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Cavaliers Push Through Injuries on Path to Eastern Finals

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Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, center, watches the end of the game against the Chicago Bulls with guard Kyrie Irving, left, and center Tristan Thompson during the second half of Game 6 in a second-round NBA basketball playoff series in Chicago on Thursday, May 14, 2015. The Cavaliers won 94-73. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, center, watches the end of the game against the Chicago Bulls with guard Kyrie Irving, left, and center Tristan Thompson during the second half of Game 6 in a second-round NBA basketball playoff series in Chicago on Thursday, May 14, 2015. The Cavaliers won 94-73. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Tom Withers, ASSOCIATED PRESS

 
CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James sat in his usual middle seat at the postgame podium talking about another playoff win, one moving him closer to another NBA championship.

He was joined by unlikely company, a point guard to his right and power forward to his left but not the same ones he began these playoffs with a few weeks ago.

The superstar was flanked by Matthew Dellavedova and Tristan Thompson — hardly the Big 3, more like Cleveland’s Unexpected 3.

Showing resiliency and toughness with contributions from the team’s most unsung players, the Cavs ended Chicago’s season on Thursday night by beating the Bulls 94-73 to win the semifinal series in six games, advancing to play either Washington or Atlanta for the Eastern Conference title.

Without Kevin Love, their best rebounder who was knocked out by a shoulder injury in the opening round, and without All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, who re-injured his left knee in the first half of Game 6.

This season of turmoil, scrutiny and expectation as James chases a title for his home region, rolls on.

“The power of team trumps all,” said first-year coach David Blatt.

The Cavs will have nearly a week to heal bumps and bruises and hope Irving can recover from a sprained right foot and tendinitis in his left knee. Irving spent the second half of Thursday’s game as a benched cheerleader, his knee wrapped, his stomach in knots.

“A week of treatment and it all goes down in one play,” he said.

Irving’s injury forced the Cavs to turn to Dellavedova, a scrappy, undrafted Australian whose previous biggest moment of the series came when he put Chicago’s Taj Gibson in a leg lock during a skirmish in Game 5. But in Game 6, the 6-foot-4 Dellavedova, a Saint Mary’s (California) product who downs a cup of black coffee right before every game, scored a team-high 19 points.

“This guy right here,” James said, motioning toward his new sidekick. “He’s not the most athletic, fastest, greatest shooter in our league but I’d put him out there with anybody. This guy has to guard Kyrie Irving every single day in practice. That’s not an easy task. But when your mind is true, I just think the game gives back to you.”

It was validation for the teammate known affectionately as “Delly.” His turnovers and shaky shot selection early in the season prompted Cavs general manager David Griffin to search for a backup point guard at the trading deadline. Griffin had already dealt for Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Timofey Mozgov, pieces that have positioned the Cavs for a title shot.

But Dellavedova never stopped working and it paid off.

“I guess I wasn’t playing as well as I would have liked, helping the team,” he said. “I’m just happy that they stuck with it, and I’m doing the job.”

Thompson’s journey this season has been just as impressive. When the Cavs traded for Love last summer, Thompson was shoved to the bench after starting 82 games in each of the two previous seasons. But instead of pouting or complaining, the Canadian embraced his new role, becoming one of the league’s top reserves.

“I went in and punched the clock,” he said.

He grabbed 17 rebounds in Game 6 and the No. 4 overall pick in 2011 continually outworked Chicago’s big men to keep possessions alive for the Cavs.

Thompson has grown close with James. They share the same agent, Rich Paul, and Thompson looks to James as both role model and mentor.

“I am playing with this father here,” Thompson said, nodding at James. “Delly, Kyrie and I saw an opportunity to play with one of the best. It started on Labor Day when LeBron was the first one in the gym and last one out. We knew we would have to catch up if he does that. It would mean working three of four times harder than he did.”

Just as he did in leading Miami to four straight Finals, James is making those around him better.

And James might be enough for Cleveland, where his supporting cast seems to change every game.

James bristled when asked if he felt that the reconfigured Cavs are no longer favorites.

“Underdog? Me?” he said incredulously. “I will never be an underdog. I think we have a great chance. That’s what we’re here for. We’re gonna play hard, we’re gonna give ourselves a fighting chance.”

