WYNning Sports Moments

Gilas Pilipinas Knocks off Korea to barge into 2013 FIBA Asia Finals

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Sun, 11 Aug 2013 01:11:00 +0000

The spell of heartbreaking defeats to Korea is finally over.

Spurred by the capacity-crowd and the millions of Filipinos watching from their homes, Smart Gilas Pilipinas took home an emotional 86-79 win over their South Korean tormentors, to book a slot in the gold medal game of the 2013 FIBA Asia Championships last night at the MOA Arena.

After some anxious moments in the endgame, the Philippine National Basketball Team managed to impose their will in the final moments of the game, thereby setting a date with Asian superpower Iran in the championship match and also, securing a slot in thw World Cup of Basketball to be held in Spain next year.

The Gilas battlecry of "Puso!" was clearly personified in this game, especially after main guy Marcus Douthit was injured in the second quarter, prompting guys like Marc Pingris, who finished the game with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Ranidel De Ocampo to fill the void left by their hustle and end game heroics.

The Koreans proved to be a tough adversary, led by their 19-year old superstar Kim Ming Goo, who finished with a game-high 27 points, including a sensational 4 point play in the home stretch to push the Koreans to within a point, 73-72 after Gilas led as much as 10 after their third quarter storm.

But Jimmy Alapag kept the Filipinos' heads above water with a cold-blooded 3 pointer, to up the lead to five points, 84-79 with only 53 seconds remaining to seal the deal in this grudge match.

The entire Gilas squad showed immense emotions after the hard fought win, most especially head coach Chot Reyes, who was visibly weeping after the game.

Photo courtesy of: ph.sports.yahoo.com

Mayweather Stays Unblemished via Impressive Win over Guerrero

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Sun, 05 May 2013 07:23:00 +0000

The Ghost falls victim to the streak

Undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. put on a boxing clinic as he claimed the WBC and Ring Magazine Welterweight crown after cruising past a determined Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero via unanimous decision in front of the ecstatic crowd in MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas Nevada last May 5.

After several heated off-ring encounters, the two boxers finally let their fists do the talking and Mayweather thoroughly proved that he was the superior fighter as he pummeled Guerrero round after round that he followed up with the quick and slick defense that he is known for.

Mayweather began to take control in the 2nd and 3rd round and he never looked back, even busting up Guerrero's eye in the 8th round on his way to registering his 44th win in his perfect boxing career with 26 KO's.

Guerrero showed some flashes of brillance in the opening round but it clearly wasn't enough as he was completely outclassed by "Money" Mayweather. Guerrero was missing badly for majority of the fight and was repeatedly tagged with precise shots by the champion.

Guerrero kept on stalking Mayweather around the ring but it was for naught, as he couldn't keep up with excellent hand and foot speed of Mayweather who kept slipping past him.

All 3 judges scored the bout, 117-111.

Penalosa shows potential by demolishing Thai foe

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 10:31:00 +0000

A tougher opponent would be the real barometer.

3rd generation boxer Dodie Boy Penalosa Jr. defeats first foreign opponent in Kong Kiatpracha Gym of Thailand via 3 knockdowns in the 2nd round to impress his countrymen that waited to see if he is the real deal or just all hype in the jam packed Mandaue Sports and Cultural Center in Cebu.

The son of 2-time world champion Dodie Penalosa Sr. showed the punching power he was known for as he improved his record to 6-0 (6KO's) after steamrolling the visiting Thai who showed no signs of even boxing basics and it is really obvious from the start who the victor will be.

Penalosa Jr. will now qualify for an undercard in the Pacquiao-Marquez battle in November where many will await for him to receive a tougher opponent and a better challenge to really determine what he is made of.

"I am proud and so happy for him" said a jubilant father in Dodie Boy Penalosa Sr.

The responsibility of providing quality fights for Penalosa Jr. will fall to his promoter and uncle Gerry Penalosa who is also a 2-time world champion.

