As the world turns
If nothing else, what’s a good story without a great deal of drama ? Well , this NBA postseason the fans are being inundated with a great deal more than expected. The defending champions the Golden State Warriors still appear to be in control of their series against the Houston Rockets , but with a niggling injury besetting their League MVP and best player, Steph Curry . There is now the belief the team and their fans could be entering uncharted territory. A Warriors’ team without Curry still remains competitive , but head coach Steve Kerr knows , as Steph Curry goes, then so does this team .
Slideshow.
If the Golden State Warriors are now to make it to the second round (conference semi-finals) without Steph Curry for the remainder of their first round series, then it will be up to his teammates to up the level of their play against the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis for their part, have put up something of a spirited opposition to Golden State, but they have been unable to overcome their deficiencies during the contest. Rick Carlisle , his Rockets’ coaching staff and the team have been unable to come up with a strategy to overcome the league’s best offense throughout this series
Courtesy of Sports Illustrated .
Stephen Curry’s knee injury: What it means for Warriors and rest of NBA
By Ben Golliver , SI (Sports Illustrated)
Thanks to a wet spot on the Toyota Center court, the NBA playoffs now hinge on four unsettling words: Stephen Curry knee injury.
The reigning MVP returned to the court for the Warriors on Sunday after missing two games with a right ankle injury, only to see his night end early when he sustained a right knee sprain while slipping awkwardly just before halftime. Although Golden State went on to beat Houston 121–94 for a 3–1 series lead, Curry wasn’t able to return to the court in the second half and could miss two weeks.
• MORE NBA: Warriors’ title defense takes hit with absence of Stephen Curry
Clearly, the implications are massive for the 73-win Warriors, who are looking to repeat as champions. Curry’s value is monstrous and indisputable: he led the league in scoring, threes, steals, Player Efficiency Rating, True Shooting %, Win Shares and Real Plus Minus, and he’s the overwhelming favorite to be named MVP for the second straight year.
What’s known ?
Curry sprained his right knee while attempting to defend a Trevor Ariza three-pointer just before halftime. Curry’s left foot appeared to slip on the court first, causing him to lose his balance. With his right foot unable to plant, Curry’s leg twisted awkwardly at the knee as he fell forward to the court. Curry grabbed at his knee immediately before picking himself up and limping off the court.
After halftime, Curry attempted to go through a warmup routine but then retreated to the locker room, holding his head in apparent frustration.
The Warriors announced that Curry could miss two weeks for the injury after he underwent an MRI on Monday. Nevertheless, the initial reaction suggested that Curry’s absence during the second half was more than a simple precaution.
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Having won their most recent contest the series against the Houston Rockets , the Golden State Warriors will be looking to close , with a win in the next game between the two teams. A quick respite, allowing Curry and the team to recover fully , could be the best thing possible for Steve Kerr’s players before facing the winners of the series between the Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trailblazers .
Damian Lillard of the Trailblazers are proving to be more than a handful for the Clippers , although Los Angeles currently has a 2-1 lead over their conference rivals . These two teams will meet on Monday night at the Moda Center , in Portland Oregon , for game four of their seven-game series. Doc Rivers and the Clippers’ team will be looking to make it all inevitable as to the final outcome .
Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs made quick work in dispatching the Memphis Grizzlies in a four-game sweep . Kawhi Leonard coming off his second consecutive NBA Defensive Player of The Year Award has shown another aspect to his game with his offensive prowess . Leonard was the leading scorer for the Spurs during the series and he will be looking to maintain that momentum when the San Antonio Spurs meet the winners of the current series between the Dallas Mavericks (1-3) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (3-1) . Oklahoma head coach Billy Donovan has his team playing high intensity basketball , completely outplaying the Mavericks in every aspect of the game. This series is likely to be over , when the two teams meet on Monday night at the Chesapeake Energy Center , in Oklahoma City , Oklahoma .
