NBA Draft done, Olympic basketball hurting

NBA Draft completed

• The NBA Draft took place Thursday night and as expected, the Hornets selected Anthony Davis with the #1 overall pick.  They also selected Duke guard Austin Rivers with the #10 pick, giving them two high potential players to pair with shooting guard Eric Gordon and possibly form a trio that will lead them to the playoffs in the future.
• Davis's former Kentucky teammate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was taken #2 and Florida guard Bradley Beal was taken #3.  It's the first time that three freshman have been taken #1-#3 and the second time that three players from the same conference have been taken #1-#3, joining the ACC in the 1986 draft.
• There were a few surprises including Dion Waiters being taken at #4 by the Cavaliers (who also traded with Dallas for UNC's Tyler Zeller later on) and Terrence Ross being taken #8 by the Raptors.
•The four North Carolina players expected to be taken were drafted within a span of 11 picks (#7 through #17) all of which were before Kentucky's third player was taken.  Kentucky, however, did have 6 players drafted and 4 in the first round.  UNLV in 1977 is the only other team with 6 draftees but none of those were in the first round, much less the first two picks overall.


Injuries Crushing U.S. Olympic Basketball

• The U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball team suffered another hit on Thursday when Miami Heat shooting guard Dwayne Wade announced he would be skipping the Olympics to have knee surgery. Wade said he could have had played through the pain, but didn’t want to risk being unprepared for the 2012-13 NBA season.
• Wade struggled with knee pain throughout this year's playoffs, in which Wade did play through the pain but was not always effective. During the Eastern Conference finals Wade even had his knee drained of fluid. Despite not being at 100% though, Wade had some big moments in leading the Heat to their second championship since 2006.
• Wade, who led the ’08 Olympic team in scoring, was expected to be a major contributor to this year’s Olympic team. He will be joined on the sideline by two other large expected contributors. Chicago Bulls’ point guard Derrick Rose would likely have been the starting point guard for the Olympic team, but tore his ACL at the beginning of the playoffs. Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, who would have been the starting center for the team, had back surgery and will be watching from the sidelines.

NBA Draft, NCAA Football playoffs

NBA Draft Thursday night

• The 2012 NBA Draft will begin with Anthony Davis being taken by the New Orleans Hornets (Sportico will refund the entire price of this article otherwise) but where the draft goes from there is anyone's guess. 
• The Charlotte Bobcats are picking at #2 and were rumored to be interested in a shooter like Florida's Bradley Beal, but after trading for Ben Gordon on Tuesday, they may have their shooter.  Now they will probably take Kansas's Thomas Robinson, Kentucky's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, North Carolina's Harrison Barnes, or they could trade the pick to another team who wants one of those 3 (or Beal). 
• There are plenty of storylines, including:
- Whether or not Austin Rivers will end up playing for his dad, Doc (the Coach of the Celtics).
- If 4 North Carolina Tar Heels (Barnes, John Henson, Tyler Zeller and Kendall Marshall) or 4 Kentucky Wildcats (Davis, Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones and Marquis Teague) could all be taken in the top 20 or even the lottery.
- How much injury red flags will hurt former top 3 projected pick Jared Sullinger's draft position.
- Will a team take a risk on defensive ace Fab Melo who was suspended for this year's NCAA tournament while with Syracuse (Click here if you want to read Melo's explanation for his issues).
And finally... - What blockbuster deals will be made on what is traditionally the biggest day of player movement in the NBA?
• The Draft is Thursday at 7 PM and can be seen on ESPN. 


