Lakers duke out win over Rockets in Game 2

Hockey. Boxing. Football. Wrestling.

Add basketball to the list of high contact sports as evidenced by a very testy, technical/ejection-plagued Game 2 of the Lakers-Rockets series.
L.A. got the win 111-98, moving the series to Houston for Game 3 Friday night.

Kobe Bryant scored 40 points to lead the Lakers and tie the series 1-1.

Tweeters agree, this is gonna be a slugfest:

1. 
   GeekPicks What's up with the Lakers vs. Rockets game? The refs have taken over the 4th quarter. This has become an ugly game. Let them play! 07 May 2009 from Ping.fm
2. 
   beasy2487 Didn't think the Rockets-Lakers was gona be a good series but looks like it's gona be one for the ages... Sports=All the Reality TV I need. 07 May 2009 from web
3. 
   Parker_Short I'm pretty sure someone is going to die during the course of the Rockets-Lakers series. They really hate each other. 07 May 2009 from web
4. 
   noelperez @anniemamas Lakers thought this was gonna be easy ... big mistake ... Rockets came to play!!! so Lakers respond with dirty tactics ... 07 May 2009 from web in reply to anniemamas
5. 
   jwilphotos Lakers better eat their Wheaties...they gonna have to WORK to send the ROCKETS home. 07 May 2009 from TweetDeck
6. 
   JProepsilon @DavidSides Game 3 Lakers vs. Rockets. Artest's Revenge: Elbow's Galore 07 May 2009 from TweetDeck in reply to DavidSides

One tweeter captured this shot from the baseline:



(twitpic by @CURT_ABC7, Staples Center, Los Angeles, California)


Where are the boxing ropes for this Lakers-Rockets matchup!

Kobe vs. Artest. Whatcha twitcritics think?

1. 
   Six8thaGreat Ron artest wud drop kobe on the first swing 07 May 2009 from TwitterBerry
2. 
   bereolaesque Ok I'm awake - Ron Artest is trying to murk Kobe .... Dude is a livewire. We all remember his antics 07 May 2009 from TwitterFon
3. 
   BrianViloria Everyone's being ejected!! D. Fisher ejected! Now Ron Artest just got ejected...Anyone else? Anyone? You Mr. Nicholson? 07 May 2009 from web
4. 
   justincpeters Artest is nuts! Elbows get thrown in Bball...like Ron's never thrown one!? 07 May 2009 from TwitterBerry
5. 
   LaurenEngle I hate Kobe Bryant, I like how he gets away with punching Ron Artest in the throat! This game is getting insane... 07 May 2009 from TwitterFon
6. 
   rinabina87 Why is there so much fighting in this game? Luke & Lamar wanna jump Scola... Now Kobe & Ron Artest (Artest is a THUG... smh) 07 May 2009 from twidroid
7. 
   G2L2T Kobe Bryant with the cheap shot on Artest what a horrible sportsman he is. 07 May 2009 from TwitterFon
8. 
   NickyJay Kobe Bryant is a dirty, dirty player. He gets away with so much garbage. He should have been ejected for that elbow to Artest's face. 07 May 2009 from TwitterBerry

Derek Fisher is ejected for hit on the Rockets' Luis Scola. Phil Jackson doesn't agree with the call (not zen enough?). Quite the reaction from the Twittersphere!

1. 
   bigpanda76 man! Derek Fisher KNOCKED that fool out! way to stand up for the team @derekfisher! 07 May 2009 from mobile web
2. 
   jonnieanne @BrennBangsDilla fish dropped that boy like he was Ricky Hatton...Derek "the Pacman" Fisher 07 May 2009 from web in reply to BrennBangsDilla
3. 
   TheFaildozer So Rondo can decapitate Brad Miller, but Derek Fisher can't shoulder check Luis Scola. 07 May 2009 from TwitterFon
4. 
   Hitmanumber47 Derek Fisher almost killed Luis Scola. He was ejected, but it was worth it. 07 May 2009 from web
5. 
   EdreeseA HAHAHAHA!!!!!!! Derek Fisher finally caught playing dirty. Outta There! 07 May 2009 from web
6. 
   pau_pow derek fisher is a punk. classy move there. LETS. GO. HOUSTON. 07 May 2009 from web

