Eric Rowe was in a daze after being told he was being traded from Philadelphia to New England in September of 2016 Kyle Gibson Minnesota Twins Jersey , wondering why the team that drafted in the second round a year earlier no longer wanted him.
The safety says he was blindsided by the deal to the Patriots, who sent the Eagles a fourth-round draft pick.
One message of support he received stood out. It was a text from Eagles veteran safety Malcolm Jenkins, who had taken a young Rowe under his wing.
”I remember he texted me the day I got traded just telling me that everything happens for a reason,” Rowe recalled. ”`Whatever you do, just keep working, because you’re going to be great one day.”’
Two seasons later, Jenkins and Rowe will be on opposite sidelines with a championship at stake.
Jenkins said it was a no-brainer to try to mentor Rowe when he was the Eagles.
”He played a lot as a rookie, played some significant snaps. But once he got traded I wanted to send him a text encouraging him,” Jenkins said. ”Sometimes this business will move you around and then teams will get rid of you and doubt you. But at the end of the day don’t let it change what you think about yourself. You’re gonna be a great player.”
Rowe said the words from a ”phenomenal leader” like Jenkins helped him focus following the trade.
”I knew it was just the business of the NFL Andrei Svechnikov Jersey ,” Rowe said. ”I’m like, `OK, I need to take advantage of this opportunity, because you don’t get a lot of opportunities to play for the Patriots.”’
In the season-plus that Rowe has been gone from Philadelphia, he’s become yet another young defender who as developed into an asset in the Patriots’ system.
Including the playoffs, he has appeared in 22 games for New England, totaling 49 tackles and two interceptions.
Rowe has primarily been used as an extra defensive back in passing situations and could draw the responsibility as the last line of defense against the Eagles receivers.
With linebacker Jordan Hicks out for the season with an Achilles tendon injury, Rowe may be matched up with receiver Nelson Agholor.
Agholor was Philadelphia’s first-round pick in 2015 and led the Eagles with a career-best 62 receptions for 768 yards and eight touchdowns.
”I talk to guys. We’re still friends. We hang out in the offseason,” Rowe said. ”I texted them `Congrats’ because some of us were in the same draft class or on the same team.”
”It’s only my third year, and my second going to a Super Bowl. I don’t know what the odds of that are, so obviously I don’t take it for granted,” Rowe said. ”But there’s a couple of guys in here that have been to four, and they still take it like their first one. So I never take it for granted.”
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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to his report.
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An estimated 103.4 million people watched the Super Bowl on NBC, a 7 percent drop from last year that indicates that television’s biggest event may have peaked in popularity.
The Nielsen company said it’s the smallest Super Bowl audience on television since 2009 despite the underdog Philadelphia Eagles beating the New England Patriots in a thrilling game that was close from start to finish.
Last year’s Patriots-Falcons game reached 111.3 million viewers. The all-time Super Bowl record – and record for any television event in the United States – was the 114.4 million who watched the Patriots against the Seahawks in 2015.
The NFL’s viewership has been down this year, with experts citing factors like increased injuries, some confusing rules changes and anger at players protesting police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem. Similarly, fewer people have cable than they did a few years ago http://www.billsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-tremaine-edmunds-jersey , with streaming onto hand-held devices becoming more popular.
The dip was also telegraphed by a poll conducted last week by Seton Hall University, which found that 54 percent of Americans were preparing to watch the game. That’s down from the 68 percent that said the same thing two years ago, according to the poll, which wasn’t done in 2017. The poll has a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points.
Despite that prediction, the poll’s director said he thought the game’s quality would lift the numbers beyond what was actually seen. ”If you turned the game on at any time to say, `I wonder what’s going on,’ or a friend texted you to say you should watch this, you’re going to watch and get hooked,” said Rick Gentile http://www.jaguarsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-ronnie-harrison-jersey , director of the poll, also sponsored by the Sharkey Institute.
NBC said that if you add in people who followed the game online, viewership increased to 106 million. And Nielsen said it has not yet counted the number of people who watched the game outside of homes – in a bar, for instance. Some perspective: despite the decrease, Sunday’s game ranked as the 10th most-watched television even in U.S. history.
