PREAKNESS STAKES
I'll Have Another won the Preakness today in a crazy finish down the stretch. Almost like the Kentucky Derby, I'll Have Another pulled ahead of Bodemeister in the final stretch but this time won by just a nose or more so it was an even closer finish.
I'm not going to pretend to be a horse racing fan, but I like to watch the Kentucky Derby. And then of course I'll watch the Preakness Stakes to see if the same horse wins that one and that's what I did today. By the time the horses came down to the final half mile I was up on my feet, yelling and cheering. It was an exciting finish and it is cool to see the same horse win the first two legs of the Triple Crown. I'll Have Another (trained by Doug O'Neill) and jockey Mario Gutierrez will have a chance to win the Triple Crown at the Belmont Stakes in New York on June 9. The last horse to win the Triple Crown was Affirmed in 1978. The horse is owned by J. Paul Reddam, a Canadian businessman.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NBA PLAYOFFS
The Indiana Pacers are up on the Miami Heat 2-1 in their playoffs series. Game 4 is Sunday at 3:30 on ABC. The Heat, the Eastern Conference's No. 2 seed and highest seed left, has had a target on its back ever since The Big Three (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh) joined forces in Miami in July 2010. Last year, Miami lost in the NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 after being up 2-1 in the series.
Throughout his career, but especially since he came to Miami, James has taken a lot of heat for not being able to close games in the fourth quarter. This happened in Game 2 of the series against the Pacers as he was unable to hit key free throws down the stretch. He scored 28 points in the game, the highest of any player on either team, but made only 4 of 8 free throws in the fourth quarter.
The Heat have other troubles, too. Bosh strained an abdominal muscle in Game 1 and is out indefinitely. Since then, the Pacers have dominated inside the paint and on the glass. In Game 3, it was also reported that Wade was limping around with a bad leg, knee, or ankle. He also got into a verbal altercation with coach Erik Spoelstra on the sideline during the game. Wade finished with just five points on 2 of 13 shooting.
Wade already has a NBA title to his credit, but the pressure continues to mount on James, who has yet to win a crown. It seems to affect his play down the stretch of big games in the playoffs. Lots of basketball fans revile James (especially in Cleveland, near his hometown of Akron, where he played for the Cavaliers for seven seasons) for the way he announced he was going to the Heat (the much-publicized "Decision") and then the way the Heat celebrated The Big Three's arrival in Miami with a huge party as if only those three players were going to win the franchise a championship. Since then, I think the Heat have found it takes a whole team to win a title.
For me, personally, I liked LeBron a lot in Cleveland. I didn't like the way he treated that city with "The Decision" or the way the Heat handled The Big Three's arrival. I was actively pulling against them during the playoffs last season. This season, I am not as against them, and I think the longer that LeBron goes without winning a title, the more I will hope he can get one. I think the general feeling among fans everywhere about him will cool as well as time goes on. With that said, however, the pressure will continue to build on him until he wins one. I think he unknowingly put pressure on himself with his defection from the Cavaliers to the Heat.
I'll Have Another won the Preakness today in a crazy finish down the stretch. Almost like the Kentucky Derby, I'll Have Another pulled ahead of Bodemeister in the final stretch but this time won by just a nose or more so it was an even closer finish.
I'm not going to pretend to be a horse racing fan, but I like to watch the Kentucky Derby. And then of course I'll watch the Preakness Stakes to see if the same horse wins that one and that's what I did today. By the time the horses came down to the final half mile I was up on my feet, yelling and cheering. It was an exciting finish and it is cool to see the same horse win the first two legs of the Triple Crown. I'll Have Another (trained by Doug O'Neill) and jockey Mario Gutierrez will have a chance to win the Triple Crown at the Belmont Stakes in New York on June 9. The last horse to win the Triple Crown was Affirmed in 1978. The horse is owned by J. Paul Reddam, a Canadian businessman.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NBA PLAYOFFS
 |
| LeBron James |
Throughout his career, but especially since he came to Miami, James has taken a lot of heat for not being able to close games in the fourth quarter. This happened in Game 2 of the series against the Pacers as he was unable to hit key free throws down the stretch. He scored 28 points in the game, the highest of any player on either team, but made only 4 of 8 free throws in the fourth quarter.
 |
| Dwyane Wade |
Wade already has a NBA title to his credit, but the pressure continues to mount on James, who has yet to win a crown. It seems to affect his play down the stretch of big games in the playoffs. Lots of basketball fans revile James (especially in Cleveland, near his hometown of Akron, where he played for the Cavaliers for seven seasons) for the way he announced he was going to the Heat (the much-publicized "Decision") and then the way the Heat celebrated The Big Three's arrival in Miami with a huge party as if only those three players were going to win the franchise a championship. Since then, I think the Heat have found it takes a whole team to win a title.
 |
| Chris Bosh |
Comments
Post a Comment