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| Thursday, 22-Sep-2011 06:40 |
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NFL's newest trend no passing fancy
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Philadelphia, PA — Those old enough to remember the days of the American Football League, a creation that spawned such future immortals as Joe Namath, Len Dawson, Lance Alworth and George Blanda, will recall a product that in many ways was well ahead of its time. By offering a far more fast-paced and pass-oriented approach than its entrenched NFL competition, the league not only gradually caught on with an originally skeptical public, but ultimately helped lay the foundation for the modern-day game that's become a weekly staple in households all across the land.
Forty years later, fans of this generation are paying witness to a new revolution of football, one which has made the once wide-open AFL more akin to the Wing-T by comparison. Yards and points are being accumulated at record clips, quarterbacks are operating at unforeseen levels of efficiency, and defenses have been left gasping for breath by the furious tempo of today's spread offenses and relentless no-huddle attacks.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the golden age of passing in the NFL.
The first two weeks of this 2011 season have been the most prolific in league history, having generated a grand total of 1,502 points, 172 touchdowns and 15,771 passing yards that all stand as new high-water marks for that time period. There have already been 23 individual 300-yard passing efforts by quarterbacks thus far, as well as 22 occasions in which one has achieved a passer rating of at least 100 -- also an NFL landmark for the first two games.
Tom Brady is currently on track to finish the year with an unbelievable 7,520 passing yards. The reigning NFL MVP's 940 yards through the first two weeks shattered a league record that was about two hours old, when Carolina wunderkind Cam Newton racked up 854 over his initial pair of starts as a professional.
Defenses that have been undeniably adversely affected, both schematically and from a conditioning standpoint, by the reduced practice and training sessions created by the lockout simply haven't been able to keep up with the aerial onslaught, forcing players and coaches to resort to questionable alternative methods in an attempt to level the field. There's been a lot of hubbub in recent days over teams such as the Giants and Chargers feigning injuries with the intent of slowing down enemy offenses. But who really can blame them from resorting to such supposedly diabolical measures, when defenses have been put at such a disadvantage by the rule changes and circumstances of the offseason?
That's not to say teams can't survive having heaps of yardage piled upon them, as Newton's early case study with the still-winless Panthers has presented. However, it's more apparent now than ever than in order to win consistently in this league nowadays, having a quarterback who's proficient in his performances is an absolute must.
Need proof? Well, there are seven clubs that presently sit at 2-0 after the first couple of weeks, and five of them are armed with field generals ranked in the top 10 in quarterback rating, with Washington (Rex Grossman, 15th) and the New York Jets (Mark Sanchez, 17th) the lone exceptions.
Conversely, of the seven 0-2 teams at the moment, only Carolina (Newton, 16th) is led by a quarterback not in the bottom eight of that category.
So, is this era of video-game statistics and back-and-forth shootouts good for the game? Well, beauty's always in the eye of the beholder. But judging by the soaring TV ratings (last Sunday's Eagles-Falcons thriller crushed FOX's broadcast of the Emmys in viewership) and the fans' swift forgiveness of the havoc caused by the work stoppage, it's safe to say the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
It may not be your father's NFL any more. But like it or not, this sleek and polished newfangled brand of football is here to stay.
And now on to this week's games.
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| Tuesday, 30-Aug-2011 15:51 |
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Ex-NBA player Javaris Crittenton arrested for murder
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Former NBA player Javaris Crittenton, who was suspended from the league for having a gun in the locker room along with Washington Wizards teammate Gilbert Arenas, was arrested Monday in a Southern California airport. He faces a murder charge in a deadly Atlanta shooting, an attorney said Monday.
Crittenton was taken into custody Monday night at John Wayne Airport in Orange County after checking in for a Delta Air Lines flight to Atlanta, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.
Eimiller said he was arrested without incident by FBI agents with assistance from the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
Authorities are now trying to determine whether Crittenton will make an initial appearance in federal court or be taken directly to Atlanta to face state charges there.
"He offered to turn himself in," Lawyer Brian Steel told The Associated Press earlier Monday. "He's not guilty. We look forward to getting it to the courts."
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported that Crittenton planned to surrender in Atlanta.
