Anmelden » fense simply not good enough against this Spurs def

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The daily Olympic briefing was already well underway when the first candidate for question of the day came from an Australian journalist.Is the IOC concerned, he asked, that one of the enduring images from these games may well be one if its senior members opening the door naked to a police raid?A loaded question, sure. About the only positive thing the International Olympic Committee could take from Wednesday mornings bust of Irelands Patrick Hickey at a beachfront hotel in Rio was that it was for ticket scalping and not for hosting an orgy with Brazilian hookers.Hard to blame the reporter for trying, though. This isnt exactly an Olympics where answers are easily forthcoming.Hes innocent until proven guilty, IOC spokesman Mark Adams eventually offered.Welcome to the 11 a.m. follies, where two spokesmen sit bravely in front of a pack of journalists ravenous for responses to the problems that seem to crop up in these games with startling regularity.Like the Five OClock Follies that journalists mocked in Vietnam, its often a lesson in the theater of the absurd.The only constant -- aside from the daily appearances of Adams and Rio 2016 spokesman Mario Andrada together at a podium -- is that theres always plenty of fodder to discuss.These games are turning into a textbook case in crisis management.One day its about windows on a media bus being shattered or a fire burning through the mountain bike course. The next its diving and water polo pools that have mysteriously turned green.Every day, it seems, its about the thousands of empty seats that continue to plague these games.And on Wednesday, the added bonus of an elite IOC official being filmed scurrying for the bathroom as police arrive to take him into custody for allegedly scalping some 800 Olympic tickets in a scheme that netted $3 million in profit.Less than a thousand tickets of the six million that are sold, Adams said. Lets wait to see what the allegations involving Mr. Hickey really are.Waiting is often the only way to get straight answers out of Adams and Andrada, who seem to subscribe to the theory that the Olympics last only 17 days and if they wait long enough all the journalists will have left Rio, taking their pesky questions with them.It took days to get much out of them about the diving and water polo pools turning a deep shade of green, which they finally attributed to hydrogen peroxide accidentally being pumped into the water.Before that, Andrada offered up the money quote of the games when asked why the water wasnt blue.Chemistry is not an exact science, he said, which had to come as news to chemists everywhere.Andrada looks beleaguered by having to explain each morning what is inexplicable about these Olympics. Hickeys arrest may not have pleased him, but at least it took attention away from the issues hes had to deal with every day on behalf of the organizers.Chief among those issues this week were Brazilian fans, who havent been filling enough seats and often boo inappropriately when they do.Booing is not the proper way to cheer, Andrada said.The week before, he was explaining some of the logistical problems still facing Rio organizers, chief among them some issues with transporting IOC members promptly between their luxury beachfront hotels and different venues.Part of the problem, Andrada said, was that some of the 50,000 volunteers werent feeling good about donating their time to IOC members making up to $900 a day in per diem.If we have a tough day, he said, next morning some of them dont show up.Not showing up is also being blamed for the thousands of empty seats in Olympic arenas and stadiums. The official count offered Wednesday was 53,828 tickets sold for track and field the night before, though the stadium didnt appear even half full.Was that because the tickets were being scalped instead of being used? No, said Adams, promising to return the next day with some real numbers to back his claim up.Thank you all much, Adams said. Same time tomorrow.Take in the show while you can. Like the Rio Olympics, time is running out on the 11 a.m. follies.----Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg(at)ap.org or http://twitter.com/timdahlberg Rod Carew Jersey .C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said after all of these years in the NBA hes still amazed at some of the things LeBron James does. Kole Calhoun Jersey . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. 