Shocking NBA Draft

- The 2013 NBA Draft was filled with shocking moves from start to finish, a major change up from a usually entertaining, but predictable event. Right off the bat with the #1 pick, the Cleveland Cavaliers surprised the experts by taking UNLV freshman Anthony Bennett (pictured), the expected #1 pick Nerlens Noel fell to #6, and then about halfway through, there was a blockbuster trade that will greatly affect the landscape in the Eastern Conference (more on that below).  Commissioner David Stern’s last draft was nothing if not memorable. After the Cavs, the next surprising pick was the Orlando Magic who took Indiana SG Victor Oladipo over more highly touted scorers and then the Charlotte Bobcats who skipped over the top two centers available and (seemingly) reached for another Indiana player, Cody Zeller.
- Rumors of a major trade came to fruition near the end of the first round of the draft. Boston agreed to send future Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce (in addition to Jason Terry) to the Brooklyn Nets for a mother lode of role players and draft picks, which analyst Bill Simmons called "35 cents on the dollar". This continues Boston’s blowing up of the team that won the 2008 NBA championship that started with the trading of Doc Rivers to the LA Clippers. Boston is in full rebuilding mode, deciding to build around young but injured point guard Rajon Rondo.
- This draft was the 30th and final of David Stern's long tenure as commissioner of the NBA. After Stern made the final pick of the first round, when he usually turns the stage over to deputy commissioner (and future NBA commissioner) Adam Silver, Hakeem Olajuwon came on stage. 30 years ago, Olajuwon was the first pick Stern ever announced. He came in and congratulated Stern for his service to the league and game.


Wimbledon continues to surprise

- Wimbledon is only just now nearing the end of the third round but there are already major surprises.  Gone is Roger Federer, considered by many the greatest grass court player ever.  Gone is Rafael Nadal, winner of the French Open mere weeks ago.  Gone is Maria Sharapova, one of the best player in the women's game.  - Still kicking is Alison Riske, a wild card entrant who literally one of the final few to even make the field and beat the 44th ranked player in the world, Urszula Radwanska, of Poland to advance. Next up, Riske plays Kaia Kanepi, a 4 time Grand Slam quarterfinalist.
- On the men's side it looks like a possible Andy Murray/Novak Djokovic final, as none of the other players remaining have won a Grand Slam in many years, however without Federer and Nadal in the field, some of those players may take this opportunity to capture that elusive prize.

Hernandez Arrested, Oregon Slapped on the Wrist

 Hernandez arrested, released
- In a move that sent shockwaves throughout the NFL community, star TE Aaron Hernandez was released by the New England Patriots on Wednesday after being arrested by Boston police. Although no charges have officially been filed as of the time of this article, the arrest stems from Hernandez's involvement in the murder of former semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd, 27.
- Hernandez was seen with Lloyd early in the morning after a night of clubbing. When police came to investigate Hernandez's involvement after finding Lloyd's body, they discovered that his cell phone and security monitoring system had both been destroyed.
- Last summer the Patriots gave Hernandez a $40 million deal, but since NFL contracts are non-guaranteed, they won't have to pay him any additional money.
- In addition to Hernandez, the Patriots lost Wes Welker to free agency, Brandon Lloyd (a starter last season) is still unsigned and TE Rob Gronkowski is coming off multiple surgeries. The loss of Hernandez is yet another blow for Tom Brady's receiving corps, which had been one of the best in the NFL in recent seasons.

Oregon under probation

- Looks like Chip Kelly got out in the nick of time. The former Oregon Ducks coach, who left the program to become the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, is under fire for a hefty payment to a Houston based recruiter in violation of NCAA rules.

- Oregon will be on probation for the next three seasons, and will also have a scholarship taken away for that time span. Additionally, Oregon’s allotment of paid recruiting visits will be cut from 56 to 37. This will severely hurt Oregon’s recruiting moving forward, which was already hurt by Kelly leaving the school.

