Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: Griner could be out of Russian jail in July; Mistakes the Celtics have made; plus more headlines

WNBA star and Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner mug shot from Russian jail. Griner could be released by the Russian government by July 2022 after being held since Feb 17, 2022. The Russians had wanted a prisoner swap Griner to the US for the Merchant of Death Viktor Bout. (file photo from NY Post)

On Headline Sports podcast with Jessica:

#1 WNBA star Britney Griner reportedly will have to stay in a Russia jail another 18 days and could be released by July. Griner is being held in Russia after being accused of having hashish oil in her suit case while trying to leave the country. Griner has been in jail since Feb 17th and is facing 10 years upon conviction.

#2 Jessica as game 6 of the NBA Finals will tip off on Thursday night the Boston Celtics have struggled losing games four and five to the Golden State Warriors who are now on the brink of winning the NBA Championship. Celtics mistakes described are a cross court pass intercepted, a dribble hand off is dropped, and a lob pass is picked off.

#3 Jessica, wanted to ask you about a female minor league announcer of the Lynchburg Hillcats the single A minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. Maura Sheridan whose story is making huge headlines after being sexually assaulted by minor league pitcher Daritzon Feliz of the Hillcats. Sheridan in August 2021. Feliz was let go by the Hillcats but the Hillcats further put out a job posting at the beginning of this season for Sheridan’s job. The Hillcats didn’t want any liability on road games with their announcers so they posted Sheridan’s job out.

#4 Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow speaking out on gun control during a press conference on Monday saying that there should be a law making it hard for people to buy those crazy guns. Burrow also said that no one should be able to just go in and buy one saying you have to go through the process to just go in and buy one.

#5 In another case of on the job harassment Phoenix Suns female employee Melissa Fender Panagiotakopoulos who reported that she was the target of bullying, retaliation from her employers after she complained of gender equity and misconduct. The Panagiotakopoulos had been with the Suns since 2007 and worked for eight years as a senior employee and resigned in May. Panagiotakopoulos had wrote a complaint letter to all 16 of the team’s ownership group.

Join Jessica every other Wednesday for Headline Sports at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NBA Finals/Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors can close it out on Thursday in Boston

Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, middle, shoots against Boston Celtics guard Derrick White, left, and center Al Horford during the first half of Game 5 at Chase Center in San Francisco on Mon Jun 13, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the NBA Finals/Golden State Warriors podcast with David:

#1 David, talk a little about game 5 as the Golden State Warriors move up on the Boston Celtics 3-2 and could finish the finals off on Thursday night to win the championship.

#2 Dave, what was the key to the Celtics shutting Stephen Curry down in game 5 they held him to only 16 points but while the double teaming worked the Warriors Andrew Wiggins led with 26 points.

#3 Just how tough will it be for Golden State to win game 6, the Celtics have been tough at home, they have one of the best defenses in the NBA and they have that crowd that’s been on Draymond Green all series long.

David did the Warriors podcasts throughout the 2022-23 season and will return with Headline Sports on Wednesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: A’s could get close to getting ballpark but affordable housing a huge issue; plus much more news

Artists rendition of inside of an Oakland A’s Howard Terminal ballpark. The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission votes on the park on Thu Jun 30, 2022

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury top story is the vote with the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission on June 30 a huge vote that will help decide to keep the A’s in Oakland.

#2 One of the points that you raised a big hurdle for the A’s to get this one is that they need to address the affordable housing project issue with the city of Oakland. The city is asking for 450 apartment for affordable housing out of 3,000 units. Will owner John Fisher and the A’s bend to the City’s will?

#3 Amaury, turning to the NBA Finals it was back and forth for awhile but the Golden State Warriors as expected with the home floor put away game 5 and moved ahead of the Boston Celtics at the Chase Center on Monday night.

#4 Amaury talk about Warrior forward Draymond Green a little pushing and shoving underneath the basket with the Celtics which drew a crowd but punches thrown at 4:40 remaining in the game. Frustrations for the Celtics and Green doing some trash talking towards the end of the game later Green fouled out of the game.

