Monday, March 30, 2015

Marc Gasol pulled a Hulk Hogan and shredded his jersey

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Andrew Wiggins challenged Rudy Gobert at the rim and lived to tell the tale


Most players would never challenge Rudy Gobert at the hoop. Andrew Wiggins isn't most players.






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This mysterious Rockets rookie just showed up and dunked on everyone




Raise your hand if you know who Clint Capela is. The Rockets rookie was selected No. 25 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft, but is only playing in his seventh NBA game on Monday night against the Raptors. It looks like he's making the most of his minutes.


And another:







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The 76ers mascot shooting white goo out of his chest is not okay

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Gerald Wallace comes flying out of 2005 to throw down an alley-oop



There was a time when Gerald Wallace was nicknamed "Crash" because of the reckless energy he played with every time he stepped on the floor. Those days are long gone, which is why it's so amazing to see him posterize Marvin Williams like this in 2015.






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Alabama commitment Demetris Robertson interested in Stanford, Georgia


Alabama is making sure to continue to recruit Robertson hard as other major schools pursue him.


BRADENTON, FL. -- Demetris Robertson is one of the truly elite prospects in the 2016 recruiting class. Out of Savannah (Ga.) Christian Prep, Robertson is ranked among the 35 best players in the country regardless of position by the 247Sports Composite Rankings. The 6'1, 170-pound athlete excels at receiver and defensive back. He was arguably the most dominant player among more than 350 athletes on the weekend, with his stop-start quickness and agility making him pretty much impossible to cover, as captured on video (above).


Robertson committed to Alabama in July of 2014, and SB Nation Recruiting caught up with the star recruit Sunday at the IMG NFA 7v7 Southeastern Championship Tournament.


"Just the experience. This is my first time ever doing 7v7, and getting work in against a great group of guys," Robertson said of why he participated. "I'm working on my route running, the feel for getting open, and my hands."


Robertson did not play any DB in the tournament, but that does not mean he has foreclosed the possibility in college.


"I'm not a receiver only. I can play receiver or corner and the schools recruiting want me know I can play either. I want to try both out."


He says his relationship with Alabama is still very strong.


"It's a great relationship, I am still 100 percent with the Tide. Coach Smart and Saban tell me to keep coming down and get more familiar with the program." Robertson said, describing it as a pro atmosphere. "But I'm still looking around."


Stanford and Georgia


And education will be a big part of where Robertson ultimately ends up.


"After football, I want to make sure I have a great degree for myself so I can build a foundation," Robertson said. "I want to major in civil engineering."


One school recruiting him hard is Stanford. Robertson has not yet visited Stanford, but does plan to do so after the school year. He speaks with with head coach David Shaw and offensive coordinator Mike Bloomgren.


"They tell me I have to come see Stanford, and tell me about the academics. And how I would have a good chance to come in and start," Robertson said.


Another school still after him is Georgia, of which he grew up a fan.


"It's great. I talk with coach Richt and his staff probably once a week," Robertson said of his relationship with Georgia.


Timetable and track


Robertson is working with his school to become an early enrollee so that he could begin college in the spring of 2016. He plans to take his official visits, and is confident that Alabama, Stanford and Georgia will receive visits. He would also like to check out Notre Dame, Ohio State and USC.


Robertson is also a track star in the 100- and 200-meters and plans to continue his track career in college. All of the schools recruiting him are on board with the plan, he says.


SB Nation Recruiting will catch up with Robertson later this summer after he makes more trips.






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NASCAR Martinsville 2015 recap: Timely win for Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing


Before Sunday, it had been some time since Denny Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing celebrated victory.


There was a time not too long ago when Denny Hamlin won with regularity. And the same could be said of Joe Gibbs Racing.


Neither, however, has done much winning lately. Before Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, Hamlin's previous victory came last May at Talladega Superspeedway. That also was the last for JGR, as the organization has seen itself mired in a lengthy slump having won all of two races in 2014.


A reshuffling over the offseason was supposed to curb the underachieving teams and help rejuvenate JGR, which also expanded and added Carl Edwards to a driver lineup including Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth. But the early season returns were discouraging, suggesting 2015 would just continue with frustration and disappointment.


