NEWS AND SPORTS

Ordinary housewife Jaymie Pizarro who pursued her dream of running #SamsungGalaxyTabLife2.0

2011-06-16T07:19:00.000-07:00

Ordinary housewife Jaymie Pizarro who pursued her dream of running #SamsungGalaxyTabLife2.0

Dallas wins Game 6, Finals 105-95

2011-06-13T05:41:00.000-07:00

Dallas wins Game 6, Finals 105-95

Jason Terry leads all scorers with 27 points and Dirk Nowitzki adds 21 as the Dallas Mavericks close out the series in Miami in Game 6

Mavericks-Heat notebook

THE FACTS: The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat 105-95 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, winning the series 4-2. It is the first title in franchise history. Guard Jason Terry scored a game-high 27 points off the bench while forward Dirk Nowitzki, who was named Finals MVP, added 21 points and 11 rebounds.

After struggling against the Heat's defense the first four games of the series, the Mavs topped 100 points for the second straight game. They shot 50 percent from the field, including 11 3-pointers. They took control of the game in third quarter behind strong play from Terry and J.J. Barea.

The Heat were led by LeBron James, who scored 21 points and had six assists. Forward Chris Bosh added 19 points and eight rebounds while Dwyane Wade added 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

QUOTABLE: "It took so long for us to get here. I don't really know if it would have made a difference [winning in Miami]. Just this feeling to be on the best team of the world is just undescribable."
-- Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki

THE STAT: The Mavericks were 11 of 26 from the 3-point line. It was their second consecutive game of hitting at least double-digits from behind the arc.

TURNING POINT: Dallas refused to rattle despite blowing a 12-point in the first half. The Heat at the time had all the momentum but the Mavericks still led at halftime. The most impressive part was Nowitzki was 1 of 12 from the field.

QUOTABLE II: "They just played the best basketball. Dirk constantly knocked down open shots. I mean, today he showed a lot of perseverance in just bouncing back. They made our defense work at the end of the day."
-- Heat forward Chris Bosh.

HOT: Jason Terry backed up all the talking he's done in the series. He made 11 of 16 shots, including 3 3-pointers. It was his most efficient game of the series. He was effective on the perimeter and driving to the basket.

NOT: Wade and James both struggled. They combined to shoot 15 of 31 from the field, but neither had that breakout performance needed to win. James started hot, scoring nine of the Heat's first 14 points. He then struggled in the second and third quarters. Wade never found his groove.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Wade had a solid all around game. He had 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists. The Heat probably would have liked to see more scoring from Wade.

GOOD MOVE: The Mavs put guard J.J. Barea in the starting lineup in Game 4. The move was probably the most important change of the series. His speed changed the pace, allowing the Mavs to play more fastbreak offense.

BAD MOVE: The Heat's offense sputtered once again. Too much standing around in halfcourt sets, and not enough fastbreak points. At some point, the offense is going to have to catch up to their defense

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2011-06-11T07:01:00.000-07:00

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Dallas takes Game 5, 112-103

2011-06-10T04:56:00.000-07:00

Dallas takes Game 5, 112-103 Dirk Nowitzki (29 points) and Jason Terry (21) make clutch shots late to put the Mavs within one game of a championship

Mavericks overcome James' triple-double, lead 3-2

Posted Jun 10 2011 4:58AM

DALLAS (AP) Dirk Nowitzki waited five long years for that elusive third victory over Miami, yet there was only a short celebration when it finally came.

He briefly thrust both arms in the air, a sea of blue screaming around him, but then quickly walked off the floor.

To Nowitzki, the real party can't come until next week.

"There's really nothing to celebrate," he said. "We're going in there Sunday swinging, like we did today, from the jump, and hopefully steal one Sunday."

And now it really is "now or never" for LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

Nowitzki scored 29 points, driving for the go-ahead dunk with 2:45 remaining, and the Mavericks beat the Heat 112-103 on Thursday night to take a 3-2 series lead.

The Mavs, who blew a 2-0 lead against the Heat in the 2006 finals, can wrap up their first championship in Game 6 at Miami on Sunday night.

"We didn't want to go to Miami and give them basically two shots to close us out. So we kept plugging there in the fourth. So definitely a big win for us," Nowitzki said. "And now we have to go down there and basically approach Sunday's game as Game 7."

James, who called this game "now or never," responded from his worst playoff performance with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and Dwyane Wade battled through a sore left hip after a first-quarter collision to finish with 23 points.

"I could have made a couple of more plays for my team," James said. "But at the end of the day, all it's about is a win or a loss. Triple-double means absolutely nothing in a loss. So we will be better in Game 6 on Sunday."

Chris Bosh had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who get the final two games at home with history against them as they try to win a title in their first season together: In the 26 previous finals that were tied 2-2, the Game 5 winner won 19 of them.

"We fought hard all season for home-court advantage. We're down 3-2," Bosh said. "We protect home court, we win the series, so we just have to keep that in mind."

The Mavs shot 60 percent through three quarters, briefly gave up the lead in the fourth, then outscored Miami 17-4 in the final 4:23, controlling the final few minutes just as they had in thrilling comebacks in Games 2 and 4.

Dallas shot 56.5 percent from the field, including 13 of 19 (68 percent) from 3-point range.

"We made more shots," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "We did a lot of good things defensively, which led to good offense. ... You never know when the games are going to go that way. The thing we've got to do is we've got to make sure our defense is consistent."

Jason Terry scored 21 points and J.J. Barea had 17 for the Mavs, who insisted at some point their shots would start falling even against the Heat's stingy defense. Jason Kidd and Tyson Chandler both finished with 13 points.

"We are getting the same looks we knew we would get," Terry said. "After Games 1 and 2, you watch it on film, you see it and then you realize you're going to have the opportunities. I said to myself, I said to my teammates, we're not going to continue to miss those open shots that we're getting."

James scored eight points in Game 4, going just 3 of 11, the first time in 90 postseason games he didn't hit double figures.

Trying to pump himself during a rough first finals in Miami in which he's been accused of everything from "shrinking" to "checking out" in the fourth quarters, he wrote "Now or Never!!" on his Twitter page early Thursday morning, later calling this the biggest game of his career.

But they feel the same urgency in Dallas, where the slogan "The Time is Now" is printed on those blue T-shirts that surround the court, and where the Mavs are loaded with 30-somethings - late 30s, in Kidd's case - who could be on their last shot at an NBA title.

Nowitzki said early Thursday he felt "great," having shaken the fever that rose to 101 degrees in Game 4.

This time, the health concern was Wade, who banged his hip in the first quarter and appeared to be limping at various points from there.

"I don't talk about injuries," Wade said. "It was unfortunate I had to leave the game, but I came back and finished it."

He remained in the locker room to start the second half, coming back onto the court about the midway point of the period. By then, the Mavs seemed in too good a groove to be cooled off no matter who Miami had out there.

A disgusted Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was already walking onto the court to call time by the time Chandler went up to dunk after catching the ball all alone under the basket, giving Dallas a nine-point lead that matched its largest of the series.

Miami stormed into the lead midway through the fourth with a 9-0 run, all layups, dunks and free throws until Wade's 3-pointer made it 99-95 with 4:38 to play.

The Mavs tied it at 100 on Terry's 3-pointer with 3:23 left, and after James missed, Nowitzki drove for a baseline dunk and a 102-100 lead. James was called for an offensive foul and missed a 3-pointer on Miami's next two possessions before Kidd drilled a 3-pointer to make it 105-100, sending the crowd into a delirious chant of "Beat the Heat! Beat the Heat!"

