The Malaysian Insider :: Sports
The Malaysian Insider :: Sports |
| New look Clippers ready to deal with great expectations Posted: 24 Dec 2011 06:45 PM PST  Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul sails to the basket as Los Angeles Lakers' Jason Kapono (left), Darius Morris and Steve Blake (right) watch, during their NBA match in Los Angeles, California. — Reuters pic Boosted by the arrival of premier point guard Chris Paul and former All Stars Chauncey Billups and Caron Butler, the Clippers have instantly been installed as genuine title contenders for the 2011-12 season. While the players themselves claim they are not feeling any added pressure, there is no question their long-suffering fans now hold great expectations, starting with today's season-opening game away to the Golden State Warrior "We don't feel any pressure," four-time All-Star Paul told reporters while preparing for his first official game in Clippers colours. "Who's putting that pressure on us? "The thing is, at the end of the day, we're the players. We control what we can control and that's the people in this organisation who are in here at practice every day. "We can't control what you guys (reporters) say because that is what it is." The acquisition of Paul from the New Orleans Hornets for guard Eric Gordon, center Chris Kaman, forward Al-Farouq Aminu and a 2012 first-round draft pick was comfortably the biggest signing in the NBA's off-season. Add in twice All-Star small forward Butler and Billups to a line-up already boasting the astonishing dunking talents of Blake Griffin, along with veteran All-Star Mo Williams and talented center DeAndre Jordan, and it is no wonder Clippers fans are suddenly drooling with delight. "We really do have a great outlook but, in all actuality, we haven't won a game yet," five-time All-Star guard Billups said warily ahead of today's game. "And the difficult thing is that everybody knows we should be a lot better, so we don't have the advantage of sneaking up on teams anymore. Teams are going to be ready. We are going to get a teams' best punch, so we've got to guard for that." The Clippers, who won only 32 games last year and have exceeded the .500 mark just once in the last 19 years, have captured the interest of former Lakers great Magic Johnson. "For the first time, I'm going to be watching Clippers games," the 12-time All-Star said earlier this month. "You're talking about excitement for the city. Wow. I mean, since that (Paul) trade everybody's talking about both teams, that's all the conversation. "I think you're going to see sellouts on both sides. It's a great time to be in the city of Los Angeles ... you're going to be able to go see a great Lakers team and then a great Clippers game as well." Today will supply the first confirmation of Johnson's prediction as the Lakers host the Chicago Bulls at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles before the Clippers take on the Warriors on Christmas night. — Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Giants down Jets to keep playoff hopes soaring Posted: 24 Dec 2011 05:30 PM PST  New York Giants Deon Grant (34) and Jacquian Williams (57) recover a fumble by New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez (not pictured) in front of the Jets Sione Pouha (91) in their NFL football game in East Rutherford, New Jersey on December 24, 2011. — Reuters pic "We won the game and it keeps us in the playoffs, it keeps us in the hunt with destiny in our hands," said Giants coach Tom Coughlin. The victory improved the Giants to 8-7 and made next week's regular season finale against the visiting Dallas Cowboys a clash for the NFC East title. A loss would have all but eliminated them. The defeat dropped the Jets to 8-7, derailing their clear run for an AFC wildcard berth. The Jets remained mathematically alive, but need a win in next week's game in Miami against the Dolphins and help from other teams to qualify for the postseason. A safety registered by defensive tackle Chris Canty on Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez effectively ended the game by giving the Giants two points for a 22-14 lead with the Jets punting from their own 20 with just over two minutes left. After a failed on-side punt by the Jets, Ahmad Bradshaw barged into the end zone from 19 yards out to complete the scoring and turn what had been a tension-packed game into a rout. In the run-up to the game, outspoken Jets coach Rex Ryan said his team was better and vowed to claim Big Apple supremacy and bragging rights in the stadium they share with the Giants. After the game, Ryan tipped his cap to the Giants. "We have to give Giants all the credit. They played a great game," said Ryan. "They were definitely the better team this year." Giants running back Brandon Jacobs shot back at Ryan for his trash talking before the game. Asked if he had a message for Ryan, the big running back said: "I think you need to shut up. He's a great coach, comes from a great coaching family, but he needs to shut up." Coughlin credited the Giants' defense for saving the day. Determining factor "They kept turning the Jets offense back. That was the determining factor in the game," said Coughlin after limping into his postgame interview session after absorbing a late game collision with his running back D.J. Ware along the sideline. "We weren't having a very good night offensively." The Giants registered only 11 first downs in the hard-fought contest, while the Jets doubled that figure but New York made some big plays to compensate. A huge touchdown connection late in the first half from quarterback Eli Manning to wide receiver Victor Cruz turned the tide for the Giants. Outplayed to that point and trailing 7-3, Manning hit Cruz on a third-and-10 from their own one-yard line and the elusive receiver escaped from three tacklers on his way to a 99-yard touchdown romp that put the Giants ahead 10-7. "We all got a tremendous lift when he went coast to coast," said Coughlin. The Giants extended their lead to 17-7 on a 14-yard touchdown burst late in the third quarter by Bradshaw, who ran over safety Brodney Poole on his way into the end zone. The Jets whittled down the deficit from 20-7 with a one-yard run by Sanchez halfway through the fourth quarter that made it 20-14, but the Giants' defense rose up to make that cushion stand. "This was a big win because everything was on the line," said Manning, who completed only 9-of-27 passes but totaled 225 yards. The Jets had some early success running the ball, but stuck with a game plan relying on the pass to try and take advantage of a weak Giants secondary. As the game wore on, the pass rush increasingly pressured Sanchez, who was sacked five times and finished 30-of-59 for 258 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Now the Giants will settle the NFC East face to face against the Cowboys. "It's going to be another knock-down, drag-out fight with Dallas next week," said Giants defensive captain Justin Tuck. "I look forward to it." — Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
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