Golden State All-Star guard Klay Thompson expects to play in Game 2 of the NBA Finals after spraining his left ankle in a scary fall during a collision when Cleveland’s J.R. Smith slid into him in the first quarter of the series opener Thursday night.
”It is a Finals game
Joe Thomas Browns Jersey , and I’m going to do everything I possibly can to play,” he said. ”It’s something you definitely don’t want to have in the NBA championship.”
The Warriors listed Thompson as questionable for Sunday’s second game with a bruise in his left leg, though Thompson offered more specifics Saturday after practice. He didn’t do much work on the floor and limped to his media availability at Oracle Arena.
Thompson said he is in more pain: ”It’s not good. From watching that replay, it pissed me off.” Yet Thompson did receive some kind words from Smith.
”Yeah, he was remorseful, so I don’t think he meant to do it,” Thompson said.
Thompson grabbed at his lower left leg and grimaced in pain, a frightening moment for the defending champions.
He said the pain level and swelling increased overnight into Saturday, when he was working to get it loose and eliminate some of the stiffness.
Thompson briefly went to the locker room during the game then returned and finished with 24 points and five 3-pointers on 8-for-16 shooting in the Warriors’ 124-114 overtime victory.
”I was just trying to go for the ball. It looked like an opportunity for me to get a steal. Unfortunately
Zack Martin Cowboys Jersey , I didn’t. I fouled him,” Smith said Saturday. ”They called the foul. I don’t know what more he was looking for.”
Thompson grew up playing multiple sports with his brothers and has said he has a high tolerance for pain.
”My ankle’s just sore,” he said. ”It’s stiff at the moment, but I’m going to do what I can in these next 24 hours or so to loosen it up as much as possible, get some stability back. I’m optimistic for tomorrow. So that’s the hard part of the game we all have to endure. Got to let it go. It happens. I’ve just got to move on.”
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One of the biggest mysteries in Super Bowl history occurred the previous time the Philadelphia Eagles met the New England Patriots 13 years ago.
Did Donovan McNabb vomit during Philadelphia’s comeback attempt in the fourth quarter?
He denies it. Teammates have said otherwise.
It’s worthy of a documentary. No puking, er, kidding.
The rematch is here and the Eagles are still seeking their first Vince Lombardi Trophy while the Patriots have won two more since that one and are going for No. 6.
McNabb’s disputed upchucking actually upstaged Terrell Owens’ remarkable performance in the big game. Owens defied his doctor’s advice and was in the starting lineup just 6+ weeks after ankle surgery. He caught nine passes for 122 yards against the Patriots, but the Eagles couldn’t overcome numerous mistakes in a 24-21 loss.
McNabb threw for 357 yards and three touchdowns but also had three interceptions, another that was nullified by penalty
Tyron Smith Cowboys Jersey , took four sacks and didn’t have any yards rushing.
Former Eagles coach Andy Reid’s clock management was a major issue in that game. Down 24-14, the offense got the ball back with 8:35 left. They inexplicably huddled up instead of running a hurry-up offense and McNabb threw an interception.
They were slow to the line again when they regained possession and took 3:45 to drive 79 yards for a touchdown. After the onside kick failed, the defense held and the Eagles got the ball again at their 4 with no timeouts and 46 seconds remaining.
The comeback bid ended when Rodney Harrison picked a deflected pass.
”When you talk about managing time and things of that nature, that’s up to the head coach, offensive coordinator and the quarterback,” Owens told The Associated Press this week.
”As a quarterback, as a seasoned veteran, the quarterback really should be the guy assessing what we should be doing, how much time is on the clock
Connor Williams Jersey Elite , what time we need to be running the play. I was on the outside once I left the huddle. Once the play is called, I’m gone.”
Owens, in town as a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and to promote a commercial for Febreze, has moved on from the loss. He was dismissed from the Eagles in November the following season after feuding with McNabb and management over a new contract.
”What I did was bigger than the Super Bowl for me,” Owens said. ”I understood the ultimate goal was to win the game and that was definitely heavily on my mind. Coming out of the tunnel for the first time, the media was waiting on me to run around the field to see if I was limping, how I was cutting on the ankle. I wanted everyone to know my faith in God was the No. 1 reason I did what I did.”
Former teammate Brian Westbrook, who had 144 yards from scrimmage and a TD catch in that game, still has regrets.
”I don’t think you ever get over losing the Super Bowl
Davante Adams Jersey Elite ,” Westbrook said. ”It’s one of those things when you look back on your career, you want to have that ring, you want to flash the Giants fans, the Dallas fans that ring but sometimes things don’t work out.
”But the biggest memory is playing in the game, being part of the big show. You work so hard to get to that point in your career and I was lucky enough to get there. We just didn’t seal the deal.”
Westbrook defended McNabb, who took several hard hits, including a few that appeared late. McNabb was bent over after a crushing hit from Richard Seymour during the late drive and it’s unknown whether he was getting dirt and grass off his face and helmet or regurgitated.
”The quarterback is always going to get so much of the credit and so much of the bad things,” Westbrook said. ”That negativity, a lot of it is centered around Don for whatever reason but he was the reason we were playing in that game.
”He did a great job. I wish
Tarik Cohen Bears Jersey , as a team, we could’ve put him in better position to be successful. When you’re playing the Patriots and make those kinds of mistakes, you don’t have a chance.”
That remains true now. It’s a different team, but Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are still there.
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