Scene One: Saad Hariri put a piece of property up for sale in the Barbir area. According to sources close to the Saudi embassy in Beirut, the property forms part of a plot of land the Saudis want to turn into housing projects for the people of Beirut.
The sale of the land is not particularly noteworthy. Its value is merely pocket change for Hariri. The surprise lies in the names of those who stepped in to buy it.
They are the president of Riyadi (Sporting) Club, Hisham Jaroudi, the “republic’s contractor” and businessman, Jihad al-Arab (brother of the head of Hariri’s personal security detail), and the former head of Future TV, Nadim al-Munla.
All three had built or expanded their wealth under the Hariri family mantle. Ultimately, the land went to al-Arab for around US$37 million.
Scene Two: Early last month, Salwa Siniora, sister of former prime minister Fouad Siniora, was appointed as head of the Hariri Foundation. A confidant of Saad Hariri commented that nothing says “Hariri’s out” more than “Siniora’s in.”
Scene Three: A young Future Bloc MP starts a discussion with “friends” on Facebook. A young man from Bekaa immediately replies, “As a Sunni, I am no longer convinced that those in the Future Movement represent me. We only have two representatives today: Saleh al-Machnouk and [Salafi] Sheikh [Ahmad] al-Assir.”
Dozens of young supporters of Future Movement are repeating this statement in Tariq al-Jdideh, Central Bekaa and even in Saida. They say so directly in interviews and on social media.
Scene Four: Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir, imam of the Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque in Saida, attacks Saad Hariri personally and denounces him as a total failure, even at skiing. He said it publicly in the mosque then repeated it in an interview on LBC. Not one Future supporter came out in protest, even online.
Scene Five: A member of the Syrian opposition met a “Hariri” activist prior to the Future Movement May 6 festival, which commemorated the May 2008 armed battles between March 8 and March 14 supporters. He asked who would be speaking. The Lebanese activist replied saying it was president Hariri. The Damascene activist replied, “This will demoralize the revolution.”
Scene Six: The brother of detained Shadi Mawlawi says that if his brother is not released there will be an escalation in Tripoli. When asked to describe the escalation, he said he will discuss it with the city’s sheikhs.
He did not mention the Future Movement or any of its officials. He did not even think of Hariri, who had released a statement on the first day of the clashes. The Twitter pronouncement did not make an impression on the capital of the North.
But while the street ignored Hariri’s statement, this did not stop him from being considered the main Sunni authority by the political leadership [of the country].
The army did not enter Tripoli until after they received the official “Sunni” cover of PM Najib Mikati and its popular counterpart from Saad Hariri.
The scenes described above summarize to a large extent the situation of the Future Movement and its president who a few days back completed a year of absence from Lebanon. Back then, Sheikh Saad packed his bags and left without saying goodbye to friends and loved ones.
He did not say he was emigrating nor did he say when he will come back. Even a year later, he has yet to explain the reasons behind his long absence from Lebanon.
Hariri is not completely tied up by the continued presence of the Syrian regime in power, Hezbollah’s weapons, his own financial situation which deteriorated in the last few years, nor his health after he broke his leg skiing in the Alps.
He once spoke of vague security reasons. But people in his circle are divided between the financial trouble excuse and the health reasons with some saying he will come back to Wadi Abu Jamil, the area in downtown Beirut where his residence is located, as soon as he recovers from his Alps injury.
In brief, Hariri does not have a clear date of return. He is more like a missing person, rather than an immigrant.
In Search of a Leader
Many things changed for Hariri as a leader in the past year.
Many of his supporters are no longer shy about scathingly criticizing him. Following his latest televised speech in Martyr’s Square in Beirut, a Future Movement asked one of the Future MPs she saw at a downtown restaurant whether the speech was real or a fantasy.
Hariri’s “ambiguous” performance – to borrow a description used by people close to Hariri and active in his movement – is leading a large section of his audience into a constant state of searching for a leader.
Sometimes they find this leader in the head of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea, other times in Sheikh al-Assir or in Saleh al-Machnouk and others who have a clear and confrontational rhetoric, especially against Hezbollah and the Syrian regime.