Apparently Ron Artest's game and hair-do are Twitterrific:

1. 
   OneSeasonNBA Can someone put me in touch with Ron Artest's hair stylist? 07 May 2009 from web
2. 
   Jay_Cruz I gotta admit..Ron Artest's Rocket Logo buzz cut is pretty fly..now as I'm sure Zen Master will say "cover that dude"..Bring it Lakers ! 07 May 2009 from TwitterBerry
3. 
   DJSupa yo houston can pull this one out...im glad ron artest is scoring better then he can rap...did yall remember his song.....exactly 07 May 2009 from txt
4. 
   Inkognegro and allow me to remind all of you that Mark Cuban Vetoed a trade that would send Ron Artest to Dallas for Josh Howard. No further comment 07 May 2009 from TweetDeck

(Twitpic by @seancallanan)

Lakers duke out win over Rockets in Game 2

Boston three party busted as Bruins, Red Sox lose, Celtics Win

The spotlight being on Boston sports is nothing new. But when the Celtics and Bruins are in hotly contested playoff contests and the Red Sox have a 9-game home winning streak to uphold, Bostonians were torn on where to show their allegiances.

Tweets from Beantown capture the emotions put behind each and every team:

1. 
   bbgirl88 Watching alot of Boston Sports right now.....Red Sox game for me tomorrow night :) :) 07 May 2009 from web
2. 
   dancehallhiips too many sports to watch! flipping between celts and bruins and getting espn red sox updates on my phoneeeee. i'm a loser but it's fine! 07 May 2009 from twhirl
3. 
   chowdaheadz Trying to figure out if the Celtics blowout eases the pain of the Bruins & Red Sox losing? 07 May 2009 from TwitterFox
4. 
   palemian Three TV's all on at once, one tuned into the Bruins game, one on the Celtics and the other on the Red Sox - People meter that Nielsen! 07 May 2009 from web
5. 
   andiestreet red sox and bruins made me sad :( celtics give me hope that maybe every game i watch isnt doomed to lose 07 May 2009 from web
6. 
   SeamusKeleher @Kal_Penn from the Boston perspective, glad the Celtics won, needed that, not so well for the Bruins or Red Sox, cannot win them all though. 07 May 2009 from web in reply to Kal_Penn

The Celtics, led by Rajon Rondo's triple double (15 points, 18 assists, and 11 rebounds) and posterization of Dwight Howard, were the only victor tonight, beating the Orlando Magic 112-94 to tie the series at one game apiece, per Boston.com.

The Bruins, tying Game 3 late in the third period on Mark Recchi's goal, were on the losing end of an overtime thriller, falling behind in their series with the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1, per the Boston Herald.

The Red Sox, looking for a double-digit home win streak, couldn't muster enough offensive power with a makeshift lineup, losing 9-2 to the Cleveland Indians, per the Patriot Ledger.

Twitpics were also posted from each game from loyal fans:

@xbuzz: "Let's do this Celtics!!!"

@dpokela: "View from my seat in the VERY LAST row"

@jmeserve: "Better seats courtesy of Red Sox getting blown out"

Boston three party busted as Bruins, Red Sox lose, Celtics Win

MLS action revs up as DC United, Kansas City Wizards draw

Repeat after me: soccer is a professional sport in America.

Not to be buried in the last-minute drama of Barcelona's stunning comeback against Chelsea earlier today, but a midweek MLS fixture between the Kansas City Wizards and DC United at the Community America Ballpark helped whet the appetites of Americans trying to earn the bid to the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.

Riding a three-game unbeaten streak, the D.C. United came in to the evening trying to cool down the winning ways of the Wizards, who have only lost once at home this season. Per mlsnet.com, neither team ended their respective unbeaten streaks as the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

The United's Rodney Wallace, a rookie, broke the game open in the 27th minute from inside the penalty area with his second goal of the season. Trying his best Andrés Iniesta impression, Kansas City's Josh Wolff locked the game up at 1-1 in the 52nd minute with a strike from inside the goal area.

