Paul leads Clippers past NBA-leading Thunder
Blake Griffin's jaw-dropping one-handed jam over Kendrick Perkins sent Los Angeles Clippers fans into a frenzy, fired up his teammates, lit up the Twitterverse and burned the Oklahoma City Thunder .
Griffin had 22 points to go with Chris Paul's 26 points and 14 assists in a 112-100 victory Monday night that snapped the Thunder's four-game winning streak in a matchup of division leaders.
Griffin downplayed his monster move after the game, a sly smile only briefly breaking his serious expression.
"CP commands so much attention out there. He came off the pick-and-roll and he hit me in stride," Griffin said.
Paul added: "I told Blake after the game, `Thanks for letting me be part of that."'
DeAndre Jordan grabbed Griffin from behind in a celebratory bear hug as the basket got replayed over and over in the third quarter.
Jordan, who had 11 points and 11 rebounds, couldn't help himself.
"I was shocked. I didn't know what to do, so I just grabbed him. I hit him kind of hard," he said. "I'm going to go home and watch it again. It's probably going to be the screensaver on my phone."
Griffin said he knew he'd made an impression judging by the crowd's raucous response. Then he felt Jordan behind him.
"He armlocked me," Griffin said. "I couldn't breathe."
The reaction on Twitter came fast and furious.
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald tweeted: "Blake Griffin just made one of the top dunks of the season. Maybe even his career. (hashtag) Beast."
Tracy McGrady of the Atlanta Hawks weighed in with "yo, crazy crazy dunk by the dude Blake Griffin."
Even Shaquille O'Neal's ex-wife was impressed.
Shaunie O'Neal tweeted: "OMG!!! Did y'all just see Blake Griffin dunk!!!!! Daaayyyummm!"
Paul had 26 points and 14 assists, Caron Butler also had 22 points, Chauncey Billups scored 13 and Mo Williams 12 as the Pacific-leading Clippers dunked with high-flying abandon against the team with the NBA's best record at 16-4. They won their third in a row to follow up a 109-105 victory at Denver a night earlier that began a stretch of five games in seven nights.
"We're not going to read too much into it," Paul said of the back-to-back wins. "It let us know what we're capable of. We can explode offensively."
Kevin Durant had 36 points and 13 rebounds, and Russell Westbrook added 31 for the Northwest-leading Thunder, whose league-best road record dropped to 8-3. They had won 11 of their previous 12.
"Chris Paul was running around, getting what he wanted to get on the floor and making passes to guys for wide-open dunks and 3s," Durant said. "It's tough to stop."
Griffin's monster mash had everyone talking and tweeting, but the Clippers put together a stunning sequence going into halftime.
They shocked the Thunder with four consecutive 3-pointers in less than a minute to lead 64-46. The flurry by Williams (two), Butler (one) and Billups (one) stopped the Thunder's 11-2 run that had drawn them within six points.
"I told Mo that might have been the greatest exchange I have been part of since I've been in the NBA," Paul said. "That got the crowd into it. Four 3s in under a minute is unbelievable."
Jordan said: "We were just hot. It really didn't look like it was real. We were on a high, but we knew we had to come out in the third and knock them out flat."
The Thunder bumbled their way into the half, with Westbrook and Durant combining on three straight turnovers that led to the Clippers' long-range fireworks. Williams and Butler had two steals in the run.
"That doesn't happen, and it probably won't happen again the rest of the year, that a team will make that many 3s in a minute," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "But they made the shots. They started the game with a lot of urgency and they had us back on our heels."
Los Angeles shot 71 percent from long range in a half that also featured a series of huge dunks by Jordan, Griffin, Durant and Westbrook, although both teams missed their share of dunks, too.
Daequan Cook was the only other Oklahoma City player in double figures with 12 points. Durant and Westbrook scored all but two of the Thunder's 25 points in the third quarter, which the Clippers ended on a 3-pointer by Paul to lead 90-70.
Durant and Westbrook began the fourth on the bench, although they both stood up when Cook hit his second 3-pointer of the period to get the Thunder to 95-81. Griffin then scored five in a row, capped by a two-handed jam that extended the Clippers' lead to 100-81.
The Thunder outscored Los Angeles 30-22 in the fourth, but never made a big run to get close.
