Forget the talk about how Chris Bosh is so sorely needed.  Forget the speculation that Dwyane Wade’s lost a step in his game.  Everything you needed to know about the loss came in a two-minute sequence in the third quarter, which saw one team captain emasculating the head coach, while another team captain was getting dominated by an opposing player.

This illustrates the real Achilles heel of this team, LEADERSHIP.

Let’s look at the evidence. After the game, Udonis Haslem noted that Miami has a lot of “alpha males” on the team. In other words: The pecking order is prone to fluctuation, if there ever was one to begin with.

All week long, meanwhile, you’ve heard this team do nothing but provide excuses and distractions to the media.

First, it was Dwyane Wade’s annoyance of the Pacers’ victory celebration in Game 2. Then it was LeBron’s “taxing” obligation to play power forward.

And what about on the court?

Erik Spoelstra is making inexplicable lineup changes this late in the season. (Dexter Pittman? Really?) Dwyane Wade was bristling at refs for not calling a foul on his defender, while the Heat were left to recover from the subsequent 5-on-4 disadvantage on the other end.

Udonis Haslem is playing like a shell of the player he once was. LeBron James, the NBA’s most unstoppable force, is disappearing in games that are close.

All of this translates to a team that is much worse off than its 2-1 series deficit suggests. It translates to a team that is prone to collapse, just like they did in the NBA Finals last year. Only this time, Pat Riley won’t be able to bandage the wound with a Shane Battier signing.

No, a second round exit would suggest a hemorrhage. One that would cause heads (plural) to roll.

Sure, Erik Spoelstra’s termination would be all but guaranteed. But you know Riley couldn’t just stop there. He would have to give serious thought to trading at least one of the Big Three.

But who?

It won’t be LeBron, because he is the MVP and clearly the best of the three.

You could’ve argued before this series that Bosh was the weakest link, yet his absence amidst this collapse has done nothing but underscore his importance.

Finally, there is Dwyane Wade. And as tough and possibly blasphemous as it is to say, he does stand out as the most eligible candidate. Think about it.

His game and LeBron’s game are somewhat redundant.

They only complement each other when they can run, but generally the turnover-prone, offensively dysfunctional teams that enable them to do so are gone midway through the playoffs.

In addition, there has to be the ego component taken into account. Because, as this series has proven, two alpha males on one team leaves teams susceptible to locker room division and playoff collapses.

Kind of like the Lakers used to be when Shaq and Kobe ran the ship.

Only Erik Spoelstra is no Phil Jackson.

And you don’t need to remind me how beloved Dwyane Wade is in South Florida. I know he is the most responsible for Miami’s one and only championship.  His heroics over the years put Miami basketball on the map. I know if it weren’t for him, Chris Bosh and LeBron James would never have even put Miami on their wish list.

But, I also know that this Heat team is at a crossroads after Game 3.

Just like last year, all the adversity they could ask for is back on their shoulders. Meaning: Game 4 will be a huge fork in the road for this franchise.

Win, and everything is back to normal.  Lose, and there’s no telling what may happen.  Just remember that the defining moment of Miami’s playoff season will come back to that two-minute sequence.

Written By: David Weiss

Under the tutelage of trainer Freddie Roach, Pacquiao has gone from a quick, one-handed, power puncher to a two-handed, incredibly skilled all-around fighter. While Bradley is 28-0 in his career, he only has 12 knockouts, which means Pacquiao won’t be worried about getting hit with thudding power punches.

Bradley is a skilled boxer and should be able to counter-punch against Pacquiao, he’s not good enough to win a fight with the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter by just waiting for him to come in and taking hits to get in a few shots.

Pacquiao will likely do what he always does: come forward relentlessly and batter his opponent from all angles. That strategy will leave him open to taking counter-punches as it always does, but he won’t be afraid of taking hard shots from Bradley. “Desert Storm” just doesn’t have enough power to knock the Filipino congressman out.

Another factor in this fight will be size, as Pacquiao will actually be bigger than Bradley. He is a natural welterweight (147 pounds) and his WBO welterweight title will be on the line. Bradley will be coming up from junior welterweight (140 pounds) to match up with the champion.

