WSD Sports Page: Kings dominate against Blackhawks in 3rd period, tie series

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In the first 38 minutes of the game, Chicago was up 2-0 and cruising to take a 2-0 lead in the third round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Then, things escalated quickly after Los Angeles broke through with a goal.

Five more goals were scored by the Kings after Justin Williams scored on a tip-in with under two minutes left in the second period, winning by the final 6-2 tally and evening up the series. The Kings took advantage of two power play opportunities early in the final period and Jeff Carter had a hat trick in that final stretch.

It was incredibly uncharacteristic for Chicago to get ran out on their own ice like that. Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews admitted that it just got away from them once the Kings were able to garner all the momentum (via NHL.com):

"You're bound to give up something," Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said. "If they score a goal to pull within one it doesn't mean they have to score six unanswered. I think we always want to close out periods. We want to try to keep that momentum going into the next one but sometimes it happens. So we just needed to find a way to bounce back early in that third and we didn't do it."

The second power play opportunity given to LA was a mental error by Chicago's Brandon Saad, but that likely put the nail in the coffin after the Kings were able to grab the 3-2 lead just three minutes into the final period.

Don't forget about Jonathan Quick, who had a stellar first period just to keep the game within reach. He saved 19 shots in the first two periods before Chicago was held to just six in the final frame.

It took five periods, but the Kings finally broke through to make it a series against the Blackhawks.


Other Headlines

MLB: Giants beat Rockies 5-1, lose pitchers Cain and Casilla

Matt Cain continues to have the worst luck this season. After three innings, San Francisco's starter pulled his right hamstring and had to exit the game. He gave up zero hits and walks along with recording three strikeouts on 36 pitches, en roue to what looked like a great start. Luckily, the bullpen was able to break through and save the day, with Yusmeiro Petit picking up the win after three innings of work himself.

Another injury was sustained by reliever Santiago Casilla, who was trucking to first base and landed awkwardly on his leg, tumbling down and was in agony for quite a few minutes. With a quick turnaround today thanks to a day game, the Giants have to work quickly to come up with a plan to replenish the pitching roster as they deal with injuries.

In better news, the Giants got the much-needed win with solo long-ball shots from Hunter Pence, Pablo Sandoval, and Brandon Crawford.

NBA: Spurs flex muscles again, throttle Thunder to take 2-0 lead

I don't want to say a series is over after two games, but Oklahoma City is on life support. The loss of Serge Ibaka was a huge loss for the Thunder, and Scott Brooks needs to figure out a game plan to both slow down San Antonio and get more of his players involved. Russell Westbrook took over the game and missed a billion shots during the Spurs' huge run that spanned the second and third quarters.

There's plenty of time to work some magic, but clearly, Gregg Popovich is showing how superior he is as a head coach and how much better of a team that he has in the Western Conference -- which is an unbelievable statement.

NFL: Smith pleads no contest to three felony weapons, two misdemeanor DUI charges

Sentencing will happen shortly after training camp opens up this summer for the team. Obviously, being an NFL player and all, he won't be facing much, if any, jail time. But he should easily see a suspension from the NFL, or at the very least a suspension from the team. His actions are indefensible, and so was the abomination at LAX last month. Smith shouldn't be seeing action until October, but we'll see how severe his punishments are.


Today's Slate
(Central times listed)

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS - ROUND 3
Canadiens at Rangers (NYR 2-0) - 7:00 NBCS

NBA PLAYOFFS - CONF FINALS
No games

MLB
-Giants at Rockies - 2:10 MLBTV
Dodgers at Mets - 6:10 MLBTV
D'backs at Cardinals - 6:15 FSMW
Cubs at Padres - 9:10 CSCH

CBB - BIG 12 TOURNEY
Kansas vs Baylor - 9:00a FSSW+
Texas Tech vs Oklahoma - 12:30 FSSW+
TCU vs W Virginia - 4:00 FSSW+
-Oklahoma St vs Texas - 7:30 FSSW+

WSD Sports Page (5-3-14): Damian Lillard leads Portland Trail Blazers to the Western Conference Semifinals

Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge are men amongst boys in Portland, the San Francisco 49ers pick up the option for Aldon Smith, and college lacrosse continues to dazzle. All in today's sports page.

