PRETORIA, South Africa -- Oscar Pistorius refused to look at a photo of his dead girlfriends bloody head wounds while testifying at his murder trial Wednesday as
the prosecutor urged the star athlete to "take responsibility" for killing her.
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Lee Jersey . "Its time that you look at it," chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel
said, setting the stage for a rigorous first day of cross-examination of
Pistorius, the double-amputee Olympian charged with premeditated murder for
shooting Reeva Steenkamp three times through a toilet door at his home. "I
remember," Pistorius said of Steenkamps bloodied head, becoming distraught and
then crying as he turned away from the gruesome image of the injuries he
inflicted that were displayed next to him in a packed courtroom in South Africas
capital. Nel said Steenkamps head "exploded" when it was struck by one of four
hollow-point bullets that Pistorius fired through the door on Feb. 14, 2013 with
his 9 mm pistol. The showing of the photograph on TV screens in the courtroom
caused gasps among spectators, who included Steenkamps mother, June. The police
photo showed a side view of the dead model and reality TV stars head, with a
mass of blood and human tissue on the back and upper parts. Her eyes were
closed. "I will not look at a picture where Im tormented by what I saw and felt
that night," Pistorius said. "As I picked Reeva up, my fingers touched her head.
I remember. I dont have to look at a picture, I was there." Pistorius, 27, says
he shot Steenkamp in the pre-dawn hours on Valentines Day -- in the head, arm
and hip -- by mistake thinking she was a dangerous intruder behind the door in
his bathroom about to come out and attack him. Prosecutors charge he killed the
29-year-old intentionally, and Nel aggressively questioned Pistorius for the
first time. "You killed her," Nel said. "You shot and killed her," and he asked
Pistorius to say it. Pistorius would not, saying merely: "I did." Pistorius
faces a possible prison term of 25 years to life if convicted of premeditated
murder. Nel also showed a video, first broadcast by Sky News days before the
trial started, of the celebrated athlete firing a gun at a watermelon at a
shooting range. On the video, Pistorius can be heard saying the melon was
"softer than brains" after it explodes when the bullet hits it, and calling the
powerful .50-calibre handgun he was using a "zombie stopper." Referring to the
watermelon, Nel said to Pistorius: "You know the same happened to Reevas head.
It exploded." Defence lawyer Barry Roux objected to the gun video being shown,
saying it was inadmissible character evidence and amounted to a legal "ambush"
of the defence. After the dramatic start, prosecutor Nel also started to poke
holes in details of Pistorius version of the events of the fatal night. The
champion runner said that his claim in a court document a year ago that he went
out onto a balcony at his home before the shooting was incorrect. Pistorius said
he went to the edge of the balcony but not outside. The discrepancy could be
significant because Pistorius says he heard a noise in the bathroom that alerted
him to a possible intruder, which would have been harder if he was out on the
balcony. Nel tried to pin down Pistorius on whether he meant to fire into the
toilet cubicle door at a perceived intruder, or whether his gun discharged
accidentally. Pistorius said he didnt intend to shoot "anyone" and that he fired
"before thinking" because he thought his life was in danger, prompting Nel to
accuse him of weighing the legal implications of the question before answering.
The dogged prosecutor implied that Pistorius, who grew more agitated, was
becoming emotional because he was faced with a difficult question. The judge
noted that Pistorius had been emotional throughout the trial. Pistorius told his
questioner that he was trying to be careful with his answers because the stakes
were high. "My life is on the line," he said. Nel retorted: "Reeva doesnt have a
life anymore because of what youve done." And Nel tried to dismantle a
sympathetic image of Pistorius that the defence had sought to build up in three
days of testimony, asking the athlete to explicitly acknowledge that he killed
Steenkamp. "I made a mistake," Pistorius said. "What was your mistake?" Nel shot
back. Pistorius then said he "took Reevas life." Nel also questioned the
defences portrayal of Pistorius as a good role model. The prosecution depicts
him as an angry hothead with a gun obsession. The prosecutor asked Pistorius if
people looked up to him as a sporting hero, if he would hide anything and if he
lived by Christian principles. "Im here to tell the truth, Im here to tell the
truth as much as I can remember," Pistorius said. He also said: "Im human. I
have sins."