In the meantime, Hariri has become insecure about the situation. That’s why he vetoed speeches by front row leaders in the March 14 festival in Biel. According to the same sources above, he did not want Geagea, who is physically there, to appear as the leader of the “Cedar Revolutionaries” when Hariri is absent.
Inside the Future Movement, the missing president is considered as a “chided” loved one by his supporters who “are now more sympathetic to him as a person who cannot handle responsibility.”
With the original president absent, political leadership falls to Fouad Siniora. He runs the parliamentary bloc meetings, communicates with allies and negotiates various issues with them.
Siniora’s job description has expanded to include foreign relations, especially with Egypt and Turkey and some in Saudi Arabia.
As an organization, the Future Movement’s woes have more to do with the lack of money rather than Hariri’s absence. The chronic frailty of the young movement leaves its officials with a lot more words than action.
Externally, the effect of Hariri’s absence on his source of power is no less grave than its impact inside Lebanon.
The political leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdogan was betting on Hariri before he headed the government and moved to the Grand Serail.
Today, following the events that unfolded in Lebanon and in spite of Erdogan’s vocal support of Hariri’s position on Syrian president Bashar Assad, a member of the Turkish PM’s team saw it fit to say in a private session that “we were wrong to bet on a failure like Saad Hariri.”
KSA’s Lebanon Dossier
In the Saudi Kingdom, something has changed. People close to the Saudi embassy [in Lebanon] speak about a committee set up by Riyadh to oversee the Lebanon dossier. It includes the Foreign Minister, a representative of the Interior Minister, the King’s son Abdulaziz, the current Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, the former ambassador Abdulaziz Khoja and someone from the secret service.
The president of the National Security Council Bandar Bin Sultan sometimes attends or sends a representative. The committee presents its recommendations about Lebanon in general and the conditions of the Sunni sect to the Saudi king.
Someone who knows most committee members says that none of them like Hariri or trust his ability to run Lebanon and Sunni affairs. They receive dozens of reports from “sources” in Lebanon. Most complain about Hariri’s performance and absence.
Some in the committee trust Siniora’s handling of affairs. Those who know his relationship with Riyadh say he might be the only person who does not speak ill of Hariri in Saudi Arabia.
This should not mean that Riyadh will abandon Hariri, especially after it provided him with some financial stability. There is a reality that cannot be ignored; people are still drawn to Rafic Hariri’s son, in spite of the recent “Salafi mutiny” in the Tripoli.
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.
Russell Wilson’s strong performance over the weekend at Seahawks‘ rookie camp – he took close to 500 snaps and threw nearly 400 passes – caused a major stir, especially considering Pete Carroll officially declared Wilson part of the three way competition at quarterback once the activities were over. To an extent, the media/scouts’ buzz about his potential – in other words, everyone’s continued surprise as he continues to succeed – reopened Pandora’s box in regards to Wilson and his unique skill set. It’s not uncommon for a young player to be impressive in shorts and no pads – which he should be – but still, he made a positive impression; thoughts about his anticipation, his high release, and the ability to throw people open downfield were just some of the observations passed along via twitter and other mediums by those on the scene.
As I was able to see exactly none of what occurred, I did what I considered to be a decent consolation prize and went back to the three “game tapes” of him from 2011. Additionally, though I advocated for Wilson up to the draft – my first choice third rounder heading into day two – I never posted anything visual pertaining to him. So, the conjunction of the two sentiments above has gotten me to here. In case you’re beginning to wonder; this isn’t a “why Wilson is great” themed post or even a comprehensive scouting report, but instead a look at some of the little things that made him stand out over the past months – when applicable, how that translates to his “fit” in Seattle. These aren’t necessarily the best or biggest plays he makes, just ones that show what he can do – with a few negative plays sprinkled in for some balance.
At the least, with all of the gushing quotes that have been said pertaining to him by Carroll, Schneider, and his Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema; though quarterback talk will be abundant in the coming months, it could help to pair some visuals with the overwhelming praise that has been thrown on him in the past few weeks. As his first impression is fresh, hopefully the tape will help give a rough idea of what seemingly occurred in rookie camp last weekend.
