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Fans #UnfollowManUnited social media accounts

Published in Soccer
Tuesday, 07 May 2019 05:12

After Manchester United missed out on Champions League football for next season, the backlash against the club's ownership by irked fans has kicked up another notch.

An underwhelming 1-1 draw against relegated Huddersfield at the weekend ended United's hopes of muscling into the top four, opening the door for scorn and derision to be lumped upon the people running the club -- particularly chief executive Ed Woodward.

- Marcotti: United players deserve scrutiny. So does Solskjaer
- Dawson: Worst is yet to come for United
- Mata sums up United fans' feelings in 7-word blog post

Woodward has been in situ at Old Trafford for seven years during which, as well as forging numerous lucrative corporate partnerships around the world, he has regularly cited United's massive, ever-growing online following as a marker of success and progress.

However, on the pitch things have stagnated somewhat, leaving supporters feeling a little short-changed by Woodward's incessant obsession with his social media metrics.

As such, a protest hashtag has been launched with fans banding together to boycott United's various platforms via the #UnfollowManUnited campaign -- the plan being to lower the club's follower count and therefore hit Woodward where it really hurts.

This is it: There's one game to go before the Champions League final. Who will advance to meet on June 1 in Madrid? Do Liverpool have a miracle in them vs. Lionel Messi and Barcelona? Will Ajax or Tottenham advance?

Here's everything you need to know, from the superheroes and the sidekicks who can decide the ties to the keys for victory.


Liverpool vs. Barcelona

FIRST-LEG SCORE: Barcelona 3, Liverpool 0
WHEN: Tuesday, May 7, 3 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. BST

WHAT WE LEARNED FROM THE FIRST LEG: You pretty much dominate your opponent for long stretches, but if Messi comes to life, there's little you can do. Barcelona's win wasn't quite smash-and-grab, but there certainly weren't three goals between the two sides. Liverpool's movement and intensity created all sorts of problems for Barca, and with better finishing from the Reds, this would have been closer.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE RETURN LEG: Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde gave almost every likely starter the day off against Celta Vigo on Saturday, which means his team will be well-rested. Expect them to try to keep possession in an effort to frustrate Liverpool. Roberto Firmino's absence is a big blow for Liverpool in this sort of game, as is -- obviously -- that of Mohamed Salah, who was ruled out on Monday following the blow to the head he received Saturday. Still, the game plan will be simple: channel the Anfield roar and get right in Barcelona's grills from the first minute. They have nothing to lose.

-- The biggest week for Liverpool in decades
-- Liverpool made Messi angry and paid the price

WHAT LIVERPOOL HAVE TO DO TO REACH THE FINAL: Win by four goals or make it 3-0 and then hope to break through in extra time or on penalties. It's obviously a tough-to-impossible proposition as Barcelona have given up as many as three goals just once this season. If they can rattle Barca early, establish the press, deny possession and force the visitors to hit long balls over the top to get out of their own half then maybe, just maybe, they have a shot. But they'll also need to be more clinical than at the Camp Nou and hope that Messi slumbers throughout the game. And you'd feel much better about their chances if Firmino and Salah were available.

WHAT BARCELONA HAVE TO DO TO REACH THE FINAL: An away goal pretty much guarantees passage since it would count double and would mean Liverpool would need to score five goals. The last time anybody put five past Barcelona was way back in 2003. Keep possession, pick your spots, force Liverpool to foul and wait for the goal-scoring opportunity. Pretty simple, really.

BATTLE TO WATCH: Luis Suarez vs. Virgil Van Dijk. Liverpool need to score and score plenty, which suggests they'll press high and hard, meaning the big Dutchman will be in plenty of open-field, one-on-one situations with Suarez. It won't just be about ensuring he doesn't beat you; it will be about recovering the ball quickly and recycling it forward so Liverpool can continue to keep the pressure on.

WILD CARD/STORYBOOK SCENARIO: Well, it wouldn't be that "storybook." A year ago, Barcelona won their quarterfinal first leg against Roma at the Camp Nou by three goals, a scoreline that flattered them much like this season. And then, in the return leg, Roma -- with current Liverpool keeper Allisson between the posts -- beat them three-nil, knocking them out. Roma exploited set pieces, pressed hard and played a very high line, daring Barca's forwards to beat them for pace, which Messi and Suarez could not do. Can lightning strike twice?

