Tag: NBA

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: Warriors squeak by to live another day as Durant leaves arena on crutches

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @NBCS

Warriors On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

#1 The Warriors and Raptors played to a one-point contest 106-105 with the Warriors keeping themselves alive in the Finals trailing Toronto 3-2 in the series and they did it without Kevin Durant towards the end of the game.

#2 An unlucky shot by the Raptors’ Kyle Lowry that didn’t go in ended up forcing a Game 6 and a possible elimination game for Toronto.

#3 But it was a big offensive night for the Warriors’ Stephen Curry, who led Golden State with 31 points, followed by splash brother Klay Thompson, who finished with 26.

#4 The big question is will Durant be able to return for Game 6 and how badly do the Warriors need him back in the lineup considering risking more damage to his already injured calf?

#5 So Game 6 will definitely wind up being the last home game ever for the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena, a building they played in since 1966.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez is the Spanish play-by-play radio talent for the Oakland A’s and does News and Commentary each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors win a thriller 106-105, stay alive to fight another day

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @BleacherReport

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, with their backs to the wall, found a way to defeat the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena 106-105 on Monday night. They were buoyed by the return of Kevin Durant to the lineup. Durant’s presence gave Steph Curry and Klay Thompson the ability to get open and knock down three-point shots. Misfortune struck in the second quarter when Durant re-injured his right leg. The Warriors had to figure out another option. Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr inserted DeMarcus Cousins into the game. Cousins played well and helped the Warriors to the thrilling victory.

Kevin Durant started the game and knocked won 11 points in the first quarter. His presence in the lineup allowed Steph Curry and Klay Thompson to get good looks and they responded by connecting on several three-point shots. The Warriors finished the first quarter leading 34-28.

The Warriors and Raptors each scored 28 points in the second quarter. The Warriors finished the first 24 minutes of the game still ahead by six 62-56. Unfortunately, Kevin Durant reinjured his right calf injury and had to leave the game. Durant will have an MRI performed on his leg Tuesday. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr decided to insert DeMarcus Cousins into the lineup. Cousins, who played poorly in Games 3 and 4, played his heart out and really helped to make up for the loss of Durant. Cousins knocked down nine points in the second quarter. Curry led the Warriors with 23 and Klay had 12.

The Warriors played inspired basketball in the third quarter. The Warriors 77-63 when Toronto went on a 10-0 run to make it a four-point game 77-73. Klay hit a three and Cousins had two big buckets, and the Warriors finished the quarter leading  84-78.

The Warriors could not let the Raptors come back and grab the lead. If the Warriors failed to hold the lead, their season was over. Toronto, with the crowd urging them on, came back and took the lead 96-95 when Kawhi Leonard connected on a three. Toronto hit a bucket, and the Warriors trailed 98-95. Draymond Green put two on the board and the Warriors now trailed by one. Leonard hit a three and a two-pointer to put the Raptors in the driver’s seat 103-97. The Splash Brothers showed the world what they are still champions. Klay Thompson made a three and Steph Curry made a three to tie the game at 103. The Warriors stopped the Raptors, and Thompson put the icing on the cake when he hit another three to put the Warriors ahead 106-103 with 56 seconds left in the game. The Raptors scored two more points to make it 106-105. The Raptors got the ball back with 13.7 seconds left to play. The Warriors’ defense did not allow them to get a shot off until the last second left. The ball hit the side of the backboard, and the Warriors left the court with a thrilling win.

Game Notes: The Warriors will meet the Raptors at Oracle Arena Thursday night. The Warriors still have their backs against the wall. They need a win to force the series back to Toronto for Game 7. The Warriors probably will not have Durant available. Durant left the arena in Toronto with a boot on his right foot and was using crutches to walk. Kevon Looney also left the game with an injury. Looney was in a lot of pain as his injured right shoulder was bothering him quite a bit. He seemed to grimace in pain almost every time he was on the floor.

Curry led the Warriors with 31 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. He made five three-point shots. Klay Thompson had 26. Klay knocked down 7 threes. Cousins finished with 14 points and six rebounds. Draymond Green almost had a triple-double. He had 10 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. Durant had 11. The Warriors shot 46.3% from the floor. They were 20-for-42 from the three-point range.

Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard paced the Raptors with 26 points and 12 boards. Kyle Lowry had 18, Marc Gasol, 17, Serge Ibaka 15, Pascal Siakam 12, and Fred VanVleet 11. The Raptors shot 44.7% from the floor. They were 8-for 32 from downtown. The Raptors were 21-for 27 from the charity stripe. The Warriors were 10-for 14.

