Heat trashes Mavericks, evens series

The Heat are starting to show its power as Wade had 36 points and while Shaq added 17 and 13 rebounds to pummel the Mavs 98-74. Nowitzki had his lowest output in field goals making only 2 out of 14. The Mavericks set a finals record by scoring only 7 points in the 4th quarter. Stackhouse will be suspended on the next game because of a hard foul on Shaq.

Wade and Heat wins one

Wade poured out 42 points despite ailing from a sore knee to bring the Heat to a 98-96 win over the Mavericks. The Mavericks limited O'Neal to just 16 points but had no answer to Wade's wide array of jumpers and layups as well as his great defensive play. Nowitzki led the charge with 30 for the Mavericks while Josh Howard added 21.

Nadal beats Federer again, takes Roland Garrros

The best claycourt player just beat the best tennis player in the world today. Nadal shrugged off a poor first set performance to beat Federer for the fourth straight time this year 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6. Federer is 44-0 against everyone except for Nadal, who is 4-0 against him. Nadal now extends his incredible claycourt winning streak to 60, and is the youngest player to win 2 consecutive French Open titles since 1975.
In the women's final, Henin also proved she's the best female claycourt player right now, beating Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-4 to win her third Roland Garros crown in four years. She became the first woman to win 2 straight French Open titles since Steffi Graf in 1995-96.

Records clash, Federer and Nadal in finals again

Two record streaks, but only 1 will remain, as Federer and Nadal continue their dominance as they meet in the finals of the French Open. Federer advanced to the finals leading Nalbadian 3-6, 6-4, 5-2 before Nalbadian retired from abnominal muscle injury. Nadal had an easier time beating Ljubicic 6-4 6-2 7-6. Federer will try to prove he can beat Nadal in clay, with Nadal beating Federer 4 straight times already with a 5-1 record against Federer.

Dallas takes Game 1

No, it wasn't Nowitzki, or even Josh Howard who took the charge. It was Jason Terry who clicked with 32 points to lead the Mavericks to victory 90-80 to take Game 1 of the NBA finals. Nowitzki and Howard combined for just 7-for-28 shots, while Terry hit 13 of 18 in an impressive finals performance. Wade led the Heat with 28 but had a quiet fourth quarter, while Shaq had just 17 points and 7 boards, including a dismal 1 out of 9 free throws.

Nadal, Federer in Semis, Henin vs Clijsters

Nadal continues to extend his stellar claycourt record with the 58th straight win when his opponent Novak Djokovic retired 4-6, 4-6 down in the match. He will face 4th seed IvanLjubicic who is in his first ever Grand Slam semis appearance in 27 tries.
Fellow Belgians Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters will face each other in an all Belgian semifinal. Henin brushed off Germany's Anna-Lena Groenefeld 7-5 6-2 while Clijsters overcame comeback player Hingis 7-6(5) 6-1.

Sharapova falls, Venus advances

Sharapova totally lost it, as she let Safina come back 5-1 down in the 3rd set to upset with a 7-5, 2-6, 7-5 comeback victory. Mauresmo also fell to 17-year-old Nicole Vaidisova 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-2, not her first time being upset here in Roland Garros. Venus was able to get through beating Patty Schnyder 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Dallas in finals

The Mavericks clamped down on the Suns' offense to win 102-93 and advance to its first NBA finals appearance. Nowitzki had 16 of his 24 points in the second half, and Josh Howard added 20 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Mavericks. Boris Diaw scored 30 points took 11 rebounds for the Suns.

Nadal extends win streak, Federer advances

Nadal's winning streak is now at 55 with his 6-2 6-1 6-4 2nd round win over American Kevin Kim. Federer had a more difficult time advancing to the 4th round, beating Nicolas Massu 6-1 6-2 6-7 7-5. On 3rd round women's matches, Mauresmo, Sharapova, and Venus Williams all won their matches.

Shaq dominates, leads Heat

Shaq took over making 28 points and taking down 16 rebounds to lead the Heat 95-78 pver the Pistons, with the Heat now advancing to the NBA finals. With Wade coming from the hosipital and ailing- making 14 points only, Jason Williams stepped up big with 21 points on 10-for-12 shooting. Hamilton led the Pistons with 33 points, but got little help from his teammates.