The first video, the loss at Michigan State when John Schneider texted Pete Carroll from the sidelines about how much Wilson was tilting the field, after the jump.
At Michigan State
At 0:37 –the defensive tackle reads the back and knows Wilson has the ball, and another defender comes free from the backside; with poise, he flicks it over the backside defender to the fullback for the easy touchdown.
At 0:50 –the safeties bite on the fake – which they had been doing – which allows Wilson to manipulate the weakside linebacker, creating a small window and sticking it in there on the post.
On the next play Wilson throws a pick, a miscommunication with the receiver as Wilson tried to stick it in between the two safeties. At 1:38 watch how he reacts and finishes the play, a competitor.
Negative play alert: At 2:00 he takes a safety in the end zone, due to a grounding penalty. A sticky situation here.
At 2:40Wilson is able to find a crease and slip downfield. I like how he gets below the contact, something he does pretty often. On the next play he shows off more agility and even a stiff arm.
At 3:40 the defense bites hard on the run fake. Wilson shows great patience by letting his outside receiver run the slant as the underneath receiver draws the corner up in his into his zone; then the outside receivers slant is broken off into a corner route, in front of the safety. Maybe a smidgen underthrown, but only where the offensive guy can get it.
At 3:56 is a trap-shovel option where they pull the backside guard, giving Wilson one receiver to throw to – the fullback was out wide and is blocking – on the sideline. Impressive body control on the strong cross body throw and a conversion on 2nd and long.
At 4:12 on 1st and 10, Wilson keys and diagnoses quickly leading to the backfield wheel throw. The throw itself is snap-throw over the bearing-down defender.
At 5:06 the safety sneaks up and Wilson makes easy work of it with a throw down the middle.
Negative play alert:5:40. This play is called whoops.
At 5:55 is a beautiful deep ball from the pocket – he slides, finds the lane and throws over defender. The receiver doesn’t break stride, and drops the ball. A non-Wilson whoops.
At 6:42 he does a nice job simply sliding forward out of the pressure – he didn’t have many options – but makes the play when he gets the defender up in the air with a strong pump, and then shows some speed.
At 8:04 On 1st and 20; the pocket collapses and instead of stepping up, Wilson rolls back and out. Noticing that the safety is deep 1 on 1 with the receiver and the corner is defending up in the flat, Wilson buys some time and like he did earlier in the game at 3:40 hits the deep throw along the sideline, this time in a very different situation.
He throws the receiver open 40 yards downfield, with a ball that travelled 55 yards on a rope – it was actually a bit longer as the throw was from the middle of the field – and placed on the sideline. Big time throw here, and I think one that puts to rest any questions about Wilson’s arm strength. And while the play where Charlie Whitehurst led Sidney Rice out of bounds on a potential touchdown play in Cleveland Week 7 last year comes to mind – sorry to bring it up – this play is a totally different animal.
At Ohio State
Last week I noted Wilson saying an important part of the game is putting the ball in the “right place at the right time.” Early in this game his usage of the fullback and tight ends on 1st and 2nd down in the flat stood out. While not the sexiest offensive strategy, Wilson makes smart throws to keep the chains moving or make 3rd down more manageable. I think this skill fits well in Seattle’s offense; take a look at Danny’s post from December on the Seahawks’ offensive identity – primarily looking at ‘21′ and ‘22′ formations and the use of the fullback/tight end in the passing game – for a few examples of what I’m talking about in greater detail.
At 0:13 and at 0:34 Wilson gets easy 2nd down yardage using this strategy to set up 3rd and short, and 1:02 is a first down throw to the right flat, into the outside hip/into the chest of the runner – away from the defender – letting him turn upfield. Wilson takes an extra split second to get this one right and it pays off with flawless location on this pass.
Going backwards for a second, at 0:46 is a snap touch throw to where only the receiver can get it.
At 1:30, on fringe of red zone, take a shot – smart throw, but high. Another inaccuracy moment, but right throw at the right time.
Here’s a contrast to earlier fullback example. At 1:58 is a possession that fails. It starts with a heavy set, play action explosive play opportunity from deep within own territory – something Bevell does on occasion – that results in a smart throw away; more flat work on 2nd down isn’t sexy but it’s sound, especially playing with the lead.
