Who's in, who's likely out in Kevin Durant sweepstakes

Who's in, who's likely out in Kevin Durant sweepstakes

Know this much about the Kevin Durant free agency sweepstakes that has already unofficially begun: He wouldn’t be taking a single meeting outside of Oklahoma City if he already knew what jersey he planned to wear next season.

If Durant is anything, it’s genuine. Love him or hate him – and really, how in the world could you hate this guy? – the Thunder star it not in the business of being inauthentic.

So on July 1 when the Thunder, Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat start to come his way to discuss the prime years of his career, he will be all ears. The man isn’t one to waste anybody’s time.

Yet while that might be enough to keep Thunder general manager Sam Presti up for a few torturous nights, the prospect of Durant returning on a two-year deal (with a player option in the second) to the only franchise he has ever known remains as likely now as it did on the night his latest season ended in that Western Conference Finals Game 7 loss at Oracle Arena. And yes, that’s still the case after the Thunder’s shocking draft night trade on Thursday.

By all accounts, the trade that sent Serge Ibaka to Orlando in exchange for Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and No. 11 pick Domantas Sabonis was, in essence, Durant approved. He wasn’t hopping on the trade call, of course, but the nature of this situation meant his perspective simply had to be accounted for.

The move, which made the Thunder younger, deeper and far more flexible going into next summer’s free agency when they could have had Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka as unrestricted free agents, was the latest proof that Presti is a master of sustained success. Add in the massive edge the Thunder hold on the financial front – one that I chronicled at great length in this May 10 piece – and their pitch is about as close to perfect as anyone else’s in this bunch.

So the Thunder enter into this stage with respectful optimism, knowing Durant has earned the right to hear out other teams and that, both now and in 2007 when they drafted him during the Seattle SuperSonics days, they’re lucky to have him. There are, in other words, no hard feelings about all these free-agency flirtations.

As for the other suitors whose odds of landing him still seem relatively slim? Those meetings will matter – the key word there being "meetings." If your team doesn’t have one by now, you shouldn’t be feeling too confident about your place in the Durant race.

Despite years of speculation about Durant possibly signing with his hometown Washington Wizards or the Los Angeles Lakers, a person with knowledge of his situation told USA TODAY Sports that those two teams are not expected to land a meeting with the former MVP. The New York Knicks have earned their way onto Durant’s radar, having traded for Derrick Rose recently to create quite the combination with Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis. Yet as of now, it remains to be seen how that particular scenario will be handled. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the situation with other teams.

Barring an unforeseen change in which a meeting is granted as a way of helping a franchise save face, this development will come as quite a blow to the Lakers group that spent the past few years planning with Durant’s free agency in mind. There are other free agency fish in the sea, to be sure, but none with the star power of a Durant. As for the Wizards, they’re taking the two-track approach: patiently waiting on Durant’s call with hopes of being surprised while moving on with their non-Durant free agency plans so as not to be slowed down by a pipe dream.

There’s a never-say-never element that will exist for the six invited teams, with impressive individuals at every scheduled stop who will paint a compelling picture for Durant to ponder. The Warriors, who were relatively confident even before their Finals loss made the prospect of Durant coming their way more palatable, are daring to dream right now. The Spurs, who showed in landing LaMarcus Aldridge last summer that they can win a free agency free-for-all, will take a similar approach to this visit.

The Boston Celtics have quite the promising future to sell – especially in the inferior Eastern Conference – and it doesn’t hurt general manager Danny Ainge’s case that Durant has long had an affinity for the great Larry Bird. Durant in Beantown, should the luck of the Irish fall in their favor, would be the modern-day version of that Larry Legend love affair that the city had with those teams of the 1980s.

Doc Rivers and his Clippers, who would likely have to sign-and-trade forward Blake Griffin to bring Durant to town, have a one-of-a-kind market, top-tier ownership and a title-contending roster to pitch. Then with Miami, putting the Heat’s godfather, Pat Riley, in a room with any NBA superstar is always trouble for the team trying to bring him back.

Durant doesn’t yet know what he will do, and that alone is reason to pay close attention in the next few weeks. His decision is expected to come quickly, before a July 9 trip to Europe that is seen as the possible finish line. While free agents can verbally agree to deals starting on July 1, they can’t formally sign until July 7.

It won’t be quite as understated as it was in 2010, when he sent a tweet about his five-year extension with the Thunder and went on his way. But with the Thunder firmly in the lead, he will be listening. What happens next is up to him.

source: usatoday

Rory McIlroy won’t be the last to decide Rio not worth the hassle

Rory McIlroy won’t be the last to decide Rio not worth the hassle

Golf at the Olympics has been nothing but a constant pebble in Rory McIlroy’s custom-made Nike Rors golf shoes

Rory McIlroy delivered a blow to Ireland’s hopes of an Olympic medal on June 22, 2016, when he said he would not be going to the Rio Games over fears of the Zika virus. “After speaking with those closest to me, I’ve come to realise that my health and my family’s health comes before anything else,” the 27-year-old four-time major champion said in a statement. Photo: Jim Watson/Getty Images

