CLEVELAND, OH. – LeBron James was presented his second consecutive NBA MVP, joining nine other NBA players who have won the award in back-to-back seasons.Those familiar names are Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, Steve Nash and Bill Russell.

Three of those stars, Russell, Chamberlain and Bird actually took the trophy home three times in a row.

James’ win comes at the heels of a season where he compiled the most impressive stats of his 7-year career that included 29.7 PPG, 7.3 rebounds and 8.6assists.NBA Commissioner David Stern presented the hardware to James Sunday at the University of Akron.

The Cavs star received 116 of a possible 123 first-place votes blowing away all the other candidates. Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant came in second but was picked first on only four ballots.

One piece of the puzzle for James’ career that remains missing is an NBA Championship. The Cavs have surrounded James with several different player combinations and have yet to find the right mix to bring Cleveland its first NBA Championship.

The most recent group includes Shaquille O’Neal who has won titles for the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat. The Cavs are considered by many as this year’s favorite after winning 61 games this season snagging the top seed in the playoffs.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

LAS VEGAS – Floyd Mayweather won a unanimous decision over Shane Mosley in their 12-round welterweight championship Saturday night in front of 15,117 fans at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

An aggressive effort by Mosley in the 2nd round stunned Mayweather as much as it did the crowd who witnessed Mayweather almost buckle to the canvas from a few hard shots.

 After surviving that barrage, Mayweather, who is considered one of the world’s best pound-for-pound fighters, regrouped and responded by taking control of the fight.

Mayweather did appear to hurt Mosley in the 7th and 8th rounds but, like Mayweather, Mosley refused to go to the canvas.

From that point on Mayweather basically went through the motions, outscoring his opponent well enough to cakewalk to another victory. Mosley, 38 years old, was fighting for the first time in almost a year and a half and looked his age towards the end of the fight.

Judge Robert Hoyle scored the bout 118-110 while judges Adalaide Byrd and Dave Moretti each scored it 119-109.

Mayweather complemented Mosley after the fight saying:

“He’s a hell of a fighter, what more can I say. He’s a future Hall of Famer.”

When asked about the drug testing that was responsible for killing the negotiations for a Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao fight, Mayweather said he remains ready to fight when Manny agrees to Olympic-style drug testing, the same testing Mosley agreed to for this fight.

The sellout crowd included Muhammad Ali, Will Smith, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mike Tyson, Jay-Z and Paris Hilton.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

CLEVELAND, OH. – Word finally came down on LeBron James’ injury to his elbow and as expected, the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar will take the court on Saturday for Game 1 of the best-of-seven series against the Boston Celtics.LeBron practiced left-handed layups and short jumpers at his team’s practice today after being checked out by team docs Wednesday night in Cleveland. An MRI and X-rays were performed and the diagnosis is said to be a bone bruise accompanied by a strain.

“The best thing about it is there’s no structural damage. The docs have given me clearance that I can’t hurt it worse,” James said.

Although he’s been given the green light to play, James will continue receiving daily treatment and the team has scheduled another MRI for next week.

“We’re just being very [cautious] right now,” James said. “I didn’t do much shooting [today].”

The Cavs moved into this next round of the NBA Playoffs after they eliminated the Chicago Bulls in 5 games of a best-of-seven. Finishing that series in short fashion is exactly what the Cavaliers needed so James will be required to play less games over the stretch of these playoffs.

Knocking off the Celtics may not as easy. Many are expecting this to be a knock-down drag-out fight between these two hungry teams. The Celtics are out to prove they weren’t one-time wonders while the Cavs are still searching for their first title with James.

“If I am limited during the [Celtics] game, then I’ll be smart about it,” James said. “That’s what I was able to do in Game 5 [against Chicago]. I was very limited in shooting long-range shots, so I started going to the hole in the fourth quarter.”

With this injury limiting LeBron’s play, don’t expect a large amount of highlight-reel slam dunks until the elbow finds a way to work itself back closer to normal.

NOTE: ESPN First & Ten analyst Skip Bayless stopped just short of accusing LeBron of over exaggerating about his injury after he elected to shoot a free throw left-handed when the Chicago game was out of reach.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

ATLANTA, GA. – Milwaukee Bucks rookie Brandon Jennings soared into Philips Arena, scoring 12 straight points in the first six minutes of the game Wednesday night to let the Atlanta Hawks know his team wasn’t rolling over in Game 5 of their NBA Playoffs series.

