Florida Sentinel Bulletin

MILWAUKEE  — Larry Drew could have sulked during his last season in Atlanta, complained to anyone who would listen about being a lame duck despite a winning record and three straight playoff appearances.

He never did.

“When you stay in this game as long as I have, the most important thing is you don’t take a negative situation and keep it negative,” Drew said. “I thought I would get something positive of it.”

Grant Hill announced his retirement Saturday night, moments before Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Hill joined TNT’s “Inside the NBA” crew and summed up his career closing in two words: “I’m done.”

Hill played 18 NBA seasons with the Pistons, Magic, Suns and Clippers.

In 1996, Hill beat out Michael Jordan as the leading vote-getter in the NBA All-Star Game. He was that popular.

In his first six seasons with the Detroit Pistons, Hill averaged 21.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game. The third overall pick in 94s draft was a potential triple-double threat on any given night.

His endorsements ranged from Fila sneakers to Sprite. His last 12 seasons in the league were marred by ankle injuries, which first emerged during his final season with the Pistons in 2000.

Hill was never the same player after signing a free agent contract with the Orlando Magic that summer and would undergo multiple surgeries throughout what should have been the ‘prime’ of his career.

Former NBA All-Star guard Mookie Blaylock is being charged with second-degree vehicular homicide after a crash he allegedly caused resulted in a woman’s death on Friday night.

Tthe former Atlanta Hawk was driving in Jonesboro, Ga., on Friday when his car veered into oncoming traffic and hit a van head-on.

The passenger of that van died as a result of the accident.

Now, Blaylock, who was driving under a suspended license faces a second-degree vehicular manslaughter charge along with improper lane change, crossing the median and driving on the wrong side of the road.

Blaylock is still in the hospital with injuries of his own, although he is in fair condition after initially being put on life support.

Although he still has much to prove as a Buccaneer man, Eric Wright is already well established as an NFL survivor.

The fact Wright remains on Tampa Bay’s roster after a tumultuous 2012 season illustrates the survival skills of a 27-year-old cornerback who was forced to apologize to teammates after returning from a four-game league suspension in December.

When Wright was eligible to dress for the season finale at Atlanta, Bucs coach Greg Schiano benched him, raising doubts about Wright’s status in Tampa. But here he is, working out with the rest of his teammates during steamy offseason practice sessions and vowing to show Tampa Bay fans why the Bucs coveted him as a free agent out of Detroit.

Cornerback Darrelle Revis was acquired from the Jets, and All-Pro safety Dashon Goldson was signed from the 49ers as a free agent. Veteran Ronde Barber retired and Tampa Bay used its top draft pick to select corner Johnthan Banks in the se-cond round.

There’s a lot on the line tonight when the Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat meet in Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.

The winner advances to the NBA Finals to meet the San Antonio Spurs. In Game 6 in Indianapolis on Saturday, the Pacers dominated the boards against the Heat. This time, LeBron James wasn’t able to put the rest of the Heat on his back and carry them to victory. Will he be able to do that tonight? A win tonight would be huge for James and the Heat. Win, and they’re the first South Florida team to play in three championships since the dynastic Dolphins did it in 1971, 1972 and 1973. Lose, and last season’s title starts to look like an aberation rather than the payoff for landing the Big Three in Miami.

A win by the Pacers re-establishes them as an elite NBA team that was built from the ground-up — not by flashy free-agent signings. That could encourage other teams (i.e. Orlando Magic) to follow the same map.

So, who do you think — who will prevail tonight? The Heat or the Pacers? Sentinel Pick: Miami

Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert is in the news for all of the wrong reasons despite his team’s success this postseason.

During an interview after Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, a 91-77 win for the Pacers, Hibbert made two controversial comments, the first being a gay slur and the second an expletive when criticizing the media.

Hibbert was later fined $75,000 for his statements. Commissioner David Stern expanded on his decision to fine the former Georgetown Hoya. Hibbert later issued an apology for his comments: I am apologizing for insensitive remarks made during the postgame press conference after our victory over Miami Saturday night. They were disrespectful and offensive and not a reflection of my personal views. I used a slang term that is not appropriate in any setting, private or public, and the language I used definitely has no place in a public forum, especially over live television. I apologize to those who I have offended, to our fans and to the Pacers’ organization. I sincerely have deep regret over my choice of words last night.

Pittsburgh Steelers second-year offensive lineman Mike Adams was stabbed during an apparent robbery attempt on Saturday morning and is currently hospitalized, according to the Steelers’ official Twitter account.

Adams’ agent, Eric Metz, said that Adams was stabbed during an attempted robbery of his truck. Metz revealed that three men attempted to steal the truck in front of Adams’ residence before the Steeler intervened and was ultimately stabbed. Luckily for Adams and the Steelers, the stabbing is not life or career-threatening, as he is out of surgery and will only be out of action for about six weeks.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Thursday announced they have signed 2013 NFL draft pick, Cornerback Johnthan Banks, to a 4-year contract.

Banks (6’2”, 185) was selected in the second round (43rd overall) out of Mississippi State University, where he started 45-of-51 games. He recorded 221 tackles, defended 26 passes forced five fumbles, had 4 sacks, one forced fumble, and 16 interceptions, including three returned for touchdowns.

As a senior, Banks was named winner of the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the best defensive back in college football. He was also named first-team All America by Walter Camp, was a finalist for the Senior Class Award, and Conerly Trophy, and a semi-finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award.

INDIANAPOLIS — Miami put LeBron James right in the middle of the action Sunday night, and this time, the Indiana Pacers didn’t have an answer for him or his Miami Heat teammates.

By moving James to the post, the Heat won the scoring battle in the paint, kept Indiana at arm’s length and pulled away for a 114-96 victory and a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals. Nothing convinces the Heat they can’t be beat until they get beat. But then opponents should look out, Brian Windhorst writes.

“I made a conscious effort to get down in the post tonight, to put pressure on their defense,” James said. “The coaching staff wanted me to be down there tonight, and my teammates allowed me to do that.”