Overcoming obstacles all season long, the Warriors were not going to be denied and won the fourth straight finals matchup against Cleveland with ease.
It was the first sweep in the NBA Finals since 2007, when James was dismissed by a powerful San Antonio team in his first one. His eighth straight appearance didn’t go well either, and now there’s uncertainty where the superstar will play next.
James, who said he ”pretty much played the last three games with a broken hand” after injuring himself in frustration following Game 1, finished with 23 points and spent the final minutes on the bench, contemplating what went wrong and maybe his next move.
BASEBALL
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Shohei Ohtani was put on the disabled list by the Los Angeles Angels with a sprained ligament in his pitching elbow, an ominous injury that will be re-evaluated in three weeks and brought the two-way Japanese sensation’s remarkable rookie season to at least a temporary halt.
The Angels said Ohtani’s right ulnar collateral ligament has a Grade 2 sprain, which typically indicates some degree of damage but not a complete tear. His injury doesn’t always require surgery, while Grade 3 sprains are usually repaired by the Tommy John ligament replacement procedure that takes a year or more to recover from. For all the benefits the Angels have reaped from his nine turns on the mound and 30 starts as the designated hitter, the next feat for Ohtani will be to avoid Tommy John surgery.
”We’re hopeful that he can,” general manager Billy Eppler said, ”that this is completely treatable with the biologic prescription that the doctors recommend.”
BOXING
WASHINGTON (AP) – Reveling in his pardon powers Authentic Terrell Edmunds Jersey , President Donald Trump said Friday he’s thinking ”very seriously” about pardoning former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, whose conviction was already overturned by the Supreme Court in 1971.
It’s one of ”thousands” of cases the president’s team is reviewing, he told reporters as he left the White House en route to a world leaders’ summit in Canada. And Trump said he’s thinking about soliciting recommendations about other cases to consider from pro football players and other athletes who have protested racial injustice by kneeling during the national anthem – a tactic Trump has fiercely denounced.
Trump said that, ”instead of talk,” he’s ”going to ask all of those people to recommend to me – because that’s what they’re protesting – people that they think were unfairly treated by the justice system.”
FIGURE SKATING
SEVILLE, Spain (AP) – The International Skating Union has passed a series of technical reforms for figure skating, among them limiting the number of high-scoring quad jumps in individual free skates.
The quad jump came under intense scrutiny during the Pyeongchang Olympics, where men’s skaters who packed the most into their program finished atop the medal standings. Even skaters who did not land them cleanly were often awarded more points than those who did not try them.
The ISU believes the change will increase the variety shown during a skating routine.
During its biennial congress that concluded Friday, the ISU also established independent panels to evaluate scores for ”national biases” at major competitions; modified the Olympic selection process; renamed the short dance to ”rhythm dance” in ice dancing; and tweaked the grade of execution from plus- or minus-3 to plus- or minus-5, creating a greater range of scores.
PRO FOOTBALL
HOUSTON (AP) – Houston Texans safety Andre Hal has been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma and insists he ”will beat it.”
He received the preliminary diagnosis of cancer of the blood cells from team physician Dr. James Muntz and has consulted with doctors at Houston’s MD Anderson Cancer Center, the team said Friday.
The Texans added that Hal is ”undergo testing and evaluation and is discussing his treatment options.”
Hal is 26 and starting his fifth year with the Texans. He was drafted by Houston in 2014 out of Vanderbilt. He started all 16 games last season and had three interceptions.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Nine black former and current University of Minnesota football players who say their rights were violated in a sexual misconduct investigation sued the school on Friday, alleging they are victims of racial and gender discrimination.
The federal lawsuit stems from the university’s investigation into an alleged gang rape of a female student in September 2016 that implicated 10 players for a range of alleged misconduct. Prosecutors declined to file criminal charges due to insufficient evidence, but five students were ultimately expelled or suspended, while five others were cleared.
The lawsuit alleges the university treated the plaintiffs as ”scapegoats to appease federal authorities and to deflect public scrutiny” over the school’s handling of sexual harassment allegations against white men in the athletics department http://www.giantsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-cody-latimer-jersey , including former athletics director Norwood Teague. Teague resigned in 2015 after two high-ranking administrators said he sexually harassed them at a senior leadership retreat.
Joel Bitonio's sliding only a few feet to his left, but it's a seismic shift for him 鈥?and the Browns.Less than one week into Cleveland's training camp, coach Hue Jackson moved Bitonio from left guard to starting left tackle, a spot vacated when 10-time Pro Bowler Joe Thomas retired in March.
Only days ago, offensive line coach Bob Wylie said switching Bitonio this summer to left tackle was plan "Z."
Well, the Browns went through the alphabet in a flash.
"I'm going to put the best five players out there," Jackson said following Wednesday's practice. "We know he's one of the best left guards in football. He has the versatility to go out there and play, and me knowing Joel, he's a team guy. I had a really good conversation with him, we're going to do everything we can to continue to address that position.
"Right now, I think he gives us the best chance to go out there and play tackle and solidify the offensive line right now."
Cleveland's initial plan was to bring Shon Coleman, who started 16 games at right tackle last season, to the left side. However, the former third-round pick has struggled so far in camp and Jackson decided he couldn't wait any longer to see if Coleman would improve.
Another option was Greg Robinson Dolphins Cheap Jerseys , a former No. 2 overall draft pick. But he's out with a concussion and there's no timetable on when he'll be back.
So after talking things over with his staff, Jackson approached Bitonio, who told his coach he do whatever was best for the Browns.
"I want to help the team win, and coach Jackson wants to put the best five offensive linemen out on the field," Bitonio said. "Right now, he thinks that's with me at left tackle. So I'm going to try to be the best left tackle I can be, and if something happens where I've got to go play left guard again, then I'll try to be ready to do that as well. It's just what's going to help our team win the most games."
Bitonio's spot will be taken by rookie Austin Corbett, who got a brief look at left tackle in camp.
"He's our next-best guard on our team," Jackson said.
The 6-foot-4, 315-pound Bitonio has made 47 career NFL starts at left guard since the Browns drafted him in 2014. He played one year of left tackle in college at Nevada, but Bitonio said the new position is a new world.
And while he's willing to make the move, he's also reluctant.
"It is an unknown," he said. "You are always scared of the unknown. I don't know how it is going to go at left tackle. I kind of know how it is going to go at left guard. I am going to go out there and give it my best shot."
On the edge Youth Alex McGough Jersey , Bitonio will face taller, faster players in single-minded pursuit of the quarterback.
"You are in space a lot more," Bitonio said. "It is definitely a different animal, and you are on an island by yourself. Sometimes, the whole line goes that way and you are stuck there blocking one of the best pass rushers on the team. It is just a different animal and it is something that I have to learn. Playing guard, I kind of knew the nuances of the position, and I knew if this guy does this or this guy does this, you understand what is going to happen. At tackle, I am still trying to develop that as we go through camp."
Luckily, or unluckily for Bitonio, he'll get to practice at his new position against speedy defensive end Myles Garrett, the No. 1 overall pick from last year.
Jackson was pleased that Bitonio more than held his own against Garrett on Wednesday.
"I did not look over there and see a whiff or a guy just bearing down on the quarterback," Jackson said. "I have great confidence in Joel. He is one of the best players on our football team. He can do it."
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