FINAL PREDICTION: Liverpool win 2-1 on the night, but Barcelona advance 4-2 on aggregate. It's too much of a mountain to climb without two of their world-class front three.


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0:52

Ajax proved they can manage results

Gab Marcotti was more impressed with Ajax's maturity and ability to manage a 1-0 result away from home than with their attacking prowess.

Ajax vs. Tottenham

FIRST-LEG SCORE: Ajax 1, Tottenham 0
WHEN: Wednesday, May 8, 3 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. BST

WHAT WE LEARNED FROM THE FIRST LEG: Ajax battered Tottenham for 45 minutes in which they scored once but could have had more, before being pushed back after the break (yet still hitting the post). The Dutch side showed both confidence and maturity, counterattacking well in the second half. Injuries, fatigue and absences finally caught up with Tottenham and they showed little creativity and incisiveness.

-- Spurs have hope heading to Ajax
-- Inside the Ajax "dream factory"

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE RETURN LEG: Injuries in midfield forced Mauricio Pochettino to play a back three, but the decision boomeranged badly against a "false nine" center/forward like Dusan Tadic. It also ceded control of the middle of the park to the opposition. Expect a more disruptive Spurs midfield, bolstered by the return from the start of Moussa Sissoko and focused on releasing the returning Son Heung-min into space. Ajax will try to impose their passing and movement on the game, knowing it's the best way to keep Spurs off balance.

WHAT AJAX HAVE TO DO TO REACH THE FINAL: Because of the away goals rule, Tottenham have to score at least twice regardless of whether or not Ajax get on the score sheet. Were this a different team, you'd expect them to sit and look for the counter. Ajax tend not to do that, especially at home, and while you don't want them to ditch the approach that got them this far in the first place, you don't want to leave your central defenders isolated against Son, either. It's the "maturity" that manager Erik ten Hag spoke about.

WHAT TOTTENHAM HAVE TO DO TO REACH THE FINAL: Forget about what came before. Yes, they've lost five of their past six games in all competitions but none of that matters: they're 90 minutes away from a European Cup final. Banishing the "flaky Spurs" trope would be a huge psychological win for Pochettino. All they have to do is score a goal and it's like hitting the "reset" button. The fact that Sissoko and Son will be playing from the first minute is a big boost; make it count.

BATTLE TO WATCH: Moussa Sissoko vs. Frenkie De Jong. Sissoko's physicality and workrate was missed in the first half of the first leg and his presence can relieve Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli of some defensive duties, freeing them up to create. But he also needs to stop de Jong, Ajax's metronome of a two-way midfielder.

WILD CARD/STORYBOOK SCENARIO: Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is 35. Fernando Llorente is 34. Neither striker is expected to start but both could offer something entirely different off the bench and in dead-ball situations should the game warrant it.

FINAL PREDICTION: 1-1, Ajax to advance 2-1 on aggregate. So much depends on Tottenham's state of mind here and right now they seem frazzled, as evidenced by the two red cards picked up over the weekend. (It could have been three if the referee had been stricter with Eric Dier.) Ajax, on the other hand, seem unfazed no matter who the opponent or what the situation.

South Africa's World Cup plans have been dealt a blow after fast bowler Anrich Nortje was ruled out of the tournament because of a fractured thumb. Chris Morris has been called up as his replacement.

Having overcome ankle and shoulder injuries over the course of the summer, Nortje made his international debut in March this year and subsequently won selection in South Africa's World Cup squad. Nortje, however, fractured his right thumb during a recent South Africa nets session, and it has now been confirmed that he would need six to eight weeks to make a full recovery.

"Anrich sustained a fracture to his right thumb during a net session in Port Elizabeth on Monday," South Africa team manager Mohammed Moosajee said. "He immediately consulted a hand surgeon and underwent surgery to stabilise the joint and will unfortunately be sidelined for up to eight weeks. This makes him unavailable for the upcoming ICC Men's Cricket World Cup.

"It is an unfortunate and freakish injury, especially because he had made a successful recovery from the shoulder injury he sustained during the series against Sri Lanka. He has had a few injury setbacks in the last year but knowing Anrich's character, he will be motivated to come back stronger. We wish him a speedy recovery."

Allrounder Morris, 32, has been called up to replace Nortje in the 15-man squad, with South Africa's opening game against England just over three weeks away. Morris has not played an ODI in more than a year, but was part of the T20I squad that battered Sri Lanka at home in March. Morris is currently in action with Delhi Capitals in the IPL, for whom he has taken 13 wickets in nine games this season.

