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Via Kelly Dwyer at Ball Don't Lie, we have learned that New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin has successfully obtained the trademark to the term "Linsanity." Good for him, definitely. But at the same time, this may very well open the floodgates for any number of athletes to attempt to trademark any number of innocuous phrases and/or New York Post headline-puns. What could we be in store for? I'm glad you asked!

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The Oklahoma City Thunder finally managed to secure a win over the San Antonio Spurs in their Western Conference Finals matchup. The Thunder took Game 3 by a decent margin and did so by drastically switching up their game plan to target the Spurs' style of play.

As Tom Spousta of the New York Times points out, one of the keys to the Thunder victory was the matchup between Thabo Sefolosha and Tony Parker. Sefolosha aggressively defended Parker all night and kept the All-Star off-balance. If Sefolosha can keep Parker locked down again in Game 4, Oklahoma City just might be able to even up this series.

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich commented on the matchup between Sefolosha and Parker after Game 3:

Q. Coach, there will probably be some talk that Thabo Sefolosha doing well against Parker might become a factor in the series. I just wondered if you would make any changes or if it's just let's go play Game 4?

COACH POPOVICH: I don't know what kind of change as far as Sefolosha's concerned. I don't know. I can ask Scotty not to play him. I don't know how I can change what Sefolosha's going to do. He did a good job. Tony did a good job.

But it's not about Tony, it's about our team. We played much more poorly tonight than we have, and I thought they played fantastic basketball in every way.

The Thunder will definitely need to continue playing "fantastic basketball" if they want to keep their hopes of reaching the NBA Finals alive.

For more on the Spurs, be sure to visit Pounding the Rock; for the Thunder, Welcome to Loud City. And for news, analysis and everything else revolving around the NBA Playoffs, be sure to visit SB Nation's NBA page.

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Look, we've all been there. You're eating a delicious bag of chips and you get down to the sweet, sweet leavings. The mixture of crumbs/salt/cheese powder/Funyons shakin's/whatever. The stuff you can't easily pick up or dig out. So you're left with no recourse: you gotta drink the rest of that stuff out of the bag/can/sock/whatever. No shame here, dude. Let the person who was not brushed Cheetos dust off their chest-shelf at 2:00 a.m. cast the first stone. The only thing is: you gotta make sure you don't get caught on camera when you're drinking your chips.

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Washington Huskies defensive tackle Alameda Ta'amu saw his stock drop leading up to the 2012 NFL Draft, but was selected in the fourth round by the Pittsburgh Steelers, along with Stanford Cardinal offensive guard David DeCastro and Ohio St. Buckeyes offensive tackle Mike Adams. Now the Steelers have some formidable linemen on both sides of the ball, one of whom will actually give area fans a reason to root for the Steelers.

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Anze Kopitar powered the Los Angeles Kings to an overtime win against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday. The victory extended the Kings' NHL record of consecutive playoff wins on the road and puts Los Angeles just three small victories away from claiming the first Stanley Cup in the history of the franchise.

Of course, in the Stanley Cup Final, nothing is a foregone conclusion. The Devils remain a tremendously dangerous team and the Kings will need to stay focused and keep up the attack as they try to go up 2-0 following Saturday's Game 2.

The puck will drop at 5:00 p.m. PT and the game will be televised on NBC. You can catch the radio broadcast on 1150 AM.

Here is the complete schedule for the 2012 Stanley Cup final. All games begin at 5:00 p.m. Pacific.

Game 2: Saturday, June 2 at New Jersey (NBC)
Game 3: Monday, June 4 at Staples Center (NBC Sports Network)
Game 4: Wednesday, June 6 at Staples Center (NBC Sports Network)
Game 5*: Saturday, June 9 at New Jersey (NBC)
Game 6*: Monday, June 11 at Staples Center (NBC)
Game 7*: Wednesday, June 13 at New Jersey (NBC)

*If neccesary

For more news and notes on the Kings or the NHL Stanley Cup Final, be sure to check out Jewels From The Crown.

