FC Porto Looking To Complete An Undefeated Season In The Portuguese Liga

In the 1972-1973 season, Benfica became the first team in Portuguese Liga history to finish a season undefeated. They completed their campaign with a record of 28 wins and 2 ties. FC Porto is looking to become the second team in Portuguese Liga history to finish their season with no defeats. They have 25 wins and 2 ties and are just 3 matches away from an undefeated season. This FC Porto team also needs to win their final three games to tie the record for most points obtained in a season with 86, as the FC Porto team in 2002-2003 accomplished.

It has been an unbelievable season for Porto in the Portuguese Liga. Their only two hits in the Portuguese Liga all season have been a tie on the road against Guimaraes and another tie on the road against Sporting Lisbon.

Porto has also seen a tremendous amount of success outside of the Portuguese Liga. Porto began their season with a 2-0 victory over Benfica to win the Portuguese Super Cup. Porto beat Sevilla, CSKA Moscow, and Spartak Moscow in root to a spot in the Europa League semifinals. In the first leg of their semifinal tie with Villarreal, they destroyed the Spanish club 5-1. Porto looks poised to advance to the Europa League final in Dublin and maybe even play their rival Benfica in the final.

Porto jumped out to a great start in their Europa League semifinal against Villarreal with a 5-1 victory at home

Porto is lead by Hulk, who has 22 goals in 25 league games for the Portuguese side. The Brazilian striker scored the title-winning goal for Porto against Benfica on April 3rd in a 2-1 victory. Hulk said after the match, "Winning in the home of our closest rival is always something to enjoy a bit more. I already talked about what happened here last year, but thank God I managed to come back well from that." Porto midfielder Fernando Belluschi added about the victory, "It was the first time in many years that Benfica got the title instead of us last year. The whole group deserves this. We worked so hard this year. For me, it's the best moment of my career. I won the title in Argentina but winning the title here, against the team that is always our rival, has a different taste." Porto's outstanding defense should also not be understated. Their back line has allowed a total of 13 goals all season including only 5 goals on the road. 

Porto will round out their season in league play against Vitoria Setubal on the road, Pacos de Ferreira at home, and Maritimo on the road looking to finish unbeaten.

Prince Amukamara Going To The New York Giants Was The Steal Of The Draft

Prince Amukamara was projected to be a top 10 to 15 pick in the NFL draft. When it came around to the Giants pick at number 19, they were happily surprised he was still available. The Giants director of college scouting Marc Ross said, "It was a shock. It was a shock. It was a shock. I know we come in and say, We picked the best player, and we were surprised. This one truly was a shock. Because you go through scenarios leading up to the draft where you kind of have realistic scenarios, somewhat unrealistic scenarios, of what could happen. And this one was just completely out of left field. We never thought this kid would have been still on the board at 19." Although the Giants weren't one of the teams coming into the draft that desperately needed help in the secondary, they couldn’t pass on a talent like Amukamara. Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said about the pick, "The value of this pick, where he was ranked, there wasn't any question about the fact that this player should be on the New York Giants."

Amukamara is an NFL ready cornerback. He is quick but is also physical and strong. Prince says about himself, "I use my hands a lot with the wide receivers. And I really like to get after the ball." Marc Ross added about Prince, "He is kind of unique in that a guy with this size – and he is fast, fast – he is strong and plays with great instinct. And he has tossed the guys in the gunner on special teams clean off the field. And he is kind of unique." Tom Coughlin described Prince as "physical, he's fast, he has very good size, he's confident, which you have to be as a corner in this league. Sometimes when you look at him you say Jeez, he comes under control a little bit at the break point area. You say Wow, you better continue to give yourself a little bit of a cushion there, young man but then all of a sudden he makes a break on the ball and picks one off. He's physical. They bring him off the corner a lot. He's played in a division where there's all kind of wide open passing attacks, so you know he's defended a lot over the years."

Prince Amukamara will add to a defense that ranked 9th last season in opposing passing yards at 209.5 per game. Amukamara will join Corey Webster, Aaron Ross, and Terrell Thomas as the cover corners for the Giants. When asked if the Giants had to many cornerbacks, Tom Coughlin said, "You can never have enough cover guys because if you watch the way people play today with the addition of the receivers, they go one, two, three, four, until they figure out what you're going to cover some of these third, fourth receivers with. The more cover people you have, the better off you're going to be."

NBA Playoffs Conference Semifinals Predictions

Eastern Conference Semifinals:
1. Chiacgo Bulls over 4. Atlanta Hawks in 6 games
2. Miami Heat over 3. Boston Celtics in 7 games

Western Conference Semifinals:
4. Oklahoma City Thunder over 8. Memphis Grizzlies in 6 games
2. Los Angeles Lakers over 3. Dallas Mavericks in 6 games

NHL Playoffs Conference Semifinals Predictions

Eastern Conference Semifinals:

1. Wahington Capitals over 5. Tampa Bay Lighning in 6 games

3. Boston Bruins over 2. Philadelphia Flyers in 7 games

Western Conference Semifinals:

1. Vancouver Canucks over 5. Nashville Predators in 6 games

3. Detroit Red Wings over 2. San Jose Sharks in 7 games

Da'Quan Bowers Is Worth The Risk For The Buccanners

Before Nick Fairley was considered to be the leading candidate to be selected with the number one overall pick, that position was held by Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers. Teams were very impressed with Bowers athleticism and top 10 level talent as well as his relentlessness to get into the opposing backfield. However, concerns began to arise about a worsening knee problem that Bowers has had since January of 2011. The questions began when Bowers had to miss the NFL combine as a result of having knee surgery on a torn meniscus. It got even worse for Bowers when teams learned that he may need additional surgery on the knee. Bowers stock began to plummet from out of the top 10 to out of the first round.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got a steal by selecting Bowers with the 51st pick in the NFL draft. They got a top 10 talent 19 picks into the second round. Tampa Bay Buccaneers General Manager Mark Dominik saw too much potential in Bowers to pass on him despite the questions over his knee. He said about Bowers, "Bowers has a good combination of speed to power, natural strength and length, and he’s physical. He’s the kind of guy that was obviously voted as team captain, so leadership was part of it. I know we’ve had a lot of texts the last five to ten minutes from former guys and players that we have on this football team that are fired up... We feel that the value of this pick is too strong for me and this organization to pass up. I think everybody felt the same way. Everybody thought that he was obviously a top 10 talent.”

Da'Quan's agent Joseph Flanagan said that there are absolutely no signs of arthritis in Bowers knee and that he will not need another surgery. Bowers said, “My health is fine, my knee is fine. It’s 100 percent. I’m still rehabbing every day just to make sure everything’s on time and on point, but there are no further issues with my knee." Dominik is hopeful that Da’Quan’s knee will continue to heal. He said, “Well right now, the idea behind it is ideally rehabbing and continuing to rehab, like he’s been doing. That’s what he’s done since he had his surgery and he had his pro day. He’s been rehabbing since then and is going to continue the rehab process until we’re comfortable putting him on the football field. When that day comes, we will absolutely put him on the football field.” Bowers led college football last season with 15.5 sacks and will be looking to continue to get to the quarterback in Tampa Bay.

Playoffs... Round 2... FIGHT!

I don't know about you, but that was indeed a breathless and emotional first round, perhaps one of the more exciting ones in recent years (of course, barring that SUPER-EPIC Bulls-Celtics 1st Round series two years ago). This year was breathless because of some crucial big games and some crucial upsets, and emotional because my favourite team, the Knicks finally made the playoffs for the first time in seven years only to be shown the door in four depressing games.