At 2:40 the long arms help as Wilson stands tall and makes a big throw to the right spot, low where only the receiver can get it. Also, note the footwork – on his hop/crossover step, notice how when he comes down to finish his drop his feet come down simultaneously – his left foot in front of the right – and he’s ready to throw. This adjustment is something he does on most 3rd downs or when playing from behind. At 2:55 shows a contrast; he throws tall again and from a weird arm angle, but notice the slight change in the tempo of his hop/crossover/finish of the drop from the play before. A more traditional drop, but again an explosive passer on the balls of his feet. This maneuver is something to watch in general, one of my favorite attributes of his.
Negative plays alert:At 3:39 he completely misses the receiver. Note here is the quick footwork again. On the next play, he gets caught in the pressure.
At 5:10 is another throw to the fullback on 1st down, from a heavy set.
Negative play alert: At 5:19 another intentional grounding deep within his own territory. Two games and two such penalties is something to note
At 5:42 is a quick screen that is successful due to Wilson. The three-step pump-fake requires great footwork, balance, body control and strong hands. The pump holds the safety for just a minute, keeping the separation and helping his receiver get open. The quick-flick, second baseman-like throw is on the money.
At 5:53Wilson launches a smooth bullet down the left hash from the pocket, which is almost caught.
At 7:20 Wilson does a great job of manipulating the zone. The receiver running up the hash draws the safety, along with a Wilson pumpfake, and then Wilson throws the outside receiver open with a back-shoulder throw. The defender doesn’t have a play on it, but the receiver can still turn and run instead of heading out of bounds.
The games ends with Wilson making a great effort and a giving his receiver a few legitimate chances to make the play 1 on 1 downfield, but to no avail. On the final play of regulation Wilson throws a ball up and helps his receiver draw PI. On the final play, Wilson the ball is stripped/tipped as he releases. An odd sequence and Wisconsin losses, but he keeps them in it until the end.
2011 Big 10 Title Game vs. Michigan State
Moving much quicker through this tape, a few examples to build on above and lead us to the conclusion.
At 0:47 he slide-steps – looks like an elongated one-step – and throws with pressure in his face. He shows some savvy, negotiates double a-gap blitz and just sticks it in there.
At 1:10 sneaks out backside on a halfback pass and makes the catch.
Negative play alert:At 2:00 Wilson doesn’t sense the backside pressure, after the tackle gets leaning and crossed by the rusher, and is clobbered. Realistically though, not much he could have done here.
At 2:21 another shovel-trap option, and Wilson throws a vicious stiff arm.
Negative play alert:At 2:43 Wilson has trouble with backside pressure on the move, similar to the example above in the Ohio State game.
At 3:45 we see a rare spread (00) formation, and he throws to he fullback in the flat. At 8:10 is the same thing, just on the other side.
At 4:50 it’s 3rd and 17, but that’s no issue. He shows toughness by evading the corner blitz, then rolls right and quickly sets – notice how quickly that left foot is down – to launch a cross field, 50 yard bomb for the touchdown. The safety had no chance on this ball.
At 5:45 he looks for the fullback or the wheel route (like in first game MSU game) but the ball gets batted. Wilson catches it! We’ve seen Drew Brees do that before…
At 6:10 he keys and diagnoses the coverage well, shows good anticipation and makes the flick/snap-throw with pressure in his face.
Negative play alert: At 7:05 a play similar to the first touchdown pass, this one gets batted down on a two point conversion.
At 8:42 is a 4th and 6, game pretty much on the line; he rolls, searches, and throws over a defender to where his receiver has a chance and the safety doesn’t.
Then watch the two point play, as Wilson ends things in styllllleee. So stylish, in fact, the gametape has the play twice. Personally, I think this final play puts it all together and shows what Wilson can be when he’s at his best; intelligence, athleticism, poise, precision in the biggest of moments.