San Antonio Spurs’ forward Tim Duncan who this season celebrated his fortieth birthday . Duncan , combined with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli to win more games than any other trio in regular season (575) and playoff (124) history. NBA Photos ….
In the Eastern Conference the series have been competitive , though not necessarily thrilling for all of the participants involved . The Cleveland Cavaliers (4-0) led by LeBron James blew by their first round opponents the Detroit Pistons (0-4) without breaking much sweat on route to a four-game series’ sweep . It was a solid contribution from the Cavaliers’ players , with head coach Tyronn Lue having to be pleased with what he witnessed from his team. The Cavaliers will now await the winner of the series between the Atlanta Hawks (2-2) and Boston Celtics (2-2) , with a pivotal game-five being on the line when Atlanta host the Celtics on Tuesday evening.
Of all the series within the Eastern Conference , the most competitive appears to be the match-up between the Indiana Pacers (2-2) and Toronto Raptors (2-2) . Toronto came in as the higher seed of the pairing and with a better regular season record . All of which now seems to count for nothing as they have struggled to put together consistent performances during the series. If the team is bounced at this stage of the NBA Playoffs, then I believe the off-season could bring about some drastic changes among the roster .
Masai Ujiri , General Manager & President of Toronto Raptors , while being pleased with the regular season record of the franchise, has to feel somewhat perplexed with the fact the team has failed to show real competitive grit in this series. Dwayne Casey as the head coach of the Raptors , along with his coaching staff are being out-coached by Frank Vogel and his staff . Which begs the question , are the Toronto Raptors able to adapt and change course or will they continue as they are ?
It may well be too early to suggest , but I believe the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat (2-1) could very well be on a collision course , with the two teams likely to meet in the Eastern Conference Finals . Based on the current play seen during the playoffs and the results witnessed , Miami and Cleveland appear to be the two best teams playing within the conference. Granted , the semi-finals’ series have yet to be played , but I do not believe any of the other teams are capable of beating either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Miami Heat over a seven-game series.
Erik Spoelstra will be seeking to win his third NBA title as the head coach of the Miami Heat. In their current series against the Charlotte Hornets (1-2) , the Heat are finding the Hornets to be a stubborn opponent. In the absence of Chris Bosh not being in the Heat lineup for the NBA Playoffs , it is being left to Bosh’s teammates , most notably the rookies who have been making major contributions to the team’s performances in this series against the Hornets. Game four of the series between the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets will take place on the 25th April at the Time Warner Cable Arena , in Charlotte , North Carolina.
In conceding the Conference Semi-Finals are still some way off , we can take note of the results seen last season during the NBA Playoffs of 2015. How it all plays out during the current playoffs will be determined by the performances seen over the rest of the schedule.
So there we have it folks, the Philadelphia 76ers for the second time inside of a decade , the franchise has finished with the worst record in the league . The fact the 76ers have been able to achieve this type of mediocrity can either be looked at as sheer incompetence or the fact the ownership down the years has been inept. I believe it to be a mixture of both ! Joshua Harris the current owner of the franchise has shown himself to be a buffoon , while the clear window dressing of bringing in Jerry Colangelo , is no real sign, things will change overnight. Colangelo might have an astute business and basketball mind , but he is not on par with Jerry West , whose considerable acumen has laid the foundations for the championship caliber status achieved by the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors. One should also bear in mind Brett Brown and his coaching staff remain completely out of their depth and then add in the fact this roster lacks depth , experience and has no one , who could be deemed a leader. Yet, somehow fans are expected to put up with such garbage ?
To understand how bad the Philadelphia 76ers just happened to be , you simply have to look at their record over their last fifteen games and then over their final thirty games of the regular season. Heading into the off-season and with the NBA Draft just around the corner , it will be interesting to see the choices made by the front office , as they seek to restructure this team and quite possibly the entire coaching staff.
By clicking on an individual image you can view that frame in a reformatted size along with a narrative.