Anyways, we are now in the second round, and in a few paragraphs, I will lay out my predictions for four more intriguing series. Before we get there though, let's take a quick recap of what's happened so far:

- His Hornets couldn't complete their incredible bid for an upset, but Chris Paul (22 ppg, 11.5 apg, 6.7 rpg, 1.8 spg) is my nominee for 1st Round MVP. Epic performances in Game 1 (33, 14, 7) and Game 4 (27, 15, 13) were especially impressive.
- Grizzlies created history by becoming just the fourth eighth seed ever to beat a top seed when they beat the Spurs. I'm still enjoying the afterglow of that victory. The West has indeed been pushed wide open.
- Goodbye to Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Chris Paul - great players gone fishing.
- My first round predictions were a semi-disaster. With Hawks, Mavericks, and Grizzlies winning, I only scored 5/8. Let's see how these ones go...

East

(1) Bulls vs. (5) Hawks: Chicago struggled more than they should have against the Pacers, but they still managed to pull off a neat-looking 4-1 victory. They showed two things: 1) They still needed consistent offense from someone else but Derrick Rose to beat the better teams in the playoffs and 2) They showed poise to win games where they didn't play well, a sign of a great team. I think this team will be a lot more confident now that they have survived a first round.
The Hawks will go as far as the Bulls allow them to go. Yes, I don't discount their surprising domination of the Magic in the first round, but Chicago will be a whole another animal to deal with. Hawks will have trouble scoring over an elite Bulls defense, and everyone in that team will have trouble stopping Derrick Rose, especially since news is now coming that Kirk Hinrich may be seriously injured.
Chicago Bulls win 4-2

(2) Heat vs. (3) Celtics: Adrian Wojnarowski, on his Yahoo! Sports article, predicted that this could possibly be the biggest second round series ever. I am inclined to agree. This is a match-up fit for the finals, with enough storylines to keep one's mind well and truly boggled. Here's a quick rundown of the drama that will surround this incredible series:
1) Miami showed great vulnerability against Boston all season, losing their first three match-ups, before getting their revenge in the last one.
2) Miami, with its Big 3 of Wade, LeBron, and Bosh, are the league's most hyped team this year. Celtics have done it all before with their own Big 3 of Garnett, Pierce, and Allen, who won the championship in 2008. The question now is, who wins? Players in their prime in Miami but lacking the experience that the Celtics three had/have? Or the veterans, with more experience now, and with a much deeper bench?
3) LeBron James: A year ago, LeBron played for the Cavs against the Celtics at this exact stage. We all know how that ended. Celtics helped kill the LeBron era in Cleveland, helped push the brand of LeBron as a big-game choker, and the NBA's villain. Believe this: there is NO team in the world that LeBron wants to beat more than Boston. Read Wojnarowski's article linked above to know more.
4) Dwyane Wade: Before they beat LeBron, the Celtics beat Wade and Miami in the first round last year, but Wade didn't lose without having some big individual games. He has struggled against Boston this season, but now its his chance to show that he can beat them with the right squad around him.
5) Shaquille O'Neal: Will Shaq even play? A former teammate to both LeBron and Wade, I will be looking to see if the Big EVERYTHING can be a factor to end the dreams of his former teammates.
6) Delonte West: He's a Celtic now. He was a Cav last year. Ask LeBron's mum about the rest of the story.
7) The Matchups: Kevin Garnett vs. Chris Bosh, Paul Pierce vs. LeBron James, Ray Allen vs. Dwyane Wade will all be intriguing to watch... But who's gonna stop Rondo? And will Miami have an answer for Boston's deep bench?
My answer to that last question is yes, they will. Boston are deeper and more experienced, but they are also old and past their primes. I believe that Miami have begun to peak at just the right time in this series. It will be a back-and-forth battle where the equation and the momentum could shift after each game - I know it's tough to call, but I am going to side with the home-court advantage. I expect big things from LeBron and Wade here, and I expect seven unforgettably close games.
Miami Heat win 4-3

West

(2) Lakers vs. (3) Mavericks: With the Spurs out of the equation, the Lakers have to be feeling a lot more confident about completing their three-peat now. I know they showed some hesitancy in the first round against New Orleans, but from experience, I can say that this is a team that just gets better as the playoffs progress - remember last year, when they showed hesitancy against the Thunder in the first round and then went on to win a championship? Kobe is in Warrior-Mode, Gasol showed signs of recovery, and Bynum will be the key once again. Lakers are deep enough beyond these three, as consistent play by Artest and Odom will only improve.
Mavs, on the other hand, are running out of legitimate believers. Yes, they beat Portland, but it is how they perform against LA that will define them. Kidd and Nowitzki have been searching for that championship for all their careers, and this season could be their last best chance - fitting then, that their job is to remove the reigning champs off their perch. I say that they come up short.
LA Lakers win 4-2

(4) Thunder vs. (8) Grizzlies: If you're the Thunder, you have to be happy, right? Not only did you just cross the first round for the first time, beating a tricky Denver team 4-1, but your second round just got a whole lot easier. No disrespect to Memphis, but I'm sure Thunder had the Spurs and their experience in mind all throughout. Tony Allen contained Manu Ginobili - could he contain Kevin Durant? This could be the year that Durant begins to build his playoff legacy, and a big series against the Grizzlies could go a long way in securing it.
But can the team that just beat the West's best be so easily discounted? It took some amazing basketball by the Grizzlies to defeat the consistently unstoppable Spurs. And Memphis power-forward Zach Randolph has especially impressed me with elite-level play against perhaps the greatest power forward ever in Tim Duncan. Will Grizzlies be able to keep up the momentum in the second round, especially against another youthful team? I doubt it, but I doubted them before, too, and look what they did.
OKC Thunder win 4-1

So there we go - I say that the Conference Finals will be Bulls vs. Heat and Lakers vs. Thunder - what are your predictions?

Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley Will Provide A Dynamic Duo in Detroit

Ndamukong Suh had a dominant rookie season. After being selected with the second overall pick, Suh won the defensive rookie of the year award and was a first team All-Pro selection. With the Lions 13th pick in this years NFL draft, they selected a defensive tackle in the first round for the second year in a row. They took Nick Fairley out of Auburn, who will create a dominant tandem with Suh in the trenches.

At the beginning of the draft process, Nick Fairley was considered to be the leading candidate to be selected with the number one overall pick. Fairley's explosiveness and quickness were very appealing. However, Fairley only had one really good season with Auburn, so his inconsistency and tendency to take plays off concerned some teams. Therefore, Marcell Dareus from Alabama became the first defensive tackle selected with the third pick by the Bills. Much to the Lions delight, Fairley fell to 13th, where they selected him. Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz said about the pick, "The philosophy here was we're drafting to our strength. Defensive line is a strength of what we do. We won our last four last year and you can have probably a quiz show to find out who our corners were in those games, but we were good up front. Being good up front is what drives our defense. We have players that could be an impact player for us at a position. We didn't worry too much about what his [Fairley] playtime was going to be. We knew where he was on the board for us, how much we liked him and he fit really well, so we didn't hesitate to make the pick." Instead of drafting an area of concern, such as the cornerback position, the Lions drafted to the team's strengths and the best player available on their board.

The Lions also have defensive tackle Corey Williams, who will be apart of the Lions interior linemen rotation. Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz said, "We play 130 defensive tackle snaps in a game. So, if we're rotating three guys through and they're playing 45 snaps apiece... No. 1, there'll be a little bit of pressure. We can keep rolling waves and waves. We probably -- even Ndamukong Suh -- probably played a little too much for us last year. Not that he wore down, but it was too many snaps in there. You're taking on 700 pounds of man every time you take on a double team and things like that." 

