MIAMI -- Chris Bosh got them started.
Aaron Murray Chiefs Jersey . LeBron James took over in the second half. And in the end, the Miami Heat moved one win from
yet another Eastern Conference title. James had 32 points and 10 rebounds, Bosh
added 25 points -- nearly matching his output from the first three games of the
series combined -- and the Heat grabbed control of the East finals by topping
the Indiana Pacers 102-90 in Game 4 for a 3-1 lead. Dwyane Wade added 15 points
and Miami never trailed, leading by 23 at one point. "We try to get better every
single day, every single game," James said. "When you do that and go out and
play the type of game that you are capable of playing, you can be satisfied with
the results. And thats what weve built over the years." Only the Celtics and
Lakers franchises have been to the NBA Finals in four straight seasons. The Heat
now have three chances to join that club, starting with Game 5 at Indiana on
Wednesday night. "We got outplayed by the Heat," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said.
"I wasnt disappointed in our fight. I was disappointed in the result."
Paul George scored 23 points and David West added 20 points and 12 rebounds for
the Pacers, who got 15 points from George Hill. But Lance Stephenson -- who made
news in the days between Games 3 and 4 by suggesting he was in James head -- was
held to nine and 7-foot-2 centre Roy Hibbert was scoreless in 22 minutes for
Indiana. "I was trying to get into his head," Stephenson said, referring to
James. "I guess he stepped up and got the win. I can take the heat." The heat,
maybe. The Heat, maybe not. Miami has won the last three games in the series,
and going back to the point in Game 3 when the Heat trailed by 15, they have
outscored the Pacers by 39 points in a span of about 6 1/2 quarters. The Pacers
won two elimination games in the first round against Atlanta, and need to win
three more if their yearlong plan of topping Miami as kings of the East is going
to become reality. The odds are obviously stacked against them. When holding a
3-1 lead, Miami is 8-0 in Game 5s over the past four postseasons. "We have a
chance to play an NBA game on our home floor," West said. "We are going to try
to do something thats very tough." Bosh scored the games first eight points,
making a pair of 3-pointers and ending a series-long funk. He had scored exactly
nine points in each of the first three games of these East finals and was held
under 10 points in each of his last seven playoff games against Indiana. But he
came out flying, and probably not coincidentally, the Heat finally had a good
start. "I told him he was going to have a great game," James said. "We got off
to a fast start because of him." Miami won the first quarter for the first time
in the series, going up 27-19 and helped in part by a late 3-pointer from
Shane Battier -- with replays showing Vogel moved down the sideline toward the
Heat forward as he shot from near the Indiana bench. If nothing else, at least
he was trying to beat Big Brother. Much as he did Sunday, Vogel used the big
brother-little brother analogy with his team, trying any way to urge the Pacers
to break through against the team that has ended their season in each of the
past two years. "Hes got to make a decision at some point in his life, that no
matter what, were not going to lose this fight anymore," Vogel said, likening
the Pacers to the little brother in that scenario. "Were at that point." The
fight isnt over. But it was awfully one-sided for long stretches of Game 4, and
George -- who said he thought Indiana outplayed Miami -- pointed to free throws
as the reason why. Miami was 30 of 34 from the line; Indiana was 11 of 17. "They
won this game at the free-throw line," George said. Miami outscored Indiana
31-20 in the third quarter and kept pulling away before the Pacers used a 15-3
run to make things rather interesting. Stephenson had a layup with 3:20 left
that would have gotten Indiana within nine -- but it was waved off after he was
called for fouling Wade on his way to the basket. Stephenson scored with 1:31
left to make it 99-90, but James snuffed out any comeback hopes right there with
a three-point play. Miami was without Chris Andersen, inactive because of a
bruised left thigh. The Heat also tweaked their starting lineup, with
Rashard Lewis in and Udonis Haslem out. The Pacers were down only 49-44 at
halftime -- even though Hibbert and Stephenson both had three fouls, the Heat
didnt have a turnover until the second quarter, Miami shot 10 more free throws
in the half and Bosh and James combined for 32 points in the first 24 minutes.