___

AP Sports Writer Andrew Seligman in Chicago contributed to this report.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Arts and Culture

Gov. Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom Host 2024 Hall of Fame Ceremony

Former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and three other African Americans were among 10 luminaries inducted into the 2024 Class of the California Hall of Fame on Feb. 8. The 17th Annual California Hall of Fame ceremony was held at the California Museum.

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Willie Brown, Former California Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor, was proud to be among the Hall of Fame inductees. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.
Willie Brown, Former California Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor, was proud to be among the Hall of Fame inductees. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

By California Black Media

Former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and three other African Americans were among 10 luminaries inducted into the 2024 Class of the California Hall of Fame on Feb. 8.

The 17th Annual California Hall of Fame ceremony was held at the California Museum.

“The California Hall of Fame is one of our families’ favorite traditions as it is a time to come together to celebrate remarkable Californians as well as their loved ones because we know that it is about partnerships,” Siebel Newsom said. “The governor likes to say that California is a dream factory because it doesn’t matter what zip code or background you come from, the California dream is alive and well to everyone who calls this state home.”

The other Black honorees were filmmaker Ava DuVernay; Federal Judge and civil rights leader, the Hon. Thelton Henderson; and basketball Hall of Fame player and broadcaster Cheryl Miller.

“It’s what I’ve been waiting for and to be among a great group of individuals that also deserve the honor,” Brown told California Black Media on the event’s red carpet before the ceremony began. “No, I never thought someone from Texas would be recognized this way. But here I am, and it all happened in the great state of California. It’s a fantastic feeling.”

Other 2024 inductees are: master chef and “mother of fusion cuisine” Helene An; computer scientist and “father of the internet” Vincent A. Cerf; all-female pop punk band The Go-Gos; Chicano Rock band Los Lobos; former U.S. Secretary of Defense and Congressman Leon E. Panetta; and artistic director and choreographer Brenda Way.

This year’s honorees join a history-making club with over 150 inspirational Californians previously inducted for their groundbreaking achievements and personifying the state’s innovative spirit.

“It’s just a humbling experience. I want to thank the Governor and First Partner. Who would have thought 100 years ago (that I would be inducted?) It’s incredible,” Miller said after her induction. “I want to thank the governor and First Partner for an incredible event.”

During his acceptance speech, Henderson said he was deeply honored.

“You know, it really would have been a really big deal to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the area where I grew up, for example, South Central Hall of Fame, or the Watts Hall of Fame, or the Straight Out of Compton Hall of Fame,” he said. “But being inducted into the California Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame of the greatest state in the country in this great nation is something else.”

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Community

El Cerrito High Senior Jayvon Bolds Named to Blue-Grey All-American Bowl

El Cerrito High School senior Jayvon Bolds is set to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl game at Cowboy Stadium in Dallas on Jan. 8. Bolds, an 18-year-old scholar athlete whose favorite subject is history, was nominated for the honor by Rodney Alamo Brown, founder of Soulful Softball Sunday who also serves as an announcer for the Texas bowl game.

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Jayvon Bolds (No. 4) is headed to Cowboys Stadium to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl. (Photo courtesy of Rodney Alamo Brown).
Jayvon Bolds (No. 4) is headed to Cowboys Stadium to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl. (Photo courtesy of Rodney Alamo Brown).

By the Richmond Standard

El Cerrito High School senior Jayvon Bolds is set to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl game at Cowboy Stadium in Dallas on Jan. 8.

Bolds, an 18-year-old scholar athlete whose favorite subject is history, was nominated for the honor by Rodney Alamo Brown, founder of Soulful Softball Sunday who also serves as an announcer for the Texas bowl game.

“It’s a real honor,” Alamo Brown stated about Brown’s selection for the bowl game. “This makes him an All-American.”

Bolds will play three positions for the Eastern team: kr, slot back and special teams—i.e., kickoff and punt return.

“The plan is to line up Bolds all over the field and let him do his thing. He’ll be a weapon for our staff,” said NFL veteran Tampa Bay Buccaneers standout and All-American Bowl Coach Dick Bell. “In a game like this, with the platform being an NFL facility with former professionals as assistants and mentors, he’ll have a chance to shine on one of the biggest stages around.”