The Detroit Lions defensive linemen have already embraced the pick. Defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch said, “I don’t care how many sacks I get. I want us as a group to get a ton of sacks. I don’t necessarily care about being the best defensive end in the league. I want to be a part of the best defensive line in the league. He’s going to be a part of that and he’s going to step in and be able to add to us and we welcome him.”

Ryan Mallett Falls Out Of the Top Two Rounds Of The NFL Draft

Ryan Mallett's free fall in the NFL Draft has continued into the third round. Mallett was projected by some to be the third quarterback taken in the draft and was even as high as number 12 in some projections. Through 2 rounds, there have been 6 quarterback taken and none of them have been the big 6'6, 253 pound Mallett. Character concerns have caused Mallett's stock to plummet.

The questions began when Mallett was asked at the NFL combine about allegations that he used drugs. Mallett said, “I said I’m not going to talk about it here.” After he was asked about the drug allegations for a third time, Mallett walked out of the media room and didn't answer any more questions. Mallett still hasn't squashed the rumors of the allegations in the media. He said in response a day later, "7,00-plus yards and 60 touchdowns in two season. That's how I respond to that." It was reported that during one of Mallett's pre-draft interviews that he admitted to using drugs. Mallett had previously been arrested in March of 2009 for public intoxication.

The questions continued when Mallett missed an interview with the Carolina Panthers because he said he was too sick to go. However, sources said Mallett was seen walking around town late the night before. Even though Mallett's agent denied the claim, it still raised questions about the character issues surrounding Mallett. 

The gunslinger from Arkansas has a big arm and his passing accuary at the combine and his pro day at Arkansas were even better than expected. However, teams began to shy away from taking Mallett because of the off the field issues. Although it has come as a surprise to many fans that Mallett wasn’t taken in the first two rounds, NFL executives were not nearly as surprised. One source said, "I'm telling you right now, he could slip right out of the second round, entirely."

What team will draft Ryan Mallett despite his character concerns

NFL First Round Mock Draft

1. Carolina Panthers - Cam Newton, Quarterback, Auburn

2. Denver Broncos - Von Miller, Linebacker, Texas A and M

3. Buffalo Bills - Marcell Dareus, Defensive Tackle, Alabama

4. Cincinnati Bengals - A.J. Green, Wide Receiver, Georgia

5. Arizona Cardinals - Blaine Gabbert, Quaterback, Missouri

6. Cleveland Browns - Julio Jones, Wide Receiver, Alabama

7. San Francisco 49ers - Patrick Peterson, Cornerback, LSU

8. Tennessee Titans - Nick Fairley, Defensive Tackle, Auburn

9. Dallas Cowboys - Tyron Smith, Offensive Tackle, USC

10. Washington Redskins - Robert Quinn, Linebacker, North Carolina

11. Houston Texans - Aldon Smith, Defensive End, Missouri

12. Minnesota Vikings - Jake Locker, Quarterback, Washington

13. Detroit Lions - Prince Amukamara, Cornerback, Nebraska

14. St. Louis Rams - Corey Liuget, Defensive Tackle, Illinois

15. Miami Dolphins - Mike Pouncey, Center, Floirda

16. Jacksonville Jaguars - Ryan Kerrigan, Defensive End, Purdue

17. New England Patriots - Cameron Jordan, Defensive End, California 

18. San Diego Chargers - J.J. Watt, Defensive End, Wisconsin

19. New York Giants - Anthony Castonzo, Offesnive Tackle, Boston College

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Da'Quan Bowers, Defensive End, Clemson

21. Kansas City Chiefs - Nate Solder, Offensive Tackle, Colorado

22. Indianapolis Colts - Gabe Carimi, Offensive Tackle, Wisconsin

23. Philadelphia Eagles - Jimmy Smith, Cornerback, Colorado

24. New Orleans Saints - Muhammad Wilkerson, Defensive End, Temple

25. Seattle Seahawks - Andy Dalton, Quarterback, TCU

26. Baltimore Ravens - Adrian Clayborn, Defensive End, Iowa

27. Atlanta Falcons - Akeen Ayers, Linebacker, UCLA

28. New England Patriots - Mark Ingram, Running Back, Alabama

29. Chiacgo Bears - Derek Sherrod, Offensive Tackle, Mississippi State

30. New York Jets - Phil Taylor, Nose Tackle, Baylor

31. Pittsburgh Steelers - Aaron Williams, Cornerback, Texas

32. Green Bay Packers - Danny Watkins, Guard, Baylor

NBA’s Greg Stolt: “In India, Basketball thrives because of the people’s passion.”

There could perhaps be no more suitable candidate for the NBA to send to India to help promote the game than Greg Stolt. Stolt, who works with the international operations unit of the NBA, made his third trip to India in late March/April 2011, during which time he has continued on the trail that his fellow NBA authority and the Director of Basketball Operations in India Troy Justice has been blazing for the last few years. In his most recent trip, Stolt was involved in helping conduct coaching clinics in Bangalore and New Delhi and the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Skill Challenge in Mumbai and Pune.

Stolt’s resume is proof that he is the perfect candidate for the job because he brings with him experience of playing high-level basketball in the United States and across the world, as well as experience in behinds the scenes management that the development of the game requires, especially in other parts of Asia.

Stolt played college basketball in the University of Florida, and after finishing his degree, he tested the waters of the NBA as a player with a few tryouts. When that didn’t work out, he spent his professional career living the dream of a international basketball journeyman: from the D-League in the US, to league’s in Belgium, Spain, France, Japan, and Australia, Stolt played basketball overseas for six years. Afterwards, he settled with a job in Japan, which helped him improve his business acumen.

“The NBA recruited me to work for them because I’ve seen how things work in several different countries,” Stolt says, “My mixed background of business, basketball, and international experience helps a lot.”

Stolt has been working with the NBA for two years now, during which time he has visited India three times: In December 2009, he came to India for refurbishments and inaugurations of basketball courts in Mumbai and Chennai. Then again in the summer of 2010, he was involved with the running of the first season of the Mahindra NBA Challenge for two months.

“My job is to help improve the level of the game in India,” Stolt adds, “Along with Troy Justice and the rest of the NBA’s team here, I have been working with several people locally to build a strategy for the growth of the game here.”

Stolt also has knowledge and experience of the business of basketball in three other important Asian countries which could be used as reference models for the game in India – China, Japan, and South Korea.

Comparing the game in India to the other three countries, Stolt said, “These other markets are probably a lot more mature than India right now, in terms of their federation structure, their infrastructure, and the system of basketball development from the school level.”

“But in India, we see that change is coming – sport is growing quicker than ever before, especially since the success and popularity of the IPL or the Commonwealth Games. India is a little behind, sure, but it’s getting there. The best thing about this country is that its proactive and the people here are yearning for change.”

This year, the tasks were varied for Stolt, but equally important nonetheless. Since the NBA is targeting teaching the game to younger players in India so that they can get an early start, both the coaches training programme and the Junior Skills’ Challenge programmes are going to be crucial.

“We can’t go out and coach every child in this country,” Stolt says, “That’s why we have been holding the coaches’ training programme, so that these coaches know how best to train 12-year-olds. This programme was especially helpful for the young coaches, whom we provided with as much of our own knowledge and resources as we could.

In the two coaches’ clinics held in Bangalore and Delhi, there were about a 100 coaches in attendance each time. Stolt’s NBA-India associates Troy Justice and Marty Conlon extend the clinics to other cities like Pune, Mumbai, and Chennai, and a total of 500 coaches are expected to have been involved countrywide.

