WSD Sports Page: Clippers lack playoff experience, costly against Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Los Angeles Clippers in six games, and another blown lead--not any calls from the refs-- was the main story again.

Photo from TheHoodgirl

Once up 16, the Clippers let everything slide away again in the second half and lost by a 104-98 final margin. Kevin Durant was incredible, putting up 39 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 assists in an incredible night, nailing all 10 free throws. The whole team was aggressive getting to the foul line and it paid off. They went 29-of-33 from the charity stripe while LA hit just 12-of-20.

That +15 edge at the line overcame the Clippers having a +24 advantage in the paint.

Clippers fans were obnoxious during the whole disaster, but this time, they don't have the aid of a controversial finish and a Doc Rivers breakdown to latch onto. Two straight games blowing double-digit leads doomed the team, and while they looked like the best team in the NBA at times throughout the season, playoff experience prevailed for the Thunder.

People forget that LA's other team, despite becoming more popular than the Lakers, simply have next to zero playoff experience in their franchise history. The team is trending in the right direction, and they'll continue to be a factor as they re-tool the team and continue being led by the trio of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan.

But for now, the Thunder get the opportunity to play the San Antonio Spurs, a.k.a the West's Finest. They won't get the luxury of blown leads this time around.

---

NBA: Pacers advance with beatdown of their own

The Wizards couldn't take advantage of a dominant Game 5 and fizzled at home in a 93-80 loss. Finally, Indiana put their foot down after getting embarrassed at home. Now the question is, how ready are they against the Heat?

MLB: Cain grabs first win in Giants' 6-4 win over Marlins

After 11 straight winless starts, San Francisco's Matt Cain finally grabs a victory, and it was technically his worst start of the season after giving up back-to-back jacks in the first two innings. San Francisco's lineup is red-hot after two games, and figured out Nate Eovaldi's fast ball pretty fast rocking nine hits in the first 4.1 innings.

CBB: Oklahoma State clinches Big 12 regular season title

The Cowboys lock up the one seed in the Big 12 tournament next week after defeating their in-state rival, Oklahoma, in the opening game of a three-game series and TCU lost to Baylor. OSU has now won 11 straight games overall, six in Big 12 play.

NBA: Lakers GM says Bryant isn't going to be involved in coaching search

Obviously, Kobe wants to have his say on who's going to become the next coach LA's more historic franchise, but Mitch Kupchak won't give him a seat at the table to talk. Which is fine, because that's not Kobe's job. It's not in his contract to help the team pick a coach. That doesn't mean Bryant can't give his input, and it's not like Kupchak won't give it consideration.

NBA Draft Combine: Wiggins jumps a billion miles in the air

Look at this picture of Wiggins during a workout. Dude's got some serious hangtime.

Today's Slate

(Central times listed)

TENNIS

ATP/WTA BNL d'Italia (Qtrs) - 5:00a TNNS

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS - ROUND 2

-Kings at Ducks (Game 7) - 8:00 NBCS

NBA

Scouting Combine - 9:00a ESPNU / 12:00 ESPN2

MLB

Padres at Rockies - 7:40 MLBTV

Dodgers at D'backs - 8:40 MLBTV

-Marlins at Giants - 9:15 MLBTV

CBB

11Washington at 1Oregon St - 6:00 P12

20TCU at Baylor - 6:30 FSSW

-19Texas at Kansas St - 6:30

Los Angeles Clippers didn't 'get robbed' in loss to Oklahoma City Thunder

Late last night, controversy surrounds Game 5 between the Clippers and Thunder, again showing that cooler heads always prevail and there were always more than one reason teams lose a game.

It's a natural reaction to look at last night's game and completely dismiss how everything went down. The ball should have been called out on Oklahoma City on the Matt Barnes' reach in and even more controversy surrounds Chris Paul's foul on Russel Westbrook, sending him to the line for 3 shots as they then sat down by two points.

Doc Rivers went on a horrible tirade after the game and both killed the calls and killed the refs. Despite actually admitting that the Clippers could have played better down the stretch, they "got robbed." Yup. Having a 13-point lead and blowing it with a shade over four minutes left is certainly getting robbed.

