Chris Paul great, but Grizzlies eliminate Clippers in 6
A balanced effort always beats a two-man show, and the Clippers had little to match up.
View full post on USATODAY.com Feed
Martin steps up as Thunder eliminate Rockets
The Thunder will advance to the second round and face the Memphis Grizzlies.
View full post on USATODAY.com Feed
Warriors eliminate Denver with 92-88 win in Game 6 (Yahoo! Sports)
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Draymond Green threw his arms in the air and ran to Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson for an emotional hug. Jarrett Jack squatted down, put his right hand on his head and closed his eyes. Stephen Curry wanted to see it all – teammates parading around the court, gold confetti in the air, smiles all around the announced sellout crowd of 19,596.
View full post on Yahoo! Sports – NBA News
Celtics survive Game 7, eliminate 76ers
Rajon Rondo had 18 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds as the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 85-75 in Game 7 on Saturday to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.
The Celtics will open the third round of the NBA playoffs in Miami against the Heat on Monday night.
Rondo scored nine straight Boston points after Paul Pierce fouled out with 4:16 left in the game, helping the Celtics turn a three-point edge into a double-digit lead.
Andre Iguodala scored 18 points, and Elton Brand and Jrue Holiday had 15 apiece for the 76ers, who eliminated the top-seeded Chicago Bulls in the first round, but couldn’t do the same with the Celtics.
View full post on Yardbarker: NBA
Wade scores 41, Heat eliminate Pacers 105-93 (Yahoo! Sports)
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Miami’s Big Two was more than enough to finish off the Indiana Pacers.
View full post on Yahoo! Sports – NBA News
76ers eliminate top-seed Bulls in first round upset
The Philadelphia 76ers rallied for a 79-78 victory over the Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls in Game 6 on Thursday night.
View full post on USATODAY.com Feed
Bo Ryan: Wisconsin’s Change of Heart Doesn’t Eliminate Transfer Problem
Wisconsin Badgers head basketball coach Bo Ryan came off as quite the villain when he talked about Jarrod Uthoff on ESPN’s Mike and Mike in the Morning radio show on Thursday morning.
Ryan, of course, got himself in hot water by restricting Uthoff‘s options after he had decided to transfer out of Wisconsin. He defended himself by saying that he wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary.
Via Yahoo! Sports:
After years and years and decades of coaches doing this same thing way before me and coaches who have had larger lists, you’re not going after them, you’re not making a big deal of other situations. It has become an attack on a particular institution when over the years, 300 and something institutions have done the same thing. All I’m asking is for fairness.
Translation: It’s okay because everyone else does it. This is how this particular game is played.
The public wasn’t sold, and the pressure apparently got a little too intense for Ryan and Wisconsin’s decision-makers. ESPN’s Andy Katz passed along the latest news on Twitter:
Wisconsin met with Jarrod Uthoff and has announced that all transfer restrictions have been lifted except for Big Ten schools.
— Andy Katz (@ESPNAndyKatz) April 19, 2012
Coincidence? Nope. This is a case of Wisconsin succumbing to public outrage.
According to a full report on the situation from ESPN.com, Uthoff‘s former AAU coach claimed that Uthoff had submitted a list of 25 different schools only to see Wisconsin deny half of them. The university claims Uthoff requested “permission to contact” 16 different schools, not 25.
Regardless of the exact number, it was reported by CBSSports.com that Ryan had blocked Uthoff from transferring to any ACC school, Marquette and Iowa State, as well as all Big Ten schools. He effectively tried to bar Uthoff from having a future at several very good basketball programs.
Unfortunately, Ryan has a point when he says that he did something that numerous other coaches before him have done. His mistake was taking it too far. His next mistake was pleading for fairness like a child who had been sent to the principal’s office.
Fairness? You want fairness, Mr. Ryan? Then let this kid go wherever he pleases instead of trying to serve your and Wisconsin’s best interests.
Such was the outcry, and it was clearly heard in Madison. The partial removal of Uthoff‘s transfer restrictions is Wisconsin’s white flag.
Great. Wonderful. But sadly, this is a mere battle that has been won. Just because Wisconsin decided to change its stance does not mean that the system that Ryan hinted at is going to follow suit. As long as coaches can block their players from going to certain schools, they will. Or, at least, they’ll give it a shot, as Ryan did.
We’re not talking about superstar players trying to force their way out of town onto a team and into a city more to their liking—a problem that the NBA suddenly finds itself having to deal with. In a situation like the Uthoff situation, millions of dollars are not at risk, and the situation should be no different from that of a regular student transferring schools.
Because, at the end of the day, we are indeed talking about students, right? Students should be able to learn where they please, and student-athletes should be able to play where they please.
