Warriors Ready for Third Straight NBA Finals Appearance
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SECTION B VISIT SAMOA NEWS ONLINE @ SAMOANEWS.COM TUESDAY MAY, 23 2017 CLASSIFIEDS • CARTOONS • ALOHA BRIEFS & MORE ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ Warriors ready for third straight C M Y K NBA Finals appearance SAN ANTONIO (AP) — in front of us.” ferent journey,” Curry said. Klay Thompson and Dray- “This is maybe the best defen- Kevin Durant does not need to Facing Cleveland will resur- The biggest difference is the mond Green. But Spurs coach sive team in the league on top of be told that Golden State should rect chatter of Golden State’s addition of Durant, who left Gregg Popovich said to credit everything. So, they don’t just have a muted celebration after collapse in last season’s finals, Oklahoma City in the offseason talent as the sole reason behind play with talent. They execute winning the Western Confer- which saw the Cavaliers rally to sign with Golden State. Golden State’s current run is at the defensive end of the floor. ence Finals. from a 3-1 deficit to win the His presence has given disrespectful. On offense, no team is more Durant is fully aware a tough franchise’s first championship. the Warriors a deep and tal- “They’re really talented, unselfish finding the open man challenge waits for them. It’s “This year is a totally dif- ented roster headlined by four but that’s not everything that and that sort of thing.” why Durant signed with the ferent year, different group, dif- All-Stars in Durant, Curry, describes them,” Popovich said. (Continued on page B3) Warriors and why Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green embraced him at the expense of their own stats. “We have a bigger goal in mind,” Durant said. Golden State has a chance to earn their second championship in three years after sweeping the San Antonio Spurs with a 129- 115 victory Monday night. The Warriors became the first team in league history to open the playoffs 12-0, which provides them with a week of rest prior to their third straight finals appearance. Golden State will host Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 1 against either Cleveland or Boston. The Cavaliers hold a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Confer- ence Finals, but Curry alluded the Warriors are expecting a rematch with LeBron James and company. “We all know, obviously, who we’re going to play,” Curry said. “We’ll be watching the Eastern Conference Finals to see how that unfolds. But it will be easy to start this new chapter and really just lock in on what’s C M Y K Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant, left, and Ste- phen Curry, right, stand on stage by the trophy after beating the San Antonio Spurs 129-115 in Game 4 of the NBA basket- ball Western Conference finals, Monday, May 22, 2017, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Page B2 samoa news, Tuesday May, 23 2017 Scathing report on Rio Olympics: venues ‘White Elephants’ RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — one arena and turn the remains A federal prosecutor looking into four schools. The arena into last year’s Rio de Janeiro was the venue for handball. Olympics says that many of “It will be dismantled,” she the venues “are white ele- said. “We are just waiting to phants” that were built with “no know whether we will actu- planning.” ally have resources to build The scathing report offered these schools on other sites, Monday at a public hearing or whether we will dismantle confirms what The Associated it and wait for the resources to Press reported several months come. Our schools need to be after the games ended. Many of reformed and that’s our priority, the venues are empty, boarded not new schools.” up, and have no tenants or Nine months after the Rio income with the maintenance Olympics ended, the local orga- costs dumped on the federal nizing committee still owes government. creditors about $30 million, and “There was no planning,” 137 medals awarded during the federal prosecutor Leandro games are rusting and need to Mitidieri told the public hearing be repaired. on the Olympics. “There was Former Rio de Janeiro no planning when they put out Mayor Eduardo Paes, the the bid to host the Games. No moving force with the Inter- planning. national Olympic Committee “They are white elephants behind organizing last year’s FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2017 photo, a trash can lays by ripped seats at one of the dugouts in Mara- today,” Mitidieri added. “What Olympics, is being investigated cana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A federal prosecutor looking into last year’s Rio de Janeiro we are trying to look at here is for allegedly accepting at least Olympics says many of the venues “are white elephants” that were built with “no planning.” The to how to turn this into some- 15 million reals ($5 million) in scathing report offered Monday, May 22, 2017, at a public hearing confirms what The Associated thing usable.” payments to facilitate construc- Press reported several months after the games ended. Many of the venues are empty, boarded up, Rio de Janeiro spend about tion projects tied to the games. and have no tenants or income with the maintenance costs dumped on the federal government.