Even more nauseating than Rivers was the absolute breakdown over Twitter. College basketball analysts were spouting off, oh, where are the people that defended NBA refs and crucified NCAA officials? Please, go back to watching tape on the Ivy League. Naturally college refs are going to be worse because there's a bigger pool to select from, and they clearly get more calls wrong and remain inconsistent at best throughout games.

Replay haters were spouting off how it failed again. Enough. We all know replay rules are stupid and I've explained multiple times how they can create a replay system that works fast and can look at everything. And replay haters don't understand what they're complaining about because replay actually gets it right -- it's the refs that can't go back and say something was a foul. So first, replay haters need to figure out what to bitch about before yelling off their soap box.

Then there's Clippers fans, who go off on tangents about how the refs are the worst -- never mind refs helping them advance in one of the games against Golden State -- and that this could cost them the series! Oh, the stupidity. There's so many things that happen throughout the course of the game, plenty of other things could have happened to prevent last night's outcome. Begins with finishing a game and Chris Paul doing anything differently than that disaster he owned up for in the final seconds. Maybe Westbrook could have missed a free throw.

But no, let's just bitch about the controversy because that's easy fodder to throw around on Twitter and sports media. God help us all when some people can't look past a couple plays and don't realize that there is always, always more than one reason why there's an outcome of the game -- unless rain forces a postponement.

The sooner people figure that out, the less vitrol, bitterness, and hatred will spew on social media.

• NHL: Rangers complete comeback, Blackhawks advance - Pittsburgh chokes as they'll face uncertainty heading to the offseason, and Sidney Crosby will face plenty of scrutiny after scoring just one goal -- a game winner in Game 3 -- during the entire playoffs. On the flipside, Patrick Kane had his sixth goal in the game-winner and lucky bounces are always the king of hockey.
• NBA: Pacers back to normal after Wizards beatdown - Marcin Gortat had 31 points and 16 rebounds. Roy Hibbert had 4 points and 2 rebounds. Let me know when you figure it out, Indiana.
• MLB: Braves 5, Giants 0 - Ryan Vogelsong wasn't backed up by the offense, who had just one hit through the first six innings. This was Mike Minor's first win of the season.
• NCAA: ACC considers non-conference games against itself. It sounds weird at first, but it's better than seeing Clemson take on The Citadel.
• MEDIA: Clay Travis tries to defend Donald Sterling with some horrible rant about how actions should speak louder than words. Travis also never brings up Sterling heckling players, being sued by Elgin Baylor, and forcing out Latino tenants. Why? Because research is a hard thing, and it's much easier to go on a 1,000-word tirade filled with one-sentence fragments.

Today's Slate:

(Central times listed)

TENNIS

ATP BNL d'Italia - 4:00a TNNS

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - CHAMPIONSHIP

Benfica at Sevilla - 1:45 FS1

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS - ROUND 2

Canadiens at Bruins (Game 7) - 6:00 NBCS

-Ducks at Kings (ANA 3-2) - 8:30 NBCS

NBA PLAYOFFS - ROUND 2

Nets at Heat (MIA 3-1) - 6:00 TNT

Blazers at Spurs (SA 3-1) - 8:30 TNT

MLB

Rockies at Royals - 1:10 FSKC

Nationals at D'backs - 2:40 MLBTV

-Braves at Giants - 2:45 MLBTV

Padres at Reds - 6:10 MLBTV

Marlins at Dodgers - 9:10 MLBTV

WSD Sports Page (5-6-14): Rutgers withdraws commencement invitation for Eric LeGrand

Rutgers' disastrous decision to rescind an offer for Eric LeGrand to speak at commencement, the Clippers and Wizards start off the NBA conference semifinlas with a bang, the Giants and Buccos play over five hours of baseball, and an incredibly disturbing rape story emerges with top Oregon Ducks players, all today on the sports page.

The Lede

Rutgers withdraws commencement invitation for Eric LeGrand

Days after Rutgers gave an invitation to paralyzed football player Eric LeGrand to speak at commencement, they pulled it out from under him to let a political figure speak.

LeGrand announced on Twitter last night and spoke to multiple media outlets on his displeasure that athletic director Julie Hermann called him on Monday to say that they moved in a different direction for a commencement speaker -- former New Jersey governor Thomas H. Kean.