Nowitzki explodes for 50

After a very dismal performance in the previous game, Nowitzki exploded for 50 points to bring the Mavericks to a 117-101 win over the Suns. Nowitzki shot 14-for-26 from the floor and 17-for-18 from the line.

Pistons cuts Heat series lead

The Pistons went back to their patented defense with Wallace stuffing O'Neal's dunk attempt at one time to win 91-78. Tayshaun Prince led the Pistons with a career-high 29 points. The Heat failed to score in the final 3 1/2 minutes as the Pistons pulled away for good. Wade led the Heat with 23 points.

Roddick injured in French Open

Roddick continues his bad lack at the French Open, this time aggravating his ankle injury forcing him to retire at 6-4, 7-5, 1-0 with Alberto Martin leading.
Martina Hingis advanced to the second round brushing off Lisa Raymond 6-2, 6-2. The French Open is the only Grand Slam she has never won before.

Phoenix evens series

The Mavericks took a beating as the Suns won with a blowout 106-86. Barbosa led the charge with 24 points on 10-for-13 shooting, while Nash had 21 and Boris Diaw added 20. Nowitzki put up one of his worst games this season with 11 points on 3-for-13 shooting.

Nadal Wins, sets new record

Nadal beat Swede Robin Soderling 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 to set the longest Open Era claycourt winning streak, beating Guillermo Vilas' 1977 record. James Blake also won over Paradorn Srichaphan 6-0, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2). He is on course to meet Nadal in the quarters. On the women's side, Clijsters and Venus Williams are among those who advanced to the second round.

Heat with commanding 3-1 lead

The Heat are proving the critics wrong, and they're beating the conference champs when it counts the most- in the playoffs. Wade had 12 of his 31 points in the final period to lead the Heat 89-78 over the Pistons. O'Neal also contributed 21 points and 9 boards for the Heat. Tayshaun Prince scored 15 points and Billups added 14 for the Pistons.

Dallas takes lead

Dallas limited the Suns to just 88 points en route to a 95-88 victory. Some sparks flied when Suns' Tim Thomas and Maverick Jason Terry had a shoving match in the first half as both were given technicals. Nowitzki had 28 points and 17 rebounds while Josh Howard added 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Mavericks. Nash led the Suns with 21 points and 7 assists.

Heat takes home advantage

The dynamic duo in Wade and O'Neal were dominant as the Heat is able to take a 2-1 lead, winning over the Pistons 98-83. Wade had 35 points, while O'Neal added 27 points and 12 rebounds as they combined for a blistering 75% field goal shooting for the Heat. Chauncey Billups scored 31 points to lead the Pistons.

Dallas stop Suns with Defense

Nowitzki had 30 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, while Josh Howard added 29 points as the Mavericks won over the Suns 105-98 to tie the series 1-1. Both teams are known for their offensive firepower, but Dallas showed that it can play defense- limiting the Suns to a season-low 17 points in the first quarter. Nash led the Suns with 176 points and 11 assists.

Pistons even series with Heat

Miami almost made it 2-0, rampaging with 17 points in the final 1:46 mark. The Pistons however held to to even the series winning 92-88. Tayshaun Prince had a career playoff high with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Hamilton added 22 points to lead the Pistons. Wade and O'Neal were spectacular for the Heat, with 32 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and 21 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks respectively.

Dallas, Phoenix advance to conference finals

Nowitzki and the Mavericks proved the critics wrong, they finally put down the Spurs 119-111 in overtime to win game 7. Nowitzki led the assault with 37 points and 15 rebounds, and Jason Terry came back from suspension to score 27. Duncan paced the Spurs with 40 points and 15 rebounds.
Nash was superb with 29 points and 11 assists making 4 of 5 3-pointers to lead the Suns over the Clippers 127-107. Marion had 30 points with 5 of 9 3-pointers. The Suns had a field day shooting, making 60% of their shots and 15 of 27 3-pointers. Elton Brand powered the Clippers with 36 points and nine rebounds, but it wasn't enough to overcome the barage of shots from the Suns.

