Lebron, Durant Moving Toward NBA Finals Reunion
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SECTION B VISIT SAMOA NEWS ONLINE @ SAMOANEWS.COM FRIDAY MAY, 12 2017 CLASSIFIEDS • CARTOONS • ALOHA BRIEFS & MORE ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ Star Wars: Lebron, Durant moving toward C M Y K NBA finals reunion By Tom Withers and Janie Now the basketball world second rounds, the Cavaliers Mccauley is watching and waiting, even and Warriors stand an unblem- AP Sports Writers hoping for a Durant-James ished 16-0 combined as they FILE: photo, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James Kevin Durant admires rematch. And this one could await their conference finals smiles after hitting a basket against the Indiana Pacers during LeBron James from afar, mar- live up to the hype. opponents. the second half of Game 3 of a first-round NBA basketball veling at how Cleveland’s main After swatting aside their The 3-Match. Another must- playoff series, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/File) man finds ways to elevate his opponents in the first and (Continued on page 2) game at age 32 - year after year, title after title. Kobe Bryant was much the same. Ten years into his NBA journey, the unassuming, scoring machine everyone calls “KD”, strives to emulate those superstars. Soon, he will likely see James again in the Finals, this time in a matchup that has been talked about from the very moment Durant departed Okla- homa City to join Golden State last July. The anticipation of this potential matchup has over- shadowed other postseason series. Durant understands that like LeBron and Kobe, it’s time to take his game to another level. They each have something Durant wants. “It’s a mindset, when you don’t realize how old you are or how many years you’ve played or mileage or the moment,” Durant said. “You’ve just got to try to keep getting better. You have that mindset when you step on the court that you want to be the best player on the court. It may not happen C M every game. You may not be Y K the best, you might not have the best game, but just having that mindset you never get satisfied with what you do. “That’s the mindset he (James) has taken on, that’s the mindset Kobe did. There’s a lot of other players that did it. I feel like I’m on the same path as far as - I wouldn’t say I’m going to have four MVPs or three cham- pionships, I’m not guaranteeing that but I want that. On the bas- ketball court, I want to be con- sistent and great every night.” James and Durant have squared off 23 times during their NBA careers, and James has a decisive 18-5 edge, including 4-1 in the postseason and 1-0 in battles for the championship. Page B2 samoa news, Friday May, 12 2017 ➧ Lebron, Durant moving… Continued from page 1 see, best-of-seven series fea- in 52 years . Before returning to turing arguably the league’s Oklahoma City - a place he still best players in James and holds dear and supports - ear- Durant - both playing some lier this season to face fans who of the best basketball of their are still stung and feel betrayed, careers - and a marquee All- Durant sought James out for Star cast that includes two-time advice on handling the hatred. MVP Stephen Curry, Kyrie Now they’re on a path Irving, Draymond Green, Klay toward Cavs-Dubs 3.0. Thompson and Kevin Love. James has been practically It’s a showdown made in unstoppable. And Durant, who hoops heaven, but Durant is missed 19 games late in the downplaying a matchup with regular season with a left knee James as anything worthy of injury, has found the right bal- stealing the spotlight from the ance of taking charge and sac- others. rificing for him teammates with “If we do end up making the Warriors. it to the Finals and Cleveland Cavs coach Tyronn Lue is makes it to the Finals, it’s never impressed with how Durant going to be me versus LeBron,” seamlessly blended in on Durant said. “It’s going to be Golden State, as Curry took a team versus team. It’s not an backseat. individual sport. We’re not “When Steph and Klay have playing 1-on-1 out there, as a bad game - which is not very FILE - In this Feb. 18, 2017, file photo, Euless Trinity’s Mack Beggs is announced as the winner of a semifinal match after Beggs pinned Grand Prairie’s Kailyn Clay during the finals of the UIL much as people want us to.” often - when they do, then you Region 2-6A wrestling tournament at Allen High School in Allen, Texas. Beggs, a transgender boy They have history and a can give the ball to Durant and who won a girls wrestling state title in Texas, says he would compete against boys