This is where it really gets ramped up. My next five events, pending scheduling changes, are all very, very - either Majors, the Olympics, World Golf Championship. I mean, it just feels like the first half of the year is done. This is kind of how we can start to finish off the year strong into the Ryder Cup...
Q: Jordan, you mentioned earlier talking about the Olympics. Just walk us through your thought process. There’s a lot of concerns with Zika and everything else and the infrastructure down there. Why have you made the decision to for sure go?
A: You’re putting words into my mouth, sir, but right now I am very - I said pending scheduling changes earlier. I’m not sure where I’ll play next, even after this week. I mean, you just never know.
Transcript from Jordan Spieth’s pre-tournament press conference at Oakmont last week
It’s reasonable to assume that Rory McIlroy won’t be the last golfer to withdraw from the Olympics. It will be a surprise too if he isn’t followed by assorted cyclists, tennis players, soccer players and more. Simply put, the Zika virus has provided an out for any and all sportspeople worldwide who have bigger fish to fry.
It will be noted that the athletes for whom an Olympic medal - or even just a personal best at the games - is the be-all, end-all quadrennial target in their sport have shown no hint or wish of giving Rio a miss in August. McIlroy, by contrast, is the sixth golfer. All of them, by the by, are male. No surprises there - an Olympic medal with its attendant exposure and sponsorship possiblities holds greater caché in the women’s game.
But on the men’s side of things, this was always the problem with golf edging its way back into the Olympics. It wasn’t wanted, it wasn’t needed, it was done for all the wrong reasons. They said it was to grow the game when what they meant was to expand the market for Nike Golf, TaylorMade, Callaway and the rest. Golf professionals aren’t working in salt mines but you’ll find they feel they do plenty of singing for their supper already.
With McIlroy gone, attention will inevitably turn to Spieth, Jason Day and the other players at the elite end of the game. For all the broader efforts to gin up enthusiasm for the concept, there is no denying the overwhelming apathy towards it in the pro ranks. By their recent wavering, it won’t be earth-shattering if and when we hear that Spieth and Day have thought better of it as well.
The reason it’s important that the Olympics be the pinnacle of any sport that appears on the schedule is because it’s never good for anyone to have athletes feel like they’re doing you a favour by just turning up. Golfers are creatures of habit, all the more so when it comes to the late summer. By plonking itself down in the middle of August and compacting the major season - in a Ryder Cup year, to boot - the strength of the draw of the games was always going to be tested.
Think about it this way. Had McIlroy decided to go to Rio, he would have stood on the first tee having gone through four years of constant complications to get there. From existential crises to do with identity and nationality to more prosaic practicalities like basic scheduling and travelling to, finally, a threat - however minuscule - to the future health of his family. Golf at the Olympics has been nothing but a constant pebble in Rory McIlroy’s custom-made Nike Rors golf shoes.
There isn’t a pro golfer alive who wouldn’t happily wade through all of that and more to get to play in a major. But it’s a lot to endure for the Olympics and it’s no surprise that one by one, they’re deciding it’s just not worth the hassle.
McIlroy will take a bit of online scouring for his late decision but he owes Irish golf nothing at this stage and shouldn’t give it a second thought. He has single-handedly revived the Irish Open and secured its future, which will be a far more enduring legacy than a gold medal in Rio could ever have been. Any razzing he takes on social media says more about the razzers than the razzee.
As for the Irish team now, it looks certain to be Shane Lowry plus one. Ordinarily, Graeme McDowell would be that one but with his wife set to give birth the week after Rio, it’s not thought likely that he will make the trip. All of which would leave Pádraig Harrington as the next man in.
Pádraig Harrington, Olympic champion? Stranger things have happened.

source: irishtimes

Phil Mickelson Eyes Final Leg of Grand Slam at Oakmont

Phil Mickelson Eyes Final Leg of Grand Slam at Oakmont

OAKMONT, Pa. – Winged Foot in 2006 was the most disappointing.

Or was it Merion in 2013?

Battle-scarred Phil Mickelson met the media at Oakmont on Wednesday, on the eve of the 116th U.S. Open, and the popular six-time runner-up in this tournament said the 2006 edition, when he bonked his drive off a hospitality tent and double-bogeyed the last hole, was the worst.

But then he changed his answer.

“My career is built on failure,” Mickelson said, eliciting laughter. A long-awaited success this week “would mean the world,” he added, since it would complete the career grand slam. He said he’s playing well and putting well after finishing tied for second at the FedEx St. Jude last weekend, his fifth top-five finish this year. He said he hopes the USGA will make Oakmont fast and fiery, since he has the experience to handle it.

“I would like to see it go over that edge,” Mickelson said, “because I feel like I've learned how to play that style of golf.”

Inevitably, though, the questions for Mickelson turned to his winless U.S. Open odyssey. This will be his 26th start in this event, and he is one of only four players to have participated in the 1994 and 2007 U.S. Opens at Oakmont. He’s old enough to remember when the place had trees.

“Can’t dwell on the past,” he said, but for the media, he did. (He also answered questions about being part of an insider-trading investigation.)

Mickelson has finished second or T2 behind two sleeves of winners: Payne Stewart (Pinehurst, 1999); Tiger Woods (Bethpage, 2002); Retief Goosen (Shinnecock, 2004); Geoff Ogilvy (Winged Foot, 2006); Lucas Glover (Bethpage again, 2009); and Justin Rose (Merion, 2013). We’ve had to look through our fingers at some of his efforts to arrive at the trophy.

But he’s here, trying, again. Mickelson goes off Oakmont’s 10th tee with Rose and Henrik Stenson at 2:09 ET Thursday.