Bradley’s last two fights have been stopped early, one from a technical decision due to a cut to opponent Devon Alexander, and an eighth-round TKO win against an over-matched Joel Casamayor.

Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs) is coming off a majority decision win over Juan Manuel Marquez, in a fight that was as razor close as the two previous fights between them. It was considered a disappointing showing for Pac-Man, but Marquez is the essentially the perfect fighter to combat his style. He seems to be the one guy who can compete with Pacquiao.

Over his last 15 fights, Pacquiao is 15-0 with eight knockouts. That winning streak, which has been going since 2005, doesn’t look like it will end on June 9.

Written By: Ryan Phillips

There are always looming questions about will the team have a good defense or offense for the upcoming season, well that was partially answered during the spring game when only one offensive touchdown was scored in the entire game.  It is important to note that the offense is traditionally behind the defense especially when you are braking in as many new players as the Hurricanes are.

Much of the blame has been put on the offense for the dismal showing, but people need to also give credit to the defense.  The best players for the Hurricanes from last season are returning on the defensive side of he ball, and that side of the ball didn’t take as much of a hit from the NFL draft or graduation like the offense did.

If you want to know why the offense is behind, all you have to look at is the amount of talent they lost from last year’s team, starting with the underclassmen they lost to the draft.  Lamar Miller, Brandon Washington and Tommy Streeter were possibly the best players at their respective positions.

Not only did they lose those underclassmen but the graduation of their starting quarterback, starting wide receiver and three starting offensive linemen hurt as well.  Not to mention Stephen Morris who is the best quarterback on this roster right now did not play, as well as Allen Hurns who for all intents and purposes will be the Hurricanes top receiver next year.

All of this must be taken with a grain of salt because they return plenty of players that received a lot of playing time last season.  The good part in all of this is the defense did look that good, which means that mediocre offenses (which the ACC is full of) should not have an easy time moving the ball against them.

There were some highlights on the offensive side of the ball despite Morris being absent, Phillip Dorsett had a 44 yard catch and run as he is hoping to build off of a serviceable freshman season last year.  Let’s make no mistake though the offense was horribly bad, but since Stephen Morris is a known quotient things should be much better than they were in the spring game.  The Hurricanes will need to address issues on their offensive line and as long as that unit stays healthy they should be okay, but the wide receiver position is a huge question mark and the hope is several players step up.

The question is how good are the Heat without Chris Bosh?  They are probably the best equipped team in the league to deal with losing one of it’s best players as they still have Lebron James and Dwayne Wade to pickup the slack.  Bosh was going to play an especially important role in this series against the 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert on both ends of the court. He obviously can’t match the Indiana center’s height, but he fought hard on the block as Hibbert’s primary defender, forcing Hibbert into a couple of shots that came a foot or two further from the rim than he’d like.  With Bosh now out of the lineup the Heat do not have any post players who are as skilled as Chris Bosh, even with Udonis Haslem or Joel Anthony they just won’t be enough.

LeBron James will play huge minutes at power forward in “smaller” lineups that have done quite well this season, with and without Bosh.  James will be matching up with David West who was unable to do much with James in the post during game one, and it’s because Lebron is just as big and definitely stronger than West.  James can thrive at the power forward position as he did many times this season already, but moving James to the four does not negate the Roy Hibbert advantage enjoyed by the Pacers.

If you look at the fourth quarter of game one you would think that the Heat were not going to miss Bosh as James scored 16 points, which were the total number of points the Pacers scored the entire quarter.  The problem with that notion is James and Dwayne Wade will have to expend a lot of energy and effort at that high of a level for extended minutes in every game, and with the shallow bench they currently have it is going to be difficult to keep that level of play going for the entire game.  Players like Mario Chalmers and Mike Miller will have to step up and try to fill the void until Chris Bosh can return to the lineup.