if allowed and is rivalry - albeit a rather one- he can go get his own basket taking lower doses of testosterone to try to be fair to his opponents. sided one. James, then with the and his own shot,” Lue said. (Nathan Hunsinger/The Dallas Morning News via AP, File) Miami Heat, won the first of “You saw that in this Utah his three NBA titles by beating series where Steph and Klay Durant’s Oklahoma City struggled one game, and they Thunder in 2012. just put it to Durant in the mid- The pair is linked by talent, Texas Bill could deny range area, and he went and got tenacity and drive. Olympic it. So you have that third player gold medal-winning team- who is definitely one of the top mates, they have become close three players in this league that transgender wrestler friends and workout compan- can go get his own shot at any ions. They spent two summers time and that’s what makes pushing each other during them more dangerous.” training sessions in James’ Mike Brown knows both title defense hometown of Akron, Ohio. well. Little did these two realize then Golden State’s assistant By Jim Vertuno next season in his senior year. require high school students that their stellar NBA careers , now filling in for Warriors AP Sports Writer The UIL prohibits steroids to provide a birth certificate, AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — use, but Texas has a “safe proof of gender-reassignment would become even more inter- coach Steve Kerr, spent five When transgender wrestler harbor” provision that allows surgery or documentation of twined when Durant bolted seasons with James in Cleve- Mack Beggs won a girls’ state transgender students under- hormone therapy, according to from OKC and faced the con- land. He appreciates his ath- championship, his victory drew going hormone therapy treat- TransAthlete.com. stant scrutiny that came with leticism, but is more impressed jeers and complaints that his ments under the direction of a UIL officials say killing the his decision. by James’ all-consuming work steroid therapy treatment had doctor to compete. Texas also testing program limited their In many ways, James actu- ethic that has allowed him to given him an unfair advantage requires transgender athletes ability to police steroid use in ally helped show him how it’s evolve every year. against girls who risked injury to compete in the gender listed competition. Beggs’ case is one done. He sees those same quali- just by getting on the mat with on their birth certificate. For they simply hadn’t imagined He as much as anyone ties in Durant, who now under- him. Beggs, that meant he had to 10 years ago, said Leo Barnes, understood the tornado of stands that when the stage Now Texas lawmakers are wrestle against girls against his the UIL’s director of policy and criticism aimed at Durant for enlarges he has to expand that pushing a bill that could ulti- wishes, and the proposed bill compliance. signing onto a “super team” to 7-foot-5 wingspan even more. mately deny Beggs, a Dallas- would not change that rule. “The fairness and safety and chase a championship. James “That’s what those guys area junior, a chance to defend Beggs family spokesman competition issue that has been left home in 2010 for Miami, do,” Brown said. “When you his title next year. Alan Baxter said the family raised is one we think we need where he won two titles and have superstars like that and The proposal working its has a good relationship with to have the authority to look way through the Legislature the UIL and questioned why at,” Barnes told lawmakers in played in four straight Finals the competition gets tougher, would require transgender stu- lawmakers are pursuing the a Senate hearing on the bill last before leading Cleveland to its they usually rise to the moment dents like Beggs to turn over change. month. first major sports championship or the occasion.” their medical information to “I would hope they are not State Sen. Bob Hall, a the University Interscholastic singling him out,” Baxter said, Republican from Edgewood, League, the state’s governing noting that a now-defunded said his bill isn’t aimed at dis- body for public high school UIL program that tested more qualifying transgender stu- NOTICE FOR SEPARATION AGREEMENT sports. The UIL would be than 63,000 athletes caught just dents, but to give the UIL a tool TO embers of the NOMA’AEA Family and to all whom these present may come! NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that NOMA’AEA TA’A SUNIA, SINALETOAGA T.S. TAUMANU- allowed to disqualify an athlete a handful of cheaters before in combating steroid use.