The Big Bench

June 10, 2010
Jun
10

Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce ... move aside. Tonight was Glen Davis' and Nate Robinsons' night to shine. The Celtics top two substitutes were the true X-factors of Game 5, combining for 30 points off the bench.

What did you think of Game 4? Will the bench be able to remain as strong on Sunday? And with the series evened up (again), which team will win Game 5 in Boston? Discuss and vote below!

LegionOfDo

The Celtics will win this series, which will be the first of a 12-peat.

-- LegionOfDo
LakersNBAChampions

Celtics won a game they HAD to win... they have had some fluky things happen in their 2 wins (Ray Allen eight 3s, Rondo triple-double, bench going crazy tonight) so let's see if they can do that again & I really doubt it. Lakers win Game 5 and take the series in six.

-- LakersNBAChampions

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We ask, and you deliver. Each day on "SportsNation" (4 p.m. ET and midnight ET, ESPN2), host Colin Cowherd and Michelle Beadle run down the weirdest Web stories submitted by viewers.

Clint Dempsey from the USA soccer team says it's time to get weird, so it's probably time to get weird. Thursday's edition includes the soccer blimp and Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz playing soccer (and playing it well).

Submit a Weird Web link!

Name:

URL:

Comment:

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Today on "SportsNation," Colin and Michelle will devote the whole show to the World Cup! Who is most important to the U.S. squad? Is Wayne Rooney's temperament a good or bad thing? We'll cover it all.

Then, on Power Rankings, we count down the best players at this year's World Cup, Brazilian legend Pele joins us to play a very special edition of the Movie Game and Tommy Smyth picks the winners of the best games of the opening round with the use of a dunk tank. All that plus video of the greatest goals in World Cup history and one of the most brutal tackles you'll ever see.

We air on ESPN2 today at 5 p.m. ET, then reair at 12:30 a.m.

Note: Broadcast voting results are as of this afternoon (ET).

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The big clock we have on the ESPN campus counting down to the start of the World Cup has gone below one day, and we couldn't be happier.

There's really nothing else like the World Cup. The NFL playoffs are just as intense and bombastic, but are limited to one country. The Olympics are just as (if not more) international, but don't have the overarching narrative that a laser focus on one sport can provide. We'll be broadcasting every World Cup game on the ESPN and ABC family of networks, including the hotly anticipated England-USA matchup Saturday. England is the obvious favorite, although American fans seem awfully optimistic about their team's chances. The U.S. has already proven it can beat England in the World Cup -- the Yanks did it back in 1950.

jgrover83

Can we please keep the expectations of US Soccer at a reasonable level? We are not a top 20 team in the world, play in one of the worst footballing conferences in CONCACAF. Sure we had a great run at the Confederations Cup, but that was just another reason for hopelessly high expectations.

-- jgrover83
azzurrirugby08

Landon and co are always on about getting respect and they deserve respect. well that is a different discussion, but with respect comes responsibility. England is a team that are under a microscope 24/7 and criticized win OR lose by their media. can USA do the same? i hope so b/c with this hype that is the way things are going to go.

-- azzurrirugby08
mikeychan78

We got a great attacking midfield that is dangerously underestimated out there. US has speed and firepower from multiple strikers and midfielders.

-- mikeychan78

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We canguarantee you one thing: Lane Kiffin will not win a bowl game in his first two years at USC.

That's not his fault, of course. USC could score 10,000 points this year and 2011, yet it still would get nothing because of penalties reportedly imposed by the NCAA thanks to various football and basketball violations. The sanctions include the aforementioned two-year ban from postseason play, the loss of 20 athletic scholarships and the vacation of wins from at least the 2004 season. USC is the Pac-10's marquee team (although Texas may have something to say about that if it joins the Pac-10), so this is a major blow to both the school and the conference. Recruits might take a second look at donning the crimson-and-gold if they know that a bowl bid is out of the question regardless of how they perform.

truthking

It would have to be a huge penalty for any recruits to bolt, IMO. USC is USC afterall, and the kids who have chosen it, have dreamed of it since they started playing.

-- truthking
bruinslife

I can't wait until all those USC commits begin defecting. One school's cheat is another school's meat.

-- bruinslife
rooster2783

I'm a USC fan but rules are rules and they were broken. Just gotta face the music.

-- rooster2783

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Blogging The Nation

June 10, 2010
Jun
10

Sometimes we all need a little extra space to vent. ESPN profiles give fans space to post their own blog entries and go toe-to-toe with commenters.

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Are we going to have to start renaming conferences?

The Big Ten already has eleven teams, and might have twelve if Nebraska really decides to go through with its plan to jump ship. The Big 12 could be the Big Zero if all of its teams jump ship as has been rumored. Fortunately, the SEC is safe, unless it decides to move to the Northwest, Northeast or Mars.

The Pac-10, consequently, might become the Pac-16 if they do indeed end up inviting half the Big 12 to join its conference. Already laden with top-flight teams like USC, California and Oregon, the Pac-10 could be adding Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech to the mix. The move would do a lot to establish the Pac-10 as the premier college football conference in the nation, with a good college basketball core as well. Has the Pac-10 written its own future with this move?

ncsooner65

Just imagine what this will do to recruiting for all the teams in the midwest. They will be able to pull more recruits from the east coast because of the opportunity to play against teams in the Pac-10. Good exposure and better competition.

