Former Pitcher Gonzalez Killed By Lightning

Geremi Gonzalez, a former baseball pitcher who has pitched for five major league teams, has died on Sunday night. He died from getting hit by a lightning strike in Venezuela. He was 33 years old. Gonzalez last pitched for the New York Mets and the Milwaukee Brewers in 2006. He won 11 games for the Chicago Cubs when he was in their starting rotation in 1997. He also played for the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays. Gonzalez was the pitcher on the mound with the Rays when Cubs' slugger Sammy Sosa was found to have cork in his bat. Sosa was a former teammate of Gonzalez. Gonzalez was a current player in major league baseball, since he never announced his retirement. There is no word if Gonzalez had a wife and kids. Gonzalez started in the major leagues with the Cubs. Is Gonzalez's death a shock, considering the way he died? Should teams remember him by putting his uniform number on their jerseys?

Defending Champs Move On

The defending champion San Antonio Spurs have defeated the New Orleans Hornets 91-82 on Monday to win the hard fought series four games to three. The win for the Spurs was the first road win for any team in the series. The Hornets won Games 1, 2, and 5 in New Orleans, all by double digits. The Spurs won Games 3, 4, and 6 in San Antonio, all of which were double digit victories as well. Game 7 was in New Orleans, and the Spurs didn't have a third quarter meltdown like the previous three games in New Orleans. The Spurs outscored the Hornets 20-14 in what seemed to be the most important quarter in the entire series for both teams. Manu Ginobili, guard for the Spurs, led all players with 26 points, even though it didn't come easily. Ginobili missed 13 of his 19 shots attempted, but was able to make 10 of his 11 free throws attempted. Chris Paul, All-Star guard for the Hornets, had a good game with 18 points and 14 assists. But the youthful Hornets, who did not qualify for the playoffs since 2004, end their season after what seemed to be a successful playoff run. The Spurs will now face the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. The Lakers clinched their spot in the Western Conference Finals with a victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday. The Lakers' record in the regular season was 57-25, while the Spurs posted a 56-26 record. Who will win this matchup? If the Lakers make it to the NBA Finals, will that quiet the critics who say Kobe Bryant couldn't win a championship without former Lakers' center Shaquille O'neal?

Celtics Win Second Game 7

The Boston Celtics have defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 97-92 in Game 7 to win the Eastern Conference Semifinals series four games to three. Paul Pierce, forward for the Celtics, scored 41 points to lead the Celtics. Pierce was efficient from the field, making 13 of his 23 attempts from the field and making 11 out of 12 free throws. He was deadly from the three point line as well, shooting 4 of 6. Lebron James, superstar forward for the Cavaliers, had a game high 45 points in a losing effort. The game was close throughout, but the Cavaliers simply could not make shots in the final minutes. The Celtics trapped James and made him take difficult shots. The role players for the Cavaliers did not make any shots and that contributed to their loss as well. The Celtics move on to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2002, when they played the New Jersey Nets and lost in six games. The Celtics will face the Detroit Pistons, and because of their record, they will have home-court advantage in the series. This is the second straight seven game series the Celtics have had to endure. In the first round, the Atlanta Hawks, who possessed a 37-45 regular season record, took them to seven games until they got blown out in Game 7. Will the Celtics win this series? If the Pistons take a game in Boston, will the Celtics be in trouble?

Lakers Close Out Series

The Los Angeles Lakers have closed out their second round series against the Utah Jazz by beating them 108-105 in Utah on Friday. The Jazz, who has made the playoffs for two straight seasons, now end their season in the second round. Last year, they made it to the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs and lost in five games. The Lakers outplayed them in Game 6 in Utah for the first three quarters. The Jazz made a late surge to make the game close, but it wasn't enough. The Lakers have now made it to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2004, when they beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in six games to advance to the NBA Finals. They lost to the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals in five games, and have not gotten past the first round since their loss in the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers in points and assists with 34 points and 6 assists. Deron Williams led the Jazz with 21 points and 14 assists. The Jazz trailed by 19 at halftime and 16 at the end of the third quarter. In the final three minutes of the game, the Jazz began to chip away at the Lakers' double digit lead. Andrei Kirilenko of the Jazz hit two three pointers in the final minute to lead the surge but the Lakers never gave up the lead. The Jazz made their run too little, too late as they head into their offseason. The Lakers will play the winner of the series between the San Antonio Spurs and the New Orleans Hornets, who will play Game 7 on Monday in New Orleans. Will the Lakers defensive rebounding troubles come back to haunt them against the Spurs or Hornets? Are the Lakers capable of taking it all the way and winning the championship?