Police earlier obtained a murder warrant for Crittenton in the Aug. 19 shooting of 22-year-old Jullian Jones, a mother of four young children. Police say Jones was walking with two men when she was shot and they believe one of the men with her was the target.
Police spokesman Carlos Campos on Friday said the motive appears to be retaliation for a robbery in April in which Crittenton was the victim.
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| Monday, 22-Aug-2011 09:00 |
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Two Shot, One Beaten at NFL Preseason Game in San Francisco
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Two men were shot in the parking lot of San Francisco's Candlestick Park and a third was brutally assaulted inside the stadium after a preseason National Football League game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders, A 24-year-old man was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries after he was shot up to four times in the stomach in the parking lot for wearing a T-shirt with a derogatory comment about the 49ers. Another man in his 20s sustained lesser injuries after he too was shot at a different location in the parking lot outside the game.
In another incident, a 26-year-old man was beaten unconscious with life threatening injuries after a fight broke out in a washroom at the stadium.
Police said that there are no suspects in custody. The suspect in the bathroom beatings was described as a Samoan or Pacific Islander between 25 and 30 years old, weighing 225 to 260 pounds and 6-foot-3 to 6-foot-5 inches tall, reports the Los Angeles Times.
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Police are investigating the shootings but are still unsure if the two attacks outside the stadium are related. It was not immediately clear if any of the men who were shot were fans of any particular team.
The 24-year-old man, who was shot, managed to drive himself to a stadium security official for help, police said.
The violence occurred during and after the Bay Area preseason showdown between the 49ers and Raiders Saturday night. The 49ers won 17-3.
Sgt. Michael Andraychak of the San Francisco Police Department told the Los Angeles Times stadium security tends to be extra vigilant during games between teams with a particularly strong rivalry or whose fans have a history of violence.
Fans who attended the game posted videos online depicting the mayhem and belligerent behavior of fans in the stands during the game, added the report.
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| Saturday, 20-Aug-2011 08:11 |
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NFL ROUNDUP: Giants' Umenyiora to miss 3-4 weeks Read more: NFL
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Two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora isn't going to be practicing with the New York Giants for a while, and this time it has nothing to do with his contract.
Umenyiora had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Friday and likely will miss the season opener on Sept. 11.
The surgery to clean out the knee came just four days after Umenyiora joined teammates at practice for the first time since training camp opened late last month.
"It was better to do it now as opposed to midseason," Umenyiora said in a statement. "It was going to have to be done, the only question was when. If I'm going to miss a little while, I would prefer it be now than at the crucial part of our season. It's the best decision for the team and myself."
Umenyiora did not report to training camp with the team following the lockout because he was unhappy with his contract. He alleged general manager Jerry Reese had promised to re-work the final two years of a contract that was to pay him $7.1 million through 2012.
The 29-year-old said he would start practicing on Monday, working this season under the terms of his current deal.
His knee became an issue early in training camp, when the team announced one day that the nine-year veteran wasn't practicing because he said his knee was bothering him.
The team cleared him to start practicing last week and Umenyiora went to Atlanta to get a second opinion on the knee and was told he could practice.
After three practices - the team was off Thursday - the knee needed repair.
Coach Tom Coughlin said Umenyiora did nothing in practice to hurt the knee and added the Giants medical staff knew months ago that surgery on his knee was a possibility.
"He didn't do anything that would cause this to happen, other than it did swell," Coughlin said.
NFL, union to meet HGH test experts
Negotiators for the NFL and the players union will meet with anti-doping experts next week as they try to reach an agreement on HGH testing before the start of the season.
The league and union reached a general agreement in their new labor deal to test for human growth hormone, but the union is waiting to see the specifics of the program. The union asked the World Anti-Doping Agency for documentation about the accuracy of the HGH test.
People familiar with the negotiations, who did not want their names used because the talks were supposed to remain confidential, said the meeting with officials from WADA, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and other experts is set for next week.
Pryor considering appeal
Former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor could appeal the five-game suspension levied by the NFL if he is selected in next week's supplemental draft.
Pryor won't be allowed to practice with the team that selects him until Week 6. He gave up his final season with the Buckeyes following an investigation into the team's memorabilia-for-cash scandal.
MetLife: It pays for Giants, Jets
The new home of the New York Jets and Giants is going to be called MetLife Stadium.
