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SPORTS Saturday, May 13, 2017 East Oregonian Page 3B NHL Neal’s OT goal downs Ducks By GREG BEACHAM Associated Press ANAHEIM, Calif. — James Neal scored 9:24 into overtime, and the Nashville Predators kicked off their first appearance in the Western Conference finals with a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night. Pekka Rinne made 27 saves for the Predators, who continued their dominant surge through these Stanley Cup playoffs with a strong start and a gritty overtime effort after Hampus Lindholm’s first playoff goal in two years tied it for the Ducks. Filip Forsberg and Austin Watson scored in regulation for Nashville, Nashville Anaheim 3 2 which improved to 9-2 in the post- season. Jakob Silfverberg scored on the Ducks’ first shot, and John Gibson stopped 43 shots. Just two days after finishing off Edmonton in the second round, Anaheim struggled to keep up at times with the more- rested Predators. Game 2 is Sunday night. Neal put a long shot past a sprawled Gibson after a prolonged threat by the Predators that left Anaheim’s defense in disarray. The goal was the veteran forward’s third in four games. Although this conference final matches two Sun Belt clubs 2,000 miles apart, they have a feisty history. Anaheim and Nashville are meeting in the postseason for the third time, including the past two seasons. Nashville twice won Game 1 and went on to claim the previous two series with major help from Rinne, who usually has been at his inimitable best when facing the Ducks’ scorers. Rinne picked up right where he left off last season when Nashville eliminated Anaheim from the first round in seven games, but Gibson responded with a second straight superb playoff performance. AP Photo/Chris Carlson Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson, right, and right wing Corey Per- ry fail to stop the game-winning goal by Nashville Predators left wing James Neal in overtime of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup West- ern Conference finals, Friday, May 12, 2017, in Anaheim, Calif. The Pred- ators won 3-2. NBA Wall’s late 3 lifts Wizards, forces Game 7 By HOWARD FENDRICH Associated Press WASHINGTON — John Wall stood atop the scorer’s table, popping his jersey, yelling and celebrating his 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds left for the go-ahead basket that put his Wash- ington Wizards into a Game 7 against the Boston Celtics. After Washington’s 92-91 victory extended the Eastern Conference semi- final, Wall offered his thoughts on Boston’s failure to back up its fashion statement Boston of wearing all black clothing to the arena Friday night. “It was just funny to me. It was kind of copy-catting what we did,” said Wall, whose Washington Wizards donned dark outfits before a regular-season game between these teams that are building a rivalry. “It was in my mind throughout the game that I didn’t want them to come here, wear all black, and basi- cally call it a funeral.” Thanks to him and backcourt mate Bradley Beal, Washington’s season will last at least one more game. Wall finished with 26 points, Beal scored a game-high 33, and they combined for 23 of Washington’s 26 points in the back-and-forth fourth quarter. “All we asked for was one more game,” Wall said, “and we got it.” Game 7 is at Boston on Monday night. The winner will face LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East finals starting Wednesday. The host has won all 10 games between the Wizards and Celtics this season — four in the regular season and six in the playoffs. “Two best words in playoffs is ‘Game 7,”’ Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. “Seems like it was meant to be.” Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley each scored 27 points for Boston, the conference’s No. 1 seed. But Bradley could do nothing defensively to stop Wall on the winning shot, coming off an inbound play that was designed to get Beal the ball. And Thomas’ heave at the buzzer clanked off the rim. “I thought it was going in,” Thomas said. “Honestly I did.” Like the rest of his teammates, he was left to get back into his dark outfit afterward. Wearing a black shirt, he scoffed at the idea Wall and the Wizards derived some boost from Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) shoots the game-win- ning 3-point shot over Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) during Game 6 of an NBA basket- ball sec- ond-round playoff series Friday, May 12, 2017, in Washing- ton. The Wizards won 92-91. 91 92 AP Photo/Alex Brandon knowing about the Celtics’ choice of attire. “Their season was on the line,” he said. “They should have been moti- vated by everything else.” Boston, which won Game 5 at home by 22 points, led Game 6 by 69-66 entering the fourth quarter, when a relatively blah game became much more compelling. The final period was tight throughout, featuring six ties and nine lead changes. Boston was up 87-82, but did not hold on. “We put ourselves in position to win the game,” said Al Horford, whose 16-foot baseline bank shot with 7.7 seconds left gave Boston its last lead at 91-89. “Couldn’t finish it. ... We can’t dwell on this.” Wall and Beal both shook off slow starts. Beal was 0 for 7 on 3s before making his only one of the game with 69 seconds left. The Wizards as a whole started 1 for 15 from beyond the arc. And Wall started 1 for 12 overall before closing by making 8 of 13. “If I go 1 for 30,” he shrugged, “that’s the way I go out.” Not since 1979 have the Wizards reached the conference finals, and Wall has made clear he’ll consider this season — Brooks’ first as the team’s coach — a waste of time if they don’t get there this time. “We don’t win Game 7,” Wall said, “we feel like it was a failure.” TIP-INS Celtics: Their 42-41 halftime lead was the visitors’ first since edge since 2-0 on Horford’s basket. ... Trying to reach the East finals for the first time since 2012. Wizards: Had lost seven consecu- tive elimination games at home. ... Last reached the Eastern Conference finals in 1979. ... This was the first win by a home team facing elimination on its court in these NBA playoffs; hosts had been 0-10 in that situation until Friday. ... F Otto Porter Jr. had zero points. BACK IN BLACK Some Celtics said it was purely coincidence that they showed up wearing black, the way the Wizards did for what became known as the “Funeral Game,” won by Washington in January. Joked Brooks: “I’m going to talk to my lawyers. I think we have that trademarked, right? That’s our thing.” No Love lost: Cavs star accepts reduced role as champs roll By TOM WITHERS ASSOCIATED PRESS CLEVELAND — Kevin Love doesn’t mind being a third wheel or a fourth or even a fifth. His scoring average has dipped and he’s taking fewer shots. And he’s OK with that. He has not been a major part of Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue’s plans in the playoffs so far. And he’s not complaining about that, either. In short, Love isn’t demanding more, well, love. “I told him (Lue), ‘We’re 8-0. I don’t mind it,’” he said Thursday following practice. “If I get five or six shots, if I get 15 shots, it doesn’t matter to me, as long as we win. I’ve been in this position before. We’re having success so I’m happy. Feel good.” As the Cavaliers wait for the winner of the Boston-Washington series as their opponent in the Eastern Conference finals, Love’s reduced role in his third postseason for Cleveland has become a topic for discussion. And while the All-Star forward has found himself at the center of previous contro- versies during his time with the Cavs, there are no hidden meanings or subliminal messages at work this time. Love was once something of an outsider in Cleveland, but those days are long gone and he’s now a pivotal part of everything for the defending champions, who are unde- feated through two rounds. But don’t be