In conclusion, while not a complete picture of Wilson’s game, especially considering it’s only a three game sample, hopefully some of his positive attributes are more apparent: he can throw 50 yards or more on a rope; the baseball background shows up in his ability to flick-snap release the ball – think Michael Vick, but not quite as strong an arm – with velocity when on the run; he can throw when his body is in a variety of positions, including across his body when moving left. His mobility doesn’t turn him into a run first quarterback, more Drew Brees or Ben Roethlisberger than Michael Vick in this regard; his intelligence translates through his play, making smart throws and taking shots when appropriate.
The fluidity and balance he shows during his drop is impressive – this will sound a bit weird, but in particular I’m captivated by the way he maneuvers his lower left leg (knee to toes) and is able re-set his feet, and in general he plays from and explodes off the balls of his feet; his athleticism threatens the edge in the passing game and complements a strong running game, allowing the game plan to move the pocket with varying wrinkles; he can get to the ground and away from contact quickly when running, perhaps another baseball influence. Strong hands and long arms allow him to make small plays into bigger ones; he can make throws over defenders in his face; he’s great at leading his receivers open, capable of putting the ball where only his guy can get to it. Last, but certainly not least, he comes alive when playing from behind or in the 4th quarter, making huge plays in huge moments. Based on Seattle’s struggles in this area in 2011, there’s no doubt the way he usually elevates those around him and tilts the field in key situations will be a welcome sight if/when he gets the opportunity.
After over a decade of waiting, I’m excited as the installation bar fills to 100% and the Play button pops up. Diablo III is finally out, and I’m ready to settle in for a sleepless night of demon slaying and loot collecting. After I get my feet wet, I may decide to invite some friends to come fight at my side, but tonight I want to see the game on my own without any distractions. However, the forces of darkness have conspired to end my fight before it begins. Before I pick up my first piece of gold, I’m stopped by the gatekeeper of the login screen. Whether the servers are full or just plain not working, I can’t play the game. I’m not alone. Millions of players are at my side banging at the gate demanding entry, and we’re all being turned away.
Thanks to several seemingly separate server-side issues, Diablo III has been unavailable to play for extended periods of time during the first hours of its public release. I’m going to skip the entitled recriminations against Blizzard for ruining my fun – there are plenty of those to go around these last couple of days. More likely than not, the same players who are the most pissed off about the shaky start for Diablo III will be the ones who will be pouring the most time into the game once everything is running smoothly. However, Blizzard’s unfortunate server problems during the launch of one of the year’s most-anticipated games throws the situation into stark relief; forcing gamers to log into on an online server to play single-player games is an awful idea.
At this point, most dedicated gamers have a way to play online. Many do just that on a regular basis, blasting their friends in an online arena, or wandering a dungeon in an MMO. So what’s the big deal about asking them to take the next step to be online all the time? For one, it means that we as gamers no longer own the games we play. By purchasing a game like Diablo III, you are no longer buying a product, you are buying the right to use a product at the discretion of its owner. It’s the equivalent of leasing a car for an indeterminate period of time, during which the owner can withhold the use of the car at any time without penalty. The car owner can take the car back once the car isn’t as popular as it is today; at some point the servers for online games shut down, and that game is no longer available for play. Few, if any, other products or media in your home have this same restriction. Most that do are because online usage is absolutely essential for operation, like a computer anti-virus program or a streaming TV service.
But let’s step past semantic arguments about ownership rights in the 21st century and confront the more central, pressing issue. Whether because of maintenance, server problems, or other issues, online games aren’t always available. And it’s not always a server side problem; internet outages from your service provider can cut you off from any game that requires you to play online. No matter where the problem originates, it means we can’t play the title we paid for when we want to. Contrary to popular belief, most adult gamers I know have precious little free time to enjoy their hobby. If the only time you have to play is between putting the kids to bed and finishing up that presentation for work, and your chosen entertainment won’t work, it won’t be long before you choose a different form of entertainment. It’s one thing to give players the option to play a game online so they can choose to interact with others, but a profoundly different thing to make a game unavailable unless you’re online, even if you’re playing by yourself.