Up Next: The Warriors know their work is cut out for them Thursday night. This team has players that never quit. They have the hearts of champions. It will be the last game ever played at Oracle Arena Thursday night. Game time will be at 6 pm.

Warriors fall to the Raptors 105-92, now on the brink of elimination

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors were hoping to even the series against the Toronto Raptors Friday night at Oracle Arena. The Warriors had two things going for them. Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney, who were both injured in Game 2 of the series, were cleared to play. The second factor was the crowd at Oracle. The fans were behind the team for the entire game, and the noise level was unbelievable.

The Raptors’ game plan was to double team Curry every time he touched the ball and not let him make three-point shots. The Warriors needed Draymond Green, DeMarcus Cousins, and Andre Iguodala to help out putting points on the board. The Warriors knew that if they were going to win, they would have to shut down the Toronto offense.

The Warriors won the first half 46-42. It was a defensive struggle for the entire 24 minutes of action. Both teams didn’t shoot well at the start of the game. The Warriors defense was terrific. Toronto’s three-point shooter, Danny Green, was held to zero points for the first 24 minutes. They held Pascal Siakam to six. Kawhi Leonard scored 14 to keep Toronto close. Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 14 points. The Raptors held Curry to just 8. Kevon Looney was terrific. Everyone thought he was out for the rest of the series. He implored the doctors to check him, and they cleared him to play. Kevon responded with 8 big points. Toronto knew if they could stay within 5 points of the lead at halftime, they had a chance to win.

The Raptors took it to the Warriors in the third quarter. They made five threes, and Leonard knocked 17 points to propel Toronto to a 79-67 advantage at the end of three quarters.

The Warriors knew that it would be difficult to overcome a twelve -point lead in the final 12 minutes of play. They tried, but Toronto answered every Warrior bucket with a bucket of their own. They continued to pressure Curry, and as much as he wished, he could not bring the Warriors back. The Warriors fell to Toronto 105-92 and now trail the series 3-1. The next game will be played in Toronto Monday night.

Game Notes: The Raptors won the game on the strength of their third-period outburst. They connected on eight three in the second half. The Warriors made six. The Raptors had 24 shots from the free throw line and made 23. The Warriors made 14 in 21 tries. On defense, the Raptors had 12 steals and four blocked shots. The Warriors did a poor job of handling the ball. They turned the ball over 17 times. The Raptors committed nine.

Klay led the Warriors with 28. Steph had 27. Draymond Green and Kevon Looney were the only other Warriors in double figures. They each scored 10. Cousins had six, and Iguodala had three. The Warrior bench, other than Looney, added eight.

Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard led his team with 36 points and 12 rebounds. Leonard knocked down five threes. Serge Ibaka had 20, and Pascal Siakam added 19. Kyle Lowry scored 10, and Fred VanVleet had eight. VanVleet, who hounded Curry all night long, left the game with a cut under his right eye. He went to the locker room, and the wound was closed with seven stitches.

The Warriors’ Kevin Durant was not cleared to play again. The doctors would not let him practice, and it is becoming apparent that Durant may not play at all in the series.

If the Warriors lose Monday night, they will no longer play another game at Oracle Arena. The team moves to the Chase Center in San Francisco for the 2019-2020 season.

The last team to come back from a 3-1 deficit and to win on the home team’s court was the Cleveland Cavaliers. They did it to win the 2016 NBA Championship over the Warriors.

Short-handed Warriors’ effort not good enough, fall to Raptors 123-109

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Raptors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, without Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Kevon Looney, fought a brave, but losing battle against the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night at Oracle Arena.  The Warriors held the lead just once in the entire contest. They led 5-4 early in the first quarter. Toronto took the lead 6-5 and never trailed the rest of the way.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had to juggle his lineup. He had the veteran, Shaun Livingston, start in place of the injured Klay Thompson. DeMarcus Cousins started for the second game in a row. The Warriors needed Cousins to put a lot of points on the board. Cousins tallied just four points as the Raptors’ Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, and Pascal Siakam manhandled Cousins.

Steph Curry did everything he could to keep his team in the game. Curry ended the night with 47 points. He connected on six threes to keep his team close. Draymond Green with 17 and Andre Iguodala with 11 were the only other Warriors in double figures.

The Raptors had six players in double figures. They also were connecting on three-point shots. Kawhi Leonard led Toronto with 30 points. Danny Green, Kyle Lowry, and Fred VanVleet killed the Warriors as they made 6, 5, and 3, respectively.