College Football Playoffs approved for 2014


• Many college football fan’s wishes have been answered. The NCAA announced on Tuesday that they would be moving to a 4 team playoff in 2014. Pending approval by the NCAA Board of Directors, a selection committee will choose four teams to play on either New Years Eve or New Years Day and the two winners would play the next Monday in a championship game.
• The actual location of these games will rotate between six sites. A number of other changes, including removing the Big East from “automatic qualifying” status, were also agreed upon in principal.  The Big East had sent far inferior teams to BCS games over the past few years, always leaving out much more deserving teams who needed to qualify as an at-large, or wildcard, selection.
• The hope is that the playoff will remove a great amount of contention over who deserves to be the National Championship of college football, giving two extra teams a chance to win instead of having to pan for votes.  It will come a couple years too late for Oklahoma State and Stanford, but sometimes it takes monumental travesties (like the 2011 NCAA Football season) to affect real change. 

Heat win, unwritten line crossed in MLB

Ring for the King

• After 9 seasons, 3 MVP awards, 115 playoff games and 2 brutal NBA Finals series that he played poorly in and lost, Lebron James is finally an NBA champion.  The Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-106 Thursday night to clinch the franchise's second NBA Title.  The first came in 2006 when Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O'Neal led the team instead of Wade and Lebron (OK, fine we'll throw Chris Bosh in this list too). 
• Whether it's fair or not, nobody has been more harshly critiqued than James over the past few years but his numbers in the Finals, and the entire playoffs for that matter, should silence any criticism of his play (other issues still abound with James but that's a topic for another time) and leave no doubt as to who won this series for Miami.  He averaged 28.6 points (never scoring less than 26) 10.4 rebounds and 7.4 assists (25 total in the last 2 games).  He played cool, calm and collected and took over the series despite playing against a Kevin Durant-led Thunder team that many thought was better.  When the Thunder only sent one defender at James, he scored almost as well and when they inevitably double-teamed him, he passed to wide open 3 point shooters Shane Battier, Mario Chalmers, Mike Miller and others who seemed to barely miss a shot for the entire series.
• Now that he has one, the question can be raised: How many will he win?  According to him, there are quite a few more to come.


Unwritten Lines Crossed in MLB

• Joel Peralta has never been a superstar, but has been putting up impressive numbers in his first year with the Tampa Bay Rays. In his career Peralta has pitched for 5 teams in 7 years, including a stint with the Washington Nationals last year. While this movement is not atypical of a relief pitcher out of the norm, Peralta’s case became interesting on Tuesday night.
• The Rays and Nationals were playing in the 8th inning when Peralta was called into the game. While he was warming up, the umpires congregated on the mound, checked Peralta’s glove, and ejected him from the game before he threw his first pitch. Turns out, Peralta had pine tar in his glove, a substance that helps the pitcher grip a ball better and put more spin on it. This substance has been illegal for almost a century.
• How did the umpires know to check Peralta's glove?  Well it turns out that the Nationals tipped the umpires (according to Nationals Manager Davey Johnson) based on information from one of his own players, who tipped him off and he asked the umpires to check. Rays manager Joe Maddon was furious calling Johnson’s move “bush league” and saying he was breaking an unwritten rule and that it was unfair to single out Peralta (insinuating that potentially many other players do the same thing).
• While the correct ejection was technically made, it raises all kinds of questions about what is kept "in-family" among MLB players.  Peralta was just suspended 8 games for the infraction and his suspension might make players think twice about going to Washington if all of their dirty laundry will be aired as soon as they leave or are traded.

Clemens escapes, R.A. deals, Heat on fire

RA Dickey Emerges

- New York Mets Pitcher R.A. Dickey has rocketed to the limelight over the last week by becoming the first pitcher in the modern era of Major League baseball to throw back-to-back one-hitters while striking out 10 batters.
- The middling pitcher out of the University of Tennessee, Dickey was nothing special after being drafted by the Texas Rangers. However, after an elbow tendon surgery, Dickey realized that he could throw a knuckleball to extend his career. The knuckleball is a very unusual pitch, that generally does not travel more than 75-80 miles an hour (Most pitchers strive to throw in the 90s). However, its erratic movement makes it hard to hit, also hard to control.
- Dickey's emergence is all the more impressive as he has shown remarkable control not walking more than 4 batters in any start since May. His last two starts have been historic and the Mets coaching staff is considering having him pitch every 4th day (as opposed to the more conventional every 5th day). Since the knuckleball is thrown at such a low velocity, it takes less of a toll on the pitcher and allows for quicker recovery.