The Lede

It took 24 Western Conference first round games, but a team finally advances to the next round. Damian Lillard makes a shot with 0.9 seconds on the clock, giving the Portland Trail Blazers a ticket to the next round over the Houston Rockets.

How much of a badass was Lillard? Against Houston, the man can do everything. In this playoff series, Lillard averaged 25.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 7.4 assists in 45 minutes of action. All of that is above his normal season averages.

Also tack on an incredible 45.9 percent shooting from downtown and constant drilling from the free throw line. The man had it all, and he was one of the two big reasons why the Blazers are headed to the next round.

Another one is LaMarcus Aldridge, who rebounded from his off night in Game 5 and put down 30 in the series clincher. His efficiency died when compared to his first two games in the series, but it knocked his percentage down to 50 percent, which just explains how freaking nuts he was in the first two games at Houston -- which was about a 59 percent average for those scoring at home.

These last two games in the series weren't like the insane, zero-defense affairs. But at some point you just gotta be a little tired from scoring all the time, right?

Poor Dwight Howard. He was non-existent in his first and only playoff series with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was certainly the man for the Rockets averaging 26 points and 14.2 rebounds per game, but the Laker fans already having fun slapping him on the ass as he exits the door.

Can't blame them for how he left, but he was certainly not the reason why Houston isn't moving on.

Their defense is.


Other Headlines

1. NBA: The latest on Donald Sterling and V. Stiviano -- Sterling admits that he should have "just paid her off" while the woman spoke to Barbara Walters on 20/20 and insists that Sterling should publicly apologize. Considering Sterling's history, he is a racist, and any sort of apology would be fabricated garbage that would just be wasting everybody's time.
2. NBA: Dallas, Brooklyn force even more Game 7s. That brings us to a total of five Game 7s in the NBA this weekend. Most of the time you'd be lucky to have a single game on Saturday night, and the second round usually began the next day. Enjoy it!
3. NHL: Chicago lays the wood down with 5-2 shellacking. Patrick Kane closes it out with two goals in the third period.
4. NFL: 49ers pick up the option for Aldon Smith. I'm still firmly against it, but ultimately it was the right move in a business sense and it's not a surprise after hearing all signs pointing to go in the past couple days. It's only guaranteed until next March, and again, I've got the under on that bet he'll stay clean until then.
5. NFL: Colin Kaepernick comes out and says the Miami "incident" has changed him. Unless you're an idiot like Aldon and haven't grown up after screwing up royally over three times in your life, you quickly learn that a target is on your back when you're a big figure. But, perhaps Joshua David should just tell him to shut the f*ck up.
6. LAX: Ivy League semifinals both ended in one-goal games. The only time Ivy League sports is exciting is when the Harvard men's basketball team has their moments and when their teams meet on the field for men's lacrosse.

Yesterday's Favorites

• Giants 2, Braves 1 - Tim Lincecum picks up his second win of the season thanks to Angel Pagan's leadoff home run and Michael Morse's solo shot in the sixth inning to break a 1-run tie. Sergio Romo's eighth save was like watching the end of an NBA game. Long and brutal.
• NCAA Baseball: West Virginia 5, Texas 3 - It's the Longhorn's third straight Big 12 loss despite Brooks Marlow going 4-for-5 and the team getting the same amount of hits as the Mountaineers (11). Texas was down 4-0 until the seventh inning when they put up three straight runs. And that was it.

Today's Slate

Central times listed.

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

-Tottenham at West Ham - 6:45a NBCS

Sunderland at Man United - 9:00a NBCS

Man City at Everton - 11:30a CNBC

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS - ROUND 2

Canadiens at Bruins (MON 1-0) - 11:30 NBC

-Kings at Ducks (Game 1) - 7:00 NBCS

NBA PLAYOFFS - ROUND 1

Hawks at Pacers (Game 7) - 4:30 TNT

Grizzlies at Thunder (Game 7) - 7:00 TNT

Warriors at Clippers (Game 7) - 9:30 TNT

MLB

Dodgers at Marlins - 6:10 SNLA/FSFL

-Giants at Braves - 6:10 CBA/FSS

Mets at Rockies - 7:10 SNY/RSRM

D'backs at Padres - 7:40 FSAZ/FSSD

LAX

AE: UMBC vs Albany (Final) - 9:00a ESPNU

-Johns Hopkins at Loyola - 11:00a CBSS

Army at Notre Dame - 11:00a ESPNU

Colgate at Syracuse - 3:00 ESPN3 (ONL)