#5 The Oakland A’s open a three game series at Fenway Park tonight. The Boston Red Sox are hot they’ve won eight of their last ten the A’s are not they’ve lost nine of their last ten games. A’s starting Jared Koenig (0-1, ERA 9.00) the Sox will be going with Nick Pivetta (5-5, ERA 3.78) a 4:10 pm PDT first pitch.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Hall of Fame Museum and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Warriors Thompson wants to win it badly; Giants surprise with weekend sweep of LA; plus more

Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) says he wants to win the NBA Finals badly after being laid off the last two NBA seasons with injuries (file photo by USA Today)

On Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 Tony, I know you have a lot to say about the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors in game 5 of the NBA Finals last night at Chase Center in San Francisco. Warriors series tied up at 2-2 the Warriors Andrew Wiggins who at one time contemplated taking a Covid 19 vaccine shot or stay off the team that was nine months ago Wiggins thought the better of it and where he is now? He led the Warriors with 26 points last night to go up 3-2 in the series.

#2 Game six is in Boston is on Thursday night the Warriors Klay Thompson was quoted as saying “I want to frigging win” remarking on his long three year wait after sitting out two straight seasons with an ACL and Achilles injuries.

#3 Tony have to ask you about the recent sweep of the San Francisco Giants over the Los Angeles Dodgers there are a lot of people in baseball who are shocked about three straight over a Dodger team like this.

#4 The Oakland A’s will try and pick up a win in Boston tonight. They won only one game on the current road trip which started in getting swept in two games in Atlanta and then getting losing three of four games in Cleveland needless to say it’s been tough sledding for Oakland as they open for three games tonight in Boston.

#5 Tony, Phil Mickelson met with the media on Monday at the US Open and he was needless to say very uneasy in the meeting. He was evasive, dodged some of the questions, he wasn’t nervous but it was obvious that he didn’t want to be at the podium and afraid of questions regarding his book in consideration about joining Saudi Super Golf League.

Join Tony for Headline Sports podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NBA Finals game 5 recap: Warriors Take Series Lead Beating Boston 104-94

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) drives around the Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) as the Celtics forward Jaylen Brown (0) puts on a block during first half action at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Mon Jun 13, 2022 (AP News photo)

Warriors Take Series Lead Beating Boston 104-94

By Barbara Mason

It has come down to a game five for the Golden State Warriors and while this is not mathematically a must win, the team does not want to go back to Boston trailing in the series. They won’t have to worry about that after putting away the Celtics with a ten point 104-94 win to go up 3-2 in the series on Monday night at Chase Center.

The Warriors came out with a vengeance in the first quarter leading after 12 minutes 27-16. The Warriors only had two turnovers to the Boston Celtics four and Golden State’s defense was absolutely terrific to start the game. Draymond Green had a great start and the familiar fire was back.

The Celtics started to heat up in the second quarter and it only took Boston three and a half minutes to cut the Warriors lead in half. The Celtics began to hit shots and organize putting Golden State a bit out of rhythm.

Everything that went right in the first quarter came to a screeching halt in the second quarter. In the final four minutes of the quarter the Warriors got back on track leading at the half 51-39 in this roller coaster of a game. Andrew Wiggins was the high scorer for the half with 16 points and a nice defensive effort with seven rebounds. After a slow start Stephen Curry finished the half with 10 points.

Jaylen Brown was two of ten in the half and the Warriors were doing a great job containing him. The Celtics had nine turnovers which really hurt them. Golden State had to keep the pressure on in the second half.

Boston flipped the switch to start the third quarter. They scored five unanswered baskets and cut Golden State’s lead to two points in less than two minutes. At 6:49 the Celtics had tied the game at 55. The first lead of the game for Boston came at 6:27 and the Warriors were barely hanging on in this game. Golden State was able to take back the lead, albeit a slim one, 75-74 as the third quarter came to an end.

Golden State came in with great energy in the fourth quarter and with under four minutes left in the game the Warriors had a 93-82 point lead. In game four it was the Curry show and in game five Andrew Wiggins took over with 26 points and an amazing 13 rebounds. The final was 104-94 and Golden State had taken a 3-2 series lead going back to Boston.

It was a tough night for Curry. He went 0-9 from downtown and finished with 16 points. You could see the disappointment etched on his face but his teammates rallied around him and they lifted the team to their first series lead. Klay Thompson had 21 points and Draymond Green had a great defensive game and finished with eight points.