Stanley Cup Almost Over, and Doc Moving

‘Hawks Look to Close out Stanley Cup

- The Chicago Blackhawks are on the verge of their second Stanley Cup in four seasons, while the Boston Bruins are looking to force a Game 7 and win their second Cup in three years. A 3-1 victory for Chicago in in Game 5 put them on the brink with a 3-2 lead in the best of 7 series.

- Both teams are dealing with injuries to important players. Chicago’s Jonathan Towes couldn’t finish Game 6 due to a hit to the head. Boston’s Patrice Bergeron watched the end of Game 6 from a Chicago area hospital. Both are expected to try and make it back for Game 6.

- This would be Chicago’s 5^th Stanley Cup Win in 12 appearances, and Boston’s 7^th win in 19 appearances.

"Doc" to Clips
- In an unusual move, Doc Rivers, the Boston Celtics head coach since 2004, is essentially being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. Rivers had 3 years and $21 million remaining on his contract, a price that Celtics management was unwilling to pay for a coach of a team that is no longer considered a championship contender.
- The deal had been rumored for some time now, but was previously attached to a player trade as well, which would have sent Kevin Garnett to the Clippers for Deandre Jordan, Eric Bledsoe and picks. The league reportedly would not have approved the player-coach combination for some reason.
- Vinny Del Negro, the Clippers previous coach, led them to their first division title ever and a franchise record 56 wins (the previous record had been 49) however he was still fired after a first round playoff loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Heat Repeat, and Spain Flexes Muscles

Miami Re-Heats the NBA Champion

- Fittingly, for a series that went back and forth with no team winning two in a row, Game 7 between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs was not decided till almost the very end. Both teams held small leads, and the game was tied numerous times throughout. The Heat held a lead throughout the 4^th quarter, but it never got more than 6 points until the very end.

- The Spurs were once again lead by Tim Duncan (25 points and 12 rebounds) and Kawhi Leonard (19 points and 16 rebounds). However, they were done in by turnovers at very poor times, especially those by Manu Ginobili. The Heat were led by MVP Lebron James and his 37 points and 12 rebounds, and Dewayne Wade with his 23 points and 10 rebounds. The Heat were helped by a surprising outburst by Shane Battier 18 points while shooting 6-7 from the 3 point line. Surprisingly, Chris Bosh didn’t score a single point, while committing 5 fouls. He did play good defense against Duncan.

- This is the Heat’s second straight championship, and third since 2006. The Heat’s Big 3 will at least be together for one more year before all three have an opt-out of their contract. It remains to be seen how effective Dewayne Wade and Chris Bosh will be. Wade was definitely hurt, and Bosh is struggling to figure out his role amongst the two bigger stars on his team. For the Spurs, it was rumored that Duncan would retire if the Spurs had won, the 37 year old never said anything, but Duncans age, and Ginobili’s ineffectiveness this playoffs should raise some eyebrows in West Texas.

Spain obliterates Tahiti
- Everyone loves a good David vs. Goliath story, where an undermanned team or player defeats all odds to achieve unexpected success. This is not one of those stories. Undermanned Tahiti, playing in their first international tournament ever and with only one professional player, went up against Spain in the Confederations Cup and beat them by a tidy score of 10-0.
- Tahiti, which is thought of by many as an island paradise seemed to fit the bill as their goalie was seemingly alone on an island against Spain's relentless attack. Fernando Torres scored 4 goals, David Villa scored 3 and Tahiti's choice to play an aggressive style of defense well... backfired.
- Spain actually did beat Bulgaria 13-0 once so it's not their biggest victory ever, but it is for any FIFA senior national tournament. Don't worry though, Tahiti, people will still come to you for vacation.