BE: Denver at Villanova (Final) - 3:30 FS1

ECAC: Fairfield vs Air Force (Final) - 4:00 FS2

Lizards at Bayhawks - 6:00 PT

Hounds at Launch - 6:00 TLN (ONL)

CBB

Baylor at Oklahoma - 2:00 FSOK

Texas Tech at Kansas - 2:00 ESPN3 (ONL)

-Texas at West Virginia - 3:00

Kansas St at TCU - 4:00 FSSW

WSD Sports Page (5-2-14): Los Angeles Clippers give 'thoughts and prayers' for Donald Sterling's cancer

Why the Los Angeles Clippers should be honest on their thoughts on Donald Sterling, Roy Hibbert doesn't show up again, and getting to know the Kansas City Royals' awesome starter Jeremy Guthrie all in today's sports page.

The Lede

#56284343 / gettyimages.com

Later last night during the NBA playoffs, reports came out that embattled Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has been dealing with prostate cancer for an extended period of time. And now some of those on the team are giving their "thoughts and prayers" to him.

Um, what?

We all deserve to say what we feel. However, some things shouldn't be said -- case and point, everything Donald Sterling said -- but those awful, disastrous feelings he has was made in his own home. That was in a private home where we all have said things that aren't fit for the public to hear.

I'm not saying we say crap to that level, or at least in a serious matter that he was. But now that it's public knowledge, that's just the way it goes. Smarter people wouldn't have put themselves in that position or even have those thoughts of being an owner is equivalent to the days when white men owned black slaves -- like Sterling believed.

But having to sugarcoat a statement to wish Sterling the best? I'm sorry, but Blake Griffin isn't giving his "thoughts and prayers" to Sterling. Prostate cancer is a terrible thing and everyone should hope that he gets better from it. Leave it at that.

Acknowledge Sterling's cancer, hope that he fights it, and move on. Don't give him well wishes, because we know damn well you don't mean that. After the comments were released on Saturday, you turned your shirts inside-out and looked away from the franchise's name. Players were thinking about boycotting the game.

Say what you want, but just be smart about it. Because most people can sense what BS is, and that's anyone one this Clippers that's giving well wishes to their racist owner that's on the clock.


Other Headlines

1. NBA: Playoff recap. All three games ended with the road team forcing Game 7 on Saturday night. The marathon begins at 4:30 PM Central time and all games are on TNT. That's a bummer, ESPN.
2. NBA: Roy Hibbert's non-existent again, but it doesn't burn the Pacers. He had zero points and four fouls last night. So when is this guy finally going to get right?
3. NHL: Canadiens win in double-OT against the Bruins. The first game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs' second round went into multiple overtimes, because hockey.
4. NFL: Mike Holmgren believes Johnny Manziel's a long shot to be a starting quarterback. Ditto.
5. MLB: Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie launches a ball in the upper deck. He felt some fans deserved it. Asked if he's worried about repercussions? He's more worried about the home runs he's given up. Players like this would make it easy to have a beer with.
6. MLB: Bar owner wins $1.5 million after New Jersey didn't let him open up "Buck Foston" bar. He won because the city's defense wasn't at all the real reason why they wouldn't let Lawrence Blatterfein open the bar.
7. NFL: 49ers mull over picking up the option on Aldon Smith, decision must come today. Reports say they are going to do it. Regardless of whether or not he does get picked up, he needs to prove he can make it through a season without getting in trouble. I'll take the under.

Today's Slate

(A.K.A. Games that I'm keeping track of) - Central times listed.

