playoffs Page 197 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

It's Enough To Make You Want To Hug Damon Jones
I don't know if it's enough to erase the pain of Jordan-over-Ehlo or Earnest Byner's fumble, but last night had to be the best Cleveland sports fans have felt since ... well, since the ping-pong balls bounced their way and they won the right to draft LeBron James....

Encore?
The playoffs, as you often hear, are all about adjustments. If you're Flip Saunders, how do you adjust to LeBron James finally becoming the unstoppable force he was always supposed to be? I guess your best hope is to just hope he's exhausted from kicking your ass the last time out. The downside is t...

To Watch Tonight...
• 8:00, NBC. Stanley Cup Finals. Anaheim Ducks @ Ottawa Senators. Or the All Children's Telethon, which should be good, too. • 8:00, ESPN2. Soccer. China vs. United States. If this game is so "friendly," why even keep score? • 8:30, TNT. NBA Playoffs. Detroit Pistons @ Cleveland Cavaliers. Craig Sag...

There Has To Be A Way To Combine A Hockey Game And A Telethon
Hockey continues to feel the sting of disrespect from their network television home. This time, the slap in the face isn't national, but limited to just the Tampa market. For now, anyway. We'll have to wait and see what happens if tonight's game goes into overtime....

NBA Blogdome: In Awe
A wrapup of Web reaction to LeBron James' insanity in the Cavs' Game 5 win last evening ......

LeBron Does All Kinds Of Things Humans Aren't Supposed To Be Able To Do
This photo is of the last point of the final 25 LeBron James scored last night to give the Cavaliers a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. (Yes, for once, the Eastern Conference playoffs were not just watchable, but thrilling.) We find it amazing that in this shot, there are five Detro...

LeBron Would Like To Make His Case Now
Heavens to Betsy: We think it's possible that LeBron James has proven himself in the fourth quarter. Or in overtime. Or in double overtime. Or, perhaps soon, in the NBA Finals. He scored the last 25 points for the Cavs. That, friends, is ridiculous. Consider our jaws officially agape. More tomorrow....

Cavs' Chance To Take Total Control
Larry Hughes will be back tonight, but nobody really cares about that anymore: The planet's got Daniel Gibson fever. Well, maybe that's pushing it, but if LeBron James and company can pull off Game 5 in Detroit tonight — hey, the Bulls won one there — then everything is upside down and crazy, and we...

It's A Spurs Dance Party!
We can't possibly thank Pounding The Rock enough for the above video, featuring those always funky Spurs fans celebrating their series victory over the Suns, a celebration they likely continued last night. Careful, guys: You might pull a hammy or, you know, a goiter....

Take Some Time Off, Spurs
While Tim Duncan justifiably receives all the credit for the Spurs advancement to the NBA Finals — which don't start for another week, by the way — Full Court NBA Blog points out that the guards have been pretty great too. That said, last night, the Jazz checked out plenty early; they looked eager t...

It's The Spurs ... Again
We congratulate the Spurs on their trip to the NBA Finals. We're gonna try really hard to like them. Honest. We are. Hey, Tim Duncan! He's good. That's something. See you tomorrow....

Could Be The Last Night For Your Jazz
Now that the Eastern Conference Finals are heating up — as much as anything post-Golden State in this playoffs has been able to "heat up" — the Western Conference can wrap up tonight, with San Antonio finishing up the Manu-ization of the NBA. There won't be as many Jazz fans to throw Blistex at Bruc...

Larry Hughes Is Feeling Rather Marginalized Right Now
Over the weekend, we were discussing LeBron James with a friend of ours. Specifically, we were discussing whether or not it was fair of us, on this here site, to brush off any notion of unfairness about LeBron's late game exploits by saying, "if you want us to drink your shitty sports drink, you mus...

About Last Night ...
What you missed while battling Gamera ... • NBA: Dan-iel Gi-b-son? Cavaliers even series with Pistons 2-all. • MLB: Balk this way ... give it up ladies and gentlemen for Giants reliever Armando Benitez! Mets 5. Giants 4. • Tennis: Roddick now free to sample all the exotic cheeses he wants....

LeBron James Extreme Closeup!
We bring you this terrifying photo of LeBron James not just to make sure you have appropriate nightmare fuel this evening — seriously, this guy is the most marketable athlete in the NBA? — but because in a few hours, we'll know right well whether or not LeBron and his Cavs can singlehandedly veer us...

The Spurs, And The Playoffs, Are All About The Flop
If you needed concrete proof why many NBA fans have been dreading seeing the Spurs in the NBA Finals, last night's win over the Jazz provided it. It was a succession of flops, plods, slaps, free throws and Manu Ginobili. We know some just call this winning basketball; we think it's sucking all the l...

One Series Is Alive ... Can We Make It Two?
As close as this series has been so far, we're just one Pistons victory away from it being totally lopsided. They've been so close on the road, most people believe the Cavs will be able to take at least a game at home. Except for Rasheed Wallace, who would lead you to believe that if the Pistons try...

As Deron Williams Becomes A Superstar...
Well, that was emphatic ... and just what this postseason needed. The Utah Jazz, back on their homecourt, busted out the whoopin' sticks on the San Antonio Spurs last night. Carlos Boozer (while not trying to stuff the basketball into Tim Duncan's rectal cavity) and Deron Williams had that pick-and-...

About Last Night...
• NBA: Jazz 109, Spurs 83. And to think, I ridiculed their t-shirts. My apologies. • MLS: Wizards 4, Revolution 3. And it's a hat trick for Eddie Johnson. That guy's a wizard. • MLB: Padres 6, Brewers 3. Justin Germano: 4 starts, 3 wins, 1.08 ERA....

Hopefully, Tim Duncan Suffers From Cyanophobia
A fear of the color blue is what we're counting on to tighten this series up. The attire of the fans in Salt Lake City is the focus of the AP article previewing Game Three of the Spurs/Jazz series. Everyone in Energy Solutions arena will be decked out tonight in "True Blue" shirts that will, I don't...