Meanwhile, the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Skills Challenge was set out to involve students from over 500 schools in Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, and Pune in a youth basketball development programme. Stolt worked in Pune and Mumbai, where an average of 140 kids participated from each city.

“I think the Junior Skills Challenge was right on target,” says Stolt, “When the kids came out to compete in the challenges, we saw that the coaches we had worked with earlier had already prepared them in the right way. They knew the right drills and the fundamentals."

With the on-field work over, Stolt returned to the NBA office in New York to work on the other side of his job: planning and strategy. One of the NBA’s long term programmes, he says, has been to identify more markets in India for the type of programmes that have so far been held in some of the country’s major cities. The NBA is hoping to develop a database of the people with whom they have been involved in India and also study the results of the public’s reactions to the various programmes held by the NBA here. “We want to shape things to be perfectly suitable for the Indian market,” he says.”

And as far as he is concerned, Stolt is certain that the people that he has worked with will make the tasks a whole lot easier. “The one thing that pleasantly surprised me a lot about coming and working with India were the people involved with the game here,” Stolt said, “Unlike China, Japan, or Korea, who have structured leagues and systems, there is no guaranteed career paths for the coaches, players, trainers and referees in India: but they do it for the love of the game, and the game thrives here because of the people’s passion. That is a wonderful thing.”

Memphis Grizzlies vs San Antonio Spurs Game 4 Reaction

• The Spurs were burned in game 4 with the Grizzlies mid-range jump shot. Tony Parker continued to go under the screens that the Grizzlies set for their point guards Mike Conley and Greivis Vasquez. Conley and Vasquez hit a combined 10 jump shots and had 24 points. 
• The Grizzlies had 5 players in double figures and 9 players scoring at least 9 points. Memphis's bench had 49 points including Darrell Arthur, who scored 14 points and O.J. Mayo, who added 11. Although the Grizzlies had no player score more than 15 points, their balance attack was very effective.
• The story of the game may have been the 17 turnovers from the Spurs including 7 from Tony Parker. The Grizzlies led the NBA in forced turnovers during the season at 16.5 per game and steals at 9.40 and they once again caused havoc on the defensive end of the court. The Grizzlies scored 20 points off the Spurs turnovers. 
• Before game 4, Tony Allen said about Manu Ginobili's injury,"He ain't playing like his arm is hurt. I think that's all for the birds right there. I don't think nothing is wrong with him." Allen made Manu look like he was still suffering from the injury with his defense on Ginobili in game 4. Manu had just 14 points on 5 of 13 shooting and never looked totally comfortable on the offense end.
• The game remained close with the Spurs even leading at halftime 50 to 48 but the Grizzlies ran away with the game in the third quarter. The Grizzlies came right out of halftime with much more energy than the Spurs, feeding off of the sellout crowd at FedEx Forum. They had a 12-0 run coming out of halftime and never surrendered the lead agan. They outscored the Spurs 30 to 15 in the frame.
• The quickness of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol have caused Tim Duncan trouble down in the post. They had a combined 20 points and 18 rebounds in game 4. The Memphis big men also caused Duncan trouble on the other end of the floor. They had 2 steals and 2 blocked shots, while limiting Duncan to just 6 points on his birthday.

Story of the series for the Spurs

Video: Vince Carter - The Dunk of Death

I want to take a short interlude from our regular scheduled programming here at the Hoopistani blog to talk about my favourite dunk.

AAAAAH... The dunk... Everyone has a favourite dunker, a favourite slam, whether it is in a Slam Dunk competition, during a fast-break in a game, or my personal favourite, an unexpected elevation from a freakish athlete right in the middle of the crowded lane. Usually, these are the dunks that make for the best posters.

With so many choices, how do you pick just one? I'm starting off my narrowing my field down a little bit - the dunk has to be elite and relevant - and by that I mean, the dunker has to be a relevant basketball player at his time and the stage has to be at the most elite/competitive. So, sorry random dunkers (with little other basketball skills) in Algeria (Kadour Ziani) or streetball dunkers (Taurian Fontenette), or our own Indian Blake Griffin, TJ Sahi (who dunked over a Mumbai taxi two weeks ago): I'm officially unconsidering you all for my list.

The next thing I want to count out are dunk competitions altogether. Yes, they are nice to watch, sometimes. Yes, the likes of Jordan, Dominque, Dr. J, Kobe, Vince Carter, Dwight Howard, Nate Robinson, and Blake Griffin have been spectacular in dunk competitions, but they don't count for two points and crushed souls of the opponents like in-game dunks do. This paragraph is officially dedicated to TJ Sahi, the finest dunker in India, who one-upped Blake Griffin in India's own slam dunk competition 10 days ago with a dunk for the ages in Mumbai, when he jumped over a kali-peeli taxi.

Anyways, now seeing that my field has been narrowed down so far, you probably expect an in-game NBA dunk. You probably expect to see a big man like Amar'e Stoudemire, Shawn Kemp, or Blake Griffin eating opponents alive here. Or a backboard breaker by Shaq or Darryl Dawkins. Or John Starks pulling out a classic. Or Scottie Pippen making Patring Ewing cry, or Dr. J, Michael Jordan, or Dominique, or Vince Carter making posters out of ordinary human beings in an NBA game.

Nope.

My favourite dunk of all time does indeed belong to one of the names above. The last one, actually. Vince Carter. But it isn't from an NBA game - it's from the Olympics.

To a new NBA fan, Vince might be that dude who comes off the bench for the Suns, behind Jared Dudley. He's that slow-footed guy who looks like he doesn't care about the game at all, and averages about 14 points a game. Well, my friends, you need to go back in time, about a decade back actually, to realise that at point, Vince Carter was the most unstoppable force in the league. Without going into superlatives, I'll just say that where other talented players choose to slide in a tough lay-up, Vince Carter chose to rise above and slam it in. He is the man behind countless SportCenter Plays of the Day, countless Slam Magazine SLAMADAMONTH's, countless in-game humiliation, and the single greatest slam dunk competition performance of all time.

But for me, Vince's finest moment came in the 2000 Olympics, where he was representing the USA Basketball Team. This moment came in the game against France on September 25, 2000. Carter (6"6), jumped OVER the 7"2 Frédéric Weis' head and slamming the ball in. This dunk was so famous that it made the man who was dunked on famous. Just think about that. Weis, A French player, who never played in the NBA, and was barely an influence in the French national team, is known amongst hoop-heads for one reason, and one reason alone - Vince Carter. Hell, this dunk is SO famous it has its own nickname: The French Media called it "le dunk de la mort", or "the dunk of death".

It's a pity that, being an Olympic game, there are few excellent copies of it available on the internet. I present you the best copy available. Enjoy!



The Dunk of Death, indeed.