The Raptors led 36-29 after the first quarter. They finished the first half leading 60-52. Curry led the Warriors with 25. No other Warrior player was in double figures. The Raptors scored the first six points in the third quarter and the Warriors, as hard as they tried, could not catch up. Late in the third quarter, the Raptors went on an 8-0 run, and they finished the period leading 96-83. It was more of the same in the fourth quarter. They could not get buckets when they needed them. They had shots blocked by Serge Ibaka and Toronto’s defense. The Warriors, without the firepower of Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, could not catch up. The Raptors double-teamed Curry every time he handled the ball. The Warriors were forced to take bad shots. The Raptors won 123-109 to take a 2-3 series lead.

Game Notes: The Raptors shot 52.4% from the floor and held the Warriors to 39.6%. The Raptors were 17 for 39 from 3-point range. The Warriors were 12 for 36. The Raptors made five more threes than the W’s, and that was the difference in the game.

Up Next: Game 4 of the best-of-seven series will be played Friday night at Oracle Arena. The Warriors are hoping the Durant and Thompson will be able to play. Game time will be at 6 pm.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Warriors’ Green looked as the “quarterback” of the team; A’s look to have a better week on 9-game road trip; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @nbastats

On Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 How key has Golden State’s Draymond Green for this Golden State team? He has been called the quarterback of the team.

#2 Green was called for a foul on the Toronto Raptors’ Pascal Siakam. It was Green who said he would stop Siakam after he scored 32 points on Green in Game 1 and got an earful from rapper Drake on the way back to the dressing room after the game.

#3 What happened to the A’s? They’ve lost five straight games after winning 10 straight and are in Anaheim vs. the LA Angels for three straight games the A’s snapped the losing streak with a win over the Angels on Tuesday night.

#4  The Philadelphia Phillies’ Jay Bruce was added to their lineup for some power, but low and behold former San Francisco Giants outfielder Andrew McCutchen, who tore his ACL and will be out for the rest of the season. The Phillies, who are in first place by a half game over the Braves, will miss McCutchen’s bat out of the lineup.

#5 Back to basketball, how does Golden State handle the absence of a couple of their key players Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant?

London Marq does the Headline Sports podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NBA Finals/Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Expect more rough and tumble basketball for Games 3 and 4

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @warriors

On the NBA Finals/Warriors podcast with David:

#1 The Warriors in Game 2 Toronto have to be very greatful for a go-ahead basket by Andre Iguodala that sank the Toronto Raptors 109-104.

#2 For Games 3 and 4, the Warriors come back to Oakland. Is there any chance the Raptors can pull ahead or the Warriors can clear the fence and get ahead of a unpredictable Toronto team?

#3 Warriors injuries Kevin Looney is out, Klay Thompson how long will he be out, and Kevin Durant will he be out for the rest of the series?

David Zizmor does the NBA Finals/ Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sportstalk podcast remote at Harborview Restaurant and Bar in downtown San Francisco Monday, June 3, 2019

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: sftravel.com

Cast: Jerry Feitelberg (Oakland A’s reporter/talk show host), Amaury PI Gonzalez (Oakland A’s Spanish play by play talent), Joe Lami (San Francisco 49ers reporter), Jeremy Harness (San Francisco 49ers preview game writer), Marko Ukalovic (San Jose Earthquakes reporter), Len Shapiro (NHL analyst), and Lee Leonard (producer).

Today’s podcast: Coverage on the San Francisco Giants and ways they need to get out of the cellar in the National League West; the Oakland A’s put together one of baseball’s most exciting win streaks with 10 consecutive wins in May, the NHL Stanley Cup Finals with the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues. The Bruins took Game 1 in a two-goal 4-2 win, but on last Thursday night, the Blues got by the Bruins 3-2 to tie the series up. The Bruins came back in game 3 on Saturday with a walloping 7-2 win to take the series lead 2-1. The Blues took game 4 on Monday night with a 4-2 victory over Boston to tie the series 2-2. The Bruins Zdeno Chara took a puck to the face and his status is unknown. The Bruins have home ice for game 5 on Thursday. The Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors played to a 1-1 series tie on Sunday and return back to Oakland on Wednesday, June 5th for game 3.

Our thanks to our hosts at Harborview Restaurant and Bar Kinson Wong (Owner) and Karen Liu (Director of Marketing and Special Events) for hosting Sportstalk and we can say unequivocally one of the finest Chinese cuisine restaurants in San Francisco. Please come and enjoy the fine food, dinning and atmosphere at Harborview.

