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e Cavs will once again be hoping for the lucky bounce
LONG POND, Pa. Victor Mete Jersey . -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. traded hats, waited for his cue, and flashed three fingers for the cameras. Thats one for every win. The beer baths, champagne toasts, selfies, and photo opps in Victory Lane are almost routine now for Junior. He added a new wrinkle at Pocono, a broom. Earnhardt hoisted the broom high over his head after he completed a season sweep at Pocono Raceway, the third win in a season that has served as a career renaissance for NASCARs most popular driver. Earnhardt now holds the No. 1 seed in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Can he keep the momentum headed into NASCARs version of the playoffs? "Youre the broadcaster," Earnhardt teased crew chief Steve Letarte about that question. "You dont," the departing Letarte said. "Youre too far from the Chase." The legion of Junior Nation fans roared when Earnhardt stormed ahead of the pack off the final restart with three laps left for the lead. His third win, he also won the Daytona 500, tied him for the most in Sprint Cup this season. Earnhardt held off the hard-charging Kevin Harvick to become the first driver to sweep both races at the track since Denny Hamlin in 2006. He tweeted "Lookin for a broom" last week when he landed in Pocono. He found one in Victory Lane. "This group all really enjoys each other," Earnhardt said. "We want to see everybody happy." They had tons of fun inside the Pocono media centre. Letarte acted hurt when his nameplate didnt have the same three winners stickers that were on Earnhardts card. Earnhardt also brought a Make-A-Wish Foundation teen to the podium and made sure hed have his own namecard and stickers. "This is my buddy, Chris. Does he get one," Earnhardt said. They all got their stickers -- the same ones applied to the No. 88 Chevrolet. Earnhardt also became the fifth straight Hendrick Motorsports driver to win at Pocono. Owner Rick Hendrick was not at the race, though he did talk to his winning driver on the phone on pit road. "I told him thanks for believing in me and making my life better," Earnhardt said. Earnhardts sweep followed Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson last year and Jeff Gordon in the August 2012 race. Earnhardt has his most wins since he won six times in 2004. His three wins are one shy of his combined total from 2005-2013. His win Sunday was the 22nd of a career still without a Cup championship. "We had a fast car all day," Earnhardt said. "Steves strategy was perfect at the end. I dont know if anyone knew what was going on there, but it was pretty awesome." Earnhardt said before the race his No. 88 Chevrolet was better than his winner in June. They were both fast enough to take the checkered flag. He had a bit of luck in his first win when debris slowed down race leader Brad Keselowski. On Sunday, no one could touch Earnhardt over the final 14 laps. "We were determined to go home from the last win and improve the car," he said. Earnhardt and Letarte are clicking in their final season together. Hendrick Motorsports named Greg Ives the crew chief for 2015 once Letarte heads to the broadcast booth. "I think hes going to make me look bad," Letarte said. "Mr. Hendrick has a remarkable talent of matching drivers with crew chiefs." Harvick, who clinched a spot in the Chase, was second, followed by Joey Logano, Clint Bowyer and Greg Biffle. Gordon finished sixth a week after he won the Brickyard 400. He led a race-high 63 laps and passed 24,000 career laps led in the No. 24 Chevrolet and 1,000 laps led at Pocono. He still holds a 17-point lead over Earnhardt in the standings. Earnhardt would have the No. 1 seed because he was one more win than Gordon. Earnhardt, who swept a track for the first time since Talladega in 2002, had few cars left to hold off on the lead lap after several potential contenders got knocked out. Hamlin triggered a 13-car wreck with 43 laps after he got sideways coming out of a turn. Brian Vickers tried to avoid Hamlin and slammed into Matt Kenseth to send cars all over the track. The pileup looked like a "Big One" straight out of Talladega or Daytona, with smoking, dented and destroyed cars littering the track. Tony Stewarts No. 14 Chevrolet rested atop Paul Menards No. 27 Chevy. "I cant drive it because my car is on top of the other car," Stewart said over the radio. Stewart, Vickers, Menard and Matt Kenseth all visited the NASCAR care centre. "Big wrecks are always frustrating when youre in it," Kenseth said. Aric Almirola said he slammed on the brakes as hard as he could, but still got "creamed from behind and pushed into the wreck." Hamlin was able to straighten himself out and stayed out. Kyle Busch topped the lengthy list of stars with an early exit when the No. 18 needed a push to the garage with a variety of issues. Six-time champion Jimmie Johnson finished outside the top 10 for the fourth straight race. He fell a lap down after his rear right tire smacked the wall, rebounded to run fifth, then a second blown tire forced him to the garage. "It wasnt the best weekend but we still gave ourselves a chance at a win, if not a top five, today