Miami Heat Parade the Championship trophy
It was pomp and colour in Miami as the Heat paraded their NBA championship trophy. The players crawled through the streets on board double decker buses acompanied with their friends and family. Fans and admirers alike turned up in the multitudes blaring horns under showers of confetti. An estimated 400,000 fans turned up to witness the momentous occasion.
The parade then proceeded to the arena where they were welcomed by an estimated 15,000 jubilant fans. Everyone was treated to a music extravaganza before the center piece of the whole occasion made its grand entry. The lights went off for short time and when they came back, the Larry O’Brien trophy was at the centre of the stage basking under several spotlights. The MVP of the series LeBron James described it as the best feeling he had ever had. He said that lifting the trophy was a dream come true.
The whole Miami Heat team and staff then spent the next one and a half hours reliving the classical moments of their championship season. The Miami Heat recovered from defeat in game 1 to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1 on their way to lifting the crown. This championship is more gratifying to the Heat considering how they ended their previous season, a thought shared by the the two time champion Haslem. Countless highlights of their season were played on a screen in the arena most of them being from the finals. Perhaps the most interesting highlight was the flagrant foul committed against Tyler Hansbrough by the Haslem during the finals. Team commentator Eric Reid described it as the greatest in team history.
Dwayne Wade, the only other two time champion with the Heat, could not confirm whether he would join the Olympic team saying he had to have a medical check up first to confim his fitness. Even as the celebrations for the day drew to an end, the Heat will still be celebrating unitl the new season begins.<br />
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LeBron James Stars In The Win Against Thunders To Take The NBA Championship
LeBron James of the Miami Heat led the team to clinch the National Basketball Association NBA championship late Thursday night with a sterling performance over the Oklahoma City Thunder. James sensationally had 26 points with 11 rebounds in the game making 13 assists to ensure the Miami Heats wins the finals of the NBA in the last five matches. At the final whistle it was the Heats courtesy of James leading with 121 against 106 scored by the Thunders.
This was a memorable day for James who switched to the Heats two years ago and added an NBA list of trophies to his list of glories. With 3.01 minutes to go, James, together with Chris Bosch and Dwayne Wade were substituted for good, with the players heading to the fans to get a round of celebrations which he has waited for a number of years since the start oh high flying career after leaving high school as the top draft in the year 2003. It was a moment for James as he was seen jumping up and down in the dying minutes of the game, with cameras catching him offside hugging Kevin Durant of the opposing side Oklahoma City.
James becomes the only NBA player and number five in the history to garner a triple double in any of the final title deciders. This sterling performance in the final proved the critics wrong and made it easier for the player who had been in scrutiny in the NBA league after leaving his earlier club Cleveland Cavaliers two summers ago.
The final game could have been a disappointment for James when the Heat were on control in the second quarter, only for them to loose the tract briefly to the City and make the game wide open. However it was James, with his usual playing role for the Heats that brought the game back, with LeBron James ability to pass a wide 3-point open to clinch the much awaited win for himself and the Miami Heats after switching camp two summers earlier.
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Arizona Cardinal’s Clark Haggans to serve Jail Time
Clark Haggans, who’s a linebacker at Arizona Cardinals, turned himself in on Wednesday in order to start his sentence of nine days for a DUI offence which he committed in Arizona in 2011.
Haggans will serve a 48 hour jail time in Westmoreland County Prison, after which he’ll serve the remaining seven days in work release. He will also pay fine of $702 for the same charge.
In a statement which he wrote on Twitter, the player said that he’d been at a concert, when he received a call from his babysitter, who said that his five year-old daughter had difficulty breathing. In his rush to get home, he sped past red light, only to be stopped by a police officer.
The officer then proceeded to escort him home to check on his daughter, before citing him with speeding under the influence and running a red light. Haggans pleaded guilty to the DUI charge. However, the other charges against him were dropped.
“In hindsight,” Daggans said in his twitter release, “I should have found another way home, and I take full responsibility for my actions”.
According to Carla Boatner, an administrator in the Chandler Municipal court, Haggans’ initial sentence had been 45 days in prison, a fine of $3229 and counselling treatment. He was to be held in custody for nine days, and he would spend the other thirty six days in home detention.
Haggans completed his counselling treatment in Arizona, paid the amount he had been fined and was allowed to serve his jail sentence in Pennsylvania instead of Arizona, Carla said.
According to Jeff Sperbek, Haggans’ agent, the reason why it took a year for Haggans to serve his term was because it took long for him to come to an agreement with the judge. NFL has not made any comments regarding the case, and therefore it remains unclear whether Daggans will receive any disciplinary action from the league.
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San Francisco 49ers invite exonerated linebacker Brian Banks to rookie minicamp
In his continuing bid to get his football career and life back on track, Brian Banks makes his way to another tryout, this time with the San Francisco 49ers.
Banks, convicted of rape at 17, spent five years behind bars, wiping out any chance of playing college football, even though he was being heavily eyed by many prominent programs, such as USC. His story took a twist when his accuser admitted on tape that she lied about the rape charges, and that admission set into motion a series of events that led to the May 24 overturning of that conviction.
Pete Caroll, one-time head coach of USC and now that of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, had already had Banks in for a tryout last week at the Seahawks minicamp, and he had praise for the linebacker, though no contract was agreed upon. He now finds his way to the 49ers’ rookie minicamp, and looks to prove himself to Jim Harbaugh and the San Francisco coaches.
Making the team at inside linebacker could be tough, as the position is solidified with All-Pro player Patrick Willis, and up-and-comer NaVorro Bowman, whose strong play almost got him into the Pro Bowl last year. Those two make up one of the strongest one-two punches at the position in the league, but there is no reason that Banks couldn’t provide depth at a position known for taking a toll on players.
Head Coach Jim Harbaugh also loves having a special teams ace or two on the squad, and Banks may have to catch on in that role first before finding a full time roster spot on defense.
All in all, there are a lot of people rooting for Brian Banks to succeed, and if he can show the hustle and desire he once had all those years ago in high-school, he could find himself standing on the sidelines with the San Francisco 49ers come this September.
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Fasano Says Everybody’s Not Delighted With the Miami Dolphins Being On ‘Hard Knocks’
After having a harrowing time searching for a subject team for the summer edition, NFL Films as well as HBO had finally ended their quest for “Hard Knocks” with the Miami Dolphins. Not wanting the intrusive camera to divert and distract the players, as much as six teams had expressly stated that they weren’t interested.
However, when the Dolphins acceded to let their training camp be open to the camera’s eye for 2012, it didn’t really go down well with everybody on board. While on one hand coach Joe Philbin seemed to be enthusiastic about it, callig it as a “football decision”, there were many who were far from being excited.
Anthony Fasano in a conversation on the SiriusXM NFL Radio said that after being informed of the decision in a team meeting, players were rather grumpy about it, and that they would try to not let it end up being a distraction. With his damp response being understandable, there aren’t any doubts that this will otherwise be prove to be an immensely enjoyable visual feast for the fans, which Fasano went on to say, would be fun even for other players.
With Dolphins now providing a good deal of behind-the-scenes fodder for “Hard Knocks”, there are bound to be some disconcerted crew members and players who don’t like the idea of being on camera as they prepare and practice. Yet, one shouldn’t forget that this might just the up the ante for Miami as well as the Dolphins, particularly during a time when the ticket sales have plummeted every year. Even if a part of the team is disgruntled, perhaps it was still wise to choose to go on a show that airs for an hour every week; though one can only wait and see if the Miami Dolphins can indeed bring back the energy!
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