The teams were at the same point as their 2006 matchup after four games, but that one was already in the midst of a massive swing by then. Miami won the final four games behind Wade, the MVP of that series.

This one has been developing into one of the closest finals the NBA has ever seen. Games 2-4 were decided by three points or fewer. That hadn't happened in the championship round since 1948, according to STATS, LLC, when the Baltimore Bullets and Philadelphia Warriors played Games 2-4 within a three-point margin during the Basketball Association of America finals, a year before that league merged with the National Basketball League to become the NBA.

The first four games were determined by 15 total points, the fewest since a 12-game difference between the Celtics and Lakers in the 1969 finals.

And all eyes were on James, just as they have been since he bolted Cleveland for a better shot at a championship in Miami.

He vowed to be more aggressive after his puzzling Game 4. He caught the ball in the post more frequently, but his jumper was still off for much of the game.

James threw up an airball with his left hand on his first shot, and when he did finally score, the Mavs quickly came back with six straight points for an early 13-6 lead, a promising start for a team that had been playing from behind nearly all series.

Wade walked gingerly to the locker room with a left hip contusion with about 3 minutes left in the period after colliding with Mavs reserve Brian Cardinal on a drive to the basket, and didn't return to the bench until more than 3 minutes into the second.

James had a basket inside that gave Miami a six-point lead with 4:26 left in the half, but Dallas closed with a 14-5 push, taking a 60-57 edge to the locker room after Nowitzki's jumper with 6.1 seconds remaining. The Mavs shot 12 of 17 in the quarter, and after not reaching 30 points in any period through four games, hit that number in each of the first two quarters of Game 5.

Recap Notebook Heat-Mavericks notebook

2011-06-10T04:47:00.000-07:00

DALLAS WON THE GAME 4 ON FINALS AGAINST HEAT

THE FACTS: Dirk Nowitzki fought through a 101-degree fever to score 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, including a decisive drive with 14.4 seconds left as Dallas evened the NBA Finals at 2-2 with an 86-83 victory over Miami in Game 4 Tuesday at the American Airlines Center. Dwyane Wade had 32 points, but fumbled away the Heat's final possession.

It was the third consecutive down-to-the-wire thriller, with 15 ties and 12 lead changes. It was also the third straight time Nowitzki figured into the outcome. In Game 2, he drove past Chris Bosh and finished with the left hand for a 95-93 victory. In Game 3, his fadeaway over Udonis Haslem was off the mark in an 88-86 loss. This time, matched up against Haslem again, Nowitzki drove to his right and beat Haslem and Wade to the hoop.

Jason Terry added 17 points (eight in the fourth), Shawn Marion scored 16 and Tyson Chandler had 13 points and 16 rebounds (nine offensive boards) for Dallas, which overcame a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit. Bosh scored 24 for Miami, while LeBron James scored a postseason-low eight points on 3-for-11 shooting.

QUOTABLE: "This is the Finals. You're going to leave it out there. Like I said earlier in the series -- it's June. ... You have to go out there and compete and try your best for your team, so that's what I did."
-- Nowitzki, who added 11 rebounds.

THE STAT: James had scored in double figures in 434 consecutive games. His teams are now 0-8 in the playoffs when he scores fewer than 15 points.

TURNING POINT: After making his first three shots and scoring the Mavericks' first six points of the game, Nowitzki then missed 10 of his next 11 shots. Dallas didn't hesitate to call his number when it mattered, however, and his drive past Haslem gave the Mavericks an 84-81 lead.

QUOTABLE II: "We'll have to look at the film. Obviously we would like to get him involved. He's a very important piece to what we do. So we'll work to help make it easier for him next game."
-- Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra on James' performance.

HOT: Bosh scored 16 points on 8-for-12 shooting in the first half. Wade scored 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting in the second half.

NOT: Miami turned the ball over six times and scored only 14 points on 33.3 percent shooting (5-for-15) during the fourth quarter. The Heat led 78-73 on Wade's layup with 7:24 remaining, but didn't score again until Bosh made two free throws at the 1:53 mark. Wade missed a potential tying free throw with 30.1 seconds left.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Kelly Clarkson, winner of the inaugural season of American Idol and a Dallas-area native, sang the national anthem. Dallas Cowboys Tony Romo and Jason Witten, NFL rushing king Emmitt Smith and rapper Lil Wayne attended the game.

GOOD MOVE: Carlisle's decision to start J.J. Barea over DeShawn Stevenson for the first time this postseason didn't have its intended effect of speeding up the tempo, but Stevenson gave Dallas a big spark off the bench in the second quarter. He scored all 11 of his points in that period, going 3-for-4 from 3-point range. Barea finished with eight points and four assists.

BAD MOVE: After Terry hit two free throws with 6.7 seconds left to put Dallas up 86-83, Miami called timeout to get possession in the frontcourt. Mike Miller threw the inbounds pass to Wade, but the ball bounced off his hands and the Heat couldn't recover in time to get a clean look.

NOTABLE: Neither team shot the ball well from 3-point distance, with Miami going 2-for-14 and Dallas 4-for-19 from beyond the arc. ... Miami's opponents have scored fewer than 100 points in 18 of 19 games this postseason. ... Nowitzki made 39 consecutive free throws and was 26-for-26 in the Finals before missing with 3:52 left in the third quarter. ... Joel Anthony has now blocked at least one shot in 15 straight postseason games, one shy of Miami's franchise record held by Alonzo Mourning.

Miami secures Game 3, 88-86

2011-06-05T23:05:00.000-07:00

Miami secures Game 3, 88-86

Dwyane Wade attacks the rim for 29 points and Chris Bosh adds 18 as the Heat hold off the Mavericks 88-86 in Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki scores 34 points for the Mavericks.

