Bay Area Buzz 5/11: Warriors Go Backwards, John Elway Almost Was a Raider
By Eric He
May 10, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson (11, left) and power forward David Lee (10, right) react on the bench against the San Antonio Spurs during the fourth quarter of game three of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Spurs defeated the Warriors 102-92. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The Warriors Go Backwards vs. the Spurs, the Series Flips, and Now Game 4 is Do or Die
"One flat game, one Stephen Curry ankle twist, one lost moment, and a whole playoff series flips on its head, again.One day, everything that was bright starts darkening pretty fast.On Friday, the Spurs played desperate, slowed it down, gummed it up, and maybe sort of hypnotized the Warriors in Game 3.And for the first time this series—and the first time at home this entire postseason–the Warriors played slow and played without confidence.At this crucial moment, they played like they were backing down, not charging forward.– Tim Kawikami, San Jose Mercury News"
"John Elway was almost a Raider. Read it again…John Elway, the scourge from the Mile High City, was thisclose to being a Raider. A year after the Raiders nearly drafted Redden instead of Allen.Per “Elway to Marino,” the Raiders had reached a deal with Chicago general manager Jim Finks to get the Bears’ No. 6 overall pick, which the Raiders would then flip to Baltimore as part of a package for the rights to Elway.According to Demoff, the Raiders had presented the Bears with two lists of players and Chicago was to take one player from each list as part of the compensation package. Column A was comprised of defensive end Howie Long and cornerback Ted Watts. Column B was made up of strong safety Mike Davis, defensive back Vann McElroy, defensive back Kenny Hill and linebacker Jeff Barnes.– Paul Gutierrez, CSN Bay Area"
San Jose Sharks: Why the Wait?
"For the past 20 years, the NHL has employed a format that honors the way teams are “seeded” at the start of the playoffs. This guarantees that the top-seeded team will draw the lowest-seeded team not only in the first round but also in the second. For example, Chicago, the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference by virtue of having the best regular season record, drew No. 8 Minnesota in the first round and then draws the lowest remaining seed after the first round. That could be the sixth-seeded Sharks or seventh-seeded Detroit, which prolonged the suspense Friday night by beating Anaheim to force Game 7 on Sunday.– Curtis Pashelka, San Jose Mercury News"