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2B – Daily News – Thursday, May 12, 2011 Braden to have shoulder surgery Sharks downplay lack of momentum ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Athletics left-hander Dallas Braden needs shoulder surgery. Braden, who pitched a perfect game against Tampa Bay in May 2010, will have surgery Monday in New York to repair a torn capsule in his left shoulder. ‘‘It’s a tough day. He’s such a com- petitor and good kid, you hate to see him miss time,’’ manager Bob Geren said after Wednesday’s postponed game in Texas. ‘‘But you just hope for the best for him in his procedure and recovery. He means a lot to the team and we miss him.’’ Braden (1-1, 3.00 ERA) was put on the 15-day disabled list April 17, a day after he pitched five scoreless innings at Detroit but left early due to a stiff left shoulder. The decision for surgery came after Braden met this week with specialists in Florida and New York. The A’s said Braden’s recovery time will be determined after the oper- ation by Dr. David Altchek, medical director of the New York Mets. ‘‘I hope he recovers and gets healthy. Hurry up and join us as soon as possible,’’ fellow left-hander Gio Gonzalez said after getting a fortunate break. Gonzalez gave up a grand slam as part of a seven-run inning by the Texas Rangers, who led 7-0 in the middle of the fourth Wednesday before heavy rains. Since the game was postponed before becoming offi- cial, none of the stats — including the worst inning of his career — will count. ‘‘It’s a bittersweet moment. It does- n’t matter about the game anymore,’’ dunk with 2:57 left. Wade carried Miami MIAMI (AP) — For LeBron James, Game 5 last season against Boston was horrific. A year later, Game 5 was humbling. And he and the Miami Heat are halfway to an NBA championship, having final- ly found a way to vanquish the Celtics. Dwyane Wade scored 34 points, James added 33 — including the game’s last 10 in a spectacular closing flourish, part of Miami’s 16- 0 run over the final 4:15 — and the Heat beat the Celtics 97-87 on Wednesday night to win their Eastern Confer- ence semifinal series in five games. When it was over, James knelt on the court, oblivious to the photographers who quickly surrounded him in Miami’s celebration. ‘‘Everything went through my mind at that point,’’ James said. ‘‘Finally getting over this hump against this team. Every- thing I went through this summer, with ’The Deci- sion’ and deciding to come down here to be a part of this team ... because I knew how important team is to this sport ... and all the backlash I got from it. ‘‘I’d be up here for two hours if I tell you exactly everything that went through my head. Very emo- tional at that point, you know, and happy we got through it as a team.’’ That they did — as a team. James Jones hit a 3- pointer that kickstarted the final push, and Chris Bosh finished with 14 points — none of them more impor- tant than the two coming when he blew past Kevin Garnett for a game-tying The World Series of Poker won’t know how indict- ments of executives at three major online poker opera- tors will affect its tourna- ments until players learn if they cash out online bankrolls to enter, organiz- ers said Wednesday. Executive Director Ty Stewart told reporters during a conference call that his main concern is whether players will be able to pull together cash for pricey entry fees. The series hosts 58 tournaments starting May 31 with buy-ins rang- ing from $1,000 to $50,000. “Whether or not it’s a large enough majority of their bankrolls to impact any of our events — it’s a com- plete unknown,” Stewart said. “But that is a very salient factor right now. I’m optimistic because again, in the face of every obstacle to date, we’ve continued to see big growth.” The poker world has NHL PLAYOFFS Conference Semifinals Today’s game Detroit at San Jose, 6 p.m., CSNC Series tied 3-3 Other series Boston beat Philadelphia 4-0 Tampa Bay beat Washington 4-0 Vancouver beat Nashville 4-2 early, then James finished the job. The 10-0 run to close the game put some long-simmering Celtics demons to rest. ‘‘I play with the two best players in the league,’’ Bosh said. ‘‘And we do this together.’’ Ray Allen led Boston with 18 points. Garnett had 15 points and 11 rebounds, Paul Pierce scored 12 and Delonte West added 10. ‘‘Right now, I am really upset,’’ Pierce said. ‘‘I wish I could have played better tonight. Unfortunately we came up on the short end of the stick. I tip my hat off to Miami. They really played great basketball.’’ Rajon Rondo finished with six points in 31 minutes for Boston, playing with what appeared to be a slim- mer brace over the still- painful left elbow that he dislocated during Game 3. ‘‘I know we gave a lot in Game 3,’’ Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. ‘‘And I don’t know if we could ever get that effort back.’’ The Celtics got one mea- sure of a victory Wednesday night: Ending months of speculation, Rivers said he will likely return to coach next season. ‘‘I’m a Celtic,’’ Rivers said. ‘‘And I love our guys. I want to win again here. I’m competitive as hell, I have a competitive group. So we’ll see. That’s where I’m at today. Tomorrow I may change my mind.’’ Exactly one year earlier, James was maligned in Cleveland when the Cava- liers were embarrassed by the Celtics, 120-88 in Game 5 of that East semifinal series. Boston won in six games, the finale of that matchup being James’ last game with the franchise that been in a state of uncertainty since federal indictments last month led to the shut- down of PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker to American players. Executives and others associated with the sites are accused of tricking banks into illegally processing payments for online gam- bling. The sites have since made agreements with the U.S. Department of Justice toward repaying deposits, but only PokerStars has started sending checks to its customers. Gonzalez said. ‘‘Dallas is more important than this game.’’ Before Wednesday’s game, the A’s recalled right-hander Trystan Magnu- son from Triple-A Sacramento and sent left-hander Jerry Blevins outright to that minor league team. Blevins had allowed at least one run in six of his last eight appearances and was tied for second among AL relievers with 12 walks. ‘‘Magnuson was throwing the ball extremely well down there, great reports, and he’s replacing a guy that was struggling,’’ Geren said. ‘‘He’s a big kid who throws hard, is talented and is eager to learn.’’ Geren said injured closer Andrew Bailey, on the DL since spring training with a strained right forearm, will pitch in an extended spring training game Saturday. The right-hander will throw one inning or 20 pitches. East finals bound: Miami ousts Boston drafted him No. 1 overall in 2003. He wound up in Miami, alongside Wade and Bosh, aiming to chase a title. Eight wins down, eight wins to go. Next up for the Heat is the East finals against either Chicago or Atlanta, a series that may begin as early as Sunday. Chicago leads 3-2 with Game 6 on Thursday. ‘‘When you’re playing this game, and you have another guy over there doing the things and as capable as LeBron, not only am I a fan on the court, but it makes the game easier,’’ Wade said. ‘‘Obviously.’’ Obviously. James put Miami up for good with a 3-pointer with 2:10 remaining, then added a game-sealing — more aptly, a series-sealing — 3 with 40.4 seconds left, then turned and posed for some fans who screamed in delight. ‘‘They make you fight for everything,’’ James said. ‘‘You can never take the foot off the gas. You can never take a second off against that team.’’ So he kept playing, all the way to the final second. A steal and two-handed slam 6 seconds later for good measure, followed by a Celtics turnover, got the party started. It was over, the Heat and Celtics knew it, and Rivers stood silently near the bench, his arms folded across his chest as James ran down the clock on Miami’s final offensive possession of the series. Of course, he scored. Boston was done, thor- oughly worn down by a younger, more athletic opponent. The Celtics won the first three meetings between the clubs this sea- son, then lost five of the final six. The series, owned by Caesars Entertainment Corp., the world’s largest gambling company, saw 7,319 entries in its no-limit Texas Hold ’em main event last year that Canadian pro- fessional Jonathan Duhamel won for $8.9 million. The main event and other series tournaments are aired on NBA PLAYOFFS Conference Semifinals Wednesday’s results Miami 97, Boston 87 Miami wins series 4-1 Memphis at Oklahoma City, late Series tied 2-2 Today’s games Chicago at Atlanta, 5 p.m., ESPN Chicago leads series 3-2 Other series Dallas beat L.A. Lakers 4-0 ESPN, which expanded its coverage this year while backing away from separate content and sponsorship deals with PokerStars and Full Tilt. Stewart said the series has weathered negative developments in the recent past, including the recession and the passage of a 2006 law that made running online poker sites illegal. But he said the series will still be a big spectacle, and attractive to professionals looking for a big score or recreational players hoping to live out a dream to play. It’s not immediately clear how many players enter the series through online satel- lites, because the series doesn’t allow any sites not affiliated with Caesars to directly buy-in players. Instead, sites that want to SOFTBALL Coed 2 Monday’s results Pritchard Logging 11, St. Elizabeth 2 Tehama Angus 10, Cornerstone 9 Up in Flames 5, Rub a Dub 2 Coed 3 Tuesday’s results Ramrods 11, Oak Creek 5 Red Bluff Gas 9, Lassen Medical 2 Vineyard 8, Just for Fun 3 Central Tuesday’s results McGlynn Law 14, Gold Exchange 10 Tri-R-Gas 12, Tehama Co. Bulls 8 ‘‘It was a series that all of us wanted, really since train- ing camp,’’ Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Wade was knocked over into some courtside seats trying to snare the final rebound, but that only pro- longed the moment. James knelt in prayer for several seconds, then ran over to wrap Wade in a long embrace as the fans screamed loudly. ‘‘D-Wade, he made it real difficult,’’ Celtics for- ward Glen Davis said. ‘‘He came through. He carried the team. He willed them to win. He carried them just long enough for LeBron to knock us out.’’ The Heat said often in this series, Boston laid the plan for what Miami needed to ultimately do to become champions. James said it again when it was over Wednesday night. ‘‘It’s a great team,’’ James said of Boston in the on-court celebration. ‘‘Like I said, I got the utmost respect for that team. They’re the reason why all three of us came together, is because of what they did, that blueprint they had in ’08 when they all came together. So it’s a great team win and get ready for our next opponent.’’ It’s Miami’s fourth trip to the East finals, its first since 2006. Wade had 30 points through three quarters. James added 20, while the rest of the Heat managed only 21 and they were down 73-71. And when everyone went cold to open the fourth, Boston seized a bit of con- trol. West scored six of the Celtics’ first eight points in the final quarter, the last of those coming on a drive with 9:21 left for an 81-74 lead. Indictments may mean smaller World Series of Poker LAS VEGAS (AP) — enter players into tourna- ments must award cash so the players can enter them- selves. Series spokesman Seth Palansky said live satellites at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino where the series is held and other Caesars prop- erties generate the most entries, accounting for 15 percent of tournament buy- ins throughout the series. The series isn’t changing its plans in terms of tourna- ment capacity, but is plan- ning for more cash game tables. MLS WESTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA Galaxy 4 2 5 17 13 11 Salt Lake 5 1 0 15 9 2 FC Dallas 4 3 2 14 11 10 Portland 4 3 1 13 11 13 Colorado 4 3 2 14 11 9 Seattle 3 3 4 13 12 10 Chivas USA 2 3 3 9 8 7 Vancouver 1 4 4 7 11 14 QUAKES 14 2 5 6 10 EASTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA New York 4 1 3 15 11 3 Philadelphia 4 2 2 14 6 4 Columbus 3 1 4 13 8 6 Houston 3 3 3 12 13 10 D.C. 3 4 2 11 12 17 N. England 2 3 4 10 8 12 Toronto FC 2 4 4 10 9 15 Chicago 1 3 4 7 10 13 Kansas City 1 4 1 4 10 13 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. ————————————————— Today’s results San Jose at Vancouver, late FC Dallas 1, Toronto FC 0 Philadelphia 1, Los Angeles 1, tie SAN JOSE (AP) — Whether it's been after a heart-stopping win or a crushing loss, San Jose Sharks coach Todd McLel- lan has always been consis- tent in his belief that new momentum is created at the start of every game. Never before has McLel- lan hoped more that his belief in a lack of a carry- over effect was true than heading into Game 7 of the Western Conference semifi- nal against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night. The Sharks have squan- dered a 3-0 series advan- tage, blowing a pair of third- period leads to move to the brink of becoming just the fourth NHL team ever to lose a best-of-seven series after winning the first three games. "It doesn't matter how we got here, whether it was 3-0 or win one, lose one," McLellan said. "What mat- ters is the input we put into the game tomorrow. That will be the mental approach. Each of those individuals in there should be confident in their skill level and their commitment level. They've proven it before and it's just a matter of bringing it to the rink and putting it on the ice." The Red Wings would seem to have all the momen- tum heading into Game 7 when they look to add another memorable accom- plishment for a franchise that has won four Stanley Cup titles since 1997. Detroit is the eighth team in NHL history to force a Game 7 after being down 3- 0, with three of the previous seven completing the come- back — including Philadel- phia last year in the second round against Boston. The winner advances to the conference final against Vancouver. Both teams could be going into the crucial game short-handed. Ryane Clowe, who leads San Jose with 13 points this postseason, did not practice Wednesday after missing Game 6 with an upper-body injury and is a game-time decision. Johan Franzen missed Tuesday's game for Detroit with an injured left ankle and his sta- tus is questionable. The series has been extremely close all the way through despite the alternat- ing three-game winning streaks. The first five games were decided by one goal with only an empty-netter by Detroit snapping that streak in Game 6. "The series could've gone either way," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "We could've won all the games and they could've won all the games. That's