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Posted by on Feb 14, 2017 in Archive

NBA Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers at Minnesota Timberwolves

NBA Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers at Minnesota Timberwolves

The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the road on Valentine’s day to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. The was a rough first month of 2017 for Cleveland, but they have gotten back on track in February. Cleveland has started out the month winning five of their first six games, with the only loss coming at Oklahoma City.

The Previous Matchup

Cleveland had no trouble handling Minnesota earlier this month, winning that one at home 125-97. LeBron James led the way for the Cavs with 27 points, while grabbing eight boards and dishing out 12 assists. Kyrie Irving also managed a new career high in assists with 14.

On the Timberwolves side, Karl Anthony-Towns finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Andrew Wiggins contributed 23 points of his own.

The Wolves had trouble on the defensive end of the floor that night in Cleveland. Not only did they allow Cleveland to score 125 points, but they allowed them to shoot nearly 54 percent of their field goals while shooting 40 percent from behind the arc.

Team Statistics

  • Points Per Game- Cavaliers: 111.2, Timberwolves: 104.6
  • Field Goal Percentage- Cavaliers: 46.4, Timberwolves: 46.4
  • Rebounds Per Game- Cavaliers: 44.1, Timberwolves: 42.4
  • Assists Per Game- Cavaliers: 22.3, Timberwolves: 23.3
  • Current Streak- Cavaliers: W1, Timberwolves: W1
  • Last Ten Games- Cavaliers: 7-3, Timberwolves: 4-6

What to Watch For

Anytime Cleveland is in town, fans flock to watch their team go up against LeBron, Kyrie, and Kevin Love. However Timberwolves fans will only see two of the three in action tonight.

Former Timberwolves and current Cavaliers All-Star forward Kevin Love will miss the next six weeks after undergoing a successful, yet minor knee surgery. The last time these two teams met Love was unavailable to go due to back spasms.

Cleveland will also be without Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith who are both dealing with their own injuries. Meanwhile the Timberwolves will be without two-time slam dunk champion Zach Lavine, who is out with a torn ACL.

Tipoff is set for 8:00 PM and will be broadcasted on NBATV.

 

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Posted by on Jan 31, 2017 in Archive

FEATURE: Kayley Holloway

FEATURE: Kayley Holloway

Kayley Holloway is a 22-year old Public Relations Major at the University of Florida. Holloway was born and raised in Atlanta Georgia, but relocated to Florida before her senior year. Being from Atlanta, Holloway supports her local Falcons, Braves and Hawks. When it comes to Hockey, Holloway’s favorite sport, she cheers on the Winnipeg Jets and the Nashville Predators. 

What to do Next?

During her her final year of high school, Holloway had to make the toughest decision any high school senior has to make. Choosing where to go to college is difficult for anyone. Holloway thought about Georgia State and Texas A&M, but ultimately decided to stay in Florida and attend UF.

Holloway wasn’t always a Pubic Relations major at UF. She started as a nursing major, but ever since high school she knew that she would eventually switch over to Public Relations. So, why PR?  Holloway fell in love with PR during her junior year of high school. She had to do a project on a career she would be interested in and after seeing she could work in sports her mind was made up. Ideally, Holloway would have wanted to work with the Atlanta Thrashers, but they relocated to Winnipeg in 2011. However, Holloway works with the Winnipeg Jets and is the Team Sweden reporter for a hockey magazine in Boston, Massachusetts. 

https://twitter.com/kayleyashlyn39/status/771782229445844992

More about Kayley

One might think, why Team Sweden? When speaking with Holloway, she prided herself on the fact that she taught herself how to speak Swedish. She started learning the language her junior year of high school and found a way to mix it into her career path. When asked about how she taught herself, Holloway said “I used a lot of movies and music to immerse myself and learn pronunciation, but all of the mechanics and whatnot I taught myself through grammar books and online study guides.”

Kayley Holloway touring Hard Rock Stadium

As I mentioned earlier, Holloway’s favorite sport is hockey. She played since she was four-years old and knew that it was hockey would be a really important part of her life. Both of Holloway’s parents played hockey, and although she no longer plays for a competitive team, she played until she started college, but occasionally plays some pick-up hockey when she can.

