Down 12 points with 3:14 remaining in game five of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Miami Heat finally decided they were ready to advance to a bigger stage. After a lackluster performance for much of the night, the Heat turned up the pressure, and there was nothing the top-seeded Chicago Bulls could do about it. […]
Author Archives: Stephen D. Riley
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Posted inSports
Heat Grind Out Game Four Victory Over Bulls to Take 3-1 Lead
LeBron James saved his best for the second half. When he wasn’t scoring, he was initiating. And when he wasn’t blocking shots, he was playing airtight defense on the league’s MVP. James scored 23 of his 35 points after halftime and his two defensive stands on Derrick Rose at the close of regulation helped push […]
Posted inHigh School
Local Sports Entrepreneur Offers Life Lessons that are Greater Than Basketball
Budding basketball businessman Arize Ifejika didn’t just take over the local hardwood scene overnight—he did it gradually. The former Florida A&M graduate caught his first break in 2007 as the fresh-faced assistant tournament director of Hoop Group, New Jersey’s leading youth basketball organization. From there, Ifejika transferred titles down to Chantilly, Va., home of Hoop […]
Posted inSports
Bosh’s Big Night Powers Heat to 2-1 Series Lead Over Bulls
Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer had remarked before his team’s series with the Miami Heat that his opponent was mostly comprised of the Big Two. Despite the fact that the Heat have been inked as the Big Three since the unveiling last summer of forwards LeBron James and Chris Bosh and guard Dwyane Wade, Boozer […]
Posted inSports
Mavericks Ride Nowitzki Past Thunder for Game One Victory
Dallas Mavericks All Star forward Dirk Nowitzki didn’t do much in his team’s Western Conference Finals opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder—except score. And score, and score and score some more. Nowitzki torched the Thunder for 48 points, setting a playoff record in the process as the Mavericks eluded Oklahoma City 121-112 on May 17 […]
Posted inColumnists
Wizards Looking for Luck in Lottery
One week after winning fans over with the unveiling of their new color scheme, the Washington Wizards have another chance at winning tonight when the NBA Draft Lottery airs at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN. After landing John Wall last summer with the top selection, Washington faces some stiff history in their hopes of securing another […]
Posted inSports
Grizzlies Top Thunder, Force Game Seven
Behind power forward Zach Randolph’s 30 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks, the Memphis Grizzlies showed their mettle against the surging Oklahoma City Thunder on May 13 at Memphis’ FedEx Forum. Down 3-2 in their best-of-seven series and trailing by 13 points before halftime, the Grizzlies used a strong second half to erase both deficits […]
Posted inColumnists
New Washington Wizards Colors Does D.C. Justice
Male sports fans aren’t girls. We don’t go gaga for teams with catchy names and slick colors. We don’t throw our support behind a squad simply because we like the colorway. No, not at all, we’re way too manly for that. But despite our fierce masculinity and macho machismo, we do enjoy a well put […]
Posted inHealth
Trending Therapy Procedure Eliminates Surgery for Foot and Ankle Patients
The recovery time from foot and ankle surgery can be extensive for most patients. Going under the knife for Achilles tendon injuries, bone fractures, arthritis and other related feet and ankle issues isn’t guaranteed to correct the pain but is definitely assured of leaving patients subdued for a credible amount of a time. However, a […]
Posted inSports
Thunder Outlast Grizzlies in Triple OT
Three overtimes, three disqualifications, one 40-point game and one 20-point, 20-rebound game. Excessive numbers but that’s what it took to decide an epic Game four between the Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder on May 9. The Thunder erased an 18-point first half deficit to upend Memphis 133-123 and even the best-of-seven series 2-2 in […]
Posted inSports
Mavericks End Lakers’ Reign
Poised to deliver the knockout blow to the reeling Los Angeles Lakers, the Dallas Mavericks didn’t hold back, delivering a 122-86 haymaker in game four to sweep Los Angeles out of the postseason in front of a booming crowd at American Airlines Center in Dallas on May 8. It was a record-setting day for the […]
Posted inSports
Nowitzki, Mavericks Push Lakers into 3-0 Hole
The Dallas Mavericks have the Los Angeles Lakers right where they want them, a place that no one expected the defending champs to be: facing a sweep. All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki pumped in a game-high 32 points and the Mavericks put the Lakers one game away from an early summer vacation with a 98-92 victory […]