Sports
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020
THE OBSERVER — 7A
7A
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Th e Observer
NBA
Heat, Lakers to meet in fi nals
Championship
series begins
Wednesday night
By Tim Reynolds
AP Basketball Writer
Photo by Elaine Thompson/Associated Press
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf, right, catches a pass for a touchdown Sun-
day, Sept. 27, 2020, in front of Dallas Cowboys strong safety Darian Thompson, left,
during the second half of an NFL football game in Seattle.
Wilson’s 5 TD passes lift
Seahawks past Cowboys
Late touchdown
puts Seattle ahead
for good in 38-31
win over Dallas
By Tim Booth
“We have a quarterback who can
fi gure out a way to run around and
just keep the play alive and you
never know when he’s going to be
able to give it to you.”
Associated Press
SEATTLE — DK
Metcalf made an unforgiv-
able blunder by starting
his celebration too soon, a
textbook example of what
not to do.
His coach told him so.
So did his quarterback.
“He had that fl uke
play today and I told him,
never do it again,” Russell
Wilson said.
Given the chance to
redeem himself, Met-
calf came through in the
fi nal minutes and this
time there was no ques-
tion about the celebra-
tion. Metcalf caught a
29-yard touchdown pass
from Wilson with 1:47
remaining, and the Seattle
Seahawks held off the
Dallas Cowboys 38-31 on
Sunday.
“The fact that he came
back, of course he did.
He’s such a great compet-
itor,” Seattle coach Pete
Carroll said.
Wilson threw fi ve
touchdown passes, setting
a record for most scoring
passes in the fi rst three
games of a season with 14.
Patrick Mahomes threw
for 13 TDs in three games
to launch his MVP season
in 2018. Wilson became
the fi rst QB to have at
least four TD passes in
each of the fi rst three
games.
Metcalf appeared to
have a walk-in touchdown
after hauling in a deep
pass from Wilson late
in the fi rst quarter. But
he was careless with the
ball in the fi nal few steps
before the goal line, and
cornerback Trevon Diggs
came up from behind and
knocked the ball free. It
went out of the end zone
for a touchback.
Instead of a touchdown
and 16-3 lead, it was a
62-yard reception and a
forgettable moment.
“The lesson learned
will help everybody and
fortunately we overcame
it and didn’t wreck the
game for us,” Carroll said.
“But it’s a terrible play. It
really is because he’s got
a touchdown, just fi nish
it off, and he started cele-
brating too early.”
Metcalf was mostly
quiet after his mistake as
Tyler Lockett became the
favorite target for Wilson.
But when Seattle needed a
— Tyler Lockett, Seattle wide receiver, who had a
career-high three touchdown receptions on nine catches
for 100 yards on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys
big play late, Wilson
fl oated a pass into the end
zone for Metcalf.
Wilson was 27 of 40 for
315 yards. His latest bit
of fourth-quarter magic
ruined Dak Prescott’s
attempt at a second
straight major comeback.
“They made more
key plays than we did,”
Dallas coach Mike McCa-
rthy said. “We had a lot
of production, but the key
plays in the game, I think
you’ve got to give those
guys credit.”
Dallas trailed 30-15
after Prescott fumbled on
the fi rst play of the second
half and Wilson subse-
quently threw his fourth
TD pass. But Prescott
threw TD passes of 42
yards to Cedrick Wilson
and 43 yards to Michael
Gallup, and Greg Zuer-
lein’s 42-yard fi eld goal
with 4:03 left gave Dallas
a 31-30 lead.
Prescott had one last
chance after Metcalf’s
TD reception. He led the
Cowboys to the Seattle 22
but was sacked by rookie
Alton Robinson on second
down, and Dallas had
use its fi nal timeout with
16 seconds left. On third
down, Prescott’s despera-
tion throw to the end zone
was intercepted by Ryan
Neal.
Prescott fi nished 37
of 57 for 472 yards, with
three touchdowns and
two interceptions. He set
career highs for yards and
attempts.
“I want to make those
throws and I want to
have that opportunity,”
Prescott said. “We’ve just
got to be better starting
with myself of converting
those and making more
of these one-score games
wins for us.”
While Prescott became
the latest QB to have a
big day against Seattle’s
leaky secondary, the Sea-
hawks held Ezekiel Elliott
in check. Elliott fi nished
with 34 yards rushing on
14 carries and scored on a
1-yard run in the fi rst half.
Lockett set a career
high with three TD recep-
tions and fi nished with
nine catches for 100 yards.
LAKE BUENA VISTA,
Fla. — LeBron James vs.
the Heat.
Pat Riley vs. the Lakers.
Get ready for the NBA
Finals — a title series like
none other, to end a season
like none other.
The matchup is set,
with the Miami Heat and
the Los Angeles Lakers
emerging as the last
two teams standing in
the chase to be crowned
champions of the most
tumultuous season in
NBA history. The Heat
won the Eastern Confer-
ence title Sunday night,
fi nishing off Boston a
day after the Lakers won
the Western Conference
crown.
So, for the fi rst time
— well, excluding the
league’s inaugural season
— two franchises that
missed the playoffs the
previous season will
meet in the NBA Finals.
Game 1 of Heat-Lakers is
Wednesday night at Walt
Disney World.
“We know why I came
here,” said Lakers All-
Star forward Anthony
Davis, whose fi rst fi nals
trip comes in his fi rst L.A.
season. “We want to win a
championship. We’re four
wins away, a step closer to
our goal.”