Having seen enough, Joe Gibbs harkened back to his days as head coach of the Washington NFL franchise when he guided them to three Super Bowl victories. In the week leading to Martinsville, Gibbs demanded more.


"Joe raised his voice, which doesn't happen very often," said Hamlin, who won for the fifth time at Martinsville. "(He) told us to get off our tails and go to work, and we all did it, and great result for this race team.


"Sometimes you need a leader like that to kind of put things in perspective. Not that people weren't working hard, but it just takes that extra 10 percent out of everyone to get to that next level."


Message delivered. Not just because Hamlin was victorious Sunday, but because JGR also placed two other cars in the top-five -- the only exception was Edwards, who fell victim to a flat tire late. Martinsville was the team's first win on a non-restrictor-plate in over a year.


"This sport is a humbling sport," Gibbs said. "It shows you how hard it is."


The victory carried added importance beyond just a confidence boost. Last Wednesday, team president J.D. Gibbs, the oldest son of Joe, announced he's been dealing with symptoms impacting brain function for the past six months.


Little is known about the cause of J.D. Gibbs' condition or his long-term prognosis, only that while he will continue to have a "day-to-day" role at the team's headquarters. However, his at-track presence will be limited.


"I was honestly thinking that down the stretch with Denny," Joe Gibbs said. "I thought, ‘Man, that would be awesome to have Denny be able to win this race.'"


It was J.D. who unearthed a then-unknown Hamlin, a Virginia native, when he was running Late Models locally. When Joe Gibbs returned to the NFL from 2004-2008, J.D. assumed control of the NASCAR operation and continued to have a large role even after his father stopped coaching.


Without J.D. discovering him, Hamlin readily admits his chance of reaching NASCAR's upper divisions were minimal. He had little funding and few contacts, two critical elements a young driver needs in securing a ride.


"They believed in me and they gave me opportunities to succeed," Hamlin said. "So many young guys come into this sport and don't get an opportunity with a good team. But these guys gave me my chance, and J.D. was a big key to that."


J.D.'s health and how it impacts the team is a story going forward. To quell any concerns, Joe offered reassurance Sunday the infrastructure was in place to maintain its status as one of NASCAR's premiere outfits. And if further proof is needed about the direction of JGR, all one has to do is look how the team's patriarch handled the events of the last week.


"Bossman over here expects a lot from us," Hamlin said. "And we expect to be in victory lane and be up front."


What's less certain is if Sunday signals a true reversal of JGR's performance.


A half-mile in length, Martinsville is unlike the vast majority of tracks on the Cup schedule. Horsepower and aerodynamics aren't as critical on the Virginia bullring as elsewhere. Considerable improvements are still needed on intermediate speedways, which comprise half the Chase calendar and the size of track that will decide the championship.


But now solidly in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Hamlin can play the guinea pig role over the summer months to help better his teammate's on-track fortunes. He can run experimental chassis setups, while Kenseth and Edwards pursue wins.


"Even though it doesn't cure things, it makes things better," Hamlin said. "We've got some kinks in our team right now, but this buys you months of time to get everything worked out and get all the kinks worked out because we know we can go on a championship run."


Big picture, Sunday was important. Hamlin can rest easier knowing his playoff ticket is punched, while JGR gains some degree of solace in what has been a tough week. Whether it's the beginning of a greater turnaround is to be determined in the months ahead.






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Michigan State 2015 Final Four gear: The Spartans are headed back to the Final Four

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Former NHL player brutally attacks opponent before Swedish playoff game

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Here's Thierry Henry doing trick passes for charity


Now you see it, now you don't.



On Sunday, Liverpool's Steven Gerrard invited some friends and former colleagues over to Anfield for a charity game. The game finished 2-2, but the highlight was this fake-shot-pass from Thierry Henry. He may spend most of his time on the pundit's chair these days, but he's still got it.


Sadly for everybody involved, Ryan Babel, the recipient of this pass, never really had it to begin with. So no goal. But lots of money for good causes, and that's the main thing.