and came up a little short," Johnson said. His teammate carried the Hendrick banner all the way to victory. "After last year, I thought the only thing were not doing is winning," Earnhardt said. Now, the good things come in threes. Serge Savard Jersey . Louis Cardinals for the National League Wild Card, are in the drivers seat as they open the final series of the regular season, but they face a large task in the form of the Philadelphia Phillies. Chris Terry Jersey . A larger-than-life personality known for his intimidating style in the 18-yard box, Schmeichels career spanned some 20 years -- including a memorable tenure at Manchester United.CLEVELAND -- The Nets lounged their way into the NBA playoffs. Brooklyn coach Jason Kidd sat his starters for the season finale and the Nets wound up with the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs following a 114-85 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. Although the Nets could have clinched the No. 5 spot with a win, Kidd elected to rest Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson, Deron Williams and Shaun Livingston, who spent the night on the bench as the worlds highest-paid cheerleading squad. Kidd also limited the minutes of key reserves and used only seven players. Brooklyns loss, coupled with Washingtons win at Boston, dropped the Nets into the sixth slot because they lost the tiebreaker with the Wizards. Brooklyn will begin the post-season at Toronto on Saturday. The Nets and Raptors split their four games during the season. "I like right where we are," Kidd said. "A good place. Weve been playing some pretty good basketball of late. Weve rested and guys have gotten their work in at the same time of healing some of the injuries theyve had -- some nicks and bruises healed. Now its time to figure out a way to win a game on the road." Tyler Zeller scored 22 points with 11 rebounds and Dion Waiters scored 19 for the Cavaliers, who finished a disappointing 33-49 in coach Mike Browns first season back and missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year. All-Star Kyrie Irving scored 15 and afterward addressed the likelihood hell be offered a contract extension by the club this summer. "If they do offer me, that it would be exciting and Ill make the best decision for me and my family," Irving said. "Thats what its going to boil down to for myself. Ive been a part of this and I want to continue to be part of this. Were making strides in the right direction, especially in this organization and I want to be part of something special in Cleveland. "If they do, I dont have a definitive answer to that right now, but it will be something special." Marcus Thornton and Andray Blatche scored 20 apiece for Brooklyn. Before the game, a defensive Kidd dismissed the notion the Nets were "tanking" down the stretch so they wouldnt have to play Chicago in the first round. Broooklyn lost to the Bulls in the first round last year. Saku Koivu Jersey. Kidd started Thornton, Blatche, Jorge Gutierrez, Marquis Teague and Jason Collins -- a group that had made a combined seven starts. It was the first start with Brooklyn for Collins, the leagues first openly gay player. Afterward, Kidd said hes not concerned about the Nets losing four of five heading into the playoffs. "Its the playoffs," he said. "Its a new season. Everybodys zero and zero. Its the first one to four." The Cavaliers showed better effort than in recent losses to Milwaukee and Boston, uninspired performances that brought Browns future into question. The Cavs endured injuries, inconsistency and the firing of general manager Chris Grant, dismissed one day after an embarrassing loss to a Lakers team that finished the game with just five players. Brown expects to meet with owner Dan Gilbert in the next few days to discuss what went wrong and what will happen next. "Dan gave me this opportunity," Brown said. "I wouldnt be sitting in this seat without him. Its his team and whatever decision he makes with anything Im going to support." Also, Gilbert has to decide whether to retain interim GM David Griffin. Gilbert had promised his team would not be back in the draft lottery, but the Cavs will once again be hoping for the lucky bounce of some pingpong balls to improve their draft position. There were a few positives in Clevelands finale. Rookie Anthony Bennett, the No. 1 overall pick last year, played for the first time since March 8 and had an impressive dunk. Also, rookie Carrick Felix returned after missing 38 games with a broken kneecap. NOTES: The Nets ended 2013 at 10-21, but went 34-17 the rest of the way. ... Before tip-off, Cavs F Luol Deng was presented with the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, given annually by the Pro Basketball Writers Association for exemplary community service. Deng missed Clevelands last three games with a sore back. Hes an unrestricted free agent and unlikely to return. ... Deron Williams averaged 14.3 points, his lowest since his rookie season (10.8) in 2005-06. ... Several Browns players, including Pro Bowlers Joe Thomas, Josh Gordon, Joe Haden and Jordan Cameron attended the game. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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Activity: May 25 '20
