(Reuters) - Kevin Durant has managed to dodge the growing pains often required for success in the NBA and now the Oklahoma City Thunder forward is among a handful of players headlining a generational shift in talent in the game.There was plenty of talk about a changing of the guard when the playoffs started in April, and with four teams left it appears 22-year-old Durant has a legitimate shot to fast-track his way to a title in only his fourth season."Durant is a special player, one of the best players in the NBA," Memphis forward Zach Randolph...
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Wozniacki ready for French after winning Brussels title
(Reuters) - World number one Caroline Wozniacki warmed up for the French Open by coming back from a set down to beat China's Peng Shuai in the inaugural Brussels Open on Saturday.Wozniacki beat the eighth-seeded Peng 2-6 6-3 6-3 on clay to earn her fourth title of the season."I was pleased with the way I played and fought today," the Dane said. "Now I'm looking forward to Roland Garros. I think I play on Monday but I'll be ready."The 20-year-old Wozniacki, who has yet to win a grand slam title, will begin her attempt on the French title against...
Friday, May 20, 2011
Thunder upset Mavs to tie series at 1-1
(Reuters) - The Oklahoma City Thunder, getting a tremendous boost from their bench, beat the Dallas Mavericks 106-100 to level the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals at 1-1 on Thursday. Kevin Durant, the NBA scoring leader the last two years, scored 24 points to lead the Thunder in scoring but was supported by a mighty effort from the reserves topped by guard James Harden's 23 points, seven rebounds and four assists."We have a lot of confidence in James," said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. "He made plays. He made big basketball plays. He's...
Thursday, May 19, 2011
"Street fighter" LeBron James pushes Heat past Bulls
(Reuters) - LeBron James produced some more fourth-quarter magic to propel the Miami Heat to a scrappy 85-75 win over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, evening their NBA Eastern Conference final at a game each.Dead-locked at 73-73 late in the fourth and the Bulls on the charge, James took over, scoring nine of Miami's final 12 points to earn the Heat a split in the Windy City.The best-of-seven series moves to South Beach for Games Three and Four on Sunday and Tuesday.James finished with a game-high 29 points and 10 rebounds while Dwyane Wade contributed...
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Prolific Nowitzki helps Mavs silence Thunder in opener
(Reuters) - Dirk Nowitzki delivered a shooting masterclass for the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, scoring 48 points to spark a 121-112 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game One of the Western Conference finals.The German also notched an NBA playoff record of 24-for-24 free throws as part of an incredible performance from the lanky power-forward, who continued to display the impressive form that helped sweep the Los Angeles Lakers in the previous round.Despite getting a 40-point performance of their own from Kevin Durant, the Thunder struggled...
Monday, May 16, 2011
Bulls stifle Heat in easy opening win
(Reuters) - Chicago's defense stifled LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to set-up an easy 103-82 victory over the Miami Heat in the opening game of their Eastern Conference Finals series on Sunday.Chicago's Derrick Rose, the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP), scored 28 points but it was the Bulls' defense that really stood up, limiting Wade to 18 points and James to 15.The third member of Miami's 'Big Three', Chris Bosh, managed a playoff-high 30 points but the Heat will have to find a way to improve their offence before Game Two of their best-of-seven...
Saturday, May 14, 2011
NBA's Bulls beat Hawks to reach Eastern Final
(Reuters) - The Chicago Bulls advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1998 with a series-clinching 93-73 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday.
Displaying the kind of offensive and defensive balance that earned them the best regular-season record, the Bulls brushed past the Hawks to close out the best-of-seven series 4-2.
Chicago will now face the surging Miami Heat for a place in the NBA Finals.
League MVP Derrick Rose delivered one of his most efficient performances of the postseason, finishing with 19 points and...
Friday, May 13, 2011
Nadal keeps top ranking after making Rome semis
(Reuters) - Rafa Nadal made sure of retaining his world number one status at the French Open after cruising past Croat Marin Cilic 6-1 6-3 in the quarter-finals of the Rome Masters on Friday.Nadal showed no signs of the fever that had brought him to the brink of pulling out on Thursday in a typically clinical display, hammering the world number 23 to set up a semi-final against Richard Gasquet.Second seed Djokovic stretched his unbeaten run for the year to 35 matches after dispatching fifth-seed Soderling 6-3 6-0. The Serb will meet Andy Murray,...
Thursday, May 12, 2011
James delivers fatal blow as Heat finish off Celtics
(Reuters) - An inspired LeBron James delivered the decisive blow with the last 10 points as the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics 97-87 on Wednesday to book their place in the Eastern Conference finals.The Celtics were expected to represent a major hurdle for the Heat but it was one they cleared with relative ease, winning the best-of-seven series 4-1.Miami will now sit back and await the winner between Chicago and Atlanta, with the Bulls holding a 3-2 lead in the series.In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder pounded the Memphis...
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Manny Pacquiao weighs in lighter than Shane Mosley
(Reuters) - Manny Pacquiao weighed in just two pounds lighter than American Shane Mosley after the Filipino was welcomed by deafening cheers from his supporters on the eve of Saturday's WBO welterweight title fight.Pacquiao, 52-3-2 (38 knockouts), tipped the scales at 145 pounds in front of a boisterous crowd of about 6,500 at the MGM Grand Hotel's Garden Arena.Mosley, 46-6-1 (39 KOs), was weighed first and was right on the 147-pound limit for the scheduled 12-round bout.The two fighters were all smiles as they posed for the photographers for...
Blake Griffin unanimously voted NBA's top rookie
(Reuters) - Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin,whose soaring dunks became staples of nightly highlight shows, was named NBA Rookie of the Year on Wednesday May 4, 2011 as the first unanimous choice in 21 years.
Griffin, selected first overall in the 2009 NBA Draft but absent the entire 2009-10 season due to a stress fracture in his left knee, averaged 22.5 points a game, 12.1 rebounds, and registered a massive 63 double-doubles.
The high-jumping...
Japan plans expansion after quake horror
(Reuters) - Japan's professional basketball league has bold plans for expansion rather than mere damage limitation despite being plunged into chaos by the deadly earthquake and tsunami on March 11.With the two worst-hit teams in danger of collapse, Basketball JapanLeague Commissioner Toshimitsu Kawachi told Reuters the push to increase the number of clubs from 16 to 20 would continue at full pace.The Sendai 89ers, the team based closest to the devastating 9.0 magnitude quake, and the Saitama Broncos have had players sent out on loan after...
Yao Ming's Asian comeback a mystery
(Reuters) - Yao Ming's participation at this year's Asian basketball championships remains shrouded in mystery as he battles back from his latest injury, Chinese media reported on Wednesday.The towering NBA center, who suffered a serious ankle fracture playing for the Houston Rockets last November, has refused to speculate on his comeback.But China's captain Liu Wei expressed cautious optimism about the appearance of the seven-foot six-inch (2.28-meter) Yao in Wuhan this September."Nothing is certain right now," Liu, a former team mate of Yao's...
Bulls' Rose becomes NBA's youngest MVP winner
(Reuters) - Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose ended LeBron James's two-year reign as the NBA's most valuable player on Tuesday when he became the youngest winner of the sport's highest individual honor.
Rose, who led the Bulls to the best record in the NBA this season, beat out perennial contenders James of the Miami Heat, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic.
"I want to thank my team mates and the coaching...