Justice Department Strikes Out

- The more than 2 month trial of Roger Clemens (that seemingly stretched back much further than that) ended on Tuesday with the former Major League Baseball player being acquitted on all charges. Clemens, who was on trial for perjury during his testimony in front of congress in 2008, was bailed out by the fact that the government's star witness had hole after hole poked in his testimony.
- Brian McNamee, who was Clemens' personal trainer and one time Yankees' strength coach, testified that he regularly injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormones. However testimony from his estranged wife, and another former Yankees employee debunked McNamee's credibility.
- LA Dodgers manager, and former Yankees assistant coach, Don Mattingly was very critical of the Justice Department's decision to take on this case saying "you hear of teachers and students who don't have paper and pencils and it seems like a waste of money." Mattingly's feelings are shared by a large number of people, both inside the MLB and out.


Heat within 1 win of Title

- Coming into this playoff series, many pundits predicted a 2 on 5 matchup, with Miami needing stars Dwyane Wade and Lebron James to essentially outscore the Oklahoma City Thunder by themselves.  That storyline was flipped on its heels Tuesday night as Russell Westbrook exploded for 43, Kevin Durant had 28, but the rest of the Thunder combined only scored 27 as Miami won 104-98 to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.
- Lebron had 26 points and 12 assists while Wade and Mario Chalmers each scored 25 for the balanced Heat.
- Game 5 is in Miami but if the Thunder can manage to win that one, they'll return home to a raucous crowd for the remainder of the series.  While it's a possibility that the Thunder could still win, it certainly does not look promising for the young trio of Durant, Westbrook and James Harden, whose combined age is only 67.

Earnhardt Jr. Finally Wins

• A momentous occasion occurred in the NASCAR world which warrants attention from the Sportico newsroom. Dale Earnhardt Jr, the wildly popular son of Dale Earnhardt Sr, won his first race in four years (143 starts) by defeating the pack at the Michigan Motor Speedway (which happened to be the location of his last victory on June 15th, 2008).
• Earnhardt, also known as Little E, has one of the biggest, most vocal, fan bases despite his recent struggles on the asphalt. He may be turning the corner though, winning this week and leading 36 laps the previous week at Pocono.
• With the victory, Earnhardt moves to second in the overall NASCAR standings. The top 12 drivers enter the "Chase for the Sprint Cup," a postseason tournament that determines the championship.


Heat take 2-1 lead

• Lebron James and the Miami Heat won Game 3 of the NBA Finals 91-85 Sunday night in a game that was closer than the final score indicated.  Oklahoma City led for a decent portion of the game and only trailed by 1 point with 1:30 left after Russell Westbrook's jumper went through, but they would not score again. 
• Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 25 points but got into foul trouble for the second straight game.  When he picked up his 4th foul halfway through the third quarter, the Thunder were pulling away, leading by 9, but after he sat they almost immediately gave the lead up, trailing by the time the quarter ended.
• A big difference in the game was Free Throw shooting, as Miami shot a sizzling 31-35 (89%) while Oklahoma City only shot 15-24 (63%). Lebron scored 29 and had 14 rebounds for the Heat while Dwyane Wade had 25 points and 7 assists.
• The Heat led the NBA Finals over Dallas 2-1 last year but lost the next 3 games as Dallas won their first ever title. 
• Game 3 is in Miami on Tuesday at 9:00.



Webb Simpson Wins U.S. Open

• Webb Simpson won the U.S. Open yesterday, becoming the 15th different golfer to win the last 15 majors. Tiger Woods faded after a very poor Saturday and a less than stellar Sunday that kept him out of contention. This was Simpson’s third victory on the PGA tour, his second time playing the U.S. Open and he finished the tournament at +1.
• Jim Furyk held the lead coming into the Sunday round, but after bogeying two of his last three holes he fell into a tie for fourth. Even though Furyk had the lead coming into the final round, it was Graeme McDowell and Michael Thompson that Simpson had to hold off toward the end of the final round to secure his victory. The three players took turns holding the lead but in the end Simpson was the one holding the career-changing trophy.