NBA Finals going distance, NFL star involved in murder investigation

Lebron Erupts in 4th; pushes Finals to 7

- Going into the fourth quarter the Miami Heat were in dire straits. Down 10, with both Lebron James and Dwayne Wade struggling (only 14 and 12 points respectively), it looked like the San Antonio Spurs were minutes from to taking home their 5th NBA Championship since 1999. However, the conclusion was not foregone, because in the first 6 minutes of the 4th quarter, a headband-less Lebron scored 10 points and the Heat scored 19 while holding the Spurs to only 7.
- Then, with the Spurs up two and about 20 seconds left, Kawhi Leonard was on the foul line, where he only hit one free throw. James missed another three, but the greatest 3-point shooter in NBA history (Ray Allen) hit a 3-pointer with less than 6 seconds left, sending the game to overtime.
- In overtime, with a 101-100 lead, and 32 seconds left Tony Parker took a 15 foot jump shot but Chris Bosh came out of seemingly nowhere to block his shot. After Ray Allen hit two more free throws to give his team a 103-100 lead with 1.8 seconds left, the Spurs turned to their young star Danny Green. Again, Chris Bosh came up big for the Heat with a huge block in the corner sealing the victory and facing a winner-take-all Game 7 on Thursday night in Miami.
- Lebron achieved his 11th career NBA Finals triple double with 32 points (18 after the end of the 3rd quarter), 10 rebounds and 11 assists. He is now tied for second on that list. Magic Johnson is #1 on that list with a ming-boggling 30. Completely overshadowed by the 4th quarter and OT was the incredible game by Tim Duncan. Duncan dominated the first half scoring 25 before halftime. However, due to Heat defensive changes and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich sitting Duncan at certain times in the 4th/OT Duncan ended up not scoring in the final 21 minutes of the game.


Hernandez involved in murder investigation

- Patriots star TE Aaron Hernandez's rental car is to be searched for evidence after a semi-professional football player was found dead about a mile from his home.  The player, Odin Lloyd of the Boston Bandits, was last seen practicing with his team on Saturday.
-  Lloyd, who was shot in the head, was discovered in a clearing near John Dietsch Boulevard close to a vehicle that had been rented by Hernandez and in his neighborhood.  While it's not clear if Hernandez is a suspect or not, it may simply be that the police are following up on early leads and given that both played professional football, it may just be a first step. 
- Hernandez is expected to be an even bigger part of the Patriots season this year after Rob Gronkowski's multiple surgeries that may limit his play this season.  Hernandez signed a 5 year, $40 million deal last summer.

No Thorns at the US Open

Rose wins U.S. Open
- For the first time ever, Justin Rose won a major and for the first time in 40 years the U.S. Open Champion was born in Great Britain. At +1, Rose took first, meaning of course that not a single player even shot par for the course an extremely difficult Merion Golf Club, right outside of Philadelphia. The U.S. Open rotates locations, but there was some similarity in that it saw Phil Mickelson fall just short yet again.
- Mickelson finished runner up for an astonishing 6th time, increasing his own record for futility. He had a pitch on the last hole that would have tied him for the lead, but it missed and Rose knew he was the champion.
- Mickelson did significantly better than some other big names, including Tiger Woods who finished at +13 and Rory Mcilroy who finished at +14. It was the worst score at a major in Woods' career.

Backcourt leads Spurs to the Brink
- Point guard Tony Parker (26 points), and shooting guards Manu Ginobili and Danny Green (24 points each) accounted for 74 of the 114 points the San Antonio Spurs scored in the Game 5 victory over the Miami Heat. Coming off of game 4, where those three combined for only 30 points, this big game from the those three was desperately needed if the Spurs have any illusions of winning the series.
- For the Heat, Lebron James and Dewayne Wade each scored 25 points, and Chris Bosh added in 16, but the rest of the Heat only contributed 17, included 0 points for starter Mike Miller and key reserves Udonis Haslem and Norris Cole. The Spurs were able to prevent the Heat from ever getting in a steady tempo and ran them out of the gym.
- In the game, Danny Green hit 6 three-point shots breaking Ray Allen's record for most 3-point shots in an NBA finals. This is with at least one game remaining in this year's tournament. Game 6 will be Tuesday night in Miami.