Hingis beats Venus in semis

Martina came back from a 1st set blowout to beat Venus 0-6, 6-3, 6-3 and advance to the Italian Open final. She will meet Dinara Safina(Safin's sister) in the final. Safina beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 in the other semifinal. This could be MArtina's first title since returning from her injury after 3 years of absense.

Spurs, Pistons force game 7

Duncan had foul trouble throughout, but Ginobili took over and led the Spurs with 30 points and 10 boards for a 91-86 victory over the Mavericks, forcing game 7 at their home turf. Former Maverick Finley was being booed all game but had 16 points to help the Spurs with the win.
The Pistons showed their playoff experience with an 84-82 win over the Cavaliers, forcing game 7. Rasheed Wallace had 24 points and Hamilton added 17 for the Pistons. Lebron led the Cavaliers with 32 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, but had 7 turnovers.

Cavaliers upset Pistons, Spurs still alive

It was a 2-0 Detroit lead, not Cleveland is up 3-2. Talk about upsets, the Cavaliers pulled off another stunning victory 86-84 to win three straight and get within one of eliminating the Pistons. James had 32 points and Drew Gooden took a game-winning shot to lead the Cavaliers with victory.
The Spurs aren't ready yet to retire from the playoffs. They slugged it out and pulled off a close 98-97 win over the Mavericks, behind Duncan's 36 points with 12 rebounds and Parker's 27. Duncan was virtually unstoppable, making his first 12 shots of the game. Nowitzki paced the Mavericks with 31 points and 10 boards.

Heat finish off Nets, Suns take lead

Wade made a steal on the Nets' last play and the Heat finished of the Nets 106-105 to take the series 4-1. Antoine Walker had 23 points, and Wade added 21 as 6 players from Heat were in double figures in a balanced team effort. Carter and Jefferson each had 33 points for the Nets.
The Suns are being stretched to their limits, but they still prevail over the Clippers in double overtime 125-118 to take a 3-2 series lead. Shawn Marion had another huge game with 36 points and a career playoff-high 20 rebounds, to offset Elton Brand's 33 points and 15 rebounds and Cassell's 27 second half points.

Cavaliers tie series, Mavericks close to win series

The Pistons are known for their defense, but it was the Cavaliers who used it to win the game. Rasheed Wallace's prediction for a win came out flat as the Cavaliers upset the Pistons 74-72 to tie the series 2-2. Lebron had an all-around game with 22 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists to lead the Cavs.
Seems alot of people including me are falling flat on playoff predictions, who would've thought that the Mavericks would take a 3-1 lead, following their 123-118 overtime upset over the former champs. Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 28, while Duncan had another solid 31 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and three blocks, which wasn't enough yet again to give the Spurs the win.

Nadal outlasts Federer in Rome final

Well, seems like Nadal proved that he's got Federer's number, winning for the fourth straight time. He beat the no.1 ranked Swiss 6-7 (0), 7-6 (5), 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (5) in a long and tiring match and won his second consecutive Masters final, again over Federer. All of Federer's losses this year came from Nadal. This must have taken alot out of the two though, as they both withdrew from the Hamburg Masters Series. Nadal tied Guillermo Vilas' record for winning 53 straight matches on clay in the Open era, and can extend it in the French Open

Federer vs Nadal #2- Rome Masters final

Surprise surprise, its again Federer and Nadal for the 2nd consecutive Masters Series final. Federer escaped in the semis with a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5) win over No.3 seed Nalbadian. Nadal meanwhile breezed through French Gael Monfils 6-2, 6-2. Although Nadal seems to be poised to beat Federer again, I'mm still slightly favoring Federer since it's a bit hard to believe for him to lose alot of times to the same opponent.

Cavaliers take 1, Spurs crumble

The Cavaliers aren't just going to allow the Pistons to sweep them away. Lebron had his second double-double of the playoffs with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, along with 4 steals, to lead the Cavaliers to a much-needed 86-77 win over Detroit. The Pistons shot only 39 percent from the field, and was led by Hamilton's 22 and Billups 20.
Dallas wants to prove that the Spurs and Pistons will be the story of the 2006 finals. The Spurs fumbled their last chance to win the game and the Mavericks escaped with a 104-103 victory. Nowitzki had a field day from the foul line, scoring 21 of his 27 points from free throws. Duncan was again incredible with 35 points and 12 rebounds, but still it wasn't enough to win the game.

