News sport : Rutgers' Lord Nelson, a horse, dies at 42

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Rutgers announced Tuesday that Lord Nelson, a horse that was a member of the university's police department, died on April 12. It was 42.


The horse was the first member of the school's mounted police department and also the school's only equine professor emeritus. Which makes sense because if a school has more than one equine professor emeritus things, start to get a little weird.


Why are we writing about a horse? Well, according to the school, Lord Nelson is the only horse to ever be penalized in an NCAA football game. Seriously.


From Rutgers' announcement:



Lord Nelson will also be remembered as the first, and only, horse to ever receive an official football penalty in a NCAA football game. In addition to his time with the student mounted patrol, Nelson also served as the horse that was ridden by the Scarlet Knight at Rutgers football games. During a close game against Army in 1994, Nelson broke onto the field and raced all the way down the sideline to the opposite end of Giants Stadium. Receiving a yellow flag for his “un-sportsHORSE-man like conduct,” he almost cost Rutgers the game.



If you can find any video of the penalty, please let us know. We have come up empty so far.


Rutgers won the game 16-14. The Scarlet Knights were quarterbacked that season by Ray Lucas, who played for the New York Jets. The team's leading receiver was tight end Marco Battaglia, who also played in the NFL. Army was coached by current Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton.


(H/T @RedditCFB)


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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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News sport : Circle Sport Racing penalties reduced on appeal

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Circle Sport Racing appealed its penalty from California to NASCAR's appeals panel on Tuesday and got its penalties reduced.


After the race, Circle Sport was assessed a P4 level penalty. The problem was with inappropriate mounting of the truck trailing arm on the No. 33 car. The team was originally fined $50,000, penalized 25 points and had crew chief Sluger Labbe suspended for three races.


After the appeal, the points penalty was reduced to 10 points and a $20,000 fine. The three-race suspension was upheld.


“The process was very fair,’ Circle Sport Racing Joe Falk said in a statement. “We agree the part should have been presented to the R&D Center. We’re satisfied with the outcome, and we won’t appeal further."


The issue was found before the car, driven by Brian Scott at California, had taken the track.


Richard Childress Racing's appeal of penalties assessed to Ryan Newman's No. 31 team for manipulated tires is on Thursday. Is the reduction of Circle Sport's consequences a good thing for RCR? Well, it's likely inconsequential.


The appeals panel is a large pool of candidates and the three who heard the Circle Sport penalty (including former NASCAR driver Lake Speed) won't be hearing the RCR penalty. And the accused violations are very different. While there can be interpretations of the rule book within the cars themselves, NASCAR generally takes a hard line on tires. Plus, Newman's tires were looked at after the race.


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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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News sport : Alabama CB Cyrus Jones had a hip injury throughout 2014

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Alabama cornerback Cyrus Jones had a choice before the 2014 season. He could play through a hip injury or he could have surgery in June and end up missing the season.


You know by now that he chose the former.


The injury was a torn hip labrum. The labrum is a ring of cartilage around your hip socket that helps hold your leg in place in your hip. Yes, it's painful, and can especially effect players who have to make quick lateral movements. Like a cornerback.


"As soon as I was diagnosed with it, I knew, eventually, I would need surgery," Jones said via Al.com. "But being as though I got it diagnosed in the summertime during workouts, I couldn't get surgery because that would have meant I would have had to sit out during the season. I just had to deal with it through the season."


Jones was a key part of Alabama's defense in 2014. He had 46 tackles and three interceptions and started all of Alabama's games. He had the surgery in January and has been rehabilitating this spring. He estimated via Al.com that he was 70 percent ready.


"I probably have a couple more months until I'm fully 100 percent," Jones said. "I'm just taking my time with it, not trying to rush anything because I don't want to get back out there and have a setback right away, so that's something that's important."


For more Alabama news, visit TideSports.com.


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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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Dortmund confirm Klopp exit

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Borussia Dortmund have confirmed that coach Juergen Klopp will leave the club at the end of the current Bundesliga season.


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Borussia Dortmund announced that Jurgen Klopp will quit as head coach at the end of the season after seven years in charge and two German league titles.


The 47-year-old had a contract until 2018, but asked to be released early after a poor series of league results left Dortmund bottom of the table in February before climbing to their current position of tenth.


Klopp was the first coach in Borussia's history to win the german double of domestic league and cup titles.