fooled by his statistical slide to this point of the playoffs. That could soon change as well. When the Cavs resume their march toward a possible second title next week, Lue hinted that Love, who has even sat out the entire fourth quarter in two victories, could be a bigger factor. “Some of it’s my fault because we haven’t really featured him a lot because of the matchups we had on other teams,” Lue said. “He has been great. His whole mindset is winning and that’s what it’s all about in the playoffs. In this next series, we have some matchups he can definitely take advantage of and it’s on me to make sure we do that.” During Cleveland’s sweep of Toronto, Love averaged just 12 points — he averaged 19 during the regular season — and he scored just 5 in Game 4 on 2-of-7 shooting. One of the reasons for Love’s drop-off against Toronto is that he was often guarded by Serge Ibaka, a defensive specialist acquired in part to take away one of Cleveland’s most potent weapons. Also, with the way LeBron James and Kyrie Irving are playing, the Cavs didn’t need as much from Love. Their “Big 3” has been reduced to a “Terrific 2” but things could be much different in the conference final, where matchups could dictate more minutes for Love. Love’s ability to post up and pop outside for 3-pointers makes him challenging to cover. Lue knows there may be a chance to get the 6-foot-10 big man more involved. “The playoffs is a game of matchups,” he said. “That’s why Toronto went out and got Ibaka, to try and slow Kevin down. Maybe we didn’t feature Kevin enough against Toronto, maybe we showed ‘em too much respect and that’s on me. But next round I’ve got to do a better job of really getting Kevin involved and really establishing Kevin.” Love’s willingness to accept a lesser role in the postseason is not only a sign of his comfort in Cleveland, but also his willingness to put the team first. “It’s just growth,” Lue said. “Growth for Kevin, growth for this team and it’s all about winning. When you come here it’s all about one thing, and that’s just trying to win a championship. However you gotta do it, you gotta do it.” SCOREBOARD Local Slate PREP BASEBALL Saturday Weston-McEwen at Grant Union (2), 11 a.m. PREP SOFTBALL Saturday Culver at Heppner (2), 11 a.m./1 p.m. Tuesday Weston-McEwen at Union, 5 p.m. PREP TRACK & FIELD Saturday Heppner, Stanfield, Pilot Rock, Weston-McEwen at CBC District Champi- onships (Prineville), TBD Umatilla, Irrigon, Riverside at EOL District Championships (Nyssa), TBD Mac-Hi at GOL District Championships (Baker), 10 a.m. Helix, Echo, Arlington, Condon/Wheeler, Ione at District 3 Championships (Moro), 10:30 a.m. PREP GOLF Monday Heppner (girls) at 4A/3A/2A/1A state championships (Corvallis), 7:30 a.m. Heppner (boys) at 3A/2A/1A state champi- onships (Redmond), 8 a.m. Pendleton, Hermiston (girls) at 5A state championships (Creswell), 12:30 p.m. Pendleton (boys) at 5A state champion- ships (Banks), 12:30 p.m. Mac-Hi (boys) at 4A state championships (Corvallis), 12:15 p.m. PREP TENNIS Saturday Hermiston, Pendleton (boys) at District Championships (Sunriver), TBD Hermiston, Pendleton (girls) at District Championships (Hermiston), TBD Mac-Hi, Umatilla, Riverside, Weston-McE- wen, Helix, Ione at Disctrict Champion- ships (Kennewick, Wash.), TBD PREP LACROSSE Saturday Hermiston vs West Albany (at Summit), TBD Sunday Hermiston vs TBD (at Sisters), TBD COLLEGE BASEBALL Saturday Blue Mountain at Big Bend (2), 1 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Sunday Big Bend at Blue Mountain (2), Noon Prep Standings BASEBALL 5A Columbia River Conference Lg. Ovr. RS RA Hood River 10-2 18-7 166 102 Pendleton 6-6 10-15 150 179 The Dalles 4-8 10-15 150 214 Hermiston 4-8 10-16 122 184 4A Greater Oregon League Lg. Ovr. RS La Grande 11-1 17-3 177 Ontario 8-4 16-7 194 Baker 5-7 9-15 170 Mac-Hi 0-12 4-16 102 RA 50 112 197 225 3A Eastern Oregon League Lg. Ovr. RS Stanfield 14-0 21-1 298 Irrigon 10-4 17-4 219 