The 2012 Belmont Stakes is only seven days away. The third leg in the Triple Crown will come to New York and I'll Have Another will try to take home the prize and write his name in the history books.

Bodemeister and Gemologist are already out of the race, but you can add Alpha to the list of horses that will be scratched from the Belmont. With the field getting thinner, it should come as no surprise that I'll Have Another is the 3/2 favorite to win the Belmont next Saturday and secure horse racing's first Triple Crown win since 1978.

There is certainly no guarantee that I'll Have Annother will win, despite being the betting favorite. Union Rags and Dullahan, both at 6/1, represent significant threats, but as the last 30-plus years have shown us, anything can happen while in pursuit of the Triple Crown.

We will have one more week to wonder. Then it will be I'll Have Another's time to show us if he has one more win in him.

For lots more on the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown, please visit And Down the Stretch they Come.

The 2012 Belmont Stakes is just one week away. Next Saturday, I'll Have Another will attempt to become the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to capture the Triple Crown.

One week before the gates open, I'll Have Another is the big betting favorite, with 3/2 odds to win. Dullahan and Union Rags are both 6/1 to win, but both of them represent legitimate threats to upset I'll Have Another and prevent the Triple Crown from being bestowed for yet another year.

Although I'll Have Another represents the odds-on favorite, it is unlikely for him to take home the Triple Crown. There is a reason that it has been over 30 years since America has seen a horse take the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in succession.

I'll Have Another went for a gallop on Friday at Belmont and trainer Doug O'Nell is reportedly thrilled at how the horse looks one week out from the big race. I'll Have Another will have the nation's attention for at least one more week. Perhaps next Saturday we will all be witness to history.

For lots more on the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown, please visit And Down the Stretch they Come.

Matt Hasselbeck is one of the most beloved Seattle Seahawks quarterbacks of all time. Jake Locker is a native son of Washington who led the Washington Huskies to a Holiday Bowl win and was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Now these two favorites of the Northwest are battling for a starting quarterback position -- for the Tennessee Titans.

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The Boston Celtics hosted the Miami Heat in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday night and it appears they play much better at the Garden. The Celtics won their first game of the series by a final score of 101-91, largely thanks to a big fourth quarter. The Heat still lead the series 2-1, but the Celtics will try to even things up with another game in Boston on Sunday.

Kevin Garnett had 24 points in the victory, Paul Pierce had 23 and Rajon Rondo put up 21. LeBron James contributed 34 points to the losing effort.

Saturday night will see Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals:

San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT on TNT

The Thunder may be able to pull off another win at home, but the majority of pundits and analysts seem to believe that would be merely delaying the inevitable. It appears no one is giving Oklahoma City much of a chance to pull off the series win and advance to the Finals, regardless of how impressive they looked in their win on Thursday.

Here's the remaining schedule for the 2012 NBA Playoff Western Conference Finals Series (all times in ET):

Game 4: Saturday, June 2 at Oklahoma City, 9:00 p.m. ET
Game 5: Monday, June 5 at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m. ET
Game 6: Wednesday, June 6 Oklahoma City, 9:00 p.m. ET*
Game 7: Friday, June 9 at San Antonio, 9:00 p.m. ET*

Here's the remaining schedule for the 2012 NBA Playoff Eastern Conference Finals Series (all times in ET):

Game 4: Sunday, June 3 at Boston, 8:30 p.m.
Game 5: Tuesday, June 5 at Miami, 8:30 p.m.
Game 6: Thursday, June 7 at Boston, 8:30 p.m.*
Game 7: Saturday, June 9 at Miami, 8:30 p.m.*

For more on the Spurs, visit Pounding The Rock. while Thunder fans should visit Welcome To Loud City. Celtics homers can head over to Celtics Blog, while for more on the Heat check out Peninsula Is Mightier.

Another month, another big UFC card shake-up. After a new opponent was needed to take on Wanderlei Silva at UFC 147, Rich Franklin took the opportunity, pulling out of his scheduled fight against San Jose's own Cung Le at UFC 148.

