Pierce finds hot hand at crunch time

June 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Paul Pierce stepped up when it counted on Sunday to help give the Boston Celtics their first lead in the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Team captain Pierce broke out of a shooting slump in the best-of-seven series with a team-high 27 points in 43 minutes, eclipsing his 24 points in Boston’s losing Game One effort.

“When I step on this court, NBA Finals, I don’t want to have (any) regrets at the end of the series,” the veteran forward told reporters after a 92-86 win gave Boston a 3-2 series lead.

Boston return to Los Angeles with two chances to win what would be a record 18th NBA championship.

“We’re going to have to beat them at their best because they’re going to be great there, and we can’t expect anything else,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers.

The 32-year-old Pierce has played his entire 11-year career with Boston, winning the 2008 championship along the way, though he was raised in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood.

“That would be great. I’m not going to try to jinx it right now. We’ve got to win one game, that’s the goal. But it would be amazing if we get it done,” Pierce said.

“That would be great (to clinch the NBA title in Los Angeles),” said Pierce, a big hit among Boston fans with his trademark headband and pencil-thin mustache.

“I’m not going to try to jinx it right now. We’ve got to win one game — that’s the goal. But it would be amazing if we get it done.”

STRIKING DISTANCE

The 6-foot-7 Pierce made 12 of 21 shot and knocked down a pair of three pointers in Game Five, showing the leadership that Boston needed in its final home game of the season.

Pierce’s scrambling defensive rebound with less than a minute to play effectively snuffed out the Lakers’ final attempt to pull within striking distance.

“Paul was terrific. He attacked all night,” said Rivers. “He made big shots for us. He has a great rhythm right now, and we need it.”

Rivers paid tribute to an experienced line-up including forward Kevin Garnett and guard Ray Allen, both 34.

“We have a lot of veterans,” said Rivers. “Our team has a very good ability to focus on a game at a time.”

Pierce shrugged off his poor shooting earlier in the finals.

“I haven’t really been frustrated with my offense in this series, to tell you the truth,” he said.

“We’re an equal-opportunity offense and today I was able to get going a little more.”

(Editing by Alastair Himmer)

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Afridi says aggression, ending ‘mental hang up’ critical for Pak success against Oz

May 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Karachi, May 20 (ANI): Flamboyant Pakistan T20 skipper Shahid Afridi believes that his team suffers from a ‘mental hang up’ when it comes to competing with the World Champions Australia, and he wants to help players break that ‘jinx’ concerning the Kangaroos.

In the recent years, Pakistan have had a nightmarish record against Australia, with the latest being the January-February tour where Pakistan failed to register even a single win against the hosts.

It came close to defeating Australia in the semifinal of the just concluded ICC T20 World Championship in the West Indies, but faltered at the last moment.

Afridi said the loss almost shattered his heart, but he pointed towards the positive aspect of the loss that at least Pakistan played some tough and competitive cricket.

“I would have been left completely shattered but what gave me hope was the fact that we played aggressive cricket and a victory against Australia was within our reach,” The News quoted Afridi, as saying.

“It would have been great had we go on to win that match but once again the Australians proved that they are still the best in the world,” he added.

The hard hitting all-rounder pointed out that defeating Australia has never been easy, but the teams competing against the world champions would have to match the aggression of the Kangaroos to stand any chance.

“I must make it clear that beating Australia will never be easy. But I’m also confident that we can do it. What we need is to overcome our mental hang up and just play brave cricket. The thing is that the Aussies are mentally very tough and the only way to beat them is by going out there and giving it our best shot. You have to be really aggressive against that team because there is no other way to tackle them,” Afridi said.

Afridi said he is eagerly waiting for the two T20 encounters against Australia during the upcoming series in England, as the best chance of ending the team’s poor run against Australia is to defeat them in the game in which they are considered to be the best.

“It would take a gigantic effort to beat Australia in the Test series but Twenty20 cricket is a different story. We have a very good team for the shortest format and can beat any opposition on our day,” he said. (ANI)

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Afridi says aggression, ending ‘mental hang up’ critical for Pak success against Oz

May 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Karachi, May 20 (ANI): Flamboyant Pakistan T20 skipper Shahid Afridi believes that his team suffers from a ‘mental hang up’ when it comes to competing with the World Champions Australia, and he wants to help players break that ‘jinx’ concerning the Kangaroos.

