First call: Kawhi Leonard’s dagger, Putin’s hockey stumble, LeBron being that dad
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In “First Call” Monday, Kawhi Leonard’s unreal Game 7 buzzer-beater for Toronto. Vladimir Putin’s on-ice stumble. LeBron James is every sports dad you’ve ever known.
Is this the dagger?
That was play-by-play man Kevin Harlan’s question on TNT as Kawhi Leonard chucked up a potential series-winning shot to send Toronto to the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals.
Well, maybe not a dagger. More like a butter knife slowly being pressed through the heart, but lethal nonetheless.
KAWHI. GAME 7. FOR THE WIN. pic.twitter.com/MH9CBjQ2uK
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 13, 2019
That may be the greatest visual representation of a “hometown bounce” I have ever seen. Leonard’s buzzer beater sends Toronto on to face Milwaukee in a ratings disast … uh, I mean … a very interesting Eastern Conference final. This still shot says it all.
This photo. Wow. pic.twitter.com/w1bWTgiru5
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 13, 2019
The Raptors won 92-90. Leonard had 41 points in 43 minutes.
Victory lap?
Russian president Vladimir Putin is renowned for putting on a show during celebrity hockey games. But as Sports Illustrated discovered, this one had an unfortunate stumble.
Putin scored eight goals in Sochi Friday. That’s a stunning total given the clear attention the defense gave him during his shifts.
Although give credit where it’s due. Check out the sweet backhand finish on the breakaway here.
14:7 – Команда Путина и Шойгу победила в гала-матче Ночной хоккейной лиги команду Звезд лиги pic.twitter.com/DlxxxuFBzm
— Дмитрий Смирнов (@dimsmirnov175) May 10, 2019
But then there was this unfortunate incident during Putin’s postgame skate.
Later, Putin took a fall as he waved to the crowd.
https://t.co/x0mN62qQoY pic.twitter.com/l6XCRrwsIB
— ABC News (@ABC) May 10, 2019
Something tells me the red-carpet guy may want to get on the first flight to Finland.
Anyone got some gum?
For the first time since the NHL playoffs started, the Carolina Hurricanes appear to be crashing back to reality.
The No. 7 seed has made it all the way to the Eastern Conference finals. But now they trail Boston, 2-0, after losing Game 2, 6-2, on Sunday.
That left team captain Justin Williams struggling to find a description for the team’s state of affairs.
Open Wide…the not-so-delectable dinner that Canes captain Justin Williams says the team's just gonna need to chew and swallow in the wake of their 6-2 loss in Boston: pic.twitter.com/NAr7KzZKiG
— WRALSportsFan (@WRALSportsFan) May 12, 2019
I prefer Carolina barbeque, personally. But to each their own.
The Hurricanes host Game 3 on Tuesday.
LeBron is that dad
You know that youth sports dad.
The one that’s too vocal, too critical, too involved. You know him, because his name is LeBron James.
LeBron’s entire life has led up to him becoming an AAU dad pic.twitter.com/BPVTcuIzQc
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) May 12, 2019
That’s “The King” watching his son, Bronny, in an AAU game. Take a look at this account of his behavior from Yahoo.com’s Pat Forde.
“He coached his son’s team every bit as much as the actual coaches, occasionally telling the two guys supposedly in charge what to do,” Forde writes. “He walked the sideline giving post-up advice, instructing defenders, calling traps and directing inbounds plays. On a couple of occasions he hectored the officials (‘That is not a travel!’ he barked).”
Well, if LeBron can’t be involved in the playoffs, he might as well be involved in something.
Punching Porzingis
We all know sports fans can get a little emotional when a big-time player leaves a team.
But this is nuts.
According to TMZ, Kristaps Porzingis was in an altercation at a club in Latvia. Here is the aftermath.
T-shirt déchiré, visage ouvert et embrouille entre hommes en sortie de bar/boîte : les débuts de vacances de Kristaps Porziņģis ne se passe pas exactement pour le mieux. pic.twitter.com/AjbKy3XKyd
— Dallas Mavs France (@DallasMavsFr) May 12, 2019
The story says a group of Russian men attacked Porzingis because they were upset that he left the New York Knicks for Dallas. ESPN reported that the Mavericks forward may have been hit with a chair.
Porzingis hasn’t even played for Dallas yet as he recovers from ACL surgery.