-- ncsooner65
bgsu34

The rose bowl could now consist of teams like Nebraska, Ohio State and Penn State from the Big Ten and USC(after ban), Texas, Oklahoma and Oregon from the Pac-16. Who wouldnt want to see any of those teams play each other?

-- bgsu34
thrasherssyn

Wonder if the remaining five will poach three more and recreate the Big-8. And these 16 will fight over one guaranteed BCS spot, which also is granted to the eight-team Big East. These schools sacrificed a chance to be in a big bowl for a larger TV payout. Let's not celebrate this.

-- thrasherssyn

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Paul Azinger
Azinger captained the U.S. to its first Ryder Cup win since 1999.

Welcome to SportsNation! On Thursday, golfer, and former captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, Paul Azinger stops by to chat about the 2010 season.

Azinger owns 12 wins on the PGA Tour, including the 1993 PGA Championship. Soon after winning the Major, Azinger was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and went through radiation and chemotherapy to battle the disease. He went on to win the 2000 Sony Open in Hawaii for his first win since his diagnosis.

Under Azinger's leadership, the United States won the Ryder Cup in 2008 for the first time in 10 years. His new book "Cracking the Code: The Winning Ryder Cup Strategy: Make it Work for You" reveals how he helped guide the team to victory.

Send your questions now and join Azinger Thursday at 1 p.m. ET!

More Special Guests: Previous chats | SportsNation

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1. Will Avery Johnson turn the Nets around?

The one advantage that the Nets have over all other teams is that they've got nowhere to go but up. Avery Johnson, who has a verbal agreement with the Nets to be their head coach next season, might want to keep that in mind in case his year starts less than excellently. Will Johnson make the Nets contenders? Cast your vote!

2. Would you take a chance on Jeremiah Masoli?

A few months ago, Jeremiah Masoli was a potential Heisman candidate. Now, he's been dismissed from Oregon after being cited for marijuana possession and driving infractions. Masoli was involved in a burglary incident last year, but he's still a talented player. Would you want to give him a shot? Cast your vote!

3. Would you want your favorite team to pick up A.J. Pierzynski?

The White Sox have been struggling as of late, to the point where the team has been considering trading several key players. A.J. Pierzynski is the latest name mentioned. Pierzynski was one of the biggest contributors to the White Sox's 2005 championship and could still potentially help a team. Would you trade for him? Cast your vote!

4. How many homers does Derrek Lee have left in his bat?

Derrek Lee has been a mainstay at first base for the Cubs for several years, hitting his 300th career home run last night in a win over the Brewers. Lee's 14-year career has be nothing if not efficient and steady, but he's been struggling as of late. Does he have a late-career renaissance in him? Cast your vote!

5. Is Derek Fisher a flopper?

Derek Fisher may be the very model of a modern wily veteran, but Doc Rivers thinks he's naught but a serial flopper. Rivers may be reacting to Fisher's 11 points in the fourth quarter of the Lakers' win in Game 3, or he may be playing a complicated set of mind games. Either way, does he have a a point? Cast your vote!

dinosaurworld

This is really not a surprise. Fisher has a reputation as a "good guy", he can't play defense a lick because he's old and slow. So, the solution is to throw himself in front of guys (like Steve Nash) and flop, with his hands up and an incredulous look on his face. Factoring in these things, the refs will side with Fisher.

-- dinosaurworld

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The Cup Is Theirs!

June 9, 2010
Jun
9


Blackhawks fans: Did you ever think you'd witness this day? After 49 years of hockey suffering, the Blackhawks finally get to take Lord Stanley's Cup home to Chicago. But it wasn't easy. In an intense Game 6 in Philadelphia, the Flyers scored a goal late in the third period to force an OT. Yet luckily for the Blackhawks, this thing wasn't going back to Chicago. Thanks to a Patrick Kane goal, the Stanley Cup finals would end in Philadelphia.

What did you think of Game 6 (and the Stanley Cup Finals as a whole)? Discuss below.

rustyburg

congrats...i know what it's like to wait for a long time for a championship. the phils won the ws when i was 7...i waited until i was 35 for them to win it again. the better team won today. flyers have nothing to be ashamed of this year, i'm proud of the way they played.

-- rustyburg
Fleury29Ben7

I'm serious, i'm surprised by how happy i was for hossa to lift that cup. just think of what he went through to do that.

-- Fleury29Ben7
Meohfumado

Grats to the Hawk fans. Was a great series through 4, very tight. Awesome games. But Hawks entered another gear in game 5 and 6, and Flyers couldn't match. Bravo. Still proud of my Flyers though. They didn't quit.

-- Meohfumado
KennyQ7

Congrats Blackhawk fans. Better enjoy it...because as we Pens fans realized last summer...the off-season is...Well, is there an offseason? Training camp starts up in like two months!!!!!!!!!

-- Yo Creepo

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