NBA stars emerge over persistent Smart Gilas

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 23:25:00 +0000

Too much skill,too much power.

The visiting NBA stars led by Kobe Bryant flattened the Smart Gilas National Team 98-89 to get a 2-0 record in their stint here after they also defeated the PBA selection in the "NBA Ultimate Weekend in front of the awed fans at the Araneta Coliseum.

Fresh from their demolishing of the PBA Selection, the NBA stars got off to a hot start capped by numerous highlight plays by Javale McGee and the steady showing by Kobe Bryant with 7 straight points in the first period to get a 28-16 lead.

The domination of the NBA stars continued in the second quarter but Gilas tried to fight back with Dondon Hontiveros hitting back to back threes and Marcio Lassitier drained his own trifecta to cut the lead to a sizable 38-31 before McGee and the rest of the NBA Squad let off a 7-0 bomb to get away again, getting a 55-37 halftime lead.

The lead went up as much as 22 points in the 3rd quarter as the NBA stars stepped it up a notch, utilizing their very evident height advantage with Bryant and Kevin Durant posting up their smaller defenders at the post.

Gilas mounted a last ditch effort led by JV Casio who scored 11 points in the fourth quarter and the national team got to within 10 points after a put back slam by Marcus Douthit with 4 and a half minutes remaining but their effort was put to waste by the NBA stars as their supremacy in the game showed again as they answered by monster dunks to end the game.

Bryant said he is looking forward to playing here again. "It's been a pleasure to play in front of the Filipino fans."

Viloria captures third world title

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 09:44:00 +0000

Delivering his best on a make or break match of his career.

Brian "The Hawaiian Punch" Viloria notched his third world title by stripping the WBO Flyweight Championship from Mexican Julio Cezar Miranda in their world title fight via convincing unanimous decision in one of the biggest fights in his career in front of the supportive Hawaiian crowd in Honolulu Hawaii.

The Fil-Hawaiian meant business from the start as he scored an early knockdown in the first round against an apparently shocked and weakened Miranda who had to shake off 2 pounds in the day of the fight just to meet the weight requirement.

Miranda seemed to gain his second wind in the third round as he disrupted Viloria's game plan by being aggressive and straightforward but his lack of defense proved costly throughout the fight.

Viloria regained control in the fifth round by using smart punch selection and constantly draining Miranda with well placed body shots while keeping his distance to avoid the foe's brawling style.

Miranda almost went down on the 7th round as the body blows forced him to lower his guard but he managed to hold on despite his groggy state while Viloria suffered a cut in the left eye in the process.

Viloria slowed down in the last 3 rounds but fortunately for him, his lead that he built in the earlier half of the match was enough to propel him to victory and the coveted championship belt.

Importless Ginebra keeps Air21 winless

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 09:56:00 +0000

A little scare towards the end but a win nonetheless.

The Barangay Ginebra Kings survived the late surge by Air 21 despite playing without their import Curtis Stinson to win 89-87 and improve their standings to 3-2 while keeping the Express winless in six games last night at the Araneta Coliseum.

Air 21 got off to a hot start led by the strong performance of Carlo Sharma with 8 points and 5 rebounds in the first quarter and Wynne Arboleda added two 3-pointers as the Express led 24-18 at the end of the first period.

Ginebra cuffed Air 21 in the second period allowing only 9 points as they ran the Express to the ground with John Wilson, Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa leading their team to a 41-33 lead at halftime.

JC Intal ignited a huge run to open up the third quarter of the Kings as he scored back to back 3's and a dunk leading to the biggest lead 51-36 for the Kings but Air 21 managed to stay within striking distance towards the end of the quarter.

Air 21 intensified their rally in the fourth quarter with an all Filipino lineup with Alpha Bangura saddled with 4 personal fouls and a non-factor throughout the game with only 7 points, with only 3 markers in the first half in 1/9 shooting from the field mostly due to the tough defense by Ronald Tubid.