Games and Events to Watch

Note: All times are Eastern


Games to Watch in the MLB Today
Colorado Rockies (14-6, 1st in the NL West) - Ubaldo Jimenez at Florida Marlins (12-7, 2nd in the NL East) - Josh Johnson at 1:10 PM
Kansas City Royals (12-9, 2nd in the AL Central) - Bruce Chen at Texas Rangers (13-7, 1st in the AL West) - CJ Wilson at 3:05 PM
Boston Red Sox (9-11, tied for 3rd in the AL East) - John Lackey at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (12-9, 1st in the AL West) - Matt Palmer at 3:35 PM
Atlanta Braves (10-12, 4th in the NL East) - Brandon Beachy at San Francisco Giants (10-10, 3rd in the NL West) - Jonathan Sanchez at 4:05 PM
Cincinnati Reds (11-10, 1st in the NL Central) - Sam LeCure at St. Louis Cardinals (11-10, 1st in the NL Central) - Jake Westbrook at 8:00 PM

Games to Watch in the NBA Today
Eastern Conference First Round:
2. Miami Heat at 7. Philadelphia 76ers at 1:00 PM - Game 4 (Heat lead series 3-0)
3. Boston Celtics at 6. New York Knicks at 3:30 PM - Game 4 (Celtics lead series 3-0)
4. Orlando Magic at 5. Atlanta Hawks at 7:00 PM - Game 4 (Hawks lead series 2-1)
Western Conference First Round:
2. Los Angeles Lakers at 7. New Orleans Hornets at 9:30 PM - Game 4 (Lakers lead series 2-1)

Games to Watch in the NHL Today
Eastern Conference First Round:
2. Philadelphia Flyers at 7. Buffalo Sabres at 3:00 PM - Game 6 (Sabres lead series 3-2)
Western Conference First Round:
4. Anaheim Ducks at 5. Nashville Predators at 6:00 PM - Game 6 (Predators lead series 3-2)
1. Vancouver Canucks at 8. Chicago Blackhawks at 7:30 PM - Game 6 (Canucks lead series 3-2)

Games to Watch in Soccer Today
Barclays Premier League:
Arsenal (18-10-5, 64 points, 3rd in the EPL) at Bolton Wanderers (11-10-11, 43 points, 8th in the EPL) at 11:00 AM
Scottish Premier League:
Celtic (25-4-3, 79 points, 2nd in the SPL) at Rangers (26-2-5, 80 points in the SPL) at 7:30 AM
French Ligue 1:
Lille (16-11-4, 59 points, 1st in the French Ligue 1) at Lorient (11-10-10, 43 points, 7th in the French Ligue 1) at 3:00 PM

Matches to Watch on the ATP Tour Today
Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell Final:
1. Rafael Nadal (ranked 1 in the world) vs 4. David Ferrer (ranked 6 in the world) - the 2nd match on Pista Central Court

Matches to Watch on the WTA Tour Today
Porsche Tennis Grand Prix at Stuttgart Final:
1. Caroline Wozniacki (ranked 1 in the world) vs Julia Goerges (ranked 32 in the world) - the 2nd match on Center Court

Tournaments to Watch on the PGA Tour Today
The Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links Fourth Round:
Notable players to watch include: Jason Day at -8, tied for 5th (1:20 PM tee time), Ricky Barnes at -8, tied for 5th (1:30 PM tee time), Jim Furyk at -10, 2nd (1:50 PM tee time), Luke Donald at -11, leader (1:50 PM tee time)

Tournaments to Watch on the Asian Tour Today
Indonesian Masters Fourth Round:
Notable players to Watch include: Lee Westwood at -16, leader

Games and Events to Watch

Games to Watch in the MLB Today
Cincinnati Reds (10-10, 3rd in the NL Central) - Travis Wood at St. Louis Cardinals (11-9, 1st in the NL Central) - Chris Carpenter at 4:10 PM
New York Yankees (10-6, 1st in the AL East) - CC Sabathia at Baltimore Orioles (8-10, 4th in the AL East) - Brad Bergesen
Colorado Rockies (13-6, 1st in the NL West) - Jason Hammel at Florida Marlins (12-6, 2nd in the NL East) - Javier Vazquez at 7:10 PM
Kansas City Royals (12-8, 2nd in the AL Central) - Kyle Davies at Texas Rangers (12-7, 1st in the AL West) - Alexi Ogando at 8:05 PM
Boston Red Sox (8-11, 5th in the AL East) - Daisuke Matsuzaka at Los Angeles Angels (12-8, 2nd in the AL West) - Ervin Santana at 9:05 PM

Games to Watch in the NBA Today
Eastern Conference First Round:
1. Chicago Bulls at 8. Indiana Pacers at 2:30 PM - Game 4 (Bulls lead series 3-0)
Western Conference First Round:
3. Dallas Mavericks at 6. Portland Trail Blazers at 5:00 PM - Game 4 (Mavericks lead series 2-1)
1. San Antonio Spurs at 8. Memphis Grizzlies at 7:30 PM - Game 3 (Series tied 1-1)
5. Oklahoma City Thunder at 4. Denver Nuggets at 10:00 PM - Game 3 (Thunder lead series 3-0)

Games to Watch in the NHL Today
Eastern Conference First Round:
5. Tampa Bay Lightning at 4. Pittsburgh Penguins at 12:00 PM - Game 5 (Penguins lead series 3-1)
8. New York Rangers at 1. Washington Capitals at 3:00 PM - Game 5 (Capitals lead series 3-1)
6. Montreal Canadiens at 3. Boston Bruins at 7:00 PM - Game 5 (Series tied 2-2)
Western Conference First Round:
7. Los Angeles Kings at 2. San Jose Sharks at 10:30 PM - Game 5 (Sharks lead series 3-1)

Games to Watch in Soccer Today
Barclays Premier League:
Everton (11-14-8, 47th in the Premier league) at Manchester United (20-10-3, 70 points, 1st in the Premier league) at 8:00 AM
West Ham United (7-11-15, 32 points, 19th in the Premier league) at Chelsea (19-7-7, 64 points, 2nd in the Premier league) at 12:30 PM
La Liga (Spanish Premier Division):
Real Madrid (24-5-3, 77 points, 2nd in La Liga) at Valencia (19-6-7, 63 points, 3rd in La Liga) at 12:00 PM
Osasuna (9-8-15, 35 points, 16th in La Liga) at Barcelona (27-4-1, 85 points, 1st in La Liga) at 2:00 PM
Italian Serie A:
Napoli (20-5-8, 65 points, 2nd in Serie A) at Palermo (14-5-14, 47 points, 8th in Serie A) at 9:00 AM
AC Milan (21-8-4, 71 points, 1st in Serie A) at Brescia (7-9-17, 30 points, 19th in Serie A) at 1:00 PM
German Bundesliga:
TSG Hoffenheim (10-10-10, 40 points, 9th in the Bundesliga) at Bayer Leverkusen (18-7-5, 61 points, 2nd in the Bundesliga) at 9:30 AM
Borussia Dortmund (21-6-3, 69 points, 1st in the Bundesliga) at Borussia Mochengladbach (7-5-18, 26 points, 20th in the Bundesliga) at 12:30 PM
French Coupe de la Ligue Final:
Marseille vs Montpelier at the Stade de France at 2:45 PM

Matches to Watch on the ATP Tour Today
Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell Semifinals:
4. David Derrer (ranked 6 in the world) vs 8. Nicolas Almagro (ranked 11 in the world) - the 1st match on Pista Central Court
1. Rafael Nadal (ranked 1 in the world) vs Ivan Dodig (ranked 56 in the world) - the 2nd matc on Pista Central Court

Matches to Watch on the WTA Tour Today

Porsche Tennis Grand Prix at Stuttgart Semifinals:

5. Samantha Stosur (ranked 7 in the world) vs Julia Goerges (ranked 32 in the world) - the 1st match on Center Court

1. Caroline Wozniacki (ranked 1 in the world) vs Agnieszka Radwanska (ranked 14 in the world) - the 3rd match on Center Court

Tournaments to Watch on the PGA Tour Today

The Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links Third Round:

Notable players to watch include: Graeme McDowell at -5, tied for 15th (12:35 PM tee time), Ian Poulter at -7, tied for 7th (1:25 PM tee time), Jim Furyk at -8. tied for 3rd (1:45 PM tee time), Garrett Willis at -9, 2nd (1:55 PM tee time), and Luke Donald at -10, leader (1:55 PM tee time)

Tournaments to Watch on the European Tour Today

Volvox China Open at Luxehills International Country Club Third Round:

Notable players to watch include: Sergio Garcia at -11, tied for 9th, Jeppe Huldahl at -12, tied for 2nd, and Jamie Donaldson at -13, leader 

Kentucky's Recruiting Class Highlighted by Anthony Davis and Michael Gilchrist

John Calipari has done it again bringing yet another top recruiting class to the Bluegrass State. For the third year in a row he has had the best recruiting class in the country. This one though, might be his best composing of four-highly touted McDonalds All American's.

