The Los Angeles Lakers will try to finish off the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.

Pau Gasol and the LA Lakers hope to close out their NBA playoff series with the Oklahoma City Thunder (katchop)

From nbclosangeles

Tuesday night was the Lakers best game of the year. Easily. They executed their offense, but more importantly they held the explosive Thunder in check on defense.

The Lakers got back in transition and shut off the lane — the Thunder’s parade of layups stopped. It all started with Kobe Bryant matched up on Russell Westbrook — with their lead speedster slowed, the Thunder offense ground to a halt.

But can the Lakers do it again? On the road in loud Oklahoma City?

Original Photos yahoo, comicbookreligion

The Washington Capitals were eliminated from the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Montreal Canadiens.

Immediately after they were eliminated from the playoffs by the Montreal Canadiens, the Washington Capitals announced plans to use a new logo for next season (katchop)

From The Toronto Sun

The Habs made history, becoming the first eighth-seed to climb out of a 3-1 hole to upset the top-ranked team since this format started in 1994.

It is just the second time in the Habs century-long history they have climbed out of a 3-1 series hole, the first time in 2004 against the Boston Bruins.

Now the Canadiens will take on Sidney Crosby and the fourth-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins, their series starting Friday night in the Steel City at 7 p.m. Game 2 would be Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. with Game 3 in Montreal Tuesday and Game 4 Thursday.

For the Caps, it marked the third time in four-straight tries they have lost a Game 7 and now they will face serious questions about the makeup and direction of their team.

Original Photo sbnation

Charlotte Bobcats’ head coach Larry Brown is rumored to be interested in the Philadelphia 76ers job openings.

Charlotte Bobcat's coach Larry Brown reacts in dismay after a late foul call potentially delays his ability to catch the next available flight to Philadelphia (katchop)

From USA Today

Brown, in his 13th pro or college coaching job, insisted after Orlando’s 99-90 victory Monday that clinched a 4-0 first-round victory that he won’t coach for anyone other than Jordan. But the 69-year-old Brown also said he’ll talk with his wife and children, who live in Philadelphia, before announcing if he’ll return for the final two years of his contract.

What makes the plot more intriguing is the 76ers have a vacant coaching job, and perhaps a front-office opening soon, too. Brown’s longest stint as a coach was a six-year stay in Philly when Ratliff played there.

“That’s hypothetical,” Brown said when asked if he’d leave Charlotte for a job as a general manager or team president. “I’m really, personally, not ready to step down in terms of my desire to keep coaching.”

Original Photo: Yahoo

Some Boston radio guys got in trouble for calling Tim Tebow’s draft day party a Nazi rally.

Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos is not a Nazi, but the Simon Wiesenthal Center is asking if they can still treat him like one (katchop)

From Fanhouse:

The host was joking, but then so was Don Imus when he insulted Rutgers women’s basketball team. CBS fired him. Will it do the same when the race-based insults are directed at Tebow?

Why do I get the feeling Tebow will be Denver’s starting quarterback before Fred Toettcher is out of a job?

“Toucher,” as he is known to his listeners on 98.5 The Sports Hub, had this observation on Tebow’s draft-night gathering.

“It looked like some kind of Nazi rally … so lily-white is what I’m trying to say. Yeah, Stepford Wives.”

Original Photo: Yahoo

The Seattle Seahawks are hoping the additions of Leon Washington, LenDale White and some shrewd draft picks help improve their fortunes.

John Carlson was unable to jump start the Seattle Seahawks offense last season, but some recent additions might help change that (katchop)

From ESPN’s John Clayton:

As great as the first two rounds went for Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks, Saturday might have generated even bigger excitement. Since the heyday of Shaun Alexander, the Seahawks haven’t been able to run the football. On Saturday, they picked up the 1-2 punch of White and Washington.

The price was ridiculously cheap. Washington cost a fifth-round pick. White came for a swap of seven places in the fourth round and a swap of nine picks in the sixth. To make things even sweeter, the Titans gave the Seahawks a seventh-round pick.