KG Canaleta exploited his matchup with Intal in the pay-off period to bring his team within 2 points and a final possession with 3.5 seconds to go but Tubid blocked Alpha Bangura's attempt off a good inbound pass.

Bangura had one last chance to salvage the game for his team but his hurried jumpshot with 2 seconds to go went off the iron, giving the Kings the victory.

Philippine Azkals demolish Sri Lanka to advance into the next round

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 10:07:00 +0000

Too much firepower from start to finish.

The Philippine Azkals showed the Filipino crowd that their anticipation and hope on their squad won't be for nothing as they clearly outclassed the visiting Sri Lanka Brave Reds in their second match 4-0 and 5-1 in the aggregate score today at the newly improved Rizal Stadium witnessed by about 13,000 fans.

Emilio "Cheiffy" Calicdong punctuated the very aggressive start of the Azkals with a goal in the 19th minute after Angel Guirado and Phil Younghusband was foiled of their goal attempts in the 2nd and 7th minute respectively.

A very controversial goal by Phil Younghusband gave the 2-0 lead after the main referee overruled the foul called by the assistant referee in the 23rd minute leaving the Sri Lankan players confused and enraged by the huge break that came the way of the Azkals.

Fil-Spanish Angel Guirado reaped the fruits of his hardwork throughout the game with a goal in the 50th minute by eluding the Sri Lankan goalie Manjula Fernando as the latter left the box in his attempt to close out and prevent the shot.

Phil Younghusband drained his second goal in the game off an exceptional penalty kick in the 57th minute to set the final margin, giving the Filipino fans jubilant at their team's explosive effort.

The Azkals will face Kuwait in the next leg but they may face some unexpected problem as Anton del Rosario was given a yellow card meaning an automatic suspension for the next game and the same happened to one of the mid-fielder after getting into an altercation with an opposing player.

Nevertheless, this is still a huge reason to celebrate for the Pinoy fans all over the world as the Azkals move one step closer to their 2014 FIFA World Cup dream and we can be assured that coach Hans Weiss will make the appropriate adjustments for the Kuwait series.

Philippine Azkals draw first match with Sri Lanka

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:25:00 +0000

The game almost turned to be a disappointment for the Philippine Azkals.

The "Pilipinas Futbol" squad otherwise known as Philippine Azkals salvaged a 1-1 draw in their away game against Sri Lanka for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers held at Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka witnessed by a very sparse crowd yet Pinoy fans expressed their support by going to the game.

Fil-Am addition Nate Burkey saved the day for the Azkals with his very scrappy goal in the 49th minute to even things up after Sri Lankan Chathura Gunarathna put his team ahead, 1-0 in the 45th minute.

Azkals goalee Neil Etheridge made a spectacular save in the first 10 seconds of the extension period to give his team and the Pinoy fans some moments of relief after some anxious moments of a serious attempt by Sri Lanka to score a goal and sneak in a win.

The Azkals had two attempts to break the deadlock but Ian Araneta and Fil-European, Virado was both thwarted by a masterful job by Sri Lankan goalee Manjula Fernando.

Top striker Phil Younghusband was pulled out of the game somewhere in the 40th minute after a collision with an opposing player that resulted in a reoccurence of his former injury that he suffered playing against Mongolia.

The Azkals need at least a 0-0 tie to advance but we can be assured that they wont settle for just a draw because they would be playing behind their ever supportive fans in the next game to be held in the Philippines at the Rizal Stadium on July 3.

Stinson powers Ginebra over Meralco

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 10:09:00 +0000

Reigning NBA D-League MVP Curtis Stinson registered the first triple double in the 2011 PBA Governor's Cup to lead his team to a 97-81 victory over the Meralco Bolts to sieze a 2-1 standing Friday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

Stinson tallied a monster game of 18 points, 13 rebounds and 16 assists while having able support from an explosive performance from the locals to foil Meralco's comeback hopes with timely baskets down the stretch.