He steered Dortmund to the 2013 Champions League final, when they lost at Wembley to Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich, having won the 2011 and 2012 German league titles. – AFP






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Did Carvajal bite Mandzukic?

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The Champions League battle of Madrid left Atletico striker Mario Mandzukic with a bloodied face and questions about biting.


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The Champions League battle of Madrid left Atletico striker Mario Mandzukic with a bloodied face and controversy over whether he was bitten by Real defender Dani Carvajal.


Carvajal strongly denied even trying to bite the Croatian striker. But he could still face action for landing a punch at Mandzukic that the referee did not see.


Madrid newspapers speculated that the 23 year-old Spanish international could be suspended for next week's return match in their Champions League quarter final.


The tie was left 0-0 after the first leg at the Vicente Calderon stadium, but there was much spotlight on the Carvajal-Mandzukic clash.


Battling in the penalty area, Mandzukic's arm is raised to hold back his rival. As Carvajal moves round, his mouth comes close to Mandzukic's arm and then he lands a punch in the striker's stomach.


Serbian referee Milorad Mazic was unsighted and Carvajal was extremely lucky not to concede a penalty for the punch. But the images soon dominated social media and Carvajal, who could still face retroactive action by Uefa, was quick to react on his Twitter account.


“I saw after the game that I am accused of biting an opponent player, I want to clarify that I have not bitten anyone, nor attempted to,” he said.


Film from the mixed zone after the game, broadcast by Spanish channel Neox, showed a small cut on Mandzukic's arm. But there was no way of telling whether it was a cut.


The 28-year-old Croatian had already been in the wars.


He was left with a bloody nose thanks to a stray elbow from Madrid defender Sergio Ramos.


Carvajal's absence for the second leg would be a blow for Real Madrid next Wednesday. They will already be without another key defender Marcelo who reached his yellow card limit in the game.


Football bites have been a major talking point since Uruguayan Luis Suarez was banned from all football activity for four months last year for sinking his teeth into Italian World Cup opponent Giorgio Chiellini.


Atletico Madrid's Mario Suarez made an apology meanwhile for making comments about the Serbian referee after the goalless draw.


“The referee was very bad. You can't have a Serbian in charge of a Champions League quarter-final, that isn't taking it seriously enough,” Suarez fumed after the game.


“I hope that in the second-leg the referee will be better with more fluid and normal decisions.


“The referee wasn't up to it, but they made mistakes as we do.”


The 28-year-old defensive midfielder was booked in the game and will be suspended for the return. And he quickly backtracked on his comments on Twitter.


“I'd like to apologise if anyone was offended by my words after the match, that wasn't my intention,” he said.


“I wanted to say that in a match of this magnitude you should designate a referee from a major league.”


However his Brazilian teammate Miranda also said the referee for such a big game should not come from “a minor league”. – AFP






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United playing with verve, pace again

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Manchester United’s recent revival has provided genuine grounds for believing they are ready to challenge again for the top prizes.


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London - The swagger has returned to Manchester United and their recent revival has provided genuine grounds for believing they are ready to challenge again for the top prizes in the game.


After two years of disappointment following the retirement of manager Alex Ferguson, United have beaten arch-rivals Liverpool and champions Manchester City in a run of six successive victories which have lifted them to third in the Premier League.


They are well placed to qualify for the Champions League and with manager Louis van Gaal sure to be given substantial funds to bolster his squad, United fans are dreaming of a return to the glory years they enjoyed with Ferguson at the helm.


The manner of United's 4-2 win over City on Sunday, the first victory over their neighbours for over two years, only added to the belief swirling around Old Trafford.


“Now they are the kings of the city,” said United striker Eric Cantona, whose signing by Ferguson in 1992 proved to be the catalyst for an unprecedented era of success.


“Sometimes you have a season when you lose games and you finish fourth or fifth,” the Frenchman told reporters in Shanghai. “Next year they can win.”


Cantona should know.


The flamboyant forward brought belief to a talented squad and his goals inspired United to win the 1993 title, their first for 26 years and the start of the Ferguson glory days which ended when the Scot retired in 2013.


David Moyes endured a dismal 10 months as manager, overseeing a negative style of football completely at odds with the traditions of the club.


United finished seventh shortly after Moyes was fired and Van Gaal was handed the reins along with a large transfer kitty.