With NBA Playoffs still in its early stages which of the teams do you favor within either of the conferences to make it to the NBA Finals ?
🙂
Tophatal ……… 2016/04/25
Associated stories : https://tophatal.wordpress.com/category/sports/nba/
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Injuries rather than the play of the teams could be the determining factor how some of these first round series are now decided. Last season the series in round one were exciting , but also in some cases just abysmal .
It is clear this injury to Steph Curry could very well impede the chances of the Golden State Warriors over the remainder of the NBA Playoffs .
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The Miami Heat’s (2-2) loss to the Charlotte Hornets (2-2) was as embarrassing a defeat as the result would suggest . With a pivotal game-five now on the road awaiting the Heat , a win is definitely needed if as the perceived favorites in this series they are to move on to second round conference semi-finals. Dwyane Wade and his Heat teammates made things extremely difficult for themselves with a poor shooting and defensive display in their game-four loss suffered at the hands of the Hornets.
Hornets’ owner and CEO Michael Jordan has to be extremely encouraged by what he’s now witnessing from the team in particularly from his pair of guards Jeremy Lin and Kemba Walker . Yet, there has to be a great deal of concern from head coach Steve Clifford with the injury to another of the Hornets’ stars Nicolas Batum . The Charlotte forward suffered what was thought to be a mild injury , but the coaching staff as well as the front office are being extremely cautious concerning Batum’s injury and his availability to play in game-five .
Jeremy Lin (7) and Kemba Walker (15) .
Nicolas Batum of the Hornets .
The Miami Heat are a team in a flux , not knowing exactly how to deal with the play of the Charlotte Hornets and their proving to more of a headache than seen during the regular season.
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It’s becoming extremely difficult to try and justify the Toronto Raptors’ (2-2) seeding as the second seed in the East during the NBA Playoffs . The team is close to being embarrassed by the seventh seeded Indiana Pacers (2-2) in their first round playoff series with two teams tied at two games apiece heading into a pivotal game-five for both teams.
Opposing head coaches Frank Vogel of the Pacers and Dwayne Casey of the Raptors have their work cut for them both , as their clubs will face each other with so much being on the line. Inconsistent play from both teams has been a cause for concern and it is unclear, which of the two can be seen as the prohibitive favorite to win this series outright .
Brad Stevens as head coach of the Boston Celtics (2-2) has been lucky enough to have a team playing to its strengths . All square in their series against the Atlanta Hawks (2-2), the two teams have managed to put together a string of four closely contested games . If the Celtics can make it to the conference semi-finals this will have been the deepest run for the franchise since their most recent NBA title win during the 2007-08 NBA Playoffs .
During the NBA Playoffs Brad Stevens is witnessing some great play from several of his front-line players.
Brad Stevens of the Celtics .
Mike Budenholzer of the Hawks.
Mike Budenholzer head coach of the Atlanta Hawks must find a way for his team to cut down on the defensive errors being made . It is imperative that the Atlanta Hawks are able to do this if they are to have any chance of winning their series . Tonight’s game between the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks will tell us great deal about the ambitions of these two teams.
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As exciting as the NBA Playoffs appear to be , injuries could very well affect the series now in play . Mishaps such as this , will likely force the coaches to make adjustments and test the mettle of the team who at a disadvantage , while also creating an opportunity for the perceived underdogs in these series.
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With three teams having now reached their respective Conference Semi-Finals , with the Cleveland Cavaliers having punched their ticket in East, we now have in the West the paring of the Oklahoma City Thunder taking on the San Antonio Spurs . The number two seeded Spurs got by the Memphis Grizzlies with a great deal of ease and now face a much more worthy opponent in the Thunder. In their regular season match-ups it was San Antonio and the Thunder split their series at two games apiece (2-2) . This proposed series has all the makings of an entertaining match-up between two of the best teams in the Western Conference.