Those moves might have been an indictment of a running back class that had seven players taken in the first two rounds. No back went in the third round. White has a chance to reunite with Carroll and be his power runner on first and second down. Washington joins Justin Forsett in the Seahawks’ tandem of quick, explosive backs. The Seahawks were looking to replace Julius Jones in the draft, but for little cost, they got depth and options that this draft may not have offered.

Original Photo Life

Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls says he’s looking forward to game 4 against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Joakim Noah, his mouth and the rest of the Chicago Bulls are looking forward to facing LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in game 4 of their heated playoff series (katchop)

From Yahoo Sports:

It was definitely a huge win for us. It feels good to come out with a win. Since the beginning of the series, we felt we could play with them. To be in a situation like this, it’s huge. We feel we can compete with them. This is a team that everyone says will compete for an NBA championship. We’ll be ready on Sunday.”

—Bulls center Joakim Noah on their playoff series against the Cavs.

Original Photo: sportsguyby

The New Jersey Nets expect the NBA to approve new owner Mikhail Prokhorov before the NBA Draft Lottery.

Mikhail Prokhorov thinks he can turn the New Jersey Nets into a contender right away, so we made him an alternate logo (katchop)

From The New York Post:

With the vacant possession issue resolved and all pertinent tenants and businesses due out of the Brooklyn Atlantic Yards site by May, the league expects Prokhorov to be approved “by the middle of the month [of May],” the league said.

Prokhorov needs the approval of the Board of Governors, a foregone conclusion. The board does not need to gather to vote and could do so by teleconference. Approval might lead to Prokhorov sitting on the dais at the May 18 lottery.

Original Photo photobucket

The St Louis Rams selected Sam Bradford with the first pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.

The St Louis Rams hope that Sam Bradford is their savior (katchop)

From stltoday.com
General manager Billy Devaney said the selection of Bradford wasn’t as easy as it might have seemed.

“What really on surface should’ve been an obvious pick, and maybe to a lot of you (reporters) that it was, that we were taking a quarterback, those other two kids that we were thinking about, (defensive tackles Ndamukong) Suh and (Gerald) McCoy, they made this whole process really difficult, being the players and the type of people that they are.

“It really was a tough decision. And it shouldn’t have been. Bradford should’ve been the obvious guy all along. We wrestled with it, just because we think those two kids are really going to be special football players.”

Original Photos Yahoo, buycostumes

David Epstein of Sports Illustrated is questioning the NHL’s ‘thorough investigation’ of the recent Washington Capitals steroid accusations.

The Washington Capitals and the NHL both say that no players on the Caps have any connection to steroids, but Sports Illustrated isn't buying it (katchop)

From Sports Illustrated

On the day of Nagel’s arrest NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly issued a statement: “Based on the investigation we have done and the information we have, there is no evidence that Dr. Nagel ever supplied (or even offered to supply) performance enhancing drugs to any current or past member of the Washington Capitals.” The Capitals issued a statement as well: “This has been a thorough investigation, and we are satisfied that law enforcement, the NHL and our own internal investigation have not led to any link of steroid use by Capitals players.”

However, according to an April 7 e-mail from Ian Floyd of the Polk County Sheriff’s Tactical Drug Unit to Judd (his boss), there are serious questions about the investigations conducted by the NHL and the Capitals. “I called and spoke with [NHL executive vice president of security] Dennis Cunningham today in reference to the official statements made by the Washington Capitals and NHL regarding the ‘thorough investigation,’” reads the e-mail, which Judd allowed SI to review. “Mr. Cunningham admitted that contrary to the below issued statements, no investigation was ever conducted into Dr. Nagel and his ties to steroids and Capitals players by anyone with the NHL.”

Original Photos imageshack, christianskitscripts

Some folks are wondering where Stanford’s RB Toby Gerhart would go in the NFL draft if he was African American.

Toby Gerhart is wondering if he would do better in the 2010 NFL Draft if he wasn't white (katchop)

From Yahoo’s Michael Silver

Yet they also see a white guy trying to make it in the league as a feature back, something that has become increasingly rare in this era. Peyton Hillis, now with the Cleveland Browns, led the Denver Broncos in rushing yards in 2008, but was limited to just 54 last season in part because of 2009 draft pick Knowshon Moreno’s addition.