Granted, I can understand the desire to keep student-athletes from transferring within the conference, and it’s something that I for one can live with. But the way in which Ryan tried to block Uthoff from going to schools with no conference ties to Wisconsin was utterly absurd. He was trying to punish Uthoff by banishing from his sight altogether.
Ryan basically got mad, and then he got megalomaniacal.
He reacted like he did because he could. If the public hadn’t gotten wind of the situation, nobody outside of Uthoff and his camp would have complained.
Read more College Basketball news on BleacherReport.com
View full post on Bleacher Report – College Basketball
Syracuse vs. Ohio State: Buckeyes Who Must Shine in Elite 8 to Eliminate Orange
The east region held to form with No. 1 seed Syracuse and No. 2 seed Ohio State reaching the Elite Eight to battle for a spot in New Orleans. However, due to the Orange’s loss of Fab Melo, the Buckeyes actually enter the clash as a slight favorite.
Here are three Ohio State players who must have strong performances if the Buckeyes are going to punch their Final Four tickets on Saturday night.
Jared Sullinger
Even though Sullinger’s stats are similar to his freshman season, he’s improved quite a bit since this time last year. His jump shot has become a weapon, especially since he can knock down an outside shot to keep defenses honest, and his own defensive play is much better.
He should be able to have his way with Syracuse’s forwards without Melo available to control the paint. Kris Joseph doesn’t have the size to contain Ohio State’s biggest star, so it’s important for Sullinger to establish himself early to put pressure on the Orange zone.
The Columbus native is averaging 18 points and nine rebounds so far during the tournament. He’ll need to match or exceed that production for the Buckeyes to advance.
Aaron Craft
Three of Syracuse’s four top scorers are guards, and all of them are capable of heating up from downtown. The onus will be on Craft, one of the nation’s top perimeter defenders, to make sure the Orange don’t hit a barrage of long jumpers.
He’ll likely start the game guarding Scoop Jardine, but will probably rotate onto Dion Waiters or Brandon Triche, depending on which player has the hot hand. Craft has the ability to guard them all, even though he’ll be at a size disadvantage.
In addition to his defensive duties, Ohio State needs Craft to chip in on the offensive end as well. It’s a lot of responsibility, but the sophomore has been up to the task.
Lenzelle Smith Jr.
Smith is the overlooked member of Ohio State’s starting lineup, but that doesn’t make him any less important. For example, the Buckeyes defeated Gonzaga by seven. Smith had seven points. They beat Cincinnati by 15. Smith had 15 points.
So, it’s clear Smith plays a vital role despite his teammates getting more publicity. He’s like the glue that holds everything together. If the Buckeyes need a big rebound or timely bucket, Smith has a tendency to step up to make it happen.
Ohio State doesn’t have much depth, so Thad Matta needs Smith to keep producing. The head coach knows how important he is, even if the casual fan doesn’t.
Read more College Basketball news on BleacherReport.com
View full post on Bleacher Report – College Basketball
Kansas rallies to eliminate Purdue, move into Sweet 16
Second seed Jayhawks score game’s final six points to prevail 63-60 and move on to St. Louis for matchup with North Carolina State
View full post on USATODAY.com Feed
NBA Rumors: Lakers Should Eliminate Distractions and Trade Pau Gasol
The Los Angeles Lakers tried to trade Pau Gasol before the season in order to acquire Chris Paul, but since that trade fell through, it’s clear that the star forward is still being bothered by that and other trade rumors involving him this season.
“There’s talks and rumors every day. Today I was reading it was Minnesota is really interested in trying to put a good package together,” he said. “[Other teams are] calling, and it seems like things are just waiting for the right offer to come along, for [the Lakers] to pull the trigger.”
“It’s out of my hands. It is what it is. I’d like to be here,” he said. “I’d like to make this team better and get back to a championship level, but it’s not up to me.”
Gasol, 31, is having a nice season, averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds per game. After a terrible 2011 playoffs last year, Gasol has bounced back well thus far in 2012.
However, these distractions involving trade rumors obviously weigh on player’s minds and it looks like Gasol is really thinking about them.
When new rumors sprout up every few weeks, it’s hard to imagine that your’re going to finish the season where you are currently.
It’s clear the Lakers are open to discussing Gaosl’s availability with other teams and going forward the best move would be to just trade him so he can start fresh in a new place without these types of distractions.
Trade rumors affect players differently, but it seems that Gasol has really been affected by them. It’s clear that the Lakers need to get younger at most positions and certainly need an upgrade at point guard.
Gasol is still a quality trade chip to use because any seven-footer with the great skill set he has will be coveted by nearly every NBA team.
The Lakers need to get better, and if Gasol keeps thinking about these rumors and his play suffers as a result then trading him is the best move for both sides.
Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
View full post on Bleacher Report – NBA