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Usually the final weekends leading up to the big holiday are spent shoulder to shoulder with thousands of others, trying to purchase gifts for loved ones.How can a sports fan be expected to go shopping when the action is reaching boiling point?With only four rounds remaining in the NFL season, teams are trying to lock up their playoff spots and nail down their game plans before the action really gets going. The leagues top sides are hoping to lock down their spots in Week 14.In the NBA, every team has played effectively a quarter of their schedule and a gap is beginning to show between the genuine contenders and those just making up the numbers.With so many incredible games on this weekend, which ones can you not afford to miss?Oakland Raiders v Kansas City Chiefs - Friday @ 12.15pm live on ESPN The AFC West is on track to be the best division in NFL history. With a current win/loss record of 32-16 and a win percentage of 66.7, it would beat the previous best of 65 percent held by the 2013 NFC West and the 2007 AFC South.For the second time this season the Raiders and Chiefs will square off. They met during Week 6 in Oakland when what began as a tantalizing game in the first half, turned into a one-sided affair with the Chiefs running away 26-10 winners.Derek Carr has led the Raiders to six come-from-behind victories in the fourth quarter and he will need all of that composure against a rampant Chiefs defense. Starting a three-game home stand, the Chiefs will be looking to take top spot in the AFC West from the Raiders.ESPN Pick: Chiefs defense to suffocate Raiders at home. 23-13Odds: Chiefs $1.57 vs Raiders $2.40Pittsburgh Steelers v Buffalo Bills - Monday @ 5am on ESPN RedZone The playoffs hopes remain within reach of both sides and as the end draws nearer, things are heating up. Buffalo run the ball more than any team in the league, leading all with 23 touchdowns and 1,943 yards. But big Ben Rothelesberger prefers to go the aerial route; his connection with Antonio Brown is something to behold. Brown leads all receivers with 11 touchdowns, one ahead of Jordy Nelson and Mike Evans.The Steelers are on a three-game winning streak which has been fuelled by their pass rush defense. Through the opening 10 weeks, the Steelers had a combined 13 sacks. During their win streak, theyve compiled 13 sacks. Watch out, Tyrod Taylor. The Steelers have you in their sights.Can the Bills slow down the Steelers and halt their push towards the playoffs or will Big Ben pick them apart?ESPN Pick: Steelers to get it down and go top of AFC North. 28-14Odds: Steelers $1.77 vs Bills $2.05?Dallas Cowboys v New York Giants - Monday @ 12.15pm live on ESPN The Cowboys are 11-1 so far this season and are as close to perfection as it gets. The only blip on their radar? A Round 1 loss to, you guessed it, New York Giants.The NFC East rivals meet for the second time this season and you best believe the Cowboys will be seeking redemption. League-leading running back EEzekiel Elliott will take on the competitions fifth best rushing defense owned by the Giants.dddddddddddd Elliot hasnt been able to get over the 100 rush yards for the last three weeks; can the Giants keep a lid on him?Eli Manning threw three TDs in that opening round matchup and with Odell Beckham Jr taking on the Cowboys secondary, we could see another repeat of that effort.ESPN Pick: Giants to upset the rolling Cowboys. 24-21Odds: Cowboys $1.53 vs Giants $2.50Minnesota Timberwolves v Toronto Raptors - Friday @ 11am live on ESPN2 The young Wolves travel north of the border for a showdown with the Raptors. Currently sitting second in the Eastern Conference, the Raptors own the third best offense in the league scoring at an average of 110.9 points per game.This will mark the sixth straight home game for the Raptors who have gone 4-1 throughout their home stand. They have been led by their dynamic backcourt in Kyle Lowry (23.6 points per game) and DeMar DeRozan (21.2 points per game) during this run.The Wolves, on the other hand, have only won one of their last six contests and will look to bounce back after losing at home to the Spurs. With their three young stars all averaging 20+ points a game, the Wolves know theyre on the cusp of greatness.ESPN Pick: Wolves are good, just not good enough. 114-101Odds: Raptors $1.30 vs Wolves $3.55San Antonio Spurs v Chicago Bulls - Friday @ 1.30pm live on ESPN2 Chicago will welcome the Spurs into the United Centre for their first matchup of the season. The Spurs are undefeated on the road, amassing a perfect 13-0 record. Since November 12th, the Spurs have only lost one game and theyll go into Chicago full of confidence behind their enigmatic leader Kawhi Leonard.The Bulls are riding a three-game losing streak and have averaged 94.3 points a game, which would rank second last in the league. Jimmy Butler currently ranks as the ninth highest scorer in the league and after a slow start is finally getting into the groove.Can the Bulls get their things together or will the Spurs road dominance continue?ESPN Pick: Bulls offense simply not good enough against this Spurs defense. 104-87Odds: Spurs $1.62 vs Bulls $2.30Houston Rockets v Oklahoma City Thunder - Saturday @ 12pm live on ESPN James Harden travels back to his old stomping ground for an MVP showdown against triple-double machine, Russell Westbrook. Westbrook has been on an absolute tear of late, recording a triple-double in the last six Thunder games, which makes it no surprise then that the Thunder have a perfect 6-0 record during that time.Hardens numbers might not be as staggering as Westbrooks, but theyre not to be sneezed at either.Both teams have 14 wins and have proved a lot of early season doubters wrong. Can Harden and Westbrook continue their early season form or will they come back down to earth?ESPN Pick: Rockets to edge out Thunder behind 3 point barrage. 117-112Odds: Rockets $1.97 vs Thunder $1.82 ' ' '