This was the first time that Boston had lost back to back games. The Warriors put together some great quarters and when push came to shove they finished this game. The Warriors didn’t come this far just to come this far and they played like it. There were some ebb and flow moments but they rode it out to get within one game of being the world champions.

Game six will be in Boston on Thursday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 PM.

NBA Finals/Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Will Curry’s leg be up to game 5 action?; Celtics defense still a concern for Golden State

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) winces in pain as Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart (36) is landing on Curry’s leg with the Celtics center Al Horford (41) is reaching underneath Curry and Warriors shooting guard Jordan Poole (3) tries to reach underneath Holford for the battle of the basketball during game 3 at TD Garden in Boston on Wed Jun 5, 2022. Curry recovered in game 4 scoring 43 points (Sports Illustrated photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 Barbara, how much of a concern will it be for the Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry who hurt his leg in game 3 in Boston and has he recovered well enough that he can start game 5 tonight at Chase Center?

#2 The Boston Celtics who have won two of the four games played in this tied up series 2-2 are noted for their strong defense how much pressure is on the Celtics to execute the defense and shut down the Curry and Thompson.

#3 Barbara now talk about how much pressure is on the Curry and Thompson to tally points and keep scoring down on the defensive end to a minimum to stay ahead of the Celtics.

#4 Barbara, take a listen to what the Celtics Jaylen Brown said that the Celtics are taking a lot of positives out of anything saying that the team could be in a better position but being 2-2 is nothing to sneeze about either and that the Celtics can learn from their mistakes and improve on them starting tonight in game 5.

#5 Barbara any concern before tonight’s game the Celtics have had better luck in the playoffs away from home than they have at TD Garden. Do you see any advantage for the Celtics tonight on the road in San Francisco for game 5?

Join the Warriors podcasts with host Barbara Mason Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NBA Finals/Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: In game 4 it was all Curry to take Warriors home

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry is exhaulted after things move in the right direction in the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in game 4 of the NBA Finals (AP News photo)

On the NBA Finals Warriors podcast:

#1 Stephen Curry led the way for the Golden State Warriors with 43 points in game four on Friday night at TD Garden in Boston. Curry was instrumental in the Warriors tying the series at 2-2 and avoiding coming back to San Francisco down 3-1.

#2 Curry teammate Klay Thompson said Curry carried the team on his back and on Monday night at Chase Center the team needs to reciprocate and help Curry out.

#3 Dave with game five now in San Francisco on Monday night and the series tied at 2-2 how much pressure is it on the Boston Celtics to win this one and how much pressure is on Golden State to stay head of Boston before going back to TD Garden for game six.

Dave Zizmor does Warrior podcasts during the NBA Finals at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors Tie Up Series 2-2 Beating Celtics 107-97

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III (44) passes the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) in NBA Finals action game 4 at TD Garden in Boston on Fri Jun 10, 2022 (AP News photo)

Warriors Tie Up Series 2-2 Beating Celtics 107-97

By Barbara Mason

The Golden State Warriors took a brief lead in the third quarter of game three but couldn’t handle the size of the Boston Celtics as well as Boston’s home crowd. Klay Thompson had a 25 point game and scored 18 points in game four on Friday night’s in Golden State’s game 4 win over the Celtics 107-97.

Jordan Poole was off in game three and Draymond Green admitted in his podcast that he let the crowd and the game atmosphere get to him. Of course the Golden State coaching staff would put together a plan to contain Jason Tatum and Jaylon Brown but the Warriors needed a lot of help from Poole, Wiggins and Thompson.

The Celtics held a one point lead after one quarter. Again Golden State got a bit of a slow start something that has haunted them throughout these playoffs. At the half Boston held a 54-49 lead in a hotly contested game.

At the end of the third quarter the Warriors led 79-78. Robert Williams III continued to be a problem with 12 rebounds and Tatum, Brown and Marcus Smart were having a good offensive game. The Warriors would have to pull out all the stops to win this game.

Golden State did just that in the fourth quarter. They fought for every possession in the final quarter and their persistence paid off. In the final minutes they began to pull away and finished off this game 107-97.