“With a manager from Holland I think it's very important for Manchester United, because it's the same kind of philosophy for the game, Holland and Manchester United,” Cantona said.


They struggled, however, in the first half of the season, suffering a home defeat by Swansea and a humiliating 5-3 loss at promoted Leicester.


Van Gaal tinkered with his formation, incurring the wrath of the fans by deploying captain Wayne Rooney in midfield and relying on the brilliance of goalkeeper David de Gea to stay in touch with the leaders.


Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the Dutchman stumbled on a winning formula last month.


Three first-half goals against Tottenham Hotspur brought back memories of the days when Ferguson's teams would blow opponents away at Old Trafford.


Juan Mata scored two superb goals to sink Liverpool at Anfield and Manchester City were overwhelmed by an incessant and ruthless red tide.


With Michael Carrick pulling the strings in midfield, the revitalised Marouane Fellaini and Ashley Young tormented the City defence as United roared back from conceding an early goal to secure the most significant win of Van Gaal's tenure.


The canny Dutchman knows he must still recruit a top-quality central defender, a more physical central midfielder to compliment the wily Carrick and at least one faster more mobile forward.


If United can keep De Gea out of Real Madrid's clutches, they will have the makings of a potent team capable of mixing it with the best once again. – Reuters






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Klopp asks for Dortmund exit

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Borussia Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp has asked the club to be released from his contract after the season, the Bild paper said on their website.


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Berlin – Borussia Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp has asked the club to be released from his contract after the season, the Bild


paper said on their website, naming Thomas Tuchel as his potential successor.


Klopp, 47, came to Dortmund in 2007 from Mainz and won Bundesliga titles 2011 and 2012 with them, plus the German cup in 2012, and reached the 2013 Champions League final. His contract is until 2018.


Bild said that Klopp wants time off after the season which has been disastrous by Dortmund’s standard, currently ranked 10th in the Bundesliga after being second bottom in the winter break, and eliminated in the Champions League.


Bild said that Tuchel, who replaced Klopp in Mainz and has been on a sabbatical since last summer, is believed to get a four-year contract as new Dortmund coach. Tuchel was heavily linked with SV Hamburg, but Hamburg said that they have ended talks and appointed Bruno Labbadia as coach until 2016. – ANA-DPA






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Buffon has no plans to retire yet

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Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has no immediate plans to retire and said it would be a waste to quit now when he feels he is still in top form.


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Turin - Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has no immediate plans to retire and said it would be a waste to quit now when he feels he is still in top form.


“A player stops when he feels that he is no longer what he was before on the pitch,” Buffon, 37, told reporters after Juventus beat Monaco 1-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday.


“Looking at it objectively, that is not my case. I will continue to keep playing as long as I am doing well, otherwise it would be a waste. Why bid farewell to football if you are playing well?”


“At the first sign of slipping, I would be the first to bow out. I think one should stop playing when goes onto the field and you see that you are no longer the same person,” he added.


Buffon, who has helped Juventus win three successive Serie A titles and is still Italy's first-choice goalkeeper, made three important saves to deny Monaco an away goal in Tuesday's game.


Buffon joined Juventus from Parma in 2001, and stayed with them even after they were demoted to Serie B following the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal in 2006, the same year he helped Italy win the World Cup. – Reuters






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January slump cost City

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The wheels started to come off Manchester City's season during their defeat by Arsenal in the middle of January - and they have never been the same since.


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London - Joint leaders of the Premier League on New Year's Day, the wheels started to come off Manchester City's season during their 2-0 defeat by Arsenal in the middle of January - and they have never been the same since.


City had been challenging Chelsea at the top of the table and at the start of 2015, the two clubs had been separated only by alphabetical order.


Although there had been some earlier indications that Manuel Pellegrini's well-oiled machine was not running quite as smoothly as it could, City looked set to maintain their push for a second successive title.


A few doubts were raised during the Christmas and New Year programme when they allowed Burnley to come back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at the Etihad Stadium. They also squandered a 2-0 lead against Sunderland before eventually winning 3-2 thanks to a late Frank Lampard header.


City fell behind Chelsea in the title race when they allowed Everton to come from behind to force a 1-1 draw at Goodison.


Five weeks after being level with Chelsea, they were trailing Jose Mourinho's side by seven points.


