Word: playoff
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There are 14 seconds left on the clock, and Latrell Sprewell has the basketball in his hands and Vince Carter in his face. It's the second game of the first-round playoff series between the New York Knicks and the Toronto Raptors. With the Knicks behind by a point, Sprewell gathers himself in the left corner, the seconds ticking down and the crowd noise building up. Then he springs toward the lane, pulls up and hits a silky six-footer that floats over Carter's head. New York wins 84-83 and, four nights later, terminates the Raptors...
...Carter included a flagrant but not malicious foul that floored Air Canada. But Spree leaves it all on the court, and even NBA commissioner David Stern has had kind words for him. It's Sprewell's face, after all, that the League elected to represent the Knicks in its playoff commercials. "I'm glad I was able to turn it around," Sprewell told reporters last week. "It could have easily gone the other way. I've done a good job of keeping my head above water, and I want to stay there...
This week he'll be a pivotal player in the Knicks' showdown with the Miami Heat, their archrival in the Eastern Conference. Previous playoff series between these two teams have resembled WWF throwdowns. These days the only thing Sprewell goes after is a win. He's not a fluid player, but unpredictably jerky, his arms everywhere at once, his feet in the same place for only a millisecond. Then he makes the swift shot or the quick pass, or he's above the rim crashing the ball through the hoop--as he did in game three against the Raptors--with...
...results have been refreshingly positive. Oakland finished second the AL West last year with an 87-75 record, and contended for a playoff spot until the final two weeks of the season. They have put together a core of young talent led by a triple-crown threat in first baseman Jason Giambi, a potentially dominant young hurler Tim Hudson, and several power hitters including outfielders Matt Stairs and Ben Grieve...
...Knicks on the other hand swept away Vince Carter and his Toronto Raptors on their way to a fourth consecutive playoff series meeting with the Miami Heat. Latrell Sprewell, the "American Dream," dominated the next Michael Jordan both on the offensive and defensive ends, hitting clutch shots at the end of Games 1 and 2 while Carter instead preferred to pass the rock to teammates like Dee Brown at crucial moments. Assuming the Knicks maintain their playoff advantage over the Heat, there is little doubt that they can put away either the old Pacers or the inexperienced Sixers...