Wade, Bosh lift Heat to 2-1 lead in NBA finals

Posted Jun 06 2011 12:47AM

DALLAS (AP) Dwyane Wade kept soaring and scoring, doing everything he could to get the Miami Heat a crucial win towards an NBA title.
Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem provided the final push.
Bosh made a 16-foot, go-ahead jumper from the baseline with 39.6 seconds left and Haslem pestered Dirk Nowitzki the rest of the way as the Heat held on for an 88-86 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night for a 2-1 lead in the NBA finals.
"This is a total win," said Wade, who led Miami with 29 points and 11 rebounds. "You want to win the game on the defensive end of the floor and we got a stop."
Recent history says this is a huge win for the Heat. The Game 3 winner in a tied finals has won the championship all 11 times since the 2-3-2 format began in 1985.
The Heat are headed into Game 4 on Tuesday night with a chance to do what they did in 2006: win it all on Dallas' floor. They'll need to win that game and the next, on Thursday night.
"I feel like we did nothing but get home-court advantage back," Wade said. "But the next game is a big game. We have to bring our hard hats, understanding it's going to be tougher to win that game than it was to win this one. I believe in this team. If anyone can do it, I believe we can."
With all its star power, many expected Miami to be planning a victory parade by now, especially after a solid victory in Game 1.
But the Heat blew a 15-point lead in the last quarter of Game 2, and nearly did it again this time, coughing up a 14-point lead.
The Heat recovered to lead 81-74 with 6:31 left. Everyone knew the Mavericks' comeback bid would be in Nowitzki's hands, but it didn't matter. He still scored 12 straight points - six free throws, a layup, a dunk and a tough jumper - tying it at 86.
With under a minute to go, Wade got the ball to LeBron James near the top of the key. Haslem screened Nowitzki while Bosh got set, took the pass from James and ripped it through the net, quite a thrill for the Dallas native who'd been 0-8 in his hometown. It was even more impressive considering his left eyelid was swollen because of an accidental poke by Jason Kidd in the first quarter, and he'd been misfiring all series, even when his vision was good.
"I don't care if he missed 15 in a row," James said. "He was wide open and that's his sweet spot. ... It's the trust we have in each other's ability, no matter what the point of the game is at."
The Mavericks of course went back to Nowitzki on its last two chances. And Haslem was right there both times for the Heat.
Right after Bosh scored, Nowitzki wanted to take a shot near the foul line but had Haslem swarming him and Wade charging at him. He jumped to shoot but twisted and threw toward Shawn Marion near the 3-point line on the right side. Marion had already taken off toward the basket, so the ball went into the front row instead.
After James missed a 3, Dallas had 4.4 seconds left to go for the tie or win. The inbounds pass went to Nowitzki and he was alone against Haslem just above the foul line.
Haslem anticipated what Nowitzki was going to do and walked the fine line between disrupting the shot while avoiding a foul.
"He's a great player, 7 feet, so he's going to shoot over me," Haslem said. "I've got to make it tough on him."
When the buzzer went off, Haslem swung his arms and screamed in delight while a frenzied crowd of 20,340 sighed in agony.
"Emotional game, fought back, and to fall short at the end is tough," said Nowitzki who scored 34 points. "But they need two more. Hopefully we can play a better all-around game and finally get some shots to go down."
Wade made 12 of 21 shots and was at his dynamic best from the start, looking like the guy who lifted the Heat past Dallas and to the title in '06.
"He was aggressive and took good shots," Bosh said. "We rode the wave for a little while. He set the tone for us."
Most of his baskets came in the paint - where the Heat outscored the Mavs, 40-22 - and many of them were spectacular. But he also stemmed Dallas' rally by hitting a go-ahead jumper over Kidd for Miami's second-to-last basket, and he made sure to keep his teammates properly focused, offering praise or scolding when needed. When James was duped into a shot-clock violation in the final minutes, Wade pounded his fists on his head in frustration.
"I've been here before," Wade said. "So (I was) just trying to lead. My guys did a great job of following that lead. We were able to come out with the win."
Wade and Bosh each scored seven points in the fourth quarter. Bosh finished with 18 points.
James came in talking about being more aggressive, but wasn't. He went more than 6 minutes before taking his first shot, but certainly made it worth the wait - a drive through the teeth of the defense for a powerful dunk. He also had a two-handed jam in the second half that put Miami up by 13.
He finished with 17 points and nine assists. He also had four turnovers, including a pair during the fourth quarter - not counting the shot-clock violation - that helped bring Dallas back.
Nowitzki scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, but didn't get much help, in the period or the rest of the game.
Terry scored 15 and Shawn Marion had 10. Both were shut out in the fourth quarter. The only other scorers were backup point guard J.J. Barea early in the quarter and Tyson Chandler dunking off a rebound.
For the game, Nowitzki made 11 shots, the rest of the Mavericks 17.
"We have to have somebody step up besides Dirk," said Jason Kidd, who had nine points and 10 assists, but also four turnovers. Giveaways haunted Dallas throughout the game, especially the first half, helping keep Miami comfortably ahead. "We have to figure out how to get up front and play up front. The big thing is we've got to be able to make plays late in the game. Game 2 we made the plays, Game 3 we just didn't."
Dallas was without backup center Brendan Haywood because of a hip injury. His absence meant more minutes for several frontcourt players, and it put Ian Mahinmi on the court for 8 minutes. He scored two points and committed five fouls.
Miami led by seven after the first quarter, the final three points coming on a buzzer-beater by Mario Chalmers. The Heat lead hit 14 in the second quarter, dipped to five at halftime then ran back to 13 early in the third quarter.
But the Heat couldn't put the Mavs away. Dallas would surge close or ahead, then Miami would turn it up again. The final 18 minutes played out with both teams realizing any possession could change the game and the series.
Nothing came easy for anyone. Shots were contested, bodies collided for every rebound and guys were flying into the stands after loose balls. Fans stood throughout, wearing their blue gimme T-shirts and fired up by videos such as one featuring encouraging words from Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Nolan Ryan and others.
Ultimately, it was the visitors from Miami who walked off celebrating.
"Now we just have to move on," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "The tough part right now is amnesia. Both teams are highly competitive, this is a competitive series as you can see. We have to really gather ourselves in 48 hours and get right back and do this again."
NOTES: Bosh on his injured eye: "We'll spit on it and put a Band-Aid on it and patch it up later." ... Dallas fell to 8-2 at home this postseason. ... The Heat and Mavs have each won a road game this series, which should be no surprise. They tied for the best road record in the NBA this season. ... Bosh was booed as much as any Miami player during pregame introductions. So much for fans cutting the local kid some slack. ... The Mavs fell to 2-1 this postseason in games officiated by Dan Crawford. Dallas came into this postseason having lost 16 of its last 17 playoff games he worked. ... Aikman and Terrell Owens sat about 10 seats apart on the same row. Owens attended games in Miami, too.

Aggressive Miami takes lead

2011-06-05T19:08:00.000-07:00

Aggressive Miami takes lead

Fired up after their Game 2 meltdown, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and the Heat are driving the paint on the Mavericks' home court.

Third Quarter score board : MIAMI - 67 , DALLAS 64. 3 point lead by MIAMI Heat

NBA Finals Game 1 Dallas vs Miami

2011-06-04T01:52:00.000-07:00

Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks 92-84 in Game 1

watch the game 2 here: NBA Finals Game 2

Mavericks-Heat notebook

Wednesday June 1, 2011 12:55AM

THE FACTS: The Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks 92-84 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals Tuesday at AmericanAirlines Arena. The Heat lead the series 1-0. Forward LeBron James led the Heat with 24 points and nine rebounds while guard Dwyane Wade added 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
The Heat trailed by eight in the third quarter before turning things around. James hit an off-balanced 3-pointer at the end of the quarter to put Miami ahead by four. Miami limited the Mavericks to just 37 percent shooting, slowing star forward Dirk Nowitzki. He finished with 27 points, but shot just 7 of 18 from the field. Forward Shawn Marion added 16 points and 10 rebounds.
In a defensive battle, Miami shot poorly as well, making 38 percent from the field. The difference was the Heat's 16 offensive rebounds and 11 of 24 shooting from the 3-point arc.
QUOTABLE: "Well, again, that was a grind. It's tough. That's a very skilled offensive team. We didn't get into much of an offensive flow the entire game. This was more of probably a defensive battle."
-- Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra.
THE STAT: The Heat won the offensive rebounding battle 16-6. The second-chance points were vital in Miami overcoming a second-half deficit and staying close in the first half.
TURNING POINT: The moment Wade joined the party in the second half. After allowing James and Chris Bosh to carry the early load, Wade finished strong with seven fourth-quarter points. The Heat are fine with this as long as Wade arrives at some point. He played the same way throughout the Chicago Bulls series in the Eastern Conference finals.
QUOTABLE II: "We'll play better. I'm very certain of that. Again, we had some opportunities that, shot we normally make, they didn't go down. And so that was tough."
-- Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle.
HOT: James shot 9 of 16 from the field, but more importantly hit 4 of 5 from 3-point range. That made things difficult for the Mavs' defense and eventually opened things up for him and Wade to drive to the basket.
NOT: Nowitzki scored 27 points, but had to work hard to get them. He shot just 7 of 18 from the field, with most of his production coming from the foul line. The Mavs will need him to perform like he did in the previous two rounds to have any sort of chance.
FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Wade finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Not bad for a player who was virtually a non-factor in the first half.
INSIDE THE ARENA: Jimmy Buffet, Gloria Estefan, Ludacris, Queen Latifah, Terrell Owens.
GOOD MOVE: The Heat decided to have James defense Mavs guard Jason Terry in the second half. It eliminated much of the Mavs' perimeter scoring. There was talk about James defending Nowitzki, but it never happened. It wound working because the Dallas offense was less effective in the second half.
BAD MOVE: The Mavs appeared to give up the 3-point shot. It came back to haunt them, with the Heat making 11 of 24 from behind the arc. Miami's 3-point shooting allowed it to offset its 38 percent shooting.
NOTABLE: The Heat are now 9-0 at home in the postseason ... Heat center Erick Dampier was active for the first time in the playoffs, but did not play ... The Mavs trail for the first time in a playoff series this season ...Mavs forward Caron Buter (knee) remained inactive, but coach Rick Carlisle has yet to rule him out for the series.