After Sunday's crushing 4-2 derby defeat at Manchester United, even a top four finish and a place in next season's Champions League is no longer a certainty.


Headlines like “Humiliated” “Dismal City” “Toure top of the City flops” and “City humbled in derby defeat” have made painful reading for the blue half of Manchester.


City, effectively the richest team in the world through the backing of Sheikh Mansour's mega-rich Abu Dhabi United Group, have ended up looking more like the poor relations who have misspent their new found wealth.


Symptomatic of that is the 32.0 million pounds ($46.92 million) paid to Porto for French defender Eliaquim Mangala who has struggled at the back all season.


Many others including Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri, Edin Dzeko, Gael Clichy, Aleksandar Kolarov, Stevan Jovetic and captain Vincent Kompany have been poor since the slump started in January and coach Manuel Pellegrini's rigid 4-4-2 approach has cost them, especially when Barcelona eliminated them from the Champions League.


United skipper Wayne Rooney gave an indication of how his team approached Sunday's game when he said: “We know some City players are not the best at tracking back and defending or tracking runners and we felt we could make them pay for that and we did.


“We have got players who can score goals from midfield and, to be honest, we felt that was going to win us the game and that's how it proved to be.”


More than a month ago former City manager Peter Reid said much the same thing: “There's no desire when they lose the ball to get it back, to zip it around the park.


“We can all have off days in any walk of life but that desire, fighting for the shirt, not wanting to get beat, I'm looking at City and I don't see that.”


The one thing in City's favour with six matches to play is that they do not have the hardest of run-ins with home games to come against West Ham United, Aston Villa, Queens Park Rangers and Southampton, and two away games at Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City.


With a four-point cushion over Liverpool, they are still narrow favourites to finish in the top four, but who leads them forward and plays for them next season is anyone's guess. – Reuters






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Chiefs edge closer to PSL title

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Kaizer Chiefs continued their march towards the Premiership title with a hard-fought win over a resilient University of Pretoria.


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Pretoria – Kaizer Chiefs continued their march towards the Premiership title with a hard-fought 1-0 win over a resilient University of Pretoria side at Tuks Stadium, in Pretoria.


Siphiwe Tshabalala scored the only goal of the match through a trademark wonder strike with 20 minutes remaining in the clash.


The win means the AmaKhosi moved to 60 points, and were just six points away from clinching league honours with four games remaining in their season.


For Tuks, the loss at home comes as a blow to their top eight ambitions as they remain in 10th spot on the log with 30 points with five games remain.


The home side began fast from the first whistle with a chance to open the scoring in the first 30 seconds. Thabo Mnyamane made his way into the area and from close range could not get proper contact as he made contact with his knee, but a touch by a Chiefs corner meant a corner followed. From the setpiece, Chiefs showed some nervy defending again as they failed to clear the ball, and Mnyamane had the final shot but this time was well-wide of target.


Just after the quarter hour mark, Chiefs displayed swift interplay in the midfield with both Reneilwe Letsholonyane releasing George Lebese in the area with just Tuks keeper Washington Arubi to beat, but the striker’s shot was scuffed across the face of goal.


Within a minute, the ball was played up to the other side of the field and Mnyamane again got a shot off but Chiefs keeper Reyaad Pieterse pulled off an instinctive save to keep the sides level.


In the 26th minute, Thabo Mosadi was denied by Pieterse as his toe-poke forced another reaction stop from the gloveman.


After the interval, in the 56th minute from the edge of the area, Lebese found space but his left-footed effort was pulled wide of goal.


Chiefs finally broke the deadlock in the 70th minute with the goal from Shabalala. From a free kick 25 metres out, the midfielder produced a curling strike which rocketed into the top right hand corner of goal to make it 1-0 to Chiefs.


Despite Tuks pushing hard for an equaliser as the game wore to a close, Chiefs were able to keep the hosts scoreless to wrestle a vital three points. – ANA






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Wits too clever for Pirates

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A two-goal burst from Calvin Kadi helped Wits to a 2-0 win over Orlando Pirates in their Premiership match at Bidvest Stadium.


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Johannesburg – A two-goal burst from Calvin Kadi helped Wits to a 2-0 win over Orlando Pirates in their Premiership match at Bidvest Stadium, in Johannesburg, on Tuesday evening.


Wits stunned the much-fancied Buccaneers with a brace coming in the first 16 minutes from Kadi.