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS - ROUND 2

Rangers at Penguins (Game 1) - 6:00 NBCS

Wild at Blackhawks (Game 1) - 8:30 NBCS

NBA PLAYOFFS - ROUND 1

Raptors at Nets (TOR 3-2) - 6:00 ESPN2

Spurs at Mavericks (SA 3-2) - 7:00 ESPN

Rockets at Blazers (POR 3-2) - 9:30 ESPN

MLB

Dodgers at Marlins - 6:10 SNLA/FSFL

-Giants at Braves - 6:35 CBA/FSS

Mets at Rockies - 7:40 SNY/RSRM

D'backs at Padres - 9:10 FSAZ/FSSD

LAX

IVY: Penn vs Cornell (Semi 1) - 4:00 ESPN3

MLL: Cannons at Rattlers - 6:30 ESPN3

IVY: Yale vs Harvard (Semi 2) - 7:00 ESPN3

CBB

-Texas at W Virginia - 6:00

Texas Tech at Kansas - 6:00 ESPN3

Kansas St at TCU - 6:30 FSSW

WSD Daily Sports Page (4-25-14): Boston Bruins take firm command over Detroit Red Wings

Is Boston the best team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs? We evaluate the continuing changing of the guard in Los Angeles, what the two most controversial NFC West players are, and what the Buffalo Bills cheerleaders have to deal with in today's sports page.

The Lede

Everything was set for a long series between two legendary NHL teams, Boston and Detroit, despite their seeds being on the far opposite ends of the Eastern Conference playoffs. However, it may have come to a close after the Bruins took over later in the second period and didn't hold up.

Boston has won the last three games of the series thanks to their main leaders finally producing after the team was down 2-0 in the second period. Milan Lucic, David Krejci, and Jarome Iginla -- three of the top four scorers on the Bruins, finally got on the same page together. Iginla finally got on the board with a goal and Lucic got his second goal of the playoffs while Krejci picked up an assist.

Honestly, the series should really be over. After a scoreless tussle in the first 57 minutes with close to 50 missed shots, Pavel Datsyuk scored for Detroit to finally break the ice and they held on for the win. 

Now with the Bruins taking a 3-1 lead heading back to Boston, they're looking like the toughest out in the East. Pittsburgh is now in a best-of-3 tussle with Columbus. Boston is 3-0 against both the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers.

You certainly can't look past Montreal, who swept Tampa Bay in the first round and is 2-1 against Boston this season, but the Bruins do have home ice.

They have firm control in the East right now, and the only other team that's looked more dominant in the whole playoffs were San Jose's first three wins against Los Angeles.

Other Headlines

1. NBA: Los Angeles Clippers takes 2-1 control of series against Golden State Warriors. Watching Blake Griffin flop all over sucks, but there's no denying how much of a beast he's been inside to aid the Clips in rewriting their history. The other team in LA look the strongest in the West right now.
2. NBA: From Golden State Warriors to San Francisco Warriors? The organization is considering changing their name when they move out of Oracle Arena, but they would like fan input. One of the reasons why I went with the Lakers as my NBA team despite having a favorite team in football and baseball from the Bay Area, is the lack of accepting "Golden State" as a real NBA team name. Perhaps I'll have to finally move over if they become the SF Warriors.
3. NHL: What happened to Colorado? After going up 2-0 on Minnesota, the Wild have outshot the Avalanche 78-34 in the two games up north. Yikes.
4. NFL: Drew Magary ranks all the NFL weeks. Solid list all around. Weeks featuring big matchups with San Francisco, Seattle, and Green Bay tend to rank high. Thanksgiving weekend certainly looks to be the best.
5. NFL: Aldon Smith won't be facing felony charges. Of course, he faces both a felony gun charge and drunk driving charge in court on Tuesday. He's also just 24. The 49ers would be mighty smart to stay away from that $9.75 million option.
6. NFL: Richard Sherman believes money is the best way to show someone you love them. Quote: "The only way people show respect is the dollars." He'll certainly make a plastic fake blonde really happy, and Seattle better get prepared to pay out the ass for him. Something tells me he won't budge until the offers well north of Darrelle Revis' $12 million with the New England Patriots.
7. NFL: Buffalo "Jills" are told what tampons they need to wear and how to keep their "downstairs" fresh. All righty then.

WSD Daily Sports Page (4-18-14): MLB replay isn't the problem, the whole sports replay process is wrong

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