What’s better for a professional golfer than winning the Masters? How about winning it twice? Bubba Watson picked up his second green jacket this past Sunday. Our favorite part: his sweet celebration with his adorable son.
QUIPS FOR THIS WEEK
Golf
Bubba Watson beat the field to win The Masters, one of professional golf’s biggest tournaments. Boy oh boy did he win in a dominating fashion. After leading the field for the first couple days, he went head-to-head with 20-year-old golfing sensation Jordan Spieth before building a commanding lead on the last nine holes. This was a big win for Bubba, who previously won the 2012 Masters and went without a major win in 2013. Congrats, Bubba!
NBA
The Indiana Pacers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, in one of the rare out-of-conference regular season games with major post-season implications. Lance Stevenson led the Pacers with his 5th triple double of the season to the important win, a victory that puts them in good position to lock up the #1 seed in the East over the Miami Heat. Although his streak of consecutive games over 25 points ended earlier this week, Kevin Durant played a great game and finished with 38 points. For all the talk that the Pacers have been slipping, they sure looked playoff ready on Sunday against one of the best in the West.
Welcome to the Club — the over 25,000 club. Brooklyn Nets star Paul Pierce became the 18th player in NBA history to score over 25,000 points in the NBA in a loss against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night. This is no small feat, and very impressive for the star who is playing in his first season with the Nets, after spending his entire career with the Boston Celtics. The surging Nets defeated the Orlando Magic on Sunday night and are currently in the 5th spot in the Eastern Conference heading into the playoffs.
While the playoff seeding for the NBA is still TBA, let’s talk about the big market teams that won’t be seeing any post-season action. For the first time in the history of the NBA, the LA Lakers, the Boston Celtics, and the New York Knicks will all miss the playoffs and head to the NBA draft lottery.
It may be the last week of the NBA regular season, but there are still a couple of games to watch. Check out the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday and then another great match-up between the LA Clippers and the Portland Trailblazers, also on Wednesday.
MLB
It may be early, but the Milwaukee Brewers just keep winning. After beating the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday for their 9th straight victory, the Brewers are now off to a 10-2 record in the beginning of the MLB season. One of the reasons the Brewers are doing so well– star player Carlos Gomez, who is off to a great start this year.
This weekend marked one of the first 2014 season battles between the Yanks and the Sox. The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, lost on Friday, and won again on Saturday and Sunday despite Derek Jeter sitting out the last two games for the Yankees due to a tight quad muscle. What else happened for the rivals this weekend? Just a minor incorrect call based on the instant replay that MLB later acknowledged was a mistake after the game on Saturday.
Major League Baseball will celebrate the legacy of Jackie Robinson as the 67th anniversary of his first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers approaches this coming Tuesday. Teams from around the league will honor Jackie Robinson at their stadiums with a main tribute taking place at Yankee Stadium in a game where the Chicago Cubs will play the New York Yankees. Commissioner Bud Selig and members of Robinson’s family will be at the game for the celebration.
NHL
This year’s President’s Trophy belongs to the Boston Bruins. What exactly does that mean? Well, this means that the Bruins finished the season with the best overall record in professional hockey, making them the regular season champs. As we head into the NHL playoffs, the Bruins are looking tough and are one of the strongest teams headed into post-season play. The Bruins will face the Detroit Red Wings in the opening round of the playoffs, which kick off this Friday.
All 3 of the of NHL teams in California made the playoffs. The San Jose Sharks, the Anaheim Ducks, and the LA Kings will all represent the Western Conference when post-season play gets going later this week. The Ducks are at the top of the conference and will play the Dallas Stars in round 1. Time will tell who is the best in the West.
Where can I find out the schedule for the NHL playoffs?? Look no further than Team SQ.
Other
In all things English Premier League, Liverpool topped Manchester City in a exciting 3-2 victory. Both teams are competing for the league championship title.
Manny Pacquiao defeated Timothy Bradley in Las Vegas to win the WBO welterweight belt back in professional boxing. Pacquiao reclaimed the title that he lost in his first match-up against Bradley that featured a controversial ending. This time there was no doubt in who the victory belonged to.
Out in NASCAR-land, Kevin Harvick put on a dominant performance and won the NSCS race at Darlington. This is the second win of the season for Harvick.
In case you missed it, the University of Connecticut won both the men’s and women’s national championships in college basketball. As great as the men’s team was on their amazing run from a 7th seed to the NCAA Championship, the women’s team is arguably more impressive. It was another undefeated championship winning season, and their 9th NCAA Championship in women’s hoops. Talk about a dynasty. Oh yeah, and then they had a double parade — not much cooler than that.
JUST FOR FUN
Portlandia
The Portland Trail Blazers get a little basketball advice from their friends at Portlandia.
STORIES FOR INSIGHTS, COOL FACTOR + DEBATE
Derrick Gordon
UMass Basketball star is the first open gay male player in NCAA hoops
Love is love, and there’s a lot to love about Derrick Gordon’s inspiring words about coming out to the world
NBA Playoffs
Are changes coming to the league?
Commissioner Adam Silver discusses ways to improve the format in the NBA playoffs
Princess Lacey
Remembering an amazing girl
Celebrating the life of Lacey Holsworth who inspired the Michigan State basketball team and the whole country
Headed to Niagara Falls?
Are the Buffalo Bills relocating?
Their current stadium is falling apart, but they’re stuck until the end of the 2019 season
Boston Strong
The Boston Marathon, yesterday and today
Since 1987, the Marathon has embodied everything that is great about Boston — they give it their all for 26.2 miles
Gambling Hard
There’s nothing wrong with a swing and a miss
The Jacksonville Jaguars tried to steal one of the game’s best offensive linemen, and even though they didn’t get Alex Mack, they took a stand and made a point
The SportsQuip 