"Chris has always been in our plans and is our next best option with the ball," national selection panel convener Linda Zondi said. "He has the pace and death-bowling skills which will be vital in the UK, and also gives us that depth as a deadly finisher with the bat. We have had concerns around his injuries and workload capabilities but this is an opportunity for him to make a mark on the biggest stage.

"It is unfortunate what has happened to Anrich, he is a talented player with exciting potential," added Zondi. "We wish him well on his road to recovery and have no doubt that he will bounce back to fulfil his potential."

South Africa have been dealing with multiple injuries in the lead up to the World Cup, with Kagiso Rabada and Dale Steyn's IPL stints cut short by back and shoulder problems, respectively. While Rabada has said that his premature return to South Africa was "precautionary", both he and Steyn are both still being assessed by the South African medical team. Rabada has a history of back trouble, having picked up a stress fracture last year, while Steyn's flare-up was in the same shoulder that he seriously injured in Australia in 2016.

Left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi had missed South Africa's domestic T20 competition in order to recover from a stiff back too, while JP Duminy was out of action for most of the summer following shoulder surgery. Both Shamsi and Duminy have fully recovered, though.

"Admittedly, the injuries ahead of the tournament have been frustrating but I continue to have confidence that the players we have selected will make the country proud," Zondi added.

Squad (updated): Faf du Plessis (capt), JP Duminy, David Miller, Dale Steyn, Andile Phehlukwayo, Imran Tahir, Kagiso Rabada, Dwaine Pretorius, Quinton de Kock (wk), Chris Morris, Lungi Ngidi, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Hashim Amla, Tabraiz Shamsi

PCA's David Leatherdale to step down this year

Published in Cricket
Tuesday, 07 May 2019 05:28

Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) chief executive David Leatherdale will step down from his role this year.

Leatherdale took time off last year, due to stress amid a heavy workload and family health problems.

He returned with a number of issues on the PCA agenda including members' concerns over how "The Hundred" competition would impact them, a new pay deal for centrally contracted England players and at the County Partnership Agreement - which includes salaries and payments for county players - for the period 2020 to 2024.

Daryl Mitchell, chairman of the players' union, said Leatherdale had recently informed the PCA board of his intention to step down once a successor has been appointed.

"David's skill, dedication and determination over the last three years has been instrumental in championing the best interests of all PCA members during a time of immense change in the professional game," Mitchell said. "We are immensely grateful.

"David will continue in his role until a successor is appointed and has made it clear he wishes to conclude the negotiations surrounding the County Partnership Agreement and the Team England and PCA-ECB MOU contracts which will ensure playing professional cricket from 2020 onwards is the most rewarding career it has ever been.

"The board is grateful to David for his commitment to complete these negotiations which will see every current member of the PCA materially better off. The PCA board has already commenced the search for David's successor."

There may be any number of pressing matters to attend to in the country, but revamping domestic cricket remains top of mind for Pakistan's prime minister - and cricket legend - Imran Khan. How much it matters to him was clear from a press conference he held on local government affairs on Monday, which turned briefly into a policy statement on why the PCB must adopt regional cricket.

By dint of being the country's premier, Imran is also patron-in-chief of the board and so his words - the first he has spoken about domestic cricket publicly since becoming PM - hold considerable weight. And as he has done through much of his cricket career, he continues to insist that a regional-teams-only system is the way forward.

"Pakistan is the only country where sponsors play their teams, it doesn't happen anywhere else in the world," he said. "It doesn't happen anywhere else in the world. Everywhere in the world, only regional cricket is played. When I used to play, I used to insist that the PCB correct the structure."

ALSO READ: Habib Bank 'demobilises' cricket team, to continue investing in PSL

The PCB has been working on a plan to scrap departments such as PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) from the structure, at Imran's insistence. The plans have not gone down well with a number of stakeholders. Domestic cricket in Pakistan has been played among departments and regions for nearly 50 years, starting in the early 1970s, when Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Pakistan's first Test captain and then PCB chairman, encouraged organisations like Habib Bank Limited, Sui Southern Gas Corporation, Water and Power Development Authority and others to provide employment opportunities for players. Since then, the top players have been contracted by the departments in question and given full-time jobs.

