The San Antonio Spurs beat the Miami Heat 4-1 to win the NBA championship.: Amidst all the drama (and great basketball) in the early rounds of the playoffs we were left with a repeat of 2013, Spurs versus the Heat. However, this year the results were markedly different as the Spurs dominated the last 3 games of the series in an unquestionable way. Kawhi Leonard is my new hero; a young man whose father was murdered 6 years ago and on Father's Day carried his team to a championship and won the MVP award. Oh, and he doesn't really want to talk to the press.

posted by jeremias to basketball at 10:48 AM - 9 comments

There are buzzer beaters and then there are BUZZER BEATERS: In the New York Section 1 AA championship game New Rochelle was on a 9-1 run but still behind by 2 points. Only 2.9 seconds left on the clock and they have to take out the ball on the opposite side of the court. The long lob down the floor was picked off by the opposing Mount Vernon, things didn't look good until Khalil Edney had something to say about it.

posted by jeremias to basketball at 06:54 AM - 10 comments

Boston Red Sox off to worst start since World War II: This might not be such a big deal but it comes after an off-season where the team owners came in third in the league for payroll ($160 million). Some of that hefty payroll is heading into prize free agents Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford's pockets. These two additions led many to anoint the Sox as favorites to win 100 games and/or the World Series. So are they feeling the pressure? Are their high paid pitchers too fat and happy? Or maybe they just need a boost from good old Fenway Park where they have their first home game of the season on Friday against old pals: the New York Yankees.

posted by jeremias to baseball at 06:46 PM - 29 comments

Dock Ellis & the LSD No No: Somewhere in the archives of Sportsfilter must be some mention of June 1970 when Dock Ellis threw a no-hitter while under the influence of LSD. Even if you know the story, this is a great 4:30 animated recounting of the feat.

posted by jeremias to baseball at 04:51 PM - 7 comments

Rasheed Wallace wants to be a team player in Boston next season.: In what will be an interesting test of chemistry, the Celtics will have Rasheed Wallace on the floor for them next season. Does this create a Fantastic Four? A permanent sub for Kevin Garnett? What is undeniable are the stats. The Celts had two of the top 30 3-point shooters last season (House and Allen), a top 20 scoring leader (Pierce) a top 20 rebounder (Garnett when he's healthy) a top 10 assist and steals leader (Rondo). So how will Wallace fit in? His famous temper aside, is his body simply breaking down, and is this why the Celts could get him for roughly $8mil less than his last year in Detroit?

posted by jeremias to basketball at 07:02 PM - 4 comments

Michael Jord . . .ahh, forget it.: Yeah, he's coming back, but more importantly, the Jerry Stackhouse trade slipped by me. Reading this story you have to wonder if Jordan has taken his game to a different level, it seems that there's been a real push to clear the salary cap for next year. So what's going on?

posted by jeremias to basketball at 10:06 PM - 0 comments

Instant Replay In the NBA?: It's an ESPN link but the idea of more stoppages during a b-ball game sends shudders down my spine. If there was a way to make me watch less pro basketball this would be it.

posted by jeremias to basketball at 08:12 AM - 5 comments