The Hawks responded, pulling away several times throughout the game and seemed to have the deal sealed after Josh Smith sunk a long jumper with 4:10 remaining giving his team a 82-73 lead.

But here’s where the old cliché kicks in: “It’s never over ‘til it’s over”.

With the Hawks thinking about hitting the showers, the underdog Bucks had other plans and stunned the home team with a 18-5 run, storming off the court with a 91-87 come-from-behind win and a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

That final run included a 14-0 spurt where the Hawks missed seven in a row from all areas of the court, imploding in front of their shocked hometown fans.

Jamal Crawford who received the NBA Sixth Player Award just prior to opening tip, was everything but, hitting just 4 of 18 from the field.

“This is incredible. We had the game won. It just slipped away from us,” Crawford said.

With this struggle and potential elimination ahead for the Hawks, coach Mike Woodson may want to get a fresh resume ready to shop around before the season ends.

Over his tenure, his team has shown several runs of unmotivated play and with his contract due again, he has good reason to be nervous.

Another face that may be packing his bags is All-Star Joe Johnson who becomes a free agent this summer. Sometimes criticized for his lack of consistency, Johnson again showed that side of his game during this crucial game, hitting just 6 of 16 from the floor for 13 points.

“It’s a terrible loss, embarrassing. It’s the same thing, effort, toughness, that’s killing us. Everybody here should check themselves in the mirror,” said Johnson.

Yes, effort and toughness but you forgot lack of motivation. Three important qualities that have been engrained into players at playoff time by passionate successful NBA coaches like Phil Jackson and Pat Riley.

Unless the Hawks find a way to win in Milwaukee on Friday then back at home in Game 7 on Sunday in Atlanta, Mike Woodson may be involved in his final playoff series behind the bench in Atlanta.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

This week marks the first time ever that a team has both delivered the Bitch-Slap-of-the-Week while also receiving the humiliating honor. That team would be Prince’s squad, the Brew Crew.Just days after delivering a record-setting stomping to the Pittsburgh Pirates outscoring them 36-1 over a 3-game sweep, these same Brewers were blown out by the Chicago Cubs 25-4 who brought their brooms from the Windy City for their 3- game sweep and this week’s Bitch-Slap.

Brew Crew hurler Dave Bush came into the final game of the series with a 2.41 ERA in three starts. After his disaster that looked more like batting practice during Sunday’s 12-2 loss, he left the bump with a 4.84 ERA.

His stats, 3 1/3 innings, 10 hits, 9 runs, and 4 homers; let’s toss in a couple of extra backhanded Bitch-Slaps for this performance. Teeing off on Bush for round-trippers were Kosuke Fukudome, Tyler Colvin, Geovany Soto and Derrek Lee. Lee’s blast made it 9-0 and mercifully ended the day for Bush.

Funny how a MLB team can ride out of Pittsburgh on a high horse with a head of steam then totally implode a few days later on their home field, Miller Park.

“This is embarrassing in a way,” Brewer Jim Edmonds said. “We’re just not playing well.”

Ah, yeah . . . you got your asses kicked!

We hate to jump on the dogpile, Brewers, but after that tee-ball performance, you gotta get our Bitch-Slap-of-the-Week.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

As he has many times in the past, Matt Millen again made an ass of himself on NFL Draft day. No he didn’t select another wide receiver in the top of the first round. This time he drew attention after calling a Polish co-analyst a ‘Polack’ live on-air.

The jab at Ron Jaworski was all in fun, we can be sure of that, but the lack of common sense Millen continues to show on draft day is another story.

Millen, the former CEO, or whatever fancy title he and the Lions office gave him at the time, was jawing it up with Jaworski on the air and somehow got into a conversation about fried bologna sandwiches.

Millen then blurted out:

“Ask any Polack from Buffalo how they like them, right Jaws.”

Jaworski who was known as the “Polish Rifle” during his playing days with the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t seem to take offense but the question here is, were these analysts getting as far away from NFL Draft talk as possible to divert the audience’s attention away from Millen’s past draft history?