The role of these departments in helping Pakistan cricket and cricketers has been significant, but it ended up depriving the regional sides from making use of their top players.

"The problem is that the system in place here doesn't allow talent to come through," Imran said. "Now we are changing it to make it a purely regional one. You have seen the recent PSL - regardless of the fact that not a single player in the Quetta [Gladiators] team was a local, the whole city still followed their team.

"Everywhere in the world, it's all about regional cricket, and here they are making noise because we are abolishing departmental cricket."

The PCB is now working on tweaked model with six provincial teams: two from Punjab, and one each from Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Baluchistan and the northern side of the country - Gilgit-Baltistan. If it gets passed, these six teams will play top-tier domestic cricket. But this idea has been strongly opposed by former cricketers including Javed Miandad, and a few government board members have also rejected the proposal.

"Javed has his own thinking, but I don't see any example in the world where banks and sponsors play their teams (in first-class cricket)," Imran argued. "Why is Pakistan the only country doing this? Why are banks giving jobs (to cricketers). There are a lot of multi-national companies in the world, they can import any player from anywhere to play, but they don't. So why is only Pakistan playing departmental cricket?

"There is a lot of money involved in cricket, but the corrupt system is the problem. I can guarantee that nobody can beat this country if we just fix the system."

Until last season, there were 16 teams in the domestic circuit, playing the country's premier first-class tournament, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Eight of these were from the provinces and the other eight from departments. It is yet unclear yet if the PCB's new model can be implemented in time for the start of the 2019-20 season on October 1.

Live Report - CSK v Mumbai, IPL 2019, Qualifier 1

Published in Cricket
Tuesday, 07 May 2019 06:32

The IPL playoffs are here. First up, the rivalry between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians is renewed in Qualifier 1. Here's ESPNcricinfo's live updates and analysis. (If the blog does not load for you straightaway, please refresh your page.)

Wiaan Mulder has signed with Kent for a stint in the County Championship, starting later this month.

Bowling all-rounder Mulder has played one Test for South Africa, in Sri Lanka's historic series-clinching victory at Port Elizabeth in February. He will play seven county games, starting with Kent's second match after the competition resumes, against Surrey at Beckenham from May 20, and ending at Hampshire from July 13.

Kent won their only Championship match for the season so far, an eight-wicket victory over Warwickshire. They suffered a terrible run of injuries during their Royal London Cup campaign, where they have won two of their seven games and lost four. Captain Sam Billings has been ruled out for the rest of the season after dislocating his shoulder while fielding in a Royal London Cup match and vice-captain Joe Denly is with the England squad for the one-day series against Pakistan.

Mulder played the first of his 10 ODIs for South Africa as an 18-year-old, taking 1 for 32 off eight overs against Bangladesh in October, 2017.

In first-class cricket, he has taken 66 wickets from 22 matches at an average of just 22.93 with best bowling figures in an innings of 7 for 25 in only his second first-class appearance for the Lions against the Dolphins in 2016. Usually batting at No. 5 or 6, Mulder also averages 39.50 with the bat in first-class cricket with a high score of 146 in Bloemfontein in January.

"I have always wanted to play county cricket and I am stoked to be joining a top-division side such as Kent," Mulder said. "I'm fully focused on proving my abilities at this high level and hope to contribute to success at this historic club."

Kent director of cricket, Paul Downton, said: "With Sam Billings and Joe Denly unavailable for differing reasons, Wiaan's ability to bowl a heavy ball and bat in the top six will be a huge asset to the side as we look to establish ourselves in Division One following our exciting win at Edgbaston earlier this season."

Sherman: If Bosa can play, comments forgotten

Published in Breaking News
Tuesday, 07 May 2019 05:57

Some have wondered how San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman would get along with new teammate Nick Bosa, who has gotten into hot water for some of his insensitive social media posts.

"One thing about football is that nobody really cares what you say if you can play," Sherman told The Sacramento Bee on Monday. "At the end of the day, I think a guy that has played with African Americans his whole life, not saying he can't be racist, but they know how to maneuver around African Americans."

Bosa once called former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick "a clown" for his kneeling protests of social injustice. He has liked homophobic and racist content on Instagram. Leading up to the draft he scrubbed his social media of controversial content. Sherman, meanwhile, is one of the league's most active players in discussing issues regarding social justice.