Recently, Bolds received a scholarship offer to continue his higher education at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa.

Bolds maintains a 3.3 GPA and is heavily involved in leadership as he is the vice president of the Black Student Union.

Blue-Grey Football launched in 1989 by founders Gus and Erik Bell with the aim of helping prospects gain national exposure so that they can improve their chances to secure college scholarships.

Some of the nation’s most talented young football players compete in the annual game, with Fox Sports, CBS Sports and USA Today regularly providing coverage, as well as ESPN.comScout.comRivals.com and 247Sports.com.

Bolds’ family is planning on traveling to Dallas on Friday and is seeking donations from the community to offset the enormous cost. Those who are willing to donate may do so by sending their donations to this cash app, $Juanita Towns.

Rodney Alamo Brown contributed to this report.

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Book Reviews

Book Review: “Who Got Game? Basketball”

A little less than two feet. That’s how far you can get your two feet off the floor if you’re an average kid doing an average vertical jump. Not quite twenty-four inches, but don’t worry: the taller you grow, the higher you could be able to jump. Practice some, dribble a little, shoot more three-pointers, and you might jump right into a book like “Who Got Game? Basketball” by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Jez Tuya.

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“Who Got Game? Basketball” Author Derrick Barnes Courtesy of EyeSun Photography (Charlotte NC). Book Cover Courtesy of Workman Publishing c.2024.
“Who Got Game? Basketball” Author Derrick Barnes Courtesy of EyeSun Photography (Charlotte NC). Book Cover Courtesy of Workman Publishing c.2024.

A little less than two feet.

That’s how far you can get your two feet off the floor if you’re an average kid doing an average vertical jump. Not quite twenty-four inches, but don’t worry: the taller you grow, the higher you could be able to jump. Practice some, dribble a little, shoot more three-pointers, and you might jump right into a book like “Who Got Game? Basketball” by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Jez Tuya.

Here we are, football season’s almost over, and your mind has turned to other things – namely, hoops set high over your head, and a round bouncy basketball. Kids like you who “got game” have had it for more than a century. Yes, the game of basketball was created by Dr. James Naismith in 1891 in Massachusetts.

In the years since, basketball has changed a lot, thanks to what Derrick Barnes calls “pioneers.” Julius “Dr. J” Erving improved the dunk. Before that, in 1950, the NBA first allowed Black basketball players on the teams. There have been super-tall players (Manute Bol and Gheorghe Muregan were both seven feet, seven tall) and smaller b-ballers – five-three Muggsy Bogues had a vertical jump of nearly four feet! – and just two years after the game was invented, America had its first women’s team.

A lot of off-court people poured themselves into the game, too. Barnes writes, for example, about Pat Summitt, hoopster, leader, and “one of the greatest coaches in all of sports history.” Her record of 1,098 wins ranks her at first-place in coaching women’s basketball, and as the coach with the second-most wins overall.

You can probably guess that in a book about buckets, there are bucketfuls of stats. Barnes includes a list of NBA players who jumped to a team right out of high school. He writes about the greatest basketball park ever, he explains why winners cut down the net, how Title IX changed the game, why backboards rarely break into a zillion pieces anymore, high scores, bad injuries, “hoops movies,” and where in the world you can pick up a game today.

So, your 9-to-13-year-old loves basketball so much that they dribble a ball in their sleep? They think their favorite jersey is church wear? Then you’ll be the hero of the day when you bring home “Who Got Game? Basketball.”

But first, there’s one big thing you need to know: this is not a how-to book. There aren’t any instructions inside here, no rules or plays to follow. Instead, author Derrick Barnes makes young b-ballers happy by sharing little-known info about the game they love so much, short lists, great stories about great players, wins and losses, and phrases they should know to talk the talk. All this knowledge is supported by colorful illustrations by Jez Tuya that kids will enjoy alongside the facts.

This book is for die-hard young b-ballers, but don’t be surprised if an adult finds a thing or two to learn here. “Who Got Game? Basketball” is a book any fan will want to jump on.

“Who Got Game? Basketball” by Derrick Barnes, Illustrated by Jez Tuya, c.2023, Workman Publishing, $16.99, 172 pages.

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