Category: NBA

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: They meet again Cavs-Warriors fourth straight year; This Cavs team weaker than past ones

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On the Warriors podcast with Dave:

This is the fourth consecutive time that these two teams the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors will meet for the NBA Finals and this is the first time that the same two teams meet in the NBA Finals for the most times four for the finals and it should be noted in major professional sports as well. To achieve such an accomplishment. this is a testimony to the Warriors and Cavaliers that both teams could get this far four times in row.

This is a testament about how successful how head coach Steve Kerr, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, who contributed in that mix. This has been an amazing team that the Warriors have put together this season. They had a game plan, a system that they bought into and selflessly contributed to.

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

That’s Amaury’s Podcast, News and Commentary: Oakland and Tampa Bay have similar business model situations; Both teams in need of new stadiums

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Photo credit: @SFGate

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s, who opened a four-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday, started the series with the Rays at .500 on this current homestand. The A’s started the homestand against the Seattle Mariners, a very good team who is in second place followed by Arizona.

The M’s won two out of three from the slumping Minnesota Twins over the weekend. The A’s and Rays as far as front office organization situations are concerned are in the same boat. The attendance for both teams are low and their in two different divisions but similar at this time in history. Both teams are struggling in their current ball parks. They both are in need of getting new parks built. The A’s are looking to go to Jack London Square and build a waterfront park. The Rays want a waterfront park in Tampa Bay and want to get out of Tropicana Field in St Petersburg.

The A’s and Rays also speaking of sharing business models. It gets down to on the field and both teams also have bullpens on their home fields. They are two of three teams in MLB that have bullpens on the field, the Giants being the other. Bullpens on the field became an issue after the Giants outfielder Mac Williamson tripped on the AT&T bullpen mound and got a concussion in April.

I’m old-school. I like to see the bullpens on the field, baseball has changed. The fans still enjoy to see the bullpens and you like to see the pitchers warming up in the bullpens. When you broadcast a game, you can see whose loosening up. Some stadiums you don’t see whose warming up.

There’s more on That’s Amaury listen to Amaury’s podcast weekly at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors take Rocket Red brick road to NBA Finals with 101-92 win

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Monday, May 28, 2018

For the fourth consecutive year, the Golden State Warriors are headed to the NBA Finals. The Warriors got there, marching on a newly-laid road of red bricks, courtesy of the Houston Rockets.

As they do so often, the Warriors exploded out of the halftime break. Combined with Houston’s cold streak from behind the arc, Golden State caught fire offensively and defeated the Rockets 102-92 in Game 7 of the NBA Western Conference Finals Monday at the Toyota Center.

And, for the fourth straight season, the Warriors will meet Cleveland in the NBA Finals. Game 1 is Thursday in Oakland at 6 pm PST.

For the second game in a row, the Rockets suffered a second-half collapse, playing without injured guard Chris Paul (hamstring). In Games 6 and 7, the Warriors outscored Houston 122-63 in the second half.

Kevin Durant poured in 34 points for the Warriors, and Stephen Curry sparked yet another third-quarter rally, finishing with 27 points – 14 in the third quarter. Klay Thompson added 19 points, and Draymond Green had 10 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.

The Rockets missed 27 straight 3-point attempts, while Golden State overcame a 15-point deficit in the second quarter, surging ahead to stay with a 21-7 run to open the second half.

Houston wound up 7-of-44 on 3’s; James Harden was 2-of-13, Eric Gordon was 2-of-12, and Trevor Ariza missed all nine 3-point attempts.

Harden led the Rockets with 32 points, Clint Capela added 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Tucker finished with 14 points and 12 boards, as the 1-seed Rockets fell short in their bid to return to the Finals for the first time since 1995.

