Rajon Rondo, former Celtics teammates plan to celebrate their 2008 title without Ray Allen
‘I mean, Ray left. He left to the enemy.’
Ray Allen #20 and Rajon Rondo #9 of the Boston Celtics wait to resume action against the Miami Heat in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2012 NBA Playoffs on May 30, 2012 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images
“I asked a couple of the guys. I got a no, a no head shake,” said Rondo to The Undefeated when asked why Allen wasn’t invited.
Allen and Kevin Garnett joined forces with Celtics veteran forward Paul Pierce in the summer of 2007 to form one of the greatest star trios the NBA has ever seen. With a young budding star Rondo as their point guard, Allen, Garnett and Pierce led the Celtics to their first NBA championship in 22 years with their 17th title in 2008. The four were also the key players on a Celtics team that lost in the 2010 NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers.
On July 10, 2012, however, Allen shocked his Celtics teammates by agreeing to a three-year, $9.5 million contract with the rival MiamiHeat. Allen turned down a two-year, $12 million offer from the Celtics with a no-trade clause after seeking a longer and more lucrative deal and not seeing eye to eye with Rondo. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Heat eliminated their bitter rival Celtics in the 2012 Eastern Conference finals and went on to win back-to-back NBA championships.
Allen, a retired 10-time NBA All-Star, has been estranged from Rondo, Pierce and Garnett since his departure from Boston and winning the 2013 championship with Miami.
Blake Griffin scores 30 as Clippers cruise by Knicks
New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, left, defends Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin. (Ryan Kang/AP)
DeAndre Jordan added 14 points and 10 rebounds, and the Clippers blew the game open by outscoring the Knicks 34-19 in the third quarter for a 25-point lead.
The Clippers (42-29) pulled to within one game of the Utah Jazz for fourth in the Western Conference and homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They have 11 regular season games remaining.
The fading Knicks were led by Kristaps Porzingis’ 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Derek Rose had 18 points and Carmelo Anthony had 16. Largely using their bench, they cut the 25-point deficit to seven points in final minutes.
Griffin got off to a hot start, hitting eight of his first 10 shots. Jordan was right behind, connecting on 5 of 6 to help the Clippers shoot 55.8 per cent in the first half. Griffin had 20 points at the break.
Tim Tebow to be assigned by Mets to Class A Columbia Fireflies
Tim Tebow will begin his professional baseball journey in 2017 with the New York Mets' Class A team in Columbia, South Carolina.
The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner was told Monday that he will be assigned to the Columbia Fireflies, the Mets' affiliate in the South Atlantic League.
"Sending him to a full-season club is what we hoped to be able to do," Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told Newsday. "And based on what he's done in spring training, and his whole body of work since last fall, we feel comfortable with him going to Columbia."
Tebow is hitting .200 (4-for-20) in seven games for the Mets in spring training. The Mets have been playing him in the outfield.
"I am excited about continuing the journey. I learned so much this spring working with T.C. [Terry Collins], Kevin Long, and Tom Goodwin," Tebow said in a statement. "I hear so many good things about the City of Columbia. I hear the stadium is great. I look forward to coming there to make an impact on the field and the community."
Colin Kaepernick Secures Plane from Turkish Airlines and Raises $1 Million In Aid for People of Somalia
Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up before the game against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field on October 16, 2016 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
The free-agent quarterback is keeping busy while he waits for teams to call
Colin Kaepernick may not have a new team or a new contract, but that’s not stopping him from putting his money where his mouth is. With the help of Ben Stiller’s charity, The Stiller Foundation, as well as several YouTube stars, Kaepernick is raising funds to fly food and water to people in Somalia.
As Kaepernick says in the video, Turkish Airlines has granted a 60-ton cargo plane to fly to Somalia with food and water, for however long it takes to end the famine that is sweeping the country. They’ll be sending rice, vegetable cooking oil, nutritional biscuits, flour, sugar, and porridge.
Kaepernick is working directly with Love Army For Somalia, and the GoFundMe page they created specifies that Stiller’s foundation will receive and manage all donated funds, so people can be confident that every donated dollar goes to help those in need.
As of this writing, the campaign has exceeded its $1 million funding goal in 22 hours.
Click here to read more.
SOURCE: CBS Sports
Jared Dubin
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