The Clippers made 13 3-pointers - just off their season high of 14 against Denver on Sunday.
They made 10 3s in the first half, led by four from Butler, who connected from his favorite spot in the left corner.
The Thunder's only lead was four points to start the game.
Gayle to make Jamaica return
Chris Gayle is to make a return to the national senior cricket team after missing this month's third annual Caribbean Twenty20 Tournament.
Also returning is Brendan Nash, who missed the Regional Super50 and the Caribbean Twenty20 after asking the selectors for a break.
Big-hitting left-hander Gayle, who missed the CT20 due to participation in the Australian Big Bash Twenty20 League, was yesterday named in the country's 13-man squad for their opening West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional Four-Day Tournament clash against the Windward Islands.
The match is slated to start on Friday at Sabina Park.
"It's good to know that we will have someone of the calibre of Chris Gayle for at least the opening game," said chairman of selectors, Courtnay Daley.
"This gives us a good opportunity to make a winning start, as we seek to defend our title and go for our fifth in a row."
He added: "We just hope that when he (Gayle) and the others go off for Bangladesh they will return and make themselves available for the final leg of the tournament."
The 32-year-old Gayle is one of two players in the squad who will leave to play in the inaugural Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) after the Windwards match. The other is Andre Russell.
They will be joined by Marlon Samuels and Jerome Taylor, who did not make themselves available for selection in the Windwards match.
Following the BPL, Gayle is scheduled to head off to South Africa to participate in that country's Twenty20 league. Gayle was bought for US$551,000 (J$47,248,338), Samuels for US$360,000 (J$30,870,011), Russell for US$50,000 (J$4,287,500) and Taylor for US$50,000 (J$4,287,500).
The Bangladesh Twenty20 League will run from February 12-20.
The WICB Regional Four-Day Tournament will be held between February 3 and April 10.
SQUAD: Tamar Lambert (captain), Nikita Miller, Christopher Gayle, Simon Jackson, Brenton Parchment, Donovan Pagon, Brendan Nash, David Bernard Jr., Carlton Baugh Jr., Odean Brown, André Russell, André Richardson, Jamie Merchant.
WWE Welcomes Mike Tyson to its Hall of Fame
Mike Tyson fans can now boast that their guy is a member of not one, but two halls of fame. That’s because the legendary boxer is going to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Tyson will be inducted during the ceremony at American Airlines Arena in Miami, FL on March 31. As has become tradition, WrestleMania XXVIII takes place the following day.
Here’s what Iron Mike told TMZ:
“I am honored to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. I was the youngest heavyweight champion of all time, but the most fun I ever had in the ring was with WWE.”
Tyson’s history with the WWE goes back to 1998 when, after a confrontation with Stone Cold Steve Austin on Monday Night Raw, Tyson served as special enforcer for the main event at WrestleMania XIV between Austin and Shawn Michaels.
Tyson made his return to the WWE last year, when he hosted Monday Night Raw
Bow Wow and Ex-Falcons Star Jamal Anderson in Tax Debt
These young artists have no idea what to do with their money when they get it, especially three time tax offender, Bow Wow.
He’s had a tax lien against him for unpaid taxes from 2006 for $91,105.61, 2008 for $15,279.62, and now 2010 for $19,70.91.
None of them have been paid off.
His total tax debt now totals a staggering $126,086.14.
Meanwhile, ex-NFL star running back Jamal Anderson (above), best known as the originator of the “Dirty Bird” touchdown dance has the same problem as Bow Wow.
According to a tax lien filed by the Georgia Department of Revenue, the former Atlanta Falcons star owes money for the 2007 fiscal year.
Anderson’s debt is piling up too — a $52,234.28 principal has nearly doubled to $102,797.06 … thanks to interest, penalties and fees.
Looks like they could both use new accountants. Or maybe listen to the accountants.
The Help triumphs at SAG film awards
Civil rights drama The Help has won three prizes at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards, including best cast and best actress for Viola Davis.
Another of the film's stars, Octavia Spencer, was named best supporting actress.
"Dream big and dream fierce," Davis told the audience at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium on Sunday.
Silent movie The Artist, tipped for Oscar glory, could only manage one win, a best actor prize for Jean Dujardin.
