Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 5-14-19

Sports
CJ McCollum Erupts As
Frank Vogel Set to Be Lakers Head Coach; Kidd Tapped as Assistant
FRANK VOGEL
The Los Angeles Lakers appear to have their new head coach — for real this time.
Former Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic coach Frank Vogel has agreed to take over the Los Angeles Lakers. The deal is for three years.
Jason Kidd has agreed to join Vogel’s staff as an assis- tant, as was widely expected.
Vogel was not the Lakers’ first choice, as they were pur- suing Tyronn Lue before the deal fell apart. Vogel has a 304-291 career record as head coach and made consecutive appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals with the Pacers in 2013 and 2014.
Kristaps Porzingis Attacked By Fans Who Were Angry He Switched Teams
KRISTAPS PORZINGIS Kristaps Porzingis was
involved in a physical alterca- tion over the weekend in his home country of Latvia, and it apparently began after a group of fans confronted him over being traded from the New York Knicks to the Dallas Mavericks.
A video surfaced on social media Sunday that showed Porzingis walking down the street with blood on his face. He appeared irate and at one point shoved a woman out of his way. According to a report Porzingis had been out cele- brating at bars and clubs in his hometown of Liepaja when he was attacked by a group of Russian fans who were upset that he changed teams last season.
In addition to blood com- ing from his face, Porzingis also appeared to have blood on his hands and a torn shirt.
Pacquiao Vs. Thurman Title Fight Set For July 20
Blazers Beat Nuggets
In Game 7; Will Play
Manny Pacquiao will challenge welterweight world titleholder Keith Thurman on July 20 in the main event of a Fox pay-per-view card, Premier Boxing Champions announced Saturday night during its telecast of the Jar- rett Hurd-Julian Williams junior mid- dleweight world title fight.
Pacquiao-Thurman
will take place in Las Vegas, a PBC source told ESPN, but no site was formally announced and likely won't be until a news conference with the fighters in the next couple of weeks.
Eight-division world
Warriors In WCF
The Portland Trail Blazers are headed to the Western Conference Finals after a Game 7 victory over the Den- ver Nuggets.
CJ McCollum was the star with 37 points in the 100- 96 road win Sunday at Pepsi Center. His clutch shot in the final minute helped seal the win for Portland.
Damian Lillard strug- gled with his shot but still fin- ished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists to help the Trail Blazers reach the third round of the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2000.
Denver appeared to be in control with as much as a 17- point lead in the first half, but Portland stormed back in the third and eventually secured the hard-fought victory.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets' impressive season comes to an end despite 29 points from Nikola Jokic and 17 from Jamal Murray.
Blazers Need A Consistent Third Option to Get Past Dubs
This has been a dream season for the Trail Blazers with the postseason going ex- tremely well after a couple of disappointing early exits. Un- fortunately, the upcoming se- ries can be a difficult one if things don't go perfectly.
CJ MCCOLLUM
CJ McCollum was the clear star of Game 7, finishing with 37 on 17-of-29 shooting while looking unstoppable at times attacking the basket.
After several big games during this series, he showed that he probably deserves more than to be in the shadow of "Dame Time."
On a night where Damian Lillard couldn't get anything going while fin- ishing 3-of-17 from the court, McCollum was exactly what Portland needed.
Of course, Lillard can carry the team as well when he is on, scoring at least 28 points in eight of 12 games this postseason. This in- cluded his 50-point effort in the clinching win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Lillard and McCollum combine to make one of the top backcourts in the NBA, and a big game from either one is enough to beat most teams in the league.
MANNY PACQUIAO AND KEITH THURMAN
champion Pacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KOs), the 40-year-old Fil- ipino icon who holds a sec- ondary welterweight world title, is coming off a one-sided decision over Adrien Broner on Jan. 19 defense in Las Vegas.
Sonya, Dell Curry To Flip Coin Over Which Son To Support In Conference Finals
Seth and Steph Curry will be the first brothers to play against each other in the same conference finals.
With the Portland Trail Blazers having come back from 17 points down to beat the Denver Nuggets on Sun- day, Seth Curry and his older brother Stephen will now be facing each other in the Western Conference Fi- nals. That could make root- ing a bit awkward for their parents, but it sounds like the Curry family has already fig- ured out a system.
After Portland’s thrilling win, Sonya and Dell Curry told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols that they are plan- ning to flip a coin to decide
which parent roots for which son. They will also choose their gear accordingly.
This is obviously an excit- ing time for the Curry fam- ily, as Steph and Seth will become the first brothers to ever face each other in a con- ference final.
The Golden State War- riors actually consulted Sonya for advice on solving an issue Steph was having earlier this postseason, so Mrs. Curry may have to serve as a consultant for both teams in the Western Confer- ence Finals.
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
Milwaukee Bucks (1) vs. Toronto Raptors (2) Game 1 (at MIL): Wednesday, May 15, 8:30 p.m. -- TV: TNT Game 2 (at MIL): Friday, May 17, 8:30 p.m. -- TV: TNT Game 3 (at TOR): Sunday, May 19, 7 p.m. -- TV: TNT
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
Golden State Warriors (1) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (3)
Game 1 (at GS): Tuesday, May 14, 9 p.m. -- TV: ESPN Game 2 (at GS): Thursday, May 16, 9 p.m. -- TV: ESPN Game 3 (at POR): Saturday, May 18, 9 p.m. -- TV: ESPN
PAGE 14 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, MAY 14, 2019