Page 26 - Florida Sentinel 5-20-16 Online Edition

Sports
Warriors Restore Order: Even The Western Conference Series Against Thunder 1-1
Sixers Win NBA Lottery For Top Pick; Lakers Get No. 2, Celtics No. 3
NEW YORK -- After losing a total of 199 games over the past three seasons, the Philadelphia 76ers finally were rewarded for their re- building/tanking plan.
With head coach Brett Brown representing the team, the Sixers landed the first overall pick in Tuesday night's NBA draft lottery and the right to choose either LSU freshman forward Ben Sim- mons or Duke freshman for- ward Brandon Ingram, considered to be the top two prospects in the draft.
"The city has endured a lot over the past three seasons," Brown said after the Sixers finished ahead of the Los An-
geles Lakers and Boston Celtics in the top three. "I felt like we were doing the right things all along the way. We were never skipping steps. We put in good days. Our process was questioned. At times fair enough."
Brown said the Sixers have not decided yet who they will pick to add to a young roster that already includes Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid, who were selected third over- all in each of the past two sea- sons.
Once Stephen Curry finally gathered himself and got up following a scary first-quarter dive into the stands, fans inside Oracle Arena could take a breath, sit back and watch the MVP put on a spectacular shooting show. Puffy right elbow and all.
"The elbow's fine," said Curry. He seemed more than fine, scoring 15 straight points in less than 2 minutes during one dazzling third-quarter stretch to lead the Golden State Warriors past the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-91 on Wednesday night to even the Western Conference finals at one game apiece.
The MVP scored 28 points, making 5 of 8 3-pointers and shooting 9 for 15 overall, while Klay Thompson added 15 points in a balanced perform- ance by the defending champi- ons to bounce back from just
NBA MVP Stephen Curry sprints past Kevin Durant.
their third home defeat all sea- son in the series opener two nights earlier.
Kevin Durant scored 29 points, but just six after half- time. Russell Westbrook had 16 points and 12 assists for the Thunder, who were outre- bounded for the first time in five meetings with the Warriors this season.
Game 3 is Sunday night in Oklahoma City.
Heat Mum About Chris Bosh's Medical Status, Future With Team
MIAMI -- The Miami Heat officially entered their offsea- son Tuesday, amid many unanswered questions about the medical status of perennial All-Star forward Chris Bosh.
"There's nothing new," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We're just going to get away, decompress a little bit, and we'll come back together, as we always do, to prepare for the next season."
CHRIS BOSH
Spoelstra's comments came after he held exit inter- views with Heat players. Bosh did not voluntarily meet with the media Tuesday.
Miami's season ended Sun- day with a Game 7 loss to Toronto in the second round of the playoffs. Bosh, 32, missed the final 29 games of the regu- lar season after he was diag- nosed with a medical condition in February.
Raptors' Kyle Lowry: Wasn't Dissing LeBron James
CLEVELAND -- Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry said Tuesday he wasn't trying to "throw any shade" on Cavaliers forward LeBron James during his postgame interview with ESPN following a Game 7 victory over the Miami Heat.
"LeBron is probably one of the best players in the league besides Stephen (Curry)," Lowry told ESPN's Doris Burke when asked about the Eastern Conference finals.
The comment led some to be- lieve that he was slighting James.
"I would never throw (any) shade on one of the greatest players in history of basket- ball," Lowry said prior to Game 1 at Quicken Loans Arena. "I would never do that.
KYLE LOWRY
Some people will take it for too much. LeBron is LeBron James. He'll probably be (one of the) top three players of all time when he retires."
James, who made no secret of his desire to face his old team, the Heat, said he did not take offense to Lowry's com- ment.
Game 2 is tonight. Cavs lead series 1-0.
RG III Jumps Into Community As Well As Browns' Playbook
In mid-April, Cleveland Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III flew to Gainesville, Florida, to pay a surprise visit to 11-year-old Samantha Foss, who has cystic fibrosis. Griffin gave Foss a jersey he had made for her -- and left the family stunned at his visit.
This was not an isolated oc- currence, though. Whether in- tentional or happenstance, Griffin has been very active in representing the Browns. It's tough not to notice all he's been doing with community activi- ties since he signed with the Browns March 24.
This might mean nothing in terms of completing a third- down throw with Geno Atkins in his face mask, but for Griffin to immediately be- come a part of the community should not be dismissed.
There are some who say
Robert Griffin, III
Griffin views this opportunity with the Browns as a last chance to revive his career. If so, he has been proactive in many ways in showing the same commitment off the field that he's trying to show on it.
(Browns WR Terrelle Pryor posted an Instagram video showing he had arrived at the team facility at 7 a.m., and Griffin was already at his locker studying the playbook.)
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