In the recent years, Pakistan have had a nightmarish record against Australia, with the latest being the January-February tour where Pakistan failed to register even a single win against the hosts.

It came close to defeating Australia in the semifinal of the just concluded ICC T20 World Championship in the West Indies, but faltered at the last moment.

Afridi said the loss almost shattered his heart, but he pointed towards the positive aspect of the loss that at least Pakistan played some tough and competitive cricket.

“I would have been left completely shattered but what gave me hope was the fact that we played aggressive cricket and a victory against Australia was within our reach,” The News quoted Afridi, as saying.

“It would have been great had we go on to win that match but once again the Australians proved that they are still the best in the world,” he added.

The hard hitting all-rounder pointed out that defeating Australia has never been easy, but the teams competing against the world champions would have to match the aggression of the Kangaroos to stand any chance.

“I must make it clear that beating Australia will never be easy. But I’m also confident that we can do it. What we need is to overcome our mental hang up and just play brave cricket. The thing is that the Aussies are mentally very tough and the only way to beat them is by going out there and giving it our best shot. You have to be really aggressive against that team because there is no other way to tackle them,” Afridi said.

Afridi said he is eagerly waiting for the two T20 encounters against Australia during the upcoming series in England, as the best chance of ending the team’s poor run against Australia is to defeat them in the game in which they are considered to be the best.

“It would take a gigantic effort to beat Australia in the Test series but Twenty20 cricket is a different story. We have a very good team for the shortest format and can beat any opposition on our day,” he said. (ANI)

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Indian pugilists hope to break jinx in World Boxing Championship

August 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Aug 27 (ANI): Pugilists of the Indian boxing team have underwent last-minute practice session ahead of the World Boxing Championship to be held at Milan in Italy next month and are hopeful of breaking the duck this time.

The World Boxing Championship is scheduled to be held from September 1 to12.

India is sending a team of nine boxers to take part in this ensuing international tourney in which over 700 pugilists from 100 countries will spar in the ring for medals in their respective weight categories.

Vijender Singh, Olympic-bronze medal winner in the middleweight category is practicing in full sprits and is hopeful of bringing laurels to the country.

Currently, he is ranked second in the world.

“We will try to do better this time. We try to improve every year. The way we performed well in Beijing last year, I hope that we will repeat the same this time in Italy. All boxers are fit and fully prepared. As per world rankings, they have good ranking so hopefully they will perform well this time,” Vijender said.

Other Indian boxers vying for medals and recognition in the international arena are Jitender Kumar and Akhil Kumar, who performed really well at the Beijing Olympiad.

“Our preparations are going good. Boxers are completely fit and in fully confident. So we hopefully would break the jinx that we haven’t received any title or medal in the World Championship,” said Jitender Kumar.

The boxers who are practising rigorously under the watchful eyes of the coaches will leave for Milan on September 1

They had been practicing hard for the past six months in order to end their dearth of titles and medals in the World Boxing Championship.

The International Boxing Association (AIBA) is hoping to spice up the amateur game by find new audiences and new funding through the team-based World Boxing Series. (ANI)

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Andy Murray’s mum thinks granny is a jinx

June 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment

p
London, June 22 (ANI): While Andy Murray is hoping to bring home the Wimbledon trophy, her mother has said that she won’t be taking his granny along to watch him play because she’s a jinx./pp
Murray’s mum Judy thinks that Andy, 22, may lose his chances of winning if her mother, Shirley Erskine, 73, cheers from the sidelines./pp
This is because Murray lost the last three times his grandmother was watching him play./pp
The last occasion was when Judy took Shirley to see Andy play Juan Martin Del Potro at the Madrid masters in May./pp
It was Andy’s 22nd birthday and he was due to play Del Potro at 10pm, the Daily Express quoted Judy as saying./pp
I made a booking and took granny with me. This was the third successive year I’ve taken my mum for Andy’s birthday and he has lost each time, she said./pp
She added: She is clearly a jinx and I’m not taking her again./pp
But Shirley is adamant to go there in person rather than watching at home in Scotland. /pp
I’m trying to convince the family I’m not a jinx because I want to be down there cheering Andy on. I fully intend to go to Wimbledon and if I could do anything to bring Andy good luck, I would, she declared. (ANI)/p

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Rawat, Congress out to break 20-year jinx

April 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

It’s been two decades since former Uttarakhand PCC chief Harish Rawat won a Lok Sabha election. Coincidentally it was also 20 years ago that Congress won the Haridwar Lok Sabha seat.