Bosa was selected by the Niners with the No. 2 overall pick, landing the defensive end in one of the most progressive markets in the NFL. The Ohio State product quickly apologized about his Kaepernick comments specifically and his past social media activity generally.

"I definitely made some insensitive decisions throughout my life and I'm just excited to be here with a clean slate," Bosa said at his introductory news conference. "I'm sorry if I hurt anybody. I definitely didn't intend for that to be the case, but I think me being here is even better for me as a person because I don't think there's any city that you could really be in that would help you grow as much as this one will.

"I'm going to be surrounded by people, all different kinds, so I'm going to grow as a person and I'm going to be on my own. College, you have kind of like that support system around you. Now I'm here, I'm going to be on my own, I'm going to grow up, I'm going to learn a lot of new things."

Sherman has been a big supporter of Kaepernick's stance and has stood up himself for ending social injustice, but he says he is willing to give Bosa a chance, if he can be a good teammate.

"When you're at Ohio State, it's not like Ohio State's an all-white school. So I don't think that's going to ever be an issue," Sherman said, according to The Bee. "I think, at the end of the day, your beliefs are your beliefs ... but when you're in the building and you're a football player and you're a teammate, you handle yourself accordingly. And I think he understands that."

The Niners can definitely use Bosa's help on defense, and that's what it comes down to for Sherman.

"It's not like something where guys are like, 'Hey man, what about what you said?' No. No. If he can play, he can play. If he can't play, he won't be here," Sherman said, according to the newspaper. "But at the end of the day, that's all that matters in football. Is he getting sacks on Sunday? Is he helping our team? Is he being a good teammate? Those are things that matter.

"Now, if he's a bad teammate, that's something we'll address."

Warriors not panicking after second straight loss

Published in Basketball
Tuesday, 07 May 2019 00:58

HOUSTON -- The Golden State Warriors say they're not worried about their postseason future, despite the fact that after losing Game 4 to the Houston Rockets 112-108 on Monday night they find themselves tied 2-2 in a hard-fought Western Conference semifinal series.

After winning three of the past four NBA championships and earning four straight trips to the NBA Finals, the Warriors showed no panic after another disappointing loss on the road.

"I think our vibe is just great," Warriors forward Draymond Green said. "Because everybody's just looking at each other like we know if we just correct the effort things we're just fine. And so everybody's spirits are up, everyone's feeling good about the opportunity that we have. We didn't feel this way after Game 4 last year [against the Rockets] that's for sure. Andre [Iguodala] had just went out [with a left knee injury]. We spent Game 4 trying to figure out who that guy [to replace him] would be. There were just so many questions that needed to be answered.

"Those questions aren't there this year. We know the answer to our problem, and that's pretty exciting because that's my department to lead in and I know I'll lead that department and bring it. And if I do I have no doubt that everyone else will follow and we'll win, so it's exciting for me."

Aside from the championship experience, the reason the Warriors aren't panicking is because their fixes heading into Game 5 on Wednesday night at Oracle Arena are relatively simple. During Games 3 and 4, the Warriors were outrebounded 98-72 by the Rockets.

"We didn't match their physicality until about the last four minutes of the game," Green said. "And it's been that way for about the last 96 minutes of this series. ... We go into a fight thinking it's a fair fight. And it's not. They're doing whatever it takes to win. And not that they're doing anything dirty or nothing like that, but they're doing whatever it takes to win and we're just rolling in like, 'Oh yeah, we'll box.' And they're slapping us.

"So we got to just change our mindset and I think if we change our mindset then we'll be just fine, but we haven't these last two games. The first two games I think it was the complete opposite. I think we were taking it to them and they weren't really responding as far as the physicality went. And so that's the difference in this series. That's why it's 2-2."

Another reason why the Rockets were able to tie up the series on Monday night is due to the fact that the Warriors shot just 8-for-33 from beyond the arc. Warriors All-Star swingman Klay Thompson finished just 11-for-31 in Games 3 and 4 combined, shooting just 3-for-12 from beyond the arc. Thompson's teammates and coaches are convinced that Thompson will bounce back in Game 5. So is he.

"I'll play much better on Wednesday," Thompson said.

The good news for the Warriors is that after his own series-long slump, star guard Stephen Curry finished with 30 points and was 12-for-25 from the field. As is the case with Thompson, nobody inside the Warriors doubted that Curry would eventually find his groove again.

