It may be the Christmas season, but it is a very big weekend on the world sport stage. On Boxing Day, the sports world will be focused on Alberta for the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championship. The event is significant because it is the first time that Edmonton and Calgary, two bitter provincial rivals have joined forces to host a world class sporting event. Edmonton will host all of Team Canada’s round robin games, with Calgary hosting the medal round.
Team Canada’s first game is Monday at 1:30pm against Finland (TSN). Both teams have something in common. They both lost to Russia in the medal round at the 2011 World Junior Hockey Championships in Buffalo. Finland lost 4-3 to Russia in the quarterfinals, while Canada lost 5-3 to Russia in the Gold medal game.
In one of the more bizarre events in the history of the National Basketball Association, point guard Chris Paul is going to Los Angeles after all–just not to the Lakers but the Clippers.
Paul went from the New Orleans Hornets to the Clippers for Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu, Chris Kaman and a first round draft choice.
Paul was originally dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers in a three-team deal involving the Houston Rockets. The trade however was blocked by the NBA, who controversially currently owns the Hornets. According to the Associated Press, NBA Commissioner David Stern told General Manager Dell Demps, the Hornets could do better than acquiring Lamar Odom, or better known as Mr. Khloe Kardashian. Odom, meanwhile, would be later dealt to the Dallas Mavericks.
Paul is the best player in the deal between the Clippers and Hornets. The four-time all-star point guard led the NBA with 2.4 steals per game in the regular season and 11.5 assists per game in the playoffs.
What is your take on Stern getting involved in the Hornets basketball operations? Should they have the right to own the Hornets when their original owner was cash-strapped and couldn’t find someone to buy the team?
In other NBA news, Richard Hamilton has signed a three year deal worth $15 million to join the Chicago Bulls. In three years with the Washington Wizards and nine years with the Detroit Pistons, Hamilton averaged 17.7 points per game.
This week on 15 Minutes of Fame we’re talking NHL realignment and how the Coyotes might mess it all up, another big week of “Shanabans,” and lots of controversy in the NBA as the new CBA comes into effect.
In the GABBYs: Tiger Woods, the Marlins and Angels, MLSE, dress codes, Tyler Seguin and Bob Vander Weide. The Punchline this week is Patrick Chan!
A lot of times when people analyze the NHL or NBA, they start with the East. But www.anysportanytime.ca is founded in the West, so I’m going to start with the West!
Grizzlies Top Three– Zach Randolph 20.1 PPG, 12.2 RPG; Mike Conley 13.7 PPG, 6.5 APG; Marc Gasol 11.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG.
Analysis: The Spurs come into the series as the hands on favourite, having won four NBA titles since 1999. The fact that 2011 is an odd year as well will help San Antonio because their four previous Championships came in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007. Gregg Popovich is as good of a coach as any in the entire NBA and has maximized the performance out of his players. The question in San Antonio is the health of Manu Ginobili, who injured his elbow in a meaningless game last night in Phoenix and is doubtful for Game One. This will be the fourth playoff appearance in franchise history for Memphis since moving from Vancouver in 2001. They have yet to win a playoff game, going 0-12 in the process. The X factor in the series is Randolph. The tenth year power forward has a criminal past dating back to his days in Portland, but seems to have everything under control now. Still the Spurs have the three best players and will win in six.
It’s been a funny season for the Boston Celtics so far.
Their 26-7 record leads the Eastern Conference, despite the massive run the Miami Heat have been on since late November. The Celtics have their own “Big Three” of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to compete with the Wade/James/Bosh tandem of their conference rivals. So it’s been a good season on the court so far.
Off the court though, it’s a different story!
Lets start with Pierce – Celtics fans are upset this week after “The Truth” was hit with a $15,000 fine by the NBA for “throwing an object” into the stands in a recent win over the Pacers, the same game that saw him drink a fan’s water. According to ESPN (via Celtics Hub), the league won’t confirm what he threw, but it might have been his gum.
Pierce was subbed out after picking up his second foul with eight minutes left in the first quarter. A FoxSports feed of the game shows him taking his gum out of his mouth and giving it a flick as he passes the scorer’s table. It was nothing crazy, there was no big wind up or anything. Was that it? The NBA won’t say… (more…)
It may be the Christmas season, but it is a very big weekend on the world sport stage. On Boxing Day, the sports world will be focused on Alberta for the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championship. The event is significant because it is the first time that Edmonton and Calgary, two bitter provincial rivals have joined forces to host a world class sporting event. Edmonton will host all of Team Canada’s round robin games, with Calgary hosting the medal round.
Strange Times in Beantown
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