A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press insurance giant MetLife finalized a deal to buy the naming rights for the $1.6billion stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
The New York Post was the first to report the deal and said it is worth $20 million annually for 20 years.
Exhibitions
Washington 16, Indianapolis 3: John Beck went 14 of 17 for 140 yards with no interceptions in the Redskins' victory.
Green Bay 28, Arizona 20: Aaron Rodgers topped off a sharp performance with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings in the Packers' victory. Rodgers completed 9 of 12 passes for 97 yards and the touchdown.
Baltimore 31, Kansas City 13: Backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor directed two fourth-quarter touchdown drives for the Ravens, the first ending with Jalen Parmele's go-ahead 10-yard touchdown run with 7:16 remaining.
Jacksonville 15, Atlanta 13: David Garrard completed 7 of 12 passes for 99 yards and an interception, and Blaine Gabbert completed 11 of 23 passes for 96 yards in seven series in the Jaguars' victory.
Detroit 30, Cleveland 28: Colt McCoy threw three touchdown passes in the first half, but the Browns blew a 15-point lead in a game in which the teams were assessed 26 penalties for 211 yards.
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| Tuesday, 7-Jun-2011 01:52 |
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NFL Team Owners Ask Trial Court to Throw Out Players’ Antitrust
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National Football League team owners asked a U.S. judge to throw out a lawsuit filed by players accusing the league of violating federal antitrust laws.
The NFL owners filed a two-page dismissal request today with U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson in St. Paul, Minnesota, just three days after they asked a federal appeals court in St. Louis to overturn Nelson’s April 25 order directing them to end their player lockout.
“It is baseless,” James W. Quinn, a lawyer for players, said of the request.
Ten players led by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady sued the league on March 11 after negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement failed and the National Football League Players Association announced it would no longer function as a union. NFL owners declared the lockout at midnight that night.
The New York-based league is the wealthiest in U.S. pro sports. At issue in the dispute between players and owners is how to divide about $9 billion in revenue, plus an extension of the season from 16 to 18 games and a rookie salary cap.
On June 3, attorneys for the league told the three-judge U.S. Court of Appeals panel that the players’ disavowal of their union was a ploy to avoid antitrust law exemptions that were in effect during labor negotiations.
The NFL argued the matter is a labor dispute, not an antitrust dispute, and belongs before the National Labor Relations Board, not the courts.
Lawyers for the players countered that the league engages in anticompetitive practices and that the players preferred the protections of federal antitrust laws to those afforded by being in a union.
Greg Aiello, a spokesman for the NFL, didn’t immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment after regular business hours.
The NFL has requested a hearing date of Sept. 12 and said it would file papers supporting its dismissal request no later than Aug. 1.
The lower court case is Brady v. National Football League, 11-cv-639, U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota (St. Paul). The appellate case is Brady v. National Football League, 11-1898, 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (St. Louis).
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| Thursday, 5-May-2011 03:39 |
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Players unhappy with owners' new offer
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NBA players are not happy with the latest formal collective bargaining proposal from the league's owners, saying the new offer of a 10-year deal is only marginally different from the original one the owners made.
"Unfortunately, the proposal is very similar to the proposal the league submitted over a year ago," union president Derek Fisher told ESPN.com. "This last proposal doesn't look close to what we were expecting."
NBA spokesman Tim Frank said the league delivered its offer to the union last week.
It is the second formal offer made by the owners, who are seeking significant rollbacks in existing contracts, a hard salary cap and a larger share of basketball related income -- 57 percent of which is guaranteed to the players under terms of the existing labor agreement, which expires June 30.
Union director Billy Hunter previously has said the players are willing to give up their 57 percent guarantee, but he wants to keep most other elements of the existing deal. But the owners have taken a hard-line stance in arguing that a new economic operating system is needed to give all 30 NBA teams an equal chance to be profitable and to contend for a championship.
In their initial proposal, the owners sought a reduction of nearly $800 million in salaries for the 2011-12 season. Players were paid a total of approximately $2.1 billion this season, and commissioner David Stern said last month that the league is projecting a $300 million loss for the current season.
The union has disputed that number, saying a majority of those costs are attributable to depreciation, along with interest payments on loans used to finance the purchase of teams.