Heat, Suns take 2-1 lead

The Heat took back home-court advantage beating the Nets 103-92. It was Wade vs. Carter in the final period, with Wade outscoring the Nets 15-11 during a span, and Carter scoring the last 13 points of the Nets. But Wade got help from his team, while Carter had almost no help at all from Kidd and Jefferson, who were heavily guarded.
Phoenix took a different approach and won game 3 with defense over the Clippers 94-91. The Suns won despite having 37.2% field goal shooting and scoring below 100, and they limited the Clippers to 42%. Marion dominated inside out with 32 points and 19 rebounds, while Kurt Thomas had 19 and 14.

Federer and Nadal still strong

Federer and Nadal continued their dominance in clay brushing aside Radek Stepanek 6-1 6-4 and Tim Henman 6-2 6-2 respectively. They're still on track to meet in the finals. Nalbandian and Roddick also advanced to the quarters.

Heat and Clippers get even

The Heat aren't taking game 1 lightly. Opposite of what happened in game 1, the Heat took off with a 25-4 run in the 1st quarter behind 17 from Wade and never looked backed as they cruised to a 111-89 victory over the Nets. Shaq added 21 for the Heat. Carted scored 22 for the Nets, and Jefferson played for the team, adding 16.
The Clippers definitely showed the Suns's lack of size, dominating the boards 57-26 in a 122-97 rout of the Suns. All five starters from the Clippers were in double figures, led by Elton Brand's 27 and 10.

Nadal still unstoppable in clay

Rafael Nadal continued his impressive 48th straight win in clay beating no less than Carlos Moya 6-1, 2-6, 6-2. Moya has been known as one of the better veteran clay players. Coria still seems to be out of the loop as the former Roland Garros champion lost to little known Spaniard Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo. Two other former Roland Garros champions lost, Gaudio and Ferrero. Seeded players Nalbadian, Roddickm and Safin advanced.

Pistons take 2-0 lead, Mavericks upend Spurs

Lebron tried to stage a comeback with 23 of his 30 points in the 2nd half, but it was a little too late as the Pistons still prevailed over the Cavaliers 97-91 to take a 2-0 lead. Rasheed Wallace led the Pistons with 29 points while Tayshaun Prince added 20. Ben Wallace had a double double with 10 points and 15 rebounds.
In a supposed to be hard fought match, the Mavericks surprised the Spurs with a 113-91 blowout. With a 15-3 run in the 2nd period, the Mavericks took a 21-point lead that they didn't relinquish. Josh Howard powered the Mavericks with 27 points, while Nowitzki contributed 21 and Devin Harris added 20. The series is now tied 1-1.

Nets take Home advantage

Its now the playoffs, but the Nets still dominated the Heat like their regular season matchups with a 100-88 win to take the home-court advantage. Carter had 27 points and Kidd added 22 and Jefferson had 20 for the Nets. One bad news for them though, Jefferson injured his ankle and is not sure to play for game 2. Wade had 25 points for Miami, but Shaq didn't play well and was in foul trouble in the 1st half- getting most of his 20 points and 10 rebounds in the second half when the game was almost out of reach.

Clijsters takes J&S Cup

Top seeded Clijsters beat Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia 7-5, 6-2 to take the J&S Cup title. I thought Kuznetsova was gonna take this one cause last year she beat Clijsters in this tourney, but Clijsters proved she still is in her best form.

Spurs edge Mavericks, Pistons blowout Cavaliers

Come the playoffs, you wouldn't expect anything less of Duncan to raise his A game. Without much double-teaming most of the game, Duncan was unstoppable with 31 points on 50% shooting and 13 rebounds, carrying the Spurs to the 87-85 victory. Bruce Bowen was also a big help limiting Nowitzki to just 20 points.
On the other game, take competition out of the equation. The Pistons demolished the Cavaliers 113-86. Despite 22 points from Lebron in the 1st half, the Cavaliers were still down by 21 at halftime. And Lebron didn't even score in the second half, so there's no points predicting the outcome of the game.

