Kevin Durant is quickly becoming the Mavs biggest enemy. Not only did he hurt them in the regular season by hitting an impossible game-winning 3, but he also sank a late jumper last night to give OKC the 99-98 win over Dallas.
Getting off to a fast start was crucial for Dallas, especially as they were away from home. They failed to do that though as Dirk missed his first 4 attempts, but Russell Westbrook was on fire early doors and Dallas struggled to contain him. The Mavs fought back though, and ended up leading after the first quarter by 26 points to 22.
So, the time has come for the NBA playoffs to kick off again. The Mavs have made it into the post-season for the 12th straight season and face a tough task as they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC racked up a very impressive 47-19 record to clinch the second seed in the West. The reigning champions Dallas could only manage the seventh seed.
Many people have written the Mavs off already, saying they will fall to a heavy series loss. However, will Dallas’ experience count for more than the skill that OKC possess through youth?
The Mavs had a chance to improve their seeding in the West, but they fell to the Atlanta Hawks who secured home court advantage with a convinving106-89 win.
Dallas looked as if they were happy with their 7th seed in the Western Conference, as they gave Jason Kidd the night off and limited the minutes of some of their bigger players. The 7th seed means that they face the Oklahoma City Thunder, a very tough match up indeed.
Before the 2011/12 season started, the NFC East looked a pretty strong division, with 3 pretty decent playoff contending teams. However, after the Giants won the Super Bowl and the draft has taken place, I think the division is even stronger.
Lets start with the New York Giants, the current Super Bowl champions and a team full of talent. Their threat in the air is as good as any in the league. Eli Manning was awesome last year, with the likes of Victor Cruz, Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks all being very dangerous receivers. The Giants running game was definitely the weaker part of their game, but they have improved that straight away after bringing in RB David Wilson, from Virginia Tech. These guys are going to be a big side next year.
Going into the NFL draft last night in New York City, we assumed that the Cowboys were picking pick 14 in the first round and were going to go for either Michael Brockers or Mark Barron. However, after Luck went to the Colts and RG3 to the Skins, we were then informed that the Cowboys had swapped their second and third round picks for St Louis’ first round pick at number 6.
That wasn’t the only twist though, as Cleveland ended up with the third pick and took running back Trent Richardson.
The World Championships doesn’t always showcase the best players in the world, as a lot of them are unable to play due to NHL playoff participation. As the Stars failed to qualify for the playoffs, several of the players are off to represent their respective countries at the World Championships in Sweden and Finland.
Indications suggest that 6 players from the Dallas roster will be making the long trip across the Atlantic.
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Several Stars are heading to the World Championships
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So, the finalists have been announced for the Veniza trophy for the 2011-12 season. The trophy is given to the goalie who is judged to have been the best throughout the season, and has had some great winners over the past years including Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur.
The finalists are Henrik Lundqvist from the Rangers, Pekka Rinne from the Predators and Jonathan Quick from the Kings. There are so many good goalies in the NHL at the moment, and these 3 definitely now have the elite status.
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Lehtonen not amongst Vezina Trophy finalists
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After another mediocre campaign for the Cowboys in the 2011/12 campaign, they have a good chance to secure some good talent to improve their record next season. In just 2 days time, the Cowboys will take their first pick in round 14 inNew York City.
With last season showing some pretty big weaknesses on the defensive side of the ball, especially in the safety position, I think the Cowboys will go with a defensive player for their first pick.
After a decent 2-1 series win over the Detroit Tigers, the Texas Rangers fell to the New York Yankees 7-4 at Rangers Ballpark last night. The Yankees are currently riding a 4 game winning streak and carrying a lot of momentum, making it a tricky game forTexastonight.
It is set for a battle ofJapanon the mound tonight, as Yu Darvish of the Texas Rangers tackles Heroki Kuroda of the Yankees.
Darvish, who signed a contract worth more than $107 million, has got off to a winning start on the mound this season. He has gone 2-0 and recorded an ERA of 3.57.New Yorkwill look to exploit the amount of Walks that Darvish tends to give up, as he averages 6.6 through 9 innings.
San Antonio Spurs
The Mavs could take on the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of Western Conference playoffs. TheirTexasrivals have a phenomenal record of 48-16, and with home advantage, it is going to be a very tough series. The Spurs have clinched the number 1 spot in the West, thanks to some of their experienced stars, with Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli all averaging double figure points. With a home record of 28-5 and home advantage, the Mavs won’t fancy taking on the Spurs. However, the Mavs are currently enjoying a 4 day break before their last regular season game, whilst the Spurs play 4 games in 5 days to end their season.
