Celtics Rout Wizards on Home Court Said
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Sports FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017 Tuchel future unclear as Dortmund eye third spot BERLIN: When Thomas Tuchel took advantage over Hoffenheim with a trip the game should not have been set for discuss about the coach in public. We over at Borussia Dortmund in 2015 he to Augsburg on Saturday. “I am the the next day with his team still in shock did not do it over seven years with was hailed as the country’s top coach- head coach of Dortmund in Augsburg, while Watzke said there was choice giv- Juergen Klopp and not since Tuchel has ing talent who could carve out his own that’s for sure,” is all Tuchel would say en the busy match calendar towards the been in charge either. “We will sit down era at the Ruhr Valley club just like his earlier this week when asked if he end of the season. “It is his right (to say together after the end of the season and predecessor, Juergen Klopp, did. Less would be coach next season. The cause it), he is the boss,” Tuchel said. “I do not analyze it and rate it.” Second-placed RB than two seasons on, however, Tuchel’s of the dispute between CEO Hans- comment on this. We have two more Leipzig, six points clear of Dortmund team is battling to secure an automatic Joachim Watzke and Tuchel is the deci- games to play as well as a (German) Cup and already sure of a top three finish, Champions League group spot with sion to play last month’s Champions final.” Club officials have tried to play host champions Bayern Munich, who two games left in the season amid an League quarter-final first leg against AS down the dispute, saying disagree- secured their record-extending fifth ongoing dispute between the 43-year- Monaco a day after it was postponed ments were part and parcel of the daily straight league crown two weeks ago. At old coach and club bosses. due to a bomb attack on the team bus operations at a club but have not said the other end of the table, former Neither the club nor the coach him- that injured one player. whether Tuchel would stay on. European champions Hamburg SV, sit- self have said Tuchel would definitely Dortmund played the game the fol- “We are all working professionally ting in the relegation playoff spot, travel be seeing out his contract to 2018 at lowing day, losing 3-2, and then went and hard together, especially at this cru- to Schalke 04 in desperate need of Dortmund, who are preparing to out following another defeat in the cial phase of the season,” said Dortmund points to protect their unbroken 54-year defend third spot and their two-point away leg. Tuchel had argued at the time sports director Michael Zorc. “We never Bundesliga presence.— Reuters Ducks and Penguins win game sevens to advance ANAHEIM: Nick Ritchie scored the game winner and the Anaheim Ducks ended a game seven jinx by beating the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 Wednesday to book their spot in the NHL Conference finals. The Ducks won their first game seven after losing home deciders the last four seasons in a row. They also came back from being down 0-2 in a series for the first time in franchise history. “It was a very emotional game. Any game seven there is going to be ebbs and flows,” said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. Anaheim advances to the Western Conference final to play the Nashville Predators. The Ducks will host game one today at the Honda Center. Elsewhere, Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 29 shots as the Pittsburgh Penguins punched their ticket to the NHL semi-finals with a 2-0 win over the Washington Capitals. John Gibson stopped 23 of 24 shots for Anaheim as the only goal he gave up came off a defensive blunder by 21- year-old rearguard Shea Theodore. Theodore had the puck and mistakenly turned into Gibson while trying to escape the forecheck of Drake Caggiula, who swatted Theodore’s stick sending the puck past a surprised Gibson. The goal gave the Oilers a 1-0 lead just over three minutes into the contest but unlike game six this time the Ducks didn’t give up despite being down early. Andrew Cogliano scored halfway through the second period to tie the game 1-1. Cogliano, who was a pain in the side of the Oilers all night long, scored his first goal of the 2017 postseason. Ritchie scored the game winner at 3:21 of the third when he rifled a high shot past Oiler goalkeeper Cam Talbot from the slot. Ritchie had two earlier chances from in close in the second but failed to