Kuznetsova and Clijsters in J&S Cup finals

4th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova seems to be in great form, she just breezed through Anna Chakvetadze 6-1, 6-1. Clijsters also advanced to the finals by beating 3rd seed Dementieva 7-5, 6-4.

Suns prevail over the Lakers

It's official, the Suns just pummeled the Lakers 121-20 to win the series from behind despite being down 1-3. The fast running Suns had a holiday doing fast breaks and layups from the first quarter, and never had a problem with losing their lead. The Lakers had little teamwork show, handing out 10 assists only throughout the game. Kobe had 24 points but had just 1 assist. Phil Jackson lost in the first round of playoffs for the first time in his career by-the-way!

Cavaliers and Spurs advance

Lebron carrid the Cavaliers throughout the game playing 53 minutes with 32 points, but it was Damon Jones who gave them the win. Jones made a 17 foot jumper 4.8 seconds left in overtime to life Cleveland over Washington 114-113. Winning the series 4-2, this is the first playoff appearance for the Cavaliers since 1993. They meet th Pistons in the second round.
Parker got a new playoff career-high wiith 31 points to lead the Spurs 105-83 over the resilient Kings. It wasn't expected that the Kings would stretch the series this far, but the Spurs showed their true championship form, blowing out the Kings in game 6. Bruce Bowen and Duncan added 16 and 15 respectively for the Spurs, who shot a crisp 50.6% from the field.

Clijsters advances to semis, Venus falls

World No.2 Kim Clijsters advanced to the semi-finals by beating 5th seed Italian Francesca Schiavone 6-4 6-4. Venus however fell to Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4,6-2. Venus had too many errors causing her to lose the match.

Phoenix forces do-or-die game

Kobe got a new career playoff-high, but it was the Suns who left the game with the win. Two big 3-pointers from Tim Thomas and 6 points each from Shawn Marion and Boris Diaw lifted the Suns over the Lakers 126-118 in overtime. Kobe made 13 of the Lakers' 14 points in OT but it wasn't enough, now there'll be a game 7 up for grabs with Phoenix at home-court advantage.

Venus outlasts Hingis at J&S Cup

Over 3 years since they last met, but it was Venus Williams who came up on top in 3 sets winning 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 over Martina Hingis, despite having leg cramps in the 3rd set. Venus was down 1-3 in the 3rd set, but was able to overcome and played through her cramping to advance to the quarters.

Nets and Heat meet in second round

Former Net Anthony Johnson erupted for 40 points but it wasn't enough as the Pacers lost to the Nets 90-96. Richard Jefferson had 30 points while Vince Carter added 24 for the Nets, who won the series 4-2. Peja Stovakovic missed the game again due to a sore right knee. He played only in 2 games in the series, wherein both games were wno by the Pacers.
The Heat totally dominated the Bulls throughout the game, with Shaquille O'Neal powering with 30 points and 20 rebounds, and Dwayne Wade adding 23 points. Kirk Hinrich scored 23 points and Ben Gordon put in 21 for the Bulls.

Venus Williams wins first match in 2006

Hard to believe it, but Venus Williams won just her first match this year, with a 6-3,6-3 victory over Urszula Radwanska from Poland in the J&S Cup. Venus was sidelined since January at her loss in the Australian Open due to a n elbow injury. She meets Martina Hingis in the second round, which looks to be an exciting match. Top seed Kim Clijsters also beat advanced to the second round with a 6-3.6-2 win over Ukraine qualifier Julia Vakulenko.

Pistons destroy Bucks, Cavaliers edge Wizards

Richard Hamilton exploded for 40 points and the Pistons totally shut down the Bucks to win 122-93, ending the series 4-1. This was the highest playoff score for the Pistons since 1987. Michael Redd led the Bucks with 23 markers.
Lebron James took the first of his career defining shots with a layup 0.9 secs left in overtime to lead the Cavaliers over the Wizards 121-120. James finished with 45 points for the Cavaliers, who are now ahead 3-2. Gilbert Arenas almost matched Lebron with 44 points for the Wizards.