Anthony Davis leads Kentucky stellar recruiting class. If I asked you a year ago about Anthony Davis you would of said, "Who the heck is that?" When Davis was a in his sophmore year in high school, he was a 6'3 point guard and he hadn't played club basketball since junior high. He sprouted 7 inches and the 6'10 Davis is now already being called the potential first overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. For Perspectives Charter School in Illinos, Davis averaged 32 points, 22 rebounds, and 7 blocks a game. Davis is already a star but coaches love that he has a tremendous upside. Anthony is a big threat of the defensive end of the floor. He is very versatile, as he can defend multiple positions from the quicker, speedy guard to the big men inside. Davis is great on the offensive boards and blocking shots in the paint. John Calipari said about Davis's defense, "Anthony brings a skill level, a Camby-esqueness to him where we can press more and run the lanes more. All I know is this, he probably will per minute [played] lead the nation in blocked shots. That is good for your defense. We will also probably press a lot more next year [because of Davis]. With Josh Harrelson graduating and Terrence Jones declaring for the draft (with no agent yet however), Davis will have to step up and be a huge factor for the Kentucky Wildcats is they want to get back to the final four next year. There will no doubt be a lot of pressure on Davis coming out of high school as the number 1 recruit and the last number one recruit out of the Chiacgo area since 2001. As well as a great post up game, Anthony can also shot. He said, "I get a lot of offensive rebounds and put the ball in. But I also have a good jump shot and I can shoot the 3-point shot well. I didn't have to show an outside shot a lot in high school, but I have one. I can do more than just dunk." Anthony Davis is a monster that will only continue to get better.

For the next Kentucky freshmen, we go to my hometown state of New Jersey, which is filled with tremendous high school basketball players. Michael Gilchrist is definitely one of them. He played for the national powerhouse St. Patrick high school. Gilchrist was very well been coached by Kevin Boyle and has a high basketball IQ. Gilchriist was lucky enough to play with star point guard Kyrie Irving for three years in high school. Gilchrist said, "Kyrie was a huge help for me, on the court and off the court. It was a real honor to play with such a high quality player." The best way to describe Michael Gilchrist is a WINNER. He is a fighter, competitor, and WINNER. Gilchrist was 50-4 since his junior year in high school, leading his team to top 10 finishes two years in a row. Calipari said, "When you look up the definition of 'warrior' in the dictionary, there is a picture of Michael there. No one plays harder or is more competitive. He has a tremendous burning desire to win that will drive practice and elevate everyone within the program." Gilchrist is extremely versatile and does a little bit of everything, as he average 19.4 points, 14.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 5.2 blocks, and 3.5 steals per game in high school as a senior. He is a consistent producer that lead his team in points, rebounds and blocked shots. What stands out about Gilchrist is his ability to rebound the ball and defend. Some superstars are content to put up big scoring numbers and leave the heavy lifting on the other end of the floor to the supporting cast. Gilchrist unbelievable athleticism helps him be a monster on the defensive end. He is so good at blocking shots and can also rebound. The only concern with Gilchrist is his unability to make the three point jump shot consistently but he will definitely continue to improve from behind the arc with hard work.

In a news release John Calipari said, "I'm jacked. These are not just terrific basketball players, but they're terrific students and terrific people, as well. Most importantly, they all have an unbelievable attitude about winning; they all wanted to play together, knowing they're going to have to sacrifice a little bit of their game for their teammates. With this group, it adds to what we already have within our program. These are four of the best, which is what we want to recruit here."

Games and Events to Watch

Note: All Times are Eastern


Games to Watch in the MLB Today
Colorado Rockies (13-5, 1st in the NL West) - Jhoulys Chacin at Florida Marlins (11-6, 2nd in the NL East) - Anibal Sanchez at 7:10 PM
Kansas City Royals (12-7, 2nd in the AL Central) - Jeff Francis at Texas Rangers (11-7, 2nd in the AL West) - Derek Holand at 8:05 PM
Cincinnati Reds (10-9, tied for 1st in the NL Central) - Edinson Volquez at St. Louis Cardinals (10-9, tied for 1st in the NL Central) - Kyle McClellan at 8:15 PM
Boston Red Sox (7-11, 5th in the AL East) - Jon Lester at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (12-7, 1st in the AL West) - Dan Haren at 10:05 PM
Atlanta Braves (8-12, 4th in the NL Eest) - Tommy Hanson at San Francisco Giants (10-8, 2nd in the NL West) - Madison Bumgarner at 10:15 PM

Games to Watch in the NBA Today
Eastern Conference First Round:
3. Boston Celtics at 6. New York Knicks at 7:00 PM - Game Three (Celtics lead series 2-0)
4. Orlando Magic at 5. Atlanta Hawks at 8:00 PM - Game Three (Series tied 1-1)
Western Conference First Round:
2. Los Angeles Lakers at 7. New Orleans Hornets at 9:30 PM - Game three (Series tied 1-1)

Games to Watch in the NHL Today
Eastern Conference First Round:
7. Buffalo Sabres at 2. Philadelphia Flyers at 7:30 PM - Game Five (Series tied 2-2)
Western Conference First Round:
5. Nashville Predators at 4. Anaheim Ducks at 10:00 PM - Game Five (Series tied 2-2)

Games to Watch in Soccer Today
Dutch Eredivisie:
Twente Enschede (19-8-4, 65 points, 2nd in the Dutch Eredivisie) at ADO Den Haag (16-6-9, 54 points, 5th in the Dutch Eredivise) at 2:45 PM

Matches to Watch on the ATP Tour Today
Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell Quarterfinals:
1. Rafael Nadal (ranked 1 in the world) vs 7. Gael Monfils (ranked 9 in the world) - the 1st match on Pista Central Court
4. David Ferrer (ranked 6 in the world) vs 6. Jurgen Melzer (ranked 8 in the world) - the 2nd match on Pista Central Court
Feliciano Lopez (ranked 42 in the world) vs Ivan Dodig (ranked 56 in the world) - the 3rd match on Pista Central Court
8. Nicolas Almagro (ranked 11 in the world) vs Juan Carlos Ferrero (ranked 77 in the world) - the 4th match on Pista Central Court

Tournaments to Watch on the PGA Tour Today
The Heritage Second Round:
Notable players to watch include: Luke Donald at -4 (tied for 9th, 1:00 PM tee time), Ian Poulter at -2 (tied for 32nd, 1:10 PM tee time), Graeme McDowell at -1 (tied for 19th, 1:10 PM tee time), and Garrett Willis at -7 (leader, 1:30 PM tee time)

Tournaments to Watch on the European Tour Today
Volvo China Open at Luxehills International Country Club Second Round:
Notable players to watch include: Sergio Garcia at -6 (tied for 9th, 8:00 PM tee time), Keith Horne at -9 (leader, 9:20 PM tee time), and YE Yang at -4 (tied for 26th, 12:50 AM),

Kings Lose Lead and Momentum In Series With Sharks

2 minutes and 26 seconds into the first period Willie Mitchell scored for the Los Angeles Kings to give them a 1-0 lead. 13 seconds later Kyle Clifford scored to give the Kings a 2-0 lead. They added another goal in the first period and another goal 44 seconds into the second period. A 4-0 lead for the Kings and the fans are going wild.