It’s been an eventful week already. Mickelson practiced at the course Monday, flew home to San Diego to attend his daughter’s eighth-grade graduation on Tuesday, slept in Wednesday, and came to the interview room just after lunch. He said, like seemingly every year, that Oakmont presents his best chance to win so far. He said the brutally hard 477-yard ninth hole is a par-4 in name only, and that because of the evil lurking around the 17th green he won’t go for the driveable par-4 hole no matter where the USGA’s Mike Davis puts the tees. He said it’s clear what’s left on his to-do list.

“I could BS you and tell you I don't think about it,” Mickelson said. “No, I think about it all the time. This is the tournament I want to win the most to complete the four majors. There's no question.”

Phil Mickelson of the United States signs autographs during a practice round prior to the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club on June 13, 2016 in Oakmont, Pennsylvania.

No, the only question is which one of his second-place finishes has hurt the most. Just as the Eskimos are said to have words for different snow, Mickelson, who will turn 46 on Thursday, assigns subtle qualifiers to his U.S. Open would-haves, should-haves and could-haves.

His gaffe at Winged Foot in ’06 was disappointing, he said, because he was so close—just one par away from victory. “You know, people talk about the tee shot,” he said. “To me, the second shot, all I had to do is start that 3 iron a little bit further right, miss the tree, and I'm up by the green. And that week my short game was the best it's been in my career.”

Five questions later, he reconsidered. Because he was just one hole away, his 2006 loss, he said, was actually his “most heartbreaking.”

“The 2013 U.S. Open, I think, is actually my biggest disappointment because I was playing so well,” he said. “I was leading. I had an opportunity to win at the back nine where I was leading, and I lost the U.S. Open. And the following week, I was very difficult to be around.”

The following month he won the British Open.

“To have my greatest high within a month of having the greatest low of my career is, I think, my biggest accomplishment,” Mickelson said.

Those highs and lows aren’t over yet. Mickelson is third on the latest Ryder Cup points list, behind only Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson. Tiger can be a vice-captain; Phil, who hasn’t won since that 2013 British Open but has flirted with victories at Palm Desert, Pebble Beach, Doral, Quail Hollow and Memphis this year, is on track to make his 11th straight team.

Only twice has he been on a team that won. Never has he been part of a winning U.S. Open campaign, but you know what they say: 26th time’s a charm. And as Mickelson himself reminds, his career is built on failure.

Did Susan Lucci win her Emmy? Yes—after her 19th nomination.

Did Charlie Brown kick the football? According to a Peanuts fan page, he went to the hospital in 1979, and Lucy promised she’d stop pulling the ball away if he just got better. He did, and she kept her promise.

In the strip from Aug. 2, 1979, Lucy finally left the ball for Charlie to kick; he missed and kicked her hand, instead. “You blockhead!” she said.

“I’m such an idiot,” Mickelson said at Winged Foot.

The quest for the Holy Grail continues.



source: www.golf.com

Euro 2016

Russia, England threatened with disqualification over violence

(CNN)Russia and England could be kicked out of the Euro 2016 championship if their supporters are involved in further acts of violence at the tournament, UEFA has warned.
UEFA's executive committee told the football associations of both countries Sunday that their teams could face further sanctions -- including potential disqualification from the tournament -- if their fans were involved in a repeat of the scenes that marred their fixture in Marseille Saturday.
UEFA, the governing body of football in Europe, has already opened disciplinary proceedings against the Russian Football Union over its supporters' behavior in Marseille.
It faces charges of crowd disturbances, racist behavior and setting off fireworks Saturday in the southern French city's Stade Velodrome.

"UEFA expresses its utter disgust for the violent clashes that occurred in the city center of Marseille, and its serious concern for the incidents at the end of the match inside Stade Velodrome," UEFA said in a statement.
"This kind of behavior is totally unacceptable and has no place in football."

Fans clash at Stade Velodrome in Marseille.

It said a decision on the sanctions would be made "within the next few days," once evidence had been considered.
No action has been taken against England's Football Association, whose fans were also involved in the clashes on the third straight day of football-related violence in the port city. UEFA is responsible for incidents at match venues, but not in surrounding areas.