The move toward online-only games is also one more barrier we’re putting in front of new players before they can get involved in “serious” gaming. Like the opening night of a movie, the best marketing in the world for a new game is one person telling a friend or family member they should try it out. What is the message currently being relayed to non-PC casual game players about Diablo III? Should they take the plunge to try out this big new fantasy game? Or should they instead worry about what accounts they’re going to have to set up first, whether the servers will let them play online, and if it’s worth their time to try and figure it all out? Online single-player games send the wrong message to consumers. It’s the equivalent of a gated community – a members-only club that demands you sign a contract before getting to tour the grounds.
While it’s probably the last thing on the minds of most consumers, online games also present fundamental challenges to the chronicling of gaming history. Twenty years from now, will it be possible to play Diablo III in its original form? Will it be possible to play the game at all? This has been a dilemma facing the world of MMOs for over a decade; it’s sad that it is now also something we have to worry about regarding some single-player games.
So why do it? Why court the very public and vocal displeasure of the gaming community, and risk the sort of flub that Diablo III has faced? From a publishing and development perspective, there are growing concerns that must be addressed. The challenge of piracy is undoubtedly an issue. Online-only games also cut off the possibility that it will be sold used. From a consumer perspective, it can be argued that online-only server-side games also assure consistency and integrity of the game; if a character is stored on the server, there’s no way a player can cheat or mod the content, and unbalance the play experience for other players.
All those arguments are well and good, but they just don’t meet muster. There are better and less obstructive ways to confront piracy. If used game sales are considered an issue, a one-use code at purchase is enough to halt the practice. And if there really is deep concern about maintaining the integrity of the online play experience, then give players the choice to opt in or out of keeping their character online. At the very least, the player should be entitled to create an offline-only character to utilize and mod as they see fit.
Diablo III is a test case, and it’s just the right one for a publisher like Activision Blizzard to prove its point. Diablo III is so deeply anticipated and long awaited that gamers are willing to put up with a lot of nonsense in order to finally try it out. As a result, it’s a game that will use be used to reinforce the case that online-only single-player games can succeed. But those same game makers should take note; angry gamers don’t forget the hoops you make them jump through for a game, and even the most beloved franchises aren’t immune to a mass exodus. There will always be someone else out there willing to give players an easier, less stressful, and most importantly, offline option as an alternative.
That’s right, it’s Mother’s Day, every gamer’s favorite holiday. What I want to know is, are there any gamer mothers out there?
My mother does not play games. She tried Rock Band once, and I think I got a Wii Remote in her hand for a brief moment of bowling, but for the most part she is completely oblivious to the medium. One of my grandmothers, on the other hand, really enjoys video games. She actually has a lot to do with the gamer I am today. She bought me my first Game Boy and a copy of Dr. Mario because she noticed how much I liked playing with hers whenever I would visit. The other mother in my life, my baby-mama (A.K.A. my wife), plays more video games than me somehow. At this very moment, she is spending her first Mother’s Day as an official participant napping with the baby having spent the last two full nights playing Minecraft on the Xbox 360.
What about you? Does your mother play games? Does she approve of your hobby?
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Los Angeles Clippers refused to let a third chance to knock the Memphis Grizzlies out of the playoffs slip away.
Kenyon Martin scored seven of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, and the Clippers advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with an 82-72 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 7 on Sunday.
“That’s why it’s seven games,” Martin said. “If you don’t do it before, you get another chance. So they did what they had to do, they came and stole home court back on our floor. … We had a chance to close it out. We knew we let it go, an opportunity get away.”
The Clippers blew an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter Friday night. So Martin huddled the Clippers together at the start of the fourth quarter Sunday, and the veteran led the bench in outscoring the Grizzlies 25-16. Chris Paul had the only bucket by a starter in the final 12 minutes, and the Clippers’ bench outscored the Memphis reserves 41-11 overall.
“Our bench was our MVP,” Clippers guard Randy Foye said. “They realized what they had to do. We had a lot of guys hurt, so we just continued to grind.”
Now, the Clippers have their third postseason series win in 41 years and their second since relocating to Los Angeles. They last beat Denver in 2006. The Clippers also avoided becoming the ninth NBA team to blow a 3-1 lead in a best-of-seven series in moving on to play the top-seeded Spurs starting Tuesday night in San Antonio.