So the last two paragraphs you read were about how she taught herself Swedish and how her love for hockey started. Here’s where they connect. Holloway mentioned that the most memorable moment of my life was when she was 16 at an Atlanta Thrashers hockey practice. Holloway knew enough Swedish to be semi-conversational, and her favorite player, Tobias Enström, is Swedish. She didn’t just meet him, she got the chance to interview him in Swedish.

When Holloway graduates, she plans to move to Nashville in hopes of getting a job with the Predators. Her overall goal is to work in Media Relations in the NHL. Working for the magazine, she already has media credentials with the NHL that right there is a huge step in the right direction.

http://www.hookedonhockeymagazine.com/sweden-dominates-slovakia-advances-to-semis-at-the-2017-world-junior-championships/

 

 

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Posted by on Jan 24, 2017 in Articles

NASCAR Introduces Big Format Changes

NASCAR Introduces Big Format Changes

January 24, 2017

The Chase is finally over. Fans of NASCAR that have something new to look forward to in 2017. Yesterday, NASCAR announced a new enhanced racing format that will go into effect this season. The new enhanced format will be in effect for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Forget the old ways of NASCAR, and get with the new days. The executive VP of NASCAR, Steve O’Donnell says the enhanced format will reward performance and allow for less race interruptions.

What Has Changed?

Well, a lot has changed. For example, there are now three-stages to each race, the point distribution has changed, and a regular and postseason champion will be crowned. Not only that, but drivers finishing inside the top ten in the regular season will all receive more bonus points heading into the post season. O’Donnell commented on the new changes and ultimately says its for the fans.

The Three Stages

Each of the new stages is critical in every race for every driver. Seems obvious, right? Well, the first two stages reward drivers who finish inside the top ten, while the final stage determines the winner of the race.

  • Stage 1:  makes up 25-30 percent of the race, but varies depending on the size of the track and the length of the race. This Stage ends with a checkered flag, and if necessary, can end under caution.
  • Stage 2:  makes up the next 25-30 percent of the race after the caution period at the conclusion of Stage 1. This Stage also starts with the wave of a green flag and ends with a checkered flag.
  • Final Stage:  following another caution period after Stage 2, the drivers will then race for the event win.

The true difference in it all is the amount of bonus points that can be earned in each stage, which eventually accumulate into the postseason.

Bonus Points

Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Under the new format, drivers have the opportunity to earn more bonus points than ever before. In the first two stages of each race, the top ten drivers are rewarded bonus points. Whoever is leading after each of these stages receives ten points, second will receive nine, all the way down to tenth place earning one point. Additionally, the leader after Stage 1 and Stage 2 will receive an additional bonus point that carries over into the postseason.

The winner of the Final Stage, or the racing event itself, earns an additional five bonus points that go toward the postseason. Under the old format, winners of each race would only receive three bonus points. Players will still receive postseason eligibility if they win an event. So, if a driver wins the first two stages and the race itself, that driver would receive seven bonus points that go toward the postseason.

The Postseason

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Once the postseason begins, point totals are set to 2,000. The racers who received bonus points during the season will then be added on. At the end of each postseason race, four drivers will be eliminated which will set up a final four per usual.

The bonus points earned from the regular season will transfer to each round of the postseason if the driver is still eligible. So rather than bonus points only affecting the first round, it affects the entire postseason. However, regardless of postseason points, the winner of each race will move onto the next round.

When it comes to the final race of the season in Miami, bonus points are a thing of the past. The remaining four drivers given the same amount of points. First driver to finish wins the championship.

Reactions Around NASCAR

Fans of the sport seem to have different opinions on the new changes. Although fan voice is important to any professional sports league, its not everyone’s top priority. Most people are just interested in how the athletes react to changes.

For example, seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson took to Twitter about the new changes in a way that any seven-time champion would.

The 2014 champion Kevin Harvick is more than excited about the new changes to NASCAR’s format.

Even the retired four time champion, Jeff Gordon, took to twitter about the new format changes.

 

Each of the three series will begin in mid to late February. Fans of the sport will have to follow along throughout the season to see how these new changes will impact the sport they love.

Source: WRUF

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