The owners' new proposal still seeks a similar financial cutback, though it would be phased in during the first two seasons.
"We are taking a close look at each piece of the proposal, and I along with my players and executive committee will be determining what next steps best move this process forward," Fisher said. "I continue to work on this daily, take this very seriously, and have a responsibility to my players to try and get a deal done."
Hunter, who has said publicly in recent months that there is a 99 percent chance of a lockout if the owners insist on sticking to the terms of their original proposal, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
The NBA has not had a work stoppage since 1998, when the league lost games because of a labor dispute for the first time in its history. But the owners emerged from that fight with two significant cost-control mechanisms -- the luxury tax paid by the highest-spending teams, and the escrow tax withheld from players' paychecks to ensure that the owners do not pay out more than 57 percent of designated revenues.
The escrow tax is in lieu of getting a "hard" salary cap to replace the existing "soft" cap system in which teams can exceed the salary cap through several means, including the Larry Bird exception (which allows teams to exceed the cap to retain their own free agents) and the mid-level exception (which allows over-the-cap teams to acquire an additional free agent at a price equal to the league's median salary).
The union made its only formal proposal to the owners last summer, and the sides have engaged in numerous informal meetings since then. Currently, both sides are keeping a close eye on developments in the NFL labor stalemate, where the players' union has decertified and sued in federal court to have the lockout lifted, although an appeals court has issued a temporary stay that has effectively re-imposed the lockout until the matter is further reviewed.
"With the recent news that Round 1 ratings are at an all-time high, the popularity of the game globally has never been higher, we have to work to keep this going in the right direction," Fisher said. "I will continue to urge our players to be prepared in the event of a lockout, but will remain steadfast in my efforts to drive this process forward."
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| Thursday, 28-Apr-2011 02:02 |
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NBA history should inspire Spurs to write own comeback tale
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Stranger things have happened. That's what the Spurs have to tell themselves.
Some of us have seen them up close. In fact, this is the 30th anniversary of one of the most memorable comebacks in league history.
It was the spring of 1981 and the Boston Celtics had dug themselves a 3-1 hole against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference finals. It seemed that Larry Bird & Co. didn't have a clue.
What they had was attitude. After the Celtics squeezed out a win in Game 5, a young Kevin McHale made a pronouncement before Game 6 to a few writers in Philly.
"They better win this one," McHale said. "It's their chance, because they know they won't have one in Game 7 in Boston."
In fact, the Sixers had more than a few chances in Game 7. The last came when a guard named Lionel Hollins made a steal and set up Maurice Cheeks for a pair of free throws in the final seconds. But with M.L. Carr standing by giving him the choke sign, Cheeks missed one of those shots and the Celtics completed one of the comebacks for the ages in the NBA with a 91-90 win.
In the spring of 1994 after the Houston Rockets had lost the first two home games of a playoff series to the Suns and given themselves a spark of life with a win at Phoenix in Game 3, I found Hakeem Olajuwon in the locker room prior to Game 4 and observed that the pressure was all on his team to get the series tied up that night.
"Here, have a seat," Olajuwon said as he pulled up a folding chair. "Let me explain it to you. The pressure is all on Phoenix. They must win tonight. If they do not and we tie the series, then they know they will lose Game 5 in Houston. Then they will have pressure just to stay alive in Game 6 in Phoenix and they know they don't have a chance in Game 7 on our home court."
The Rockets won in seven.
A year later in 1995, the same Charles Barkley-led Suns took a 3-1 lead on the Rockets in the West semifinals. This time the Suns held home-court advantage in the series and this time I figured I had Olajuwon boxed into a corner.
"So the roles are reversed and the pressure is all on you now?" I asked in the pre-game locker room.
Olajuwon looked up, remembered and said, "Where is your chair?" He sat me down again and smiled.
"Don't you see the pressure is all on the Suns tonight?" he said. "If they don't finish us off now, they know they don't have a chance in Game 6 back in Houston. Then the last thing you want to do is be the home team carrying all that pressure in Game 7. If you miss a few shots early, you feel it. Then it will all go away."
Obviously, all of Olajuwon's fanciest footwork wasn't done down in the low post.
