MVP James gets 32, Heat top Pacers 95-86 in Game 1

5.25.2012

MIAMI - LeBron James promised rest. Never came.

MVP is not important, not after he and the Miami Heat struck the first blow against the Indiana Pacers.

James receives MVP trophy from commissioner David Stern third before the game, then scored 26 of his game-high 32 points while playing every second of the second half - add a season high 15 rebounds and the Heat survived a rough stretch to beat Pacers 95-86 on Sunday in Game 1 Eastern Conference semifinal series from them.

"I just looked straight into his eyes and said, 'You can not flat-out tired, period," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "And he made the MVP plays at both ends of the court."

Dwyane Wade scored 29 points for the Heat, who won the match but lost to Chris prank for the second half and maybe. Prank scored 13 points before leaving at the end of the first half because of lower abdominal injury, the team said he was scheduled for an MRI exam to determine the severity.

"Hopefully (Monday) we get good news," said Wade. "We all just want to make sure that Chris is healthy. So that everything we know today. Our brother will go (Monday) to see if he can get out there and play with us. If not, then we have someone going too big. You can fill the shoes Chris Bosh, but you can have some people go. So we'll see. "

David West and Roy Hibbert each scored 17 points and combined for 23 rebounds for the Pacers, who got 10 points each from Darren Collison and George Hill. Indiana controlled the first half and stretched by the Trail no more than two points at any time until the fourth quarter, when it outscored by 25-16.

Indiana shot 50 percent in the first half, 30 percent in the second.

"We started getting defensive stops," said James. "We started to get things rolling."

Game 2 is Tuesday in Miami.

"We apologize, not just here to play. We are here to win, "said Hibbert. "We have to win Game 2 and come back stronger."

Playing under the stars, James and Wade picked up their game after the break fit. They combined for 42 points in the third quarter and fourth, four more than the entire list of Indiana. Pacers scored 16 in the fourth, and with James that much alone.

"We're definitely going to let this go," said George Paul Indiana. "Looks like we should win this one. All this room knows we need this game. "

All is not certain until the last moment. Create a 3-pointer of the hill with 4:51 left, taking in Indiana within 86-85. But the Pacers answered their final nine shots of the game, James has a dunk in transition to make it 90-85 with 4:10 left, and jumper with 31.8 seconds left to wrap Heat victory.

"It was a battle and we know, apart from being home, being away, we play, what the circle, it is difficult to win in the playoffs and you have to fight for every single property,"; Spoelstra said. "And that's what it is."

From his seat a few rows above the court, it feels like Stern knows what will happen long before that.

Stern was on hand to present James with the MVP trophy in a pregame ceremony. Then, in a television interview in the game, Stern told ABC that James only "warm up" in three MVP, a total of only seven other players is reached.

"He's a good player," said Stern. "He's so strong and so powerful and so determined when he decided to take over the game, he is a rare spectacle."

More

Duck Dunn, Bassist in Booker T. and the MG’s, Dies at 70

5.23.2012

Duck Dunn, a simple yet inventive bass playing anchored the hit track lots and help determine the Memphis soul music, died Sunday morning in Tokyo, where he was on tour. He was 70.

His death was announced online by the guitarist Steve Cropper, old colleagues and fellow members of the quartet of Booker T. paper and the MG, said Mr. Dunn died in his sleep but can not determine the cause. Mr. Dunn and Mr. reaper held the Blue Note Tokyo in a band of Stax Records alumni.

As the bassist of the population in the Stax studio in Memphis for Most of 1960, Mr. Dunn gave a solid, classic soul blues records like Wilson Pickett "In the Midnight Hour," Sam & Dave " Hold On, I'm I'm Coming, "Albert King" Born Under Bad to sign "and a long string of hits by Otis Redding, with whom he and other musicians of the Stax studio also performed in the Monterey International Pop Festival in 1967.

Stax recordings, known as their raw soulfulness that, down-home, a noticeable difference in favor of slickness friendly rival Stax, Motown. Mr. Dunn has been playing an important element of the sound of Stax.