In 2009, the fates of both Rawat and the Congress seem to be interlinked with the senior Congress leader getting the party high-command’s nod to contest from Haridwar. Almora, Rawat’s home constituency from where he won his last Lok Sabha battle in 1989, had become reserved following delimitation and hence he was shifted from the hills of Kumaon to the plains of Haridwar.

Between 1989 and now, Rawat has lost the Almora seat four consecutive times and in 2004 his wife Renuka too failed to win from there. Similarly, after 1989, when the Congress’s Jagpal Singh won from Haridwar, the party has failed to win favour of voters in the region.

Last year, after the end of his Rajya Sabha tenure, Rawat had surprised many by announcing his decision not to contest any election till 2010. But he is back in the fray and hopes to end his losing streak and revive Congress fortunes in Haridwar as well.

“I had decided to remain away from election due to adverse family circumstances. But now that the party has given me an opportunity, I have decided to take up the challenge,” he told HT. In his list of schemes for Haridwar, the Congress leader aims to achieve a synergy between agriculture and industrialisation while keeping in mind religious sentiments and traditions, develop new townships, improve education and strengthen rail, road and air connectivity.

“The BJP has failed to give attention to Haridwar’s issues in the past. My aim would be to realize the tremendous potential of the region as I understand the issues of this place very well,” he said.

Rawat doesn’t mind the ‘outsider’ tag given to him by his opponents and says it is a ploy used by the BJP and other parties like the BSP and Samajwadi Party because they have no issue to counter Congress. “I am a Pahari from Almora, but for the past 44 years, I have been involved in issues of other areas as well.

I am the most frequently seen politician in Haridwar, have visited almost every village and remained in touch with residents in the area for over three decades,” he said. Blaming his past losses from Almora on the BJP wave and the agitation for a separate state, Rawat is hopeful that after 20 years, he will be able to revive his electoral fortunes.

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Nicolas Cage, Paul Rudd’s latest films beat Julia Roberts’ ‘Duplicity’

March 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Mar 23 (ANI): Hollywood actress Julia Roberts’ latest flick ‘Duplicity’, which was being touted as her much-anticipated return to the big screen, has been beaten by Nicolas Cage’s latest offering ‘Knowing’ and Paul Rudd’s ‘I Love You, Man’.

Julia Roberts, whose last major hit was ‘Erin Brokovich’ back in 2000, was aiming to repeat the same success with ‘Duplicity’.

However, the film finished third on the day of its release, as Cage’s flick took the first spot and Rudd’s movie bagged the second spot.

‘Duplicity’ raked in 4.7 million dollars on Friday, and should bring in between 12-13 million dollars for the weekend, reports Fox News.

The ‘Pretty Woman, actress, who gave phenomenal hits like ‘Notting Hill’, ‘Runaway Bride’ and ‘Erin Brokovich’, could not repeat the same success with flicks like ‘Mona Lisa Smile’ and ‘Charlie Wilson’s War’.

Thus it was being anticipated that ‘Duplicity’ would break the jinx, and become a huge hit.

Duplicity features Julia Roberts and Clive Owen, who play expert spies in the flick. (ANI)

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India end 33 year jinx, thrash New Zealand in Hamilton Test

March 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Hamilton, Mar.21 (ANI): Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has a developed a knack of creating history as he lead India to its first Test match win in New Zealand after 33 years.

Needing 39 runs to break the jinx of not winning a five day game in New Zealand, India reached the target with all ten wickets intact.

If it was the star studded batting line-up of India which piled up the runs in their first innings following master blaster Sachin Tendulkar’s stupendous knock of 160, then it was Harbhajan Singh who scripted history by his perfect line and length during the Kiwi second innings.

Harbhajan took six wickets for 63 runs to prevent the Black Caps from fighting back .