“I want the guys to enjoy this, and then we’ll regroup tomorrow and focus in on that,” Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. “But obviously another big challenge for us.”
Paul scored 19 points despite playing with a strained right hip flexor. Nick Young had nine of his 13 off the bench in the fourth as the Clippers finished off the series with their biggest margin of victory. Paul was so confident of victory he bought plane tickets for his wife and son to San Antonio on Saturday.
“I felt like we should have won earlier,” Paul said. “But it doesn’t matter. As long as you win, I think it is a step in the right direction for our franchise.
Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol each had 19 for Memphis, which lost a Game 7 at Oklahoma City a year ago in the second round of the playoffs. Zach Randolph had a game-high 12 rebounds.
“Unfortunately, no one on the bench stepped up and helped us,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said.
The Clippers, who trailed 56-55 after three quarters, took control by opening the fourth with an 11-2 run started by a jumper by Martin. He tipped in a shot for a 66-58 lead with 8:41 left. Mo Williams matched the Clippers’ biggest lead to that point at 10 with a 3-pointer pushing it to 71-61 with 7:04 left in a 16-5 spurt to open the quarter.
“They hit shots in a hurry,” Gay said of the Clippers. “They made plays off our turnovers, and they just converted, something we weren’t doing at that time.”
Los Angeles finished off the win by hitting 9 of 10 free throws in the final 3:26. The Clippers also managed to outrebound the Grizzlies 46-44 for only the second time this series.
Memphis got away from the inside-out approach that won the last two games. The Grizzlies outscored the Clippers 36-24, but Randolph said they took far too many jumpers instead of feeding the ball to Gasol and himself.
“You have to take your hats off to them because they played good,” Randolph said of the Clippers. Chris had a good game, and their bench played terrific.”
The home-court advantage that didn’t help the Grizzlies when they blew a 27-point lead in Game 1 didn’t help again Sunday as they went cold from the floor. Gasol’s one-handed dunk with 3:09 left was Memphis’ last field goal down the stretch as the Grizzlies hit only 4 of 18 in the fourth quarter and finished the game missing all 13 3-pointers.
This series has been physical and grinding from the opening tip, and neither team backed down in a winner-take-all game.
The Clippers and Grizzlies scrapped and fought for every ball with each possession feeling like a knockdown, drag-out fight. Memphis should have had an advantage against the hobbled Clippers tipping off when they usually eat breakfast on the West Coast. Blake Griffin scored only eight points and looked tentative most of the game with a sprained left knee.
Del Negro said Griffin’s knee tightened up on him as the game went on, and Griffin played only 1:39 of the fourth quarter. Not that it mattered the way the Clippers’ bench came through.
The Grizzlies even brought out wrestler Jerry Lawler to help stoke up the sold-out crowd, but both teams showed the fatigue of a quick turnaround from Game 6 on Friday night in Los Angeles. The Clippers missed nine of their first 10 shots, while the Grizzlies missed seven of nine.
“It was Game 7 pressure and jitters,” Hollins said. “We wanted to do well. We just wanted to let it rip. You walk up here and have two strikes on you in the ninth inning and you have to let it rip. And we didn’t.”
The Clippers shook off the exhaustion thanks to their bench.
The Grizzlies managed to pull within 39-38 at halftime even though they kept struggling to find the basket. Mike Conley missed his first seven shots with his drought stretching to the free throw line where he missed his first attempt. Conley didn’t hit his first bucket until a jumper in the early seconds of the third quarter. Conley finished with seven points on 2 of 13 shooting.
Notes: Del Negro now is 1-1 in Game 7s, losing his first in the 2009 first-round while coaching Chicago against Boston. Hollins now is 0-2 in Game 7s. … Griffin finished playing 28 minutes and was 3 of 11 from the floor. He had four rebounds. … The Grizzlies shot 32.5 percent (25 of 77) from the floor, their worst percentage of the series.
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BATTLE evil trolls to protect your treasure
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Pocket Gems is the name behind Tap Paradise Cove, Tap Zoo, Tap Pet Hotel, Tap Pet Shop and several other ridiculously fun free games downloaded over 60 million times. You’ll love Tap Dragon Park, start playing today!
