tired of voting for him. Statistically, if you go all-around game, I don't know how you don't vote for him every year.
-- Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers
The MVP votes will be revealed Saturday. Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant was thought to be James' top competition for the MVP after winning the NBA scoring title for a third straight season.Chris Paul of the Los Angeles ClippersKobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs also had seasons that generated some MVP buzz.
James' teammates also lobbied for him to be defensive player of the year this season, noting that probably no one else in the league routinely plays four positions on offense while sometimes being asked to guard anyone from a point guard to a center on defense. James was fourth in that balloting.
"LeBron has been unbelievable," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said before the playoffs. "He's done it at both ends, every night, offensively and defensively."
Last season's MVP, Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls, appeared in only 39 of 66 regular-season games this season because of a variety of injuries. His season ended in Game 1 of the Bulls' first-round playoff series against Philadelphia, when he tore a knee ligament.
Many in the Heat organization thought James should have won the award a year ago as well, when he dealt with constant fallout from "The Decision" to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers as a free agent and sign with Miami, where he, Wade and Chris Bosh formed a "Big Three" that has been celebrated at home and reviled in just about every other NBA arena.
James has said he played more out of anger and to silence criticism than anything else last season. So this season, his mindset changed, with him trying to revert to old ways, first as a superstar-in-waiting at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, then during his seven seasons with the Cavaliers.
It apparently worked.
"I wanted to get back to who I was as a person," James said.
It's the first time that the Heat will be hosting an MVP celebration.
Shaquille O'Neal won his only MVP award before coming to Miami, and James won the 2009 and 2010 trophies with the Cavaliers -- collecting 225 of a possible 244 first-place votes in those seasons.
The NBA MVP trophy is named for Maurice Podoloff, the league's first commissioner. Heat assistant coach Bob McAdoo won the award once, for the Buffalo Braves in 1975.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

No. 1 Seed Out

Lou Williams


PHILADELPHIA -- Andre Iguodala made the go-ahead free throws with 2.2 seconds left and the Philadelphia 76ers rallied for a 79-78 victory over the top-seeded Chicago Bulls in Game 6 on Thursday night, advancing to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2003.
Omar Asik missed two free throws for the Bulls that would have sealed the win. Iguodala grabbed the second miss, sprinted the length of the court, and was fouled by Asik on the driving layup. He made both and 20,362 fans went absolutely wild.
The Sixers are the fifth No. 8 seed to win a first-round series against a No. 1 seed.
In his second season, coach Doug Collins had already led the Sixers to their first winning season in seven years.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Too Hot To Handle

Dwyane Wade

MIAMI (AP) – LeBron James had 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and theMiami Heat beat the New York Knicks 106-94 on Wednesday night to win the Eastern Conference first-round series in five games.



Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade each scored 19 points for Miami, which meets Indiana in the East semifinals starting Sunday. Mario Chalmers added 10 points for the Heat.
Carmelo Anthony scored a game-high 35 points for the shorthanded Knicks, who have not won a playoff series since 2000. Amar'e Stoudemire scored 14 points before fouling out, Landry Fields and J.R. Smith each had 12 points and Tyson Chandler grabbed 11 rebounds for New York.