This apparently happened just days after he got a call from Rutgers chief of staff, Gregory Jackson, who offered LeGrand to speak at the commencement after Condoleezza Rice opted out.

To put it simply, Hermann's first year as Rutgers AD has been nothing short of a disaster, and that just piles on to this huge list in a damning article by Brian Hamilton at Sports Illustrated last month which highlighted her comments that she'd be happy if the The Star-Ledger newspaper just went ahead and died. She showed no remorse for the many people that got laid off a week prior.

There was a clear disapproval of who should be Rice's replacement as the commencement speaker at the school. There's nothing wrong with having Kean speak at the event, but it looks incredibly bad when you announce that he will speak moments after you tell somebody else that they were invited.

Double-down on the terrible when the school shuns LeGrand, a big figure at Rutgers who remains the only player to have his football number retired and is an inspiration to many people. Instead of pulling out the rug from under him, is it hard to have two speakers at this event and just roll with it?

Apparently so. God forbid these graduates and their parents stick around for 15 more minutes at commencement. Time is valuable, and they would get nothing out of anything LeGrand has to say, right?

Other Headlines

NHL: Los Angeles win first two games at Anaheim

The Kings were dead tired as they clinged to a one-goal lead in the 3rd period, but Dwight King quickly stole the puck when the Ducks pulled their goalie and slammed in the game-ender with 58 seconds left for a 3-1 final. Marian Gaborik scored his sixth goal of the playoffs just 34 seconds into the contest to put the team up early and they didn't look back. 

Jonathan Quick continued to be vintage, and the team has killed off 22 of their last 23 power plays against them. They went into last night's game killing 19 straight. Of course, a fight broke out between the fans after the game, resulting in one of the fan's apparent girlfriends taking a throwdown, but got back up and continued to break up the fight. Because she's a hockey fan.

NBA: Chris Paul drains eight 3's, Blake Griffin adds 23 in LA Clippers' rout over Oklahoma City

Paul had 32 points and 10 assists, including shooting 8-of-9 from downtown in a 122-105 dominating victory on the road. OKC had 17 turnovers (6 from Russell Westbrook) and the game got out of hand early with the Clippers outscoring the Thunder 39-25 in the first quarter.

MLB: San Francisco defeats Pittsburgh 11-10 in 13 innings

Both teams combined for 21 runs, 36 hits in nearly 5.5 hours of action. Reliever Jean Machi picked up his fifth win of the season, and did so by landing a sacrifice bunt on offense that resulted in the Pirates' reliever to send a throw wide and giving Hunter Pence the go-ahead run.

The Giants rebounded from an 8-2 deficit after five innings with a 5-run sixth inning to get back into it. Hector Sanchez recorded four hits and three RBIs and the top three in the order -- Angel Pagan, Hunter Pence, and Buster Posey -- had three-hit games but just a combined two RBIs, both from Posey. Even more impressive, SF went 8-for-18 with runners in scoring position.

Page 2's

NBA: Indiana does it again with another home loss

Speaking of first quarter disasters, the Pacers were down big against the Washington Wizards. Roy Hibbert had zero points again, and Tracy McGrady makes a pretty good point afterwards.

NFL: Denver's Peyton Manning still not 100 percent after neck surgery

Manning went on the Late Show with David Letterman and announced that he still wasn't fully recovered from his surgery. He sure looks pretty good considering, and I'd still take a sub-100 percent Manning over many other QBs in the league.

NCAA: Oregon basketball sees mass exodus of players after rape scandal

Something did happen to the victim, but the conflicting statements by her leaves the case falling flat. But Brandon Austin, Damyean Dotson, and Dominic Artis to likely all be history, with Artis already transferring. The story is pretty sickening if true. Potentially, all three players had sex with her at a house party, performed oral sex, forced her into a cab, and then did more stuff with her at an apartment leaded to Dotson and Artis. All three players contest that it was consensual.

NCAA: FSU's Jameis Winston avoided security according to police report

But Winston still denies stealing the butter and claims he put it in a sale bin, like that should redeem him a little. All of this screams a non-traditional way of handling grocery shopping, because a whopping zero people would ever walk out of a grocery store without intent of shoplifting.

Today's Slate

Central times listed.