Le was temporarily without an opponent for the July 7 event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. While the main event of UFC 148 will be a title fight rematch between middleweights Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen, Le (who is surprisingly not retired, despite appearances to the contrary) will still have a spot on the main card, as he takes on Patrick Cote.

Middleweight Cote will be making his return to the UFC for the first time since 2010. He has won his last four fights, but ended his last UFC stint with three straight losses.

This new fight is actually a much better situation for Le, who lost his UFC debut in November against Silva. It is unlikely he could have bested Franklin and Le needs a win at the very least to stay relevant in the national conversation. A dominant win over Cote would be exactly what his career needs.

For more on mixed martial arts in general, check out everything we have to offer over at MMA Fighting and Bloody Elbow.

The Los Angeles Angels appear to finally be firing on all cylinders. On Friday night, they kicked off a three-game series against the first place Texas Rangers and managed to pick up the win in come-from-behind fashion by a final score of 4-2.

The Rangers got on the board in the top of the first inning on an RBI single by Adrian Beltre. Mike Napoli added another RBI single in the top of the fourth to put Texas on top 2-0.

Rangers starter Colby Lewis had only allowed one Angels hit before the bottom of the sixth inning. John Hester led off the sixth with a double and came in to score on an RBI triple by Mike Trout. Trout scored on an Albert Pujols sacrifice fly as the Angels tied things up 2-2.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Angels took the lead for good on a two-out, two-RBI single by Trout, who drove in three of the four Angels runs.

For all news and information regarding the Los Angeles Angels, please visit Halos Heaven. For updates and perspective on the Texas Rangers, head on over to Lone Star Ball or check out SB Nation Dallas.

The Oakland Athletics are trying to get their offense started again after getting swept by the Yankees and Twins. They weren't able to turn things around on Friday, as they kicked off a three-game series with the Kansas City Royals and took the 2-0 loss.

It was the first inning that did the damage. Oakland starter Bartolo Colon led off the game by issuing a walk to Alex Gordon, who then scored on a Yuniesky Betancourt double. Betancourt scored on an RBI single by Mike Moustakas and just like that, the game was in the bag for the Royals.

The A's managed just three hits and four walks in the game. Two of those hits came from Jemile Weeks, whose game-opening double was the only Oakland extra-base hit.

Colon had a quality start, but ended up taking his sixth loss of the year. He gave up two runs on eight hits and two walks in seven innings of work.

With the loss, the A's have now dropped nine straight games. Four of those nine losses have been shutouts.

For more on the Oakland Athletics, join the discussion over at Athletics Nation. You can also check out everything we have to offer at Baseball Nation.

The Seattle Mariners were fresh off a day of rest after having 21 runs on the Rangers. To top it all off, they had their ace on the hill starting the game for them. Unfortunately, things did not go as the Mariners hoped on Friday night, as they fell to the Chicago White Sox by a final score of 7-4.

It was clear early on that starter Felix Hernandez was not at his best, as he served up a two-run homer to Gordon Beckham in the bottom of the first. In the bottom of the fifth, Hernandez gave up back-to-back two-out homers to Beckham and Adam Dunn as the Sox jumped out to a 4-0 lead.

In the top of the seventh inning, Kyle Seager hit a two-run homer of his own to cut the Chicago lead to 4-2. In the top of the eighth, Seager and Justin Smoak hit RBI singles to tie the game up, but Mariners reliever Shawn Kelley gave up three runs on RBI singles from Alexei Ramirez and Alejandro De Aza.

Miguel Olivo led off the top of the ninth with a double, but the next three Seattle batters were set down in order.

Hernandez lasted just five innings, giving up four runs on five hits and four walks, with three home runs allowed and six strikeouts.

For all news and information regarding the Seattle Mariners, please visit Lookout Landing. For updates and perspective on the Chicago White Sox, head on over to South Side Sox or check out SB Nation Chicago.

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Friday's second round of the 2012 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club is well underway. While some notables, including Tiger Woods, have yet to tee off on Friday, plenty of golfers are making an early move to the front of the pack.