(AP $12 billion to organize the He denies any wrongdoing. Photo/Silvia Izquierdo, File) games, which were plagued by Organizing committee cost-cutting, poor attendance, spokesman Mario Andrada said and reports of bribes and cor- more than 100 medals awarded ruption linked to the building of at the Olympics showed signs some Olympic-related facilities. of rusting. He said many were American Samoa Government The Olympic Park in sub- bronze medals, and said many urban Barra da Tijuca, which of the tarnished medals had OFFICE OF PROCUREMENT was the largest cluster of venues, been awarded to Americans. is an expanse of empty arenas “Most of the problems were with clutter still remaining from due to handling, poor handling,” the games. The second largest Andrada said. “Either they cluster, in the northern area fell on the floor or they were INVITATION FOR BIDS of Deodoro, is closed despite touching each other so, it was plans to open it as a public park a problem of handling. What- IFB 2400-17 with swimming facilities for ever was the problem with the the mostly poor who live in the poor handling, it took the gloss Issuance Date: May 04, 2017 Closing Date: June 07, 2017 area. off the medal and then you see No later than 10:00am (local time) Patricia Amorim, the under- rusting.” secretary for sports in the city He said the medals would be INVITATION of Rio, said highly publicized repaired at Brazil’s mint, called Sealed bids are being solicited to provide “CIP FY 2017- School Bus” for the plans were on hold to dismantle the Casa da Moeda. Department of Education- Transportation Division. RECEIPT & OPENING OF BIDS Sealed bids will be received by the Chief Procurement Officer, American Samoa Kvitova to decide Government, Tafuna, American Samoa 96799, until 10:00a.m. (local time), Wednesday June 07,2017 at which time and place the sealed bids will be publicly opened and read. this week on French BID DOCUMENTS Bid documents, including Specifications, may be examined at the Office of Procurement Open comeback or obtained there from free of charge during normal hours of operation. PRAGUE (AP) — Two- Kvitova has missed the time Wimbledon champion season so far while recovering CONDITIONS Petra Kvitova will decide this from surgery on her left, racket- The American Samoa Government reserves the right to: week whether she will make holding hand in December. She her comeback at the French was injured during an attack at not accept the lowest or any bid. Open. She hasn’t played since her home in the Czech city of reject all bids and reissue and amended IFB. December, when she was Prostejov. request additional information from any bidder submitting a bid. attacked by a knife-wielding Tejkal also said Kvitova’s intruder. long-term goal remains to “to waive any informalities in bidding as may be in the best interest of the Kvitova previously said she be able to play in form at Wim- American Samoa Government. would sign up for the Grand bledon.” That starts on July 3. Slam in Paris, which begins on Kvitova was the Wimbledon Sunday, in hope of competing. champion in 2011 and 2014. But she wasn’t sure whether she She climbed as high as No. 2 in would be ready. the WTA rankings. Her spokesman Karel Tejkal Kvitova announced in early DR. ORETA MAPU CRICHTON Equal Opportunity Employer / Affirmative Action said on Tuesday she will make a May she was back at practice in Chief Procurement Officer last-minute decision. Monaco. samoa news, Tuesday May, 23 2017 Page B3 ➧ Warriors ready for third… Continued from page B1 The Warriors have shown Mike Brown knows better exe- their strength by blasting cution is critical in the finals. through the playoffs in the nor- “We feel like we can play mally rugged West. better,” said Brown, who is Golden State is shooting 50 filling in on the sideline for an percent from the field while injured Steve Kerr. “To get to averaging 118.3 points in 12 our ultimate goal of winning playoff games. As good as the whole thing, we’ve got to the offense has been, it’s been be better on both ends of the the Warriors’ defense that has floor.” been key to their playoff domi- As a 23-year-old playing nance.