Game 1
Thursday, May 31
Cleveland at Golden State
6:00 p.m. (PDT) Ana Kieu
Game 2
Sunday, June 3
Cleveland at Golden State
5:00 p.m. (PDT) Jerry Feitelberg
Game 3
Wednesday, June 6
Golden State at Cleveland
6:00 p.m. (PDT) Daniel Dullum
Game 4
Friday, June 8
Golden State at Cleveland
6:00 p.m. (PDT) Pearl Lo
Game 5*
Monday, June 11
Cleveland at Golden State
6:00 p.m. (PDT) Joe Hawkes Beamon
Game 6*
Thursday, June 14
Golden State at Cleveland
6:00 p.m. (PDT) Daniel Dullum
Game 7*
Sunday, June 17
Cleveland at Golden State
5:00 p.m. (PDT) Jerry Feitelberg
*if necessary

Warriors destroy Rockets 115-86 to force Game 7

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, with their backs to the wall, fell behind by 17 points in the first quarter. The Rockets, behind James Harden and Eric Gordon, came out blazing and outscored the Warriors 39-22 in the first quarter. The Warriors turned the ball over, and shots were not falling for Golden State. The fans were starting to squirm as it looked as if the Rockets had found the key to their fourth victory in the best-of-seven series.

However, the Warriors started to play better in the second period. Klay Thompson started making shots, and the Warriors improved on defense. They won the quarter 29-21 and trailed Houston 61-51 at the end of the first half.

The Rockets were led by Harden’ 22 points. Eric Gordon made four 3-point shots and finished with 16. Trevor Ariza had 14, and he knocked down two from downtown.

Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant each had 14. Steph Curry had 13, and the Warriors bench did not make a significant contribution.

The Warriors knew that the season was on the line as they started the second half. They had to find a way to stop the Rockets attack and a way to get going on offense.

The Warriors executed that plan to perfection. They started the third quarter on an 11-0 run to take the lead for the first time since early in the game when they lead 4-3. The Rockets’ main man, James Harden, responded by making two 3-pointers to put Houston ahead 69-66.

Thompson hit a three to tie the game at 69. The Rockets rebounded to go up by four points 74-70. It was at this point that the Warriors took control of the game and went on a 14-3 run to end the third period leading 84-77.

The Warriors blew the game open in the fourth quarter when they went on a 27-6 run and held the Rockets to just nine points for the entire period. The Warriors won the game 115-86. They meet the Rockets in Houston Mondy night for the Western Conference title.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors were magnificent in the second half. They outscored the Rockets 64-25. They went from being down by 17 and winning by 29. That was quite a turnaround.

The Rockets were without the services of guard Chris Paul, who suffered a hamstring injury in Game 5.

The Warriors’ Andre Iguodala, so needed for his defensive skills, was unavailable for the third game in a row due to a bone bruise. He is day-to-day and may be available Monday.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr felt terribly for Paul — and others who have gone down.

“More than anything, I feel bad for Chris. The guy is a phenomenal player and competitor, and pretty much willed his team the last two games. He’s just been haunted by these types of injuries in his career, and it’s a shame,” Kerr said.

“I hate when anybody gets hurt. I hated when Andre got hurt. I hate to see Kevin Love last night, Kyrie (Irving). These guys train so hard, and they’re here, and they’re competing, and you want everybody to be healthy, but just the reality is it usually doesn’t work out that way. So you’ve just got to keep playing with whoever’s there and keep going.”

After the game, Klay Thompson had this to say about the win: “I don’t want to go home. It shows you what you are made of. We are the best defensive team in the league.

The stats show that the Warriors, as a team, outrebounded the Rockets 47-38. Also, on defense, they had 11 steals and 10 blocked shots. They forced the Rockets to commit 21 turnovers.

On offense, Klay Thompson was on fire. He ended the night with 35 points, and he made nine threes.

Steph Curry finished with 29. Curry made just one three the first half, but he found his shot in the final 24 minutes as he hit four 3-pointers.

Kevin Durant finished with 23. Draymond Green, on offense, scored just nine points but he had nine assists. He was a terror defense. He had 10 rebounds to go along with four steals and five blocked shots.

The Warriors needed the Big Four to produce, and that is exactly what the did as they shut down the Rockets after the first period.

James Harden led the Rockets with 32. Eric Gordon had 19, and Trevor Ariza finished with 14. The Warriors held Harden to 10 points in the second half. Gordon added just three and Ariza was held scoreless. Gerald Green was the only other Rocket in double figures with 11.

Up Next: The deciding game of the West Final series will be Monday night in Houston. Game time will be at 6:00 pm PST.

