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Sports
Jameis Winston's Coaches
The Lightning Lose Game 1; Hope To Comeback In Game 2 Monday Night
The Tampa Bay Lightning lost 2-1 in Game 1 in New York.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will try to improve in a number of areas as they try to avoid a 2-0 hole to the New York Rangers in Game 2 on Mon- day. Chiefly among those is possession. The Rangers dom- inated the pace of play for long stretches in Game 1, earning a 54-37 advantage in total shot attempts at even-strength.
A big reason for that differ- ential is turnovers by Tampa Bay.
The Lightning pride them- selves on being responsible with the puck, ranking 16th in the regular season in give- aways, but they totaled six alone in Game 1, leading to breakaway chances for the Rangers that often ended up in the back of the net.
The Jacksons To Perform At Rays Game
THE JACKSONS
The Jacksons are one of the most beloved musical bands of all time. These five brothers from Gary, Indiana have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and have inspired the musical landscape for "boy bands" throughout the world.
With five No. 1 albums, 18 No. 1 hit singles, 17 Top-10 al- bums and 17 Top-40 singles, which includes smash songs "ABC," "I Want You Back," "I'll Be There," "Shake Your Body Down To The Ground" and "Can You Feel It," to name but a few. In 2016 the brothers Jackson will celebrate 50 years of being in the entertain- ment business taking their place as the most recognizable family in music history.
As a part of the Tampa Bay Rays Concert Series, the Jack- sons will perform at Saturday’s game (May 23rd). The Rays will play against the Oakland A’s at Tropicana Field.
Kyrie Irving Questionable For Cavaliers
And Teammates Rave About His Work Ethic
As they prepare to meet the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday night, the Cava- liers are hurting.
As they prepare to meet the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday night, the Cava- liers are hurting.
Kyrie Irving has a tender left knee and sore right foot, LeBron James played the past two games on a sprained left ankle and has “other nicks and bruises,” guard Iman Shumpert has a strained groin and forward Tristan Thompson has a bruised
Jameis Winston has only been a member of the Tampa Bay Bucs for just over two weeks, but he’s already drawing rave reviews from coaches and teammates – es- pecially when it comes to his work ethic.
Winston has been room- ing with wide receiver Kenny Bell, a fifth-round selection, since the start of minicamp. Bell went so far as to say that Winston is “the best roommate” he’s ever had.
“It’s been phenomenal,” Bell said. “We’ve been going from about 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., and then we get back to the hotel and he wants to study more. He’s dedicated to his job, that’s for sure.”
According to the Bucs website, rookie lineman Ali Marpet, a second-round pick, said that Winston was up studying until 1 a.m. on the first day of rookie mini- camp.
Head coach Lovie Smith loves what he’s seen.
JAMEIS WINSTON
“He’s cramming like it’s the final exam right now and doing a good job,” Smith said. “We’ve seen marked im- provement from the moment we gave him his playbook.”
Earlier in the week, Bucs offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter lauded Winston for his ability to process the playbook despite being two weeks behind the team’s vet- erans.
“Arm strength and all of that stuff, you can see that on tape,” Koetter said, per the Tampa Bay Times. “You can’t always see how a guy (processes information). But Jameis can process, and that’s reassuring, because that’s an important thing.”
Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving grimaces after getting injured during Game 6 against the Bulls on Thursday.
shoulder.
Irving’s knee injury is the
most significant. He did not participate in Saturday’s workout.
Cavs coach David Blatt said Irving’s status for the series opener remains in question.
NBA Draft Is Key For L. A. Lakers
Just a few days ago, the Los Angeles Clippers seemed poised to move onto the team’s first Conference finals in franchise history. That was about the last time the Los Angeles Clippers seemed poised.
