Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 139, Ed. 1 Monday, April 25, 2011 Page: 7 of 10
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Sports
Sweetwater Reporter
Monday, April 25, 2011 ■ Page 7
Texas completes
sweep vs. Royals
Mustangseniorsplayfinalgame
ARLINGTON (AP) - The
Texas Rangers put together
quite a winning formula:
a couple of solid pitching
performances, a few more
home runs and a couple of
40-something left-handers
saving games.
Then again, they always
beat the Kansas City Royals
at home.
C.J. Wilson struck out
10 in seven innings, Adrian
Beltre hit one of Texas'
three homers and 41-year-
old Arthur Rhodes saved it
as the Rangers completed a
three-game weekend sweep
over the Royals with an 8-7
victory Sunday.
Kansas City (12-10) has
lost eight straight on the
road against the Rangers,
dating to the 2009 sea-
son. The Royals arrived in
Texas as the only team in
the majors that hadn't lost a
series this season.
Mike Napoli and Andres
Blanco also homered for
Texas (14-7), which again
has the best record in the
American League. The
Rangers had lost six of eight
before this series.
Rhodes got the final out
for his first save since 2008
to become the oldest pitch-
er to get a save for Texas.
That came only a day after
40-year-old Darren Oliver
had set that mark by closing
out a 3-1 victory in which
first-year starter Alexi
Ogando didn't give up a run
until the seventh inning.
With regular closer Neftali
Feliz on the disabled list
because of shoulder inflam-
mation, the Rangers are
going closer by committee.
Texas won the series open-
er with five homers in an 11-6
victory on Friday night.
Wilson (3-0) overcame
giving up his first two hom-
ers of the season with his
third career double-digit
strikeout game. The crafty
left-hander walked only one
batter while giving up eight
hits and four runs on anoth-
er windy day at Rangers
Ballpark.
Mike Aviles homered
twice, including a three-run
shot with two outs in the
ninth off Brett Tomko that
set the stage for Rhodes.
All three Texas homers
came off Bruce Chen (3-1),
who had won seven con-
secutive decisions over his
previous 11 starts.
GUEST
GS
STRIKE OUT H/E
1 2 3 4 5 6 Til RUNS
These eight Sweetwater High School seniors played their final game on Friday. From left are Sterling Reeves,
Austin Burt, Tanner Grain, Cameron Fox, Connor Stafford, Larry Daniel, Kris Mayes and Brett Rivera. The
Mustangs ended their season with a 5-4 win over Big Spring to finish 2-6 in district play.
Photo by Ron Howell
Epic loss leans Diifc, Maws
fiustrated entering Game 5
DALLAS (AP) - Dirk
Nowitzki was a free agent
last summer, unshackled
from the Dallas Mavericks
for the first time in his
career. It was his chance
to escape a franchise with a
long track record of winning
big in the regular season
and losing painfully in the
postseason.
The former MVP signed
up for four more years
because he wanted to turn
around that reputation.
Just a week into the play-
offs, the Mavs are in jeop-
ardy of adding to it.
Dallas went to Portland
with the chance to pull off
a sweep, but returned home
licking its wounds following
one of the most humiliating
losses of the NBA's shot-
clock era. The Mavericks
spit up a 23-point lead
with 13 minutes left to lose
Game 4 and knot the series
at 2-2.
Game 5 is in Dallas
tonight. A return trip to
Po land is already set for
Game 6 on Thursday night.
"Frustration is definitely
rnwMi
at a high level," Nowitzki
said. "There is a huge dif-
ference from being up 3-1
and 2-2. This is definitely
up there with the most frus-
trating losses.'*
In Nowitzki's collection
of most frustrating losses,
nothing can top blowing
a 13-point, fourth-quarter
lead while up 2-0 in the
2006 NBA finals against the
Miami Heat. This one is in
the ballpark, though.
Up 2-0 for the first time
since that infamous series,
the Mavericks were halfway
to only their second series
win since then. They had the
chance to sweep the Trail
Blazers, or to return home
with a chance to knock 'em
out. By losing both games,
this title-starved collection
of veterans in their 30s
guaranteed themselves at
ieast two more games in
a series that keeps getting
more physical, plus anoth-
er round-trip flight to the
Pacific Northwest.
And, of course, the imme-
diate concern is getting over
what Jason Kidd called "one
of the toughest losses I've
ever been involved in."
"But we can still win the
series, and that's where our
focus has to be," Kidd said.
"We have to stay together
and get home and come
out Monday with the same
focus and intensity as we
did today. Then we just
have to finish."
The Mavs flew home after
Game 4 on Saturday. They
didn't practice Sunday.
The biggest thing going
for them is that Game 5 is
in Dallas, and so would a
Game 7. The home team
has won all four games this
series — just like the home
team won all four games
during the regular-season
series.