Soothing any hurt for NBC was Kantar Media’s estimate that $414 million was spent on advertising for the Super Bowl telecast. That’s second only to the $419 million spent last year, a figure that Kantar said exceeded 2018 only because last year’s game went into overtime, meaning there was more time to sell ads.
The network was able to remind millions of people that the Winter Olympics, which will also be televised by NBC, begin on Thursday.
Justin Timberlake’s halftime show Jets Sam Darnold Jersey , despite tepid reviews, drew an audience of 106.6 million people, Nielsen said.
NBC’s post-game telecast of ”This is Us” was a winning choice. Nielsen said 27 million people stayed for the drama, the most-watched post-game entertainment show in six years and sharply above the 17.6 million people who watched the premiere of ”24: Legacy” on Fox last year.
And extra kibble is being handed out over at Animal Planet. The cable network’s annual ”Puppy Bowl” of cute animals, shown opposite NBC’s pregame show, reached 3.05 million people. That was the show’s biggest audience in its 14 years of existence. .
The rest of the NFL can dispense with any notions of luring Drew Brees away from the team – and city – where the star quarterback has flourished for more than a decade now.
Two people familiar with the contract say Brees has agreed to a two-year Jay Buhner Seattle Mariners Jersey , $50 million extension with the New Orleans Saints. The people say $27 million is guaranteed in the first year.
The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Tuesday because the agreement has not been announced.
Brees, who turned 39 in January, was due to become a free agent on Wednesday. But he has said he wanted to finish his career in New Orleans, where he has played since 2006, won a Super Bowl and led what has been one of the most productive offenses in the NFL since he and coach Sean Payton arrived.
”I’ll be here as long as they’ll have me,” Brees said after last season ended in January.
Now his return is assured to a team that came within one play of advancing to last season’s NFC championship game, falling at Minnesota when the Vikings scored an unlikely Fred Warner Color Rush Jersey , 61-yard touchdown on the final play of their divisional-round NFC playoff game.
Last season, Brees completed an NFL-record 72 percent of his passes for 4,334 yards and 23 touchdowns against eight interceptions. He ranked fourth in the NFL in yards passing and the Saints ranked second in the NFL in total offense.
A second-round draft choice by San Diego in 2001, Brees has passed for 70,445 yards and 488 touchdowns in 17 seasons – 58,097 yards and 408 touchdowns in 12 seasons with New Orleans.
By the time Brees’ new contract expires, he could very well be the NFL’s all-time leader in yards and touchdowns passing. Currently, Peyton Manning holds those marks with 71,940 yards and 539 touchdowns. Brett Favre also is ahead of Brees – for now – with 71, 838 yards and 508 TDs passing.
Brees has been New Orleans’ franchise player during the franchise’s greatest era Olivier Rodrigue Oilers Jersey , which has been highlighted by a Super Bowl championship in the 2009 season and five other playoff seasons.
He arrived when his NFL future was uncertain, as was the future of Hurricane Katrina-ravaged New Orleans. Coming off throwing-shoulder surgery, Brees led the Saints – who had gone 3-13 the year before he arrived – to their first NFC title game.
In the process, Brees and the Saints became a symbol of New Orleans’ resurgence after the storm that flooded 80 percent of the city, flourishing together during the past decade-plus of recovery.
”Certainly, the relationship with this city will always play a strong role in me wanting to be here and … wanting to finish my career here,” Brees said.
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The wife of Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson has filed an order of protection against the girlfriend of one of Karlsson’s teammates Manny Pina Milwaukee Brewers Jersey , alleging harassment and cyberbullying.
In an application for a peace bond filed May 4 in an Ottawa court, Melinda Karlsson alleges that Monika Caryk posted hundreds of derogatory online messages aimed at her and her husband. Caryk is the longtime partner of Senators forward Mike Hoffman.
”Monika Caryk has uttered numerous statements wishing my unborn child dead,” Karlsson said in the sworn statement. The Karlssons’ first child, a son named Axel, was stillborn in March.
The Ottawa Citizen was first to report on the allegations.
Karlsson also claimed that Caryk ”uttered that she wished I was dead and that someone should `take out’ my husband’s legs to `end his career.’
”Monika Caryk has posted over 1,000 negative and derogatory statements about me as a professional.”