Race shouldn’t be an issue, of course, but Gerhart can’t help but believe that it has colored the opinions of at least some potential employers.

“One team I interviewed with asked me about being a white running back,” Gerhart says. “They asked if it made me feel entitled, or like I felt I was a poster child for white running backs. I said, ‘No, I’m just out there playing ball. I don’t think about that.’ I didn’t really know what to say.”

Original Photo innercirclecorona

Jason Kidd is playing great basketball for the Dallas Mavericks in their playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs.

Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks is like Gollum in his pursuit of a ring (katchop)

From Slam Online:

And yet, in 2010, at 37 years-old, Jason Kidd is fresh off a vintage performance last night in the first round of the Playoffs for his 2nd seeded Mavericks, dictating the pace, controlling and calming his teammates, and burying big shots time after time while just barely falling short of a triple double. 13 points, 11 dimes, 8 boards, 4 steals. He buried three of five from beyond the arch, including a dagger with under three minutes left that just about iced it.

Original Photos answers.com, halloweencostumes4u

The Toronto Maple Leafs are trying to figure out where it all went wrong.

The Toronto Maple Leafs had a bad 2009-2010 NHL season and do not own their 1st round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft (katchop)

——————NSFW version can be found here——————————

In his season-ending analysis of 2009-10, Burke didn’t waste too much time looking back. Rather, it’s eyes front on what figures to be a busy summer.

“I’m not interested … in a five-year rebuild like some of these teams have done,” Burke said. “Maybe because of my age, maybe just because I know it doesn’t have to be five years because it wasn’t in Anaheim.

“I like the group that finished the year, I think just on internal improvement we will be better. I think we will be good enough with this group and a couple additions to say in training camp that the playoffs are a reasonable goal.”

Original Photo crashthecrease.com

According to the Detroit Lions, they’re not sure what to do with the second pick in the 2010 NFL draft.

Head Coach Jim Schwartz of the Detroit Lions uses a bag of Doritos wisely during a 2009 NFL game (katchop)

Mayhew said Thursday the Lions haven’t decided who they’ll select at No. 2 overall. And when asked about trying to reach the same consensus with this franchise-altering pick as the Lions did with Stafford, the GM said, “In this situation here, I think we still have time to get to that point. We’re not at that point right now.”

It’s hardly a surprise to hear Mayhew say that publicly — “I like to keep my options open,” he explained — and to be fair, he said the same thing a year ago when Stafford was the pick. So maybe it’s all a smokescreeen to try to generate a legitimate trade offer at No. 2.

Original Photos Life, productwiki

Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals was held without a shot on goal against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals looked invisible during game 1 of the Caps' playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens (katchop)

I don’t know why, but last game, I don’t feel that power or something,” Ovechkin said to the throng of media. “I talked to Bruce, and how I said, I didn’t play my game at all last night. It’s not about Montreal. It’s all about me.”

That may be true. But the Canadiens also deserve credit. In fact, they’ve held Ovechkin without a goal four times in five games this season and without a point on three occasions.

Ovechkin saw all three Canadiens defensive pairs early and was matched up a lot against Jaroslav Spacek in the third period. It wasn’t just Spacek, though. It was the combination of Montreal’s veteran defensemen getting in Ovechkin’s face and the Habs’ forwards diligently applying pressure from back side. The end result? Ovechkin had nowhere to go with the puck.

Original Photos Gear4pros, Yahoo

The New York Yankees got their World Series rings earlier this week.

The New York Yankees got their World Series rings this week, and they did a great job of capturing the essence of the 2009 season (katchop)

I’m going to wear it and wear it every day. Heck, if they let me wear it to third (Tuesday), I was trying to do that. But I think it would’ve broken the rules.”

Rodriguez, notorious for choking in the playoffs before 2009, was terrific last October and said the ring “means the world to me. That’s why you play the game of baseball. That’s why in 2003 I wanted to come to New York and change positions and be part of the greatest franchise in the world. We’ve had some ups and downs here, but last year made it all worthwhile.”