"The last 48 hours has been pretty funny," Curry said. "Hearing all the noise and chatter about how I've been playing this series. I take it all in stride and understand what I'm capable of. And doing it within the context of how we play as a team, I can play even better. So I'm just trying to stay within my own zone, in terms of what I expect from myself on the floor and leaving it all out there and living with the results because I know how prepared I am every night."

While the Warriors say they're feeling no pressure heading into Wednesday's game, the reality is that if they lose Game 5 they face the possibility that it could be the final game played inside Oracle Arena. The Warriors move to Chase Center in San Francisco in September.

For the time being, the group is trying to focus on what it can control -- despite the losses in Houston, they seem to be enjoying the fact that they get to play against an opponent that has earned their respect over the years on basketball's postseason stage.

"This is what it's about," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "This is the NBA playoffs, the best teams in the league. We're playing a great team and we know what the game plan is and we know how good they are. So it's just about competition, that's it."

HOUSTON -- As the red confetti fell from the Toyota Center rafters Monday night, the Houston Rockets felt a sense of relief.

Their Western Conference semifinal series is tied after the Rockets survived Game 4, pulling out a 112-108 win over the Golden State Warriors despite almost blowing a 15-point fourth-quarter lead. Two elite Golden State shooters had good looks at potential game-tying 3-pointers with seconds remaining, but Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry both missed.

"Yeah, we won the game, but we've got to be better," said Rockets point guard Chris Paul, who grabbed the rebound of Curry's miss and split a pair of free throws to seal the win. "We understand that. Going back to the Bay, they're probably not going to miss those shots."

The Rockets rolled for most of the game, but the Houston offense that was spectacular for the first three quarters sputtered down the stretch, giving two-time defending champion Golden State a chance to get back in the game.

Houston was held to 19 points in the fourth quarter, including only 11 after a PJ Tucker hook shot put the Rockets up by 15 with 9 minutes, 12 seconds remaining. After shooting 42.1 percent from 3-point range through three quarters, the Rockets were 1-of-12 from long distance in the final frame.

The Rockets, who went with a small lineup in the fourth quarter to maximize their shooting and spacing, missed 16 of their final 20 shots from the floor. Houston had a scoreless drought of two minutes, 20 seconds before James Harden split a pair of free throws with 11.5 seconds remaining, missing the second to fail to give the Rockets a two-possession cushion.

"Everything tightened up in the fourth quarter," said Harden, who finished with a game-high 38 points and 10 rebounds but was only 3-of-11 from the floor and 0-of-6 on 3s in the fourth quarter. "We went through a stretch where we couldn't score. They went through a stretch where Draymond [Green] got a couple of layups, but other than that, they really couldn't score either. Twenty-four points defensively against anybody is a great quarter, but against the Warriors, it's even better. We only had 19, but luckily, we gave ourselves a cushion in the third quarter to sustain it. That's what it's about."

After Harden's missed free throw, the Warriors perfectly executed a play out of the timeout to get Durant (34 points on 12-of-22 shooting) what Paul referred to as a "butt-naked look." Houston didn't switch after Green got a clean screen on Tucker, allowing Durant to get wide-open, but his 29-foot attempt from straightaway caromed off the rim.

Green tapped out the rebound, and Durant shoveled the ball back to Curry, who had 30 points on 12-of-25 shooting. Curry immediately launched a 34-footer as Harden and Austin Rivers lunged to try to contest the shot. It went long, and Paul snatched the rebound with two hands -- "highest I've seen you jump in a long time," Tucker kidded Paul.

"I thought it was going to overtime -- 100 percent," said Rivers, who played 33 minutes off the bench after Houston coach Mike D'Antoni opted to play a small lineup more than the Rockets have all series. "KD got one and I'm like, 'Come on, man.' Then Steph got one. The fact he wasn't open and it was like a crazy shot, those are the ones that he would hit. We are fortunate."

The Rockets certainly weren't apologizing for not closing out the Warriors in more convincing fashion. They were pleased to protect their home court to even the series.

However, the postgame theme throughout the home locker room was that the Rockets needed to be sharper to get a win at Oracle Arena, which is a must for Houston to advance to the conference finals.

"We played OK and we got some wins, but we've got to be better," said Tucker, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds. "We've got to be more aggressive. We've got to play faster the whole game. We've got to pick it up. ... I'm going to tell you right now, we've got to be more intense the next game."

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