EEFA EURO 2016 MATCHES SCHEDULE

MATCHES SCHEDULE 

Group stage - MD 1

Friday 10 June 2016

Stade de France Saint-Denis

FRANCE2-1

ROMANIA

Group
A

Saturday 11 June 2016

Stade Bollaert-Delelis Lens Agglo

ALBANIA0-1

SWITZERLANDFT

Group
A

Stade de Bordeaux Bordeaux

WALES2-1

SLOVAKIAFT

Group
B

Stade Vélodrome Marseille

ENGLAND0-0

64
RUSSIA

Watch onSony Six

Group
B

Sunday 12 June 2016

Parc des Princes Paris

TURKEY18:00

CROATIA

Watch onSony Six

Group
D

Stade de Nice Nice

POLAND21:00

NORTHERN IRELAND
Watch onSony Six

Group
C

Stade Pierre Mauroy Lille Métropole

GERMANY00:00

UKRAINE

Watch onSony Six

Group
C

Monday 13 June 2016

Stadium de Toulouse Toulouse

SPAIN18:00

CZECH REPUBLIC

Watch onSony Six

Group
D

Stade de France Saint-Denis

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND21:00

SWEDEN

Watch onSony Six

Group
E

Stade de Lyon Lyon

BELGIUM00:00

ITALY

Watch onSony Six

Group
E

Tuesday 14 June 2016

Stade de Bordeaux Bordeaux

AUSTRIA21:00

HUNGARY

Watch onSony Six

Group
F

Stade Geoffroy Guichard Saint-Etienne

PORTUGAL00:00

ICELAND

Watch onSony Six

Group
F

UEFA Euro 2016

As FIFA Reels, UEFA’s Euro 2016 Will Make More Money Than Ever

Every game expected to draw more TV viewers than Super Bowl

UEFA expects about 43 percent revenue growth over 2012

One year into a sweeping corruption scandal at the highest levels of global soccer, FIFA’s reputation and finances are still under a cloud. Some 150 miles away, though, the forecast is very different for UEFA, the most important regional soccer body under the FIFA umbrella.
When Euro 2016 begins today in France, it will be the biggest in the tournament’s history, with more teams, more games and more host cities. For UEFA, all that adds up to more money. The organization expects to make 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) in revenue, up from the 1.4 billion euro it made four years ago when Poland and Ukraine were host to 16 teams.
The European Championship has long been second only to the World Cup in popularity and revenue. Now with teams from 24 countries participating, there are more tickets to sell, and television rights for the tournament fetched about 1.05 billion euros, a 25 percent increase over 2012. Sponsorships are up 40 percent, to about 450 million euros, according to Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA’s marketing director for the soccer body. Ticket sales make up the rest.
As an economic engine, the European Championship dwarfs soccer’s other regional championships. The media rights to this year’s Copa America Centenario – a 16-nation event featuring teams from across the Americas – were sold for $112.5 million. Asian soccer sold a decade of soccer rights, including two editions of its tournament, for $1 billion, a contract that ends in 2020.
Behind the billion-euro broadcasting revenue is a TV audience of 130 million for the early games, Epstein said in an interview hours before the Champions League final, UEFA’s other big ticket event. The audience will grow to 300 million by the June 10 final at the Stade de France in Paris. In contrast, Super Bowl 50 in February drew about 110 million viewers. “We will deliver 51 Super Bowls in the next month,” said Epstein.
About three-quarters of the television income comes from the Euro zone, though some countries, including Italy and Spain, balked at the high price. Epstein blamed the sluggish economy and said strong gains were made in the U.S., Brazil and the Middle East.
Sales of 2.5 million tickets, a million more than were available in 2012, will make up the rest of Euro 2016 income. Epstein said UEFA expects a sellout, though it has released to the public some of the tickets set aside for companies entertaining clients.
Epstein said he thought tightening regulations on corporate gift-giving and gift-accepting had put a chill on spending for events like these. “It’s more difficult for companies to invite guests because of compliance issues,” he said, adding that the specter of terrorism and planned strikes don’t help either.
Bringing the tournament to one of Europe’s biggest economies for the first time since 1996 has bolstered sponsorships, up 40 percent since 2012. The roster includes usual soccer sponsors like Adidas AG, The Coca-Cola Co. and Carlsberg A/S. The Danish brewer in particular has made the Euro a centerpiece of its summer marketing, spending as much as 80 million euros on the tournament.
For France as a whole, the tournament is a drop in the bucket. Academics at the Centre for the Law and Economics of Sport in Limoges, France, estimate that it will generate an economic impact of 1.3 billion euros, mostly from fan spending. Another 1.7 billion euros has been spent on the stadiums being used for the event.
“Evidence from other countries suggests the lift is likely to be small and short-lived," Bloomberg Intelligence economists Maxime Sabaihi and Jamie Murray wrote in a note published May 25. “Hopefully the country will enjoy some much-needed weeks of partying, but it will take much more than games to improve France’s economic output.”

source:bloomberg

Ex-NFL star, convicted murderer

Ex-NFL star, convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez hires Casey Anthony's attorney

Aaron Hernandez has hired Casey Anthony's attorney.

BOSTON - Aaron Hernandez has hired the lawyer who famously won an acquittal for Florida mom Casey Anthony to represent him in his upcoming double-murder trial.

The former New England Patriots star has retained Orlando attorney Jose Baez. The legal team will also include Harvard law professor Ronald Sullivan and New York City lawyer Alex Spiro.

Spiro has confirmed the arrangement to The Associated Press.

Hernandez is awaiting trial for a 2012 double murder in Boston and has pleaded not guilty. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison last year in the 2013 killing of a man who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancee. His lawyers in that case, James Sultan and Charles Rankin, tell the AP in a statement that they “wish Aaron the best.”

Baez gained fame during Anthony’s 2011 trial on charges that she murdered her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. The case garnered national media attention after photos showed Anthony partying in the days after her daughter’s disappearance.

source: usatoday

The NBA Finals get real but stay absurd

The NBA Finals get real but stay absurd

Heading into Game 4, both the Warriors and Cavaliers have some decisions to make.

CLEVELAND -- Basketball is such a weird game. Could it be that the presence of Richard Jefferson, a 15-year vet who was once part of a massive salary dump that allowed the Warriors to sign Andre Iguodala, really play such a fundamental role in shifting the entire momentum of a series? At the risk of calling the man clairvoyant, Steve Kerr had a feeling before Game 3 that things would be different for his team once he learned that Jefferson would be starting for the Cavaliers in place of Kevin Love.

"Well, they had good spacing with Kevin, and they'll have good spacing with Richard," Kerr said before the game. "The difference is just the speed, the ability to get to the rim. Richard is more of a three, obviously, than a four. So they're really going to spread us out and it should give them more driving lanes and more room for LeBron (James) to operate.

"We're going to have to try to do what we've done the first two games, which is cover the three-point line and also try to cut off LeBron's penetration and keep him from getting all the way to the hoop. It's a lot easier said than done, and I think it may be more difficult tonight, at least, to start the game with that lineup."