No way the Sharks could come back from four goals down, right? As Lee Corso says, "Not so fast my friend." Not only did the Kings blow their lead, but they did it in one period. The Sharks scored 5 goals in the second fame. Patrick Marleau, Ryane Clowe, and Logan Couture all scored to bring the game to 4-3. Ryane Clowe said, "Once we got one, momentum is a strong thing. You might not believe [this] bbut even 3-0 and 4-0, we felt good. It was totally different from last game. It was all positive, to be honest. Guys were upbeat. We felt good about our game." Even a fifth goal from the Kings didn't stop the Sharks surge. Ryane Clowe's second goal and Joe Pavelski's first of the game tied the game at 5 at the end of the second period. The crowd, died quite in disbelief. The Sharks capped off their stunning comeback with a Devin Setoguchi wrist shot for a goal in overtime. Devin Setoguchi said, "We got that goal in the second period and all of a sudden the light turned on that we can do it, we can get pucks past this guy. We got it deep, worked hard, we beat guys off the wall. We got the second and third opportunities that led to the goals. This will definitely go down as one of the biggest wins we've ever had. Still kind of a surreal feeling that we came back from 4-0."

Sharks coach Todd McLellan said, "This is a game that you don't expect to happen. I don't think it will repeat itself. We were very fortunate to come back from that deficit. We're excited about it, but we also know the mulligan we used won't be available to us again." Not only did the Sharks take a 2-1 lead in the series, they took all of the momentum with their astonishing comeback. The Sharks joined only three other teams to have come back from a four-goal deficit to win a playoff game. Only one of the three teams who lost the game after leading by four goals overcame the collapse to win the series.

Games and Events to Watch

Note: All Times are Eastern


Games to Watch in the MLB Today
Cleveland Indians (13-5, 1st in the AL Central) - Josh Tomlin at Kansas City Royals (11-7, 2nd in the AL Central) - Sean O'Sulivan
Boston Red Sox (6-11, 5th in the AL East) - Josh Beckett at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (12-6, 1st in the AL West) - Tyler Chatwood
Washington Nationals (9-8, 3rd in the NL East) - Tom Gorzelanny at St. Louis Cardinals (9-9, 1st in the NL Central) - Kyle Lohse
Philadelphia Phillies (11-6, 1st in the NL East) - Roy Oswalt at San Diego Padres (8-10, 5th in the NL West) - Matt Latos

Games to Watch in the NBA Today
Eastern Conference First Round:
1. Chicago Bulls at 8. Indiana Pacers at 7:00 PM - Game Three (Bulls lead series 2-0)
2. Miami Heat at 7. Philadelphia 76ers at 8:00 PM - Game Three (Heat lead series 2-0)
Western Conference First Round:
3. Dallas Mavericks at 6. Portland Trail Blazers at 10:30 PM - Game Three (Mavericks lead series 2-0)

Games to Watch in the NHL Today
Eastern Conference First Round:
3. Boston Bruins at 6. Montreal Canadiens at 7:00 PM - Game Four (Canadiens lead series 2-1)
Western Conference First Round:
8. Chicago Blackhawks at 1. Vancouver Canucks at 10:00 PM - Game Five (Canucks lead series 3-1)
2. San Jose Sharks at 7. Los Angeles Kings at 10:30 PM - Game Four (Sharks lead series 2-1)

Games to Watch in Soccer Today
German Bundesliga:
Hannover 96 (17-3-10, 54 points, 4th in the Bundesliga) at SC Freiburg (12-5-13, 41 points, 8th in the Bundesliga) at 2:30 PM

Matches to Watch on the ATP Tour Today
Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell Third Round:
7. Gael Monfils (ranked 9 in the world) vs 9. Richard Gasquet (ranked 17 in the world) - the 2nd match on Pista Court 1
6. Jurgen Melzer (ranked 8 in the world) vs 11. Albert Montanes (ranked 27 in the world) - the 3rd match on Pista Court 1
8. Nicolas Almagro (ranked 11 in the world) vs Nikolay Davydenko (ranked 39 in the world) - the 4th match on Pista Central Court

Matches to Watch on the WTA Tour Today
Porsche Tennis Grand Prix at Stuttgart Quarterfinals:
5. Samantha Stosur (ranked 7 in the world) vs 2. Vera Zvonareva (ranked 3 in the world) - the 1st match on Center Court
1. Caroline Wozniacki (ranked 1 in the world) vs Andrea Petkovic (ranked 19 in the world) - the 3rd match on Center Court

Matches to Watch in Golf Today
The Heritage First Round:
Notable players to watch include: Luke Donald (8:30 AM tee time), Graeme McDowell (8:40 AM tee time), Ian Poulter (8:40 AM tee time), and Matt Kuchar (1:20 PM tee time)
Volvo China Open First Round:
Notable players to watch include: Sergio Garcia (1:00 AM tee time), Y.E. Yang (7:50 PM tee time), and Padraig Harrington (7:50 PM tee time)

Geethu Anna Jose – Q&A: WNBA Dreams

Two weeks ago, the dreams of lakhs of Indian basketball players and fans came one step closer to realisation, as word got out that India’s superstar Center Geethu Anna Jose is set to be offered tryouts by several professional teams in the Womens’ National Basketball Association (WNBA), the most competitive and prestigious Women’s basketball league in the world. It has been learnt that Geethu (26) will be trying out for the Los Angeles Sparks (two-time WNBA Championship winners), the San Antonio Silver Stars (2008 Finalists), and the Chicago Sky from April 23 – May 8.

The opportunity couldn’t have come for a more deserving player – Jose has been the biggest Indian basketball star for several years: she has captained the Indian Women’s side at the FIBA Asia Women’s Basketball Championship in 2009, where she was leading scorer in Asia. She has represented India in several major tournaments, including the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia and the 2010 Asian Games basketball championship in Guangzhou (China). Jose, who stands at 6 feet and 2 inches, is currently working for Southern Railway in Chennai, and, representing Indian Railways, has won seven consecutive National Basketball Championship titles. She was also the first Indian women to play professionally in Australia, when she represented the Ringwood Hawks, a lower division team in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL), and won the league’s Most Valuable Player award in 2008.

I got a chance to speak to Jose about her historic bid to complete the WNBA dream

Hoopistani: When did you first hear the news that your WNBA trials have been finalised?

Geethu Anna Jose [GAJ]: Troy Justice [Director of Basketball Operations, NBA India] emailed me and told me the news. I had handed him CDs of my game tapes, which he had taken with him to the USA, and he had been trying to set up meetings for me for a long time. In the first week of April I heard about my trials finally being confirmed.

Hoopistani: How does it feel to be given this incredible opportunity?

GAJ: There are few words left for me to express my happiness. Two years ago, I had gotten a similar offer, but back then, I refused to go: I didn’t feel confident in my own fitness to go for this kind of test. Ever since then, I felt a lot of regret about letting an opportunity like that slip by. I thought I would never get my chance again. But here it is: I’ve been very excited since I heard this news!

Hoopistani: So this time around, are you ready?

GAJ: Yes, I think I am.

Hoopistani: The WNBA is the ultimate dream for basketball players around the world. Was this your ambition too when you first started playing the game?