Rockets take Game 5 with 98-94 win, go up 3-2 on Warriors in West Finals

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

HOUSTON — The Rockets took advantage of 18 turnovers by the Warriors, the final pivotal one coming off Draymond Green’s leg with under 10 seconds remaining and Eric Gordon knocked down two free throws to perserve a 98-94 victory in Game 5 of the West Finals at the Toyota Center Thursday night to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 series.

“We were suppose to score and I lost the ball, ” Green said to reporters postgame.

More importantly, it puts the defending NBA Champions on the brink of elimination as the series shifts to Oakland for a “win-or-go-home” Game 6 Saturday night at Oracle Arena. Tip off is at 5:00 p.m. PT.

After defeating the Rockets by 41 points in Game 3, the Warriors have lost back-to-back games for the first time this postseason. The postseason is not the best time of year to start going on a losing streak. The Rockets snapped Golden State’s NBA postseason-record 16-game home winning streak in Game 4.

Eric Gordon led the Rockets with 24 points off the bench on 6-of-15 shooting. In fact, the Rockets bench outscored the Warriors’ reserves 33-4 in Game 5. Gordon connected on 9-of-10 from the free throw line.

Chris Paul finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but was just 6-of-19 shooting from the floor, including starting 0-of-7 in the first-half. Paul left the game in the final minutes after injuring his right hamstring after coming down on the foot of Warriors’ reserve guard Quinn Cook.

After the game, it was reported that Paul will be re-evaluated Friday and his status for Game 6 is unclear.

James Harden also struggled, shooting just 5-of-21 from the field (0-for-11 on 3s) and finishing with 19 points. Like Gordon, Harden did most of his damage from the free throw line, converting 9-of-9 free throws.

“We had to rely on our defense once again,” Harden said. “Game 4, we weren’t making shots but defensively we were really good. Same thing tonight.”

Center Clint Capela finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the postseason. Capela had three of Houston’s eight offensive rebounds.

As a team, Golden State had just three offensive rebounds.

Four Warriors finished in double-figures, led by Kevin Durant’s team-high 29 points. Klay Thompson added 23, Stephen Curry scored 22 and Green finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds.

Golden State played solid defense, limiting Houston to 37.2-percent shooting from the floor, but the aforementioned 18 turnovers led to 18 points by the Rockets. That can’t happen if you’re a championship team that prides itself on solid execution like Golden State has done during this four-year run under head coach Steve Kerr.

“I feel great about where we are right now,” Kerr said postgame. “I know that sounds crazy but I feel it. I know exactly what I’m seeing out there…we defended them well tonight. Just too many turnovers, too many reaches.

“If we settle down a little bit, we’ll be in really good shape.”

Durant shot 8-of-22 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from behind the three-point arc, and was 10-of-10 from the free throw line. For the series, Durant is perfect at the charity stripe, shooting 37-of-37 from the free throw line.

For the second straight game, the Warriors were without Andre Iguodala who has been dealing with a left knee contusion. Iguodala suffered the injury after bumping knees with Harden in Game 3. Many believe that since Iguodala has been out, it has thrown off the Warriors’ game since Iguodala is who Kerr affectionately calls, the “adult in the room” for his ability to keep the team calm during critical stages of the game.

“He’s dying to play, but he’s not healthy enough,” Kerr said. “We’ll just continue to take it day to day.”

The game itself was a tight one, with no lead greater than six points. At halftime. the game was tied, 45-45 and the two teams stayed within three points of each other throughout the third quarter.

Golden State suffered just their second Game 5 lost in a playoff series since 2015.

If the Warriors were to lose Game 6 on Saturday night, they would miss out the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014.

The Warriors’ backs are firmly pressed against the wall but the defending NBA wouldn’t have it any other way.

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: NFL tells players no more kneeling–will players revolt?; Bucks’ Brown tased by Milwaukee cops; Knights– the impossible dream

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Photo credit @ABC: The Milwaukee Bucks Sterling Brown is detained by Milwaukee Police for a parking violation and later is tased from this body cam video furnished by police

On Headline Sports with Tony:

#1 The NFL has ordered all players to stand during the national anthem. They must stand at full attention respectfully, and if these orders are not followed, the NFL will fine the respective team. The NFL players’ union said they might consider appealing the new policy.