Stephen Curry had a brilliant game with 43 points and it was Curry to the rescue willing his team to the win. He was seven of 14 from downtown with ten rebounds. The Warriors still await Thompson and Poole to come unleashed in game five.

The Warriors are hopeful Kevon Looney will start the next game. Another big moment were the 16 rebounds and 17 points from Andrew Wiggins.

Golden State did just enough to win this game and now this series is tied coming back to Chase Center in game five. The team will need all hands on deck for the remainder of this series.

“This was big big for our team. I am just thankful for everyone on this team. We knew how big this game was. We do this together,” said Curry after the game.

“This is the strongest he has ever been in his career,” said Head Coach Steve Kerr of Curry. “Everybody was emotional tonight. We needed more physicality than we had in game three.” he said.

Monday evening the Warriors will be back at Chase Center for Game Five. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 PM.

Boston Tops Golden State In Game three 116-100; Celtics take 2-1 series lead

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30), forward Draymond Green (23), and owner Joe Lacob in blue sport jacket seated in the front row all look disappointed after looking at the scoreboard in the third quarter against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in Boston on Wed Jun 8, 2022 (AP News photo)

Boston Tops Golden State In Game Three 116-100

By Barbara Mason

Wednesday night the Golden State Warriors took on the Boston Celtics in the third game of the NBA final series. This series was tied 1-1 with Boston taking the first game of the series and the Warriors taking game two.

Golden State played game 3 in Boston and dropped the contest 116-100. The Warriors needed to take at least one of those two games before returning back to Chase and will have another chance at the Celtics on Friday night.

After totally dominating Boston in game 2 the Warriors didn’t have that same energy in game 3 on Wednesday night. It was a given that Golden State would see a far different Celtic team from the one they saw in game two and sure enough the Celtics were prepared in this game 3.

Game 3 recap: Boston had a vastly improved offense and defense through the first two quarters. They totally dominated the first half. At one time they led by 18 points but the Warriors cut it to 68-56 at the half. Golden State was leaving too many open shots and the Celtics were taking full advantage. The Warriors offense was struggling making some poor shooting making choices.

It was not until 3:32 in the third quarter that the Warriors took the lead since they led 2-0 in the first quarter. The Celtics quickly got back on top but the Warriors remained within striking distance. Both Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry were having a great game trailing after three quarters 93-89.

Boston got back on track in the fourth quarter taking a 102-91 lead in the early minutes of the quarter. Turnovers in the fourth quarter were hurting Golden State and the fact that Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and Curry all had four personals was also disconcerting.

Nothing could slow down the Boston Celtics in this game. They played a great offensive and defensive game. The Warriors only had two leads in the entire game. With two minutes left the Warrior bench finished the game.

Boston took a 2-1 series lead winning this game. Jalen Brown was the point leader with 27 points and Jason Tatum was close behind with 26. Both Marcus Smart and Al Horford had a greatly improved game.

Klay Thompson had a 25 point game and Curry was the point leader with 31 points but it was not enough to top the lights out shooting that the Celtics were operating with. Golden State collapsed in the fourth quarter.

They had six turnovers in the final quarter and the Warriors could not overcome the play of Boston. “The offensive rebounds were the killer. Those were tough,” said Head Coach Steve Kerr after the game.

Friday night the Warriors will try to even the series in Game Four at TD Garden in Boston. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 PM.

NBA Finals/Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Is Klay Thompson running out gas or is he still recovering?

The Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) gives the okay sign to teammate forward Draymond Green (23) during the second half of game 1 at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sun Jun 5, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the NBA Finals/Warriors podcast with David:

#1 Dave, just how much is the Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson is a step behind he scored just 11 points in game 2? It’s been observed that’s he’s out of rhythm on his jumper, he’s rushed on his shooting motion, and on defense he’s one step behind even when he’s going up against non all stars.

#2 Dave, Draymond Green established his game by getting in the Celtics heads in game 2 now the fans at Boston Garden will be waiting tonight to get into Green’s head. Green said during practice yesterday “We all know the reputation of the fans here.”

#3 Warriors tip off at TD Garden in Boston tonight at 6:00 pm PDT and a chance to pull ahead in the series which is tied up at 1-1. The Celtics have the home floor will they have a different approach to this game than they did in game 2?

Join David for the NBA Finals/Warriors podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com