Without Bosh the Heat can still make it to the NBA Finals, but they will need their “Big 3” to be healthy for a potential showdown against the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs.  Even with James and Wade it would be difficult to imagine the Heat being able to defeat either of those two teams without Bosh being a big part of the game plan.  We will see if the Heat take care of the Pacers without Bosh, that might not be a safe assumption right now either.

The Los Angeles Clippers were left standing with an 82-72 victory over the Grizzlies in Memphis, capping the first round’s most exciting series of the 2012 NBA Playoffs.  One main reason for the Clippers victory is they had the biggest star in the series in Chris Paul.  Paul finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists Sunday, but it was his physicality over the 35 minutes he played that was felt the most.  Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol were coming off of big games the previous two games of the series, but they were outmatched in Game 7.  In Memphis’ wins in Game 5 and 6, the duo averaged 41 points and 21 rebounds on 53 percent shooting. On Sunday, they managed just 28 points and 17 rebounds on 39 percent shooting.   What is most disappointing for the Grizzlies is Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were both hobbled by injuries, but yet the Clippers managed to take control of the game and win a game 7 on the road.  The bad part for the Clippers is the fact that they have the Spurs in the next round.

College Football

Paul Dee, who was Miami’s athletic director from 1993 through 2008 and continued serving the school as a member of its faculty, has died, university officials said Sunday. He was 65 years old.  During his tenure as athletic director Dee oversaw Miami’s move from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference, as well as the construction of the Hurricanes’ on-campus basketball arena and other projects. The Hurricanes won national championships in football and baseball during Dee’s time running the department.  Dee also was a member of the NCAA’s committee on infractions, most notably when sanctions including a bowl ban, scholarship reductions and forfeiture of games came down against Southern California in 2010, all stemming from improper benefits given to then-Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush by sports marketers.  Dee graduated from Florida in 1970 with a degree in political science before earning a master’s degree from Miami in 1973 and a law degree there four years later.

NBA

The Cavs used the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft to select Kyrie Irving, who played in just 11 games as a freshman at Duke because of a toe injury. However, it didn’t take long for the 6-foot-3 Irving to establish himself as one of the game’s rising stars.  Irving has been chosen as the NBA”s Rookie of the Year, a person familiar with the voting told The Associated Press on Sunday.  Irving’s selection is hardly a surprise since the 20-year-old led all first-year players in scoring – 18.5 points per game – and renewed hope for Cleveland’s franchise.  Irving’s performance in the rising stars game during All-star weekend put him on the map for a lot of people who may not have known what type of player he was.

Boxing

Amir Khan’s promoter has canceled the British boxer’s fight against Lamont Peterson because of the American’s failed drug test.  Golden Boy Promotions announced on its website that the May 19 rematch for the WBA and IBF junior welterweight belts was called off. The statement Wednesday cited Peterson’s positive doping test and the Nevada Athletic Commission’s inability to hold a hearing on Peterson’s licensing before Tuesday.  The rematch in Las Vegas had been in doubt since last Tuesday, when Athletic Commission executive Keith Kizer said a urine test in March found unacceptably high levels of synthetic testosterone in Peterson’s system.  Peterson (30-1-1, 15 KOs), of Washington, defeated Khan in a disputed split decision on Dec. 10 in the U.S. capital to become the WBA and IBF junior welterweight champion.  Khan (26-2, 18 KOs) was granted a rematch after complaining about the referee’s decision to deduct him two points for pushing. He also was upset by the presence of an unauthorized man at ringside who was seen distracting an official.  It’s just another black eye for boxing, a sport that can’t seem to get anything right and whose star power is quickly getting older.

Rondo had a very good game but not a transcendent one. He put up 14 points and eight assists and showed flashes of brilliance, but was not at his best for all of Game 6.  Paul Pierce has always played his best during the playoffs, and especially in series-clinching games. Pierce did score 18 points, but it was apparent that his knee injury slowed him down and he was not able to carry the team on his back as he has done time and time again.