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Tuesday’s results in the NBA seems to be bringing us to the closing scenarios for the first round of the NBA Playoffs . There was an emphatic victory for the Atlanta Hawks (3-2) over the Boston Celtics (2-3) , with a 110-83 defeat of the Celtics. In the other game of the night the Indiana Pacers(2-3) fell to the Toronto Raptors(3-2) by three-point margin in their loss, 102-99 .
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Tophatal …………. 2016/04/27 02:32:33 am
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Congratulations to Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors on his being named the 2016 NBA Coach of The Year . It was well-deserved award for the former player , leading to the inevitability the franchise could also pull of the trifecta of awards, with wins also for NBA Executive of the Year as well as League MVP , with Steph Curry winning the MVP Award for the second consecutive season .
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It’s now time for the Los Angeles Clippers to put up or shut up . With the loss of Chris Paul , out indefinitely , this team will be thoroughly tested in their series against the Portland Trailblazers . The final three games of the series should prove to be very interesting .
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The path could be a great deal clearer for the San Antonio Spurs within the West , with so many of the combatants in the conference seeing many of their front-line stars now suffering with various injuries . San Antonio has the deepest bench of any team now in the NBA Playoffs and they are by far the most experienced team of all the teams in either conference .
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There is no denying the career of Dirk Nowitzki has been one of the greatest in recent NBA history . The Dallas Mavericks have been on the rise and their ascent to the top of the NBA world and a championship win , was all team owner , Mark Cuban could have asked for . GM Donnie Nelson has not been fortuitous with their draft choices . This team has failed miserably as their first round exit has shown . Head coach Rick Carlisle and the coaching staff have been in a midst of seeking to restructure the roster. Their acquiring Deron Williams hasn’t worked out for the best and in all probability the front office may well seek another option other than Williams at the point guard position .
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks .
It will be interesting to see what steps will be taken by the Dallas Mavericks at the time of the upcoming NBA Draft . From my own perspective , I believe one of the many issues facing the Mavericks is the fact the front office has failed to lay the foundation of a building block with Dirk Nowitzki likely to retire within two years. Nowitzki himself , has seen his productivity decline . No one on the roster appears to be stepping up to the plate . Chandler Parsons doesn’t offer anything by way of real leadership or productivity and as we know the best you are likely to get from Deron Williams is that of a player still lacking in maturity .
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With a game-five loss the Miami Heat (2-3) now find themselves on the verge of bowing out of this year’s NBA Playoffs . The Charlotte Hornets (3-2) brought everything to the party and lobbed several grenades at the Heat on their way to a narrow two-point win over their opponent. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra must now rally his troops and prepare for a must-win make or break game six in Charlotte , North Carolina on Friday evening at the Time Warner Cable Arena . This a game Miami can ill afford to lose and there seems to be no resolve among the Heat players and Dwyane Wade cannot do it all by himself .
Without Chris Paul the Los Angeles Clippers (2-3) are a rudderless ship . Having fallen behind 3-2 in their series against the Portland Trailblazers (3-2) the Clippers now find themselves in a precarious position .
For Clippers’ head coach Doc Rivers it’s now time for him to prove he is worth all the money being paid by the organization . Rivers currently earns $10 million a year as coach and Head of Basketball Operations for the Los Angeles Clippers and by comparison , there are but a few players on the team’s roster who earn that annually or by way of their current contracts .
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The list of Australian players to have achieved real notoriety in the NBA must read like the accomplishments of Sarah Palin as governor of Alaska and through much of her post political career . Now we have idiots suggesting if the Golden State Warriors (3-1) are to prevail during this season’s NBA Playoffs , then Andrew Bogut will have to be the player who will be pivotal to the team’s success. Unless I am mistaken Bogut’s contributions for the Warriors during the regular and playoffs have been nondescript .