Original Photo Yahoo

For a guy who won the 1st overall pick in the 2010 NHL draft, GM Steve Tambellini of the Edmonton Oilers sure seems mad.

The Edmonton Oilers have the 1st pick in the 2010 NHL Draft and are hoping to use it to change their losing ways (katchop)

He’s had it with prima donnas who don’t want to come here, or prima donnas who don’t want to stay. He wants to flash back to the days when Oilers left Edmonton with tears in their eyes, not springs in their step.

In his end of the season address, Tambellini said the Oilers, from now on, will shift their focus to drafting and developing their own talent, creating a generation of players who want to be Oilers.

“My job is to get rid of those other guys,” he said, adding he’ll try and move Sheldon Souray at or before the NHL entry draft in June. “That culture has got to go. I’m sick and tired of having to hear people complain about the city, the organization, I don’t like the coach, I don’t like the manager, I don’t like the city, too cold. This is the risk you run sometimes when someone has success in another market (and comes here).

“If you can’t develop your own core of expectations of what an Oiler truly is, and build respect for the logo and the city, then you’re always going to be spinning your wheels.”

Original Photo agoldenworld

Former San Francisco 49′er Jerry Rice will participate in a Nationwide Tour event this week.

Former San Francisco 49'er Jerry Rice will play in the Fresh Express Classic, a Nationwide Tour event (katchp)

I don’t want to go out there and have those players who are playing on the Nationwide Tour think this is a publicity stunt for attention. It’s not,” said Rice, who received sponsor’s exemption into the field and will serve as host of the 156-player tournament, with his foundation receiving proceeds.

“I have the opportunity to go out and prove to everybody I can play golf.”

The Nationwide Tour operates under the umbrella of the PGA Tour, so Rice could conceivably one day qualify for the senior Champions Tour.

“I can’t look down the road that far,” said Rice, 47, whose best round is a 68. “I love the game of golf and that would be a dream come true. I’m just getting my feet wet right now. Hopefully, it can build into that.”

Original Photos Teambox, flickr

The San Francisco Giants had a 4 hour rain delay on Sunday during their game against the Atlanta Braves.

During a 4 hour rain delay, Pablo Sandoval of the San Francisco Giants almost turned to cannibalism when he was unable to get 5 Domino's pizzas delivered to the dugout (katchop)

The Giants were to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their downtown ballpark and had 14 players from the 2000 division-winning team, including Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent. But during the delay, the ex-Giants took off, some needing to catch flights out of town.

So instead of an on-field ceremony involving the ’00 Giants, there was nothing. Just baseball. In the standings, that was OK. Because the Giants improved to 5-1 behind Tim Lincecum’s seven solid innings and Pablo Sandoval’s three hits, including a home run.

Original Photo Daylife

Texas Stadium, the former home of the Dallas Cowboys, was demolished on Sunday.

The former home of the Dallas Cowboys was demolished on Sunday when Texas Stadium was attacked by a Death Star (katchop)

According to early estimates, more than 20,000 people viewed the implosion either at the stadium or at other tailgate parties nearby. Thousands more watched live coverage on TV and on the Internet.

Now, after 37 years of gridiron thrills and the biggest music events, the former home of the Dallas Cowboys is nothing more than a mountain of rubble and concrete at one of the busiest intersections in North Texas

Original Photos Yahoo, timenerdworld

Well he didn’t actually flip out, but Milton Bradley of the Seattle Mariners did flip the bird at some fans while visiting the Texas Rangers.

Milton Bradley of the Seattle Mariners didn't wait very long this season before showing the fans his itchy trigger finger (katchop)

Did Milton Bradley offer a rather impolite one-fingered salute to Rangers’ fans? According to internet chatters, Seattle’s Bradley didn’t flip his lid during the game, but did flip something else.

The moment in question happened in the fourth inning after Chris Davis flied out to left field, where Bradley was playing. Though TV replays showed no incident, broadcast officials did say it appeared Bradley offered the gesture towards the stands. He was booed after the play.

Original Photos Yahoo, koolkidsinc