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http://www.authenticspursauthority.com/matt-bonner-spurs-jersey-c-16/ . Forward Iker Muniain scored the winner in the 70th minute after Bilbaos
incessant pressure recovered the ball and sparked a counterattack inside
Barcelonas half. Neymar was once again tagged to pick up Messis goal-scoring
duties, but when he wasnt frustrated by slippery footing Bilbaos defence got the
better of him.The rematch is upon us. The San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat will
meet for the second consecutive year in the NBA Finals, starting tonight at
AT&T Center. The 2013 NBA Finals went seven games, a series that went down
in history as one of the all-time greats. Watch it live on TSN and TSN GO and
listen to it on TSN Radio at 8pm et/5pm pt. Last year in Game 6, the Spurs were
three clear with five seconds left and staff at Miamis AmericanAirlines Arena
started roping off areas in anticipation for a celebration. Ray Allen hit a
circus 3-pointer to tie it. The Heat prevailed in overtime to force a Game 7,
which Miami won by seven in South Beach. San Antonio was literally seconds away
from a fifth title in franchise history, all, not so coincidentally, under the
leadership of Tim Duncan and head coach Gregg Popovich. The boss was extremely
proud of this group. "I think they showed an unbelievable amount of fortitude,"
Popovich said after clinching a berth in the Finals. "If I can compliment my own
team humbly, to have that tough loss, especially the Game 6, and not have a pity
party, and come back this year and get back to the same position. I think thats
fortitude, and Im really proud of them and even happier for them." And the Spurs
welcome the challenge of taming the Heat and exacting revenge. "Weve got four
more to win, and well do it this time," boasted Duncan. "Were happy its the Heat
again. Weve got that bad taste in our mouths still." That sort of bravado is a
little out of character for the mild-mannered Duncan, but perhaps the best
illustration of how much the Game 6 loss still hurts. And, its also a testament
to the Spurs focus. "They dont like us, they dont. I can sense it from Timmys
comments over the last couple of days," LeBron James said after practice on
Monday. "They wanted this, they wanted us and well be ready for the challenge.
"They wanted us, they got us." This is the first Finals repeat since the Chicago
Bulls and Utah Jazz both made it in 19997 and 1998.
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Aldridge Jersey. Chicago of course won both of those to complete its
second three-peat. A win in this series and the Heat would earn three
consecutive titles. The Los Angeles Lakers turned the same feat in between
Michael Jordans Bulls and James Heat, but this Miami group is the first to reach
four consecutive Finals since the Boston Celtics did it from 1984-87. "Im in the
moment, I dont really think about it," said James. The Heat clinched their spot
in the championship round first. They knocked off top-seeded Indiana in six
games in the Eastern Conference Finals after sweeping Charlotte in the first
round and needing five games against Brooklyn. The Spurs moved on with a Game 6
overtime victory over Oklahoma City Saturday night. San Antonio was pushed to a
Game 7 in round one versus Dallas, but handled Portland in five games in round
two. It was in the Dallas series Tony Parker injured his ankle. He sprained it
and the All-Star sat out the second half of San Antonios clinching Game 6
victory over the Thunder. Thanks to four days of rest, Parker declared himself
ready to go for Game 1 Thursday, but the injury could linger. "Im trying to be
very positive, trying to do everything I can, eat healthy, get my rest, do all
the treatment. I just trust my body," said Parker. "I had little stuff, wear and
tear, but Im still here and I trust my body to hold up for the whole series."
The two sides split two regular-season meetings with the home team prevailing
both times. Including last years Finals, the Spurs are 5-2 in their building
against the Heat, but Miami has won four straight over San Antonio and seven of
their last eight at AmericanAirlines Arena. In looking for differences from last
years Finals to this years, the format might be the biggest change. The NBA
implemented a 2-2-1-1-1 format for this Finals as opposed to the 2-3-2 version
of a year ago. Also, Miami had homecourt advantage in 2013 and this year it
belongs to San Antonio, which finished with the best record in the NBA.
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