The Celtics desparately needed someone to step up. If you told me before Game 6 that neither Rondo nor Pierce was the game’s best player, I would have bet anything the Celtics lost.  The team turned to its emotional leader, whose acquisition back in 2007 transformed the Celtics back into a perennial contender.  Kevin Garnett didn’t just have a good game for an aging big man. He had a performance that would have made the 2003 MVP Garnett envious.  It wasn’t just the numbers, but just to put his performance in context, the numbers were eye-popping. Garnett scored 28 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, snagged three steals and also added five blocks.

The 28 points and five blocks were both season highs for Garnett, and the 14 rebounds tied his best showing on the boards this season.  Garnett’s aggressiveness was what stood out the most. Instead of focusing on moving the ball around and only taking shots in the flow of the offense, Garnett looked for his own shots, and he did so because that was exactly what his team needed him to do in order to win.  He didn’t float away from the basket. He worked for position in the post and became the focal point of the team’s offense.

When the Celtics’ offense became stagnant, Garnett called for the ball and took care of business. He realized that Pierce wasn’t 100 percent and that he was their best scoring option, particularly when things broke down.  Personally, I’m surprised that Garnett isn’t this aggressive all the time. He has such great size and length and amazing touch around the basket, making him a terror for any defender to deal with.  The fact is that Garnett likes to defer to his teammates, and his unselfishness allows them to flourish while he takes open shots within the offensive flow. However, when the team truly needs him to step up, he is more than willing to take over.

Garnett’s defense is something that is often taken for granted. He’s their unquestioned defensive anchor and leads them with his passion and relentlessness.  Watching Garnett play defense is a thing of beauty. Whether it’s hedging a screen, stepping in and taking a charge or protecting the rim, Garnett always seems to be in the right place at the right time, and it’s no accident.  People think that defense is all about athleticism and tenacity. Those definitely are big parts of it, but players who want to be elite defensively need to put the time in watching film and honing their craft like Garnett does year in and year out.  It may appear that Garnett raised his defensive effort to another level because of his five blocks and three steals. The fact of the matter is that this is what Garnett does every single game, and what he’s been doing every year since he entered the league.

Garnett is far from done. The soon-to-be 36-year-old big man may be winding down his Hall of Fame career, but he is still more than able to put up big performances like he did in the Celtics’ Game 6 clincher against the Hawks.  He even had this to say for the notion of being old, KG sounded off again in the post game interview.

“I don’t want to come off kind of wrong, but I really go with my craft and I take it very seriously,” he said. “I guess being 35 — soon to be 36, not 37, (19)76 (birth year), look it up — I put a lot of work into my craft. I take it very seriously. I always have, since ’95, since I’ve been able to come into the league and it’s almost like you guys are shocked. Like this ain’t what I do every day, like this ain’t what I was made for. It does come off disrespectful at times. I put a lot of work and time into this, and there are certain levels I expect from myself. …

“I take this very seriously, so you guys calling me old, that number defies. You have no idea what you are doing when you say those ‘old’ comments. I appreciate that. I don’t read your columns, but it gets back to me.”

Written By: Tim Doherty

Rondo was upset, but it was difficult to see how upset until a post game incident with a reporter showed what frame of mind he was in.  Rondo was getting ready for his postgame news conference when he noticed out of the corner of his eye that he was being recorded. The Celtics point guard pointed at the camera, and then took it upon himself to confront the cameraman.

“I told you to quit filming,” Rondo said while being restrained. “Do not film me. I’m not doing an interview right now.”

Rondo briefly accosted the cameraman before being pulled away be a security staff member who was asking Rondo to keep his cool the entire time.  It appeared that Rondo was also talking to some family members or friends when he felt stalked by the camera man, and maybe that is what set him off to the extent that it did.

The comedy of it all is that Rondo was wearing a Zebra/Prison striped jacket that did not make the best of fashion statements.  The TNT Inside the NBA Crew of Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, and Shaquille O’Neal had some fun at the expense of Rondo and his fashion choice.  They did say that Rondo was upset about the play and just lost his cool, but there is probably a very good chance we won’t be seeing Rondo wear that jacket anytime soon.  Check out the video below.

Not too long ago, it was reported that Big East Commissioner John Marinatto has decided to resign after three years of service. For those of you keeping score at home, you can insert the word “fired” for “resigned.”

I am still trying to figure out whether Marinatto was really trying his best to help the Big East or if he was trying to be a one-man wrecking crew. What’s in worse shape: the Big East conference or the U.S. National Debt? You know the conference is in trouble when none of the member schools want to be part of it.

To blame Marinatto for every misfortune that has afflicted this so-called power conference would be unfair. However, he was the leader, and whether you are a president or a CEO, the leader almost always gets the lion’s share of the blame.

Right now, various conferences are in the process of negotiating new multimillion dollar television deals (and the NCAA still tries to give out the impression that academics come first and foremost). These TV deals are tied into how competitive a conference’s football programs are. The problem for the Big East, of course, is that its brand of football is an abomination.

Now, Marinatto cannot be criticized because Big East football is subpar. However, he absolutely should be blamed for upsetting the so-called basketball schools that inhabit the Big East by making decisions in the interest of football.

In an effort to upgrade Big East football, the flagship sport of the Big East took a major hit. What was once Syracuse, West Virginia and Pittsburgh on the hardwood will now be SMU, Houston and UCF. In full disclosure, I don’t even think Big East football improved that much in the first place.

This is just one of many transgressions that Marinatto has made as top-dog of the Big East. If I were to chart all of his mistakes, this article would be longer than the NFL’s investigative report on the New Orleans Saints’ bounty scandal.

He was never fit to be in that high of a position in the first place. He just did not have the qualities that are needed to make a good leader. Had he remained in his position much longer, the conference would be sinking faster than the Titanic.

As previously mentioned, the Big East has some very important TV negotiations (if you can call them that) coming up shortly. If Marinatto was still in command, the conference’s TV deal would be about as bad as Evan Longoria’s first contract.

One thing I know for sure is that whoever the new leader is, he can’t be as awful as Marinatto. It is kind of like moving on from a bad commander-in-chief. It can’t possibly get any worse.

Written By: Kevin Weiss

Hamels planted a low-90s fastball in the small of Harper’s back in the first inning of Sunday night’s game. Harper shook off the beam ball and made his way down to first base without a fuss, before later stealing home to score the first run of the contest.

Harper—a 19-year-old kid who’s widely referred to as a “phenom”—has had pretty good success in his first eight games in the major leagues, hitting .308 with three RBI and displaying extraordinary hustle in the field and on the base paths.

But Hamels felt like he needed to welcome the kid to the big leagues formally. After the game, Hamels told an Associated Press reporter:

“I was trying to hit him. I’m not going to deny it. That’s something I grew up watching, that’s kind of what happened. So I’m just trying to continue the old baseball because I think some people are kind of getting away from it. I remember when I was a rookie the strike zone was really, really small and you didn’t say anything because that’s the way baseball is. It’s just, ‘Welcome to the big leagues.’ “

Harper didn’t have much to say about being hit by Hamels, possibly letting his play and the fact that he stole home after he was plunked speak for itself.

“Hamels threw a great game tonight,” Harper said.

Although Harper took the high road, Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo wasn’t so kind letting off a tirade calling Hamels a fake tough guy.  He even said that Hamels act was gutless, and a few curse words later he was finished.  Gutless or not, the Phillies thought they got the last laugh with a 9-3 win over the Nats, but then, the five-game suspension and fine came down from the league to Hamels.

However, the suspension appears to more or less delay the start for Hamels than cause him to miss it. Hamels will miss his next start, but since the Phillies have a day off, Roy Halladay is able to make two starts on regular rest, which will just push Hamels’ start back a day.

At the end of the day, the last laugh appears to go to the Phillies.