Dallas steals Game 2, 95-93

2011-06-03T03:25:00.000-07:00

Despite 36 points from Dwyane Wade and a 15-point fourth quarter lead for Miami, the Mavericks rally to overtake the Heat in a Game 2
watch the Game 1 here: NBA Finals Game 1

Mavericks-Heat notebook

Posted Friday June 3, 2011 1:17AM

THE FACTS: The Dallas Mavericks rallied from a 15-point, fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Miami Heat 95-93 Thursday in Game 2 of the NBA Finals at AmericanAirlines Arena. The series is now tied at 1. Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 24 points, including the winning layup with three seconds remaining. Nowitzki, playing with a torn tendon in his left middle finger, also hit a key 3-pointer in the final minute to put the Mavs ahead 93-90.
The Heat responded with a 3-pointer from guard Mario Chalmers in the corner, setting the stage for Nowitzki's final shot. Miami had one last chance, but Dwyane Wade missed a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Wade led all scorers with 36 points while forward LeBron James had 20 points and eight rebounds. The Mavs had four players in double-figures, including Shawn Marion (20 points), Jason Terry (16) and Tyson Chandler (13).
QUOTABLE: "Just hang in. Let's get some stops. Let's give ourselves a chance. Let's put some pressure on them. We really hadn't put any pressure on them at all in two games to speak of ... but by being solid and getting a couple of stops and scoring, we got some momentum and it worked out."
-- Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle.
THE STAT: Trailing 88-73, the Mavs closed the game with a 22-5 run.
TURNING POINT: A 3-pointer by Wade with 7:13 left produced the 15-point lead, but his posing in front of the Dallas bench provided a spark for the Mavs. Several Mavericks said it served as motivation for the comeback. Tyson Chandler said it was a show of disrespect and Jason Terry needed to be held back by teammates because of the excessive celebrating.
QUOTABLE II: "No question about it, that's about as tough a fourth quarter you can have. When it started to slide, it just kept on going ... We're not happy about this. Certainly the way we closed the game is so uncharacteristic for us on both ends of the court."
-- Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra.
HOT: It's unfortunate the Heat wasted Wade's best game of the postseason. He was hot from the start, but disappeared in the end. Wade finished with 36 points on 13 of 20 shooting. Most of his production came when took advantage of the mismatch of being guarded by Mavs point guard Jason Kidd.
NOT: Heat forward Chris Bosh continues to struggle in the Finals. He shot just 4 of 16 from the field, finishing with 12 points. The Mavs have put most of their focus on stopping James and Wade, but Bosh has failed to take advantage of the open shots.
FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: James finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists. He shot 8 of 15 from the field, but the Heat probably need him to be more aggressive from the field.
GOOD MOVE: The Mavs did not run many set plays in the final seven minutes. Players said it allowed them to play more relaxed. It's a strategy they've used often this season when trailing, and it led to one of the greatest comebacks in Finals history.
BAD MOVE: The Heat may have gotten just a little too comfortable with that 15-point lead. It didn't help that Wade decided to showboat in front of the Mavs' bench. Dallas had more than enough fuel when you consider the Heat crowd had already begun celebrating by throwing T-shirts on the court.
NOTABLE: The loss was the Heat's first home loss in 10 playoff games this season. The Mavs are the first team to rally from a 15-point deficit in the Finals since the Chicago Bulls against the Portland Trailblazers in 1992.
UP NEXT: Game 3 is Sunday at AmericanAirlines Center at 8 p.m. on ABC

Miami Heat vs Chicago Bulls Game 3 Series

2011-05-22T20:02:00.000-07:00

Bulls-Heat 96-85

MIAMI (AP) Dwyane Wade's right arm had a nasty gash that left him unwilling to shoot the ball for Miami down the stretch. Omer Asik needed stitches around his chin, not to mention a Chicago jersey that wasn't covered in his own blood.
That was Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.
And in Game 3, both sides expect more of the same.
"We haven't been able to ease into anything this year," Heat forward LeBron James said.
Don't look for that to change anytime soon, either.
With a 2-1 series lead at stake, the Bulls and Heat renew acquaintances Sunday in Miami, ending a roughly 94-hour hiatus in the already-physical matchup. When Game 2 ended Wednesday, just about everyone in the Heat locker room had an icepack strapped to something, and more than a few limped their way to the bus that would carry them to the airport.
Just think: They were the winning side.
"Fortunately, we were able to have some days to recuperate," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Our guys, they're not shying away from it. Neither team is. Both teams have built these habits for the entire season. We've proven we're an aggressive, attacking, physical defense that rebounds the basketball. ... They've proven to be the same. So you have two things colliding into each other."
The Bulls - the NBA's top overall seed who no longer has home-court advantage in this series - have shown they can recover quickly. After each of their three previous playoff losses, Chicago answered with a double-digit win in the next game.
Plus, the Bulls haven't lost consecutive games since February 5-7.
"Don't jinx us like that," Bulls guard Derrick Rose said.
Since 2006, when the Heat won their lone title, the winner of Game 3 of the East title series has advanced to the NBA finals every time.
"This is going to be a crazy game, where I think they're going to have a lot of confidence," said Rose, the NBA's MVP this season. "Some way, somehow, we've just got to come up with this win no matter how we get it. We've just got to have more intensity than them and play way more aggressive."
Can this series get any more aggressive?
Wade seems to think it might. Scoring might be plentiful in the Oklahoma City-Dallas matchup out West, but the East likely will be won in gritty fashion.
"This is a very physical series," Wade said. "This is a grind-out series. You look at our series compared to the other series, it's night and day between the styles. Very physical and I'm sure both teams in between games are in the icetub, trying to get their body ready for the next one."
The Bulls manhandled Miami on the boards on the way to a Game 1 rout, getting 31 second-chance points in the series opener. Miami cut that nearly in half for Game 2, holding Chicago to 18 second-chance points and outrebounding the Bulls 45-41.
Miami was markedly better on defense as well.
Chicago had four field goals in the final 13 minutes of Game 2, all of them by reserve Taj Gibson, and the Heat outscored the Bulls 14-10 in the fourth quarter, which Spoelstra and Miami pointed to afterward as a source of major pride.
"We have to execute a lot better," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "We have to screen better. We have to keep the ball moving. But we have to get some easy baskets, too."
In Game 2, that wasn't happening.
The Bulls had 83 different quarters this season in which they scored 29 points. On Wednesday, that's what they managed in the entire second half.
"We're all in it together," said James, who had nine big points in a late 11-2 run that snapped a 73-all tie and sealed the Game 2 win. "I made a few plays down the stretch. But if we didn't continue to get stops defensively and give ourselves an opportunity to get in that position, we wouldn't be 1-1 now."
If anyone really enjoyed the long gap between Games 2 and 3, it was James.
He's played at least 40 minutes in nine of Miami's last 10 playoff games - and the lone exception was a matchup where he was six seconds shy of that. James has averaged nearly 46 minutes of playing time in the last four Heat games, yet insists he's not wearing down whatsoever.
"I never ask him if he's tired or if he can absorb that many minutes," Spoelstra said. "He's a remarkably well-conditioned athlete. In many ways, he's a freak of nature."
Really, the tone of this series should be no surprise.
Chicago had the NBA's top field-goal percentage defense this season at .430. Miami was second at .434.
"We want to come back there and bounce back and get back on the right page, because things can go bad quick," Bulls swingman Ronnie Brewer said. "You don't want to get into a habit that one game leads to two to three losses. So you usually try to turn it around as quickly as possible."
Rose will look for a bounceback, after shooting only 7 of 23 in Game 2. Strange as it may sound, the bigger boost for Chicago may come if Kyle Korver - off to a 2 for 10 start in the series - gets his shot going again. The Bulls are 30-4 this season when Korver scores at least 10 points, 41-20 when he doesn't.
"I'm not going to get wide open in the series," Korver said.
Hardly anybody is.
Even with all the star power - James, Wade, Rose, Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer - the teams are shooting a combined 43 percent from the field, 31 percent from 3-point range. And both sides are convinced that Sunday night, a play here or there might be the difference.
"It hasn't been a lot of yakking back and forth," Wade said. "Just a lot of hard work. Who knows if it'll get there, but you always know it's going to be hard work between these two teams."