Tiger winning, Lance accused

Tiger among leaders at U.S. Open 


• Despite all the commotion in Tiger Woods' life over the past few years, no one can deny that he's still a pretty good golfer, capable of beating any field on any course.  It just might happen this weekend at the U.S. Open, played at the notoriously harsh Olympic Golf Club in San Francisco.  He's only at -1 but that's good for a tie for second place. 
• Woods' two groupmates, Phil Mickelson and Masters Champion Bubba Watson, didn't fare so well.  Mickelson, who has long been one of the best in the world shot a +6 while Watson might be come the first Masters champion to miss the cut at the U.S. Open in 18 years after his miserable +8.  All three are ranked in the top 12, with Woods and Watson both in the top 5.
• Whether or not you're a fan of Tiger Woods, a tournament that he does well in always garners more attention and is arguably the best thing that can happen to a given tournament, even one that doesn't necessarily need additional storylines to garner viewers, such as the U.S. Open.


More Steroid Allegations against Lance

• Lance Armstrong received a letter on Wednesday from the US Anti-Doping Agency telling Armstrong there were 10 witnesses who claimed to have witnessed him doping (using steroids) between 1998 and 2011. This is not the first time that Armstrong has been accused of using performance enhancing drugs, but the USADA is the most credible accuser to date.
• If found guilty of these charges, Armstrong will likely be stripped of his record 7 Tour de France titles and will be banned from cycling and triathlons.
• Armstrong, who has never tested positive for any kind of drugs in the past, and his legal team are formulating a defense surrounding the fact that all 10 supposed witnesses were facing legal trouble of their own. The witnesses, none of whom are known yet, supposedly traded testimony for immunity for themselves. Armstrong’s team believes that their testimony should not be trusted. The team has also asked for samples Armstrong provided that prove his doping. This story is developing, but could lead to the downfall of one of the greatest athletes, humanitarians and stories of our time.

Kings win cup, Thunder strikes in Game 1

Coronation in LA

• The LA Kings defeated the New Jersey Devils to win the first Stanley Cup in the franchise's 45 year history. In the final game (Game 6) a major penalty to Devils winger Steve Bernier in the first period gave the Kings the opening they needed. They netted three goals in the span of 4 minutes and the never looked back on their way to the cup. Jeff Carter and Trevor Lewis both scored two goals in the victory.
• Kings goalie Jonathan Quick won the Conn Smythe trophy as the MVP of the playoffs. Following tradition, Kings captain Dustin Brown accepted the Stanley Cup (the oldest trophy in North American sports) from commissioner Gary Bettman. The New York born Brown is only the second American born captain of a Stanley Cup winner ever (Darian Hatcher of the 1999 champion Dallas Stars being the other). The Kings only lost 4 games this postseason (including an astonishing mere one loss on the road) obliterating more highly touted teams to win the Stanley Cup.




Durant v. Lebron underway


• The NBA Finals began on Tuesday night with the Oklahoma City Thunder winning their first ever Finals game by a score of 105-94 in front of their home fans.  The Thunder trailed for nearly all of the first three quarters but never panicked, chipping away at the Miami lead and using a monstrous 4th quarter by Kevin Durant (17 points in the 4th, 36 for the game) to put the Heat away.
• The series has been touted as a showdown between the two best of the next generation of the NBA and former superstar Magic Johnson said that this series would decide who Kobe Bryant would figuratively pass the baton to as the next face of the NBA. 
• Many people have assumed that Lebron James (30 points but a game-high 4 turnovers in Game 1) would be that player, but this is his 9th season and he still has not claimed an NBA championship (last year was the first year he even won an NBA FInals game).  Durant is 4 years younger, has led the NBA in scoring for the past 3 seasons and carries much less scrutiny, unfair though it may be, than his counterpart in Miami. 
• Game 2 is on Thursday night and then the series shifts to Miami for 3 games.




