hard for them to bridge and a tough

hard for them to bridge and a tough

19.07.2018 08:28

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Serge Ibaka walked slowly and carefully, but without a limp, before facing reporters Saturday afternoon. Much has been made of the Oklahoma City defensive stars absence in the first two games of the Western Conference finals series against the San Antonio Spurs. The 6-foot-10 power forward strained his left calf in the previous playoff series, and the Thunder said they expected him to be out for the playoffs. The team changed course Friday and declared him day-to-day. He worked out Saturday, but he didnt practice before addressing the media for the first time since his outlook changed. With Ibaka, the leagues leading shot blocker, the Thunder were one of the best defensive teams the NBA. Without him, the Spurs shot at least 50 per cent in the first two games of the Western Conference Finals and won them by a combined 52 points. As he stood for the five-minute session wearing a black compression sock over the calf, he deflected claims that he could be a saviour heading into Game 3 on Sunday. "Ive been hearing a lot of people saying my team lost two games because I was out," he said. "Thats not true. I believe in my guys. I believe in my teammates. They can be better with me or without me. Its no excuse because Serge Ibaka was not there. Just San Antonio, the first two games, they played better basketball." Ibaka said he sometimes screamed at his television set when he watched scenarios in which he could have made plays during the losses. He is not sure if he will play in Game 3 -- he said it is up to doctors, and much will depend on how he feels in the morning. For now, he will depend largely on rest, ice and luck. His presence is needed, even if he is less than fully healthy. Kendrick Perkins, Nick Collison and Perry Jones have struggled against the Spurs big men. Kevin Durant, normally a small forward, has played some power forward in the series because of Ibakas absence, and his relative lack of physical strength and unfamiliarity with playing post defence has been exploited. The Spurs prepared all along as though he would return. "It gives them another hell of a player," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, "but we are who we are and weve got to be who we are. We cant change what we do." Even if Ibaka returns, it will not fully solve Oklahoma Citys problems defending the perimeter. San Antonio has made 18 of 40 3-pointers in the series and guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are slashing into the paint with stunning frequency, often scoring or finding their teammates for open shots. The Thunder say it starts with basics. "Its just an individual effort," Perkins said. "Got to put it in your mind that you want to stop the guy in front of you, and thats it. Backside got to be ready. But the thing is when they penetrate, thats what opens those threes. Well do a better job of keeping the ball in front of us, but weve just got to be individual and youve got to want the match up." To be fair, San Antonio shares the ball like no one else. The Spurs led the league with 25.4 assists per game during the regular season. That average is up to 27.5 against Oklahoma City. Parker and Ginobili generate many of the assists, but many others come from simple ball movement. "We dont have a Durant," Ginobili said. "We dont have a Kobe (Bryant) or LeBron (James) that can go one against one and finish every single time. We need to pass the ball to find open teammates, and thats what we do, and thats what weve been doing. We all feel proud about it. We know when we have 25 assists or 30, we are much better and we try to do that every time." Because the Spurs generally have five capable scorers on the floor at a time, it forces opponents to have a greater attention to detail than usual. "Theyve got threats," Durant said. "Everybody on their team is a threat because of their offence. They move the ball. Theyve got 3-point shooters. You take away 3-point shooters, they get the role guys and they get the paint points. You take away that and they start hitting the threes. So we have to do both. We have to be able to close the paint up and get out to shooters. Easier said than done, but we can do it." The Spurs are off to a good start, but experience tells them they wont have as easy a time in Oklahoma City. And in 2012, Oklahoma City fell behind San Antonio 2-0 in the Western Conference finals before winning the series 4-2. "Weve got to know that in their arena its going to be different," Ginobili said. "Theyre going to be way more aggressive, theyre going to be pushed by their fans. We just won two games. They are going to make more shots, they are going to attack harder, they are going to go to the free-throw line more.So, there are a lot of things that they can do much better and were not going to make as many shots." Dylan Bundy Jersey . Rajon Rondo had 18 of Bostons season-high 38 assists and the Celtics committed just seven turnovers in a 118-111 