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5.31.2004
Pistons Win Game 5: The Detroit Pistons
beat the Indiana Pacers, 83-65, to take a 3-2 lead in their NBA Eastern
Conference best-of-seven series. Face itonly diehard fans of the two
teams can like this series. It has been terrible basketball, with neither
team able to hit the broad side of a barn. On Sunday, Indiana shot a
miserable 33%, while the Pistons werent much better at 41%, a trend that
has continued all series. Only once has a winning team reached 85 points.
In contrast, the losing team in the Minnesota-Lakers
series has topped 85 points in three of the five
games.
Letterman Wins at Indy:
Buddy Rice won the rain-shortened Indianapolis 500 on Sunday as part of
team owned by talk show host David Letterman and racing legend Bobby
Rahal. Letterman, an Indiana native and racing buff, was thrilled after
Rice won the race. "Was there a stronger driver in the field?"
Letterman said. "Was there a stronger car in the field? It didn't
look that way to me."
5.29.2004
Moon Over Paris: The French Open tennis tournament again gets an entry based solely on skin. In a match that extended over two days due to be suspended because of darkness of Thursday, eccentric Russian Marat Safin pulled his tennis shorts down and mooned the crowd at Roland Garros. To celebrate a shot he hit for a winner, Safin grabbed his shorts and pulled them down to his thighs. He then leaned over and gave the crowd more than they expected. Safin did this out of exuberance, not in protest over a bad call, which perhaps explains why he wasn?t fined for the incident. However, he was penalized a point because of his decision but escaped financial sanctions for dropping his drawers. However, he was fined for "racket abuse". Go figure.
The Leastern Conference: While it?s almost certain that the NBA Eastern Conference playoff series is solely to determine who will be routed by the Los Angeles Lakers in the finals, Detroit?s Pistons or Indiana?s Pacers, at least that series is competitive. Friday night the Pacers came up big, winning 83-68 in Auburn Hills, Michigan to even the series at 2 games apiece.
5.28.2004
Lakers Win NBA Title: Well, they didn't literally win the title yet, but on Thursday night a vast, sinking feeling hit us as we saw the Los Angeles Lakers toy with the scrappy but ultimately outgunned Minneapolis Timberwolves to take an almost insurmountable 3-1 lead in their NBA Western Conference Finals series. By winning 92-85 (the game wasn't as close as the score would indicate), the Lakers pretty much guaranteed another gold championship flag will be hanging at Staples Center at the start of next season. The 'Wolves will probably win Game 5 in front of their fans on Saturday, but even if they do, expect the Lakers to finish them off on Monday night at home. Neither Detroit or Indiana will beat Los Angeles in the finals, so our worst nightmare--the Lakers winning the title this year--will come true. Damn.
Upset City: The French Open tennis tournament has provided plenty of storylines so far. Among the shocks are:
* Andre Agassi was bounced out in the first round in stunning fashion by Jerome Haehnel, ranked #271 in the world. No, we've never heard of him either;
* Outsports favorite Andy Roddick was also bounced early; in fact, all 8 US men's players were eliminated, the first time in more than 30 years that a major tournament won't have at least one American man in the 3rd round;
* Both singles champions from last year, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Justine Henin-Hardenne, are already gone.
On the women's side, the news was much better for US fans as both Williams sisters and perennial contenders Lindsay Davenport and Jennifer Capriati won to advance to the next round.
The clay courts of Roland Garros are the great equalizer, it would seem.
5.27.2004
Stifling Pistons: What a difference Larry Brown makes. The Detroit Pistons took a 2-1 series lead with an 85-78 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
Rasheed Wallace had his best offensive outpouring in a month in the victory, scoring 20 points. Game 4 will be Friday in Detroit.
Magic Win Again: That is a headline we didn't see much this season. As a result, the Orlando Magic won the NBA Draft Lottery Wednesday night. The Los Angeles Clippers will select second; the Chicago Bulls will draft third.
With a League-low 21 wins last season, it should be no surprise that the Magic will draft first as they had the best chance to do so.
5.26.2004
Lakers Take Series Lead: Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference Finals was anything but artistic, though the Lakers will gladly take their 100-89 win and a 2-1 series lead. Shaquille O?Neal and Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers with 22 points each, though Bryant was a mediocre 5 for 12 from the field.