One of the Best Traditions in Sports Begins

• When the New Jersey Devils won the Stanley cup in 1995 they started a tradition that is one of the most interesting traditions in the game. Every player, coach and front office worker gets a day with the Cup to do what they please. There are two full time members of the NHL who go on tour with the cup.
• Generally, each player takes the cup to their hometown and that town has a party to celebrate their returning hero. In the past the cup has been used to baptize a baby and to eat popcorn out of at a movie theater, as well as being home to a plethora of drinks.
• This year, the cup will likely travel to various parts of the USA and Canada, as well as Yugoslavia and Russia. That is of course when it is not on late night shows and at the White House.

Pac-Man stunned, French ongoing, Mariners make history

Pacquiao Loses Controversial Decision

• Timothy Bradley shocked the boxing world on Saturday night by defeating Manny Pacquiao, snapping Pacquiao’s 15 match winning streak. The decision surprised many boxing experts as it looked like Pacquiao had performed much better in the fight.
• According to unofficial counts, Pacquiao connected on 253 of 751 punches (34%), compared to 159 of 839 (19%) for Bradley.  Pacquiao, considered by many the best boxer in the world, seemed in control early in the match, when he was really taking it to the bigger Bradley. Bradley seemed to gain momentum in the later rounds of the match, even after fracturing his foot in the second round but still landed less punches than Pacquiao in 10 of the 12 rounds. A clause in the contract for the fight allowed for a rematch if Bradley won. This rematch, tentatively scheduled for November 10th, is likely to happen and is at the discretion of Pacquiao.
• Boxing promoter Bob Arum was one of the many people who were shocked by the outcome of the fight. “I have never been more ashamed of the sport of boxing as I am tonight.” Bradley won on two of the three judges' scorecard by two points (losing on the third by two points). The Associated Press and a number of other experts had Pacquiao winning the match handily.


French Open Almost Finished

• The Women’s side of the French Open was settled on Saturday as Maria Sharapova defeated Italian born Sara Errani to win the French open. This victory gives Sharapova a career Grand Slam, meaning she has won all four of the Grand Slam tournaments throughout her career. Sharapova won in straight sets, only losing 5 games en route to the milestone victory.
• On the Men’s side, Rafael Nadal is leading and is looking to win his record 7th French Open on Monday, while Novak Djokovic is looking to, like Sharapova, complete his career Grand Slam. Nadal held a 2 set to 1 lead over his newest rival, Djokovic (although he trailed in the 4th set 2-1) before the finale was rained out.  It is the first time that the French Open has not concluded on a Sunday since 1973.
• They are set to resume at 7 AM EST Monday morning. Nadal and Djokovic have now faced each other a total of 32 times with Nadal holding a 18-14 advantage. Nadal holds a commanding 11-2 lead on the clay surface (which is what the French Open is played on).


6 Mariners throw unique no-hitter

• When reliever Tom Wilhelmsen recorded the final out of Friday's 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, he looked a little surprised at the level of enthusiasm his catcher Jesus Montero was displaying.  "He didn't know," Montero told reporters. "I jumped on him and I was like, 'Hey it's a no-hitter!' And he went 'What?' And then he was so happy after that."
• Although there have already been four no-hitters thrown this season, they've all been done by a single pitcher, as almost every no-hitter is.  But on Friday, Kevin Millwood, a near 40 year old journeyman who hasnt been an all-star since the Clinton era was injured, leaving the door open for 5 relievers to combine on this unique no-no.
• What makes this even more unusual is that it was against the best team in baseball and no team with the best record in baseball (after at least 50 games) has EVER been held hitless.  Wilhelmsen being the one to finish it would have seemed like an even bigger long shot as he was suspended for drug violations in 2004, left the sport in 2005, bounced around with odd jobs that including being a bartender before taking the long road back to the majors that has finally seen him catch on as Seattle's closer recently.