Dallas vs Oklahoma Game 2 Oklahoma wins tie to 1-1

2011-05-22T19:50:00.000-07:00

Thunder-Mavericks notebook

THE FACTS: James Harden put Oklahoma City ahead with a four-point play at the end of the third quarter and scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth as the Thunder held off Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks, knotting up the Western Conference finals with a 106-100 victory in Dallas in Game 2 on Thursday night.
Nowitzki, coming off a 48-point effort in the series opener, scored 16 of his 29 points in the fourth, but Oklahoma City answered every bucket and shot 65 percent (11-for-17) in the period. The Mavericks had their franchise-record seven-game postseason winning streak snapped and lost for the first time in seven home playoff games.
QUOTABLE: "We have a lot of confidence in James. I personally do, our team does, our staff does. He made plays. He made big basketball plays, and James is not just a spot-up shooter. He is a penetrator. He is a playmaker, and I thought he did it all tonight."
-- Thunder head coach Scott Brooks on Harden.
THE STAT: After getting outscored 53-22 in Game 1, the Oklahoma City bench outscored the Dallas reserves by a 50-29 margin in Game 2. In addition to Harden's 23 points and seven rebounds, the Thunder got 13 points from Eric Maynor, eight points from Daequan Cook and six points, six rebounds and two blocks from Nick Collison. Harden and Maynor played all 12 minutes in the fourth quarter, while Cook played 11:47 and Collison went 11:23 before fouling out.
TURNING POINT: Dallas trailed 91-90 with less than seven minutes to play, but Oklahoma City pulled away with an 11-2 run. Harden capped it with a cold-blooded 22-footer over Jason Terry to make it 102-92 with 3:15 remaining.
QUOTABLE II: "I can't remember the last time we lost the battle of the bench. It was going to happen at some point and it happened tonight and I give them a lot of credit. They were more aggressive and they made more big shots."
-- Mavericks guard J.J. Barea.
QUOTABLE III: "Our defense, our energy ... when the first unit came out and the second unit went in, we kept it up and that was the difference."
-- Harden.
HOT: Harden was 6-for-9 from the field (4-for-7 3-pointers) and 7-for-8 at the line with seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. ... Kevin Durant scored 14 of his 24 points in the first quarter. ... Dallas center Tyson Chandler had 15 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. ... Jason Kidd tallied 13 points, seven assists, five rebounds and five steals.
NOT: Mavericks guard DeShawn Stevenson was 1-for-6 from the field, all from beyond the arc, and Shawn Marion was 4-for-13. ... Dallas shot just 37.5 percent (15-for-40) in the second half, compared to 55.9 percent (19-for-34) by Oklahoma City.
GOOD MOVE: Brooks gambled with an unorthodox lineup in crunch time and it paid off. Durant played the entire fourth quarter, but no other Thunder starters were on the court for more than 37 seconds in the pivotal period. Russell Westbrook (18 points, four assists and four turnovers) and Kendrick Perkins didn't play at all in the fourth.
BAD MOVE: With the shot clock winding down and 7.5 seconds left in the third quarter, Terry fouled Harden on a 3-point shot. Harden swished the shot and made the free throw to turn a 76-73 deficit into a 77-76 lead entering the fourth.
NOTABLE: Oklahoma City has not lost back-to-back games this postseason. ... Nowitzki was 9-for-10 at the free-throw line after making an NBA playoff-record 24-for-24 in the opener. His fourth-quarter miss snapped his streak of 39 consecutive made free throws in the postseason. ... This was the first time all season that Dallas has lost when Nowitzki attempts 10 or more foul shots (17-1).
UP NEXT: Game 3 is Saturday @ Oklahoma City (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Dallas takes Game 3, 93-87

2011-05-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

Dallas takes Game 3, 93-87

The Thunder make a furious late-game charge, but it wasn't enough to overtake the Mavericks in Oklahoma City.