Scott Stallings entered the day atop the leaderboard at 6-under but has lost a stroke through his first five holes and now sits in a three-way tie for second place, along with Eric Compton and the day's biggest mover so far, Adam Scott. Scott has shot 3-under through his first seven holes to sit at 5-under.

Spencer Levin is now alone atop the leaderboard after going 1-under through his first eight holes. His 6-under leads the field.

You can find a full, live leaderboard here.

For updates on the 2012 Memorial Tournament, continue to check this StoryStream. For all news and information regarding the 2012 Memorial Tournament and all things PGA Tour, please visit SB Nation's dedicated golf hub.

The Maryland Terrapins are rumored to be working on a new, freakish football field for the upcoming season. These rumors have only been whispered under the cover of nightfall, or in shady back rooms of taverns until recently. It is said the new field would be as black as coal and so terrifying as to turn the hair of a young man stark white. On Thursday, a new bit of information was spake publicly that could lend a chilling reality to these rumors. Read on ... if ye dare!

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New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma was one of the players suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in connection with the recent bounty scandal. Vilma has been a vocal opponent of the decisions handed down by the league and is fighting back.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that Vilma spoke publicly on Thursday for the first time since filing a defamation lawsuit against the NFL. Vilma refused to be interviewed when the league was investigating the allegations about the Saints. The reason for this, says Vilma, is that the NFL would not present any evidence.

"We asked for evidence, and he (Goodell) wouldn't give it to us," Vilma told NFL.com. "How can I defend myself when I don't know what I'm defending against? It's just logical, things that people decided to ignore."

Asked specifically if the NFL Players Association told him not to cooperate, Vilma said he asked for evidence, Goodell wouldn't share it, and he responded, "How can I defend myself if I don't know what I'm defending against?"

"There was no bounty program in place," Vilma said. "I never paid anybody, intended to pay anybody, that's the truth. Never sought out to injure people. That's the truth. That's really about it. I can't really go into detail."

A spokesperson for the NFL stated that Vilma was invited to come in with his attorney prior to the decision on suspensions in order to discuss the evidence, but Vilma declined.

For more Saints coverage, check out Canal Street Chronicles. Follow the latest developments in the bounty case in this StoryStream.

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Do you love the Scripps National Spelling Bee? Sure; we all do. In tribute to those wonderful, wacky words of whimsy, the generous people over at SB Nation Studios have put together the first must-have album since record companies still made physical albums. (What's that? They still do? You're kidding me. Well, good for them.)

Please enjoy this very special offer for the greatest hits of the spelling bee championship ... and beyond. Forget about using those words in a sentence, you stodgy old judges. Use them in a song.

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No. 10 men's tennis player John Isner seems to have a knack for extraordinarily long matches. If you recall, back in 2010 Isner defeated Nicolas Mahut in the longest match in tennis history at Wimbledown. On Thursday, he once again set a record, this time coming up on the losing end of the longest one-day match in the history of the French Open. The match also featured the longest fifth set at Roland Garros.

Unfortunately for Isner, he was not able to prevail this time around, falling to Paul-Henri Mathieu in five sets. The final line is the double-take-inducing 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 18-16. Isner is eliminated with the second-round loss, meaning there are no more U.S. men remaining in the tournament.

In other men's second-round action on Thursday, No. 4 Andy Murray advanced by defeating Jarkko Nieminen in four sets, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2. No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also advanced by prevailing over Cedrik-Marcel Stebe, also in four sets, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. No. 2 Rafael Nadal had little trouble advancing past Denis Istomin, 6-2, 6-2, 6-0.

On the women's side, No. 4 Petra Kvitova defeated Urszula Radwanska in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3. The match between No. 2 Maria Sharapova and Ayumi Morita was postponed.

You can see a full French Open scoreboard at SI.com.

For more updates on the 2012 French Open, please stay tuned to this StoryStream. For lots more on all things tennis, keep checking SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

Hines Ward has done it all in his career. He's won two Super Bowls, been Super Bowl MVP, set Pittsburgh Steelers franchise records for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns and, of course, has won a season of Dancing with the Stars. This fall, he'll be entering your television set and giving you his take on all things football.

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