We can’t blame them if they were. You can almost feel the football fans in Detroit cringing every time Millen talks football especially on draft day and after his latest gaffe, he may have further isolated himself from the great Polish community of Hamtramck, Michigan.

A lot of people outside of Detroit say Matt Millen is a decent NFL commentator even after the train wreck that occurred with him as the engineer but when it comes to the NFL draft, come on networks, let that settle in for a second and think about who you are putting in front of the public to present an “expert” opinion.  

Bottom line is, seeing Millen with a mic in hand working as a draft analyst was more awkward than the asinine comment he made. It’s as absurd as Tiger Woods giving a course on fidelity.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK. – The Oklahoma City Thunder came to play on Saturday, out-rebounding the L.A. Lakers and their 7-foot duo, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum and thrashing the Lakers 110-89 to even the NBA Playoff series 2-2.

Kevin Durant scored 22 points and Russell Westbrook netted 18 and added 8 boards for the Thunder who are suddenly making believers out of their fans and opposition around the league.

After the game Durant was composed and seemed all business during a courtside interview saying, “It’s a seven game series.”

“We knew what we were capable of and how hard we play every day and how hard we practice every day,” said Durant. “With those attributes, I think that we can go far as a team. It’s all on us. We control our own destiny at this point.”

“A lot of people didn’t expect us to be here and once we got here, people were saying we were going to get swept.”

Kobe Bryant was held to 12 points and his decision to not take a shot for the first 15 minutes of the game, got his team in a 15-point deficit hole they could never dig out of.

The Thunder responded with a vengeance and the Lakers never got within double-digits after the first quarter.

“This is as big as a game can possibly be,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “You’re playing against one of the best teams in the playoffs on your home floor. Like I told the guys after the game, the Lakers did a good job the first two games. They took care of their home court. We did the same thing.”

Bynum and Gasol led the Lakers in scoring with 13 and Kobe took his 12 points to the bench, spending the entire 4th quarter there with 3 other Lakers starters.

“Our expectation is we wanted to win both of these games and be done with it. I think that’s every team’s mindset coming on the road being up 2-0,” Bryant said during post-game. “We’ve got a tough fight.”

Game 5 is Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The 2010 NFL Draft has been full of surprises. After much speculation about teams trading for the St. Louis Rams first pick in the 2nd round to land Notre Dame quarterback, Jimmy Clausen, the Rams kept the pick and Clausen dropped all the way down to 48th overall where he was selected by the Carolina Panthers.

Clausen’s drop in stock was one of the biggest surprises but he wasn’t alone. As Clausen squirmed in his seat, dropping 44 picks lower than the slot ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr. had him in, Texas Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy dropped all the way into the 3rd round. McCoy was selected 85th overall by the Cleveland Browns who threw in the towel on the Brady Quinn project, trading Quinn to the Denver Broncos in the off season.

NFL 2010 DRAFT SECOND ROUND RESULTS

33. St. Louis Rams: Rodger Saffold- offensive tackle, Indiana
34. Minnesota Vikings: Chris Cook- cornerback, Virginia
35. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Brian Price- defensive tackle, UCLA
36. Kansas City Chiefs: Dexter McCluster- running back, Mississippi
37. Philadelphia Eagles: Nate Allen- safety, South Florida
38. Cleveland Browns: T.J. Ward- safety, Oregon
39. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Arrelious Benn- wide receiver, Illinois
40. Miami Dolphins: Koa Misi- linebacker, Utah
41. Buffalo Bills: Torell Troup- defensive tackle, Central Florida
42. New England Patriots: Rob Gronkowski- tight end, Arizona
43. Baltimore Ravens: Sergio Kindle- linebacker, Texas
44. Oakland Raiders: Lamarr Houston- defensive tackle, Texas
45. Denver Broncos: Zane Beadles- offensive guard, Utah
46. New York Giants: Linval Joseph- defensive tackle, East Carolina
47. Arizona Cardinals: Daryl Washington- linebacker, TCU
48. Carolina Panthers: Jimmy Clausen- quarterback, Notre Dame
49. San Francisco 49ers: Taylor Mays- safety, USC
50. Kansas City Chiefs: Javier Arenas- cornerback, Alabama
51. Minnesota Vikings: Toby Gerhart- running back, Stanford
52. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jason Worilds- linebacker, Virginia Tech
53. New England Patriots: Jermaine Cunningham- linebacker, Florida
54. Cincinnati Bengals: Carlos Dunlap- defensive end, Florida
55. Dallas Cowboys: Sean Lee- linebacker, Penn State
56. Green Bay Packers: Michael Neal- defensive tackle, Purdue
57. Baltimore Ravens: Terrence Cody- defensive tackle, Alabama
58. Houston Texans: Ben Tate- running back, Auburn
59. Cleveland Browns: Montario Hardesty- running back, Tennessee
60. Seattle Seahawks: Golden Tate- wide receiver, Notre Dame
61. New York Jets: Vladimir Ducasse- offensive guard, UMass
62. New England Patriots: Brandon Spikes- linebacker, Florida
63. Indianapolis Colts: Patrick Angerer- linebacker, Iowa
64. New Orleans Saints: Charles Brown- offensive tackle, USC