Breaking News: No Shot for Triple Crown

I'll Have Another out of the Belmont

• The first chance to win a triple crown in 5 years is out. Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes champion I'll Have Another was scratched today due to tendonitis. This means the streak of 34 years without a triple crown winner will go on at least one more year.
• The 3-year old had a light workout on Thursday and went for a job on Friday morning. After his Friday morning workout a veterinary scan showed a "tender" tendon. His trainers decided it was not worth the risk of him doing further damage to himself, and pulled him out of the Belmont Stakes.
• The handlers of I'll Have Another have not made a final decision, but it is likely that the Preakness was the last time the horse will race. The winner of one triple crown races fetch a large sum of money in the stud market, the winner of two is pretty much guaranteed to have a pretty good life.

Heat, Celts to play Game 7

- Lebron James single-handedly carried the Heat to victory in a must-win game for the Heat, who defeated the Celtics 98-79 behind Lebron's 45 points and 15 rebounds.  James started the game by making a scintillating 10 of his first 11 shots, most of them jumpers close to the basket.  He finished the first half with 30 points and had he made his last shot of the half, a 3 pointer, it would have set the all-time record for points in one half of a playoff game.
- The Celtics kept it close for a while behind another good game from Rajon Rondo, but even he faded in the second half, and his supporting trio was ineffective.  Paul Pierce only scored 9 points on a miserable 4 of 18 shooting night (He went 0 for 6 on three point attempts).
- Celtics coach Doc Rivers made some waves afterwards, writing the message pictured above to essentially tell his team that they should expect to be gone not just for Saturday's game 7 in Miami, but games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals, which will be in Oklahoma City.  It is reminiscent of former Heat coach and current executive Pat Riley's motivational ploy from the 2006 NBA Finals when he said he'd pack "one shirt, one suit, one tie," despite going to Dallas with the possibility of two games if Miami lost the first.  Rivers has admitted in the past that Riley had the most influence on him of any coach.




Belmont Stakes tomorrow

- At 6:30 on Saturday afternoon, I'll Have Another will try to have just one more win as he attempts to become the first horse in 34 years to win the fabled Triple Crown.  The field is unusually large for the New York race, as there are usually only a single digit number of horses, but this year 12 entrants will make the trot.
- Despite the large field only 4 horses are considered viable threats to win the $620,000 first place payout and all the others have worse than 10-1 odds.  Those horses, in no particular order, are Dullahan, Union Rags, and Paynter.
- It's gotten to the point where the Belmont has nearly become cursed to winners of the first two legs of the Triple Crown, as there have been as many horses to fail in the Belmont since the last triple crown winner (11) as there have been winners total, the last being Affirmed in 1978.

Kings of Hockey, Tennis still winning

Kings on Lip of Stanley Cup

- To put it mildly, the Los Angeles Kings have been on a roll this playoffs. They have lost only two games for the entire playoffs going a combined 15-2 to date.  They've won the first 3 games of every series they've played this year.  In the finals, against the New Jersey Devils, a combination of timely scoring and goaltender Jonathan Quick playing the part of a wall has the Kings on the precipice of their first championship in franchise history.
- After winning both Games 1 and 2 2-1 in New Jersey, the Kings celebrated their return trip home with a 4-0 victory for the first Stanley Cup final in LA since 1993, when a guy named Wayne Gretzky lead the Kings to the Finals.
- The story of the Kings is really that of their backstop, the appropriately named Jonathan Quick. Quick has been nothing short of remarkable. On a number of occasions the Devils were only stopped by Quick’s speedy reaction. Game 4 is scheduled for tonight with the Kings looking to tie the record for the best post season record in NHL history with a win, and the Devils looking to become only the second team in NHL history to claw back from a 0-3 deficit. 