Spurs, Suns hold off rivals

Manu Ginobili bounced back and took 13 of his 27 points in the final quarter to bring the Spurs to a 3-2 lead over the Kings. Despite Bonzi Wells's 38 and Artest's 24, the Kings weren't able to stop the Spurs from taking the 109-98 win. Tim Duncan had 24 and Tony Parker added 21 for the Spurs.
The Suns easily dismantled the Lakers 114-97, and Boris Diaw proved that he deserved his Most Improved PLayer award with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists. Kobe Bryant was kicked out of the game with 29 points, just over 3 minutes left in the game. Phoenix's Raja Bell was also thrown out earlier, with 7:33 minutes left. The Suns lead the Lakers 3-2 in the series.

Nets, Heat up 3-2

Vince Carter tied the score with spectacular dunk less than 30 seconds left in the game and the Nets escaped with the victory over the Pacers, 92-86. Carter had a great performance with 34 points and 15 rebounds, Jason Kidd had 19 points and 11 assists, while Richard Jefferson aded 24 as all three Nets starters displayed great form in the game. Again Peja Stojakovic missed the game. Jermaine O'Neal led the Pacers with 19 points.
In Miami, Dwayne Wade had 28 points and Shaquille O'Neal added 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Heat over the Bulls 92-78. The Heat are now within one game of reaching the 2nd round.

Mavericks and Clippers first in second round

Not really what I was expecting, but the first teams to advance to the 2nd round are the Mavericks and Clippers. Thought Memphis would put up a tougher fight in the series, but the Mavericks totally trashed them 102-76 to sweep the series. Dirk Nowitzki led the charge with 27 points on 12-of-21 shooting, while Josh Howard added 24. Pau Gasol led the Grizzlies by 25 but got almost no help from his teammates, with only Mike Miller in double figures adding 10 points.
The Clippers are proving they were alot more than was expected of them, finishing the Nuggets 101-83 to win the series 4-1. Cutino Mobley and Corey Maggette each had 23 points, and Elton Brand still played impressibly with 21 points and 13 rebounds, the leading Clippers to their first second round appearance in 30 years.
The Pistons got their third win over Bucks with a 109-99 victory, needing only one mroe to advance. Chauncey Billups sparked the Pistons with 34 points with 16-for-16 free throw shooting, including 13 points in the final period.

Wizards stop Cavaliers, Kings pummel Spurs

Lebron James waxed hot in the first half, but it was Gilbert Arenas who finished strong in the second half and led his team to win, 106=96, over the Cavaliers. Afer a woeful 1-of-9 shooting in the first half, Arenas came back with 28 of his 34 points in the second half. James had a franchise playoff record 25 points in the first half, but his 13 points in the second half wasn't enough to get the Cavaliers the win.
The Spurs couldn't do anything to stop Bonzi Wells's dominant effort. With Wells's 25 point 17 rebound double-double, on 9-of-11 shooting, the Kings grounded the Spurts 102-84. Tony Parker had 22 and Tim Duncan added 17 for the Spurs, but no one else was in double figures.

Lakers and Bulls upset foes

Kobe Bryant posted 2 huge buzzer-beating shots in regulation and overtime to lead the Lakers over the Suns 99-98. Lamar Odom led the Lakers with 25 points, and Bryant added 24. The Lakers surprisingly are ahead in the series, 3-1.
The Bulls took advantage of another bad game from Shaquille O'Neal to post another upset over the Heat, 93-87, tying the series even 2-2. O'Neal had foul trouble throughout the game, and Antoine Walker's 21 and Dwayne Wade's 20 weren't enough to compensate for O'Neal's subpar game. Andres Nocioni had 24 and Ben Gordon added 23 to lead the Bulls

Cavaliers, Kings, Lakers escape with wins

Lebron James made a 4-foot bank shot with 5.7 seconds left to lead Cleveland over Washington 97-96. James exploded for a franchise playoff-record 41 points and made 16 of 28 shots, and now put the Cavaliers up 2-1. Gilbert Arenas tried to compete with James- making 17 of his 34 points in the final period, but it wasn't enough as he missed the potential game winning three in the final seconds.