With the win, Wits join Pirates on the third-placed Pirates on 44 points, behind only on goal difference but with a game in hand.


With Kaizer Chiefs winning against University of Pretoria 1-0 in the other clash on the evening, Pirates mathematical chance of winning the league was ended.


Pirates were behind almost from the opening whistle. A shocking piece of defending by Patrick Phungwayo saw the ball passed straight into the path of Kadi, who could not believe his luck, and from the edge of the area slotted the ball with his right foot into the back of the net inside the first minute.


Barely fifteen minutes later, Kadi had his brace. Wits produced a flowing move upfield and sent the ball into the area, and Kadi at full pace banged the ball into goal with his left foot to make it 2-0 to the Clever Boys with the game still in its infancy.


Moeneeb Josephs in the Pirates goal was called to action in the 23rd minute as a Wits free kick was swung into the box and the keeper was able to punch the ball away from danger.


On the half-hour mark, Lehlonono Majoro found himself ahead of the Wits defence but instead of running into the area decided to go for goal from range and lofted his poor attempt into the crowd.


Pirates did manage to put the ball in the back of the net in the 57th minute when Lennox Bacela backheeled a cross into goal, but he was ruled offside.


Sifiso Myeni attempted to wrestle the initiative as the game move into the 61st minute with a charging run up the middle leaving Wits defenders in his wake, but his shot from the edge of the area was sliced wide.


Such was the ebb and flow of the contest, that from the restart Kadi came close to completing his hattrick. The fiery forward burst into the Pirates goal, but on this occasion his finishing was poor as his shot drifted harmlessly wide.


Wits did not have proceedings go all their own way as Phumlani Ntshangase was given a straight-red card for a bad tackle on Bacela, and the referee had no option but to give the player his marching orders.


Despite the one-man advantage, Pirates were unable to find any breakthrough. – ANA






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News sport : NBA Playoff Picture: One night remains with so much left to decide

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - APRIL 05: Paul George #13 of the Indiana Pacers watches a free throw during the game against the Miami Heat at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on April 5, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Tonight is his first game this season . NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) The final day of the NBA regular season is upon us, nearly six months since the San Antonio Spurs received their 2014 title rings on opening night. However, we're not especially close to figuring out the eight first-round playoff series set to begin this weekend. Only one matchup has been set — the East's No. 2 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. the No. 7 Boston Celtics, who beat the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night to clinch that seed.


As such, Wednesday's 14-game slate involves many different seeding scenarios dependent on a number of possible results. It's easiest to break things down by conference first and team second, so let's start with the East, where things are a little easier to follow.


The Indiana Pacers' 99-95 double-overtime win over the Washington Wizards eliminated the Miami Heat from contention, leaving just two teams to fight for the conference's final playoff berth. The possible seeds break down like this, with the team currently in that spot listed first:


1. Atlanta Hawks


2. Cleveland Cavaliers


3. Chicago Bulls or Toronto Raptors


4. Toronto Raptors or Chicago Bulls


5. Washington Wizards


6. Milwaukee Bucks


7. Boston Celtics


8. Indiana Pacers or Brooklyn Nets


And here's how each team will end up in each spot, along with its current record and Wednesday opponent:


Chicago Bulls: 49-32, vs. Hawks 8:00 p.m. ET


- No. 3 if they beat the Hawks OR the Raptors lose to the Charlotte Hornets


- No. 4 if they lose to the Hawks AND the Raptors beat the Hornets


Toronto Raptors: 48-33, vs. Hornets 7:00 p.m. ET


- No. 3 if they beat the Hornets AND the Bulls lose to the Hawks


- No. 4 if they lose to the Hornets OR the Bulls beat the Hawks


Indiana Pacers: 38-43, at Memphis Grizzlies 9:30 p.m. ET


- No. 8 if they beat the Grizzlies OR the Nets lose to the Orlando Magic


- Eliminated if they lose to the Grizzlies AND the Nets beat the Magic


Brooklyn Nets: 37-44, vs. Orlando Magic 8:00 p.m. ET


- No. 8 if they beat the Magic AND the Pacers lose to the Grizzlies


- Eliminated if they lose to the Magic OR the Pacers beat the Grizzlies



LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 19: Tim Duncan #21 of the San Antonio Spurs chases Chris Paul #3 of the Los Angeles Clippers around the screen of DeAndre Jordan #6 at Staples Center on February 19, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and condition of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The West is significantly more complicated. While the Los Angeles Clippers 112-101 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night finishes their regular season and ensures that they cannot finish lower than the No. 3 seed, the San Antonio Spurs or Houston Rockets could still take the No. 2 seed or even fall all the way down to No. 6. There is also one playoff berth yet to be determined. It's a little tough to follow, but the basic breakdown looks like this:


1. Golden State Warriors


2. Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, or Houston Rockets


3. San Antonio Spurs or Los Angeles Clippers


4. Portland Trail Blazers (will not have homecourt advantage in first round)


5. Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, or San Antonio Spurs


6. Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, or San Antonio Spurs


7. Dallas Mavericks


8. New Orleans Pelicans or Oklahoma City Thunder


So how are we going to figure out which team goes where? Let us guide you:


Los Angeles Clippers: 56-26, already finished season


- No. 2 if the Spurs lose to the Pelicans AND the Rockets lose to the Utah Jazz


- No. 3 if the Spurs beat the Pelicans OR the Rockets beat the Jazz


San Antonio Spurs: 55-26, at Pelicans 8:00 p.m. ET


- No. 2 if they beat the Pelicans


- No. 3 if they lose to the Pelicans AND the Rockets lose to the Jazz


- No. 5 if they lose to the Pelicans AND the Rockets beat the Jazz AND the Grizzlies lose to the Pacers


- No. 6 if they lose to the Pelicans AND the Rockets beat the Jazz AND the Grizzlies beat the Pacers


Houston Rockets: 55-26, vs. Jazz 8:00 p.m. ET


- No. 2 if they beat the Jazz AND the Spurs lose to the Pelicans


- No. 5 if they beat the Jazz AND the Spurs beat the Pelicans; OR if they lose to the Jazz AND the Grizzlies lose to the Pacers


- No. 6 if they lose to the Jazz AND the Grizzlies beat the Pacers


Memphis Grizzlies: 54-27, vs. Pacers 9:30 p.m. ET


- No. 5 if they beat the Pacers AND the Rockets lose to the Jazz; OR if they beat the Pacers AND the Rockets beat the Jazz AND the Spurs lose to the Pelicans


- No. 6 if they lose to the Pacers; OR if they beat the Pacers AND the Rockets beat the Jazz AND the Spurs beat the Pelicans


New Orleans Pelicans: 44-37, vs. Spurs 8:00 p.m. ET


- No. 8 if they beat the Spurs OR the Thunder lose to the Minnesota Timberwolves


- Eliminated if they lose to the Spurs AND the Thunder beat the Timberwolves


Oklahoma City Thunder: 44-37, at Timberwolves 8:00 p.m. ET


- No. 8 if they beat the Timberwolves AND the Pelicans lose to the Spurs


- Eliminated if they lose to the Timberwolves OR the Pelicans beat the Spurs



NEW ORLEANS, LA - DECEMBER 02: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives around Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans during the second quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center on December 2, 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans won the game 112-104. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowlesges and agrees that by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

The math gets a lot easier after Wednesday — first to four wins moves on to the next round, and whichever squad fails goes on vacation. Get excited, everybody. The playoffs are almost here.


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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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News sport : Chad George comes up a winner trying to show MMA fighters are role models

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Athletes in all sports are taught to play until the whistle blows, or until the referee says stop.


But because Chad George decided not to pay attention to that dictum, not only was a potentially dangerous situation averted, but he left the cage in Irvine, Calif., following his win over Mark Vorgeas at Bellator 136 on Friday with a greatly enhanced reputation.


In the third round of their lightweight fight, George caught Vorgeas with a Von Flue choke. Vorgeas went out, but referee Milan Ayers, standing only feet away, didn't realize it (4:10 mark of the video above). George let go of the choke, looked up at Ayers and said of Vorgeas, "He's out." Slowly, Ayers walked closer and said, "No he's not. No he's not."


And so George stepped back and pointed. When Vorgeas didn't move, Ayers took another step in, crouched over Vorgeas and only then realized he was out, calling off the bout.


George would have been well within his rights to keep the choke on or do some ground and pound on Vorgeas untll Ayers decided to stop the fight. But he chose the sportsmanlike route, much like Brian Stann did in 2012 during a bout with Alessio Sakara, when he alerted referee Marc Godard that Sakara was out cold and chose not to keep striking him.