Nyssa 9-5 11-11 166 Joseph 7-7 10-9 156 Vale 6-8 8-13 188 Burns 5-9 7-16 153 Riverside 4-10 4-19 132 Umatilla 1-13 2-17 96 RA 49 110 161 137 236 207 311 248 2A/1A Special District 6 Lg. Ovr. Dufur 15-1 21-1 Sherman 12-4 15-5 Pilot Rock 12-4 14-8 Culver 10-6 13-8 Weston-M. 8-6 10-9 Elgin 7-9 7-9 Grant Union 4-10 7-14 Heppner 1-15 2-20 Union 1-15 1-17 RA 76 102 93 126 137 104 161 264 221 RS 224 187 156 171 143 80 122 100 56 SOFTBALL 5A Columbia River Conference Lg. Ovr. RS Pendleton 10-2 22-4 206 Hood River 9-3 15-10 148 Hermiston 3-9 9-16 96 The Dalles 2-10 3-21 107 RA 48 103 151 213 4A Greater Oregon League Lg. Ovr. RS RA La Grande 10-2 19-4 199 49 Mac-Hi 10-2 17-5 204 99 Ontario 4-8 16-9 201 148 Baker 0-12 4-18 94 220 3A Special District 1 Lg. Ovr. Weston-M. 9-3 12-7 Echo 8-4 12-10 Irrigon 7-5 15-9 Riverside 6-6 16-8 Umatilla 0-12 1-18 2A/1A Special District 6 RS 205 196 221 315 58 RA 111 110 153 141 429 Pilot Rock Union Heppner Culver Lg. 10-2 10-2 2-8 0-10 Ovr. 21-4 16-4 8-12 1-18 RS RA 255 66 216 72 191 167 81 364 Basketball NBA Playoff glance SECOND ROUND (Best-of-7) EASTERN CONFERENCE Cleveland 4, Toronto 0 May 1: Cleveland 116, Toronto 105 May 3: Cleveland 125, Toronto 103 May 5: Cleveland 115, Toronto 94 May 7: Cleveland 109, Toronto 102 Boston 3, Washington 3 April 30: Boston 123, Washington 111 May 2: Boston 129, Washington 119, OT May 4: Washington 116, Boston 89 May 7: Washington 121, Boston 102 Wednesday: Boston 123, Washington 101 Friday: Washington 92, Boston 91 Monday: Washington at Boston, 5 p.m. (TNT) WESTERN CONFERENCE San Antonio 4, Houston 2 May 1: Houston 126, San Antonio 99 May 3: San Antonio 121, Houston 96 May 5: San Antonio 103, Houston 92 May 7: Houston 125, San Antonio 104 May 9: San Antonio 110, Houston 107, OT Thursday: San Antonio 114, Houston 75 Golden State 4, Utah 0 May 2: Golden State 106, Utah 94 May 4: Golden State 115, Utah 104 May 6: Golden State 102, Utah 91 May 8: Golden State 121, Utah 95 CONFERENCE FINALS (Best-of-7) WESTERN CONFERENCE Golden State vs. San Antonio Sunday: San Antonio at Golden State, 12:30 p.m. (ABC) Hockey NHL Playoff glance CONFERENCE FINALS (Best-of-7) Ottawa vs. Pittsburgh Saturday: Ottawa at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m. Monday: Ottawa at Pittsburgh, 5 p.m. May 17: Pittsburgh at Ottawa, 5 p.m. May 19: Pittsburgh at Ottawa, 5 p.m. Nashville 1, Anaheim 0 Friday: Nashville 3, Anaheim 2 Sunday: Nashville at Anaheim, 4:30 p.m. May 16: Anaheim at Nashville, 5 p.m. May 18: Anaheim at Nashville, 5 p.m. Baseball MLB AMERICAN LEAGUE East Division W L Pct GB Baltimore 22 12 .647 — New York 21 12 .636 ½ Boston 18 17 .514 4½ Tampa Bay 18 20 .474 6 Toronto 15 21 .417 8 Central Division W L Pct GB Minnesota 18 14 .563 — Cleveland 18 16 .529 1 Detroit 17 17 .500 2 Chicago 15 18 .455 3½ Kansas City 14 21 .400 5½ West Division W L Pct GB Houston 25 11 .694 — Los Angeles 18 20 .474 8 Seattle 17 19 .472 8 Texas 17 20 .459 8½ Oakland 16 19 .457 8½ ——— Friday’s Games Houston 5, N.Y. Yankees 1 Toronto 4, Seattle 0 Minnesota 1, Cleveland 0 Tampa Bay 5, Boston 4 Texas 5, Oakland 2 San Diego 6, Chicago White Sox 3 Kansas City 3, Baltimore 2 L.A. Angels 7, Detroit 0 Saturday’s Games Houston (Fiers 1-1) at N.Y. Yankees (Seve- rino 2-2), 10:05 a.m. Tampa Bay (Snell 0-3) at Boston (Sale 3-2), 10:05 a.m. Seattle (TBD) at Toronto (Stroman 3-2), 10:07 a.m. Minnesota (Berrios 0-0) at Cleveland (Clevinger 1-0), 1:10 p.m. San Diego (Cahill 3-2) at Chicago White Sox (Covey 0-3), 4:10 p.m. Baltimore (Tillman 1-0) at Kansas City (Karns 2-2), 4:15 p.m. Oakland (Gray 0-1) at Texas (Martinez 0-2), 5:05 p.m. Detroit (Norris 2-2) at L.A. Angels (Nolas- co 2-2), 6:07 p.m. NATIONAL LEAGUE East Division W Washington 22 New York 16 Philadelphia 13 Miami 13 Atlanta 12 Central Division Cincinnati St. Louis Milwaukee Chicago Pittsburgh West Division W 19 19 19 18 14 L 15 15 17 17 22 Pct GB .559 — .559 — .528 1 .514 1½ .389 6 W L Pct GB Colorado 23 14 .622 — Los