Listen to this: Magic Johnson spoke with the crew at NBA Countdown about LA Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling…

 

QUIPS FOR THIS WEEK

NBA

During one of the most celebrated times of the NBA season, it was a terribly sad weekend for the NBA. Donald Sterling, the owner of the LA Clippers, was allegedly recorded (in a tape obtained by TMZ) saying some incredibly disgusting and racist comments in a conversation with his girlfriend.  Players, coaches, the media, and even President Obama have condemned Sterling for the disturbing remarks, and Commissioner Adam Silver has vowed that the NBA will act quickly after an immediate investigation. Sterling has a history of racist and discriminatory behavior, but since he’s an owner of a team, it’s unclear how far the NBA can go in punishing him. Although the Clippers players considered boycotting today’s game against the Golden State Warriors in the Bay area, they ended up choosing to play the game and put their warm up jerseys on inside-out to cover up the Clippers logo in a silent protest. Understandably, the Clippers team was distracted during today’s game, and the Warriors won convincingly. The series is now tied at 2-2 and they play again on Thursday in LA for Game 5. Expect action from the NBA leadership before the game. There is no room for Sterling’s prejudiced attitudes and racist behavior in the NBA.

Outside of the Sterling situation, there were also quite a few playoff games this weekend. In the Western Conference, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in Dallas courtesy of Vince Carter’s game-winning three. Don’t call it a comeback, but VINSANITY is back! The Mavericks are now up 2-1 on the Spurs and Game 4 will take place Monday night in Dallas. The Memphis Grizzlies lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder at home in overtime and the series is now tied at 2-2. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have both made some amazing plays in this series, but backup point guard Reggie Jackson was the star of the show for the Thunder on Saturday. The dominating Grizzlies will head back to Oklahoma City for game 5 on Tuesday night. The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Houston Rockets in another great overtime game on Sunday night to go 3-1 in the series.

In the Eastern Conference, the games were also quite interesting. The Miami Heat continue to cruise through against the Charlotte Bobcats and are now up 3-0 in the series. They will play Game 4 Monday night in Charlotte before heading back to Miami for Game 5. Oh yeah, and LeBron James had an awesome dunk during the game. The Washington Wizards defeated the Chicago Bulls at home to go up 3-1 in the series. The Wiz Kids will head back to Chicago for Game 5 on Tuesday night. The Indiana Pacers weathered another storm in Atlanta and beat the Hawks to tie the series at 2-2. The Pacers are looking to gain back some of their early season success and rhythm for Game 5 in Indiana on Monday. Finally, the Toronto Raptors defeated the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night to tie up the series at 2-2. The two teams will face off again on Wednesday for Game 5. Talk about a competitive opening round!

The search for the next coach of the New York Knicks continues. The Knicks fired Coach Mike Woodson early last week and the speculation over who will take over the job continues to grow. One candidate, Steve Kerr, had dinner with Phil Jackson to discuss the vacant coaching position. Time will tell.

The NBA Playoffs continue this week — get ready for more exciting games to watch!

MLB

Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals is back in the quips this week. The star player was put on the DL (Disabled List) due to a sprained thumb injury. The Nationals are hoping for a quick recovery and Harper expects to be back in action soon. The Nationals lost to the San Diego Padres on Sunday, but overall they continue to do well so far this season.

Jose Abreu is not your average rookie. The star first baseman is off to a hot start for the Chicago White Sox and set another rookie record in RBIs during their win against the Tampa Bay Rays. In his first month in the MLB, the rookie has set a record in RBI and in homeruns as the White Sox continue to play pretty well. Additionally, in the same White Sox game, rookie Scott Carroll won his first game as pitcher in his debut in the major leagues.

In one of the most anticipated games of the weekend, the LA Angels faced off against the New York Yankees on Sunday night in New York. This marks the first match-up between the Yankees new star pitcher Masahiro Tanaka and the talented home-run hitting Angels including Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. So, what happened? The Yankees would go on to win 3-2.

NHL

The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the St. Louis Blues to win not only Game 6, but the entire series at 4-2. The Blackhawks came back from losing the first 2 games to win 4 straight. They will face the winner of the series between the Colorado Avalanche and the Minnesota Wild. Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche currently have a 3-2 lead in the series and Game 6 kicks off on Monday night.

Another series wrapped up this weekend as well. The Boston Bruins beat the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday and closed out the series 4-1. They will face the Montreal Canadians who defeated the the Tampa Bay Lightning 4 straight times to win the series, in the next round.

The Washington Capitals fired both their coach Adam Coates and General Manager George McPhee on Saturday. This year marked the first time the Caps have not qualified for the playoffs since 2007. It’s unclear who the Caps will hire next.

The NHL playoffs continue this week with a number of games in the opening round series. Check out the schedule here.

Other

Some of college basketball’s most talented stars are staying in school. That’s right, twins Aaron and Andrew Harrison have decided to return to Kentucky for their sophomore season.  They will be joined by a few current teammates and a loaded recruiting class. On the flipside, Michigan’s Mitch McGary has declared for the NBA Draft. McGary sat out most of this season with a back injury and would have had to sit out for the entire next season due to a NCAA drug policy violation had he not entered the draft.

The Liverpool win streak is over at 11 games. What happened on the 12th? Chelsea came to town and defeated the Liverpool squad 2-0 on their turf.  This allowed Manchester City to gain on the leaders, after their 2-0 win at Crystal Palace. As if this were possible, the Champion League just got that much more exciting as the season winds down. The title race is on!

The NFL released their schedule earlier this week, much to the delight of football fans across the country. As always, there will be a number of headliners. The season kicks off when the Green Bay Packers travel to the last year’s Super Bowl champs, the Seattle Seahawks, on Thursday, September 4th.

 

JUST FOR FUN

Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski take on the Kentucky Derby
They won over the crowds with their figure skating and fashion commentary at Sochi, and now they’re back for more

STORIES FOR INSIGHTS, COOL FACTOR + DEBATE

Legally Speaking
Can the NBA take legal action against Donald Sterling?
Sports Illustrated breaks down the legal situation between the NBA and Donald Sterling

Change of Heart 
UCLA’s go-to player, Jordan Adams, decides to enter the NBA Draft
What does this mean for Steve Alford and the rest of the team?

Influencers
Who are the 5 athletes in the 2014 TIME 100?
They’re inspirational leaders that bring cultures together

Upcoming Litigation
The Buffalo Jills have suspended operations
5 members of the Buffalo Jills cheerleading squad have filed a lawsuit against the Buffalo Bills

D-League?
Troy Vincent of the NFL says they need a developmental league
He believes it will keep the pipeline of talent flowing, as well as help the NFL to grow

The Shot Doc
The man behind the Spurs’ offense
How does one of the best offenses in the NBA get better? The doctor is in.