THURSDAY, APRIL 11 - 17, 2013
The Tennessee Tribune 5B
Predators and Grizzlies Approach Playoffs By Ron Wynn
The playoff fortunes look very different for the Nashville Predators and Memphis Grizzlies as the NHL and NBA regular seasons’ enter their final days. The Predators’ chances may have taken a fatal blow over the weekend, while the Grizzlies are assured of the best year in franchise history. The Predators needed to win every one of their remaining games to have any realistic chance at making the playoffs. Instead, they dropped back-to-back games against the Chicago Blackhawks. The losses dropped the Predators into 13th place in the Western Conference, five points behind the eighth place Detroit Red Wings on Monday with only eight games left. Despite having the majority of those games at home, including four of the next five, coach Barry Trotz called their playoff hopes “remote” Sunday evening. The Memphis Grizzlies blew a 12-point fourth quarter lead, but rallied to edge the Sacramento Kings 89-87 Sunday afternoon, finishing their last West Coast trip with a 2-1 record. The victory was their 52nd against 25 losses, though they still remained in fifth place. But they’ve clinched a playoff berth, and have surpassed by two the previous mark for regular season wins. A lack of offense has been Nashville’s primary problem, along with numerous
game Tuesday. The roster was so depleted the Predators’ inserted rookie forward Austin Watson, who was just called up from Milwaukee on an “emergency” basis the day before, into Sunday’s game for nearly 14 minutes. Watson was their 2010 first round draft pick. He had one shot on goal and played on both the power play and penalty kill units. Still, the Predators’ worked hard in both games, losing Saturday 1-0 at Bridgestone Arena, and 5-3 Sunday evening in Chicago. The Sunday game was an even tougher defeat because they twice overcame one-goal deficits. Nashville even took a 3-2 lead early in the third period on David Legwand’s 11th goal at the 6:54 mark. But a 55-second interval where the Blackhawks scored twice turned the tables, and an empty net Chicago goalie Ray Emery frustrated the goal provided Chicago’s final victory marPredators twice over the weekend, as the gin. Chicago Blackhawks’ won Chicago’s Brandon Saad knocked a back-to-back games against Nashville loose puck behind Predators’ goaltender injuries. Sunday they faced the conference- Pekka Rinne with 10:23 remaining to tie leading Blackhawks in Chicago without the score. Then the Blackhawks’ Patrick their top goal scorer (Gabriel Bourque), Kane beat the Predators’ defensemen to a number one center (Mike Fisher) and one loose puck behind Nashville’s net. His pass of the NHL’s top faceoff men (Paul Gaus- to the slot led to Jonathan Toews’ go-ahead tad). Then forward Brandon Yip was added score. Coach Trotz was critical of his playto the injury list after going out at the 4:56 ers, saying the winning goal came when mark of the second period. Yip logged less Nashville had a man advantage in the zone, than five minutes (4:41) and was later de- and was more the result of poor effort on clared “doubtful” for the Predators’ next his team’s part than a great play from the
Blackhawks. The Predators’ faced St. Louis on Tuesday. They have Friday and Sunday home games against the Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings respectively. The Detroit game is on the NBC Sports Network at 6:30 p.m. The others were 7 p..m. starts, both televised on SportSouth. The Grizzlies got two blocked shots by Marc Gasol in the final seven seconds, preserving their two-point win and giving them a season’s sweep of the Kings. Gasol blocked five shots, including Marcus Thornton’s three-point try with one second left. Mike Conley hit the go-ahead basket for the Grizzlies with 30 seconds remaining. He had his fourth straight 20-point game, getting 25 points and adding four assists. Memphis didn’t get big offensive games from Zach Randolph (nine points) or Gasol (15 points but only four of 10 from the floor), but they got solid support from the bench. Quincy Poindexter’s season-high 17 points were vital, as well as strong team defense that held Sacramento under 25 points in three of four quarters. The Grizzlies remain a game behind Denver (53-24) and the Los Angeles Clippers (51-26) in the battle for third place. Their next game was Tuesday night at home against the Charlotte Bobcats.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Serena Wins Second Straight Title
