Morning Wrap: Gordon Heyward at The Buzzer For The Win

Lost in the overhype about LeBron James and the coverage of the crappy New York Knicks has been a pretty good start to a well-balanced NBA.

And one of the better games so far happened Wednesday night in Utah when the Jazz squared off with the Cleveland LeBrons.

Thanks to a game winning jumper by Utah's Gordon Heyward, the Jazz sank the LeBron's 102-100.

It wasn't due to lack of effort on either part. LeBron James dropped a falling away 3-point shot with 3.4 seconds left and got fouled by Derrick Favors. The free throw tied the game at 100.

The Jazz got the ball, got it to Heyward, who calmly dropped a 21-footer as the horn sounded.

The win got Utah to 2-3 on the season, the LeBron's fell to 1-3 and have totally perplexed the drooling national media who just assumed they'd dominate the world.

Your highlights from NBA.com:

New York Times Says A Lot by Saying A Little About LeBron

((ht: sports.yahoo.com))

You know the old saying "A picture is worth 1,000 words"? Never has it been more appropriate than the editors of the New York Times put together the front page of their sports section for Saturday's paper.

Rather than the breathless, "OMG!", "Biggest story ever" headlines that other web sites and papers chose for the announcement, they went with the photo on your right.

And never was more said that by the blank page and small mention in the transactions section.

We at OSG Sports...well, OK, me have some of our own opinions on the whole commotion and it appears they jibe with some but not with some others. (mostly the cynics of the world)

Obviously, the story of James going back to Cleveland was a humungous thing to the "Worldwide Leader". They are the network of celebrity and headliners and treated the story as such.

We don't fault them for that, it's what they do.

And Sports Illustrated found themselves with what was perhaps one of the biggest "Scoops" they've ever had.

LeBron's "Letter to Cleveland" as penned by Lee Jenkins is a fascinating read. It describes a man who has moved on from being a teenager trapped in a man's body to becoming an adult who is considered the best basketball player on the planet.

It's contrite, almost apologetic and describes a man who realizes there may be more to life than basketball.

If you haven't read it, you should. Click on the link RIGHT HERE

There are a LOT of cynics and smart-asses on the Internet who don't seem to respect the decision. Somehow they define a person by what they've done in the past and can't seem to move forward from that.

But that's what the Internet often does.

For us, we'll take the man at his word. He has the time and the opportunity to do everything he says he wants to.

If the man wants to secure his legacy and his place among the greatest athletes of all-time, then he needs to show that the words describe the man rather than just be a creation of a smart P.R department.

Hell Freezes Over: LeBron Returning To Cleveland

((HT: Fox 8 Cleveland))

LeBron James tells Sports Illustrated he is returning to Cleveland to play for the Cavaliers.

The news broke Twitter...

Here's the latest from the center of the sporting universe


Cavs owner Dan Gilbert Tweeted out his joy:

Welcome Home @kingjames. I am excited for the fans and people of Cleveland and Ohio. No fans and people deserve a winner more than them.....

Heat owner Micky Arison is, obviously, disappointed and the Cavs become an instant contender in the Eastern Conference.

That's The Way To Get The Headlines From USMNT And Wimbledon, LeBron...

From Chris Broussard via Twitter:

LeBron James' agent Rich Paul has told Heat LeBron will exercise early termination option

Now, what...???

We go from this...
((HT: Miami Heat))


And this...
((HT: Miami Heat))


To him opting out and sending the entire NBA world in a tizzy of Biblical proportions...

Melo opts out. LeBron opts out. Cleveland could be a destination if you ask LeBron's wife on her Instagram account.
The Bulls, Mavs, Rockets, and Lakers want Melo.

But who can afford The Bron...???

That's the larger question as an unrestricted free agent...

Or is this just the first step to get everyone re-signed at lesser prices to get Melo (or someone else?) in the fold for the next few seasons to keep stocking the Heat roster...???

You're up, Pat Riley...??/

NBA Finals: AC in San Antonio Fixed, Now Please Stop Whining

Ok, enough already. Yeah, great, sure, we get it. The air conditioner didn't work for Game 1 of the NBA Finals causing discomfort for fans and players alike.

And yeah, we know, in part, it caused Miami Heat star LeBron James to cramp up and rendered him unable to play down the stretch as the San Antonio Spurs won game 1 of the series 110-95.

It's fixed.

Can we please stop talking about it like some sort of Greek Tragedy?

All we've heard for the past 48 hours is how hot it was and that James is a lesser basketball god because he cramped up. And a large group---mostly of judgmental, idiot fans who keep saying "He should have played through the cramps" and "How could that happen to a star?".