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Hull City at Man United - 1:45 NBCS

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS - ROUND 2

Bruins at Canadiens (Tied 1-1) - 6:00 NBCS

Blackhawks at Wild (CHI 2-0) - 8:00 CNBC

NBA PLAYOFFS - ROUND 2

Nets at Heat (Game 1) - 6:00 TNT

Blazers at Spurs (Game 1) - 8:30 TNT

MLB

Giants at Pirates - 6:05 CSBA/RSPT

Dodgers at Nationals - 6:05 SNLA/MASN

D'backs at Brewers - 7:10 FSAZ/FSWI

Rangers at Rockies - 7:40 FSSW/ROOT

Royals at Padres - 9:10 FSKC/FSSD

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 Sports Page: Los Angeles Clippers' playoff run likely over

More on the Donald Sterling mess, a San Francisco 49ers fan sues the NFL for not being able to buy a tickeet to the NFC Championship, and recapping all the sports in today's sports page.

The Lede

The Los Angeles Clippers are probably done and it's a damn shame

On Sunday, the Clippers played a lifeless game against Golden State, losing 118-97 in a game that was essentially over after Stephen Curry made all the baskets in the first quarter. Despite deciding to play the game after a team meeting on Saturday, they certainly didn't show up mentally. And they shouldn't have played the game.

What does it take to supplant Donald Sterling, an NBA owner that's incredibly racist, believing that he still owns black people by clothing them and feeding them on his team? What does it take to cancel an NBA game? Apparently more than this.

Before disaster hit, the Clippers were looking like the best team in the West heading into the weekend. They held on to a victory on the road against an exciting Warriors team on Thursday. San Antonio now is down 2-1 against Dallas. Oklahoma City is barely getting past a tenacious defense in Memphis. Portland and Houston don't have the defense to continue on in the postseason. The East's biggest threat is Miami, and the Clippers obviously wouldn't have to worry about that until the final series of the postseason.

Now? It's probably over. The NBA is too late on its swift action to mentally repair the team. Doc Rivers is mulling over working for Sterling right now. Some players should feel the same way. In fact, this whole team might implode because why would anyone want to play under Sterling? Say what you will about sticking together and playing as a team, but more of what transpired on Sunday will happen.

Other Headlines

1. NFL: San Francisco 49ers fan sues NFL because he couldn't buy tickets for NFC Championship. He lives in Nevada, and that was one of the 44 states that wasn't allowed to purchase a ticket. This isn't new for the NFL, the Broncos even did it without the scrutiny because they didn't cut off a close geographical location like the Seahawks did with California. There's honestly a valid point here to be made, but we'll see how far this really gets in the court system -- especially since the suit is referring to Qwest and not CenturyLink, the old name for the Seahawks' stadium.
2. SOCCER: Barcelona player Dani Alves eats a banana that was thrown at him during a game. It's the greatest video of the weekend.
3. NBA: Shaq tried to race Kenny Smith to the video board, but falls over thanks to a trash can. This is the second greatest video of the weekend.
4. MLB: Ryan Braun injures teammate Jean Segura, then gets injured himself. Milwaukee is having one hell of a great start to the season at 18-6 after Saturday night, but Braun apparently has had enough of it.
5. NCAA: SEC sticks with eight game schedule, but demands teams schedule one game from a power conference. So, why not just have a nine-game conference schedule so that each team will be forced to play nine good teams? Whatever, maybe this means Iowa State and Vanderbilt can get a series going.

Yesterday's Favorites -- includes San Francisco Giants, Texas Longhorns baseball

Playoff Report -- recapping everything that happened in the Stanley Cup and NBA playoffs.

Today's Slate

SOCCER

Newcastle at Arsenal - 2:00 NBCS

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS - ROUND 1

Penguins at Blue Jackets (PIT 3-2) - 6:00 NBCS

Avalanche at Wild (MIN 3-2) - 8:00 CNBC

-Sharks at Kings (SJ 3-2) - 9:00 NBCS

NBA PLAYOFFS - ROUND 1

Heat at Bobcats (MIA 3-0) - 6:00 TNT

Hawks at Pacers (Tied 2-2) - 7:00 NBATV

Spurs at Mavericks (DAL 2-1) - 8:30 TNT

MLB

Rockies at D'backs - 8:40 RSRM/FSAZ

-Padres at Giants - 9:15 FSSD/CSBA

WSD Sports Page: The unfortunate realization of Donald Sterling

The Lede

Donald Sterling's racist comments just shows ugly side of sports

Yesterday was a tough day in sports. Racism became front page news all day, overshadowing another great day of NBA playoff basketball, when a tape that featured a conversation between Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and his mistress girlfriend, V. Stiviano.