GameChap and Bertie inspect the jolly spiffing Remote Control Submarine modification! Up periscope, I say! TO DOWNLOAD: Visit the Minecraft Mods section at MinecraftForum! The topic name is [1.2.5][SP]The RC Mod v2.0, by Skerp.
Developer: Nihilistic Software / Publisher: SCEA / Platform: PS Vita / Release: June 2012
NORMAN ROCKWELL MUST DIE
It’s 1951, your work day’s looking about as run-of-the-mill as it gets (‘run-of-the-mill’, at least, for a red-blooded fireman who has to leave the station to deal with an actual conflagration). The trust-your-leaders propaganda is, um, propagating throughout the American radio waves. The Future ain’t what it used to be. In Nihilistic Software’s forthcoming Resistance: Burning Skies, the Chimera invasion has hopped the pond to New York City—in terms of timeline, the game is nestled between the first two PS3 games. You take the role of Tommy Riley, professional firefighter, father, husband…and, maybe, hero of the Resistance.
And make no mistake: Burning Skies looks like it will deliver a powerful job of maintaining fast, fluid, and furious on-screen action. We recently got our hands-on both the single-player and multiplayer modes for a good long afternoon in San Francisco, running, gunning and (when necessary) axing our way through this nifty, Americana-flavored side-saga of the greater epic of the Chimera invasion.
As Tommy Riley, you start this adventure not as a Resistance front-liner, but as a straight-up fireman, learning the axe-and-ropes of the control scheme before stumbling upon alarmed denizens (and of course, weapons). Later in the game, beyond the initial tutorial, additional contextual help supplies the how-to on the unique Vita touch-screen functionality…much of which (he says, with a certain amount of justified cynicism) works not only better than one might think, but surprisingly well. Hardcore first-person console gamers do, after all, dearly love their familiar-country sense of two joysticks, a cluster of buttons, and some shoulder-bumpers, and they do not like to have it messed with beyond a certain point. So it’s not unreasonable to expect some unease about suddenly mucking about with fingers on the very screen you watch for threats. On paper, the notion smacks of gimmick-ness for its own sake…but in Burning Skies, it seems to work.
Case in point, the first help screen (on using the carbine’s secondary-fire grenades): Here I am, up to my ass in Chimera, and you want me to take a valuable combat-second to make the finger-reach over to the onscreen real-estate just for the advantage of placing a grenade with a slight additional degree of accuracy? Wouldn’t I be better off just aiming said grenade by way of the aiming reticule and taking my chances? No, as it turns out. Burning Skies takes the clever but obvious approach wherein, as soon as your finger does the touch-and-drag to indicate the precise point where the grenade should be lobbed, the game-time slows down just that crucial amount to offset the admitted physical awkwardness of the aiming function. Do not be deceived: Even with this time-crawl consideration, you’re still in the thick of an exciting, dynamic firefight, but that sense of ‘evening the temporal odds’ as you lob an expertly placed explosive is extremely gratifying. Another interesting, admirably slick touch-screen function is that of the crossbow, which can be loaded with napalm bolts with the pull-back swipe of a finger.
As Riley becomes a brother-in-arms to an impromptu militia of Resistance fighters around the streets of New York, the action ramps up, threatens to derail a bit in the second section, and comes back strong in the third. Elements in this preview code are, of course, still subject to change this early on, but it appears Burning Skies will feature about seven levels for the linear single-player campaign.
Moreover, Burning Skies‘ handling of ‘Gray Tech’ introduces weapons to be augmented with two Gray Tech cubes, each cube improving one unique aspect of the weapon—increasing range/damage, shaving down reload time, etc. Not a huge element perhaps, but a nifty one that will reward your unique approach to the core gameplay.
Burning Skies supports eight-player online gameplay spanning six maps. Modes currently include Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Survival Mode, which can be likened to ‘Zombie’ game variants: A superior force of humans faces a pair of Chimera…but when a human goes down, he is respawned as part of the enemy team, shifting the balance of power. The last man—or whatever—standing is the victor. And that seems just about right. Resistance: Burning Skies will be available in June 2012.