The Golden State Warriors did outplay the Houston Rockets (1-4) with the Rockets having no answer against the best offense in the NBA during the regular and postseason . If the Warriors are to prevail this postseason then it cannot be left only to the likes of Andrew Bogut and the bench to provide the support they need .
Andrew Bogut of the Warriors.
Sarah Palin is seen here seated next to her husband Todd Palin at a Heat vs Pacers’ game.
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The NBA Playoffs are certainly living up to and providing a great deal of drama. As some of the series are now reaching a pivotal point and it is extremely interesting to see how things might well pan out. In the Western Conference , one of the semi-finals in question will pit five-time NBA champions the San Antonio Spurs against Oklahoma City Thunder . This might be the one series in the playoffs which might prove to be the most entertaining of them all. The first game of the series will take place at the AT&T Center in San Antonio Texas, on Saturday , evening . These two teams managed to split their regular season series this past season, having met four times of the course of their schedule.
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Games in session for Thursday , April 28th , 2016 . The Atlanta Hawks finally managed to subdue a stubborn and tough opponent in the Boston Celtics winning game six of their series by the result 102-94 . Atlanta will now move on to meet the Cleveland Cavaliers in one the two conference semi-finals within the East. In their regular season series between these two teams it was the Cavaliers who prevailed .
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Well these NBA Playoffs are now placing many of the teams in unknown territory , with some presumptive of the favorites now in something of a bind. Last night’s results were one again proof of that very fact . The higher seeded Toronto Raptors fell to the Indiana Pacers in a thrilling contest , losing by an eighteen point margin 101-83 . In another of the games from Friday night the Miami Heat overcame the Charlotte Hornets , beating their conference rivals 97-90 .
Of all the teams to have fallen off the map in the first round , perhaps the biggest surprise of call came in the Western Conference series between the Los Angeles Clippers (2-4) who fell the Portland Trailblazers (4-2) in six games . Now excuses can be made concerning the loss of Clippers’ point guard Chris Paul , but even with such an excuse , there was no reason for Paul’s teammates not to have given a maximum effort in each of the games of the series . Last night’s game between the two teams saw Portland prevailing , beating the Clippers 106-103 in a decisive game six.
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A spectacular win for the San Antonio Spurs (1-0) in the opening game of the conference semi-final series against the Oklahoma City Thunder (0-1) . As the home team San Antonio got off to a solid start with an all-round contribution from the team as they crushed the Thunder by a thirty-two point margin on their way to a 124-92 victory. This had to be pleasing for the coaching staff of Gregg Popovich where he is also ably assisted by Becky Hammon .
For Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan this game was a real setback as the team failed to counter the Spurs’ offense threat while they also showed the lack of a defensive presence against San Antonio. If they are to have any chance in game-two and avoid going down 0-2 through the first two games then their all round play will have to be a great deal better. The San Spurs trio of Tony Parker , Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli continue to rewrite the history books as players , having won more regular and postseason games as a trio than any other group of players in NBA history. Should they make it to NBA Finals and win the title , then it adds to their illustrious accomplishments . With their having signed LaMarcus Aldridge and David West during the preseason , it could be stated the Spurs were also looking to the future , with the likelihood this might well be the last season where their remarkable trio are together as teammates.
Tim Duncan at the age of forty still has a basketball mind superior to his peers and many of the young rookies in the league . He now defers to Aldridge and two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard , who many now consider to be the best player on the Spurs’ lineup.
Away from the opening games of round two of the NBA Playoffs , the top news of the day was the fact the Los Angeles Lakers chose not extend the option on Byron Scott’s contract with the franchise . Instead they hired Golden State Warriors’ assistant head coach Luke Walton . And Walton returns to a Lakers’ franchise where he won two NBA titles and became a fan-favorite. Unfortunately. there are many who are now asking ” why leave the penthouse to flop down in the outhouse ” ? An interesting question indeed. There have been some idiotic statements being made suggesting, there is a great deal of talent on the Lakers’ roster , but in reality there is not. With the retirement of Kobe Bryant and no foundation having been laid for their future , GM Mitch Kupchak , joint co-owners Jim and Jeanie Buss are now hoping to lure a marquee free agent to the team for the 2016-17 NBA season.