Novak, Federer just get by

- Two of the the Big 3 of Men's Tennis escaped by the skin of their teeth Tuesday at the French Open, both eventually winning matches that they struggled mightily in.
- Novak Djokovic had 4 match points against him (when the opponent needs to only score one more point to win) but fended off all 4 and won the final 2 sets after being down 2-1.  His opponent, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, got a lot of energy from the crowd, who heartily cheered on the underdog but when he he couldn't finish Djokovic off and the 5th set began, he folded, losing 6-1.
- Roger Federer was actually down 2 sets to 0 to Juan Martin del Potro, but managed to win the next 3 in relatively easy fashion, only losing 5 of the next 23 games in those matches.
- The other member of the big 3, Rafael Nadal, plays today against Nicolas Almagro.
- Djokovic has won the last 3 consecutive Grand Slams and is looking to become the first to win all 4 in a row since 1969 when Rod Laver did it (he did it in 1962 also). 

Thunder, Tiger both victorious

West All Tied up

- The Western Conference Finals are all tied up after the Oklahoma City Thunder took care of business at home to send the series back to San Antonio. After the Spurs looked dominant during games one and two (and the previous 18 games), the Thunder proved they were not ready to roll over. A 20 point demolition of the Spurs on Thursday night combined with a 6 point victory on Saturday night has the series tied 2-2.
- The Thunder’s help came from an unlikely source with its center (Kendrick Perkins) and power forward (Serge Ibaka) leading the offensive charge, especially in the first half. Ibaka, a young raw talent from the Congo, has been an offensive liability all year. However, on Saturday night, he showed up in a big way making all 11 of his shots from the floor and all 4 of his free throws to rack up 26 points. Perkins added 15 while missing only 2 of his 9 shot attempts.
Thunder star Kevin Durant (who finished second in MVP voting this year) scored a game-high 36 points, with 28 of them coming in the second half. Durant had a 7 minute stretch in the 4th quarter where he was simply superb. Scoring 18 points, including 16 straight for his team. The series will return to San Antonio for game 5 tonight and the homecourt will continue to alternate for each of the remaining games.


Tiger wins 

- Tiger Woods made a terrific comeback Sunday, coming from 4 shots behind to win the Memorial, a tournament that he's won 5 times now and it couldn't ha ve been more appropriate because he tied the course's founder, Jack Nicklaus, for second place in career PGA Tour wins with 73 total. 
- Woods is 10 years younger than Nicklaus was when he won his final tournament and is only 9 away from Sam Snead's all-time record of 82.
- Tiger is only 4 major wins behind Nicklaus, a category that many value more than overall wins, but he has a chance to add to that total as the U.S. Open will start in just 11 days.

Western Conference Gets Interesting, Stars Falling in Paris

Thunder Snap Spurs Streak

• After 20 straight games with victories (many of them easy) the San Antonio Spurs finally tasted the bitterness of defeat at the hands of the young Oklahoma City Thunder. This easy victory by the Thunder also eased skepticism that the they were too young to win it all.
• Kevin Durant lead the Thunder with 22 points, while Thabo Sefolosha contributed 19 points. Superstar point guard Russell Westbrook added 10 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds. Tony Parker and Stephen Jackson lead the Spurs with 16 points each, but the Spurs shot 39.5% from the field, which isn’t terrible, but they also took 12 less shots than the Thunder.
• The series, which is now at 2-1, moves onto play on Saturday at 8:30. The Thunder will try to even the series, while the Spurs will look to extend their lead and move onto the NBA finals.

More Stars fall in France

• A few days after her sister Serena fell at the French Open, Venus Williams was also defeated. Continuing a trend in Paris of big named Americans losing on the clay courts of Roland Garros. Williams lost to the #3 player in the world Agnieszka Radwanska (if that names sounds new to you, it should, even this writer hadn’t heard of her).
• On the men's side, John Isner fell in another marathon match. Two years after after his epic matchup against Nicolas Mahut. The fifth set against Mahut lasted 138 games over two days and more than 8 hours. On Wendesday played Paul Henri Mathieu of France for 34 games in the 5^th set, for two and a half hours, in a relative sprint.