Um, yeah.

Right from the opening tip the Cavs blitzed Golden State, scoring the first nine points of the game and then building a preposterous 33-10 lead in the first quarter. LeBron finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists, Kyrie Irving added 30 and the Cavs finally busted loose from behind the arc making 12 of their 25 attempts. The lineup switch also put LeBron at the four defensively and that helped blow up the Warriors' vaunted 1-4 pick-and-rolls that feasted in the opening two games.

Clearly Kerr was on to something. Of course, he also thought his Warriors would play with an edge and well, that didn't happen at all. With the notable exception of the second quarter when Golden State fought back to make it an 8-point game at the half, the Cavs were in complete control, eventually winning 120-90 and putting themselves right back in the series.

"We weren't ready to play," Kerr said. "Obviously they just punched us right in the mouth right in the beginning. We're turning the ball over like crazy. Soft, we were extremely soft to start the game, and then they set the tone with their intensity."

Or as noted philosopher Draymond Green put it, "They came out and played like a team with a sense of desperation, like their season was on the line. And we came out and played like everything was peaches and cream."

Credit Cavs' coach Ty Lue with the lineup switch. Credit LeBron with having a signature game when it was needed most. Credit everyone in Cleveland, with the exception of poor Kevin Love who will now have to endure another 48 hours of talk about how he's the problem.

"Let's slow down with that," Jefferson said. "At the end of the day, we protected once. We protected home court. We have a lot of respect for our opponent. Kevin wanted to be on the court. I saw how pissed off he was when he wasn't able to be cleared in time. We're in this together. We've all picked each other up. You have to go with the next-man-up mentality. He is definitely one of the top players in this league. It's our job to just hold on until he can get back."

Jefferson is right on the merits, but this is also a game of context and contextually he may very well be a much better fit for what the Cavs want to do in this series. He was once a high-flying scoring threat on some really good Nets teams, but now he's a grinder and the Cavs need grinders who can muck things up on the boards, clog up the paint and switch defensive assignments. They have enough scoring with James, Irving and J.R. Smith.

Contextually, the Cavs may be better off with Jefferson and now they have an important decision to make. Love will be reevaluated throughout the day on Thursday as part of the league's concussion protocol. Do they go back to him if he's cleared, or ride with what worked so well in Game 3?

"Putting Richard Jefferson in the starting lineup, I just think he gave us speed," Lue said. "I thought he gave us the physicality on Harrison Barnes, and that we were able to slide LeBron over to Draymond Green, which helped us out a lot. We were able to switch pick-and-rolls and things like that. So just being able to get up the floor offensively, pushing the ball, pushing the tempo, and RJ's aggressiveness on the defensive end."

Pressed on whether he would start Jefferson again if Love was cleared, Lue demurred. That was pretty much Kerr's stance, as well, when asked if he would downsize to start Game 4 by lifting Andrew Bogut from his starting lineup.

"We thought Boges played well," Kerr said. "Boges has done a good job for us in the series. We didn't feel like we had to match what they were doing because of their change in their starting lineup. We can always make a quick substitution. So I don't think that had anything to do with losing the game. It wasn't lineups. It wasn't substitution patterns. We just got our tails kicked."

Meanwhile, Steph Curry continued to struggle to do much of anything. The two-time Most Valuable Player had a couple of defensive breakdowns early and then compounded his errors by getting himself in foul trouble with some ill-timed reaches. Save for a handful of brief flurries, he's been unable to get himself going in this series. Kerr even pulled him late in the second quarter, which never happens.

"Unfortunately, it was all me," Curry said. "They were playing aggressive defense and they came out with a big punch. I didn't do anything about it or play my game, and for me to do what I need to do to help my team, I have to play a hundred times better than that, especially in the first quarter, to kind of control the game, and I didn't do it."

As much as we want to make this into a battle of superstars, and as much as we want them to put their imprint on this series and complete their narrative arcs with some kind of satisfying conclusion that ties everything together and makes sense of this strange game, context keeps muddying the storyline. The Cavs are gearing their defense toward slowing him down and as yet he's been unable to find an effective counter. LeBron found his way with yet another brilliant performance and now we look to Curry to do the same.

This game is more complex than that. That's not a brilliant insight, but it will have to do in a series that has lacked for any kind of a compelling dramatic arc. When Richard Jefferson is the answer all we are left with are more questions.

source: sbnation

Chris Ash says Rutgers' recruiting camp wasn't retaliation against Michigan

Chris Ash says Rutgers' recruiting camp wasn't retaliation against Michigan

MADISON — There was no need for Rutgers coach Chris Ash to make any inflammatory comments about Michigan or coach Jim Harbaugh on Wednesday. Ash had already made his statement by scheduling a recruiting camp on the same date at the same time as Michigan's camp in New Jersey.

While 1,000 high school players spread out over three fields at Farleigh Dickinson's Madison campus on Wednesday evening, Ash downplayed any bad blood with Harbaugh, who was the headliner at a satellite camp 30 miles away at Paramus Catholic High.