The game was anything but riveting, and the fourth quarter basically was a sequence of the Wolves fouling O?Neal, hoping he would shoot bricks. He did (8 of 22 free throws), but Minnesota did nothing to capitalize. Basketball is all about free-flowing action up and down the court. Watching O?Neal shoot free throws is an affront to the game, kind of like watching a pitcher hit in baseball.
Flames Win Game 1: Martin Gelinas of the Calgary Flames scored on the first shot of the game and the Flames routed host Tampa Bay, 4-1, to win Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Gelinas? goal was the first time since 1989 that a team scored on the first shot of the Finals. Jarome Iginla of the Flames, the most dominant player in the NHL playoffs, scored a short-handed goal and the Flames were never threatened. '' A few of our guys were jittery at the start,'' Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella said. '' We got a little frustrated at times.''
Martina Comes Up Short: Martina Navratilova, 47, lost 6-1, 6-3 to Gisela Dulko in the first round of the French Open, the tennis legend?s first Grand Slam singles match in 10 years.
"The crowd was great; I just wanted to stay out there a bit longer to give them something to cheer about," Navratilova said. "I had some moments of brilliance, but they were few and far between unfortunately."
Dulko, whose mother is the same age as Navratilova, said she got a little nervous playing an idol. "I think she played great," Dulko said. "It was weird because in the beginning I wasn't nervous at all, but then at the end to finish the match, I start to think a little bit that I was playing against her."
5.25.2004
Andre's Early Bow: The rumblings are already coming in. That straight-set loss earlier today may be Andre's last match at the French Open.
Hardly putting up a fight, Andre Agassi lost in straight sets to the player ranked 271 in the world, Jerome Haehnel, a qualifier from France, 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-3. It was Haehnel's first victory in a Major.
The sudden loss, following a first-round loss last week to a player ranked even worse, suddenly gives volume to the questions swirling around the tennis world: when Agassi plays the U.S. Open this September, will his retirement announcement be the next time we see him?
Agassi, seeded sixth in the tournament, is 34 and one of the oldest men on the tour.
Detroit Gets Even: Promises, promises. That's what Rasheed Wallace made after losing Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Finals series to the Indiana Pacers: a promise to win Game 2.
He and the Detroit Pistons upheld that promise, pulling even in their series, 72-67. Game 3 will be played in Detroit on Wednesday.
It was the third-lowest total points scored in a playoff game since the shot clock was introduced. The other two higher games both involved Detroit as well, one of them coming in their last round against the New Jersey Nets.
5.24.2004
An Outsporter Wins a National Championship: Long-time Outsports supporter and 2003 Outsports Convention Director Chip Rogers won a national championship Sunday when his Virginia Cavaliers women's lacrosse team beat two-time defending champion Princeton, 10-4.
The loss ended Princeton's 28-game win streak and took place at Princeton, N.J.
Rogers is in sports information services at Virginia and focuses his efforts on field hockey and women's lacrosse. He is a well-respected member of the NCAA sports world.
From his bio: "Rogers has written histories of the NCAA women's lacrosse and field hockey tournaments and is a frequent contributor to lacrosse and field hockey magazines and NCAA publications, writing articles on current topics in field hockey and lacrosse. Rogers is also the Editor of the Bully, the Collegiate Field Hockey Yearbook and the Draw, the Collegiate Women's Lacrosse Yearbook."
Timberwolves Roar Back: After losing Game 1 and homecourt advantage to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Minnesota Timberwolves made a statement Sunday: they're not going away quietly.
Minnesota tied the series, 1-1, with an 89-71 thrashing of the Lakers in Minnesota on Sunday. Four 'Wolves players scored 15 points or more, led by League MVP Kevin Garnett, who scored 24 points. Only two Lakers scored double-digit points, including Shaquille O'Neal, who was held to 14 points.
5.21.2004
Outsports Convention This Weekend: The second annual Outsports Convention is this weekend in Philadelphia. We will be hearing from NCLR sports guru Helen Carroll and representatives from local Philadelphia gay sports entities including the Phillies. Other fun, social events are planned. If you're in Philadelphia this weekend, send us an e-mail at mail@outsports.com.
5.20.2004
Lakers V. Former Lakers When David Stern said that he wished the Lakers could play the Lakers in the Finals, maybe this is what he meant. The Los Angeles Lakers will play the team that replaced them in Minnesota - the Timberwolves - in the Western Conference Finals, rumored to start sometime in August (that's a joke).
The Timberwolves held off the Sacramento Kings, 83-80, in Game 7 of their Western Conference Semifinal matchup. Kevin Garnet, who celebrated his 28th birthday with the win, dominated the game, scoring 32 points, with 21 rebounds and five blocks.
Warriors to Get New Coach: Stanford men's basketball head coach Mike Montgomery will be the new head coach of the Golden State Warriors, according to the Associate Press. Warriors head coach Eric Musselman was fired on Wednesday after posting a two-season record of 75-89.
Montgomery was the most successful head coach in Stanford history, leading the Cardinal to the second round of the NCAA tournament the last 10 years. This past year, Stanford jumped out to a 26-0 record before losing their last regular-season game and losing in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
5.19.2004
Perfect: The man with the most sexed-up name in sports just scribed his monicker in the history books.
Arizona Diamondback Randy Johnson pitched only the 17th perfect game in Major League Baseball history, earning the most impressive 2-0 victory of his career.
Johnson, always the ultimate competitor, told the Associated Press after the game, "It didn't faze me. The bottom line was we needed to win the game. Winning the game was the biggest, most important thing.''
Johnson, 40, became the oldest player to throw a perfect game. Cy Young had the previous record, throwing a perfect game at the age of 37 in 1904.
Indiana on Pace for NBA Finals: The Miami Heat hadn't lost a home game since March, running off 18 straight victories in Miami. Notice the past tense. The Indiana Pacers ended all that, end the Heat's playoff hopes, winning Game 6 of their series, 73-70, and moving on to the Eastern Conference finals.
They will play the winner of Thursday night's Game 7 between the Detroit Pistons and New Jersey Nets.
5.18.2004
Transsexuals Can Be Olympians: The International Olympic Committee's executive board has cleared the way for transsexual athletes to compete in the Olympics, starting with Athens this summer.
The move will allow both male-to-female and female-to-male athletes to compete as their new gender provided their new gender has been legally recognized and they have gone through at least two years of post-operative hormone therapy.
Debate will continue to rage about the advantages that male-to-female athletes may have over other women. However, doctors assured the IOC that testosterone levels drop significantly after surgery.
5.17.2004
Heading to Game 7: Two NBA series are about to head to Game 7. Sacramento survived the ejection of Anthony Peeler and having most of its stars in foul trouble to beat Minnesota, 104-87, and even their series at 3-3. In the East, Detroit came back from a triple overtime Game 5 loss to beat New Jersey on the road, 81-75, and send that series to a Game 7.
Home on the Road: The Calgary Flames have the San Jose Sharks right where they want them?heading back to San Jose. The Sharks lost Games 1 and 2 of their NHL series at home, then rebounded for two wins in Calgary, including Game 4 on Sunday. Playing at home seems to matter less in the NHL than in any other major sport; a hot goal tender can really take a crowd out of the game.
Sheets Strikes: Ben Sheets of the Milwaukee Brewers set a team record by striking out 18, in a 4-1 win over the Atlanta Braves. It was the most strikeouts by any pitcher in three years. ''I'm not a big strikeout guy, so this is all new to me. It's pretty cool, though,'' said Sheets, whose previous high in any game was 10.
5.16.2004
Arsenal is Perfect: The English Premier League football (soccer to Yanks) season ended on Saturday and for one team it was a perfect season, sort of. Arsenal, who play in north London at their great ground Highbury, beat Leicester City 2-1 at home to finish the season of 38 games without a loss. By winning 26, tying 12 and losing nil, the Gunners became only the second team in the history of the English League (established March, 1888) to go through a season with no losses since Preston North End did it in that initial season. Oddly, this might not have even been the best Arsenal side of recent vintage, the team of two seasons ago arguably having a better balance between a devastating scoring attack and solid defense. While people in England are predictably saying this is the greatest team in the history of English football, we think that the Liverpool FC squads of the late 70's/early 80's and the Manchester United teams of the early 90's lead by genius Frenchman Eric "God" Cantona were better. The only real blight on Arsenal's season would be crashing out of the Champions League in the quarterfinals stage to hated fellow Londoners Chelsea. Nonetheless, congratulations to Arsenal.
Two Down, One to Go: The Triple Crown horse races are weird "sporting" events. They last about 2 minutes and the main athlete is a horse but the hype is extraordinary for them. On Saturday, Smarty Jones used a late surge to win the Preakness, adding it to his Kentucky Derby win. This sets the stage for Smarty Jones to possibly win the Triple Crown at the Belmont Stakes in three weeks.
Damn: We're getting that sinking feeling in the pit of our stomachs (see the 5/14 entry). The Los Angeles Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs 88-76 in a physical, scrappy game to win their NBA West Conference semi-final series, 4-2. Damn.
5.15.2004
The Ruling Stands: In an addendum to yesterday's entry, as expected, the San Antonio Spurs protested the referee's decision-making that allowed the Los Angeles Lakers to amazingly get off a shot in .4 of a second. The NBA ruled that the referees ruled correctly about when the clock started when Derek Fisher touched the ball before launching his successful game-winning shot. Game 6 in Los Angeles tonight figures to be a wild affair.
Kings Look Like Peasants: The Sacramento Kings spent their off season last year tinkering with their roster, figuring this would be the year they won it all. That plan is in serious danger of going up in flames after a shockingly bad performance by the Kings in their NBA Playoffs Game 5 against a strong, united Minnesota Timberwolves team. Led by total studs Kevin Garnett and Latrell Sprewell, the Wolves toyed with the meek Kings in their pivotal Game 5 in Minneapolis. Although Sacramento is a really tough home team, they're going to have to step their game up a couple of levels if they want to have any chance of extending the series to a Game 7.
No! Not the Nets!: The Detroit Pistons have been this years cult playoff team, the one that neutral observers want to see advance. However, like the Kings, they are in danger of getting bounced from the playoffs after an arduous Game 5 against the bland New Jersey Nets ended up with the Nets winning in triple overtime. The playoffs now seem poised to lose the Spurs, Kings and Pistons as contestants, which would be a blow for interesting, entertaining basketball. While it seems that whoever comes out of the East is going to be a lamb to the slaughter for the Western champion, we'd love to see the Pistons Ben Wallace go up against the big men in the West. More will be revealed this weekend.
5.14.2004
Choking Dog Spurs: Here at Outsports World HQ, we're not big fans of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers. Since a majority of our staff lives in Los Angeles, the season-long soap opera with this team has been like being trapped in a room full of screaming children: you can't escape the noise of the local media no matter how hard you try. Even though the Los Angeles Times just won a clutch of Pulitzer Prizes for serious reporting of serious issues, they still felt it was important enough to chronicle the Lakers nonsense--will coach Phil "Zen" Jackson stay? Will Kobe be here next year? Whose team is it anyway?--on the front page. Add to that a team that has slept through large parts of the season, only turning it on for the playoffs and, no, we're not fans. We've joked among each other all season long that the Lakers would do the bare minimum needed to make the playoffs and then suddenly remember to play hard and with heart. On Thursday night that scenario seemed to be playing out.
In a finish that ranks among the most amazing we've seen in a quite a while, the Lakers Derek Fisher hit a turnaround jump shot prayer with virtually no time left on the clock to give the Lakers a 74-73 over the San Antonio Spurs in the crucial game 5 of their best-of-seven series in San Antonio. What made Fisher's shot more unbelievable is that a mere second before, the Spurs Tim Duncan hit a great shot with Shaquille O'Neal right on him to give the Spurs the lead. Getting the ball at half-court with .4 seconds left, and after a seemingly endless series of timeouts by both teams, the Lakers pulled off a miraculous finish that could be the impetus for another championship run. Nothing would make us sicker to our stomachs.
5.13.2004
Fit to be Tied:Four games into the NBA conference semifinals, each of the four series is now tied, two games apiece. On Wednesday night, the Heat beat the Pacers and the Kings won a crucial home game that will force at least a Game 6 against the Timberwolves.
In the 16 games thus far played, the home team has won 14 of them; only the Kings and T'Wolves have won on the road.
Iraq Soccer Team Qualifies: Finally, some good news from Iraq. Less than three months after the country was reinstated by the International Olympic Committee, Iraq's soccer team beat Saudi Arabia, 3-1, to clinch a spot in the Athens Olympics.
Celebratory gunfire was heard in central Baghdad after the match, and tracers zoomed across the sky, AP reported.
"It's a crazy joy for us," Iraq defender Ahmed Alwan said. "Despite all of the difficulties we faced, we still managed to qualify for Athens and I believe that we deserve our place in the Olympics."
5.12.2004
Kobe Pleads Not Guilty: Just hours before playing in Game 4 of the Lakers' Western Conference semifinal game against the San Antonio Spurs, Kobe Bryant pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of sexual assault that carry with it a maximum sentence of life in prison.
After hearing his plea, the judge adjourned the hearing. He is expected to set a trial date at a May 27 meeting.
A day after making a surprise appearance at the pre-trial hearings, the 19-year-old accuser was not in court on Tuesday, though her parents were, sitting just about 20 feet from Bryant, according to CNNSI.com
Bryant led the Lakers in points in the first half of their game against the Spurs, scoring 18 points. The game had not been completed by the time of publication.
Clemens Still Perfect: The Houston Astros are singing; the New York Yankees are lamenting. Roger Clemens is 7-0.
A season after "ending" his baseball career (then with the New York Yankees), the Astros ace is still perfect after throwing 11 strikeouts against the Florida Marlins. The 41-year-old right-hander is the first seven-game winner this season.
5.11.2004
Mondesi Quits the Season: From his native Santo Domingo in the Dmonican Republic, Raul Mondesi told the Associated Press on Monday that he will not play another game this season.
The Pittsburgh Pirate had been playing without pay this season because the Pirates would not pay him due to a court ruling in the small Caribbean country that forced Mondesi to pay a former hitting instructor $640,000.
In bowing out of the season just five weeks in, Mondesi said that personal issues prevented him from concentrating on playing baseball. He told the Associated Press that he may return next year.
Pacers Get First Bounce of the Playoffs: The Miami Heat handed the Indiana Pacers their first playoff loss of the postseason, beating the Eastern Conference's number one seed, 94-87, in Miami on Monday.
The Pacers had been 6-0 in these playoffs before running into buzzsaw in the fourth quarter named Dwyane Wade, who scored 14 points in the final frame. It was the Heat's 17th consecutive home victory.
5.10.2004
Lakers Show Life: The Los Angeles Lakers were in big trouble after getting bounced in two straight playoff games in San Antonio. But, they made a statement in their Sunday whites, beating the Spurs in Game 3, 105-81, for the most lopsided victory in the series.
While it was billed as a a "do or die" game for the Lakers, it should be no surprise to anyone that they won the game. For the last two seasons, they have been tough to watch on the road and tough to beat at home. Despite Kobe Bryant about to enter a plea in his rape case in Colorado, a solid rebound for the Men in White was scripted.
For those thinking this is a sign of a return to greatness for the Lakers, hang tight. They still have to win a game in San Antonio and not lose on their home court - and, with a poor 22-19 road record, coupled with the 33-8 home record for the Spurs, that task is daunting.
The Humorless A-Rod: People magazine has a little snippet about new Yankee Alex Rodriguez this week. Apparently, Ashton Kutcher was looking to "PUNK" A-Rod last winter. So, he set up a dinner for him during which a crazed waiter/Red Sox fan would come up to A-Rod and start harrassing him.
They put the joke in motion and, when A-Rod became belligerent, they let him in on it. A-Rod, however, refused to sign any waivers and demanded the tape be destroyed.
We guess humorlessness runs on the team.
5.8.2004
This Space For Rent, Part 2: It's fun to watch games on ESPN Classic. You get to see games that you thought were lost to the mists of time and see some of the great players of the past in their prime. We like watching the games there for another reason: they're not cluttered with ads for the lame shows that the network the game is on is trying to promote, announcers whoring themselves to the network they work for by reading stupid things like "And tonight on....." and stats such as "Hits .224 on grass during the daylight against lefthanders" popping up every 5 seconds. Sports telecasts these days are so nervous about viewers being bored for even 1/100th of a second that they almost collapse under the weight of their frantic attempts at not having you hit the channel change button. The trend was taken to absurd heights this week by that most poorly run of major American sports, baseball.
Some "genius" in the marketing department of Major League Baseball thought that it would be a good idea to accept ads for the upcoming Spiderman 2 movie be imprinted on top of the bags at each base. It's impossible to come up with a scenario where this makes any sense whatsoever. The bases are small, the cameras from TV telecasts wouldn't be able to focus on them and the fans in the stands would have only thought that someone had spilled some red paint on them. Plus, it's doubtful that a 14-year old is going to became a baseball fan because of an ad on second base. After howls of derision from baseball purists, baseball cancelled the stunt. Baseball's rationale: trying to attract the younger fan, which studies have shown are abandoning baseball in droves for X-sports, football and basketball. While it's admirable that baseball is worried about where the next generation of $30 box seat ticket buyers is going to come from, poorly thought out marketing campaigns like the Spiderman 2 debacle is surely not the way to go.
5.7.2004
It Was 50 Years Ago Today.... There's an old cliche in sports that "records are made to be broken". One of those that was thought to be untouchable was someone running a sub-4 minute mile. But 50 years ago as of Thursday, that feat was accomplished by the most unlikely of people. Roger Bannister, who is now 75, was a lanky Englishman who was more interested in a medical career than in athletics. Track was a very different sport in those days; it really was amateur and almost certainly completely free of steroids. At Oxford, England's Iffley Road Stadium, Bannister ran a mile of 3:59.4, an achievement that at the time was compared to Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climbing Mt. Everest about a year earlier. If it wasn't for failure two years earlier, though, Bannister wouldn't have been the first to go under 4 minutes.
For the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, Roger Bannister was the favorite to win the 1,500 metres. He planned to win the gold and retire to pursue his medical career. But in the tradition of best laid plans, he finished fourth and spent the next two years pursuing a record that many were chasing. What's kind of amazing about the feat is that it was the first race of the 1954 track season and Bannister was running a race that was not his specialty. About 2,000 people have since broke the 4 minute barrier with the current record holder being Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco, his time of 3:43.13 coming in 1999. Somebody had to be the first and it was an unassuming man who considers his career as a neurologist and father more significant.
5.6.2004
Bomb Rocks Olympic Hopes: Three bombs exploded outside an Athens police station at dawn on Wednesday, 100 days before the Olympic Games begin there Aug. 13.
The bombs detonated just as a delegation from Athens was in Washington to discuss precautionary measures at the first Olympic Games since the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
While officials were quick to dismiss the bombs as anything but a terrorist attack the likes of which could happen in August, they instantly made the Olympic community more jittery with the much-maligned Athens Olympic plan, which has been marred by setbacks since their outset.
Spurs Silence "Dream Team": The Los Angeles Lakers were supposed to challenge the NBA record for wins in a season. They may not get a single win in their Conference semifinal series.
The San Antonio Spurs beat the Lakers Wednesday night, 95-85, to take a commanding 2-0 series lead before the series goes to Los Angeles for two games.
Tony Parker led the Spurs with 30 points; Shaquille O'Neal led all scorers with 32. O'Neal's woes at the free-throw line continued Wednesday as he shot a miserable 2-for-7.
5.5.2004
Hornets Get Burned by the Heat: Surely the most abundant double entendres in sports today will be how many different ways the sports media can say that the Hornets lost to the Heat - above is our selection.
It was a valiant attempt by the New Orleans Hornets - forcing the only playoff series that would go all seven games in the first round of the NBA playoffs this year. But, it all ended for the Hornets in Miami as the home team won the seventh consecutive, and final, game in the series, 85-77.
It's hard to imagine that the Heat started the season 0-7 before going on a tear that would lead them to the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. But, here they are, facing the Indiana Pacers in the second round having won 16 straight home games.
Without Pat Riley, it's a lot easier to cheer for the team from southern Florida.
5.4.2004
Nothing But A yawn: It should be no surprise that the NBA semifinal match-up between the Detroit Pistons and the New Jersey Nets yielded the lowest-scoring half in playoff history as the Pistons went on to romp, 78-52.
With a first-half score of 37-25, the two teams beat the previous most-aweful-half of 63 set last June when the San Antonio Spurs outscored the same New Jersey Nets, 33-30, in Game 3 of the NBA finals.
The Nets quite nearly set an NBA record for fewest points in a playoff game. Their 56 was just two points shy of putting them on par with the 54 points scored by the Utah Jazz in the 1998 NBA Finals against the Chicago Bulls.
These playoffs have now yielded two of the six worst total scores by a team in NBA playoff history. The New Orleans Hornets scored the third-fewest points in playoff history with their 63 against the Miami Heat on April 21.
Set your Tivos for snooze.
5.3.2004
Timmy Picks Up Where He Left Off: Tim Duncan sank the Los Angeles Lakers again, as he led the San Antonio Spurs to an 88-78 victory in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal game.
Last year, the Lakers lost the decisive Game 6 on their home court in the Western Conference semifinals against the same Spurs.
Duncan was solid down the stretch, scoring 12 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles had been winning by three after three quarters, but comitted 10 turnovers and managed only 13 points in the fourth frame.
The Spurs have now started the 2004 playoffs by winning their first five games. That brings their total win streak to 16 games, dating back to mid-March.
Rickey's Back: Rickey Henderson, the 45-year-old Major League leader in runs, stolen bases and walks, is again returning to baseball - this time with the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League. Last year, his performance in his stint with the Bears, in which he batted .339, landed him on the Los Angeles Dodgers. While with the Dodgers, he batted .208.
5.1.2004
Oooh, What a Lucky Man: Former NBA player and NBC basketball analyst Jayson Williams got relatively lucky on Friday. On trial for manslaughter in the shooting death of a limousine driver, Costas "Gus" Christofi, at his absurdly palatial mansion (as seen on MTV Cribs) in 2002, Williams was acquitted on the most serious charge against him, manslaughter. He didn't get off completely though. The Somerville, NJ jury found him guilty of charges related to Williams trying to cover up the death and evidence tampering. He faces a maximum penalty of 13 years, but "experts" think he'll serve less than five. What ever will Court TV do now that the trial is over?
This Space for Sale: The Kentucky Derby is one of the great sporting events in America. Tons of hype is thrown out and many mint juleps are consumed, all for a 2-minute horse race that is very easy to miss unless you watch all of the seemingly never-ending coverage on NBC. The venerable event took a turn towards grubby consumerism this week, though, when a federal judge ruled that five jockeys could strike their own deals and wear ads on their pants. Churchill Downs, home of The Derby, later said all jockeys could wear ads, within guidelines. The continuing NASCAR-ization of sports continues, as every square centimeter of stadiums, playing surfaces (see: the NHL) and, increasingly, the athletes, is seemingly plastered with ads. The jockeys cannot place ad logos on their silk tops as they are property of the horse owners. Technology is such that it won't be long before logos are superimposed on athletes, the way the yellow first down marker is on NFL telecasts. With even stats now being sponsored, it seems nothing is sacred in this mad rush by advertisers to desperately grab some exposure. It's great to watch old games on ESPN Classic partly because they are so free of ad and stats clutter, but fairly soon, those days will seem as distant as the 1800's.
4.30.2004
NBA player apologizes for anti-gay remark: Combating homophobia in sports is a slow, excruciating process. Change seems to happen a glacial pace and sometimes if feels as if nothing is ever going to really change. So, we?ll take even the small victories. Anyone who has played sports pretty much knows that words like "faggot" and such get tossed around as demeaning insults. Such was the case during an NBA playoff game Tuesday between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Nuggets Francisco Elson had gotten in a tussle on the court, followed by a shouting match, with the Wolves Kevin Garnett. Talking to the media, Elson said Garnett was "gay" for "touching me in my private parts." If every time an athlete touched another athlete?s privates during a heated game that was proof that the guy doing the touching was gay, this website would have a hell of lot less to write about. It?s clearly a stupid concept, but Elson wouldn?t let up, continuing to make comments about Garnett to the media on Wednesday.
"So what?" we hear you say, this stuff is old hat by now (Rocker, Shockey, Hearst and so on). We?re also used to the non-apology apologies that go roughly like this: "I?m sorry if I offended anyone". What?s a little different about this incident is that Francisco Elson admitted that his comments were "insensitive". In the most shocking comment we?ve probably heard in cases like these Elson said "I take full responsibility and I have learned a valuable lesson". Of course, this was after gay & lesbian groups raised a fuss, but, hey, we?ll take it. One of the most pernicious forms of sports-based homophobia is the casual insult, the flinging around of phrases like "you?re so gay" and so on. While it?s hard to truly gauge Francisco Elson?s sincerity, maybe this is a turning point in straight athletes getting the clue that it?s just not right to fling around anti-gay epithets like they do a bounce pass.
4.29.2004
Lakers Move On: For a minute, the Houston Rockets were taking the Los Angeles Lakers to Game 6. For a minute. Instead, the Lakers used a monsterous second half to throttle the Rockets and move on to the second round. There, they will face the San Antonio Spurs, who knocked the Lakers out of the playoffs last year, and who swept the Memphis Grizzlies with a 13-point victory in Game 4.
U.S. Soccer Gets Big Win: Eddie Pope scored in injury time to give the U.S. a 1-0 victory over Mexico on Wednesday night.
Pope knocked in the rebound of a missed shot by Taylor Twellman from about 5 yards out to give the United States its sixth win in eight meetings with Mexico. The two countries played to a scoreless tie the last time they met, last May at Reliant Stadium in Houston.
