LOS ANGELES -- When the final buzzer sounded on the longest two weeks of the Los Angeles Clippers careers, they felt more exhaustion than elation. While coach Doc Rivers high-fived fans and pumped his fist at the crowd, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul quietly congratulated each other. They had just persevered through seven exhausting playoff games amid enormous distractions leading to their owners lifetime banishment from the NBA. A franchise that once redefined losing was a winner despite it all -- and theres no telling how much farther these new Clippers can go. Griffin scored 24 points, Paul had 22 points and 14 assists, and the Clippers outlasted the Golden State Warriors 126-121 in Game 7 on Saturday night to win their first-round playoff series. "Im just happy we pulled it out," Paul said. "Its going to sound crazy, but it was all about tonight. Everything else was in the past. We didnt dwell on all that stuff, and not to diminish how serious everything has been in the past week or so. It was all about basketball tonight." Jamal Crawford scored 22 points for the third-seeded Clippers, who earned the franchises third playoff series win in 38 years with the highest degree of off-court difficulty imaginable. Less than a week after dumping their team warmup jerseys at centre court in a pregame gesture of defiance against Donald Sterling, the Clippers earned a cathartic win and a second-round date with the Oklahoma City Thunder, starting Monday night. "I just thought with all this stuff, this team just needed this win," Rivers said. "This was a hard week. It feels like two months. I just needed to be able to smile and laugh and cheer, and be proud of something. And I was very proud of my players." Sterling was banned for life from the NBA on Tuesday after a recording of racist comments by the 80-year-old billionaire was made public. The Clippers endured sleepless nights, constant public scrutiny and a failed attempt to close out the series in Game 6 before they finally hung on to beat Golden State. Sterlings long-estranged wife, Rochelle, cheered and clapped from the back of the lower bowl of Staples Center, where most of the advertising signage was illuminated again after the advertiser walkout sparked by Sterlings comments. "Its been a crazy ride for us," said DeAndre Jordan, who had 15 points and 18 rebounds. "I commend our guys for sticking with it. Its been a roller coaster, but we came out and had a job to do, and we did it." Stephen Curry had 33 points and nine assists, but Golden State blew a lead with 2:10 left in Game 7. Draymond Green scored 24 points for the Warriors, who lost their first Game 7 since 1977 and failed to advance in consecutive postseasons for the first time since that same year. "We fought so hard this whole series, this whole season," Curry said. "It stings. Its disappointing for sure." An exhausting series ended with one last well-played game between the California powers who traded the lead throughout the second half. Los Angeles couldnt seize control of the first home Game 7 in franchise history until the final minutes -- and the Clippers did it in fitting Lob City style. After Griffin put the Clippers ahead for good by muscling home a layup, Jordan blocked Currys layup attempt to set up a fast break leading to J.J. Redicks lob to Griffin for a thunderous slam. Jordan added a dunk on an offensive rebound, and Griffin spun in the air and threw home a layup while getting fouled with 56 seconds left. Jordan threw down another alley-oop from Griffin with 22 seconds left, but Green hit a 3-pointer to trim the lead to 120-118. But Redick, Paul and Darren Collison hit two free throws apiece in the final 12 seconds to ice it. Redick scored 20 points for the Clippers, and Jordan put in a stellar low-post performance for the two-time Pacific Division champions. Klay Thompson managed just 15 points for the Warriors, failing to make a shot in the fourth quarter. Curry had just three field goals in the second half. "I thought it was a hard-fought series that everyone in the organization should be proud of," Jackson said. "We all went through it. The statements that were made were made to all of us. ... We did a good job handling what could go down as the toughest moment in league history, as far as what we had to go through." The game could have been the last for Golden State coach Mark Jackson, who might be on shaky ground with Warriors ownership despite presiding over the long-struggling franchises best two-year stretch in two decades. Curry said it would be "a shock" if Jackson wasnt the Warriors coach next year. "I dont get caught up in it," Jackson