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The NFL Draft moved to prime time and now that the dust has settled, many are saying the Detroit Lions were the biggest winners.

The Lions took defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh with their No. 2 overall pick then traded up with the Minnesota Vikings and chose running back Jahvid Best at No. 30.

The Lions are entering the second season following their 0-16 season and snagged two players, one on each side of the ball, who should step right into the starting line-up and make an impact.

The biggest surprise of the first round was Florida quarterback Tim Tebow going to Denver with pick No. 25.

FIRST ROUND NFL DRAFT RESULTS

1. Rams – Sam BradfordQB
2. Lions – Ndamukong SuhDT
3. Buccaneers – Gerald McCoyDT
4. Redskins – Trent WilliamsOT
5. Chiefs – Eric BerrySS
6. Seahawks – Russell OkungOT
7. Browns – Joe HadenCB
8. Raiders – Rolando McClainLB
9. Bills – C.J. SpillerRB
10. Jaguars – Tyson AlualuDE
11. 49ers – Anthony DavisOT
12. Chargers – Ryan MathewsRB
13. Eagles – Brandon GrahamDE
14. Seahawks – Earl ThomasSS
15. Giants – Jason Pierre-PaulDE
16. Titans – Derrick MorganDE
17. 49ers – Mike IupatiOG
18. Steelers – Maurkice PounceyC
19. Falcons – Sean WeatherspoonLB
20. Texans – Kareem JacksonCB
21. Bengals – Jermaine GreshamTE
22. Broncos – Demaryius ThomasWR
23. Packers – Bryan BulagaOT
24. Cowboys – Dez BryantWR
25. Broncos – Tim TebowQB
26. Cardinals – Dan WilliamsDT
27. Patriots – Devin McCourtyCB
28. Dolphins – Jared OdrickDT
29. Jets – Kyle WilsonCB
30. Lions – Jahvid BestRB
31. Colts – Jerry HughesDE
32. Saints – Patrick RobinsonCB

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

The Brew Crew handed the Pittsburgh Pirates a classic bitch-slapping, squashing them in a three-game series while sending 36 runners across the plate. Milwaukee outscored the listless Pirates 36-1 in the 3-game series with the final game a 25-hit, 20-0 mercy killing.

That loss was the most lopsided in the Pirates 124-year history and BTW, this all happened on Pittsburgh’s home field.

“It was fun and it was special . . . I enjoyed it.” said Brewers Ryan Braun after knocking two over the fence and driving in 5 runs in the 20-0 game.

Yeah, fun and special for the ones laying out the can of whoopass on a group of MLB impersonators. Now ask the Pirates what they thought of the 20-0 disaster.

Pirates’ pitcher Daniel McCutchen (0-2) 14.73 ERA said this:

“Lots of times, it felt like I was throwing batting practice to them.”

Maybe because you basically were . . .

Pirates manager John Russell chimed in with the obvious:

“They came in and kicked our butt.”

Yes they did and they threw in a couple of backhanded bitch-slaps in just for good measure.

This is becoming a part of a pattern for the Pirates who have lost eight times this season by six or more runs while being outscored in those games 85-13.

That 85-13 is not a typo, people . . . it’s just an all out swift kick in the nuts!

20-0 box score on MLB.com

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™