Finals Tied, US Open All Wet

Miami’s Big 3 Ties the NBA Finals

- Lead by Lebron James’ 33 points and 11 rebounds, and Dewayne Wade’s 32 points the Miami Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs 109-93 to avenge a massive defeat in game 3. The two best Heat were aided by Chris Bosh’s 20 points. Bosh’s points overstate his offensive contribution, which was pretty dismal. However, Bosh’s defense, along with the defense of all the other Heat was the big story here.

- A game after Danny Green and Gary Neal exploded for a combined 52 points, the Heat held the two role players to 23 points, making sure that the two of them didn’t get too many open 3-point shots. The Heat were aided by a relatively poor game by Tony Parker. Parker, who’s contribution to the game was in doubt two days ago due to a hamstring injury only put up 15 points and 9 assists, a fine game but not the overwhelming game needed.

- Tim Duncan lead the way for the Spurs with 20 points. Game 5 will be Sunday night in San Antonio, and we know that the series will go back to Miami for a game 6 on Tuesday, and a potential game 7 on Thursday.

Donald leads at U.S. Open
- Luke Donald is the early leader at the U.S. Open, which is being held at the Merion Golf Club, right outside of Philadelphia this year. Donald, who sits at -4, only completed 13 holes before play was suspended due to bad weather.
- Phil Mickelson, who has finished second at the U.S. Open is one stroke behind, despite not making it to the course until early Thursday morning because he had been in California to attend his daughter's 8th grade graduation.
- Tiger Woods is +2 after 10 holes and looked to have possible injured his hand on the opening hole although when asked about it he denied that thought and claimed that he was completely fine. Woods has won the U.S. Open 3 times, most recently in 2008.

Green, Neal help Spurs Thrash Heat

Spurs throttle Heat, up 2-1
- Before the Heat are anointed NBA champions, they actually have to beat the San Antonio Spurs in 4 games, and after last night's thrashing, some are wondering if that will happen. The Spurs won by 36 points, 113-77, hit an NBA Finals record 16 3 pointers, had yet another monster game from Danny Green, aided by backup point guard Gary Neal, and outplayed the Heat in literally every fact of the game.
- Perhaps even more encouraging than their offensive play has been their defense of the thought-to-be unstoppable Lebron James who has scored 18, 17, and 15 points in the three games so far and did not attempt a single free throw last night (the first time that had happened in ANY game since December 2, 2009 against the Suns).
- The NBA Finals format is 2-3-2, meaning that Games 4 and 5 will be in San Antonio before the Heat get to play at home again. Unless they improve drastically in the next two games though, Lebron might not be able to take his talents to South Beach again until next season.

US Beats Panama to Lead Group

- Jozy Altidore scored his third goal in three straight games, and Eddie Johnson added a goal, while the US defense kept the “sheet clean” by holding Panama scoreless for the 90 minutes. This moves the US to 9-1-2 all-time against Panama. The US team will host Honduras next Tuesday in Salt Lake City.

- The win moves the US to the head of their Hexagonal tournament. The win puts the US in a position that should all but guarantee the US a spot in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Tebow on the Move

- The Tim Tebow saga will likely be continuing in the 2013-14 NFL season. Tebow was signed by the New England Patriots, which will combine two of the most annoying story lines in the NFL for at least the next season. Tebow will start the season as the third string quarterback, behind superstar Tom Brady and second year quarterback Ryan Mallet.

- New England has said that Tebow will be playing quarterback, which is a question because other football pundits have suggested Tebow will have to move to another position to continue a career in the NFL. This move reunites Tebow with the coach who drafted him, Josh McDaniels. McDaniels, at the time the head coach of the Denver Broncos, traded up in the 2010 draft to take Tebow.

- It is still unclear how McDaniels and headcoach Bill Belichick will use Tebow, butits highly doubtful that Tom Brady will have to look over his shoulder.