Angeles 21 15 .583 1½ Arizona 21 16 .568 2 San Diego 14 23 .378 9 San Francisco 12 24 .333 10½ ——— Friday’s Games Philadelphia at Washington, ppd. Atlanta 8, Miami 4 Milwaukee 7, N.Y. Mets 4 San Diego 6, Chicago White Sox 3 Chicago Cubs 3, St. Louis 2 L.A. Dodgers 6, Colorado 2 Arizona 11, Pittsburgh 4 Cincinnati at San Francisco, late finish Saturday’s Games Chicago Cubs (Lester 1-1) at St. Louis (Martinez 2-3), 1:05 p.m. Cincinnati (Bonilla 0-0) at San Francisco (Moore 1-4), 1:05 p.m. Philadelphia (Velasquez 2-3) at Washing- ton (Gonzalez 3-1), 4:05 p.m. Atlanta (Teheran 2-3) at Miami (Volquez 0-4), 4:10 p.m. N.Y. Mets (Gsellman 2-2) at Milwaukee (Davies 3-2), 4:10 p.m. San Diego (Cahill 3-2) at Chicago White Sox (Covey 0-3), 4:10 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (Wood 3-0) at Colorado (Anderson 2-3), 5:10 p.m. Pittsburgh (Williams 1-2) at Arizona (Walk- er 3-2), 5:10 p.m. Soccer MLS Friday’s Game Houston 2, Vancouver 1 Saturday’s Games Minnesota United at Toronto FC, Noon San Jose at Colorado, 1 p.m. Columbus at Montreal, 2 p.m. Philadelphia at D.C. United, 4 p.m. Sporting K.C. at Orlando City, 4 p.m. Real Salt Lake at New England, 4:30 p.m. Seattle at Chicago, 6 p.m. Golf L 12 18 19 21 20 Pct GB .647 — .471 6 .406 8 .382 9 .375 9 PGA Tour Players Championship Thursday Friday At TPC Sawgrass, Players Stadium Course Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Purse: $10.5 million Yardage: 7,189; Par: 72 Second Round Louis Oosthuizen 69-66—135 Kyle Stanley 69-66—135 J.B. Holmes 68-69—137 Vijay Singh 70-68—138 David Hearn 70-69—139 Rafa Cabrera Bello 69-70—139 Patrick Cantlay 69-70—139 Alex Noren 68-71—139 Ian Poulter 72-67—139 Chez Reavie 68-72—140 Jon Rahm 68-72—140 -9 -9 -7 -6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -4 -4 Motorsports NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series Go Bowling 400 Lineup Race Saturday, 4:30 p.m. (TV: FS1) At Kansas Speedway Kansas City, Kan. (Car number in parentheses) 1. (21) Ryan Blaney, Ford 2. (22) Joey Logano, Ford 3. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota 4. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford 5. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota 6. (41) Kurt Busch, Ford 7. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota 8. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford 9. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet 10. (24) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet 11. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet 12. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet 13. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford 14. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota 15. (19) Daniel Suarez, Toyota 16. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford 17. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford 18. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet 19. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet 20. (37) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet 21. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet 22. (13) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet 23. (32) Matt DIBenedetto, Ford 24. (10) Danica Patrick, Ford 25. (23) Gray Gaulding, Toyota 26. (72) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet 27. (33) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet 28. (55) Derrike Cope, Toyota 29. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet 30. (14) Clint Bowyer, Ford 31. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet 32. (77) Erik Jones, Toyota 33. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet 34. (38) David Ragan, Ford 35. (95) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet 36. (34) Landon Cassill, Ford 37. (15) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet 38. (83) Corey LaJoie, Toyota 39. (51) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet 40. (66) Carl Long, Chevrolet