The YouTube clips show Mario Elie burying his "Kiss of Death" jumper out of the left corner and the Rockets winning Game 7 on the way to their back-to-back titles.
The point of the history lessons is that all is not necessarily lost yet for the Spurs against Memphis in what has become the shocker of the first round . As much as it is about the Spurs needing to make shots, it can also simply be about believing or planting the seed of doubt in the other guy.
With all they have accomplished so far, the Grizzlies are still trying to become only the fourth No. 8 seed to knock off a No. 1 and only the second to do it in a best-of-seven set, joining the 2007 Golden State Warriors. The longer a series lasts, the more chances for the top dogs to find themselves.
For McHale, Olajuwon and others who have been in these desperate straits, sometimes it's about playing mental gymnastics inside your own head.
First, you unburden yourself and become free. You make a play, then you make another play. You win one game, then you win another game.
Pressure rides in and out like tides in the playoffs. A shift in momentum can come in on the next wave. The idea is to take that first step and give the team with the commanding lead the slightest reason to feel vulnerable.
The Spurs may not have the likes of Bird or Olajuwon in their prime. But Memphis is not a veteran team such as those Philly and Phoenix clubs that buckled under pressure. If it can happen to the Sixers and Suns, could it happen to the Grizzlies, who came within a desperate 3-pointer by Zach Randolph of dropping Game 3 on their home court?
If you're the Spurs, you tell yourself that the young, green Grizzlies have never been in this position before. You remember that you trailed the New Orleans Hornets 0-2 and 2-3 in the 2008 West semifinals and things looked bleak then. In all, the Spurs lost the first three games of the series played in New Orleans by margins of 19, 18 and 22 points and, at the time, everyone believed the that young Hornets were the team on the rise, ready to zoom right past the Spurs, who were one year removed from winning their last championship.
Then San Antonio won Game 7 in New Orleans.
So what do the Spurs do now in a position where 194 teams have been before and only eight have succeeded?
"We deal with the old cliché -- take it one game at a time," said Tim Duncan.
"We'll just go play," said coach Gregg Popovich.
Not because the comeback will happen, but because it can.
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| Monday, 25-Apr-2011 03:19 |
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NFL Draft 2011: Andy Dalton Dropping Due to Red Hair?
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A current NFL coach might pass on Texas Christian quarterback Andy Dalton because of his red hair, Peter King reports in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated.
At least one team is thinking not just about Dalton's brains but also about what's on top of them. "Has there ever been a red-headed quarterback in the NFL who's really done well?" a coach asked one reporter last week. "It sounds idiotic, but is there any way that could be a factor? We've wondered."
What is this, England? That coupled with the onslaught of royal wedding coverage has me wondering. Thankfully we have NFL draft week to compete for headlines and offer counter-programming that doesn't involve me pretending to care about English monarchy in the 21st century.
Hall of Fame quarterback Sonny Jurgensen played for the Redskins and Eagles from 1957-1974, which answers that question pretty quickly. The lack of Pro Bowl red-heads at the position in recent years can be pretty easily attributed to their small portion of the American demographic and the lack of quality starting signal callers period.
My good friend is a red-topped Redskins fan, and the buzz about Washington potentially taking Dalton has him positively giddy. I imagine he would be pretty crushed if that unnamed coach was Mike Shanahan.
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| Friday, 22-Apr-2011 06:25 |
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NBA Roundup: A look at Thursday's playoff games
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Derrick Rose was beaten up and shaken up by Indiana's trapping defence, which was intent on shutting him down at all costs.
The Chicago Bulls guard struggled all game long and even lost his cool at times, but he still found a way to be the difference-maker. He scored 23 points, including the go-ahead layup with 17.8 seconds left, to help the Bulls beat the Pacers 88-84 on Thursday night and take a 3-0 lead in their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.
Rose's late basket was his only field goal in the second half. He made just 4 of 18 shots in the game as he was blanketed, and at times pummelled, by Indiana's Paul George and Dahntay Jones.
"It was a little rough out there, but it's basketball," he said. "They had something to prove."
Rose, guarded by Jones, drove left for the layup that gave the Bulls an 86-84 lead and sparked "MVP!" chants from the thousands of Bulls fans who made the three-hour drive.