The SAG awards are seen as a key indicator of which films and stars may come out on top at the Oscars.
Actors make up the biggest voting group in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which picks the Oscar recipients.
Veteran Christopher Plummer was named best supporting actor for his portrayal of an elderly man who comes out to his family in Beginnners.
Like the Golden Globes, the SAG awards also honour television work.
Paul Giamatti was named best actor in a TV film or mini-series for his role in Too Big to Fail, a drama about the 2008 financial meltdown.
Kate Winslet was named best actress for playing the title role in Mildred Pierce, having won the same award at the Golden Globes earlier this month.
The cast of Martin Scorsese's Boardwalk Empire picked up the TV drama ensemble prize, while its star Steve Buscemi was named best male actor in a drama series.
Jessica Lange was named best actress in a drama series for her role in American Horror Story.
Alec Baldwin won best actor in a comedy series for 30 Rock, while Betty White picked up the best comedy actress prize for Hot in Cleveland.
"I think they made a terrible mistake," White joked, adding that the prize belonged to all four female leads in the series.
Modern Family won the comedy ensemble prize, while the best stunt award went to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.
The ceremony also saw Dick Van Dyke present a lifetime achievement award to Mary Tyler Moore, best known for her self-titled sitcom in the 1970s.
India censors block Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hollywood's remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is unlikely to screen in India after local censors called for the removal of "explicit" scenes.
Indian censor official JP Singh said they had objected to some scenes in the film and "wanted them to be blurred".
Sony Pictures in India said in a statement quoted by the AFP news agency that it would not compromise on the content of the film.
The David Fincher film stars Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara.
It is based on Stieg Larsson's best-selling thriller which tells a story of murder, corruption and family secrets, and contains some sex scenes.
"Bare bottom and bare-breast scenes are not allowed in India," Mr Singh, an official at India's Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) said.
"We objected to several scenes in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and wanted them to be blurred."
Sony Pictures in India said that the censors had "adjudged the film unsuitable for public viewing in its unaltered form".
"And while we are committed to maintaining and protecting the vision of the director, we will, as always, respect the guidelines set by the board," the statement added.
More than 1,500 foreign films, mostly Hollywood, are released in India every year after clearing the country's censors.
Liam Neeson movie The Grey tops US box office
Action movie The Grey, starring Liam Neeson as a survivor of an airplane crash, has gone straight to the top of the North American box office chart.
The film took $20m (£13m) between Friday and Sunday, according to industry estimates.
Neeson leads a group of survivors battling harsh weather and a pack of wolves in the Alaskan wilderness.
Underworld: Awakening was knocked down to second place, having taken $12.5m (£8m) over the same period.
Katherine Heigl's new comedy One for the Money, based on the novel by Janet Evanovich, finished in third place with $11.8m (£7.5m).
Oscar contenders Hugo, The Artist and The Descendants all enjoyed a box office boost after their nominations were announced last Tuesday.
Takings for George Clooney's The Descendants - $6.6m (£4.2m) - jumped 176% compared with last weekend, while The Artist increased by 40% to $3.3m (£2.1m).
Martin Scorsese's Hugo, which leads the Oscar race with 11 nominations, jumped 143% with weekend takings of $2.3m (£1.5m).
UK and Czechs refuse to join fiscal compact
Twenty-five of the EU's 27 member states have agreed to join a fiscal treaty to enforce budget discipline.
The Czech Republic and the UK refused to sign up. UK Prime Minister David Cameron said his government would act if the treaty threatened UK interests.
He still has "legal concerns" about the use of EU institutions in enforcing the fiscal treaty, he said.
The Czechs cited "constitutional reasons" for their refusal, France's President Nicolas Sarkozy said.
Czech President Vaclav Klaus, a Eurosceptic, may be reluctant to sign the treaty, analysts say.
The goal is much closer co-ordination of budget policy across the EU to prevent excessive debts accumulating.
Germany - the eurozone's biggest lender and most powerful economy - was particularly keen to get a binding treaty adopted to enforce budget rules.
The treaty will empower the European Court of Justice to monitor compliance and impose fines on rule-breakers.
The treaty also spells out the enhanced role of the European Commission in scrutinising national budgets.
