Zsawda's Blog – June 2014 Archive (13)

Lonnie Chisenhall continued his red-hot hitting with a three-homer outburst against the Rangers

Where To Buy What the LeBron 11s. (LM Otero/AP)

Before this season started, Lonnie Chisenhall was known mostly for being a moderately disappointing first-round pick of the Cleveland Indians and having one of the longer, funnier and downright weirder names in all of…

More postseason coverage: Playoff schedule, results | Latest news, notesIt seems simple. Just stay together. That's the only thing you have to do if you have three great players in their prime. Just don't split. Take a little less money, have a little less ego. Don't be quite so focused on your own goals and think about what you and the guys who have played beside you can accomplish together. But it almost never happens in the NBA. Injury, ego, money, front office politics, market dynamics,…

Sterling: No deal, will sue NBAReport: Fisher agrees to take Knicks jobHeat's Wade fined $5K for floppingNBA fines Rivers $25K for criticizing officialsJames, Heat cool off Spurs, even seriesMuch-maligned Miami group silences critics

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Spurs, Heat begin NBA Finals rematch ( ) - The rematch is upon us. The San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat will meet for the second consecutive year in the NBA Finals, starting Thursday night at AT&T Center. The 2013 NBA Finals went seven…

With all the big names declared and the NBA Draft Combine in the books, it's time to update the top five 2014 draft prospects at every position.

The backcourt doesn't lack talent by any means, but the small forward and power forward positions are stacked. Who just made the cut, and how did we narrow down our top five?

Just as the overall draft rankings and projections have changed since the winter, the hierarchy at each position has taken different shape.

We broke down each…

How do the Thunder adapt without Serge Ibaka? (USATSI) More Spurs-Thunder: Series Preview | Podcast | Playoff Assist | Ibaka injuredSerge Ibaka is done for the season for the Oklahoma City Thunder, two days before the conference finals begin against the four-time champion and defending Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs. So that's not great, one might say. Now the Thunder have to figure out a way to beat arguably the greatest coach in NBA history with three future Hall of Famers,…

Adam Silver issued a lifetime ban and a $2.5 million fine to Clippers owner Donald Sterling. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

The following is a complete transcript of NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s comments from Tuesday’s news conference in New York, where he announced a lifetime ban and $2.5 million fine for Clippers owner Donald Sterling:

ADAM SILVER: Shortly after the release of an audio recording this past Saturday morning of a conversation that allegedly included…

LeBron James. Roehl Niño BautistaPossibly sensing a need for healing, former NBA guard Gilbert Arenas made it known Tuesday that he is willing to forgive embattled Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for his racially insensitive comments.Meanwhile, Magic Johnson called the situation sad and said he would pray for Sterling after the former Los Angeles Lakers guard was criticized in an interview with CNN that aired Monday night,And Roger Mason Jr., vice president of the NBA Players'…

Stan Van Gundy has reportedly agreed to a deal to coach the Pistons and run their basketball operations. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The Pistons and Stan Van Gundy have reached an agreement in principle on a five-year, $35 million deal that will install Van Gundy as coach and president of basketball operations, according to multiple reports.

ESPN

Champagne 6s Buy Now.com and NBA.com reported the deal’s terms…

''I probably should have untucked my shirt, but I didn't,'' he joked, referring to closer Rafael Soriano's signature move upon the completion of a save.Tyler Moore had two hits and drove in a pair of runs, and Washington relievers threw four scoreless innings - the last one thanks in large part to Werth - as the Nationals defeated the New York Mets 5-2.Soriano got his ninth save after Werth's game-ending jumping catch against the right field wall on a drive by Daniel Murphy with two on and…

The Clippers' season came to a close late Thursday, ending a wrenching, emotionally taxing month unlike any in NBA history. The Oklahoma City Thunder finished Los Angeles' playoff run with a 104-98 victory to close out the teams' Western Conference semifinal series in six games, but the future of the Clippers franchise will continue to play out, likely in courtrooms in the months to come

Jordan 6 Champagne Price. The NBA…

BALTIMORE (WDRB) -- Middle children will tell you, they're the ones who always get ignored. That's not saying the Preakness Stakes is being ignored, but if the Kentucky Derby represents the best 3-year-old thoroughbreds in the nation on the first Saturday in May, the third Saturday has become a day off for most of that group. A field of 12 is entered for Saturday's Preakness, the second jewel of horse racing's Triple Crown, but only three of those starters went to post in the Kentucky Derby…

While Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant celebrated, Doc Rivers and the Clippers were devastated. (Getty Images)

The Thunder overcame a seven-point deficit in the final 49 seconds to stun the Clippers 105-104 in Game 5 of a Western Conference second-round series on Tuesday. The shocking finish featured a controversial referee decision that left Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers and some of his players fuming, the re-emergence of Kevin Durant after dreadful shooting for most of the night and…

Doc Rivers (left) and the Clippers didn’t get a favorable replay review in the final seconds of Game 5. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The NBA has upheld a controversial ruling by its officials that led Clippers coach Doc Rivers to launch into an extended rant following Los Angeles’ 105-104 loss to Oklahoma City in Game 5 on Tuesday.

Rivers was incensed by the referees’ decision to grant Oklahoma City possession after an out-of-bounds call with 11.3 seconds to play and the…