Daily Jolt: November 7, 2012
Wednesday, November 7
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Paul to blame for Clippers' struggles?
In two games, the Clippers are 0-2 against teams that should, on paper, have been chalked up as wins. "Disappointed," point guard Chris Paul said after Tuesday's practice. Paul didn't limit himself to a one-word answer, either. "Disappointed, and it starts with me as a point guard," he added. "I can't let us come out and start out games like that. Giving up 30-point (first) quarters like that the past two games is always going to be tough to come back from." The Clippers' defense wasn't sound enough in either game. Their rebounding was poor and so was their ballhandling. Above all, their intensity wasn't what it should have been at the start of each game and they paid the price. (Los Angeles Daily News)Comment
Is Jerry Jones ... delusional?
Forgive Cowboys fans if they'd thought back to January 1994 this past weekend. Maybe that trip back to Atlanta last weekend jogged the memory of [Jerry Jones] as to what a championship team looks like. ... The Super Bowl champion Cowboys were opportunistic on defense. Thirteen players combined for 28 takeaways in 1993. Then in the Super Bowl. ... Seven defenders on the 2012 Cowboys have combined for eight takeaways by the midway point of this season. Two of them, though -- Barry Church and Sean Lee -- are on injured reserve. When I look at the 2012 Cowboys, I don't see a championship team. I'm not sure what Jerry is seeing. The man who provides the vision for a franchise appears to have lost that vision. (The Dallas Morning News)Comment
New team to unseat Yankees as top spender
In one sense, the Yankees won't be the Yankees in 2013. Brian Cashman and his entourage are not big-game hunters. The only nine-figure contract they are seriously contemplating is an extension with Robinson Cano. And that is unlikely to get done this offseason. ... Also, in a radically different landscape where, for example, the Dodgers, not the Yankees, are likely to have the largest payroll in the majors next year, the Yanks get 12 more months to gauge the true state of the market. Yes, on one hand, more teams are capable and willing to spend than ever. On the other, more teams are horrified by the implications of forging mega-contracts that have generally been destructive for clubs. (New York Post)Comment
Must-See Photo
Bulls forward Carlos Boozer reaches for a rebound during Monday's game against the Magic. Chicago won 99-93. (Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)
Must-See Video
Clippers forward Lamar Odom forgets which Los Angeles team he plays for.
Game To Watch
Spurs at Clippers, 10:30 p.m. ET
SI Vault: More Magic Johnson
This Day in Sports
- 1963 -- Elston Howard, of the New York Yankees, became the first black player to be named the American League's Most Valuable Player.
- 1968 -- Red Berenson of the St. Louis Blues scored 6 goals in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Blues won the game 8-0.
- 1991 -- Magic Johnson announced that he had tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS, and that he was retiring from basketball.
- 1999 -- Tiger Woods became the first golfer since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win four straight tournaments.