Mark Caguioa led scoring for this game with 25 points and he poured ice cold water to the comeback aspirations of the Bolts especially with a dagger jumper with 2 minutes left to finally seal the deal for his team.

Ronald Tubid and Eric Menk bounced back from their poor performance in the loss to Petron last game to scored 17 and 16 points respectively.

Sol Mercado led the losing team with 22 points while their import Champ Oguchi came through with 19 points.

This was Meralco's first loss in three games.

Petron comes from behind to edge out Ginebra

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:39:00 +0000

It's not how you start it but how you end it.

The Petron Blaze Boosters shook off a rough start to secure their first win in the 2011 PBA Governors Cup last Sunday, 100-89 against the Brgy. Ginebra Kings at the "Big Dome" Araneta Coliseum.

Jeremy Wise is proving to be worth the wait for Petron as he scored 21 points, 17 of those came in the first half and his matchup with Curtis Stinson of the Kings was a complete reversal after the latter scored majority of his points in the first half.

Stinson scored 22 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists but he was shut down in the second half by the pesky defense of Petron bringing about the abrupt decrease in the offensive efficiency of the Kings in the 2nd half.

Rabeh Al Hussaini topscored together with Wise with 21 points as he dominated the interior for his breakout game of the conferece.

Petron improved it's standing to 1-2 while they dealt the Kings their first loss of the conference.

Mavs win first championship in franchise history

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 10:03:00 +0000

Revenge couldn't have been any sweeter.

Avenging their loss in their own floor in the '06 Finals, the Dallas Mavericks claimed their first championship in franchise history in the Miami Heat's own home court 105-95 to wrap up the series in six games yesterday.

Jason Terry scored 27 points to lead the Mavs to the victory in spite of the off-night from their superstar Dirk Nowitzki who shot 1-12 in the first half and finished the game with 21 points (9-27 clip) and they got a valuable effort from DeShaun Stevenson who buried 3 three pointers in the first half.

Miami was led by the 21 points of LeBron James and they really seemed determined in the beggining of the game raising an early nine point lead before they allowed Dallas to drop a 21-4 run and take a 40-28 lead.

Eddie House entered the game for the Heat and he drained three 3-pointers to lead the 14-0 Miami run that allowed them to take a 42-40 minutes before halftime but a scuffle between Udonis Haslem, DeShawn Stevenson and Mario Chalmers resulted in a technical freethrow by Nowitzki putting an end to the Heat run.

Mavs owner Mark Cuban hugged Head coach Rick Carlisle in celebration of this long awaited championship crown, the first championship ring for Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry.

On the other hand, LeBron James continues to championship-less and his agonizing wait is the talking point for many NBA fans.

Mavericks comes from behind again to win Game 5

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 03:59:00 +0000

You could really tell that this rally is going to come.

The Dallas Mavericks moved within one win away from claiming their first championship in franchise history by outlasting the Miami Heat 112-103 after almost relinquishing the lead in the homestretch in the final game of the season in their homecourt at Dallas Texas last night.

Jason Terry and Jason Kidd ensured the win with a big three pointer each to finish with 21 and 11 points respectively and JJ Barea provided the 3rd quarter spark with 17 points and 4-5 3 pt. fieldgoals.

As expected, Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavs with 29 points and he got the support he demanded in Game 3 as the Dallas bench clearly rose up to the occasion with even Brian Cardinal providing quality minutes while preserving Tyson Chandler to avoid foul trouble.

The Heat could have more problems than this loss though as Dwayne Wade sustained a hip injury in the first quarter and had to be checked in the locker room until the halfway point of the 3rd quarter after missing most of the 2nd period and the decline of his aggressiveness was very evident since then.

LeBron James tallied a triple double of 17 points 10 rebs and 10 assists in this losing effort but his offensive output is still subpar of what is expected of him most especially that Wade had to leave the court for majority of the game since the end of the first quarter.

