Emotions Run High as Serena Williams Returns to Indian Wells

The most impressive thing Serena Williams accomplished Friday March 13, 2015 at Indian Wells had nothing to do with tennis.  As she walked onto Stadium one, 14 years after she last played in the BNP Paribas Open, she felt the emotions of time and space. The standing ovation for the number one tennis player in the world lasted more than two minutes and Williams heard and felt the support loud and clear. Her eyes filled with tears in a touching display of forgiveness and redemption. It was here that at 19 years old, Williams was booed following the forfeit of older sister Venus from the all Williams semifinals and rumors surfaced accusing their father, Richard Williams of "fixing" matches. The entire Williams family boycotted the event after Serena Williams won in 2001, until now. I was sitting with Mike and Tanya Heathman who were also in the stadium that fateful day. For them this was a moment of pride. To witness the crowd respond to Williams in such a way; honoring her gifts as an athlete and her personal growth as she moves forward to heal old wounds.

Although the battle on center court on a beautiful evening under the desert sky would not be easy. Monica Niculescu presented plenty of her own obstacles for the emotionally charged Williams who committed 48 unforced errors on her way to a 7-5, 7-5 win. The crowd continually urged the past champion on professing their love and welcoming her back as she dealt with her nerves and Niculescu's effective topspin returns.
"It was overwhelming walking out here and everyone cheering," said Williams. "I'm glad I was able to do this. It definitely feels like one of the biggest and one of the proudest moments of my career."
A career that at 33 years old includes 34 Grand Slam titles and four Olympic gold medals. But this win in the second round at Indian Wells signifies something special for the "Queen of the Court."
"I feel like I've already won this tournament. I don't feel like I have to actually hold the trophy at the end of this," said Williams. "I feel like I'm already holding up a trophy. I have never felt that way before. Just being here is a huge win. Not only for me, but for so many people. It's a wonderful feeling."
This is where sports allows us to perhaps rewrite history. While Williams didn't jump up and down after the tough fought match which lasted two hours, She genuinely looked happy to be here, playing and winning in friendly territory once again.

Feliz Cumpleanos Draymond Green!

For the third year in a row the Golden State Warriors have played and won on Draymond Green's birthday. After a brutally long and grueling 3-3 road trip, the Dubs returned home to a spirited sold out crowd at Oracle and took care of the pesky Milwaukee Bucks 102-93. The birthday boy took charge from the beginning scoring 10 points in the first quarter. On a night the team's two top scorers, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson struggled, Green lead the way with 23 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks.

"I had a pretty decent shooting night," said Green. "My teammates found me. Steph and Klay were doubled and I did what I had to do. It was a pretty good night. I usually don't play well on my birthday."
Regardless of the night, the 25 year old who Coach Steve Kerr calls the "heartbeat" of the team shines brightly.
"He's been big all year," said Shaun Livingston who also had a spectacular night off the bench.
"He's our heart and soul."
Coach Kerr compared him to one of his former Chicago Bulls teammates.
"I think Draymond has a lot of Dennis Rodman in him," explained Kerr. "He can play any position on the court. He's a complete player,  and can guard anybody."
But for Green who is in the last year of a three year contract it's all about his love of the game, something clear to see in his genuine smile.
" I just ry to come out and bring what the team needs," said the Michigan native. "Whether it's energy, defense, scoring, whatever we need."
Against the Bucks, with Green at the center position in a small lineup, he delivered.
 "I put our small lineup up against anyone else's in the league," insists Green. "I love playing center in the small lineup. I know I've got to hold down the middle, protect the rim. I won't be no pushover."
And Coach Kerr agrees.
"It seems like the whole league has shifted," said Kerr. "The last three games we've gone small. We don't want to but we feel like we're good at it. Draymond is the key."
As for facing the pressure in the playoffs, Green is more than ready.
"The brighter the lights, the better I perform," said Green.
Luckily he won't be alone. While Curry only had seven points going into the fourth quarter, he quickly connected with three-three point shots in 65 seconds and finished the night with 19.
"Steph had arguably one of his worst games of the year going," said Kerr. "But that's Steph. That's why he's Stephen Curry. I used to watch it with Michael Jordan. On nights where he missed 10 shots in a row, when everyone else would just clam up, he just all of a sudden would find that incredible confidence. It's unbreakable. Steph has that. It's what makes him special."
 Thompson finished his shaky shooting night with a respectable 17 points, while Livingston added 16. What also remains special is the Warriors best in the NBA home record at 25-2 to go with their league leading overall 47-12 cushion. Next up, Dallas at Oracle on Friday.

Rafael Nadal Shows Signs of Brilliance on His Road to Recovery

As Rafael Nadal touches American soil for the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, there seems to be more questions than answers regarding his physical condition. Nadal prefers to let his play do the talking. After a nearly nine month drought, the Spaniard collected his 65th singles title at the Argentina Open this past weekend. While world-wide, Rafa fans are ecstatic to see him holding yet another trophy, the doubters are flooding social media pages.   The "King of Clay" returned to his favorite surface and turned back the clock looking more like himself; easily discarding  Juan Monaco 6-4, 6-1 in Buenos Aires. Nadal who has battled several injuries since winning his last title at the French Open June 8, 2014 felt the importance of this victory.