It happens. A lot.

For those of you with short term memories (That includes a lot of sportswriters), it wasn't so long ago that the Boston Garden, home of the Celtics during their epic battles with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980's, would routinely be 90 or 100 degrees with no air circulating during the game.

You didn't hear people whining and crying about it then.

((NOTE---I'm not talking about the players. Because if you listened to the post game interviews Thursday, none of them complained about it. Just said it was part of the game.))



So...game 2 will be played Sunday night. In a fully air conditioned arena. It will still be warm. Heck, it's Southern Texas, in June with 18,000 people inside a building.

But no, it won't be 90+ in the building. Everyone will play. Including Mr. James. Who, and I can't believe I'm saying this...doesn't deserve the grief he's getting.

Think about it for a second. IF...any of you have been an elite level athlete and cramped up. (It happens in football all the time). Just try to run or do...well, anything. Or look at it this way: Have you ever been asleep and suddenly had your calf cramp up on you? Yes? You've probably jumped out of bed like you've been shot to try and stretch it out. But you weren't functional for awhile after it happened.

That's what it's like.

For what it's worth, we here at the OSG. Okay, at least the part of us who enjoy basketball, are looking forward to the rest of the Spurs/Heat series. These are your 2 best teams playing at a level others can't compete with right now. This series may, before it ends...go down as being an all-time classic.

For those who missed it, here's the video of LeBron after he locked up...

LeBron Almost Half Of Miami Offense

((HT: Sun Sports))

But, they were playing Charlotte...

Here's the effort that was one point short of Carmelo Anthony's season-high of 62


James made 22 of 33 shots from the floor- including his first eight 3-point attempts.
His career best was 56 points back in 2005 for Cleveland against Toronto.

Glen Rice scored 56 to set the Heat record on April 15, 1995, against Orlando, so the Heat record held for almost 19 years...

James had 24 points at halftime then added just as many (well, really 25) in the third quarter...

El Bron Drops Dagger On GSW

((HT: NBATV))

Remember when everyone challenged LeBron James and wanted him to take the last shot- knowing he would pass off...

Didn't do that Wednesday night in the Heat-Golden State game...


James finishes with 36, 13, and 9 in the one-point win as Dwyane Wade sat out...

Video Bomb Wars Continue: LeBron Returns Fire on Dwayne Wade

Haha!

Who doesn't love a good video bomb battle?

Mere days after Dwayne Wade got the best of Miami Heat teammate LeBron James by doing this...



Wednesday night, LeBron fired back. And yeah, it was pretty funny too:



We eagerly await the return fire...

ICYMI: Parker Puts Away Heat: Spurs Win Game 1

The game went down to the final 5 seconds. And it finished on a shot by San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker that had to be reviewed.

But it counted. And that's all that mattered.

The running, lunging bank shot gave Parker 21 points for the game and led the Spurs to a 92-88 win in Game One of the NBA Finals.

Did we mention it was played in Miami? Or that the Spurs have been off for nine days after an easy Conference Finals win?

Tim Duncan added 20 points and Kawahi Leonard played smothering defense on LeBron James, holding him to 18 points in the win.

For those of you who weren't able to see the game, here are your comprehensive highlights from our friends at NBA.com:

Roy Hibbert Docked $75K For Post Game Gay Slur

Nobody will ever really know what possessed Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert to say what he did during a post-game interview after the Pacers Game 6 win over the Miami Heat Saturday night.

But he said it.

For some reason, he responded to a question about defending Heat star LeBron James by saying "No Homo".

And though Hibbert has apologized for saying it, it's not something you can really take back. Even by reaching out to Jason Collins, wasn't going to cut it.

With that in mind, the NBA announced Sunday afternoon Hibbert would get a $75,000 fine.

Yes, NBA Commish David Stern has said he believes Hibbert is sincere in his apologies, he still had to fine him. And he's right.

Hibbert is not the first NBA player...or athlete to say things such as this and whether you like it or not, you just can't say stuff like that.

At some point, homophobic comments are going to cost athletes a game. Quite honestly, Hibbert is somewhat fortunate this one didn't cost him one. With the Heat and Pacers going to a game 7 in their hard-fought East Division finals, there's no way something like this would cost a starter for either team a game.

But eventually it will....

And before you say it, we haven't reported on this up until now. That's why we are posting the video of Saturday nights presser:

Pacers Get Split In Miami, Series Tied At 1

((HT: NBA on TNT))

This was huge...

Home court advantage is now with the Indiana Pacers. Roy Hibbert had 29 points and Paul George had 22 as the Pacers took a lead early in Miami against the Heat and held on for the 97-93 win in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.