Pistons Eliminate Magic

The Detroit Pistons have eliminated the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, beating them 91-86, to win the series in five games. The Pistons now advance to the conference finals for the sixth straight time. That has not happened since the New York Knicks been to the Eastern Conference finals six years in a row from 1969-1974. The Pistons did not win easy though. They only shot 36% from the field, but they only committed three turnovers the entire game. The three turnovers in the game was the lowest amount of turnovers in a playoff game in NBA history. Richard Hamilton led the Pistons with 31 points and Antonio McDyess had a team high 11 rebounds. Dwight Howard grabbed 17 rebounds and 14 points, but has been non-existent in this series. The Pistons will now wait for the winner of the series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics. This is the only series so far where the road team has won in the second round. The Pistons did that with a Game 4 victory in Orlando. The Pistons have been eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals the past two seasons with home court advantage. If the Celtics win their series against the Cavaliers, the Celtics will have home court advantage. If the Cavaliers win, the Pistons will have home court advantage. The Pistons had home court advantage against the Cavaliers last year and lost the series in six games. Will the Pistons get to the NBA Finals? Will they win another championship?

Bryant Wins First MVP

Kobe Bryant, guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, has been named MVP for the 2007-2008 NBA season. Bryant has been in the NBA for 12 seasons and has been to many All-Star games. He has also won three championships with the Lakers in the early part of the decade. But he hasn't won one thing before and that came today. This is Bryant's first MVP award in his storied NBA career, after leading the team in scoring and placing second on the scoring list this season. However, it didn't look like Bryant would be in a Lakers' uniform this year after demanding last offseason that he wanted a trade. He told Lakers' management that he wanted a trade because they did not get the players necessary to win a championship. A lot of things changed this season. Derek Fisher left the Utah Jazz and came back to the Lakers, where he also won three championships. It provided a veteran leader at the point guard position and Smush Parker, last year's point guard, was not needed. The emergence of young center Andrew Bynum also helped the Lakers to the #1 seed as well. But the management made the biggest move of all. On February 1, Pau Gasol, All-Star of the Memphis Grizzlies was traded to the Lakers for four players. That trade satisfied Bryant a lot and he was able to share the ball with the weapons he had. Other MVP candidates included Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets, who came in second, Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics, who came in third, and Lebron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who came in fourth. Does Bryant deserve the award, considering the weapons he had around him? How far will the Lakers go in the playoffs? Will this be Bryant's only MVP award?

Harrison Involved in Shooting

Marvin Harrison, wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts, has been under investigation, for a shooting that has happened in North Philadelphia. This happened on April 29, where Harrison and a guy in a bar owned by Harrison, supposedly got into an argument. It was reported that as the guy was trying to leave, Harrison followed him outside of the bar and then shots were fired. The guy was hit in the hand and a 2 year old boy was hit under the eye with a piece of flying glass. The victim who was hit in the hand did not identify the shooter, and it was reported that a Belgian gun was used in the shooting. Harrison admitted to police that he does own such a gun, but it never left his home in a suburb of Philadelphia. A Belgian gun was found at the site of a car wash when investigators were interviewing Harrison about a half mile away from the bar. The car wash is also owned by Harrison. The gun that was found in the car wash was proved with ballistics tests that around seven shots were fired from that gun. No one has been arrested and there have been no deaths, but the investigation is pending. Harrison has been one of the most productive wide receivers in NFL history. He is one of only four wide receivers with more than 1,000 receptions in history. What will happen to Harrison? Will this mess up the rest of his career? Will Harrison serve a prison term?