I won't dive into the whole story behind Sterling and Stiviano. TMZ has you all covered for that. But the brief summarization is this: Sterling had a heated argument with Stiviano, and didn't like that fact that she was "assciating with black people." He said that she could "sleep with [black people]," she could "bring them in," but "not to promote it on that ... and not to bring them to my games."

Everybody in the NBA (well, not the Houston Rockets, for some reason), ESPN, and NBA on TNT, especially those of color, made their remarks on the situation, and they were all just a tamer approach to what Snoop Dogg said earlier in the day. If TV was uncensored, I'm sure someone like Barkley would have made himself really known.

Obviously, my opinion holds true with all of them. NBA commissioner Adam Silver will have to be swift and make a decision early this week about what to do. With the damning evidence and previous history with racism involving Sterling, he should receive a suspension for the rest of season, banning him from going to Clippers games and anywhere else in the NBA, and he should be forced out as the Clippers owner during the offseason. There's simply nothing he can do to repair his image now.

Unfortunately, that doesn't eliminate the racism that still exists in our world. Every day I'd like to think that racism isn't as big of a deal as it was the day before, that more people get it. But it's moving slower than it should be. Much of the older generation still feels uncomfortable around black people, and think they're just crazy-different from the rest of the world. That especially holds true with the older generation in the Midwest.

No, those same old people say the exact same things about younger people that aren't wearing suits and being a "normal" person. Just like they say blacks are loud and annoying, they'll say the same stupid things about a white guy that has a mohawk, tattoos all over the place, or plays role-playing games with their other nerd friends.

That old, stupid way of thinking still exists in sports, and it still exists with owners. It still exists with those that are running college football bowl games. In a way, just like inside Sterling's warped, pathetic mind, they thrive off of being an owner because that still gives them the advantage over black people. They're making money off of what these athletes are doing on the court.

It's like the modern-day version of slavery. Black people now make a lot of money and enjoy what they do, but these white owners still sit back in their luxury suite at games, watch them work, and rake in the money.

I would like to think most owners and those that run bowl games don't think that way. But unfortunately, some of them still do, and that's simply disgusting.

Sterling's actions proved that there's still a long way to go unfortunately. And hopefully the action taken against Sterling is stiff and strong, enough to get backwards-ass owners thinking a little bit differently.

Recap of my favorite teams from yesterday.

Today's Slate
Games that I'll be keeping an eye on today.

SOCCER - BARCLAY'S PREMIER LEAGUE
Chelsea 2, Liverpool 0
Man City 2, Crystal Palace 0 - 2nd Half on NBCS

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS - ROUND 1
Flyers at Rangers (Tied 2-2) - 11:00a NBC
Blues at Blackhawks (CHI 3-2) - 2:00 NBC
Ducks at Stars (ANA 3-2) - 7:00 NBCS

NBA PLAYOFFS - ROUND 1
Bulls at Wizards (WSH 2-1) - 12:00 ABC
Clippers at Warriors (LAC 2-1) - 2:30 ABC
Raptors at Nets (BKN 2-1) - 6:00 TNT
Rockets at Blazers (POR 2-1) - 8:30 TNT

MLB
Padres at Nationals - 12:35 FSSD/MASN2
-Indians at Giants - 3:05 STO/CSBA
Phillies at D'backs - 3:10 CSPA/FSAZ
Rockies at Dodgers - 3:10 RSRM/SNLA

LAX
ACC: Syracuse vs Notre Dame - 12:00 ESPNU
PL: Lehigh at Loyola - 12:00 CBSS
Bayhawks at Cannons - 12:00 LAXN
Rattlers at Lizards - 5:00 CBSS

CBB
Virginia at Florida St - 12:00 ESPN3
Kansas at Baylor - 1:00 FCS623
Oklahoma at Texas Tech - 2:00 FSSW
-Oklahoma St at Texas - 2:00 LHN
Oregon at Oregon St - 3:00 ESPNU

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.