Booker T. and the MG (the initials stood for Memphis Group), whose members - Mr. Dunn, Mr. Cropper, drummer Al Jackson and Booker T. organ Jones - as the core of the Stax studio band, has some impressive hit singles himself, including "Hip Hug-her" and (Mr. Dunn is not playing the first and biggest hit, " ; onion "Time Is strict." green, "which reached No. 3. on the Billboard charts in 1962 because he helped another group member, the Mar-Keys, which has its own No. 3 hit in 1961 with a ) The team is not unusual for the period of "Last Night" that integrates race:. Mr. Cropper, Dunn and Mr. White, Mr. Jones and Mr. Jackson is black.

After Booker T. and MG was disbanded in early 1970, Mr. Dunn remained active in Stax as a session musician and occasional manufacturer. He also performed or recorded with a long list of famous artists, including Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Levon Helm, John Fogerty and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Evaluation of a concert by the Mr. Clapton in 1985, Robert Palmer of The New York Times praised Mr. Dunn as "probably the most elastic rock bassist impeccable" and said that his presence lift band "on its own level of play. "

One of the most high-profile sideman work with Mr. Dunn of the band back to John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in their incarnation as The Blues Brothers, a mixed repertory plays Chicago style electric blues with Stax-style R & B. The members of the band, which also includes Mr reaper, is used and the role of music in the 1980 movie "The Blues Brothers" and also the latter outcome, "Blues Brothers 2000" (1998), starring the Mr. Aykroyd and John Goodman.

"In addition to Booker Band, this is the most fun band I ever," says Mr. Dunn vintage guitar magazine in 2007.

Booker T. and MG that reunited periodically, even if they have no regular drummer after that Mr. Jackson was shot in 1975. Then their performances include a tour as the band behind Neil Young in 1993. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame than in 1992 and received a life achievement Grammy award in 2007.

Donald Dunn was born in Memphis on November 24, 1941, and earned the nickname as a child. After Mr. Cropper, a childhood friend, started playing guitar, electric bass Mr. Dunn took - because he likes to say, it has two lower string guitar - and both are working around town while still in high school with a band that would become Mar-key. He followed Mr. cropper on Stax studio and is a member of Booker T. and mg of the mid-1960s.

More

Andy Pettitte’s return sparks climb in Yankees ticket prices

5.21.2012

Earlier this year, in the middle of Spring Training, it was announced that the 39-year-Andy Pettitte decides to retire, signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees. Late mean that he would be willing to join the team until about May, and at that moment as if the Yankees face the problem of too many pitchers and not enough places in the rotation. However, the underwhelming performance from the likes of Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia, management and fans are more than ready to Pettitte on returning to the big leagues.

Tuesday brought the announcement that Pettitte would be the beginning of the first in the majors since 2010 this week, May 13 against the Seattle Mariners. Period of 72 hours before the announcement, the average price for a ticket to Sunday's match is $ 53.23. With 24-hour period after the announcement, however, the average ticket price rose 49% to $ 79.14. Pettitte excitement surrounding the return of activity to be encouraged as well. Our estimates indicate that 2050 tickets have changed hands in the secondary market of 24-hour period after the announcement, which marked an increase of eight times the daily average for the transaction of the previous 72 hours.

If the activity and average ticket prices continue to rise, Sunday's match could end up being one of the most expensive home on the Yankees' yet this season. Not surprisingly, the Opening Day of the fight against the top spot with an average ticket price of $ 177.42. The only game behind the fight 14 April against the Los Angeles Angels, who have an average ticket price of $ 77.39. Due to recent price hikes, average for Sunday's game is easy to do at or above the 14 April game against the Angels. That being said, fans can still see Pettitte's first start for as little as $ 15 of Section 419 races. For those with deeper pockets who are looking to get a little closer to the action, Legends seats in Section 18 may have $ 1,030. To get the latest information about ticket prices and availability, go to the event SeatGeek for this game on Sunday.

More