It is my personal opinion the Lakers are long way from being considered a top-flight team and a perennial contender for the NBA title. This team does not know how to play defense and without Kobe Bryant they are a shell of team as an offensive weapon. No other player on the roster was able to average more than 20 pts or ten assists per game over the course of last season as seen with the team’s statistics. If the Los Angeles Lakers are to be considered championship material they will need at least two players on the roster capable of such a feat.
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Well now that the Golden State Warriors have dispatched the Houston Rockets in five games from their first round series their next opponent in the conference semi-finals will be the Portland Trailblazers . During their regular season meetings the Warriors defeated the Traiblazers three games to one (3-1). Where this series’ loss now leaves the Houston Rockets remains to be seen, but it is clear there will be some drastic shakeups with regard to the Rockets’ lineup . GM Daryl Morey will have to asses the needs of the franchise as well as seeking to secure a bonafide player of proven ability to assist James Harden .
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So the conference semi-finals have now begun with this season’s NBA Playoffs. The top-four seeded teams within each conference have all made it through safely with the exception of the Los Angeles Clippers who unceremoniously dumped in the first round by the Portland Trailblazers .
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Pretty wild and controversial ball game tonight in San Antonio.
Can’t wait to hear Adam Silver’s explanation of what happened on that final play.
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SportsChump (Chris Humpheries)
Any explanation being offered by the league hierarchy concerning the incompetence of the officiating during the NBA Playoffs is simply a further indication of how out of touch these executives remain along with the mediocre standards of the referees themselves. When was the last time you heard of the NBA actually admitting an official making a wrong call let alone their being open transparency by the league concerning the officials’ training and their actual qualifications ? Rarely has David Stern or Adam Silver ever addressed the issue , simply maintaining they are continually reviewing the work of the referees. From my own perspective , it points to the fact the league has no wish to criticize the officiating or the ineptitude being shown during the regular season and playoffs !
The controversy seen during last night’s game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs simply adds to the incompetence seen from NBA referees continually during the regular and playoffs . We are likely to see more of this throughout the remainder of the playoff schedule.
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Monday and Tuesday’s results as the conference semi- finals have hit full-stride . What has become abundantly clear is the very fact the officiating during the NBA Playoffs remains as abysmal and as incompetent as ever , without anyone from the league hierarchy or the referees’ union wishing to address the matter.
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With conference semi-finals now in motion the remaining teams are playing with some real zeal . The games scheduled for Friday should prove to be very interesting .
NBA news and games scheduled for Friday .
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Friday’s results and how things now stand at this stage of the conference semi-finals .
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Things are now getting rather testy and opportunistic for the teams , as these series now begin to take shape . The games played thus far and with last night’s results are indicative of that fact. The Miami Heat (1-1) squandered just about every opportunity provided to them by the Toronto Raptors (1-1) as they allowed the home team to tie their series with an overtime win at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto , Ontario on Friday night. In the other game taking place the San Antonio Spurs (2-1) went on the road and had a pivotal game three win over the Oklahoma City Thunder (1-2) .
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Games on tap for tonight in the NBA .
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Just when we thought we were on to a sure thing something crops up to prove us all wrong. The Miami Heat in spite of a star laden roster . cannot get out of its own way , because of sheer complacency as evidenced with their game-three loss to the Toronto Raptors . Defeat in game four and the Heat might as well pack their bags and head on back to South Beach. It appears to the only person on the roster capable of doing anything worthwhile just happens to be Dwyane Wade .
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Monday night’s results in the NBA have now left us with the series in a very interesting state of affairs for the participants . The Golden State Warriors (3-1) are now on the verge of making the Conference Finals , having beaten the Portland Trailblazers (1-3) in a tight game 132-125 where offense played its part over defense in the contest .