Celtics Dominate Hawks, Move On

The Boston Celtics, the team with the best record in the NBA, defeated the Atlanta Hawks 99-65 to advance to the second round on Sunday. This was a Game 7, which was a surprise to everyone who had predictions for this series. A lot of people picked the Celtics to sweep the Hawks, who came into the postseason despite a 37-45 record. The Celtics won all of their home games in dominating fashion, but couldn't display the dominating play against the Hawks in Atlanta. The Celtics came out in Game 7 and put all doubts that people had about the Celtics. The Celtics separated themselves early, building a double digit lead in the first quarter and holding an 18 point lead at halftime. Their lead ballooned to over 30 in the second half, and Atlanta couldn't get anything going. Marvin Williams for the Hawks was ejected in the third quarter after a flagrant 2 foul on Celtics' guard Rajon Rondo. That was the only big news for the Hawks, who shot 29% from the field throughout the entire game. Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 16 points, and those points didn't come very easy. Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 22 points, and Kevin Garnett had a double double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. He only played 27 minutes because of the big lead. The Celtics will now play the Cleveland Cavaliers, who wrapped up their series against the Washington Wizards on Friday. Will the Celtics and Cavaliers series be easy for the Celtics? Will the Celtics win the NBA championship?

Cavaliers, Jazz Close Out Their 1st Round Series

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Utah Jazz closed out their first round series on Friday with wins over the Washington Wizards and the Houston Rockets, respectively. The Cavaliers beat the Wizards in convincing fashion, beating them 105-88 in Washington D.C. to close out the series. This series had all kinds of side shows, with Wizards' guard Deshawn Stevenson calling Cavaliers' superstar Lebron James "overrated." James put up his usual performance in the series, and he had a triple double in Game 6 with 27 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists. The Cavaliers have now eliminated the Wizards in the first round in three straight years. The Cavaliers will now play the winner of the series between the Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks, which will be going into a Game 7 on Sunday. The Jazz closed out their series against the Rockets in convincing fashion as well, beating them 113-91. This is the second straight year the Jazz have eliminated the Rockets in the first round. Tracy McGrady, superstar for the Rockets, scored 40 points and had 28 points at halftime. But no one else contributed for the Rockets and McGrady continues to have bad luck in the first round of the playoffs. McGrady is now 0-7 in the first round, although his performances in the playoffs have been outstanding. Deron Williams, guard for the Jazz, scored 25 points, with 13 of them coming in the decisive third quarter, where the Jazz outscored the Rockets 27-11. The Jazz will now play the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round. How far will the Cavaliers and the Jazz go in the playoffs? How much of a chance does the Jazz have against the top seeded Lakers?

Pistons Close Out Series

The Detroit Pistons closed out their first round series against the Philadelphia 76ers with a 100-77 victory on Thursday. The Pistons won the series 4-2, which wasn't really expected. A lot of people expected the Pistons to dominate the 76ers, but the 76ers came out fighting. The 76ers won Game 1 in Detroit, and it caught the attention of a lot of people and the Pistons. The 76ers also won Game 3 in Philadelphia by 20 points, and some believed that the 76ers can pull off an upset. The Pistons made sure that didn't happen, and after halftime of Game 4, the Pistons were untouchable. They were down 10 in that game and they outscored them by 19 in the second half to win. They won by double digits as well in Game 5 and closed out the series by double digits in Game 6. Richard Hamilton had 24 points, with 13 of them coming in the first quarter in which the Pistons outscored the 76ers 30-12. Chauncey Billups also had a solid game with 20 points, and the Pistons never looked back after that dominating first quarter. The Pistons will now play the Orlando Magic in the second round. The Magic closed out their series earlier in the week against the Toronto Raptors in five games. Who will win this second round matchup? Is there concern from the Pistons about their performance in the first three games?