 "I commend Coach Harbaugh for what he's doing," Ash said. "He's done a great job of getting his brand and Michigan's brand out there around the nation, promoting the game of football. What he's done is force a lot of other coaches to think outside the box and go out and do the same things. We're just excited to be able to come out and coach some football and we're thrilled about the turnout." If Rutgers' camp, which also included Ohio State coach Urban Meyer and his staff, truly wasn't in response to Michigan's infiltration of New Jersey, it's a huge coincidence that Ash just happened to schedule his camp at the exact time as Harbaugh's. "People can say what they want," Ash said. "I'm just excited about our event. I'm excited about the coaches that came to work with these guys. Thrilled about the interest in our program and the turnout tonight. I'm really thrilled for the state of New Jersey. To be able to host two events like this is outstanding."

As the camp hoopla mushroomed, Paramus Catholic came into the crosshairs of Rutgers fans, culminating in a prank by students on the eve of Wednesday's camps. With Paramus Catholic producing top recruits annually, Ash has no interest in creating friction with the North Jersey powerhouse. "It's not about us and Paramus. It's not about us and Michigan. It's about trying to brand ourselves and promote the game of football," Ash said. "Unfortunately I think it's been portrayed that way. That's unfortunate. That's not what this is about. We're out here just trying to have a good time and coach some ball."

Ohio State's involvement in the camp seemed to put Rutgers' in the middle of the Buckeyes' longstanding rivalry with Michigan. "I don't feel that," said Ash, who was Ohio State's defensive coordinator for the past two years. "You guys may feel that. I've put my head down and gone to work. Whatever is out there is out there. I don't read a lot of it. I don't look at. I just try to do the best job I can with our players and our program." Ash said the high school prospects are the winners in the situation, as over 1,500 players participated in the two camps on Wednesday. While Rutgers may discover a recruit or two during the camp, there was another benefit for the program, even if Ash didn't want to feed the media frenzy with his comments. "It helps us evaluate a lot of talent out here, but what are a lot of people talking about? They're talking about Rutgers football," Ash said. "Especially when you are a new coach and a new program, it's a lot about marketing yourself and putting together events that people get excited about. That's what we're doing."

source: nj

Some of Maria Sharapova's biggest sponsors are saying they'll stick with her despite her 2-year tennis ban

Some of Maria Sharapova's biggest sponsors are saying they'll stick with her despite her 2-year tennis ban

Maria Sharapova.

Two of Maria Sharapova's biggest sponsors are saying that they'll stick with her, despite the Russian athlete being handed a two-year ban from the sport on Wednesday for failing a drugs test earlier this year.

Significantly, Nike, which initially suspended its estimated $12.5 million-a-year contract with Sharapova when she admitted in March she tested positive for banned drug meldonium at the Australian Open, has now come out in support of the tennis champ.

In a statement given to The Evening Standard, Nike said: "The ITF [International Tennis Federation] Tribunal has found that Maria did not intentionally break its rules. Maria has always made her position clear, has apologized for her mistake and is now appealing the length of the ban. Based on the decision of the ITF and their factual findings, we hope to see Maria back on court and will continue to partner with her."

Sharapova's racket sponsor Head has always said it would continue its deal, despite her admission that she had taken the recently banned substance.

In a lengthy statement sent to Business Insider (which we have published in full below), Head chairman Johan Eliasach criticized the ITF's decision, which he said was based on a "flawed process" undertaken by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Other big sponsorship deals are still up in the air

However, some of Sharapova's other sponsors are postponing their contracts with the five-time Grand Slam champion.

Watchmaker Tag Heuer, which said earlier this year it would not renew its deal with Sharapova, told Business Insider it would not be signing another contract with the athlete any time soon.

Jean-Claude Biver, Tag Heuer CEO, said: "We now have some time and as she is suspended for two years we are not in a hurry anymore to sign a new contract today or this month. We will see later what we are going to do.
Sorry, but cannot say anything more for the time being."

Porsche, which announced in March it was suspending its deal with Sharapova, was not immediately available for comment.

Avon and Evian, which have yet to make any statement so far about their relationships with Sharapova, were also not immediately available for comment.

The ITF announced Wednesday Sharapova's two-year ban would commence from January 26, the day she failed a test for meldonium at the Australian Open. The tribunal found that she had not intentionally broken anti-doping rules but she bore responsibility for not noticing the drug had recently been added to its banned substances list. The tribunal also found she "concealed" her use of the drug from anti-doping authorities.

Sharapova has previously said she had been taking meldonium since 2006 because of a variety of health concerns, including the possibility she may have diabetes because it runs in her family.

The drug is used to treat cardiac issues and can increase endurance, according to the Independent. WADA added meldonium to its list of banned substances at the start of 2016, but Sharapova said she failed to read the update.

Sharapova says she plans to appeal the ITF's decision, The Guardian reported.

Head chairman Johan Eliasch's statement in full:

In response to the ITF Tribunal decision today to ban Maria Sharapova for 2 years for the unintentional usage of a banned substance, I would like to clarify our position. Based upon the evidence provided by Miss Sharapova, WADA and by Dr Don Catlin, the Chief Science Officer of the Banned Substances Control Group, it appears that the ITF have made their decision based upon a flawed process undertaken by WADA that clearly highlights how WADA have broken their own rules in determining whether or not Meldonium should be banned.
Using WADA's decision rubric, WADA's decision to ban Meldonium is not based upon extensive clinical testing that underlines Meldonium's performance enhancing benefits. There are a limited amount of scientific studies that point to Meldonium's cardioprotective and anti- ischaemic properties but nothing that correlates Meldonium as a performance enhancing drug. There are also no published studies that indicate that using Meldonium is detrimental to the health of an athlete. This indicates that WADA banned Meldonium without fulfilling their first two rules. The only condition that could potentially be argued in favor of WADA's rules is that the prevalence of Meldonium use amongst certain groups of athletes violated the spirit of sport. This is subject to interpretation and if deemed correct would only fulfil a single rule. In order for a product to be banned it must fulfil two rules.