The Czech Republic is not yet in the euro, but like the other new EU member states it is committed to joining.
European Union leaders also discussed ways to stimulate economic growth despite the stringent austerity budgets in many countries - and focused on how to reduce unemployment across the eurozone.
UK concerns
The UK and Denmark are the only states with explicit opt-outs from the euro.
Mr Cameron said "it's good that the new treaty is absolutely explicit and clear that it cannot encroach on the competences of the EU".
"They must not take measures that in any way undermine the EU single market," he said, adding: "we'll be watching like a hawk".
He insisted that the treaty would impose "no obligations on the UK".
Mr Cameron used his veto last month to opt out of the treaty, arguing that the UK needed to keep its authority over financial services in the City of London.
The eurozone crisis dominated Monday's summit, with debt-laden Greece still at risk of defaulting.
A general strike in Belgium, paralysing transport, reminded EU leaders of public discontent with austerity as they arrived for the summit.
The talks also concentrated on reducing unemployment, which is averaging 10% across the eurozone, though youth unemployment is often much higher.
There are fears that wide-ranging budget cuts will harm enterprise and training.
The leaders discussed measures to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), many of which complain of excessive administrative costs imposed by Brussels.
In a joint statement on economic growth they noted that cutting budget deficits was "not in itself sufficient".
"We have to modernise our economies and strengthen our competitiveness to secure sustainable growth," the statement said.
The EU will help to fund schemes to get young people into work or training in member states with the highest youth unemployment levels.
They pledged to speed up measures to develop the EU single market, including:
- agreement on a common EU patent system by July;
- better targeting of EU funds towards SMEs;
- national legislation to create a functioning single market in services and energy.
The European Commission says 82bn euros (£69bn; $107bn) of EU money is available for countries to spend on projects to boost jobs and growth.
Honda sees sharp drop in profit
Japan's third biggest carmaker, Honda, has announced a 41% drop in quarterly profit, as it continues to feel the impact of Japan's March disasters, the floods in Thailand, and the high yen.
Net profit for the third quarter fell to 47.6bn yen ($624m; £396m) from 81.1bn yen a year earlier.
Sales for the three-month period fell 8% to 1.94tn yen.
The company also slashed its annual forecast. It now expects a net profit of 215bn yen for the year to March.
In August it had estimated a profit of 230bn yen before withdrawing its guidance citing uncertainty due to the Thai floods.
Honda was the slowest carmaker to recover from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March 2011. It also has a factory in Thailand, which has been closed since October's floods. It is expects to resume production there at the end of March.
In 2011, Honda's global output dropped by a fifth to 2.9 million cars, slipping below 3 million for the first time in eight years.
The firm also said it was seeing a "negative currency effect" due to appreciation of the Japanese yen.
A strong currency hurts exporters as it makes their products more expensive for overseas buyers.
Japanese auto parts firms to pay US anti-trust fine
Japan's Yazaki Corporation and Denso Corporation have agreed to plead guilty and pay fines for fixing prices of parts supplied to US manufacturers.
Yazaki will pay $470m (£300m), the second-largest antitrust fine in US history, while Denso has agreed to pay $78m.
The two auto part makers have been accused of fixing prices for as long as ten years.
Four Yazaki executives will also serve up to two years in a US prison.
"Our investigation is still active and ongoing," said Sharis Pozen of the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division.
'Pernicious cartel'
Yazaki and Denso are among the world's largest auto part suppliers. Any conspiracy to fix prices of parts by such major players is likely to have an impact on the overall cost of manufacturing the vehicles and also affect the selling price.
The Justice department's Ms Pozen said the consumers were financially hurt and authorities were working to ensure that such instances do not happen in the future.
"Criminal antitrust enforcement remains a top priority and the Antitrust Division will continue to work with the FBI and our law enforcement counterparts to root out this kind of pernicious cartel conduct," she said.
The Justice department did not give details of which US manufacturers were affected and how much extra they had to pay.
Yazaki said that it was fully cooperating with the US authorities and had also launched an internal probe into the matter.
"In order to prevent any recurrence, the company has intensified its various efforts including conducting thorough internal investigations, reviewing internal rules, conducting regular educational programs and monitoring activities," the firm said in a statement.