Twitterers following the game provided their insights on what they observed:

1. 
   starritt is looking forward to going to the Wizards game tonight. A win puts the Kansas City Wizards on top of the Eastern Conference. 06 May 2009 from TweetDeck
2. 
   OuestN If I had to make a mid-week trip to Kansas City, I'd be looking as sluggish as #DCUnited too. 07 May 2009 from web
3. 
   THE_REAL_ABE Kansas City Wizards: Flopping, mobbing the ref. Are they Chelsea in disguise? 07 May 2009 from web
4. 
   xvalencia Still first in the east standing, lets get a win on Sat. RT @dcunited: Final. #DCU 1, KC 1. Four ties on the year. 07 May 2009 from TweetDeck

@dcunited, Tweeting simultaneously from KC and DC, provided a Tweetlog throughout the match:

1. 
   dcunited Who do you think will score first for #dcunited? 07 May 2009 from TweetDeck
2. 
   dcunited 27th min: GOAL for Rodney Walace! #dcu 07 May 2009 from TweetDeck
3. 
   dcunited We've kicked off the 2nd half here in KC. #dcu 07 May 2009 from TweetDeck
4. 
   dcunited 59th minute: KC subs in Espinoza for H. Gomez. #dcu 07 May 2009 from TweetDeck
5. 
   dcunited #DCU fans! Get to RFK this Sat. and see your 1st place hometeam! We have some great offers: http://www.dcunited.com/tickets 07 May 2009 from web

A TwitPic posted by @terrenceshaw shows some of the action early on:

MLS action revs up as DC United, Kansas City Wizards draw

Crosby-Ovechkin, Round 3

He's the face of hockey purists everywhere. A grinder, blue-collar bootstrapper who possesses the touch of a Canadian knight when he holds a hockey stick.



He is the showboating alpha male, playing the sport with a wild abandonment typically reserved for a punk rock band frontman. He is also easily hockey's most Tweeted player.



Tonight, Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin meet again. Game 3 of the Ovechkin's Washington Capitals vs Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins, with the Capitals leading the series 2-0. The game went to overtime, with the Penguins winning it 3-2 on a goal by Kris Letlang just over eight minutes in.


Reaction on the dramatic finish:

1. 
   NucksHub It is nice to see people who don't live in Canada getting stoked on hockey. #Penguins #Capitals 07 May 2009 from Tweetie
2. 
   djsaian woooowwwwww!!!! what a magnificent goal by #penguins!!!!! yeah!!!!!!! 07 May 2009 from twhirl
3. 
   SAGExSDX Pens score a nice outside slapshot. pens win. caps were seriously sloppy and did not deserve a win. #nhl #playoffs 07 May 2009 from web
4. 
   JonFogg Pens' Kris Letang rips a slap shot that hits a Caps defenseman in front and goes in ... Pens are far from dead in this series #capitals 07 May 2009 from web

-- this quote was brought to you by quoteurl


The Penguins jumped ahead 2-1 late in the 3rd on a power play goal by Evgeni Malkin, only to have the Capitals tie it on their own power play goal.

This one is headed to overtime. Here are a few in-game Tweets:

1. 
   djsaian scoressssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #Penguins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2-1 vs #Capitals 07 May 2009 from twhirl
2. 
   TheMontyShow WOW! That is a HUGE goal for the Pens, Malkin and Guerin right in the action again! #NHL #Penguins #Malkin #Guerin #Capitols 07 May 2009 from TweetDeck
3. 
   Sinareo BOOOOOM! There it is! Too bad it's a tying goal, but it'll do... for now! #Capitals #NHL 07 May 2009 from TweetDeck
4. 
   gregotto amazing what happens when a team shows a lil fight against the #Penguins. 07 May 2009 from Friendbar

As for Alex the Great vs Sidney the Kid? The Twitterverse takes sides:

1. 
   mikeschaffer @david_schwab I think Crosby has slight edge bc NHL has pushed him harder on TV. #Ovechkin has had to create his own hype-and live up to it. 05 May 2009 from web in reply to david_schwab
2. 
   Dashredder9 I don't watch hockey but this #ovechkin guy is a beast 05 May 2009 from TwitterBerry
3. 
   macleod199 Oh snap! #Ovechkin can smell the net at fifty paces. He is an animal evolved purely for playing hockey. 06 May 2009 from twitterrific
4. 
   robby_d #crosby is not that big a boy. Don't know if he can carry the whole team on his back, but he sure the hell is gonna try. #pens 06 May 2009 from Netvibes

Crosby-Ovechkin, Round 3