The Senators said in a statement Tuesday that the NHL club is ”investigating this matter in co-operation with the NHL and will take whatever steps are necessary to protect the safety and privacy of our players and their families.”
Hoffman denied the allegations in a statement to the Citizen. According to Canada’s Department of Justice website, a peace bond is a protection order that requires a person to keep the peace and be on good behavior http://www.falconsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-ito-smith-jersey , and is used when that person appears likely to commit a criminal offense, but there are no reasonable grounds to believe that an offense has actually been committed.
The Karlssons were the target of cyberbullying in March. An ugly online comment was posted on Erik Karlsson’s Instagram account after the defenseman made a post acknowledging the support he and Melinda received following their son’s death.
Karlsson was drafted 15th overall by the Senators in 2008 and has blossomed into an elite NHL defenseman, while Hoffman is one of the team’s top forwards with four straight seasons of more than 20 goals.
The allegations are the latest controversy in what has been a rough few weeks for the Senators. Assistant general manager Randy Lee has been charged with harassing a hotel shuttle driver in Buffalo during the NHL’s pre-draft scouting combine two weeks ago. He was initially scheduled to appear in court on June 22, the day the league holds the first round of its two-day draft in Dallas, but the court date is now July 6.
And late last month, former captain Daniel Alfredsson told Ottawa blogger Sue Sherring that he hoped the Senators get a new owner in place of Eugene Melnyk.
HOUSTON — Houston Astros veteran catcher Brian McCann pledged on Friday that he will return before the regular season concludes despite undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee earlier in the week.
McCann was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Tuesday. There is no timetable for his return.
McCann had dealt with recurring knee pain since last year. After posting a 108 OPS in his first campaign with the Astros in 2017 Logan Cooke Color Rush Jersey , McCann was down to a 73 OPS this season, slashing .206/.283/.323 with five home runs and 17 RBIs over 50 games. McCann has played in 1,657 games since making his debut on June 10, 2005, catching 12,733 innings with the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and Astros during the regular season.
“He’s got a little bit of mileage on him when it comes to catching games,” said Astros manager A.J. Hinch, a former catcher. “His knees have held up fine and he can play through a lot of pain. I think that’s what I appreciate the most in learning and knowing how much pain he played through. He tried http://www.jetsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-terrelle-pryor-sr.-jersey , and he did a lot of things to post for our pitching staff. I think that’s one of the reasons he’s one of the most respected guys in there is what he’s willing to do to contribute.
“As his play declined, his comfort declined and what it took for him to play every day, we needed to get it taken care of.”
Right-hander Charlie Morton (10-2, 2.55 ERA) will get the start for the Astros on Saturday. Morton has faced the White Sox once previously, working seven shutout innings while allowing four hits and one walk with three strikeouts in a 3-0 victory with the Pirates on June 16, 2015.
Morton is 24-9 with a 3.18 ERA and 296 strikeouts over 249 innings with the Astros.
In his past two starts, Morton has dominated in a win against Toronto and a loss to Tampa. In a 7-0 win against the Blue Jays he struck out 13 in seven innings. The Rays touched him up for two runs, but that was enough for a 3-2 Tampa Bay win. Morton struck out 11 in 6 2/3 innings.
Right-hander James Shields (3-9, 4.12 ERA) will start for the White Sox (30-58) on Saturday. He is 1-4 with a 5.17 ERA on the road this season and 2-3 with a 3.19 ERA over seven career starts against the Astros. In his only start against Houston this season, Shields gave up seven runs in 5 1/3 innings and took the loss in a 10-0 defeat on April 20.
In 76 games (75 starts) against the American League West Lamar Jackson Color Rush Jersey , Shields is 26-26 with a 3.83 ERA.
With right-hander Reynaldo Lopez working just 4 2/3 innings, the Chicago bullpen was forced to shoulder a heavy load again on Friday. Right-hander Chris Volstad, and lefties Luis Avilan and Hector Santiago combined to allow eight runs on seven hits and one walk over 3 1/3 innings in Chicago’s 11-4 loss, marking the 10th consecutive game the White Sox bullpen has surrendered a run.
Chicago relievers have pitched 303 2/3 innings this season, eighth-most in the American League.