capitalize. Instead of getting discouraged he said the earlier opportu- nities from in close helped boost his confidence. “Sometimes when you get chances like that it helps you later if you get another chance to score,” Ritchie said. This was the first game seven for the Oilers franchise in more than a decade and BOSTON: Washington Wizards forward Markieff Morris (5) looks to pass as he is surrounded by Boston Celtics players dur- coach Todd McLellan said he liked the way his players com- ing the second quarter of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series on Wednesday, May 10, 2017. — AP peted. “There is still a little bit of inconsistency in our game but we will grow up and fix that as we go along,” McLellan Celtics rout Wizards on home court said. “We weren’t afraid of the stage. For an inexperienced team that is a good sign for us.” WASHINGTON: The Boston Celtics con- scored 25 points in the first half as the and we put it on the court,” The Celtics tinued their home court mastery over Celtics compiled a 22-point halftime went 16-for-33 from beyond the arc and Crosby’s bragging rights Washington, taking charge early and lead. “He put his injuries aside and laced became the sixth team in NBA history In Washington, the Sidney Crosby-led Penguins continued going on to beat the Wizards 123-101 his shoes up and played,” teammate with at least 10 three pointers in six their playoff domination of Alex Ovechkin’s Capitals, winning Wednesday to grab a 3-2 lead in the sec- Isaiah Thomas said of Bradley. “He was straight postseason. John Wall led the the second round series in the seventh and deciding game. ond round series. Avery Bradley tallied a the key to this game at both ends of the Wizards with 21 points, and Bradley Beal Bryan Rust and Patric Hornqvist also scored goals on postseason career high 29 points in the floor.” Bradley hit his last basket with had 16 and Otto Porter added 13. Wednesday for Pittsburgh who will face the Ottawa Senators blowout as Boston can now advance to 5:55 left in the third quarter and rested The Wizard guards combined to go in the Eastern Conference finals. Rust made it 1-0 midway meet the Cleveland Cavaliers in the next in the fourth. Al Horford finished with 19 just 14 of 36 from the floor, two of seven through the second period, and Hornqvist doubled the lead round with a victory today in points and added seven assists and six from three-point range. “When you give early in the third. Washington. “Everyone was prepared,” rebounds for Boston. a very good team transition points and “We expected them to come out hard, but we knew we said Bradley. “And that’s what it’s all Thomas and Jae Crowder both breakaway points with nobody guard- had to be a little more aggressive tonight than we were in the about.” The Celtics and Wizards have scored 18, Thomas with nine assists and ing you ... it’s going to be hard to keep last couple of games,” Crosby said. Pittsburgh eliminated the played nine times this year, and the Crowder with eight rebounds. Thomas up with them,” Washington coach Scott Presidents’ Trophy-winning Capitals in the second round for home team has won all nine games. scored eight consecutive points in the Brooks said. “We had no answers for the second season in a row, and the Penguins have won nine Boston has now won eight straight over- fourth with Bradley on the bench. those guys. We’ve done a pretty good of 10 postseason series between the teams. During that time, all at the Boston Garden over Thomas said the coaching staff did a job on their best player, but not (a) good Pittsburgh is 4-0 in game sevens. The Penguins are now 3-0 Washington. good job of getting them ready for enough job on the other guys.” If the against the Capitals in series played during the Crosby- The Celtics got on an early 16-0 run game five. “We just wanted to impose Celtics win today, they would open Ovechkin era. The previous two times the Penguins eliminat- and never looked back. Their first quar- our will,” said Thomas. “The coaches against Cleveland on Monday. If the ed the Capitals, they went on to win the Stanley Cup. Fleury ter burst came after the Wizards scored kept saying that, ‘Impose your will.’ We Boston-Washington series goes seven earned his ninth career playoff shutout, while Braden Holtby the first four points of the game. were the more physical team tonight. games, the winner meets the Cavaliers stopped 26 shots for Washington.— AFP Bradley, who is playing with a sore hip, “We took what was on the whiteboard next Wednesday.— AFP .