"I thank God for giving me strength to be here and to him be all the glory" said a jubilant Jason Terry on a post game interview.

Miami will try to battle back as the series shifts to Miami again for Game 6 and if necessary , a Game 7 for the championship on June 13.

Dirk plays through sinus infection to lead Mavs and tie NBA Finals series

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 09:18:00 +0000

It's hard to keep a warrior down.

Dirk Nowitzki battled through a 101 degree fever yet he catapulted the Mavs to an 86-83 win over the Miami Heat to knot the Finals series at 2 games a piece and boil their battle down to a best of 3 affair last night at Dallas Texas.

Nowitzki and the Mavs were very close to being down 3-1 until they made their run to outscore the Heat 21-9 after they went trailing 74-65 with 10 minutes left in the final period. Dirk scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter including six free throws.

LeBron James was the main missing link for the Heat after accounting for only 8 points, breaking his streak of 433 consecutive double figure scoring games and not only that he also was scoreless in the final quarter in which his team only scored 14 points.

Dwayne Wade scored 32 points but his costly mistakes in the homestretch like the missed freethrow with 30 seconds left and his faulty inbounds pass forced Mike Miller to take a hurried shot that didn't even come close to hitting the rim as the Dallas fans celebrated their team's victory.

Game 5 will ever be more crucial as both teams try to take the driver seat in the series and go up 3-2 still at Dallas' homecourt.

-details courtesy of yahoo! sports

Miami Heat holds on to win Game 3 after a furious rally by the Mavs

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 10:18:00 +0000

The Miami Heat avenged their Game 2 loss by a nail biting win on the road against the Dallas Mavericks 88-86 to take a 2-1 series lead of their championship series last night at the hostile territory of Dallas.

Chris Bosh scored the go-ahead basket and Udonis Haslem shut down Dirk Nowitzki in the final possession to allow their team to escape with this victory after the Mavs mounted their comeback onslaught behind their superstar Dirk Nowitzki who scored 16 points in the third quarter for a total of 34 points with 11 rebounds but he was forced to a tough shot during the last possession.

Dwayne Wade, who led the '06 Heat team to the championship over Dallas, scored 29 points and grabbed 11 rebounds but his timely baskets and motivational words to his teammates was the biggest factor that led to this win.

"I just want to lead my teammates by example and be aggressive" Wade uttered in an interview after this pivotal win.

Dallas didn't offer much help to Dirk on this game as the next leading scorers for the Mavs are Jason Terry with 15, Shawn Marion with 10 and Kidd added 9 points and 10 assists but he committed a total of 4 turnovers.

Game 4 will still be played in Dallas on Tuesday, (US Time) as the Mavs try to take their first win in their home floor in the Finals and prevent a 3-1 lead for Miami.

Mavs makes stunning comeback to tie the NBA finals

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 10:25:00 +0000

Miami should have learned from OKC's mistake.

The Dallas Mavericks completed another unbelievable comeback win 95-93 to tie the NBA Finals series at 1-1 after being down by 15 in the fourth quarter last night at the American Airlines Arena and steal homecourt advantage as the series heads to Dallas for Game 3.

Dirk Nowitzki came alive when it mattered the most, scoring consecutive points which included the most important shot of the game, a game winning lay-up with three seconds left for a total of 24 points and Miami ended the game with the missed desperation attempt by Dwayne Wade.

Wade led the Heat with his scintillating performance with 36 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists and LeBron James, who tallied the highest lead of the Heat with a three, scored 20 but once again the duo faces criticism due to premature celebrating.

Jason Terry made up for his relatively quiet Game 1 performance with two crucial jumpers to finish with 16 points and Shawn Marion added 20 points for the Mavericks.