Via Deadspin






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5 things every fan should know about the Final Four


Whether you're a diehard college hoops fan or a newbie hoping to win your office pool, here are five facts you HAVE to know about the contenders and pretenders in this year's Final Four.


1) This is March


Technically,the Final Four will be played in April, but it's still important to remember that This Is March.










































2) Death, taxes, Bo Ryan.


There's death, there's taxes, and then there's Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan.





















































However, it's not just Death, Taxes, Bo Ryan. It's sometimes Death, Taxes, Other People Too. In fact, it's Death, Taxes, Three Of The Four Final Four Coaches,





But that doesn't mean we should count out Kentucky just because it's not Death, Taxes, John Calipari. Death, Taxes, A Coach status can be revoked. For example, it used to be Death, Taxes, Bill Self:



































But it isn't Death, Taxes, Bill Self anymore. So it's anybody's game.


One last wild card:




3) College basketball is where the unexpected becomes the ordinary





























Often, really obscure teams make college basketball become where the unexpected becomes the ordinary.














4) Somebody is definitely Chandler Parsons -- but who?


It really seemed like it was Maryland's Jake Layman.





















But recent reports lead us to believe it could actually be Wisconsin's Sam Dekker:




If it turns out Sam Dekker is the one who has a lot of Chandler Parsons in him, don't count Wisconsin out.


5) Never forget what Shakespeare said


The Bard may have predated the Final Four by a few hundred years, but if he were around today, I think we all know what he'd say about college basketball's exciting finale:
































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Jim Harbaugh finishes fourth in Michigan student body president race, vows to do better


As you probably guessed, he wasn't actually running.


Jim Harbaugh's popularity on the Michigan campus since taking over as the head football coach has been well documented. He's also very popular in the student government president election as a write-in candidate.


The Michigan Daily reports that Harbaugh finished fourth in the recent election with 115 votes. Not bad for someone who wasn't even running!



Harbaugh received 115 votes for president in total, including 82 votes for "Jim Harbaugh," another 18 simply for "Harbaugh" and four for the joint ticket of "Jim Harbaugh and Diag Squirrel."



Jim Harbaugh and Jabrill Peppers, Jim Harbaugh and His Khakis and Jim Harbaugh and Jesus Shuttlesworth all received write-in votes as well.


One suspects that if Harbaugh had won the election, he'd probably be too busy coaching to serve.


Update:








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Al Roker got stuck in a wrestling ring on 'The Today Show'




Poor Al Roker. He was trying to look all cool in front of the new WWE Champion Seth Rollins, but The Today Show didn't set the ring up right. Look at those sloppy, loose ropes. Al didn't stand a chance.


Yes it's hilarious, and Roker played it all off perfectly. #TeamAl






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Wisconsin Final Four 2015 gear: The Badgers advance, get your gear

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2015 NFL Mock Draft: Early run on WRs edition

Let's look at the latest Mocking the Draft mock and see how and where teams could do right or screw up their first round.



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This soccer manager was banned from the stadium, so he watched from a nearby attic


'The Soccer Manager In The Attic' by Shel Silverstein





England's Poole Town Football Club banned its own manager, Tom Killick, from attending games at the stadium. Undeterred, Killick found an inventive way to watch his team - through the window in a nearby attic.


Assistant manager James Wood is working with Poole Town FC while Killick's 6-game ban for insulting an official is in effect. Killick said of the incident, "I should know better by now than to get involved in disputes with referees but I never expected a punishment as draconian as this. It’s something that shouldn’t have happened and I regret it. If you have done wrong then you have to suffer the consequences."


In this case, the consequences are watching a soccer match alongside ghosts.




(via Mirror)






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What each NFC East team needs to address in the 2015 NFL Draft

What are the pressing needs for the Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, and Washington? Let's take a closer look.



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Ranking and scouting the best 5 wide receivers of the 2015 NFL Draft

Let’s figure out the best five wide receivers of the 2015 class.



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2015 NFL Mock Draft: The top wide receivers and NFC East team needs

Let's break down the latest MtD mock, figure out what the NFC East teams need to address in the draft, and rank the draft's best wide receivers.



