Page 25 - Florida Sentinel 4-15-16 Edition

Sports
Pierre Thomas Says He Witnessed Will Smith Being Fatally Shot in New Orleans
Will Smith 1-hour before being shot and killed, with Pierre Thomas and former NOPD com- mander Billy Ceravolo.
Former New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas said Tuesday that he left New Orleans on Monday night after struggling to overcome the im- ages stuck in his mind follow- ing the death of longtime Saints star Will Smith on Saturday.
Thomas, who’d spent time with Smith that evening, posted a message on Facebook about what he witnessed and his intense feelings since the in- cident:
The last few days have been a whirlwind and I am still try- ing to wrap my head around this whole thing. I flew out of New Orleans last night and back to Chicago because I couldn’t think straight...I wit- nessed a close friend, teammate and a man that I thought of as one of my big brothers in the NFL shot to death over a F— KING FENDER BENDER!!! What, why how? I just don’t get it.
Kobe Bryant Ends Career With Exclamation Point, Scoring 60 Points
NBA Playoffs Start Saturday
EASTERN CONFERENCE - FIRST ROUND
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Detroit Pistons Game 1 -- Sun. April 17, Detroit at Cleveland, 3 p.m., ABC/R Game 2 -- Wed. April 20, Detroit at Cleveland, 8 p.m., TNT
(2) Toronto Raptors vs.
(7) Indiana Pacers Game 1 -- Sat. April 16, Indiana at Toronto, 12:30 p.m. , ESPN Game 2 -- Mon. April 18, Indiana at Toronto, 7 p.m., NBA TV
(3) Miami Heat vs.
(6) Charlotte Hornets Game 1 -- Sun. April 17, Charlotte at Miami, 5:30 p.m., TNT Game 2 -- Wed. April 20, Charlotte at Miami, 7 p.m., NBA TV
(4) Atlanta Hawks vs.
(5) Boston Celtics Game 1 -- Sat. April 16, Boston at Atlanta, 7 p.m., ESPN Game 2 -- Tue. April 19, Boston at Atlanta, 7 p.m., TNT
WESTERN CONFERENCE - FIRST ROUND
(1) Golden State Warriors vs. (8) Houston Rockets Game 1 -- Sat. April 16, Houston at Golden State, 3:30 p.m., ABC/R Game 2 -- Mon. April 18, Houston at Golden State, 10:30 p.m., TNT
(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Memphis Grizzlies Game 1 -- Sun. April 17, Memphis at San Antonio, 8 p.m., TNT Game 2 -- Tue. April 19, Memphis at San Antonio, 9:30 p.m., TNT
(3) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (6) Dallas Mavericks
Game 1 -- Sat. April 16, Dallas at Oklahoma City, 9:30 p.m., ESPN Game 2 -- Mon. April 18, Dallas at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m., TNT
(4) L.A. Clippers vs.
(5) Portland Trail Blazers Game 1 -- Sun. April 17, Portland at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m., TNT Game 2 -- Wed. April 20, Portland at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m., TNT
Stephen Curry Hits 400th 3-Pointer Of Season
STEPHEN CURRY
There would be a celebra- tion for Kobe Bryant on Wednesday. Everybody knew that much. The signs were everywhere. Look outside: a block party. Look courtside: gift bags for all. Look up: pur- ple and yellow balloons sus- pended from the rafters of the Staples Center.
Before the Lakers had ever won a title in Los Angeles, they bunched balloons atop the Forum for Game 7 of the Fi- nals with the Boston Celtics in 1969, anticipating a party that never came. That day ended in despair and embarrassment. Once upon a time, the Lakers could never win the big one.
So when the balloons fell and the corner cannons blasted confetti, the celebra- tion was more than a salute for past greatness. The Lakers’ 101-96 victory over the Utah Jazz became an outpouring of joy for a singular sensation, for the rare and chilling moment when a once-great athlete digs deep for that old magic, and finds it.
“The coolest thing is that my kids actually saw me play like I used to play,” Bryant said. “It was like, ‘Whoa, Dad!’ I said, ‘Yeah, I used to do that.’ They were like, ‘Really?’ I was like, ‘Dude, YouTube it.’ ”
KOBE BRYANT
This was history unfolding in real time. Bryant, the third-leading scorer in N.B.A. history, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone, had his first 60- point game since 2009 at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks. He played 1,346 games in the regular season, and this was just his sixth with 60 points.
Bryant had arrived in the locker room around 5:15 p.m., wearing a black suit, black dress shirt and black tie, his “Black Mamba” persona, apparently, still in play. (The last words he would say to the crowd, hours later, were “Mamba out!”)
“It’s surreal,” Bryant said. “It’s almost like you’re in a fog. Everything is moving ex- tremely slow but extremely fast. You’re trying to take it all in. You’re not quite sure where to look.”
Stephen Curry eclipsed 400 3-pointers in a season Wednesday, extending his own single-season record for 3's on a night the Golden State War- riors broke the NBA's single- season record for wins with their 73rd.
Curry made 10 3-pointers in a 125-104 win over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies, finishing the regular season with 402, a staggering number in that, be- fore this season, no one had madeasmanyas3003'sina year. Curry held the previous record for 3's in a season with 286, which he set last season.
Curry, who finished with 46 points, made six 3's in the first
quarter and three straight dur- ing one jaw-dropping stretch that included a 31-footer well behind the top of the arc.
He had seven 3-pointers by halftime then hit No. 400 just 43 seconds into the third, draining a shot from the right corner before turning and saluting the roaring crowd.
"At a certain point, about eight minutes in the first quar- ter, I was able to toe the line a couple times, knock it down and things started to flow," Curry said. "I was searching for it at that point because I made a couple. Kind of let it come to me and then have some fun with it."
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