Written By: Allen Etzler

Floyd Mayweather (43 – 0, 26 KO’s) won a unanimous decision over Miguel Cotto (37 – 3, 30 KO’s) to add Cotto’s 154 lbs. title to his collection.  It was Mayweather toughest fight of his career, and with that being said he still won easily.  After entering the ring accompanied by such eclectic company as teen idol Justin Bieber, pro wrestler Triple H and rappers Lil Wayne and 50 Cent yes, really Mayweather looked sharp early, scoring effectively with the jab and lead right. The naturally bigger Cotto did a good job of swarming and pressuring Mayweather up against the ropes — half the battle against the most elusive defensive technician of his generation but wasn’t doing much when he got there.  Cotto landed several good shots on Floyd Mayweather that busted his lip and gave him a bloody nose, the crowd reacted because not many have seen Mayweather with blood on his face.  Yet the final act showed why Mayweather has ranked atop or among boxing’s pound-for-pound elite for the past decade. He used his speed and accuracy to close the show. Alternating shrewdly between aggressor and counterpuncher, Mayweather finally punctured Cotto’s stingy defense with pinpoint head shots the best of which came in the final round and nearly stopped the Puerto Rican in his tracks.  The truth is Mayweather was never in danger of losing this fight, Cotto had a few good rounds, but people need to stop acting like Mayweather was about to get knocked out he still coasted to a win.  He called out Manny Pacquiao after the fight, but let’s see if that really comes to pass.

NBA

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Denver Nuggets 92-88 in Game 4 of their first-round NBA playoff series on Sunday night in Denver.  For this game the Lakers and Nuggets both shot exactly 45.3 percent from the floor.  L.A. won the rebounding battle by a 48-38 margin.  The Lakers were led by Kobe Bryant’s 22points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Jordan Hill came up big off the bench with 12 points and 11 rebounds including 7 offensive rebounds.  Denver was led by Danilo Gallinari who scored 20 points. Andre Miller chipped in with 15 points and 7 rebounds off the bench.  That was a crucial game for both teams and when the outcome hung in the balance the Lakers star players and role players both came up big.  Steve Blake had a big blocked shot and a huge three pointer as the Lakers now hold a commanding 3-1 lead in this series.  With the series heading back to Los Angeles for game five on Tuesday Night the Lakers will be heavy favorites to close this out.

MLB

Albert Pujols connected in the fifth inning for his first AL homer against the Toronto Blue Jays. The three-time NL MVP had gone 33 games and 139 at-bats dating to last year without a home run in the regular season. He had a three-homer game for the Cardinals in the World Series and hit seven home runs in spring training.  Pujols homered in his 28th game and 111th at-bat with the Angels, who signed him to a 10-year, $240 million contract as a free agent in December, touching off a frenzy that resulted in more than 5,000 extra season tickets being sold. This was his first home run at Angel Stadium, the 31st big league ballpark in which he’s hit one.  Pujols was given a day off for the previous game, something that might have helped to alleviate the mounting pressure that was building as a result of his large contract and lack of production so far this season.  The Angels won the game 4 – 3 and Pujols homer was the difference, and the Angels are hoping this is the start of him returning to the form that had before they signed him.

NBA

Paul Pierce scored 24 points in 18 minutes before heading to the stationary bicycle in the tunnel leading to the locker room, getting some much-needed rest after the Celtics scored 16 of the first 18 points in the second half.  That is the kind of night it was as the Boston Celtics blew out the Atlanta Hawks in game 4 101 – 79 to take a commanding 3 – 1 series lead.  The teams went to the locker rooms at the half with Boston holding a 63-41 lead. But during the break, the officials reviewed a jumper by Allen and changed it from a 2-pointer to a 3-pointer. Rondo hit a 3-pointer to open the third quarter, giving Boston a 26-point lead, then Bass made a jumper and Pierce hit a 3 to make it 72-41.  Even with Al Horford returning from a torn pectoral muscle and Josh Smith returning after missing Friday’s game the Hawks still couldn’t muster enough fight to make the game competitive.  Joe Johnson who is the highest paid player in the NBA only managed to score nine points in this losing effort, and showed once again that this Hawks team is full of flaws and needs to be revamped.  Boston can close out the Hawks with a victory in Game 5 on Tuesday night in Atlanta. Game 6 would be in Boston in Thursday, if necessary.