Latest Articles

• Milwaukee, Orlando Boycott Game 5

  Aug 26, 2020 SportZ 0 Comments

  

  The Milwaukee Bucks did not take the court today for game 5 of the NBA playoffs against the Orlando Magic. Their absence is in response to the shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake, an African-American who was ultimately paralyzed from the waist down after an encounter with police. Multiple teams have discussed a potential boycott in light of these circumstances, including the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors, who are supposed to be playing tomorrow – however, the Bucks are the first team to put action behind those words. The Magic had initially started their pre-game warm-up, but ultimately left when Milwaukee didn't show up. Disappointing as it may be for some, this instance will most likely not be the last; if anything, it will serve as a catalyst that will push other teams to pursue a similar response. This could easily develop into a league-wide movement.

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• Trail Blazers beat Grizzlies to Advance to Playoffs

  Aug 15, 2020 SportZ 0 Comments

  

   

  With a 122-126 victory over the Memphis Grizzles on Saturday morning, the Portland Trail Blazers have officially clenched the 8th seed for the Western Conference playoffs. This game marks the first time the NBA has implemented a play-in format for the final playoff berth; in this case, the 9th seed Grizzles had to win Saturday's game in order to force a winner-takes-all match-up on Sunday – if they won that, then they would have made the playoffs instead. But, that didn't happen. The Trail Blazers, behind numerous big performances, managed to pull together a fourth-quarter rally to win the game by four. Players like CJ McCollum and Carmelo Anthony were major contributors in their late-game comeback, with McCollum scoring 12 of his 29 points in the final quarter (including 8 in the final 3:08), and Carmelo hitting a big 3-pointer with under 30 seconds remaining. Additionally, Damian Lillard tallied a double-double – 31 points and 10 assists – and Jusuf Nurkic put up 22 points and grabbed 21 rebounds. For the Grizzlies, Ja Morant led the way with 35 points and 8 assists, while Jonas Valanciunas scored 22 and grabbed 17 rebounds, but it wasn't enough. The Portland Trail Blazers will face the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs starting Tuesday.

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• "Power Five" Conferences May Cancel Season

  Aug 10, 2020 SportZ 0 Comments

  As the coronavirus pandemic continues to worsen in the United States, sports leagues across the country have been forced to adjust accordingly. College football in particular has been hit especially hard; according to reports, in light of the numerous instances of positive cases among their athletes, the NCAA's “Power Five” conferences have started to discuss calling off the upcoming football season. The five conferences – the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12 Conference, Big Ten Conference, Pac-12 Conference, and Southeastern Conference – have not yet reached an absolute conclusion, but they will discuss this matter over the next few days. Like many things, it is a polarizing issue, with many prominent figures, coaches, and players on either side; even the president has joined the debate, voicing his support for continuing the season. The Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences will reportedly announce their decision this Tuesday.

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• "Power Five" Conferences May Cancel Season

  Aug 10, 2020 SportZ 0 Comments

  As the coronavirus pandemic continues to worsen in the United States, sports leagues across the country have been forced to adjust accordingly. College football in particular has been hit especially hard; according to reports, in light of the numerous instances of positive cases among their athletes, the NCAA's “Power Five” conferences have started to discuss calling off the upcoming football season. The five conferences – the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12 Conference, Big Ten Conference, Pac-12 Conference, and Southeastern Conference – have not yet reached an absolute conclusion, but they will discuss this matter over the next few days. Like many things, it is a polarizing issue, with many prominent figures, coaches, and players on either side; even the president has joined the debate, voicing his support for continuing the season. The Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences will reportedly announce their decision this Tuesday.

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• Opening Night at the NBA Bubble

  Jul 31, 2020 SportZ 0 Comments

  It was on March 11 when the NBA first postponed its season due to COID-19, after a few of its players started testing positive for the virus. For months, players and fans watched with anticipation as the NBA gradually unveiled plans for restarting, including when and where they would play. Finally, about four and a half months later, the regular season has officially continued.

  July 30 marked the opening night for the restarted season, where the first official match-ups played in the Orlando bubble. There were only two games. The first was the Utah Jazz vs the New Orleans Pelicans, where the Jazz won 106-104 behind Jordan Clarkson's 23 points – Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley also scored 20 apiece. The second, more anticipated match-up, was between the Clippers and the Lakers. It was another close game, with the Lakers winning by only two, 103-101, despite the 58 combined points from Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Anthony Davis led the Lakers in scoring with 34 points, and LeBron James tallied a double-double, with 16 points and 11 rebounds, on top of 7 assists.

   

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