"We haven't done anything yet," Hibbert said post-game. "We haven't closed the series out. We won one game. A lot of us feel we should be up 2-0."

And Hibbert is right. Save for him not in the game for the last 2.2 seconds, the series should have been all Indiana.
LeBron James had his opportunities in Game 1. It was the idea of the Pacers to take those away from him Game 2...

Here's the highlights...


"Heck of a basketball game, wasn't it?" Pacers head coach Frank Vogel asked the media post-game.

He was right...

The Pacers trailed for only 15 seconds in the first half, and Indiana led by 10 late in the first quarter and by 13 with a minute to go before half time.

ICYMI: Great Game: Heat Barely Beat Pacers in OT

Yes, the NBA Playoff go on forever, but every once in awhile, the games can be absolutely fantastic to watch.

That was the case Wednesday night as the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers squared off in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat won 103-102 in Overtime.

The game went back and forth, close most of the way.

Paul George nearly won the game for the Pacers by himself.

He drained a long, 32-foot 3-point shot to tie the game at the end of regulation.

Here are his amazing highlights, including the 3-pointer and nearly winning the game with 2.2 seconds left in overtime. George finished with 27-points



But George was topped by the seemingly incomparable LeBron James. James had a triple double (30-pts, 10-rebounds, 10-assists) and scored when needed.

He was needed as his driving layup at the buzzer in overtime provided the difference, winning the game.

Looks Like Blood In Chicago For Game 3 (VIDEO)

((HT: ESPN/NBA))

And it started early with Joakim Noah and Chris Andersen


Nazr Mohammad baited LeBron James into a technical foul before getting tossed on his own...

No self-control...
Evidence below...


More when there's more...

ICYMI: Yes, The Miami Heat Can't Seem To Lose

((ht: nba.com))

We have to mention it, partially because everyone else is and partially, well, because it's actually starting to become historic.

The Miami Heat, the most loaded team in NBA history has finally grown into the team everyone expected them to be. After all, they have 3 of the Top 10 or so players in the league (LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh) and now finally have found a pretty good supporting cast.

The Heat have now won 24 games in a row. Game 24 was won after the Cleveland Cavaliers jumped out to a 27-point lead midway through the 3rd Quarter. The Heat ended up winning by 3, 98-95.

For those of you not versed in NBA history, the record for most wins in a row in the NBA--the Los Angeles Lakers in 1972. That team won 33-games in a row.

Your Wednesday night highlights from NBA.com:

ICYMI: LeBron James tackles Half-Court Shot making fan

((nba.com))

Okay, this is actually pretty cool.

Say what you will about LeBron James, but it's obvious the guy just likes having basketball related fun.

If you haven't seen this video, check out the reaction after a fan at Friday night's Miami Heat/Detroit Pistons game tries a half-court shot for $75,000.

The guy kind of throws up a semi-hook...baseball throw kind of shot...and drains it!

Then watch what happens. James comes running off the bench and tackles him. It's really funny.

Talk about your "Memorable moment".

Here's the video:

In Case You Missed It: LeBron Gets His Ring, Heat NBA Champions

The world is a much better place today, LeBron James finally has his NBA Championship.  I hope you are enjoying the 4-letter’s gavel-to-gavel coverage of this truly great moment in NBA history according to them.

Now with a championship ring the greatness of LeBron James can’t be debated.  Five more rings and he matches Michael Jordan, greatness for my generation.  Good luck matching Bill Russell’s 11 rings

Pardon the sarcastic tone but as much as we appreciate LeBron James’ game the fact that he was anointed the “chosen one” from the time he was in high school with his accomplishments and failures magnified to the n’th degree since turning pro has been nauseating. 

Such is life in the hyper media age.

Now LeBron James is vindicated and his career validated with an NBA Championship. 

Here’s Dwayne Wade and LeBron James talking to the assembled press after winning the NBA title. (Thanks Fox Sports Florida)

In Case You Missed It: Heat hold off Thunder as Series Gets Interesting

Well, so far, this years NBA Championship series is actually living up to the hype surrounding it. The build has been all about Kevin Durant vs. LeBron James and after 2 games you can say that neither has disappointed.

The Miami Heat held off the Oklahoma City Thunder late Thursday night, 100-96. The Thunder did erase a 15 point lead in the 2nd half, but couldn't come all the way back.

And no, we aren't getting into the "Did he" or "Didn't He" alleged foul by James on Durant late in the game when the Thunder had a chance to close. It wasn't called thusly---no debate. 