The Clippers turned the ball over 18 times and whiffed on several key defensive sets in the team’s 113-100 loss on Sunday, as the Houston Rockets overcame a 3-1 series deficit to earn a spot in the NBA’s version of the Final Four. Feeding off of a rabid Houston crowd that had seen this sort of dance before, the Rox also fed off of James Harden’s 31 points, seven rebounds and eight assists as they ascended to the third round of the playoffs for the
Dwight Howard scored 16 points and had 15 rebounds in the win.
first time since 1997. Howard tossed in 16
points and grabbed 15 re- bounds. His current role is secure – he’s to mind the store defensively while Harden orchestrates else- where. That setup led to the second seed in the Western Conference this year, and one of the more stunning come- backs in NBA history.
Clippers Blow It: Rockets Advance
The Los Angeles Lakers are entering a key offseason. Next year could be Kobe Bryant's last and no one in Los Angeles wants to send him out on a sour note. Free agency will be the team's main focus, a test of the fran- chise's ability to attract top tier talent even while strug- gling so much last season.
Before free agency, how- ever, there's the NBA Draft. If they nail their pick, the Lakers could have a young star on their hands on a cheap con- tract, which would make striking out in free agency for the second year in a row not as painful.
The Lakers finished with the fourth-worst record in the league and have an 11.9 per- cent chance of getting the No. 1 overall pick. If they pick in
Next season is being billed as Kobe Bryant’s last.
the top five, they keep their selection and their 2016 pick goes to the Philadelphia 76ers. That's the most likely and positive scenario.
If the Lakers finish outside the top five this year, they would have their pick in 2016. In that scenario, it would be much better for them to tank another season, get a high draft pick and potentially land a star. The problem is the franchise has a mandate to improve.
WNBA Couple Suspended
For 7 Games For Domestic
Violence Charge
Newlyweds Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson were suspended from the WNBA on Friday after their domestic violence arrests last month, according to the Asso- ciated Press.
They will each miss seven games in the league’s longest suspensions in its 19-year his- tory, the report says. The sus- pensions amount to more than one-fifth of the 34-game regular season, and WNBA President Laurel Richie said the league “takes all acts of violence extremely seri- ously.
Griner plays center for the three-time WNBA cham- pion Phoenix Mercury, and Johnson is a forward with the Tulsa Shock.
They were married re- cently at an outdoor cere-
Newlyweds Brittney Griner (right) and Glory Johnson (left).
mony atop a mountain in Phoenix.
The punishment comes at a time when professional sports teams are trying to hold players accountable on issues of domestic violence after several high-profile inci- dents put a spotlight on the problem.
(1) Atlanta vs. (2) Cleveland Game 1 -- Wed. May 20, Cleveland
at Atlanta, 8:30 p.m., TNT
Game 2 -- Fri. May 22, Cleveland at Atlanta, 8:30 p.m., TNT
Game 3 -- Sun. May 24, Atlanta at Cleveland, 8:30 p.m., TNT
Game 4 -- Tue. May 26, Atlanta at Cleveland, 8:30 p.m., TNT
Game 5 * -- Thu. May 28, Cleveland at Atlanta, 8:30 p.m., TNT
Game 6 * -- Sat. May 30, Atlanta at Cleveland, 8:30 p.m., TNT
Game 7 * -- Mon. June 1, Cleveland
at Atlanta, 8:30 p.m., TNT* if necessary Golden State, 9 p.m., ESPN
(1) Golden State vs. (2) Houston Game 1 -- Tue. May 19, Houston at
Golden State, 9 p.m., ESPN
Game 2 -- Thu. May 21, Houston at Golden State, 9 p.m., ESPN
Game 3 -- Sat. May 23, Golden State at Houston, 9 p.m., ESPN
Game 4 -- Mon. May 25, Golden State at Houston, 9 p.m., ESPN
Game 5 * -- Wed. May 27, Houston at Golden State 9 p.m., ESPN
Game 6 * -- Fri. May 29, Golden State at Houston, 9 p.m., ESPN
Game 7 * -- Sun. May 31 Houston at
PAGE 14 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY MONDAY, MAY 18, 2015