NBA playof is
FIRST ROUND
(Best-of-7)
fx-if necessary)
Saturday, April 23
Indiana 89,Chicago 84, Chicago
leads series 3_1
Portland 84, Dallas 82, series
tied 2-2
Memphis 91, San Antonio 88,
Memphis leads seriesE-i
Oklahoma City 97, Denver 94,
Oklahoma City leads series §-0
Sunday, April 24
Philadelphia 86, Miami 82,
Miami leads series 3-1
Boston 101, New York 89,
Boston wins series 4-0
Atlanta 88, Orlando 85, Atlanta
leads series 3-1
New Orleans 93? I..A. Lakers
88, series tied 2-2
Monday, April 25
San Antonio at Memphis, 7
p.m.
Portland at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Denver, 9:30
p.m.
Tuesday, April 26
Atlanta at Drlando, few p.m.
Indiana at Chicago, 7 p.m.
MWt. Orleans at L.A. Lakers,
90 Pm-
Wednesday, April 27
x-Philadelphia at Miami, © or
7 p.m.
Memphis at San Antonio, TBA
x-Denver at Oklahoma City, 7
or 8:36 p.m.
Thursday, April 28
x-Chicago at Indiana, 6 p.m.
x-Orlando at Atlanta, 6;j|o p.m.
I .. A. Lakers at New Orleans,,
8:30 p.m.
Dallas at Portland, 9p.m.
Friday, April 29
Si-Miami at Philadelphia,. 5
p.m.
x-San Antonio at Memphis, 7
p.m.
x-Oklahoma City at I Vmvr.
9:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 30
x-Indiana at Chicago, TBA
,\ Atlanta at Orlando, TBA
XrNew Orleans at L.A Lakers,
TI1A
x-Portland at Dallas, TBA
Sunday, May 1
x-Philadelphia at Miami. TBA
x-Memphis at San Antonio,
TBA
\ lVnwr at Oklahoma City.
TBA
Spurs needauiotoiytoavoid
falling mo 3-1 hole vs. Gi si ies
TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer
Win a playoff game?
Check. Win a playoff game
at home? Done.
Next? Well, the Memphis
Grizzlies are nowhere near
satisfied just yet.
The Grizzlies are up 2-1
in their opening series with
the San Antonio Spurs after
a 91-88 win Saturday night,
and they can take a big step
toward becoming only the
fourth No. 8 seed to knock
off a No. 1 seed tonight
when they play Game 4 in
the FedExForum.
Zach Randolph says the
key is staying humble and
focused after a big victory
that set off a big celebra-
tion in Memphis after the
franchise won its first home
playoff game in its 10th sea-
son in town.
"It's not just about win-
ning a game or two," Ran-
dolph said. "It's about win-
ning the series and not let
our heads get too big with
this win and stay humble."
Grizzlies forward Shane
Battier, brought back this
season in a trade, is the
only person to play in all of
Memphis' playoff games. He
cautioned patience Sunday
both for a team and fans
suddenly starting to dream
ahead if the Grizzlies can
clinch this series. "Well, the
C word is a long ways away,
two games out. There's a lot
of games and a lot of bas-
ketball," Battier said.
"But I think... the tone was
different. From the first time
I was here, we came back to
the Forum 0-2 every time.
After winning the first game,
I think people were like 'Hey,
ya know Maybe. Maybe.' And
that hope is pretty inspiring.
It's pretty cool. It's a new
feeling here."'
The Spurs are busy try-
ing to regroup with center
Antonio McDyess expect-
ing to play Monday night
after hurting his neck late
Saturday night, an injury
that forced him to the locker
room. He practiced Sunday,
but guard Manu Ginobili
said his right elbow is still
ailing a bit.
They are fighting a bit of
their own history. With Tim
Duncan, the Spurs have
never won a series when
they started with the home-
court advantage only to lose
two of the first three games.
Duncan said the approach
doesn't change trailing 2-1.
"We've got to get a lot bet-
ter at executing our game
plan and being more consis-
tent," Duncan said. "We've
made a lot of mental mis-
takes. A lot of the things we
saw on the film are easily
fixable if we go out there
with a little better focus."
San Antonio also needs
to communicate a bit better
after failing to take a time-
out late, which had Ginobili
desperately trying to find
someone to pass to when
Marc Gasol and Mike Conley
kept him from attempting a
tying 3-pointer. The NBA's
best 3-point shooting team
during the regular season
also needs to find its shoot-
ing stroke after going 2 of 15
Saturday night.
Ginobili credited the Griz-
zlies with making it tough
for the Spurs to get open
looks from the corner, and
he said he and guard Tony
Parker made mistakes not
finding teammates open in
the paint. "We've been one
of the best 3-point shoot-
ing teams in the league for
82 games. They're not fall-
ing now," Ginobili said. "We
either have to find a way to
get our teammates or guys
more open, or we've got to
attack more or do some-
thing else."
San Antonio coach Gregg
Popovich said six of nine
Spurs are shooting under
40 percent. The Spurs have
been outrebounding the
Grizzlies, a stat Popovich
thought would be a big key
coming into this series.
"I'm thrilled with and sur-
prised with, but it was our
goal. But we didn't expect
to be shooting this poorly,"
Popovich said. "And they
deserve some credit for
that. Their closeouts have
been great. They've packed
it in and done a really good
job defensively."
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Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 139, Ed. 1 Monday, April 25, 2011, newspaper, April 25, 2011; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth229455/m1/7/: accessed May 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.