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. Yovani Gallardo Jersey . He has spent much of his adult life trying to give back to his native South Sudan, the war-torn African nation the Cavaliers forward and his family fled when he was a young boy. http://www.oriolesapparelsshop.com/chris...an-jersey-c-16/. Neither striker Demba Ba nor Fernando Torres came close to scoring as Chelsea was left unsuccessfully appealing for penalties in this drab penultimate game of the season. "Our strikers are good strikers, no doubt about that, but players with some specific qualities," Mourinho said. J.J. Hardy Jersey .com) - Robert Upshaw made a putback jumper to put 17th-ranked Washington ahead with 1:27 remaining in the game and the Huskies held on to beat Eastern Washington 81-77 on Sunday. Ubaldo Jimenez Jersey .C., won gold in the womens 200-metre backstroke, and Dominique Bouchard of North Bay, Ont.The new Barclays Premier League season gets underway on Saturday and prior to the first kick, TSN.ca presents a week long look at some of the teams and stories that will shape the up coming campaign. At the end of the 2013/14 season the Premier League said goodbye to Norwich City, Fulham and Cardiff City, who were all relegated to the Championship. Recent history is on the side of at least two of the three teams that will take their place, as the 2007/08 season, when both Birmingham City and Derby County were banished from the top flight, was the last time more than one promoted team was sent right back down. Last seasons victim was Cardiff, who won the second tier title before being immediately returned to sender, while Hull City and Crystal Palace will get a second chance to make waves in the Premier League. Two of the three new teams that will get their crack at the most lucrative clubs in England, have recent Premier League experience. Meet the new class. LEICESTER CITY Manager: Nigel Pearson Last Season: 31-9-6 (first in Championship) (Photo: The Canadian Press) With a nine point advantage, Leicester City won the Championship title and automatic promotion to the Premier League. Under manager Nigel Pearson, the Foxes enjoyed the second highest goal total in the second tier and finished with the leagues best goal differential. The strike partnership of David Nugent and Jamie Vardy led the way for the dynamic offence and will have to at least try to find the same success at the top level to keep their team afloat. Argentinian striker Leonardo, English defender Matthew Upson and Marc Albrighton from Aston Villa have all been added to the roster to bolster the ranks of the team that stormed their way into the Premier League. While their roster does not boast a wealth of top flight experience, there is a lot of speed and skill in the ranks. BURNLEY FC (Photo: The Canadian Press) Manager: Sean Dyche Last Season: 26-15-5 (second in Championship) Burnley wwon a race against Derby County for the final automatic promotion place in the Championship, finishing with a three point advantage.dddddddddddd The Clarets have made six additions to the squad that got them back into the Premier League for the first time since the 2009/2010 season. Michael Kightly, Marvin Sordell, Matt Gilks, Lukas Jutkiewicz, Matt Taylor and Steven Reid have all joined the roster, but at a cost of only £3.5m, it is clear that they wont be splashing the cash in the transfer window. Last seasons top scorer Danny Ings is going to be key to keeping Burnley in the Premier League. Sam Vokes was part of the strike partnership but he is struggling with injury and wont be available for the start of the season and possibly beyond. The financial gap might be too hard for them to bridge and a tough schedule to start the season should give an early indication of the level to which they can raise their game. QUEENS PARK RANGERS (Photo: The Canadian Press) Manager: Harry Redknapp Last Season: 23-11-12 (fourth in Championship – won playoff) With a flair for the dramatic and history, Bobby Zamora scored in the 90th minute to banish Derby County and capture the final promotion position with a 1-0 victory in the Championship playoff. Chalk full of familiar names and with lots of money spent and to spend, Queens Park Rangers are going to feel like having an old friend back in your crew. The newly acquired central defensive pairing of Rio Ferdinand and Steven Caulker as well as Cardiff City transfer Jordon Mutch are just three of the many names that will jump off the roster page as being familiar to Premier League fans. They were only forced to play one season outside of the top flight after an ill-advised series of transfers failed to keep them in the League two years ago. If they are in trouble again during the January window they are the most likely of the three teams to have more money to spend to get out of the relegation zone. White NFL Jerseys Cheap Youth NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys 2020 Stitched NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Autographed Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Discount Jerseys ' ' '


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