Nowitzki is seemingly not bothered by his left hand tendon injury as he made those crucial shots using his injured hand, as they will try to gain the lead on this series in Game 3 and they will have much crowd support as the series shifts to the Mavericks' turf for the first time.

Heat win Game 1 of the NBA Finals

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 07:18:00 +0000

Another stifling end game blitz.

Dwayne Wade waxed hot towards the end of the game to lead the Miami Heat to a crucial 84-92 Game 1 victory in the coveted NBA Finals in front of their rowdy crowd at the American Airlines Arena in Miami Florida.

Wade scored 7 points in the fourth quarter that he seasoned with a huge block on Shawn Marion and a spectacular alley-oop pass to Lebron James to put the icing on the cake of this huge victory after the Mavericks engaged them in a very close and competitive battle.

Dirk Nowitzki was relatively quiet for the majority of the fourth quarter and his shooting was limited to a 7-18 clip although he scorea total of 27 points and 8 rebounds to lead the Mavs.

Jason Terry started great 12 early points but after that fast start, he wasn't able to add to his production any more and he even missed a crucial three pointer that may have brought the lead down to 5 with 2 minutes remaining.

Dallas might be playing a little underhanded on Game 2 because an X ray showed that Dirk Nowitzki tore a tendon on his non shooting hand but he will play as he tries to rally his team back and avoid a 0-2 hole going back home.

Heat sets duel with Mavs in the NBA Finals

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Sun, 29 May 2011 02:57:00 +0000

The Bulls crumbled in the homestretch again.

Much like what happened to the West Finals, the Miami Heat stunned the Chicago Bulls with an 18-3 run in the final minutes to win 83-80 and they will battle the Dallas Mavericks in a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals.

LeBron James and Dwayne Wade joined forces to catapult the Heat to this comeback. Wade scored a rare four point play and James buried two three pointers to snatch the game as the Chicago fans watched in great disbelief.

James also provided tough defense on the reigning MVP Derrick rose who shot just 9-29 from the field to score 25 points and dished out 8 assists. He didn't get any able support with only Luol Deng making an impact with 17 points while Carlos Boozer was a non factor with just 5 points in 1-6 shooting.

Miami did beat Dallas in th 06 Finals but only two hold overs from each team remains today, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry for the Mavs and Dwayne Wade and Udonis Haslem for the Heat so we can expect a different series. The Mavs gained the 2-0 series lead before the Heat won four straight win the series back then.

Why settle for "Less" if you can have the "Best"

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Fri, 27 May 2011 10:34:00 +0000

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Just one glimpse of it's very stylish appearance and awesome features will send all your questions and doubts bye bye in an instant.

Hate slow smart phones that bog down all of the sudden? You can kiss all those worries goodbye for good. LG Optimus 2x has an amazing dual-core Tegra 2 processor that runs at 1 GHz and you can be assured that this power will be put to good use such as the 1080p video recording and it is also perfect for multitasking while browsing the web.

Bloggers like myself need constant source of information that they use to give readers accurate posts about their specific fields of blogging and you can tell that LG Optimus 2X is just perfect for the job because it's like a laptop that fits right to your hand. Talk about nifty.

Do you love taking pictures to capture life's amazing moments? LG Optimus 2X is exactly what the doctor ordered for you. It has an 8 mega pixel primary camera and it's 1.3 mega pixel cam up front can be used for face to face calling. Why go through a ton of hassle with clunky DSLR's if you can have this? A blogger's best friend indeed.

Dependability is never an issue for the "genius phone" for it features a 1,500 mAh battery and tons of memory with 8 GB of on board storage plus it's upgradable with 32 GB of microSD. Wait there's more, it runs with 512 MB Ram and it's NOVA screen is deserving of it's name with 700 nits of brightness. What more can you ask for?

Convenient blogging on the go is now well within reach thanks to LG Optimus 2X.

Remember to be like Optimus.... don't be contented with "Less" and always strive for the "Best".