Steph Curry’s return for the Warriors was of particular interest to their fans and the league , as the two-time League MVP showed why he has now become the most dominant player in the game this season .
In the other game played on Monday night the Miami Heat (3-2) eked out a seven-point victory , defeating the Toronto Raptors (2-3) to take a three-to-two lead in their Conference Semi-Finals’ Series. The winners will meet of the series will meet the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals .
Tuesday’s contest will be a pivotal game five with the San Antonio Spurs (2-2) playing host to the Oklahoma City Thunder (2-2) . It is a make-or-break game for both teams as the series reaches a climactic moment .
NBA Playoffs (2016) and results for the 9th May
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Brad Ausmus and the managerial staff of the Detroit Tigers (14-17) have a great deal to prove this season . Coming off their last game played the team finds itself having to compete in a very tough division (AL Central) . Ausmus and the players will be seeking to get themselves in a position to compete for the AL Pennant and the World Series at the very least. A 5-4 loss to the Washington Nationals (20-12) by the Detroit Tigers on Monday afternoon brought the team back down to earth. These two teams will meet once again on Tuesday afternoon as part of their regular season series .
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In a commanding game-five presence and performance the Oklahoma City Thunder (3-2) have now put the San Antonio Spurs (2-3) in a precarious situation and left them on the verge of bowing out of this year’s NBA Playoffs. In order to force their series to seven games the Spurs will have to win game six on the road before returning home for a series’ deciding game seven. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook played their part in this victory as did their teammates with a solid all-round contribution . For San Antonio it was a case of missed opportunities and their failure to take command of the game at various points during the contest.
Billy Donovan , head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder had to be satisfied with what he witnessed from his players and the fact they now have a 3-2 lead over their divisional rivals in the series.
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The NBA season is now heating up as the NBA Playoffs and in particular the conference semi-finals begin to take shape .
The Miami Heat having now tied their series against the Toronto Raptors will now have to win two of the final three games of the series to book a berth in the conference finals . The Cleveland Cavaliers having won their series against the Atlanta Hawks await the winners of the contest between the Heat and Raptors .
At this point last season the stage was being set for the Golden State Warriors to win their first title in four decades .
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A great performance by DeMar DeRozan with a thirty-four point game , leading all scorers as the Toronto Raptors have now pushed the Miami Heat (2-3) to the brink of elimination by taking a (3-2) lead in their conference semi-final series.
In the other of the two games played on Wednesday night the Golden State Warriors (4-1) closed out their series emphatically by beating the Portland Trailblazers (1-4) by the score of 125-121 . Throughout their series defense was never the one aspect of the where we would see both teams playing to that particular strength as seen with results in all five contests .
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They are the second-most successful franchise in baseball history having won eleven World Series’ titles over the course of their existence. The St Louis Cardinals remain one of the classiest organizations in all of baseball. Mike Matheny and the managerial staff inherited a roster which has been improved upon in recent seasons and where the front office has sought to remain frugal by way of payroll expediency .
This season the Cardinals will be hoping to make a return to the postseason. First , they will have to get past the best that the NL Central has to offer as well as the National League . I believe the Cardinals are good enough to win their division as well as the NL Pennant , but the real test will likely come in any potential match-up in World Series’ contest. Over the past five years the St Louis Cardinals have had their fair share of success against AL opponents during the regular and postseason.
With the Chicago Cubs off to a speedy start to their season and leading the NL Central , it will be down to the St Louis Cardinals to make themselves serious challengers to their divisional rivals over the course of this season. In the most recent game played by the Cardinals they defeated the Los Angeles Angels winning the contest 5-2 in their match-up at Angels Ballpark in Anaheim , California,. These two teams will back on the field again today where the opposing pitchers are Jered Weaver of the Angels against Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals .
St Louis Cardinals news
Tophatal …………..
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