Mavericks-Thunder notebook

THE FACTS: The Dallas Mavericks jumped out to a 35-12 lead early in the second quarter then held on for dear life as the Oklahoma City Thunder cut that 23-point margin down to just four late in the game. Earlier in the playoffs the Mavs blew a 23-point lead at Portland and went on to lose the game but they held on in OKC to take Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals 93-87. Neither Thunder All-Star Kevin Durant (24 points on 7-for-22 shooting) nor Mavericks All-Star Dirk Nowitzki (18 points on 7-for-21) had particularly good nights.
The Thunder were 0-for-16 on 3-pointers, a playoff record for futility, before Russell Westbrook dropped one in from beyond the arc in the last minute. Oklahoma City outscored Dallas 51-41 in the second half but it wasn't enough. Nowitzki and Shawn Marion led the Mavs with 18 points. Jason Kidd and Jason Terry added 13. Center Tyson Chandler came up big with 15 rebounds, six on the offensive end. Westbrook led the Thunder with 30 points and Durant added 24 and pulled down 12 rebounds but no one else in a home uniform scored in double figures.
QUOTABLE: "We were much better defensively tonight and we had to be. The first two games we were horrible. Now the challenge is to sustain it."
-- Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle.
QUOTABLE II: "They did a great job from the start with their defensive pressure, they took us out of our sets and got us playing on our heels. They were very physical, pushed us off our spots. But our guys fought back to make a game of it."
-- Thunder head coach Scott Brooks.
THE STAT: Over the last two games Durant is 0-for-13 on 3-pointers.
QUOTABLE III: "It's not like me to miss 13 threes in a row. I practice them every day. I got some wide open looks they just didn't fall."
-- Durant.
TURNING POINT: It's hard to say the turning point wasn't the big start the Mavs got but after a 23-point advantage had evaporated down to just six with 3:20 left in the game Oklahoma City missed three consecutive 3-point attempts one each by Westbrook, James Harden and Daequan Cook and turned the ball over during the next two minutes. The Thunder cut the lead to four but could not get any closer.
QUOTABLE IV: "Russell's three might have been an opportunity for him to attack, his attack game was really working so he maybe should have done that instead, but the other threes were wide open. When you shoot 1-for-17 on 3-pointers it's not good."
-- Brooks.
HOT: In the first nine minutes of the game Dallas was 9-for-17 (52.9 percent) including 3-for-4 (75 percent) on 3-pointers and had scored 21 points...in the first half the Mavs were 21-for-40 (52.5 percent)...Marion had 12 points in the first 24 minutes on 6-for-8 shooting...The Dallas bench was a combined 7-for-18 (38.9 percent) for 20 points...Also in the first half the Thunder were hot at the line going 16-for-17 (94.1 percent)...Through three quarters Marion had scored 16 points on 8-for-11 shooting...OKC ended the game shooting 32-for-36 (88.9 percent) from the free throw line...
NOT: Oklahoma City got off to a terrible shooting start in the first nine minutes of the game they were just 2-for-12 (16.7 percent) and had scored only eight points...OKC finished the quarter with just 12 points, their worst first quarter of the season. The Thunder were just 4-for-17 (23.5 percent) and 0-for-5 on 3-pointers...At halftime OKC had just 36 points (a season low) on 10-for-34 shooting (29.4 percent)...Durant had 10 points on 2-for-10 shooting, including 0-for-4 on 3-pointers...Harden was 0-for-5...The Thunder bench was a combined 2-for-8 (25 percent) for five points...In the third quarter Dallas was just 6-for-21 (28.6 percent) but Oklahoma City wasn't much better, 7-for-21, (33.3 percent)...Through three quarters Durant had 15 points on just 4-for-18 (0-for-8 on 3-pointers)...Nowitzki had just eight points on 3-for-12...The Thunder hit their last 3-point attempt after missing their first 16 (5.9 percent).
INSIDE THE ARENA: A strong demand for tickets as some fans paid as much as $2,500 per seat. It was another "blue-out" as more than 18,000 blue tee-shirts were distributed to fans along with white rally towels. The pop group Hanson sang the National Anthem. The brothers are from Tulsa. NBA "Superfan" James Goldstein sat courtside along with PGA Tour star Scott Verplank. Verplank lives in the OKC suburb of Edmond.
GOOD MOVE: Mavs guard J.J. Barea driving into the lane passes underhand to center Brendan Haywood for a slam in the second quarter.
GOOD MOVE TOO: Dallas point guard Jason Kidd with a nice move coming off a pick and roll early in the third quarter gets into the lane for a wide open floater that goes in giving the Mavs a 20-point lead.
GOOD MOVE III: Mavs guard DeShawn Stevenson standing out near the three point line comes running in to grab an offensive rebound in the third quarter. He gets the ball out to Kidd who flips it back to Stevenson who has drifted back out beyond the arc and nails the three ball.
NOTABLE: Dallas has now won four straight road playoff games.
UP NEXT: Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals between the Mavericks and Thunder is set for Monday at 9 p.m. ET inside Oklahoma City Arena. The game can be seen on ESPN.

June 2011 Pacquiao - Marquez for the 3rd Time

2011-05-21T22:01:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao will face Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez at a 145-pound catchweight if the proposed fight pushes through, Pacquiao's adviser, Michael Koncz, said.

Marquez, who already fought Pacquiao in two tight battles, reportedly asked the Filipino champion to go down to 143 pounds to make their third fight.

Koncz, however, said Pacquiao won’t fight Marquez at a weight any lower than 145 pounds.

"It's 145, and not 143. We've had general discussions with [Top Rank Promotions CEO] Bob Arum, but we haven't sat down, Manny and I, to make a decision," said Koncz in BoxingScene.com.

Pacquiao, who recently defended his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title against Shane Mosley, is currently fighting at 147 pounds.

Marquez, the reigning WBO and World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight champion, is seen by many fight experts as the next best opponent for Pacquiao in the absence of pound-for-pound great Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The Mexican first met Pacquiao in 2004 in a fight that ended in a controversial draw.

They fought again 4 years later, when Pacquiao eked out a split decision to take away Marquez’s WBC super featherweight title.

Arum is currently working to arrange a third fight between the two boxers.

Koncz said they will just wait for Arum to present options about the Marquez fight.

"I don't think that there is a rush to do it," said Koncz. "Let Manny get some rest and spend some time with his family after spending long, hard weeks in training camp. We don't have to come up with a decision this week."

Officially announced Pacquiao vs Marquez This November 2011

2011-05-19T04:52:00.000-07:00

One day after Manny Pacquiao's victory over Sugar Shane Mosley, WBO welterweight champ will have a possible rematch versus Juan Manuel Marquez. An announcement from different websites today including Coolbuster and television news programs, Pacquiao vs Marquez rematch will take place in November 5, 2011 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao vs. Marquez 3 will be the deciding match for this great rivalry. This rivalry could easily be one of the best rivalries in boxing history and is likened to the Barrera-Morales and Gatti-Ward rivalries.

This match is also the most awaited fight of the year for boxing fans around the world. This match could easily be the “Fight of the Year” because of the drama and history involved and also because of the talent of this two great fighters.

Miami wins Game 2, 85-75

2011-05-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

LeBron James and the Heat pull away down the stretch to even the series with a Game 2 win. James scores 29 points, while Dwyane Wade has 24 and Udonis Haslem adds 13.

Watch the video recap here: http://www.nba.com/video/channels/playoffs/2011/05/18/0041000302_mia_chi_1h.nba

Heat-Bulls Preview

Posted May 17 2011 5:40PM

DEERFIELD, Ill. (AP) There wasn't much else LeBron James could do other than shrug it all off and vow to perform better in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Game 1 certainly didn't go well for the Miami.

With James and Dwyane Wade struggling, and the Heat getting beaten badly on the boards, Chris Bosh's 30 points weren't enough to bail out the Heat in the opener. The top-seeded Chicago Bulls won 103-82, and now have a chance to grab a commanding lead when the series resumes Wednesday night at the United Center.

"We've been able to bounce back this year no matter if it's been the regular season or the postseason," James said. "Learn from mistakes in the previous game and then move on. We've done that. We're looking forward to the challenge, we're excited about tomorrow's opportunity to be here and try to steal homecourt."

If they don't get more from James and Wade, the Heat won't get that chance and a 2-0 deficit more daunting then it sounds. The Bulls never lost more than two in a row on their way to a league-leading 62 wins and their first conference finals appearance since the second championship three-peat 13 years ago. They swept three close games from the Heat during the regular season and are off to a good start in this series.

James and Wade came in on a surge, only to have the plug pulled against one of the league's stingiest defenses.

Coming off back-to-back games with 35 and 33 points against Boston in the semifinals, James scored just 15 in the opener while hitting 5 of 15 shots. He couldn't shake Luol Deng or active big men like Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah helping out.

Wade didn't have much luck, either, after averaging 30.2 points against the Celtics. He finished with 18 points - six in the second half - and the Bulls broke it open down the stretch on their way to a lopsided victory.

"I think we've got to play better," said Deng, who scored 21 points. "I really do. We played really well. If you look at the final score, we won by a lot, but it really wasn't that kind of game. It really wasn't. It was tied at the half. They had the lead at some point in the third quarter. So there's a lot of things we've got to get better at."

He saw too many fastbreaks in the early going, some sloppy ball handling. League MVP Derrick Rose committed three of his four turnovers in the opening minutes but had none in the second half, and in many ways, it was a textbook performance by a team that held opponents to a league-low 43-percent shooting.

Sure, Miami hit just over 47 percent of its shots, but other than Bosh (12 of 18), no one else really stepped up and Miami often looked out of sync.

There was too much isolation, not enough ball movement, patience. Then again, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau pointed out Miami's ball movement often comes out of isolation.

"Miami's been a good ball-movement team all year," he said. "They have players that when the ball comes back to them, they can go one-on-one. That's what makes them so dangerous and tough to guard. Sometimes, your best ball movement comes off isolation because you have to commit two defenders to the player, and once the ball moves, now you're getting wide open shots or easier shots."

James said: "You got be patient. It's harder to attack on the front side of their defense because they load on the strong side. You've got to be able to get the ball from one side to another and then attack their defense. They got a lot of length and athleticism."

And they don't allow many second chances.

No team outrebounded opponents by a wider margin than the Bulls at 5.74 per game. They owned the Heat on the boards during the regular season and did it again in Game 1, to a 45-33 tune. They grabbed 19 offensive rebounds to just six for the Heat and outscored them 31-8 on second-chance points.

Miami could go with a bigger rotation and activate Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Erick Dampier, but they would be sacrificing athleticism.

"It's not about bigger bodies, it's about wanting the ball," Bosh said. "Collectively, as a team, we have to do good job of keeping bodies on those bigs. Containing the screen and roll with D-Rose and just going our job like we know we are capable of. We've done it all season, we just have to capitalize tomorrow."

NOTE: It's no surprise that Gibson got, oh, a few messages after his eyebrow-raising dunk on Wade in Game 1, one of two slams that had people buzzing about the young forward afterward. How many? "Too many," Gibson said. "I turned my phone off. I just wanted to move on."

Marian Rivera is FHM 100 sexiest women 2011

2011-05-18T09:17:00.000-07:00

Marian Rivera is FHM 100 sexiest women 2011

The Kapuso star Marian Rivera is on the lead for FHM 100 sexiest women 2011 poll.
So far the I got here 2011 FHM sexiest women. As you can see Marian Rivera is on the no.1 spot. Followed by Angel Locsin while Katrina Halili is already no. 8.
I guess the survey or voting has already ended so I hope your favorite star is included. Well, congratulations for the 2011 FHM sexiest woman 2011 none other than Marian Rivera

1. Marian Rivera
2. Angel Locsin
3. Cristine Reyes
4. Sam Pinto
5. Solenn Heussaff
6. Jennylyn Mercado
7. Ellen Adarna
8. Katrina Halili
9. Anne Curtis
10. Rhian Ramos

NBA Playoffs 2011: Mavericks Vs Thunder Game 1 Highlights

2011-05-18T00:28:00.001-07:00

Dallas Mavericks leads the series [1-0] against Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs 2011 Western Conference Finals. Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with a career-high 48 points with 6 rebounds. The final score was 121-112.

Derrick Rose of Chicago Bulls Amazing Player

2011-05-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

Derrick Rose Of Chicago Bulls

Derrick Rose was chosen as the youngest Most Valuable Player in National Basketball Association history after leading the Chicago Bulls to the best record in the regular season while averaging 25 points per game.
Rose, at 22 years, 7 months, is five months younger than Hall of Famer Wes Unseld was when he won the honor in 1969 with the Baltimore Bullets.
Rose is the first Bulls player to win the award since Michael Jordan won for the fifth time in 1997-98.
“I want to thank my teammates and the coaching staff,” a tearful Rose said at a televised news conference. “You all push me every single day making sure that I play hard and play with passion.”
He saved his last thank you for his mother, Brenda, “the reason why I play the way that I play.”
LeBron James won the MVP award the past two seasons, playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers before signing with the Miami Heat. James was third in the voting this year, behind Rose and Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic.
Rose received 1,182 points and 113 first-place votes from the panel of sports writers and broadcasters combined with fan balloting, according to an NBA statement.
Howard had three first-place votes and 643 points. James had four first-place votes and 522 points, with Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers getting the remaining first-place ballot and 428 points. Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder was fifth with 190 points.

Playoff Games

Rose scored 24 points last night and left the court limping after hurting his left ankle on the closing play as the Bulls began their second-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks with a 103-95 home defeat. The Hawks, who ended a 15-game winless run in the second round of the playoffs, return to the United Center in Chicago tomorrow for Game 2 in the best-of- seven series.
Rose’s award comes two days after Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau was selected Coach of the Year after guiding Chicago to a 62-20 record and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Thibodeau, 53, became the seventh first-year coach to win the Red Auerbach Trophy and the fourth Bulls coach to claim the award. The most recent previous winner was Phil Jackson in 1996, when the Bulls won the NBA Finals for the fourth time in six years. The other Chicago winners were Johnny Kerr in 1967 and Dick Motta four years later.
Rose, the No. 1 pick in the 2008 draft and the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2008-09, is the first player since Dave Cowens in 1973 to become MVP after receiving no votes the previous year, the Chicago Tribune said.
He’s also the seventh MVP to average at least 25 points, 7.5 assists and four rebounds in a season, after Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Larry Bird, Jordan, Dwyane Wade and James. Rose averaged 7.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game this season.

Chicago takes Game 1, 103-82

2011-05-17T00:46:00.000-07:00

Derrick Rose scores 28 as the Bulls wear down the Heat in the second half and cruise to a 103-82 win in Game 1.

Heat-Bulls notebook

Posted Monday May 16, 2011 12:08AM

FACTS: In the series opener, B stood for Bulls, 'Bounds and Bench. The Central Division champions played to their strengths, as they dominated the backboards (45-33), second-chance points (31-8) and bench production (28-15) by considerable margins. Guard Derrick Rose didn't put up large numbers -- 28 points, six assists -- yet his team trailed for all of 27 seconds in the second half.
The series will amount to a tug-of-war for tempo, and the series opener was more of a half-court affair, which was precisely how the Bulls planned it. Heat top guns Dwyane Wade and LeBron James were limited to 18 and 12 points, respectively, and with open-court chances at a premium, neither was able to impose his will on the game. In fact, it was easy to forget that they were on the court at times.
QUOTABLE I: "They've got great players on their team. You have to make sure they don't get open shots, contest all their shots, make sure they don't get to the lane. We did a good job to make sure they saw bodies when they went to the lane."
-- Rose
QUOTABLE II: "Losing in the effort areas and second-chance points, it really deflated us. Then we lost our concentration at the offensive end and the game got away from us."
-- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra
TURNING POINT: The Bulls turned up their ball and weak-side pressure in the third quarter, when they outscored the visitors by a 24-15 margin. Specifically, the contest turned in a two-minute, 14-second span in which they ran off 10 consecutive points to take a 67-58 advantage.
QUOTABLE III: "(The defensive effectiveness) started in the second quarter with our bench guys and their ball pressure and energy. That group got us going. Then in the second half, everybody's defense was a lot better."
-- Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau
GOOD MOVE: The Bulls collapsed on long-ball threat James Jones at the 3-point arc, and for all intents and purposes, they took the sixth man out of the game. He attempted only one 3-pointer in 24 minutes, as his contributions were limited to four points and a single rebound.
BAD MOVE: The Heat packed the middle to increase their rebound chances, but that made for wide open spaces at the perimeter. Rose and forward Luol Deng (21 points) combined for seven 3-pointers, and the closest person was in Winnetka on several of them.
STAT: Reserve forward Taj Gibson (nine points, seven rebounds) threw down a pair of high-voltage dunks, the last of which provided the exclamation point in the fourth quarter.
QUOTABLE IV: "Did you see the dunks that (Gibson) had? That inspired us. I wish was 22 (years old) again. I felt that, when he did it, we all did it, you know?"
-- Bulls forward Carlos Boozer.
HOT: Chris Bosh took a lot of, uh, heat in the regular season, but most will be forgotten if the forward plays with the assertiveness that he displayed in the opener. The veteran scored a game-high 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds in 37 minutes.
NOT: The James-Wade duo combined to shoot only 12-for-32 in the field.
QUOTABLE IV: "They did a good job pressuring us. We didn't move the ball much. We let it get too late in the shot clock and had to throw up some Hail Marys."
-- Wade
DUE NEXT: Game 2 will be played at the United Center on Wednesday evening (8:30, TNT).

Floyd Mayweather Demands $100 Million to fight Manny Pacquiao

2011-05-14T21:15:00.000-07:00


Floyd Mayweather Demands 100 Million US Dollars to fight Manny Pacquiao Don King took over negotiating for Floyd Mayweather with Bob Arum, people are surprised that with Don King diong the negotiating that Arum is saying “Floyd demands 100 million dollars”? DON KING IS THE ONE NEGOTIATING. That’s right folks, in the latest talks between Floyd Mayweather’s and Manny Pacquiao’s camps as reported by GMA NEWS.TV (a Filipino news website) Don King, on “Money” Mayweather’s behalf, is insisting for a pay day of 0 million to fight Pacquiao. Talks for the super fight resurfaced recently when Mayweather agreed to have Don King talk to Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, on his behalf. Arum, who is in the Philippines with Pacquiao, noted that, “We (King) went through with the negotiations and nobody really knew about it, then some group came in saying they plan to have it in a particular country, and Mayweather asked for a figure that was so high it was practically an indication that he didn’t want to fight,” stated Arum. An upset Arum countered upon Mayweather’s request for 0 million by saying, “Pay him 0 million? Unless Manny fights for nothing, how can you do the fight?” Arum, who is 79, feels “that Manny is not asking for the moon, he (Mayweather) just can’t say no, he doesn’t want to fight, so, you price your way out of it.” Of course Arum will say this. He’s biased. This is the way someone who’s biased will look at this, and you also have to look at the way people negotiate. First the Olympic-style drug testing that Mayweather.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. wants to Fight Victor Ortiz as a tune-up fight

2011-05-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

Floyd Mayweather Jr. with a record of (41 wins-0 loses) wants to fight with the WBC Welterweight Champion Victor Ortiz with the record of (29 wins-2 loses and 2-draws) this coming September 17, 2011 at the Cowboy Stadium the stadium where Pacquiao and Margarito's fight was held.
Ortiz is only 24 years of age boxer who defeated Andre Berto of Golden Boy's Promotion.

Jordan's Move by Derrick Rose Of Chicago Bulls

2011-05-11T17:52:00.000-07:00

Jordan's move by Derrick Rose of Chicago Bulls wow!!! The new Hero has arrive to the Chicago Bulls team, the number 1 Guard of the BULLS.

Born: Oct 4, 1988

Height: 6-3 / 1.91

Weight: 190 lbs. / 86.2 kg.

College: Memphis

Years Pro: 2

Bulls-Hawks notebook

2011-05-11T03:28:00.000-07:00

Bulls-Hawks notebook

Wednesday May 11, 2011 12:34AM

THE FACTS: Derrick Rose scored 33 points and backup forward Taj Gibson scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to lead the host Chicago Bulls to a 95-83 victory over the Atlanta Hawks to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series. Jeff Teague led the Hawks with 21 points, but the Hawks shot just 29 percent in the fourth quarter, which started with the Bulls up by just one point.
THE FACTS II: The Bulls ran out to a 10-2 lead immediately, and led by 15 points in the first half, but the Hawks battled back to take the lead by one point in the third quarter. The Bulls then got serious on defense in the fourth quarter, limiting the Hawks to 15 points.
QUOTABLE: "Taj, he doesn't know how good he is right now."
-- Rose, talking about teammate Taj Gibson
THE STAT: The Hawks were 1-for-12 from 3-point range, and Jamal Crawford finished the game 1-for-9 overall and missed all four of his 3-point shots.
THE STAT II: The Bulls, needing someone other than Rose to score, got 11 points from Luol Deng and eight points from Keith Bogans in the first quarter.
TURNING POINT: The Bulls went on a 9-0 run early in the fourth quarter to build a 78-70 lead. The key play in the spurt was a three-point play by Gibson.
HOT: Gibson was 5-for-5 from the field for his 11 points. Bogans contributed 11 points, making three of five 3-pointers.
NOT: Joakim Noah contributed nothing offensively, missing his two shots in 27 minutes. Outside threat Kyle Korver played just four minutes and did not take a shot.
ROOKIE WATCH: Bulls center Omer Asik played almost 20 minutes filling in for Noah. He had four rebounds and was a key to the Bulls' defensive lineup.
GOOD MOVE: Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau went with his best defensive lineup through most of the fourth quarter, with Rose, Deng, Ronnie Brewer, Gibson and Asik on the floor.
BAD MOVE: Jason Collins started again at center for the Hawks, but played just 14 minutes and contributed little on either end of the floor.
NOTABLE: Although Gibson became the star of the game with his fourth-quarter performance, the Hawks' bench outscored the Bulls' bench 19-17, led by Zaza Pachulia's 13 points.
UP NEXT: Game 6 is Thursday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

MOSLEY BECAME COWARD AFTER HE WAS HIT BY PACQUIAO

2011-05-09T01:16:00.001-07:00

MOSLEY BECAME COWARD AFTER HE WAS HIT BY PACQUIAO

"He has exceptional power, power that I’ve never been hit like this before"

Said Mosley, to describe Pacquiao's punches after he was hit

By Pacquiao's combination of punch which cause his knock out at the 3rd round of their fight yesterday.

Manny Pacquiao able to defend his WBO Welterweight Division Champion title against

Sugar Shane Mosley with the 12 round decision fight.

This was the 14th straight victory of Manny Pacquiao.

Even though team Pacquiao was unsuccessful of their desire of knocking out Sugar Shane Mosley, but this congressman originally from the province of Sarangani, Philippines still successful to hold his position as a great boxer in Boxing Sport.

Pacquiao’s LEFT HOOK which causes Mosley to knock down during the 3^rd round of the fight. This one punch causes Mosley to become coward on the next round until the fight finished.

Boston won against the Miami Heat in Game 3

2011-05-08T02:38:00.000-07:00

Boston pulls away for 97-81 win

Rajon Rondo dislocates his elbow but returns to help spark the Celtics to the Game 3 win