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Mavericks advance to NBA Finals by ousting Thunder

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Fri, 27 May 2011 01:08:00 +0000

Another late game surge saved the Mavs.

The Dallas Mavericks advanced to their 2nd NBA Finals in franchise history by eliminating the OKC Thunder 100-96 after another late game spurt to close out the Western Conference Finals in 5 games last night at Dallas Texas.

Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion tossed 26 points apiece and they led the charge in the last two minutes including the go ahead three pointer by Dirk capped by a pair of freethrows and a three point play by Marion off a slam.

Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 31 points while Kevin Durant and James Harden added 23 points apiece but ti wasn't enough for the Thunder as they collapsed in the end game once again after leading 94-90 with two minutes to go and the main reason was their careless passing that led to costly turnovers.

The first time Dallas competed in the Finals was against the Miami Heat back in 2006 and they had a 2-0 series advantage before finally losing the series in six games and that was when Shaquille O'Neal and Dwayne Wade led Miami to a stunning four game rampage.

Dallas awaits the winner of the Chicago-Miami series where the Heat currently have a 3-1 lead and they will try to close it out in Chicago.

Heat incinerate Bulls in OT to get 3-1 lead

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Wed, 25 May 2011 06:57:00 +0000

A win away from the Finals.

Miami clawed within a game away from reaching the elusive NBA Finals by edging out the Bulls in Game 4 101-93 OT victory led by LeBron James with 35 points and they survived an off night from Dwayne Wade last night at Miami Florida.

Wade really struggled this game, scoring only 8 points from the 2nd quarter and scoreless in the 2nd half until the halfway point in OT but the other members of the Big 3 James and Bosh filled in for the void lest by D-Wade.

Bosh scored 22 points and is extremely dominant this series, scoring 30 or more in 2 games this series thus far and his improved performance was a key turning point as they will try to wrap up the series in Chicago.

The Bulls lost three straight for the first time this season and that is after winning the first 4 battles with the Heat this season including the opener of this East Finals.

MVP Derrick Rose scored 23 points but it wasn't even a decent performance as he only shot 8-27 and he even committed 7 turnovers. Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer both added 20 for the Bulls who will face a do or die game in their home floor on Thursday.

Mavericks get 3-1 lead after stunning comeback against OKC

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Wed, 25 May 2011 01:12:00 +0000

The Thunder celebrated too early.

The Dallas mavericks mounted an unbelievable comeback to rally back from 15 points down with less than 5 minutes remaining to win in OT 112-105 and seize the 3-1 lead in front of stunned OKC crowd in Oklahoma City.

Dirk Nowitzki tallied his 2nd 40 point game to lead his team down the stretch and keep their heads above water while the Thunder broke down when it mattered the most as their supportive crowd watched in disbelief.

The Thunder outrebounded the Mavs 55-33, that's a +22 but still lost, becoming the first team in 25 years to lose a playoff game after getting a major rebounding advantage.

OKC's offense went ice cold starting the 4:48 mark of the 4th quarter, the time when James Harden fouled out. Their complacency was evident as they settled for outside shots and it took it's toll on them causing them this loss.

OKC will be in a major uphill climb for the rest of this series as Game 5 will be played in the hostile territory of Dallas and every game is a do or die game for the Thunder from now on.

Heat seize 2-1 lead against Bulls

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Tue, 24 May 2011 01:17:00 +0000

Stopping the dynamic duo clearly wasn't enough.

The Miami Heat emerged with an 96-85 victory over the Chicago Bulls to deal the No.1 seed their first losing skid since February and take the crucial 2-1 series lead last night at Miami.

Chris Bosh stunned the Bulls with 34 points, his second 30+ point performance in this series and it catapulted his team to the win although two of the "Big 3" LeBron James and Dwayne Wade combined for just 12-30 attempts from the floor.

Carlos Boozer led the Bulls with his double-double of 26 points and 17 rebounds but MVP Derrick Rose struggled shooting once again, hitting just 8-19 shots and he didn't even have an assist throughout the first half.