Harborview Restaurant & Bar was founded in 2018 by a team of culinary and hospitality professionals led by Kinson Wong (original Co-Founder and co owner of R&G Lounge), with the vision to elevate the caliber of authentic Cantonese-style Chinese cuisine in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Harborview presents delicious menu offerings in an elegant yet unpretentious setting, with gorgeous panoramic views of the San Francisco Ferry Building and Bay Bridge. We strive to be a “must visit” San Francisco Chinese restaurant for guests visiting from locally, regionally and abroad.

Welcome to Harborview in San Francisco!

Raptors win Game 1 of the NBA Finals 118-109

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Toronto Raptors, playing for the first time in the NBA Finals, beat the Golden State Warriors 118-109 at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday night. The Raptors’ two players, Marc Gasol and Kawhi Leonard, who has been named Defensive Player of the Year, kept the Warriors at bay after taking the lead for good late in the first period.

The Warriors, still without Kevin Durant, put Jordan Bell in the starting lineup alongside Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry. The Warriors’ small lineup had trouble with the Raptors big men. Marc Gasol and Pascal Siakam killed the Warriors with their offense. Siakam knocked down a career playoff-high of 32 points. The young man from Cameroon played well on both ends of the court. Gasol, acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies in February, tallied 20 and he was a force on defense. The Raptors’ Kawhi Leonard, hobbled with a knee problem, scored 23 to help the Raptors to the win.

The Raptors led by four at the end of the first quarter. The Raptors extended the lead to 10 at the end of the first half. Curry was the only Warrior in double figures in the first half. The Raptors held the Warriors to just 36% from the floor. The Raptors, on the other hand, shot 50% from the floor.

The Raptors led the entire second half. The closest the Warriors came was when they closed to within three 90-87 in the fourth quarter. The Warriors’ Andre Iguodala appeared to hurt his leg late in the game. The Raptors won 118-109.

Game Notes: The Warriors had three players in double figures. Steph Curry finished with 34. He knocked down four threes. It was the sixth playoff game in a row that Curry had 30 or more points. Klay Thompson had 21 points, and Draymond Green had a triple-double with 10 points, 10 boards, and 10 assists. The Warriors bench helped but not enough. Kevon Looney had nine. Jonas Jerebko, Quinn Cook, Shaun Livingston, and Alfonzo McKinnie each had six.

DeMarcus Cousins played in his first game since tearing a quadriceps muscle in Game 2 against the LA Clippers on April 18th. He played just a few minutes and appeared to get tired quickly.

The Warriors play Game 2 Sunday night in Toronto. They will have to figure out a way to stop Siakam, Gasol, Leonard, Danny Green, and Fred VanVleet. If they should win, the Warriors will have three of the last five games at Oracle Arena.

Sunday’s game starts at 5 pm.

NBA Finals/Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Do Raptors even have a chance against Golden State?

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

photo from wisconsinstatejournal.com file photo: In Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) drives on the Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcom Brogdon (13) in Toronto on May 25th.

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

#1 Much like James Harden of the Houston Rockets, will it be the same challenge for Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors? Will it be four or five guys versus Leonard? Will Leonard have to do all the heavy lifting?

#2 Is there any chance that this can be a balanced NBA Finals as the Warriors have dominated throughout the postseason? Do the Raptors have any advantage opening up the series at home in Toronto?

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

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Bucks now find themselves tied with mighty Raptors; Blues-Bruins to battle in final; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @BleacherReport

On Headline Sports podcast with Tony:

#1 The tables have turned on the Milwaukee Bucks. After winning the first two games, the Toronto Raptors have won Games 3 and 4 to tie up the series 2-2.

#2 The Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo led all Bucks scorers with 25 points, but it wasn’t enough in Game 4 as the Raptors took care of business 120-102. It’s a brand new series.

#3 The San Jose Sharks, who won Game 3 on a glove-handled puck 5-4, set the St. Louis Blues on fire. The Blues came back to win three straight and win the series to move on against the Boston Bruins for the NHL Final.

#4 The New York Yankees had nearly 17 starters or key players out with injuries so the Yanks called up the reserves and they came through. The one player to admire is the Yankees’ Gleyber Torres, who has hit 10 homers in 11 games against the Baltimore Orioles.

#5 The Oakland A’s are one of the big league’s hottest teams, winning their sixth straight game and a four-game sweep over Cleveland as they head back to Oakland for a Friday night contest with the Seattle Mariners.

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