said. "Im totally confident, and I have total faith that Im going to be fine." NOTES: The Warriors havent won a Game 7 on the road since the Philadelphia Warriors beat the St. Louis Bombers in the 1948 BAA semifinals. ... Jordan set a franchise record for rebounds in a single playoff series, surpassing Bob McAdoos 94 rebounds for the Buffalo Braves in 1975. Jordan had already set the club record for blocked shots in a series. ... Warriors big man Jermaine ONeal played only three minutes after a collision with Los Angeles Glen Davis in Game 6 left him with a bone bruise on his right kneecap. Andrea Poli Jersey .Y. -- When the New York Islanders lead was cut in half in the opening minute of the third period, the sense of impending doom began wafting through Nassau Coliseum. Alessandro Guarnone Jersey . The Union looked to have grabbed a big win in the 88th minute when Amobi Okugo finally put the hosts in front. But a terrible giveaway by Union goalkeeper Rais Mbolhi handed Earnshaw the equalizer in the second minute of stoppage time, keeping the Union two points back of fifth-place Red Bull New York for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. http://www.authenticshopacmilan.com/c-44-fabio-borini-ac-milan-fc-jersey.aspx . The New York Rangers centre had a goal and two assists in a 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators ending a 13-game goal-scoring drought. Gianluca Lapadula Jersey . - For a general manager who preaches building through the draft, Reggie McKenzie has struggled to find impact players his first two years in Oakland. Andrea Bertolacci Jersey . Bjoerndalen, who had failed to win any major race for two years before Sochi, writes in a Facebook entry that he is "full of energy and inspiration" after winning the 10-kilometre sprint and mixed relay at last months Olympics.PLANCHER-LES-MINES, France -- Two-time champion Alberto Contador dropped out of the Tour de France on Monday after crashing during Stage 10, the second big withdrawal that blows the race wide open and ensures that cyclings greatest race will have a new champion this year. The 31-year-old Spaniard with Tinkoff-Saxo Bank becomes the second big favourite to drop out this year after defending champion Chris Froome of Britain crashed out in Stage 5. Before the race began this year, Froome and Contador were seen as the top two favourites to possibly win this year. In circumstances that a team spokesman could not immediately explain, Contador crashed about halfway through the 161.5-kilometre trek from Mulhouse to La Planche des Belles Filles featuring four steep Category 1 climbs in the eastern Vosges mountains, the toughest stage so far this year. TV images showed thick streams of blood pouring from Contadors knee after the crash, his hip was scraped up, and the back of his jersey torn. Team director Bjarne Riis rushed over and bandaged the riders right knee. Contador then sat back down on grass bank and changed his left shoe as riders, weaved through the narrow gap between him and his bicycle. After seveeral minutes, he got back in the saddle of a new bike, and three teammates who had dropped back escorted him to try to make up lost time as the peloton pulled away up the Col du Platzerwaswel mountain pass.dddddddddddd The Spaniard rode for about another half-hour, clearly in pain, and finally stopped, got off, wiped his eyes and climbed into a team car. Contador began the stage in ninth place overall -- four minutes eight seconds back of race leader Tony Gallopin of France. The Spaniards withdrawal vaults Vincenzo Nibali atop the list of likely winners this year. The Italian has won the Spanish Vuelta and Italian Giro, and wore the Tour leaders yellow jersey for seven days until Gallopin took it on Sunday. Contador and Froome, along with 2010 Tour champion Andy Schleck, were the only three former Tour champions racing this year. Schleck dropped out before Stage 4 after sustaining an injury in yet another crash a day earlier., The last section of the final ascent up to Belles Filles features a punishing 20 per cent gradient that could shake up the pack and give a clearer indication of the contenders for overall victory of the three-week race on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on July 27. Cheap Jerseys ChinaNFL Jerseys ChinaNFL Jerseys WholesaleDiscount Basketball JerseysCheap NHL Jerseys AuthenticCheap Baseball Jerseys Free ShippingCheapest College Jerseys SaleCheap Football Jerseys ChinaNike NFL Jerseys CanadaWholesale NHL Jerseys From ChinaMLB Jerseys Outlet CanadaWholesale NBA Jerseys Canada StoreCheap Soccer Jerseys ChinaCheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '