Sports

Cavs and Bulls Recovering, Clippers Aiming to Oust Rockets

Published

9 years ago

May 12, 2015

Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, second from left, celebrates with Tristan Thompson, left, J.R. Smith, center, Matthew Dellavedova, and Kyrie Irving, right, after scoring the game-winning basket during the second half of Game 4 in a second-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Chicago Bulls in Chicago on Sunday, May 10, 2015. The Cavaliers won 86-84. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

TIM REYNOLDS, AP Basketball Writer

There’s been former MVP’s winning games with dramatic buzzer-beating jumpers. There’s been injuries to stars. There’s been a coach getting questioned by his own team.

And now this Chicago-Cleveland series is going to get really intense.

Game 5’s have arrived in the second round of the NBA playoffs, with the Bulls visiting the Cavaliers in their knotted-up series to start tonight’s doubleheader. The nightcap features the Los Angeles Clippers — a franchise that has never won two playoff series in the same year — looking to change that and advance, as they take a 3-1 lead into Houston.

“This is the ultimate adversity right now,” Houston guard James Harden said. “We’ve got Game 5 back at the house and it’s really win or go home. Our backs are against the ball, and we’ve got to show up.”

He’s right, it’s win-or-else time for the Rockets.

It only seems that way for the Bulls and Cavaliers.

Here’s a look at tonight’s games, all times Eastern:

___

Bulls at Cavaliers, Series tied 2-2, 7 p.m., TNT

There’s been more injuries than buzzer beaters in this series, which actually says a lot.

Cavs guard Kyrie Irving has injuries to both legs now, LeBron James is getting treatment on a twisted ankle and the Bulls sound very concerned about forward Pau Gasol’s availability for Game 5 as he tries to overcome the hamstring strain that kept him out of Sunday’s lineup.

“We’re 2-2, we’re back on our home floor, that doesn’t guarantee us nothing,” James said Monday, back home in Cleveland. “But we went up there, we gained back home court, which we wanted to do.”

He’s swearing off replays of highlights, but said he repeatedly watched the play where he turned the ankle in Game 4. It’s achy enough that he needs treatment but isn’t bad enough to keep sideline him.

Then again, James still has one good leg. Irving apparently doesn’t. He’s dealing with a bad foot on one side, knee tendinitis now flaring up on the other.

“It’s just about finding ways to be more effective, especially being out there,” Irving said. “I still can shoot. You still have to respect me out there. It’s not like they can just leave me or anything like that. But I just try to use myself as a decoy and make plays as best I can.”

The Bulls didn’t practice Monday, other than some shooting that didn’t include Gasol.

They’ve already won once in Cleveland in this series, so confidence shouldn’t be lacking. And Derrick Rose has been great, particularly in the last two games — winning Game 3 with a banked-in prayer at the buzzer, then a 31-point effort in Game 4.

But all anyone remembers from Sunday is James capping a 10-for-30 shooting performance with a corner jumper to win Game 4 and knot the series on a play that he called. Cavaliers coach David Blatt wanted James to be the passer, not the shooter.

The Bulls probably wanted that as well.

“We’re disappointed that we lost the game,” Chicago forward Joakim Noah said. “We had our opportunities. LeBron hit a great shot at the end of the game. But we’re right where we want to be and we’re really excited for Game 5.”

___

Clippers at Rockets, Los Angeles leads 3-1, 9:30 p.m., TNT

Modest as this sounds, it’s still significant: The Clippers have already tied a franchise single-season record with seven playoff wins, set in 2006.

If that gets the blood of super-excitable Clippers owner Steve Ballmer pumping a bit more than usual, just imagine what his celebration after the next win could be like.

The Clippers — doormats no more — have three chances to reach the Western Conference Finals. The first crack at reaching the NBA’s Final Four comes Tuesday in Houston, against a Rockets team that looks to be reeling after losing the last two games in Los Angeles by a combined 58 points.

“It’s an accomplishment, but it’s not like our goal,” Clippers forward Blake Griffin said, asked to address what a West finals appearance would mean. “I mean, it is a goal on the way to the bigger goal, the biggest goal.”

Before this past weekend, the Rockets had endured only three blowouts by 25 or more points all season. Then — in the biggest games of their season no less — they got drubbed at Staples Center by 25 and 33 points in a span of about 48 hours.

And while so much of the attention has been on the Hack-a-Somebody scheme that sent DeAndre Jordan to the foul line 28 times in the first half alone in Game 4, the much bigger story is that the Rockets are in major trouble. They need three straight wins over a Clippers team that had one such slide all season — a four-game losing streak in February.

“Now the only thing to do is just go out there and battle,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. “We’ve got to win a game at home on Tuesday, and then go from there.”

___

AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Independence, Ohio and AP freelance writer John Jackson in Chicago contributed.

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Bay Area

Love Life Organization Shows Love

As part of Love Life Week, the Love Life Foundation was honored to produce the 1974-75 World Champion Golden State Warrior Day. It’s a shame that our first Bay Area World Championship team’s unique accolades had been lost in the pre social media era and the cultural revolution of the 1970s.

Published

5 days ago

October 28, 2024

Oakland Post

Members of the 1975 NBA championship team, Charles Dudley (left) and Clifford Ray (right) embrace Love Life Foundation leader Donald Lacy for his antiviolence mission. Courtesy photo.

City of Oakland Celebrates 1975 NBA World Championship Team

By Donald Lacy

Special to The Post

As part of Love Life Week, the Love Life Foundation was honored to produce the 1974-75 World Champion Golden State Warrior Day.

It’s a shame that our first Bay Area World Championship team’s unique accolades had been lost in the pre social media era and the cultural revolution of the 1970s.

The 1975 NBA World Championship team were invited back to the City of Oakland last Friday, to be properly celebrated for their ground-breaking performance in 1975.

The heartwarming ceremony highlighted the recent passing of the legendary coach of that team, Al Attlles, and his former players Clifford Ray and Charles Dudley were on hand to represent the “Cardiac Kids” as they were called back then for their ability to make great comeback victories during their run for the title.

Warriors great Chris Mullin and former spiritual advisor Gary Reeves gave heartfelt testimonies of their experiences under Attles’ leadership and their relationship with the inspiration they received from the NBA 1975 World Champion Golden State Warriors.

The City of Oakland provided proclamations to all parties with speeches made by city leadership including Mayor Sheng Thao and Deputy Mayor Dr. Kimberly Mayfield and activity host Love Life non-profit founder and Executive Director Donald E. Lacy Jr..

There will be a celebration of life event Nov. 9 honoring Attles’ legacy at Alameda College.

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California Black Media

Several Black Californians Are Playing Key Roles in LA 28 Olympics Planning

From politicians and businesspeople to athletes and community leaders, a number of Black Californians are contributing to the thought leadership that is shaping the planning of LA28, the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. At the forefront is Los Angeles’ first Black woman mayor, Karen Bass, who has, in many ways, become the face of the Games in the City of Angels.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 22, 2024

Oakland Post

From left to right: IOC Member Hong Zhang, IOC Vice President Nicole Hoevertsz, Rex Richardson, Mayor of Long Beach, LA28 President Casey Wasserman, James T. Butts, Mayor of Inglewood, IOC President Thomas Bach, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, the President of the Los Angeles City Council (IOC/Greg Martin)

By Lila Brown, California Black Media

At the forefront is Los Angeles’ first Black woman mayor, Karen Bass, who has, in many ways, become the face of the Games in the City of Angels.

“The 2028 Games present an incredible opportunity to unite our city and lift up every corner of Los Angeles,” said Bass during a historic event at Los Angeles City Hall on Sept. 13, when the Olympic and Paralympic flags were unveiled and installed.

The event marked the return of the Olympic flag to L.A. since 1984, when the city hosted the Olympics for the second time. It was the first time the Paralympic flag was raised in California’s largest city.

“From creating jobs to supporting small businesses, we are committed to ensuring that these Games benefit all Angelenos — not just for the summer of 2028, but for decades to come,” Bass added.

Nearly two months after the Olympic flag handover from Paris to Los Angeles, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach visited Los Angeles.

Bach toured several of the city’s newest world-class sporting venues, including the SoFi Stadium and the recently opened Intuit Dome, both located in Inglewood. At the stadiums, he was joined by two other Los Angeles County Black mayors, whose cities will be key to hosting LA28 events: Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts and Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson.

SoFi Stadium, known as the home of NFL teams the LA Rams and LA Chargers, will host swimming competitions during the LA28 Games, with a temporary pool set to make it the largest swimming venue in Olympic history, boasting 38,000 seats. Intuit Dome, Inglewood’s newest state-of-the-art venue and home to the LA Clippers, will host the Olympic basketball tournament in the 18,000-seat arena.

In an interview with California Black Media ( CBM), Butts highlighted Inglewood’s central role in the upcoming Games, stating, “Inglewood will host the Opening and Closing ceremonies, basketball, and swimming competitions of the 2028 Olympic Games. This will be our second hosting of Olympic Basketball, the first in 1984.”

Marqueece Harris-Dawson, President of the Los Angeles City Council, also attended the tour.

Harris-Dawson is one of the leading backers of PlayLA, a parks development program that promises to provide sports programming to “young Angelenos of all abilities.” The initiative is funded by a $160 million investment from the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the International Olympic Committee.

Black Californians serving on the LA28 Board include Businesswoman Mellody Hobson; decorated Paralympian Lex Gillette; former Netflix Executive Dana Smith; President of the LA County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO Yvonne Wheeler; and television host, retired sprinter and four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson.

Rosalyn Brant Clark, a 1976 Olympic silver medalist and mother of three-time Paralympian Breanna Clark, said while the “Games for All” theme is promising, she is looking for more concrete action that impacts the lives of ordinary people, including Black Californians.

“They are going to need to show me more on that one before it gets my stamp of approval,” she added, challenging organizers to ensure genuine inclusivity.

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Bay Area

Ohemaa Nyanin Named GM of Valkyries WNBA Team

The Bay Area is filled with excitement, and much of the conversation is about the Bay Area’s newest WNBA team — the VALKYRIES! The Golden State Warriors were awarded the 13th team in the WNBA last October, and just four months ago, the team’s General Manager was announced — Ohemaa Nyanin.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 22, 2024

Oakland Post

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By Y’Anad Burrell

Nyanin’s parents are from Ghana, and she was born in Maryland. Nyanin’s experience in this industry precedes her both as a former college player and on the business side. Nyanin is an American University alumna who played on the Eagles’ women’s basketball team. In 2019, Nyanain joined the WNBA team, The New York Liberty, initially serving as the director of basketball operations before she became assistant general manager.

“No excuses,” Nyanin said. “We are here, first and foremost, as humans, and secondly to win basketball games. So how do we do that, and how do we do that in the most inclusive way?”

From viewing interviews that Nyanin has done since her arrival in the Bay Area, a constant theme in her conversations is talking about taking a “people first” approach. Nyanin talks about how she will be focused on the players, staff, and fans as she navigates and executes her role as general manager. Health, both mentally and physically, is important to Nyanin, as I’ve seen in her many interviews.

Just days ago, The Golden State Warriors announced the head coach for the Valkyries — Natalie Nakase.

Nakase has been the assistant coach for the Las Vegas Aces for the past three seasons, where she was a part of the Aces’ back-to-back championship run in 2022 and 2023. Before joining the Aces’ coaching staff, Nakase spent ten seasons with her hometown team, the Los Angeles Clippers, and their G League.

The Valkyries will practice at downtown Oakland’s Golden State Warrior space and play games at Chase Center in San Francisco. This is an excellent opportunity to experience both sides of the water.

The Valkyries WNBA season opens May 2025 at Chase Center in San Francisco, and the Valkyries website shows over 18,000 season-ticket deposits. For clarity, if someone is ‘interested’ in purchasing season tickets, a $25 deposit is required. The Chase Center’s capacity is a little over 18,000, so you can imagine how electrifying the stadium will be during all home games.

Ohemaa, welcome to the Bay and The Town!