Without necessary and extensive clinical testing that highlights either Meldonium's performance enhancing benefits or evidence of it being detrimental to athletes, it is evident that WADA banned Meldonium based upon the amount of athletes using Meldonium rather than any scientific evidence. WADA have a responsibility to make decisions based upon scientific inquiry rather than prevalence of use and most importantly must fulfil their own rules when making such decisions.

We believe, based on the facts and circumstances provided to us, that this is a flawed decision. HEAD will continue to stand by Miss Sharapova.

source:.businessinside

Hunt wins $75,000

Hunt wins $75,000 Siren Lure Stakes on turf at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) — Hunt pounced on pacesetter Act a furlong from the finish and went on to a 1 1/2-length victory Sunday in the $75,000 Siren Lure Stakes at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Flavien Prat, Hunt ran 6 1/2 furlongs on the downhill turf course in 1:12.73 and paid $3.40, $2.40 and $2.10 as the 3-5 favorite in a field of five 3-year-olds and up.

Toowindytohaulrox returned $3.60 and $2.10, while Act was another 2 ¼ lengths back in third and paid $2.20 to show.

The victory, worth $47,400, increased Hunt's career earnings to $221,729, with five wins in 16 starts. It was his first stakes win.

Hunt has four wins in his last five starts, all of them on the track's turf course.

"I love this hill, but Hunt loves it too," Prat said. "He's a really nice horse and he's getting better and better with every race. He did everything right today."

Prat has won 10 races on turf in the last eight racing days, including four stakes.

Source: USAtoday

Warriors whip Cavaliers 110-77 to take 2-0 NBA Finals lead

Warriors whip Cavaliers 110-77 to take 2-0 NBA Finals lead

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Draymond Green emphatically flexed his bulging biceps with big plays on both ends of the floor, and these determined Golden State Warriors might be far too strong for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The repeat championship Golden State has spoken of since the very start more than eight months ago is suddenly two wins from becoming reality.

That's the only way the Warriors' record-setting season will feel right. Right now, they sure seem unstoppable.

Green had 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while MVP Stephen Curry scored 18 points despite foul trouble, and Golden State thoroughly overwhelmed the Cleveland Cavaliers 110-77 in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night.

The 33-point win was the Warriors' most lopsided ever in a finals game.

Muhammad Ali’s Wit and Wisdom

Muhammad Ali’s Wit and Wisdom: 6 of His Best Quotes

The legendary boxer also had a way with words

Muhammad Ali, the legendary heavyweight champion, died on Friday at the age of 74. He was known perhaps as much for his wit and wisdom as his boxing skill. Here are some of Ali’s own words to remember him by:

1. “The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life,” he said in a 1975 issue of Playboy.
2. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Rumble, young man, rumble,” he said in 1964, before his fight with Sonny Liston.
3. “What I suffered physically was worth what I’ve accomplished in life. A man who is not courageous enough to take risks will never accomplish anything in life,” he said at a news conference on Oct. 28, 1984 in Houston.
4. “Don’t count the days. Make the days count,” he said, according to ESPN.
5. “I know where I’m going and I know the truth, and I don’t have to be what you want me to be. I’m free to be what I want,” he said.
6. “When I feel pain, that’s when I start counting, because that’s when it really counts,” he said.

Source: Time

N.B.A. Finals

How the Warriors and Cavaliers Match Up

Golden State Warriors (73-9) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (57-25)

Stephen Curry, for the first time since last year’s N.B.A. finals, encountered something resembling adversity in the Western Conference finals. The Warriors fell behind, three games to one; he was turning the ball over far too much; and his opponents were mocking his defensive ability. Some fans even questioned his anointment as the game’s best player.

With no margin for error, Curry responded by averaging 32.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 2.3 steals in the final three games of the series, dismantling the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It may be scary for the Cavaliers to think about, but an argument could be made that Curry was only his team’s second-best player in that stretch. Klay Thompson, the other half of the so-called Splash Brothers, showed a national audience what Warriors fans have known for years: When his shot is falling, he is as dangerous as his more famous teammate.

He and Curry combined for 62 3-pointers against the Thunder, an N.B.A. record for teammates in a playoff series. Thompson averaged 29.7 points in the final three games, and his 41-point performance on the road in Game 6 will perhaps be the most memorable showing of that series

The road to the finals was far less winding for the Cavaliers. They were steamrollering through the East, winning their first 10 playoff games, before a pair of brutal losses to Toronto in the conference finals. It proved to be a mild detour: There was little to no drama in Games 5 and 6, and now LeBron James is set to play in the N.B.A. finals for a sixth consecutive year.

At their best, the Cavaliers can nearly keep up with the Warriors in 3-point shooting. That should be the main story line of this showdown, not the overdone notion that James could find redemption by winning a championship for Cleveland.

In any case, while the finals will be a rematch of last season’s triumph by the Warriors, both teams have grown. Expecting a shot-for-shot remake would be unwise.

The Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving, left, and Kevin Love, who missed most of last year’s N.B.A. finals with injuries, fought the Raptors’ Cory Joseph for a rebound in the 2016 Eastern Conference finals.

Getting the Band Back Together

The most obvious change for the Cavaliers is the return of Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. They played a total of 44 minutes in the N.B.A. finals last year, with Love hampered by a shoulder dislocation and Irving dropping out after Game 1 with an injured knee.