James erased some questions about his ability to finish late in Finals games, he scored 32, Dwyane Wade played more like Dwyane Wade, adding 24 and Chris Bosh was a big factor in the game, grabbing 15 rebounds.

The Thunder struggled early, missing a lot of shot and were often out of control. A lot of that had to do with Russell Westbrook, who was getting into the lane, but was rarely able to make shots while in there.

Already, the experts...or at least the clowns on the 4-letter-word (ESPN) have pretty much given the series to the Heat, and they do now have the home court advantage. But as we all know, advantages are only good until the next game and the next game is Sunday night...in Miami.

We'll see who steps up bigger this time because like we said in the beginning, for the first time in many years, this actually is an NBA Finals that is worth watching.

Your highlights from NBA.com:

Miami's Big Three Comes Through In Game 7. Bring On The OKC Thunder

After falling 3-2 to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals Miami was feeling the, pardon the pun, heat. 

All the criticism seemed to tick off LeBron James, who came back with a career game for the NBA playoffs in Game six.

Saturday the Heat finished off the Celtics 101-88 in Game seven to advance to the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Here are the highlights:


LeBron James didn’t disappear in this Game seven.  King James’ box score against the Celtics Saturday night reads 31 points and 12 rebounds. 

Dwayne Wade scored 23 points and Chris Bosh was feeling it from the perimeter.  Bosh nailed a career best three 3 point field goals finishing the game with 19.  Oh by the way Bosh’s third 3 pointer finished off the Celtics.

James, Wade and Bosh have been together for two years and Saturday they have never been any bigger.  Miami's big 3 finally came through when it counted.

"That's what we talk about," James said. "It has to be a collective group to win the championship. Everybody was in tune today."

Boston couldn’t get that elusive series clinching win after going up 3-2 in the series. In was a emotional post-game locker room last night for the Celtics as their season ended.  The prevailing question is will this be the end of the Kevin Garnett – Paul Pierce – Ray Allen era?

Watch the Celtic game story of Game 7 against the Heat from CSN New England.

The NBA must be thrilled with its NBA Finals match-up between the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder as each game will be appointment TV.

OKC’s big three Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden going up against Miami’s for the NBA title.

The big three Heat vs the big three Thunder.

This match-up will be the topic of conversation on the blogs, sports radio and by just plain folks around the office break room. 

ABC might get some big ratings for this one.

NBA Commissioner David Stern loves it when a plan comes together.

LeBron Unstoppable. Heat Force Game 7 Vs Celtics

It appears putting a sheet over the Miami Heat was a bit premature.  LeBron James made sure of that.

James first half performance in Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals was as dominant as it gets with 30 points.  James ended the game with 45 points.

It was a masterful performance by LeBron James.

Here are the highlights.

Of course a Celtic can shows his appreciation of James’ performance by dumping his beverage on him while heading to the locker room after the game.

Too little too late to cool off King James.

In some way Lebron James got a second chance to make an impression on the basketball world. 

The criticism of King James has been he has disappeared when a game or a series is on the line.  Defaulting to his team mates rather than taking the game over.  That didn’t happen Thursday night and there was not a damn thing the Boston Celtics could do about it.

“Well, it was a matter of too much LeBron,” Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said. “He was absolutely sensational, made every shot, set the tone for their whole team. I thought he gave them comfort in the way he played tonight.”

It was no garden party for the Celtics who had the opportunity to close out the series on their home court.  Now Boston must travel to Miami Saturday night for Game seven. 

Miami seems to have its mojo back.

In Case You Missed It: Heat survive Rondo up 2-0

It wasn't easy and it took withstanding a 44 point, 10 assist and 8 rebound effort by Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, but the Miami Heat won yet again, beating Boston 115-111 in overtime Wednesday night.

LeBron James dropped 34 including 18 of 24 free throws, Dwyane Wade had 23 and Mario Chalmers had 22 points to lead the Heat to their second straight win over a visibly upset Boston team.

The reason the Celtics were so upset ironically, the amount of fouls called against them. Boston coach Doc Rivers was really aggravated that James took 24 free throws himself, the C's had 29 free throws for the entire game. Apparently Celtic's GM Danny Ainge was berating the refs after the game because his team was called for almost twice as many fouls as the Heat.

It's funny, because most teams feel like the Celtics are the one's who get that kind of benefit during their games.

Rondo did all he could to keep his team in the game, playing the entire game. Paul Pierce, he fouled out late in the game.

The Heat took advantage of a big game by Chalmers and help from Udonis Haslem to grab the win and a steep advantage in the best of 7 Eastern Conference Finals.

Game 3 is Friday night in Boston.

NBA.com gives us your highlights.