The Kings continued their inspired play from Game two and Kevin Martin took the biggest shot of his career as the Kings were able to steal Game 3 from the Spurs, 94-93. Martin's twisting layup shot bounced three times before falling into the rim, similar to Brent Barry's regulation game-tying 3-pointer. The Kings were not able to stop Duncan from dominating the game with 29 points on 12-of-20 shooting and 12 boards, but were still able to carve out the win with Mike Bibby putting out 25 points and Ron Artest adding 22 points and 12 rebounds.

The Lakers tried a different formula, and it worked, as all its starters reached double-digits in the team effort 99-92 win over the Suns. Kobe Bryant had just 17 points, but Lamar Odom, Kwame Brown, and Luke Walton all had huge double-double nights, with 15 points and 17 rebounds, 13 points and 11 rebounds, 17 points and 10 rebounds respectively. Steve Nash led the Suns with 17 points and 11 assists, but were totally outrebounded by the Lakers 53-34.

Pacers and Bulls defend home

Jermaine O'Neal dominated for 37 points and 15 rebounds, probably spurred by the $15,000 fine he incurred from blasting the officials, to lead the Pacers 107-95 over the Nets. Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter both had 25 boths for the Nets, who shot a dismal 24 percent in the second half.
Shaquille O'Neal had one of his worst games in playoff history with just 8 points and 7 turnovers, as the Bulls were able to take a game away from the Heat, 109-90. O'Neal was foul plagued throughout the game, picking up his third foul early in the second quarter. Ben Gordon led the Bulls with 24 points, and Kirk Hinrich added 22. Miami's James

Lakers win over Suns

The Lakers shot a blistering 50.7% from the field to win 99-93 over the Phoenix Suns, tying the series 1-1. Kobe Bryant led the way with 29 points and 10 rebounds, while Lamar Odom added 21 points no 9 of 12 shooting with 3-of-5 3-pointers. Steven Nash had 29 points on 10-of-17 shooting but Shawn Marion was held to just 13 points on 5-of-15 shooting.

Pistons and Mavericks take 2-0 leads

Tayshaun Prince had 22 points while Chauncey Billups added 20 as the Pistons rolled to a 109-98 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. After a 12-0 run in the second quarter, the Pistons never looked back and controlled the rest of the game. Dirk Nowitzki dropped 31 points on the Grizzlies and the Mavericks took an easy 94-79 victory. After scoring 31 points in the first quarter to close the Mavericks' lead to 1, the Grizzlies failed to produce the next three quarters and never really threatened the Mavericks. Both teams now take 2-0 leads.

Spurs escape with OT win over the Kings

Sacramento came back strong in the second game of the series after taking a beating in the first game, but it wasn't just enough to beat San Antonio who won 128=119 in overtime. The Spurs were down 3 points a few seconds left in regulation, but Brent Barry's crazy 3 pointer tied the game and forced overtime. Manu Ginobili, who led the Spurs with 32 points, made a baseline pass to Barry, who then took a three that bounced of the rim twice, then off the backboard before falling through the net. The Kings surprised the Spurs with a tough game even without team leader Ron Artest, who was out due to suspension for his blow to Ginobili in the first game. The Spurs now lead the series 2-0

Nets and Wizards even series

Vince Carter bounced back and poured in 33 points on 12-of-20 shooting to lead the Nets over the Pacers 90-75. He had plenty of help from Richard Jefferson with 21 points, Nenad Krystic with 20 points and 10 boards, and Jason Kidd with 13 assists and 11 boards. The Pacers never got it going as Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson were both slapped with 2 fouls each in the first quarter, while Peja Stojakovic was sidelined with a sore right knee. The Wizards clamped down on Lebron James, and Gilbert Arenas put up 30 points as the Wizards edged out an 89-84 . Lebron was held to just 26 points on a mere 7-of-25 shooting and was forced to 10 turnovers- tying his career high.

Heat and Clippers up 2-0

Jason Williams and Shaquille O'Neal both had 22 points while Dwayne Wade added 21 as the heavily-favored Heat took a 2-0 lead over the Bulls with a 115-108 win. The Clippers seem to be well matched with the Nuggets as what was expected to be a very even matchup is turning out to be easy for them. Cutino Mobley led six players in double figuers with 21 points as the Clippers controlled most of the game for a 98-87 win.