If there was any doubt, Miami erased it quickly after halftime. James scored
five points in a 7-0 spurt to open the second half, and the Heat were on their
way. "Theyre the best offensive team in the NBA," Vogel said. NOTES: It was the
74th playoff game where James had at least 25 points, five rebounds and five
assists, passing Michael Jordan for the most in NBA history. ... George passed
Reggie Miller for the highest scoring single-season (including playoffs) by a
player in Pacers history. Miller had 2,078 in 1989-90; George entered Game 4
with 2,077 points.
Jaye Howard Chiefs Jersey . At a news conference ahead of Wednesdays game against Rennes, Blanc said he will sign a
new contract "when were champions," adding "its a matter of principle" not to
sign anything before the title has been won.
Dustin Colquitt Chiefs Jersey . Ching threatened to retire after the Impact made him the first pick in the Major
League Soccer expansion draft on Nov. 23, but when the Houston Dynamo made no
move to get him back, the 33-year-old elected to report to Montreal.With the
trade deadline passed and the stretch run to the NHL season beginning, its time
for Scott Cullens latest update to the NHL Awards races. On one hand, there are
familiar names throughout, with previous Hart, Norris, Selke and Jack
Adams winners named as best through three quarters of this season. However, as
we get more games in the file, the leading candidates begin to separate from the
rest of the class. Its not to say that others cant mount a strong finish to
alter the outcomes, but as the season gets closer to the end, there isnt as much
wiggle room. Anyway, here are my picks for awards through first three quarters
of this season: HART TROPHY Winner: Sidney Crosby, C, PittsburghRunners-up:
Ryan Getzlaf, C, Anaheim; Alex Ovechkin, RW, WashingtonComment: Its no surprise
that a healthy Crosby is in position to win the award as the leagues Most
Valuable Player, because hes 14 points up in the scoring race and playing at the
level to which weve become accustomed, when hes in the lineup. This year, he
hasnt missed a game, and that is the biggest reason that Crosby at the forefront
of the MVP discussion. Getzlaf is scoring at a career-best rate of 1.17 points
per game, leading the team that sits on top of the standings. While his
possession numbers are solid, Getzlafs line has been particularly fortunate in
terms of shooting percentage, which leads to a dominant goal differential (57
for, 25 against) when Getzlaf is on the ice during 5-on-5 play. Its not the kind
of thing that can be sustained long-term (as in year-over-year) but, this year,
it puts him in contention for the Hart. I recognize there may not be a lot of
observers that would consider Ovechkin among the most valuable in the league
this year, yet I do despite his deficiencies. Hhes so far ahead of the rest of
the league as a goal-scorer, that I cant ignore that contribution. Right now,
Ovechkin is on pace for a 57-goal season. Second-place Phil Kessel is on pace
for a 42-goal season. The last player to win the goal-scoring race by 15 goals
or more was Brett Hull, in 1991-1992, when Hull scored 70 and Kevin Stevens
scored 54. (Incidentally, in 1990-1991, Hull scored 86 goals, 35 more than a
trio of players -- Theo Fleury, Cam Neely and Steve Yzerman -- tied for second.)
Its just not that often that the leagues top goal-scorer is that far ahead of
the field and, this year, Ovechkin is. Additionally, while he does plenty of
damage on the power play, Ovechkin also leads the league with 26 even-strength
goals, so its not all one-timers from the faceoff dot with the man advantage.
Looking beyond those three, Kessel, Joe Pavelski and Jonathan Toews are among
others who could warrant consideration. NORRIS TROPHYWinner: Duncan Keith,
ChicagoRunners-up: Erik Karlsson, Ottawa; Victor Hedman, Tampa BayComment: This
season hasnt been all that different from Duncan Keiths 2010 Norris
Trophy-winning campaign. Hes played his typically-strong two-way game, though he
is down more than three minutes per game compared to his peak playing time, and
has added more offence this season, scoring at the second-best rate of his
carerr (0.79 points per game). There are some that decry the play of the
Senators Erik Karlsson, because hes not a hard-hitting block of granite on the
blueline and thats their vision of a defenceman, but Karlsson is a game-changer.