James is bidding for
a fourth NBA champi-
onship, as well as a title
with a third different fran-
chise — and he’s about to
become the fi rst player to
win a Finals MVP award
with one team and then
face that same team in
a future championship
series. His fi rst two titles
were with Miami in 2012
and 2013, the highlights of
a four-year stint with the
Heat that ended in 2014.
That, not coinciden-
tally, was the last time
the Heat had reached
this stage. James left to
return to Cleveland ear-
lier than the Heat fi gured
he would, Chris Bosh
began his fi ght with blood
clots — a condition that
ended his career — not too
long afterward and Miami
descended from mag-
nifi cent to mediocre in a
hurry.
No more. With a young
core led by Bam Ade-
bayo and Tyler Herro, the
veteran savvy of Goran
Dragic and the addi-
tion a year ago of Jimmy
Butler the Heat got back
to title contention quicker
than probably anyone
envisioned, themselves
included.
Then again, Riley —
who won four champion-
ships in a seven-year span
as coach of the “Show-
time” Lakers — isn’t
known for patience.
He thinks big. That’s
why he and the Heat
landed James and Bosh
to play with Dwyane
Wade in 2010. That’s
why they got Butler in
2019, even when the
team had no free-agent
money to spend. That’s
why they swung a deal to
add Andre Iguodala, Jae
Crowder and Solomon
Hill in February, trading
them for Justise Winslow,
James Johnson and Dion
Waiters; Waiters, oddly
enough, ended up with
the Lakers and will now
face the Heat in this title
series.
FAMILY
OWNED
215 Elm Street La Grande (541) 963-5440
northwestfurnitureandmattress.com
NFL STANDINGS
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
East
W L T Pct
PF
Buff alo 3 0 0 1.000
93
N. Eng. 2 1 0 .667
87
Miami 1 2 0 .333
70
N.Y. Jets 0 3 0 .000
37
South
W L T Pct
PF
Tenn.
3 0 0 1.000
80
Ind’polis 2 1 0 .667
84
J’ville
1 2 0 .333
70
Houston 0 3 0
.000
57
North
W L T Pct
PF
B’more 2 0 0 1.000
71
Pitts.
3 0 0 1.000
80
C’land
2 1 0 .667
75
Cincin. 0 2 1 .000
66
West
W L T
Pct
PF
K. City
2 0 0
1.000 57
L. Vegas 2 1 0
.667
88
L.A. Ch. 1 2 0
.333
52
Denver 0 3 0
.000
45
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
East
W L T
Pct
PF
Dallas
1 2 0
.333
88
Wash.
1 2 0
.333
62
Phila.
0 2 1
.000
59
N.Y.G.
0 3 0
.000
38
South
W L T Pct
PF
T. Bay
2 1 0 .667
82
Caro.
1 2 0 .333
68
N. O.
1 2 0 .333
88
Atlanta 0 3 0 .000
90
North
W L T Pct
PF
Chi.
3 0 0 1.000 74
G. Bay
3 0 0 1.000 122
Detroit 1 2 0 .333
70
Minn.
0 3 0 .000
75
West
W L T
Pct
PF
Seattle 3 0 0
1.000 111
Arizona 2 1 0
.667
77
L.A. Rams 2 1 0
.667
89
S.Fran.
2 1 0
.667
87
PA
77
66
65
94
TREASURE
VALLEY
STEEL, INC.
PA
74
45
84
95
PA
22
58
88
74
PA
40
90
57
70
PA
97
81
87
79
Manufacturing Zee & Cee Purlins
In-HouseCustom Cut Exact Lengths
PA
61
81
94
108
PA
62
85
92
102
PA
86
61
71
46
Thursday’s result
Miami 31, Jacksonville 13
Sunday’s results
Pittsburgh 28, Houston 21
Tennessee 31, Minnesota 30
Cincinnati 23, Philadelphia 23, OT
Chicago 30, Atlanta 26
Cleveland 34, Washington 20
New England 36, Las Vegas 20
Buff alo 35, L.A. Rams 32
San Francisco 36, N.Y. Giants 9
Indianapolis 36, N.Y. Jets 7
Carolina 21, L.A. Chargers 16
Tampa Bay 28, Denver 10
Detroit 26, Arizona 23
Seattle 38, Dallas 31
Green Bay 37, New Orleans 30
Monday’s Game
Kansas City at Baltimore, late
Thursday’s Game
Denver at N.Y. Jets, 5:20 p.m.
Lockett scored once from
43 yards out and twice
from the 1-yard line.
Jacob Hollister also had a
1-yard TD catch and made
the reception on Seattle’s
2-point conversion after
Metcalf’s TD.
“It’s just staying
alive and staying open,”
Lockett said. “We have
a quarterback who can
fi gure out a way to run
around and just keep the
play alive and you never
know when he’s going to
be able to give it to you.”
• 24 Colors
• Custom Trim
• 2 1/2” Corrugated
• Delivery Available
• Full Soffitt Line
• 3 ft. Gulf Coast Panel
• 3 ft. PBR Panel
• 3 ft. Mesa Panel
• 3 ft. Tuff Rib Panel
• Standing Seam
DELIVERY
• 2 ft. Delta Rib
AVAILABLE
• 3 ft. Pro Panel
40 Year Full Paint Warranty • WeatherX Paint System
ONTARIO
541-889-4214
BOISE
208-336-7505
1460 N. Verde Dr.
Toll Free 1-866-887-8335
6619 S. Supply Way
Toll Free 1-888-717-8335
WWW.TREASUREVALLEYSTEEL.COM