"All titles are special," said Nadal. "But I’m really happy because I have not been a champion for a long time. Against Monaco, I played my best of the week. That’s great news for me because I’m trying to gain more confidence.

The fact Nadal is lacking confidence is nothing new. That fierce quest to improve and succeed motivates his every move. The truth is he spoke much the same way after returning from a long absence in 2013. At that time Nadal suffered what many perceived to be potentially career threatening knee problems. After seven months away from the sport he loves, the lefty returned not just to the court, but to the number one spot with an impressive 65-4 match record including two Grand Slam titles.

The question now is can he do it again. And can he do it here in Indian Wells where as the number three seed he will face the best players in the world on hard courts.

Last year Nadal lost to Alexandr Dolgopolov in the third round of the dessert classic and showed signs of his body failing under the stress that is the Rafa style of hard core, all out tennis. And here is where the critics chime in with full vigor. On Facebook, Twitter and comments to recent articles, the prevailing sentiment is that at 28 Rafa is: "Done, on his way out. His body they claim just can't take the punishment. And the win in Argentina was against Monaco, the 48th ranked player in the world, not a top two contender. Plus, one entry noted: "It was on clay, not exactly the prominent surface on tour." And that is something Nadal is lobbying to preserve. He hopes to shine a light on the effects of the pounding on the body of tennis players like himself.

"Clay is a traditional surface of our sport, we need to protect that," said Nadal. "Most of the players on the Tour like sport in general so we want to keep having chances to practice sport and enjoying life."

Nadal noted how many of his fellow competitors are also suffering from injuries due to the growing number of tournaments now played on harder surfaces. It's something the Argentina Open Champion feels very passionate about.

"You can check on the tour (statistics) that many players have injuries so there is something we are doing badly," argues Nadal. "In my opinion, it's important to be healthy not only during your career but also afterwards because you have a life outside tennis and after your career."

As for his future, Nadal doesn't pay attention to the critics, he's heard it all before. He is concentrating on one day at a time.

"I'm playing a little better every day," he said. "I said when I arrived in Buenos Aires I feel closer to level than one month ago. Winning titles helps to continue working. The injuries are in the past. I have no physical problems. In terms of tennis, in the past I have been able to get back to my best level (after injury).  As you get older it gets harder but I don't see why not, I have the motivation and passion."

And that is undeniable. Win or loose, Nadal's mark on the world of tennis, his passion and work ethic combined with his humility transcends surfaces and generations.

Warriors showing poise on the road

The Warriors found themselves in a deep freeze in Boston this afternoon, but they showed why they still own the best record in the NBA. With their backs to the wall, down by 26 points in the second quarter against a sharp shooting Boston team, Golden State found their game and dug their way to a 106-101 victory.
"We fought hard, " said Stephen Curry who led all scorers with 37 points. "They came out shooting lights out. But it just shows the resilience of our team. We just had to find a way to get stops and move the ball better in the second half."
It's a formula of defense, taking care of the ball and ball movement that rookie coach Steve Kerr has been preaching all year. And his pupils are listening.  After allowing Boston to shoot 53.6 percent in the first quarter, the Dubs tightened their grip and held the Celtics to 30.9 percent the rest of the game.
As Curry celebrated the tough fought win, he shared the credit with the majority of his teammates for their efforts.

"Harrison, Andre, Klay, Draymond, I  could go on and go," explained Curry. "Everyone contributed. This is the first game we came out sluggish on the long road trip, but we just had to fight through it and be mentally tough, and do what's worked for us all year."
While not thrilled with how his team started the game, Coach Kerr praised the way they finished.
"This is what happens in the league, tons of games, tons of travel. We just weren't ready,"said Kerr. "They weren't themselves early but showed poise and composure and did what they needed to do to win."
And at the end of the day that is exactly what defines a champion. It may not be pretty sometimes, but the Warriors are working together and beating teams they should. Boston did prove they too have a fighting spirit but up against the splash brothers and company they just couldn't sustain the early momentum.
Klay Thompson helped fuel the scoring with 20 points while Harrison Barnes had 17 and Draymond Green added 14, 11 in the critical fourth quarter.
How good is this team? Just ask Boston coach Brad Stevens.
"Twenty-whatever we were up in the first half felt like three to me," said Stevens. "And 16 at halftime feels like two against those guys. They just come back so fast."
That quickness and ability to score can be assessed to the depth and quality of the Warriors bench.  Perfect case and point is Andre Iguodala.
"Andre is having a fantastic year," said Kerr. "His role has totally changed. His minutes are down, his starting job is not there but he's a phenomenal basketball player  and he gives us just what we need every time. He was brilliant tonight."
Of course when it comes to brilliance number 30 steals the show.
"Steph was Steph," Kerr said with a smile. "What he does skill-wise is shocking, but the poise and leadership he showed were the things that me the happiest tonight."
And everyone was happy leaving Boston with a  46-11 record and winning their first back to back season series against the Celtics in franchise history. The long six game road trip ends tomorrow in Brooklyn where poise will also come in handy.