Danny Granger had a chance to give the Pacers the lead, but his three-pointer was off, and Chicago's Ronnie Brewer rebounded. Brewer was fouled, and he made two free throws with 1.1 seconds left to put the game out of reach.
Rose missed his first eight shots of the second half, but he never hesitated when it was time to go for the lead late.
"The whole time, I was just thinking I'll go to the hole," he said. "It was tough the whole night the way they were playing, but at that time, I saw space and went for it."
Rose's teammates expected him to deliver.
"We have had a lot of close games all year," Bulls guard Kyle Korver said. "He always wants the ball at the end, and usually, he comes through."
Rose made up for his shooting difficulties by making 13 of 15 free throws. Chicago can close out the series on Saturday.
"The bottom line is we're up 3-0," Chicago forward Carlos Boozer said. "We're getting better. Our defence was much better than it was the first two games of the series, and we've got to be ready for Game 4."
Rose averaged 37.5 points in the first two games of the series, and the Pacers made it clear that slowing him was their top priority heading into Game 3. Their poor shooting — 38 per cent — cost them a chance to take advantage.
Luol Deng had 21 points and Korver added 12 for the Bulls.
Granger, who led the Pacers with 21 points, said the Pacers wanted something better than the contested 26-footer that bounced off the rim with 2.2 seconds remaining.
"We didn't get the look we wanted," he said. "That was the best shot we could get. That wasn't the way we wanted it, but that was the way it happened."
Elsewhere in NBA playoff action: Miami 100, Philadelphia 94; and Portland 97, Dallas 92.
At Indianpolis, the Pacers, who lost double-digit leads in both of the first two games, led by five points in the fourth quarter on Thursday and couldn't hold on.
Indiana had primarily used George, a six-foot-eight rookie, on Rose in the first two games. This game, they added Jones, known for his defensive prowess, to the mix.
"I thought we did a great job on Rose," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "I had a lot of confidence that they would do a good job on him."
Blazers 97, Mavericks 92
At Portland, Ore., Wesley Matthews had 25 points and the Trail Blazers defeated the Mavericks to narrow Dallas' lead in the first-round playoff series to 2-1.
Jason Terry had 29 points coming off the bench early for the Mavericks, including five three-pointers.
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| Thursday, 21-Apr-2011 07:48 |
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Like NFL father, like son
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The Ingrams would join an NFL short list Thursday if former Alabama running back Mark is selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. But a continuing knee problem may keep that from happening.
The questionable knee may keep the younger Ingram from joining his father, Mark, the Giants’ first-round selection in 1987, in the elite group. Father-son first-round duos have been rare, with the Mannings (Archie, Peyton and Eli), the Winslows (Kellen and Kellen Jr.), the Matthews (Clay and Clay Jr.), the Buddes (Ed and Brad) and the Cannons (Billy and Billy Jr.) among the two-generation first-rounders.
If Ohio State defensive end Cameron Heyward is a first-round selection, he will join his father, the late Passaic native Craig Heyward.
If teams deem him healthy, Ingram may be the only running back selected in the first round.
He blossomed in his sophomore season, rushing for a school-record 1,658 yards and leading the Crimson Tide to the national championship and becoming the storied program’s first Heisman winner.
His junior year was short-circuited by arthroscopic knee surgery before the season opener, which forced him to miss the first two games. He wound up with about half as many yards (875), but still averaged 5.5 yards per attempt.
Reports of the continuing knee problem have caused some teams to think twice about the 215-pounder, who has power to run inside the tackles and enough speed to bounce it outside, plus hands that collected 67 career receptions.
"I don’t know where the reports have come from," Ingram said Tuesday. "I guess somebody wants me to fall down the board. But my knee is 100 percent. It’s strong, it’s healthy. … It’s in great shape. All those reports are false information."
About the only other runner who could sneak into the late first round is Mikel Leshoure of Illinois, a tough, physical runner who every once in a while surprises you when he starts motoring in the open field. There are a couple of smaller darters in UConn’s Jordan Todman and Oklahoma State’s Kendall Hunter, and inside running types like Oklahoma’s Demarco Murray and Kansas State’s Daniel Thomas.
But Ingram is the closest thing to a feature back, a player who can stay on the field for three downs — providing his knee is sound.
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