Jankovic is a former number one player, and was the only opponent to break Williams’ serve the entire tournament. After two breaks in the first set, she was in position to jump ahead 1-0 in the second set. But instead, Williams took eight straight points, and the rout was on. “The key (to her early success) was I served very well and made a lot of first serves in, so she couldn’t attack it,” Jankovic said. “But I managed to lose them. Of course, she’s going to go up and feel much better and she is again in control. So that was my mistake, and it was unfortunate for my side.” It was Serena Williams’ 49th career singles title. She’s only four behind Monica Seles for ninth place on the WTA’s career list. But it didn’t come particularly Serena Williams continued her easy, as she had to defeat big sister Venus domination of the women’s tour, winning a second straight Family Circle Cup title in the semifinals. Williams dispatched Sunday over Jelena Jankovic. After her 6-1, 6-2, the most one-sided victory dropping the first set, Williams won 12 of she’s had over Venus. the next 14 games. Her 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 victory earned Williams her 49th WTA singles title. It also was the second straight week She’s now tied with Monica Seles for ninth she’s lost an opening set, then steamplace alltime on the women’s tour rolled an opponent. Jankovic denied she had done anything wrong, or that her By Ron Wynn tactics were some sort of new strategy This season it seems Serena Williams aimed at Williams. “She should follow the return and not isn’t going to wait until the summer to the opposite, like she said, that I’ve got to make her case for tennis superiority. She posted her second straight title victory wait for her to be ready,” Jankovic said. Sunday, defeating Jelena Jankovic 3-6, “That’s not true.” But the two players exchanged smiles and greetings after the 6-0, 6-2. It was also her second consecutive match, and Williams even applauded her Family Circle Cup crown. But it was a opponent’s play along with the crowd. Weather affected the tournament, heated exchange between Williams and Jankovic at the start of the second set that forcing a condensed schedule and exgot the crowd buzzing at the Charleston, panded play schedules. Williams had South Carolina event. It also seemed to to win two matches on Friday to make energize Williams after a lethargic start. the finals. Now her next goal is winShe had lost three straight games, ning the French Open. That would take and seemed distracted. Then Williams things completely back to square one, confronted Jankovic about allegedly since it was at last year’s French Open serving before she was ready. Jankovic where some “experts” declared she was disagreed, and the two bickered briefly finished being a dominant player on the tour. before Jankovic resumed serving. Williams got knocked out at Roland From that point Jankovic was never in the match. Williams blistered through Garros in the opening round by Virginie the second set, winning every game. Razzano, who at the time was ranked Her domination extended until the end number 111 in the world. It was the earliof the match, as she won 12 of the last est exit for Williams at the French Open 14 games. However she discounted the and one of her worse losses ever. Since idea the confrontation had propelled her that time, she’s won Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and an Olympic gold medal, to victory. “I don’t know what the turning point as well as two straight victories in the was,” Williams told the Associated early 2013 season. “This year my goal is won a match at Press. “I mean I think after that (the confrontation) I just got really relaxed and I the French Open,” she joked afterwards. was like, ‘Honestly, Serena, you’ve got It would certainly be a landmark way to get her 50th title. to kind of chill out and not get crazy.”
Coming Next Week The regular seasons end for the National Hockey League and National Basketball Association. The Grizzlies are definitely in the playoffs, and we’ll have information on their opponent. The Predators are a longshot to make it, but we’ll still cover their final games. Also the NFL draft approaches and spring football season nears its end. We’ll have updates on the Titans, Vanderbilt and Tennessee State University. Follow weekday sports games and events in tntribune.com.
This Day in Sports
On this day in 1981, Larry Holmes encountered surprisingly tough opposition in defense of his heavyweight title. Homes had previously knocked out eight straight opponents, but future WBC champion Trevor Berbick took him the distance before finally losing. Despite winning his first 48 professional bouts and falling only one short of equaling Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 record, Larry Holmes was never an enormously popular or highly regarded figure. Part of that was due to his defeat of Muhammad Ali in 1980. Also, the heavyweight division had lost much of its luster, and many of his opponents weren’t considered exceptional fighters. But Larry Holmes ranks second only to Joe Louis in successful title defenses (20). He finished his career winning 59 of 65 fights (44 by knockout), most losses coming well after he was past his prime. Holmes was inducted into both The International Boxing and World Boxing Halls of Fame.