The Bulls clawed to within 4, 78-74 but they allowed Miami 9 unanswered points and the latter cruised on to the victory.

Game 4 will be played in Miami, with the home team trying to win a 3-1 series lead while the embattled Bulls will attempt to steal a game to tie the series before heading back to Chicago.

Mavs win Game 3 on the road against Thunder.

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Mon, 23 May 2011 01:10:00 +0000

They survived a furious comeback.

The Dallas Mavericks held on to a 93-87 victory against the home team OKC Thunder to seize 2-1 series lead last night after surviving a late game surge and once again gain series homecourt advantage.

The Mavs literally cuffed the younger Thunder in the first quarter only allowing 12 points for the period to lead by 15 points 27-12. The struggle went on for OKC until the halfway mark of the second quarter.

OKC 's performance towards the end second quarter improved but the lead was too big to overhaul and the first half ended with the Mavericks still in the driver seat 52-36 with Kevin Durant having evident offensive struggles.

Things started to turn physical in the third quarter as Russell Westbrook and Dirk Nowitzki exchanged shoves resulting in a double technical foul off a loose ball scuffle. Tyson Chandler elbowed James Harden in the face and by the end of the third quarter, Mavs lead 70-56.

Thunder make their run in the fourth, led by Westbrook,Durant and Harden to cut the lead to just four points but poor shot selection from OKC allowed Dallas to hold on and foil their end game rally.

Game 4 will be in OKC where the Thunder will try to tie it while the mavs try to take the commanding 3-1 lead

Hopkins beats Pascal to make boxing history.

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Sun, 22 May 2011 05:18:00 +0000

Bernard "Executioner" Hopkins at 46 years old became the oldest boxer to ever win a world boxing title by clinching the WBC Light Heavyweight Championship over the home town favorite Jean Pascal in their rematch at the Bell Center in Montreal Canada witnessed by a record setting 17,750 fans.

He surpassed the record of George Foreman who won his title at 45 years of age via knockout against Michael Moorer to win the heavyweight crown.

Hopkins demonstrated a masterful tactical fight, wearing down the much younger 28 year old Pascal throughout the fight and finish the latter half of the fight in convincing fashion to overhaul his slow start.

Pascal seemingly dominated the first 4 rounds before Hopkins got the jab going and he clearly was the fresher fighter in the ending rounds, a testament of his superb conditioning despite his age.

Hopkins even showed off at the start of round 7 by doing push ups when he noticed that Pascal was slow going out of his corner.

The "Executioner" proved that he was the superior fighter after he erased the memories of the majority draw he had with Pascal in their first meeting back in December 2010, a match that many believed Hopkins should have won.

Thunder steals Game 2 to even series

noreply@blogger.com (Johnwyn) — Sat, 21 May 2011 00:31:00 +0000

The shock troopers came up big.

The explosive bench of Oklahoma City Thunder gave a huge lift in the home stretch to catapult their team over the Dallas Mavericks to tie the series at 2 apiece with a six point victory106-100 last night in Dallas Texas.

James Harden led the bench with 23 points including a 4 point play to put the Thunder ahead by one by the end of the 4th quarter. Kevin Durant scored 24 markers and they manage to keep in check the offense of Dallas especially down the stretch.

Dirk Nowitzki led all scorers with 29 but he was not as effective as compared to the opener where he scored 48 points and his freethrow attempts were limited to 10 and his only miss from the stripe is a big one, it could have pulled the Mavs within 3 with 36 seconds left.

Serge Ibaka put up energetic defense against Nowitzki and his hustle rubbed off his teammates.

Russell Westbrook was not part of OKC's finishing unit as he lost his cool and can't seem to put his acts together.

Game 3 will be in Oklahoma City in front of the loudest crowds in the league today as they support their young and athletic team try to take the pivotal Game 3 win.