how tight it's been.” The Sharks had their MLB West Division Texas American League WL Pct GB Angels 21 16 .568 — A’s 19 18 .514 2 19 18 .514 2 Seattle 16 21 .432 5 East Division WL Pct GB New York 20 13 .606 — Tampa Bay 21 15 .583 .5 Boston 17 20 .459 5 Toronto 17 20 .459 5 Baltimore 16 19 .457 5 Central Division WL Pct GB Cleveland 23 12 .657 — Detroit 20 18 .526 4.5 Kansas City18 17 .514 5 Chicago 14 23 .378 10 Minnesota 12 23 .343 11 ————————————————— Wednesday’s results Oakland at Texas, ppd., rain Baltimore 4, Seattle 2 Detroit 9, Minnesota 7 Tampa Bay 8, Cleveland 2 Toronto 9, Boston 3 Chicago at Los Angeles, late Kansas City at New York, late Today’s games Tampa Bay (Shields 3-1) at Cleveland (Masterson 5-0), 9:05 a.m., MLBN Kansas City (O’Sullivan 1-2) at New York (Nova 3-2), 4:05 p.m., MLBN Seattle (Vargas 2-2) at Baltimore (Britton 5-2), 4:05 p.m. Friday’s games Chicago at Oakland, 7:05 p.m. Boston at New York, 4:05 p.m. Kansas City at Detroit, 4:05 p.m. Seattle at Cleveland, 4:05 p.m. Baltimore at Tampa Bay, 4:10 p.m. Los Angeles at Texas, 5:05 p.m. Toronto at Minnesota, 5:10 p.m. Tuesday’s late results Detroit 10, Minnesota 2 Los Angeles 6, Chicago 2 chances to close out this series already. Dany Heatley scored the tying goal late in the first period of Game 4 last Friday night in Detroit before Darren Helm won it for the Red Wings with 1:27 to play. San Jose then took a 3-1 lead in the opening minute of the third period of Game 5 at home on Sunday night, before the Red Wings stormed back with three goals in a span of just more than 10 minutes to send the series back to Detroit. The Red Wings then dominated Game 6 at home but found themselves trail- ing 1-0 after Logan Couture scored early in the third peri- od. But Detroit finally man- aged to get some pucks past a previously impenetrable Antti Niemi, scoring twice in less than 2 minutes, and then iced the game with an empty-net goal that set up this Game 7. "We certainly have good momentum," forward Danny Cleary said. "We've played well. Last game was probably our best effort. We're getting contributions from different players and our goaltender is still play- ing great. That's a good sign. Experience helped us last night, not getting down after they scored that first goal. We stayed the course. It was a huge game." The Red Wings spent the off-day traveling from Michigan to Silicon Valley, while the Sharks got home early Wednesday morning and had a brief practice in the afternoon. They called themselves a "confident" team that is not worried "After you got to bed at night, the next day you start over," defenseman Dan Boyle said. "I've been in all kinds of series, down three, up three, back and forth, it doesn't matter. It is what it is, you're trying to win a series.” If the Sharks are going to recover, they will have to get better play out of some of their top players. Patrick Marleau, who led the team in scoring in the regular season, has no points through the first six games, Heatley has just one goal in the six games and captain Joe Thornton has a minus-3 rating the past three games. The vaunted power play unit is 0-for-10 the past three games, where all of those players usually excel. "There's a lot of pride in this room," forward Devin Setoguchi said. "I know a lot of guys will take it upon themselves to maybe step up their game, which will trigger other guys to follow, and it starts with the leaders and the guys who play the most, and everyone else fol- lows." MLB West Division National League WL Pct GB Colorado 19 15 .559 — GIANTS 19 16 .543 .5 Dodgers 18 20 .474 3 Arizona 15 19 .441 4 Padres 15 22 .405 5.5 East Division WL Pct GB Philadelphia 24 12 .667 — Florida 21 15 .583 3 Atlanta 20 18 .526 5 Washington 18 18 .500 6 New York 16 20 .444 8 Central Division WL Pct GB St. Louis 21 15 .583 — Cincinnati 20 17 .541 1.5 Pittsburgh 18 19 .486 3.5 Chicago 15 19 .441 5 Milwaukee 16 21 .432 5.5 Houston 14 23 .378 7.5 ————————————————— Wednesday’s results Arizona at San Francisco, late Houston 4, Cincinnati 3 Los Angeles 2, Pittsburgh 0 Philadelphia 5, Florida 3 San Diego 13, Milwaukee 6 Washington 7, Atlanta 3, 11 innings St. Louis at Chicago, late New York at Colorado, ppd., rain Today’s games Arizona (D.Hudson 3-4) at San Fran.(Cain 2-2),12:45 p.m.,CSNB St. Louis (J.Garcia 4-0) at Chicago (C.Coleman 1-2), 11:20 a.m. New York (Niese 1-4) at Colorado (Jimenez 0-2), 12:10 p.m. Los Angeles (Garland 1-2) at Pittsburgh (Morton 4-1), 4:05 p.m. Washington (Zimmermann 2-4) at Atlanta (D.Lowe 3-3), 4:10 p.m. Friday’s games San Francisco at Chicago, 11:20 a.m. Florida at Washington, 4:05 p.m. St. Louis at Cincinnati, 4:10 p.m. Philadelphia at Atlanta, 4:35 p.m. New York at Houston, 5:05 p.m. Pittsburgh at Milwaukee, 5:10 p.m. San Diego at Colorado, 5:40 p.m. Arizona at Los Angeles, 7:10 p.m. Tuesday’s late result San Francisco 1, Arizona 0 San Jose Sharks Oakland Athletics Boston 87 MIA Miami 97 4-1