Getting back a pair of All-Stars takes some of the burden off James, who single-handedly prevented the Warriors from having a cakewalk to a championship last year but was outdone by the defensive tenacity of Andre Iguodala and the overall offensive excellence of the Warriors.

Love and Irving seemed to coexist better with James this season, accepting their roles while occasionally being asked to supply star power on nights when James was not at his best.

Love averaged 16 points and 9.9 rebounds a game while shooting 36 percent from 3-point range, and while he is not known as an effective defender, most advanced defensive statistics showed him holding his own this season.

Irving averaged 19.6 points and 4.7 assists a game while growing accustomed to the idea of being a point guard who gives up the ball-handling duties in crunchtime to James.

The Cavaliers still probably use J. R. Smith and Matthew Dellavedova more than they would prefer, but Channing Frye proved to be a brilliant in-season acquisition, capitalizing on the wide-open looks he gets when James is double-teamed.

The Warriors’ so-called Death Lineup features, from left, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala. Klay Thompson, the final piece of the effective unit, is not pictured.

Genesis of the Death Lineup

There is an argument to be made that the Cavaliers are to blame for the Warriors’ record-breaking 73-win season. With his team looking overmatched and down by two games to one in last year’s N.B.A. finals, Kerr listened to an unorthodox suggestion from Nick U’Ren, his manager of advanced scouting, and deployed a starting lineup of Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes, Iguodala, Thompson and Curry. Playing a center who is generously listed at 6 feet 7 inches, a power forward who is a slight 6-8 and three guards would seem crazy in nearly any era of basketball, but the group, which came to be known as the Death Lineup, proved to be among the most effective units ever put together.

The misconception about the lineup is that it is strictly an offensive ploy to run teams into the ground. While that is certainly a part of the equation, the lineup also features three tremendous defenders in Green, Iguodala and Thompson, and they are a nightmare on both ends of the court. Kerr tends to limit their minutes together to protect Green, who takes abuse from larger centers.

Before Curry and Thompson went supernova and saved the Western Conference finals for the Warriors, the Thunder overwhelmed Golden State’s approach with the size and ferocious attitude of Steven Adams, Serge Ibaka, Enes Kanter and Kevin Durant. But the Cavaliers do not have the personnel to pull that off. Tristan Thompson is an undersize power forward who is expected to handle the bulk of the rebounding duties. Love, who is listed at 6-10 but was measured at 6-7 at the N.B.A. draft combine, is unlikely to be much of a threat inside against Green.

The Cavaliers responded to the Death Lineup last season by essentially burying Timofey Mozgov on the bench, but they may want to give Mozgov, a Russian 7-footer, a second look this time. The Warriors struggle with size, and Green is two technical fouls or one flagrant foul away from a mandatory suspension, meaning his typical strategy of physically assaulting opposing big men will not be in play.

Head-to-Head Advantage

The Warriors beat the Cavaliers both times they played this season, but it was the second game, a brutal 132-98 shellacking, that might have cost David Blatt his job as coach. In that game, Curry went off for 35 points, and Iguodala, the Cavaliers’ nemesis, had 20 points while shooting 7 for 8 and playing his typical stellar defense.

If Blatt was fired for not being able to beat the Warriors, that is somewhat understandable. But it was certainly unusual to see a coach with an 83-40 regular-season record over two seasons fired midway through a campaign in which his team was on track to be the top seed in its conference.

Arizona Connections Abound

The University of Arizona may not be considered a typical N.B.A. feeder program, but this series is an excellent advertisement for what it produced in the Lute Olson era. The 2002-3 Wildcats featured Luke Walton, the Warriors’ top assistant, along with Iguodala and Frye. Steve Kerr, the Warriors’ coach, was a four-year player at Arizona, teaming with Bruce Fraser, who in his capacity as Golden State’s player-development coach serves as Curry’s shot doctor. The Cavaliers’ Richard Jefferson joined Walton on the 2001 team that lost the national championship game to Duke, and Bret Brielmaier, a Cavaliers assistant, was a four-year player for the Wildcats.

Draymond Green, left, and Andre Iguodala celebrated a playoff victory over Portland in May.

How It Will All Play Out

Both teams have efficient offenses, with a heavy reliance on 3-pointers. The big difference between them is pace. The Warriors want to move as quickly as possible while the Cavaliers, regardless of what Coach Tyronn Lue may have wanted when he started coaching them, tend to grind out games at a snail’s pace.

If Cleveland allows Golden State to dictate the speed of the game, the series could be a serious mismatch. The Warriors have a far deeper roster and are more balanced on the defensive side. While Klay Thompson, Green and Iguodala are likely to pose a defensive challenge to Irving, Love and James, it is hard to see anyone on the Cavaliers other than James being much of a threat to the Golden State offense.

There is a path to victory for Cleveland that involves turning the series into a slugfest. The hyper-emotional Green is on thin ice with the league and can be temporarily removed as a threat by getting him to lash out just once. Thompson can also be drawn into foul trouble if Cleveland plays things correctly, and Golden State can be exploited with intentional fouls on Festus Ezeli, a comically bad free-throw shooter.

The problem, as so many teams have found out, is that the shooting of Curry and Thompson means that almost no lead is safe and that a team must press for all 48 minutes to secure a victory. It sounds simple enough, but Golden State’s record of 168-34 over the last two seasons, including the playoffs, indicates it is a daunting task.

source: nytimes