4.28.2004
Lightning Take Big Lead: After 60 minutes of play, it took the Tampa Bay Lightning just 1:05 to beat the Montreal Canadiens, 4-3, and take a commanding 3-0 series lead. The Lightning are now just one win away from heading to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in their 12-year history.
Vincent Lecavalier of the Lightning scored the tying goal with just 16.5 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overime.
Tommy Maddox - Another Whining Quarterback: Pittsburgh quarterback Tommy Maddox had one decent season. Now, he's upset that they want to replace him.
Last year, Maddox's quarterback rating was just over 75 (that's not very good) and threw just one more touchdown (18) than he did interceptions (17). His average yards per attempt were 6.6 - coupled with a 57 percent completion percentage, that's not particularly good either.
The Steelers responded by selecting Miami (OH) quarterback Ben Roethlisberger with their first draft selection on Saturday - the first time the team has drafted a quarterback in the first round since 1981.
On Tuesday, Maddox called a meeting with head coach Bill Cowher to discuss the selection.
Word has it, Cowher is thinking of punting Maddox.
4.27.2004
Arnie on the Links Again: Despite retiring from professional golf at this month's Masters, Arnold Palmer has not hung up his golf clubs entirely. He will be playing in the CVS Charity Classic at Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington in June, according to CVS Pharmacy Corp.
If you never got to watch one of the great champions, each opportunity like this may be the last you get - into his 70s, his tournaments are, unfortunately, numbered.
Two Big NBA Road Wins: Two teams favored to win their series got big wins on the road Monday night. The Detroit Pistons beat up on the Milwaukee Bucks, 109-92, taking a commanding 3-1 series lead with two games left in Detroit.
The Sacramento Kings also took a 3-1 series lead with two home games left, nipping the Dallas Mavericks in the final minute, 94-92.
4.26.2004
Sox Sweep Yanks: The Red Sox have now won five of their six games against the New York Yankees this season, winning in the Bronx on Sunday, 2-0.
There is plenty of talk now abut how the Red Sox have put the curse of the Bambino behind them. That curse was put on the team when they traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees over 75 years ago. Since then, they have not won the World Series, though they have been dangerously close.
This year is no different than any other. The Red Sox are on a tear in April. In April. The World Series, many seem to forget, is in October and November. Between now and then, the Yankees will acquire at least two starting pitchers, a relief pitcher and another hitter. The Red Sox will do nothing as Pedro Martinez gets injured again over the summer and just isn't himself down the stretch.
Giants Get Their Man: The New York Giants have bet the future on a quarterback who hasn't taken a snap in the NFL. When they traded several draft picks to the San Diego Chargers for the rights to Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning, they paid dearly for the quarterback they think can take them to the promised land.
Manning and his father, Archie, had made headlines over the week when they declared that Eli did not want to play for the San Diego Chargers, who selected first in the draft. The Chargers received NC State quarterback Phil Rivers, who was picked by the New York Giants at #4, in the trade.
San Diego also had the #1 overall pick in 2001. They traded that pick to Atlanta, who selected Michael Vick. The Chargers picked up LaDainian Tomlinson, who has carried the team's offense the last three seasons. Vick seems to be working out for the Falcons as well.
4.24.2004
Don't Have a Drink On Me: Soccer's World Cup, apart from the Olympics, is the most popular sporting event in the world, despite American apathy. The 2006 edition was awarded to Germany after a bitter and controversial selection process that had allegations of racism (Africa was the other contender) and vote-buying in small Pacific Ocean islands flying around. Those things now pale in significance due to a controversy that is brewing in Bavaria, where the opening match will be held at Munich's refurbished Olympic Stadium. The cause of the row? Beer.
Munich is, of course, home to Oktoberfest, that celebration of beer and accordion-led oom-pah-pah bands. Germany has strict beer purity laws that decree the ingredients that are allowed in beer. They are taken very seriously, especially in Bavaria. The problem is that the Official Beer of World Cup 2006 per one of those pathetic "Official [insert product here] of [insert event here]" deals by FIFA, world soccer's ruling body, is Budweiser, the close-to-water product that is widely mocked by serious beer connoisseurs. The good burgermeisters of Munich are trying to get Bavarian Governor Edmund Stoiber to step in and stop this outrage. For beer-lovers more amenable to a big stein of Augustiner or Spaten, nothing less than the choice between a classic beer or a mug of water hangs in the balance. We wish Bavaria a lot of goodwill in this important battle.