It was Harbhajan’s 23rd five wicket haul in Tests.

Earlier in the day, India’s bowlers took an hour to break the Kiwi resistance.Taylor, slashed a Munaf delivery straight to Virender Sehwag at gully, and thereafter wickets started tumbling at regular intervals.

For New Zealand, Daniel Flynn, scored a defiant 67.

With only 39 runs needed for a historic win, Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid wrapped it up in 5.2 overs. (ANI)

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Political hoardings being pulled down in Lucknow

March 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Lucknow, Mar 5 (ANI): Poll banners and hoardings are being hurriedly pulled down from government buildings in Lucknow, after the Election Commission announced general election dates.

“When the dates were announced by the Election Commission, we started this activity in Lucknow. The Election Commission has sent a message that banners, flags and hoardings should be put up only according to the rules and norms.

Many such hoardings were put up by different parties. We have started removing them impartially,” said Dinesh Sharma, the city mayor.

He clarified that the hoardings had come up before the polls were announced and warned that any fresh violation of the poll code would be dealt with sternly under the law.

“Citizens in Lucknow are conscious and aware and when they see such hoardings and banners they start hating it. I just want the parties to put up such materials according to the rules and norms of the Election Commission or else not only will we remove them, but will also impose a fine. We will also submit a complaint to the Election Commission as well,” said Sharma.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner Nopalaswamy is here on a two-day visit, to review poll preparedness in the state.

On Wednesday, the Commission met representatives of various political parties and sought their suggestions for smooth conduct of polls.

Uttar Pradesh, which has the maximum of 80 seats, will have five-phased polls.

The main contest is between the Bahujan Samaj Party, the party which claims to represent the downtrodden, and the Samajwadi Party. The Bharatiya Janata Party is trying to regain a foothold while the Congress party is desperate to break the jinx of being a marginal player in the politically most crucial state. (ANI)

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India win Napier ODI by 53 runs

March 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Napier, Mar 3 (ANI): Breaking the past two matches jinx, team India on Tuesday registered a 53 runs victory over New Zealand in the first One Day International of the five-matches series here at McLean Park.

In a rain-interrupted match, India won the toss and chose to bat first.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni led from front with a composed unbeaten 84 to power India to an imposing 273 for four in a 38-over game.

Virender Sehwag (77) and Suresh Raina (66) also slammed quick-fire half-centuries.

Chasing a revised target of 278 runs, New Zealand got two early blows to their line-up when Brendon McCullum (0) and Jesse Ryder (11) could not cope with Praveen Kumar’s pace.

New Zealand lost wickets at regular intervals. The only time it seemed the Kiwis stood a chance of overhauling their score was when Taylor and Guptill added 58 for the third wicket.

Guptill (64) revived the innings and played a sensible knock to raise his well deserved fifty but the heroics weren’t enough to make his side float.

The Kiwis could score only 162 runs in a revised target of 216 runs in 28 overs.

For India, Harbhajan had a superb time, taking three wickets in our balls to complete a comprehensive win for the visitors

Indian skipper Dhoni was adjudged the Man-of-the Match for his unbeaten 84. (ANI)

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Is ‘curvy’ Jessica Simpson pregnant?

February 8, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Feb 08 (ANI): Rumours are abuzz that the reason behind Jessica Simpson’s sudden ‘weight gain’ is pregnancy.

According to pals, the sexy actress and singer might be expecting a child with her boyfriend, Dallas Cowboys hunk Tony Romo, 28.

“She hasn’t been packing on the pounds because she’s over-eating,” the Daily Star quoted a friend, as saying.

“The big rumour from her inner circle is that a baby could be the reason she’s carrying some added weight,” the friend added.

Jessica, 28, has admitted she’s 25lbs heavier than she was six months ago but she has refused to respond to hints on late-night TV chat shows about her new belly bulge.

“The reason for that is simple,” her pal said.

“I’m sure she and Tony aren’t ready to say she’s pregnant yet because they don’t want to announce it till later in the pregnancy for fear they’ll jinx the birth.

“Those closest to them almost certainly know the truth but they will have been sworn to secrecy.

“Just like her, they’re having to bite their bottom lips and keep mum,” the pal added. (ANI)

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