“Obviously, (Lopez) didn’t give us the outing we were looking for,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “Worked through quite a bit of traffic, some deep counts, pitch count ran up there a bit. Had to give it to the relief corps again, which is strained.”
If the Houston Astros are heading into a two-game series against rival Texas with the idea that they’ll be able to push around the rebuilding Rangers and get back on track after three straight losses Ryan Switzer Color Rush Jersey , maybe it’s time to think again.
The Astros will send struggling left-hander Dallas Keuchel (4-8, 4.22 ERA) to the mound in the first game of the series on Tuesday at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Texas will counter with right-hander Austin Bibens-Dirkx (1-1, 3.57).
Houston lost three straight games in Tampa Bay last weekend, including a 3-2 setback on Sunday, and dropped its first series since May 28-30 at Yankee Stadium.
The Astros were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position on Sunday and 0-for-14 in the series. Houston managed just seven runs in the four-game series — all on homers, including two solo shots Sunday by Evan Gattis.
It was the Astros’ fewest runs in a four-game series on the road since they scored five at Tropicana Field against the Rays in 2014.
“We didn’t do enough to win the game or the series,” Astros manager AJ Hinch told mlb.com. “We made some mental errors, we had some big moments that they executed some pitches. One-run games, a couple of losses this series, are tough to swallow. We’ll take it to the next city http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-brandon-parker-jersey , but this one sucks.”
The Rangers, meanwhile, have been as hot as the triple-digit temperatures in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Texas is 12-6 since the Astros swept a four-game series from them in Arlington on June 7-10 and have won a season-best five straight series, including taking two of three games last weekend at home against the White Sox.
Texas ended that series with a 10-5 loss on Sunday in which ace starter Cole Hamels struggled, allowing a season-high seven earned runs and nine hits, which matched his high for the year.
Hamels, who has been the constant subject of trade talks for the past month, said afterward that he was blocking out that talk and it had no effect on his performance.
“It’s not a big deal. It’s out of my control,” Hamels said. “I have to go and pitch, and hopefully that’ll be the last time I have to answer that question.”
Keuchel took a no-decision in his last start on June 27 against Toronto Jeff Locke Color Rush Jersey , allowing six runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings of the Astros’ 7-6 comeback victory. He surrendered five runs in the first inning before settling in to pitch five scoreless innings.
Keuchel, the 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner and a 2-time All-Star (2015, 2017), will make his 18th start of the season and third against the Rangers this year. He is 9-9 with a 4.03 ERA in 25 career games, all starts, against Texas and is 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA in 17 1/3 innings versus the Rangers in 2018.
Keuchel has not been as successful this season as over the past four seasons but he’s still inducing a high ground ball rate and soft contact. He leads the AL in groundball to fly-ball ratio (2.64), while ranking third in soft contact percentage (23.1 percent).
Bibens-Dirkx will make his fifth start of the season and his first start against the Astros. He’s coming off a no-decision against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday, when he allowed two hits and struck out six in five scoreless innings in a game that San Diego won 3-2. Bibens-Dirkx is 0-1 with a 3.18 ERA at home this season.
Bibens-Dirkx was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock before his June 20 start against Kansas City for his second stint with Texas in 2018. He will be working on regular four days’ rest; the Rangers are 2-2 in his four starts this season. .
A reputation as a dirty player followed Grayson Allen throughout his career at Duke. Allen is hoping he can carve out a new identity with the Utah Jazz.
Allen’s goal after being selected by the Jazz with the 21st overall pick on Thursday night is simple. He aims to win over fans http://www.texansauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jordan-akins-jersey , coaches, and teammates with passion for the game. The newest Jazz rookie thinks he can accomplish this goal at a rapid pace.
”It’s a lot different watching a guy play night in and night out and giving his all than it is to see the same three clips replayed for the last three years,” Allen said.
The Jazz are willing to let his past stay in the past. When Utah brought him in for a workout earlier in June, Allen left behind a positive impression as an intelligent player who matured and learned from his mistakes.
They like his toughness and his approach to the game.
”We don’t want that competitive fire to go anywhere,” Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey said.
The 6-foot-5 guard appears to be a solid fit for what Utah wants on offense and defense.