Johnson Is Fired

Avery Johnson, head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, was fired on Wednesday, a day after the Mavericks were eliminated from the playoffs by the New Orleans Hornets. Johnson led the Mavericks to their first ever NBA Finals appearance in his first full season as head coach in 2006. They lost to the Miami Heat, which some say the Mavericks should've won the series. He led them to a franchise best 67 wins the next season, but they lost in the first round to the Golden State Warriors in what many call the greatest upsets in NBA playoff history. Many thought the Mavericks would come out this season and prove their doubters that they are a better basketball team. They made a midseason trade acquiring Jason Kidd, and they let go two key components in Desagana Diop and Devin Harris. The Mavericks ended up with the #7 seed, where they were torched in their series against the Hornets. Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban had his differences with Avery Johnson, and he decided that it was time for a change in coaching for the franchise. Johnson's regular season record was very impressive at 194-70. But their play in the playoffs was not what many people expected, and Johnson has taken the fall for it. Many expect more changes to come for the Mavericks. Who will be the next head coach for the Mavericks? Will the Mavericks get back to the NBA Finals? Can they possibly win a championship with a new coach?

Hornets, Spurs Close Out Series

The New Orleans Hornets and the defending champion San Antonio Spurs closed out their first round series on Tuesday with home victories. The Hornets beat the Dallas Mavericks, 99-94, to win the series in five games. Chris Paul had a triple double, scoring 24 points, dishing 15 assists and grabbing 11 rebounds. Paul has been effective all series long, clearly outplaying Mavericks' point guard Jason Kidd. David West led the Hornets with 25 points, as he was knocking tough shots all game long. He has also been very effective for the Hornets in the series as well. Jannero Pargo also was a key contributor in the series, and he scored 17 points in the series decisive game. Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 22 points, but it has been another disappointing postseason for the Mavericks. The Mavericks were eliminated in the first round last year when they were the #1 seed with the best record in the NBA. They were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in six games in which they were outplayed. The Spurs, meanwhile, locked up their series victory with a 92-87 victory over the Phoenix Suns. They also won their series in five games. The Spurs were led by Tony Parker's 31 points and 8 assists. Tim Duncan also chipped in with 29 points and 17 rebounds. The Suns cost themselves the game and the series with bad turnovers in the fourth quarter. They were playing good in the third quarter and the early part of the fourth. But the Spurs forced them to commit costly turnovers, which decided the victory for the Spurs. The Spurs will now face the Hornets in the second round. Who will win this second round matchup? Which position possesses the top matchup of the series?

Magic, Lakers Close Out Series

The Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers closed out their respective series on Monday with wins. The Magic defeated the Toronto Raptors, 102-92, to win the series in five games. Dwight Howard had his usual great game, scoring 21 points and grabbing 21 rebounds. This is his third game of the series where he had at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in the same game. The Magic, after a fantastic Game 1 where they were very efficient from the 3 point line, were not close again. They were 9 of 32, but they knocked them down late in the game. Howard's defense on Raptors' forward Chris Bosh was also key. Bosh only had 16 points and 9 rebounds. He missed 12 of his 19 shots attempted. The Magic will play the winner of the series between the Detroit Pistons and the Philadelphia 76ers. The Lakers also closed out their series with a win over the Denver Nuggets, 107-101, to complete a four game sweep. The Lakers have now won their first series since winning the Western Conference Finals in 2004, when they beat the Minnesota Timberwolves. Kobe Bryant had 31 points, and 14 of them came in the last six minutes of the fourth quarter. Pau Gasol added 21, and the Lakers now continue to be dominant since acquiring Gasol. The Nuggets, meanwhile, have now lost in the first round of the playoffs in five straight seasons. While they won one game in each of the last four first round exits, they didn't win a game this year. Carmelo Anthony had 21 points and Allen Iverson had 22. J.R. Smith led the Nuggets in scoring off the bench with 26 points. The Lakers will now play the winner of the series between the Utah Jazz and the Houston Rockets. How far will the Magic go? How far will the Lakers go? Are the Lakers serious contenders?