#2 Milwaukee Bucks player Sterling Brown was stopped by the Milwaukee Police for a parking violation. The police on video ordered Brown to back up the video showed Brown cooperating, but when other officers showed up the initial officer said that Brown got in his face–a lie, which was not in the video–and didn’t show Brown getting aggressive. Brown was then tased by the police as five to six other officers arrived. The Milwaukee police have disciplined the police officers who handled the incident. Tony answers the question had it not been for Brown being a player, would this had been a story?

#3 The Vegas Golden Knights now in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals, a first for any first-year expansion team in any sport. Tony answers how they’ll do against the Washington Capitals in the NHL Finals.

#4 San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster’s charges have been dropped and will now be able to join the 49ers. Foster’s ex-girlfriend said there was no domestic abuse and that she had been in a fight with two other women the day before Foster was arrested. Foster has been charged by the Santa Clara DA’s office for possession of a illegal firearm dropped from a felony to a misdemeanor.

#5 The Golden State Warriors will face the Houston Rockets tonight in Game 5 in Houston. The series is tied 2-2. Tony answers the question if this series is unpredictable at this point.

Tony Renteria does Headline Sports each Thursday for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Rockets hold off Warriors 95-92 in Game 4, tie West finals at 2-2

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By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Tuesday, May 22, 2018

On the heels of Houston’s most lopsided NBA playoff loss in team history, the Rockets withstood powerful runs from Golden State and outlasted the Warriors 95-92 in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals at Oracle Arena Tuesday night.

It was the first home court loss for Golden State since 2016. The best-of-seven is tied at 2-2. Game 5 is Thursday at Toyota Center in Houston.

The Rockets surged ahead at 2:27 of the fourth quarter on Eric Gordon’s 3-pointer, as Houston finished with a 21-4 run. Golden State had a chance to tie the game with 0.5 seconds remaining, but Steph Curry’s catch-and-shoot attempt rimmed out at the horn.

Houston held the Warriors to 12 points in the fourth quarter, as Golden State shot a miserable 3-of-18 from the field (17 percent, plus six missed 3-pointers) – its worst shooting quarter of the season, according to ESPN Stats & Info. It also tied the team-low for any postseason quarter since the shot clock was introduced in 1954.

Meanwhile, Paul scored eight of his 27 points in the fourth – 13 in the second half. Harden scored 24 of his 30 points in the first half.

Golden State opened the game with a 12-0 run, but the Rockets’ Chris Paul and James Harden outscored the Warriors 29-18 in the second quarter. Houston led by seven at halftime.

The Warriors, Curry in particular, roared out of the halftime break, outscoring Houston 34-17 in the third quarter, a stretch sparked by five 3-pointers by Curry. Two minutes into the fourth, Golden State led 82-70, but the Warriors also committed 16 turnovers.

Curry led Golden State with 28 points, including 6-of-13 on 3’s. Kevin Durant was next with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Draymond Green was two assists shy of a triple-double, finishing with 11 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and a block.

The Warriors were without Andre Iguodala, who was held out due to a left leg contusion. There’s no word on Iguodala’s status for Game 5.

That’s Amaury’s Podcast, News, and Commentary: LeBron, Cavs have big night knotting up series; Curry feeling 100% with his shot back, A’s open series with Seattle after sweeping 4 in Toronto

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Photo credit: @SLAMonline

On That’s Amaury’s podcast:

#1 Big night for the Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James as the Cavaliers came back to tie the series up with a Game 4 win over the Boston Celtics 111-102 at 2-2. LeBron has averaged 32 assists, 6.8 rebounds, and 9.0 assists.

#2 The Warriors and Rockets tip off for game 4 tonight at Oracle Arena with the Warriors leading 2-1. The Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni says the pressure is on the Warriors while the Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says that’s good, but the pressure is also on the Rockets.

#3 The Oakland A’s, who just got a four-game sweep over the Toronto Blue Jays, have been on a roll. Amaury talks about what he attribute to the A’s recent success.