George said the fight was over and he'd done his job.


Bellator fighter Chad George (Erik Fontanez/MMA Weekly) "Clearly, the fight was over and I didn't want to cause any more damage than needed to be done," George told Yahoo Sports. "I would hope someone would do the same for me if the roles were reversed. We both have families to go home to. This is a tough business and we know what can happen. You sometimes see a guy get a knockout and walk away, but in this case, I was fortunate to be able to get a submission and walk away."


He made the move that needed to be made, and showed the kind of professionalism and sportsmanship that epitomizes so many MMA fighters.


He said he wasn't angry with Ayers and didn't criticize the official for failing to see what was going on. He was right on the money in everything he had to say, striking the perfect tone.


"It wasn't frustrating that [Ayers] didn't see it," George said. "I knew it was over and it was more like, I wanted to get out of there and get back to my family and friends and all of the people who had supported me. That's really what it was. I was in a way caught between a rock and a hard place.


"Do I act on emotion and rain down punches on him that could cause serious damage, or do I show I'm a professional. I knew I could walk away and I made the judgment call. We're professionals and we're not in there to hurt anyone or do any more damage than is needed to win the fight. The fight was won and when it was over, it was over and I felt it was impmortant to end it there."


Though he fought down on the card, for that decision alone, that made Chad George the Fighter of the Night. And in a lot of places, probably in the homes of families of people close to Vorgeas, he might be the Fighter of the Year.


He did the classy, sportsmanlike thing when it would have been so easy to do the opposite.


Bravo, Chad George.






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Oblak saves Atletico from Real Madrid

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Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak played a key role in the Champions League clash against Real Madrid.


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Madrid - Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak produced a heroic performance to repel holders Real Madrid and help secure a 0-0 draw in their Champions League quarter-final, first leg at the Calderon on Tuesday.


Slovenian Oblak made a string of memorable saves against the team that beat Atletico in last season's final to keep the Spanish champions' hopes of reaching the last four alive ahead of next week's return game at the Bernabeu.


Atletico have had the upper hand over their wealthy neighbours in six derby meetings already this term but Real dominated for long periods in Tuesday's clash and will be furious not to have come away with at least one away goal.


Gareth Bale had probably their best chance as early as the third minute when he ran clear through the centre after a mistake from Diego Godin but Oblak raced out and blocked the Welshman's shot.


“I am really pleased like the rest of the team because today we worked a lot and it was a really hard match but we are still alive,” Oblak said in an interview with Spanish television broadcaster RTVE.


“Of course you always want to score and win but it's also important that we didn't concede at home,” he added. “I don't know who the favourites are now. Madrid are a great team with a lot of great players.”


Real forced Atletico onto the back foot from the start in the 260th meeting between the city rivals and, after twice denying Bale, Oblak pulled off further saves from Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodriguez.


Atletico's only real chance of the first half fell to Antoine Griezmann but the Frenchman's weak shot was easy for Iker Casillas in the Real goal.


With their fans roaring them on, Atletico saw more of the ball in the second period but Real, chasing a record-extending 11th European crown, again had the clearer chances and the home side were forced into some desperate defence.


However, they managed to mount a couple of dangerous attacks late on and Casillas had to be alert to keep out a Mario Suarez effort after a scramble in the goalmouth.


Atletico's Croatia forward Mario Mandzukic was in the thick of the action and suffered a head wound after he was caught by a flailing Sergio Ramos arm shortly after halftime but was able to play on after treatment.


Atletico midfielder Suarez and Real defender Marcelo were both booked and will be suspended for the return leg on April 22.


Reuters






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News sport : Rory McIlroy, Jamie Dornan square off in futuristic soccer match

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Rory McIlroy may be a golfer, but he's a big fan of other sports, too, including rugby and soccer, er, football. It's not a surprise, then, that the Ulsterman would be willing to try a new variation on the sport.


McIlroy faced off against fellow Northern Irishman and "50 Shades of Grey" actor Jamie Dornan in a match of Circular Soccer, a new game where players try to score goals on a three-sided net in the middle of the playing field. The idea is to encourage players to develop more skills, including ball handling, on the pitch.


Naturally, the world No. 1 wins the match.



Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.







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