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Kevin Durant's injury forces summer of reckoning for Thunder


The Thunder may only have one more shot to win a title with Kevin Durant leading the way. How will they maximize the opportunity?


Kevin Durant is done for the season and so are the Oklahoma City Thunder. Unless they can somehow avoid the Warriors in the first round, which seems nearly impossible at this stage, the Thunder will be ejected from the playoffs quickly. It will be a bitter end to a bitter season.


They'd entered the season as favorites -- or as close to favorites as one can be in a West in which the Spurs are back-to-back conference champs -- and suffered one bad break after another. That Russell Westbrook has led OKC to pole position for No. 8 without Durant and now Serge Ibaka is heartening, and the journey's been entertaining. But this isn't what the Thunder set out to do. They wanted more.


Now the franchise is faced with an incredibly nerve-wracking summer. Durant can become a free agent in 2016. He's never let on that he wants to leave Oklahoma City, and in fact his sentiments seem quite the opposite. He seems to truly love OKC and (most of) his Thunder brethren. But that doesn't mean he won't listen to other teams, other cities, other players in July, 2016. That doesn't mean he won't follow in LeBron's footsteps and look to build a superpower in a more glamorous city.


Thunder GM Sam Presti doesn't have to do anything. OKC is already a contender for the 2015-16 championship without making any moves, provided Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka are healthy for opening night. While there's no guarantee a title would keep KD in OKC, that has to be goal (as it is every year). There's just a hard deadline this time. Either way, you want a championship to convince him to stay, or you want to squeeze one out of him before he leaves. So, while the Thunder are already great when healthy, the team really faces a mandate to do everything in its power to be the greatest.


Keep in mind that this will be the first season the Thunder will have ever paid the luxury tax. OKC is currently about $2 million over the threshold, primarily due to taking on Dion Waiters' contract in February. (Waiters is shooting 39 percent as a Thunderian.) At the deadline, the Thunder could have shipped out Reggie Jackson and Kendrick Perkins for some salary cap breathing room, but instead brought back Enes Kanter, Steve Novak and Kyle Singler. That was when it looked like Durant would be available the rest of the season. You wonder if Presti would have gotten under the line if he knew KD would stay out.


The tax has been an issue of concern for the Thunder for a while now, going back to the James Harden deal that looks worse every day. That move remains defensible from a strict team-building standpoint. With Durant and Westbrook in place, having another potential scoring champ on a max deal is a wasted resource. It's much more efficient in a capped-resource environment to allot those resources to another need, like size and defense. That's exactly what Presti did, he invested in Ibaka, kept Perkins around and used one of the picks from the Harden trade on Steven Adams. But it's hard to continually justify a trade that sees you dealing a future MVP contender for Kevin Martin and picks.


What OKC is facing with Durant could really be a combination of two LeBron James heartbreaks. James left Cleveland because the Cavaliers couldn't get him a title, and he left Miami (at least in part) because management was reluctant to pay high tax bills. That doesn't mean Durant will follow LeBron's path. But you'd better believe that's what Presti fears, and what the Thunder are trying to prevent.


(There's a special irony in Durant's future causing this sort of drama in OKC now given how trumped up KD's quiet extension with the Thunder in 2010 was played up in juxtaposition to LeBron's loud abandonment of Cleveland. Unfortunately, the idiots who used Durant's perceived humility to bash LeBron five years ago will just claim KD has turned into a diva instead of admitting their logic was weak all along.)


So how can the Thunder prevent heartbreak in 2016?


There's no cap space to go out and land a major free agent like Kevin Love. OKC doesn't seem to have the chips to cash in on a major trade without losing Ibaka or, god forbid, Westbrook. You don't trade a once-in-a-lifetime star like Durant early just to make sure you get something for him. (That works for All-Star level talent like Love, not potential G.O.A.T.s.)


All Presti can really do is all he's done since trading Harden: Try to make nifty moves around the margins, cover the weaknesses of a KD-Westbrook team as best as possible and hope for the best. Maybe those prayers will finally be answered. Perhaps the Basketball Gods will smile down on the Thunder in 2016 as they once did in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Otherwise, Oklahoma City might find itself back at square one, trying to figure out how to win without Durant permanently.






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