GAJ: When I first entered the basketball world, I dreamt of one day becoming the captain of the Indian basketball team. I achieved that dream in 2009 when I captained the Indian side at FIBA Women’s ABC. After that, I thought to myself, “What now?” And I knew that the WNBA should be the next step. In most cases, my age (26) might be a little too late to try for that next step, but my fate has been good because American coaches like Troy Justice and Tamika Raymond have come to India and helped me.

Hoopistani: Speaking of Raymond [Indian Women coach for the 2010 Asian Games], how has she helped your development?

GAJ: Coach Raymond encouraged me a lot – she always told me that she liked my game and compared my style of play to her own. In India, I play the Center position, but for the WNBA, I will have to play at Power Forward. Coach Raymond was behind me to help me make that switch when necessary.

Hoopistani: Talk about the competition that you faced during your time in Australia.

GAJ: The competition was very rough in Australia, but it also helped my game a lot. In India, I’m used to being double or tripled team in every offensive possession. In Australia, where there are more girls my size, I was usually defended one-on-one, which added a different perspective to my game.

Hoopistani: At this point, how much do you know about the process of your tryouts with the three teams?

GAJ: I know that, in Chicago, I will be joining the Sky for a training and tryout session. I will also be helped by Bill Harris [Indian Men’s coach for the 2010 Asian Games] over there. Troy Justice has told me not to worry too much about the process – I know that it’s not going to be about the number of baskets I score, but more about my basketball IQ.

Hoopistani: How much do you know about the teams that you will be trying out for?

GAJ: I haven’t followed the WNBA too much in recent years – I do know that the LA Sparks are very talented and have some of the best players in the league. But I’m not concerned about where I go because I think I can fit in with any of the teams.

Hoopistani: Where do you see yourself in the near future?

GAJ: I see myself as a WNBA player. But also, I want to see that my tryout is able to be a great opening for other young players in India to make the leap to the highest level.

Hoopistani: Do you think, then, that more Indian players will follow in your footsteps?

GAJ: Yes. We have a lot of talent here in India, but unfortunately, the exposure is less for them. There are currently very few club teams for women in India – once this number is increased, or if we see a pro league launched in the country, we will see many more talented youngsters come up the ranks.

Jose thanked the efforts of everyone who helped make her tryouts and her trip to the USA possible, including Troy Justice, Jayasankar Menon, the BFI’s Harish Sharma, the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), and the Hindustan Group.

Top 10 NFL Matchups (Let's Hope We Have A Season)

1. New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers in Week 1: The last two Super Bowl Champions should provide a show on the opening night of the NFL. The Saints had a very disappointing end to their season last year when they were ousted in the NFC Wild Card Game, as they allowed 41 points to the Seahawks. They will look to sure up their defense this year when they play the defending champion Green Bay Packers. It will be one of the best quarterback matchups of the year when the two former Super Bowl MVP's, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees, met up at Lambeau Field on September 8th.

2. New York Giants at Washington Redskins/ Dallas Cowboys at New York Jets in Week 1: The two cities that were directly affected by the terrorist attacks on September 11 will be hosting games on the 10th anniversary of those attacks. Giant’s spokesman Pat Hanlon said, "For nearly 10 years, we have felt an obligation to use our platform to make sure none of us ever forget the tragedy and heartbreak and courage and heroism of Sept. 11. That responsibility becomes even greater." The always shy Rex Ryan said, "That stadium is going to be full of emotion, not only the people from the area but in the entire country. [It's] The fact that it's the 10th anniversary of 9/11."

3. Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons in Week 2: The Falcons home opener will be against a very interesting opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles. Oh yes, Michael Vick will return to Atlanta for the first time as a starter. Emotions will obviously be high especially with the game being on at primetime on Sunday night. Vick had 6 very memorable seasons with the Falcons before was implicated in an illegal dog fighting ring. The Eagles open the regular season for the first time since 2002 with two road games.

4. Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints in Week 7: The Sunday Night primetime game on October 23rd will feature a Super Bowl rematch from 2010 when the Saints beat the Colts 31-17. It will also feature a great quarterback battle between Drew Bress and Peyton Manning. Bress isn't the only one who sees New Orleans as special in this match up as well. Peyton's dad Archie played for the Saints and Peyton was born, grew up, and played high school football in New Orleans. The last time Peyton was playing in New Orleans against the Saints was in 2003 when the Colts beat the Saints 55 to 21 and he tied his career high throwing 6 touchdowns in one game. 

5. San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8: Many people including myself were very surprised that Norv Turner retained his job after the Chargers failed to make the playoffs and were only 9-7 with all the talent that they had in their team last year. Although they scored the second most points in the league with 441 and were in the top 10 in points allowed, they missed out on the playoffs. The Chargers will try to take back the division title from the very surprising Kansas City Chiefs, who after a 4-12 season in 2009, won the AFC West at 10-6 last year. The Monday Night Football Game will be the second meeting between the teams and will be critical in the division race.

6. Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9: Since 2002, the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Baltimore Ravens have won the AFC North 7 out of the last 9 years. They have dominated the AFC North. Whenever the Ravens and Steelers met you can always expect great defense, extremely hard-hitting, and the two teams playing to get on top of the division. Steelers nose tackle Casey Hampton said, "The last few times we've played them [the Ravens] it always comes down to close games, and when you're in games like that, it's very emotional. You learn to start disliking a team even more." The Ravens will have even more incentive to knock off their rivals, as the Steelers ended their season last year in the Divisional Playoffs.

7. San Francisco 49ers at Baltimore Ravens in Week 12: Thanksgiving commemorates a feast that the pilgrims shared with their "brothers" the Native Americans. On Thanksgiving, Jim Harbaugh and his San Francisco 49ers will met his brother John Harbaugh and his Baltimore Ravens. They will become the first pair of brothers to meet as head coaches in NFL history. The game has allowed the Harabuagh family to have a little bit of fun. The brothers dad Jack Harbaugh said when asked if he was going to attend the game, “No way. And Jackie [Harbaugh, his wife] and I have talked about it, and we will not be within two time zones of that venue, I promise you. We’re going to stay as far away from that as we can. We’ve seen these two guys compete for about 47 years, so… we’ll allow other people to enjoy it with us here in Milwaukee, [where we will be] watching on television.” John Harbaugh said though, "My dad and mom said they're not going to be within three time zones of the game, but we'll get them there somehow. What we're going to do is try to get Jim over to the house, get him some turkey, get some of that tryptophan working and get him a little bit tired for later."

8. Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots in Week 13: Many people consider this game the biggest rivalry in the NFL even through the teams aren't in the same division. The Pats have won more than 10 games ever year since 2003 and the Colts have won more than 10 games every year since 2002. These two teams have been the models of consistency in the NFL and they are lead by two of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Brady and Manning have won 6 of the last 8 MVP's including the last 4. 

9. Chicago Bears at Denver Broncos in Week 14: While the Colts and Patriots rivalry has been going on for the last ten years, a new rivalry will have its first square off in Denver on December 11th. Bears quarterback Jay Cutler will finally return to the scene of the crime. Before the 2009 season, Cutler requested to leave Denver saying, "Really, it's best for me to move on. "Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said after they dealt Cutler to the Bears, "Obviously, the trade went through with another team. We moved on. I'm very disappointed. I'm very disappointed." Cutler will definitely face a very hostile crowd in Denver, as emotions are still very high over his departure. 

10. Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers in Week 16: The Packers-Bears rivalry dates all the way back to 1921 and they have played each other in the regular season and playoffs a record 182 times. Jay Cutler will return to Green Bay for the first time since he had to leave the NFC Championship game with a knee injury, which he has heavily criticized over. The Week 16 game that is primetime on Christmas will certainly have a big impact on the NFC North division crown.