#4 The Seattle Mariners are in Oakland tonight for a three-game series at the Oakland Coliseum. Much of the attention last week had been on Robinson Cano, who said he was taking a substance from his doctor in the Dominican Republic that he didn’t know was banned, and the MLB suspended him for 80 games

#5 Tonight, the Oakland A’s will start Trevor Cahill and the Seattle M’s will start Mike Leake to kick off this three-game series at 7:05 pm for the first pitch. Wednesday’s game also will be a 7:05 pm first pitch followed by a day game on Thursday at 12:30 pm.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors look to take a 3-1 series lead after tonight; Rockets’ D’Antoni for tonight: “The pressure is on the Warriors”

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On the Golden State Warriors podcast with Dave:

The Golden State Warriors who return back to Oracle Arena after their electric victory in Game 3 will host Game 4 tonight. The Warriors are up 2-1 in the Western Conference Finals can take a 3-1 series lead and be in a good position to clinch in Houston on Thursday in Game 5. Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni says that the pressure is on Golden State while Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says while D’Antoni is right the pressure also on the Rockets tonight.

The Warriors’ Kevin Durant has dominated in the playoffs and Stephen Curry has found his shot in the third game leading the Warriors to a one-game lead. The Rockets are aiming to key in on Durant and Curry, but the way the two have been lights out, it just might be too much to handle for Houston and the Warriors very likely could force a Game 5 tonight.

Dave Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Curry finds his mojo as Warriors blast Rockets by 41 points to take a 2-1 series lead

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Golden State Warriors and Steph Curry, in particular, had it all going for them Sunday night at home as they beat the Houston Rockets 126-85 at Oracle Arena Sunday.

The 41-point margin of victory was the largest in NBA playoff history. The Warriors, who were routed by Houston last Wednesday, looked like an entirely different team as they played exceptionally well on defense. Curry and Kevin Durant paced them on offense. Curry did not look like himself in the first two games of the series. He had missed several weeks of action due to ankle and knee injuries and was slow to return to form. Curry showed the fans at Oracle and all those watching on television knew that he was back. He got off to a slow start in the first half of the game, but got it going in the third quarter. He scored 18 points and was 7-for-7 from the floor as the Warrior blew open the game.

The Rockets came into town having won the second game of the series by routing Golden State in Houston. They appeared to have found the recipe for beating the Warriors and were eager to pull an upset by winning Game 3. The Warriors could not stop James Harden. Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza, and P.J.Tucker had it all working for them in Game 2.

The Warriors had to figure out a way to stop the vaunted Houston offense and their 3-point excellence. They did it. The Rockets and Warriors both got off to slow starts. The Rockets led 22-21 when the Warriors went on an 11-0 run at the end of the first quarter to complete the first 12 minutes of play with a nine-point lead 31-22.  The second quarter was also pretty even. The Warriors won the quarter 23-21 and finished the first half leading 54-43.

Curry and Durant each scored five points each to give the Warriors a 21-point advantage. The Warriors again owned the third quarter, and Curry was the ringleader with 18 points and three 3-pointers. The Warriors finished the quarter, leading 88-67.

The Warriors refused to let the Rockets get back in the game. The defense continued to force Houston turnovers as they continued to increase the lead. Steve Kerr rested the starters with less than five minutes to play and the bench, led by Quinn Cook’s 11 points, increased the lead to 41. The Warriors win 126-85.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors made NBA history as they won their 16th consecutive home playoff win to break the mark of 15 that was set by the Chicago Bulls.  The Rockets have played 295 playoff games and it was their worst loss ever. Steph Curry made 11-of-13 shots in the second half and ended the night with 35 points, six rebounds, and five 3-point shots. Kevin Durant added 25 points to go along with six rebounds, and six assists. Draymond Green knocked down 10 and was a monster on the boards as he pulled down 17 rebounds. Klay Thompson had 13, and Andre Iguodala added 10. All five starters were in double figures.

James Harden led the Rockets with 20. Chris Paul and Clint Capela had 13 each. Eric Gordon was the only other Rocket in double figures with 11.

The Warriors shot 52.25% from the floor and held the Rockets to 39.5%. The Rockets made 11 3-pointers. However, the Dubs made 13. On defense, the Warriors made 11 steals and blocked seven shots, and they forced Houston to commit 19 turnovers. The Warriors committed just eight.

The Warriors and the fans observed a moment of silence for the victims of the school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas. The Warriors introduced Run TMC to the crowd during a timeout in the first period. On hand were Chris Mullen, Mitch Richmond, and Tim Hardaway. The trio received a standing ovation from the fans. Hardaway is being installed in the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame Monday night. Mullen and Richmond were inducted earlier.