Hes a rare defenceman that can drive his teams offence and his negative
plus-minus is more a function of relatively bad luck on percentages (both
shooting and save) when hes on the ice. After Keith and Karlsson, there are a
number of worthy candidates, with my preferred choice being Victor Hedman, who
has been great, while adding an offensive component that is far ahead of his
previously established levels. Im not sure that Team Sweden is on board with
this vote, but thats their prerogative. Some familiar names -- Shea Weber,
P.K. Subban and Alex Pietrangelo -- are also viable candidates, close enough
that a really strong finish could alter the outcome. VEZINA TROPHYWinner:
Ben Bishop, Tampa BayRunners-up: Tuukka Rask, Boston; Semyon Varlamov,
ColoradoComment: As a 27-year-old who had played 45 career games coming into
this season, Bishop has been a major surprise, a rock for a LLightning team that
has maintained its playoff position despite missing Steven Stamkos for a couple
of months.
Derrick Thomas Chiefs Jersey. . Rask has pretty much always been a top puck-stopper, with a .929 save percentage over the
past three seasons, and hes played a career-high 46 games this year, handling a
number one workload over a full season for, really, the first time in his
career. It hasnt been a smooth and steady road to the top for Varlamov, who has
rebounded from a career-low .903 save percentage last season to post a
career-best .925 save percentage this season. That might be a matter of
arbitrary end-points, with Varlamovs real performance level somewhere between
those two extremes but, for this season, his numbers warrant award
consideration. If not Varlamov, Carey Price and Jonathan Bernier have both had
strong seasons, strong enough that an impressive finish could push them into the
discussion. CALDER TROPHYWinner: Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Runners-up:
Tyler Johnson, C, Tampa Bay; Olli Maatta, Pittsburgh Comment: Having set the
record for the longest point streak by an 18-year-old rookie, MacKinnon is
already looking like the kind of game-breaking skilled forward that teams hope
to get with the No. 1 pick in the draft. Nothing like having a great pedigree
and living up to it. MacKinnons closest challenger may be Johnson, an undrafted,
5-foot-9, 23-year-old who has simply scored wherever hes played and when Stamkos
got hurt, Johnson took on more responsibility and continued to play at a high
level. Its not easy for a teenage defenceman to step into the NHL and
consistently play with poise, but dont tell that to Maatta, who has been a
revelation for the Penguins. Injuries on the Pittsburgh blueline have forced the
Penguins to use Maatta more than might have been initially anticipated, but hes
risen to the challenge. Bruins power play quarterback Torey Krug and Johnsons
left winger, Ondrej Palat, are other contenders. SELKE AWARDWinner:
Patrice Bergeron, BostonRunners-up: David Backes, St. Louis; Jonathan Toews,
ChicagoComment: This isnt an easy award to hand out, though there are some
consistent performers that tend to be in consideration year after year. Heres a
list of centres that face a decent level of competition yet still have strong
possession stats. In addition to Bergeron, Backes and Toews, who have been at
the top of my lists for past couple seasons at least, Anze Kopitar,
Gabriel Landeskog and Alexander Steen are first-rate two-way performers that
warrant attention. JACK ADAMS AWARDWinner: Bruce Boudreau, Anaheim Runners-up:
Ken Hitchcock, St. Louis; Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay. Comment: It can be difficult to
gauge exactly what a coachs role is in a teams performance, so there is some
guess work involved here. One of the factors I try to take out of the equation,
or at least minimize in importance, is goaltending, because great goaltending
can mask all manner of shortcomings. Anyway, Im not sure that Bruce Boudreau has
done anything revolutionary with the Ducks that allows them to score on such a
high percentage of their shots, but getting strong contributions from so many
throughout the lineup has to be considered in some way a reflection of Boudreaus
approach. Oh, yeah, the Ducks are also first place in the standings, so he has
that working for him too. The St. Louis Blues play such a relentless, grinding
game that Im inclined to credit a coach that can keep his team playing that
style so effectively. Enter, Ken Hitchcock. Admittedly, Jon Cooper has the
benefit of outstanding goaltending, thanks to Ben Bishop, but his team has
survived without Steven Stamkos and has done so with a lineup full of young,
inexperienced players playing significant roles. For that, Cooper gets my
nomination. There are many other qualified candidates. Patrick Roys Avalanche
are exceeding expectations, Mike Yeo and Mike Babcock have managed to get
through significant injuries and Claude Julien keeps the Bruins rolling with a
steady spproach; all of these coaches deserve credit for their work behind the
bench this season. Scott Cullen can be reached at
[email protected] and
followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out
TSN Fantasy on Facebook.
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