Nadal still got Federer's number

Well looks like Rafael Nadal proved the naysayers(me included) wrong. He continued his dominance over top-seeded Roger Federer with a 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory. Nadal now leads 4-1 in career meetings versus Federer, which very few men can boast. Nadal seems almost unbeatable in clay, he's won 42 straight matches! Federer's Masters Series winning streak however stopped at 29.

Suns contains Kobe, Pacers upset Nets

In a surprisingly defensive game, Phoenix limited Bryant to just 22 points to hold on to a 107-102 win over the Lakers. Tim Thomas played a superb game with 22 points and 15 rebounds to outshine the Sun's star players. The Suns started hot with 39 points in the first quarter but slowed down as the game continued. The Pacers became the first road team to win in the playoffs by beating the Nets 90-88. Anthony Johnson made two free throws with 0.9 seconds left in the game to put the Pacers ahead for the win. The Nets' big three weren't totally in form as Kid had only 5 points on 2 for 11 shooting while Carter despite having 31 points and 13 rebounds shot only 12 for 33. Hope that the Nets can come back from this as Carter has a history of not making it very far in the playoffs.

Federer and Nadal in Monte Carlo final

No surprises, No. 1 seed Roger Federer and No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal meets in the final for the Monte Carlo Masters Series. Federer swept by Fernando Gonzalez 6-2, 6-4. Nadal had a harder time and beat Gaston Gaudio 5-7, 6-1, 6-1. I'm expecting Federer to win but Nadal making an upset isn't totally a surprise as he's also pretty good in clay.

Lebron with 3D in debut playoff win, Spurs dominant

A better debut playoff game couldn't have been expected with Lebron James in leading the Cavaliers over the Wizards 97-86. Lebron had 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists to have a triple double in his first game in the playoffs. The Spurs ads expected dominated the Kings 122-88- although I hadn't expected it to be such a big blowout. Tim Duncan didn't even have to work for them to get the win, as Tony Parker exploded for 25 points in the 2nd quarter to lead the Spurs to a whopping 73-39 half time lead. In the other games Miami beat Chicago 111-106 while the Clippers edged the Nuggets 89-87. I'm looking forward to tomorrow as the games are more exciting.

Enqvist and Martinez retiring

Veteran Swede Thomas Enqvist Former Wimbledon champ Conchita Martinez announced their retirements this week. Enqvist said he couldn't handle the physical strain of playing anymore. His career was reaching the 1999 Australian Open final losing to Yevgeny Kefelnikov. He reached his highest ATP ranking that year as No. 4. Martinez's main reason for retiring is her left heel injury. Besides winning Wimbledon, she also was a runner-up at the 1998 Australian and the 2000 French Open. Enqvist was actually one of my favorite players so it's a bit sad to see him retire.

Federer in Monte Carlo Semifinal

You might say that, hey- it's Federer, no surprise. But this is actually the first time he reached the semis in Monte Carlo Masters Series event. He managed to breeze by Ferrer 6-1, 6-3 and extend his current streak in Masters Series events to 28 wins! Meanwhile No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal crushed sixth seed Guillermo Coria 6-2, 6-1 to move into the semis against 7th seed Gaston Gaudio.

NBA Playoffs 2006 is starting!

Now that we have all the no-bearing season games over with, the wait is over! Playoffs are starting tomorrow. Here are the playoff matchups:

EAST:
Pistons (1) vs. Bucks (8)
Heat (2) vs. Bulls (7)
Nets (3) vs. Pacers (6)
Cavaliers (4) vs. Wizards (5)

WEST:
Spurs (1) vs. Kings (8)
Suns (2) vs. Lakers (7)
Nuggets (3) vs. Clippers (6)
Mavericks (4) vs. Grizzlies (5)

Hope my team the Nets make a run for it :)

Welcome to Hoops and Rackets

Thanks for taking a peek at my first ever blog. I'll try to update you on the lastest updates on tennis and basketball.