Allen offers potential as a reliable outside shooter. He played in 142 games and made 97 starts in four seasons with the Blue Devils. During that time, he scored 1,996 career points to rank 12th on Duke’s career scoring list. The 22 year-old rookie became one of just five players in Duke history to tally at least 1,900 points http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-brandon-parker-jersey , 400 rebounds and 400 assists.
With Allen, the Jazz add a player who can play both guard positions and he gives them another shooter on the wing. Bolstering outside shooting is an offseason priority for Utah.
Allen can also defend multiple positions, which makes him a good fit with one of the NBA’s top defensive teams. He credits playing several new teammates every season, including multiple lottery picks, for his versatility. It forced Allen to evolve into a new role each season.
”It was awesome for my game because I had to learn to adjust,” Allen said. ”I had to learn how to find different spots on the court. I had to expand my game.”
His willingness to take on any role is a trait that impressed the Jazz from day one.
”He talked about what he had to sacrifice when he decided to stay,” Lindsey said. ”Look, he’s going to have to sacrifice here as a young player. The fact he had done that three out of four years at Duke http://www.chiefsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-derrick-nnadi-jersey , we were impressed with it.”
Allen’s approach to defense stirred up controversy at times during his career at Duke. He drew accusations of dirty play as a defender.
One notable altercation involved Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell. Allen got hit in the face by Mitchell during a game between Duke and Louisville in January 2017. Mitchell didn’t appear to hold any grudges on Thursday. He crashed an ESPN interview with Allen to give the rookie a warm embrace.
”It’s really cool when you get a warm welcome like that from the guy who was the leading scorer on your team last year right away,” Allen said. ”It kind of calms any nerves that you have joining a new team.”
If Allen sticks with Utah, it will be the first time in three seasons that the Jazz did not trade their original first-round draft selection before the start of the NBA season. Utah traded its original first-round selections in 2016 and 2017.
Two years ago, Utah sent 12th pick Taurean Prince to Atlanta as part of a three-team trade that brought veteran point guard George Hill to the Jazz.
Last season, the Jazz made a pair of draft-day trades. The first one brought Mitchell, the 13th pick, to Utah in exchange for Trey Lyles and 24th pick Tyler Lydon. A second trade brought 28th pick Tony Bradley to the Jazz while sending 30th pick Josh Hart and 42nd pick Thomas Bryant to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Utah did trade second-round pick Vincent Edwards to Houston on Thursday. The Jazz selected Edwards, a 6-foot-8 forward from Purdue Josh Allen Jersey Bills , with the 52nd pick. Edwards was the first player in school history to tally 1,500 career points, 700 rebounds and 400 assists with the Boilermakers.
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Draymond Green saw Klay Thompson limping on his tender left ankle a day before Game 2 of the NBA Finals and quickly texted Nick Young to tell him the Golden State Warriors would need big minutes from the backup.
But Golden State’s most durable player and understated star once again managed to play through the pain and scored 20 points to help the Warriors beat Cleveland 122-103 to take a 2-0 series lead Sunday night.
”He came out there and gutted through it,” Green said. ”Even if you saw him take the first lay-up he took in warmups and ran back to the locker room. It’s like he’s not going to have it. Sure enough he did. I mean, that’s just a microcosm of who he is, one of the toughest guys if not the toughest guy I’ve ever played with. He’ll never get credit for it because he’s not going to physically beat you up. But one of the toughest, if not the toughest guy for sure.”
Green might be the loudest of Golden State’s four superstars and Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are the most accomplished. Thompson often flies a bit under the radar, just delivering lockdown defense and long-range shooting that help the Warriors thrive. He’s so consistent and always available Lamar Jackson Jersey Elite , having played in a franchise record 100 playoff games without missing a single one, that he sometimes gets overlooked. But after Cleveland’s J.R. Smith awkwardly fell into his left leg in the first half of Game 1, sending Thompson to the locker room following the scary fall, there has been plenty of focus on if he’d be able to play.
He made it back for the rest of Game 1 and scored 24 points in a 124-114 overtime win Thursday before the injury got worse the next day. But he still managed to play in Game 2 and shot 8 for 13, making three 3-pointers to become the sixth player with 300 in a career in the playoffs.
”Being on the training table for, it felt like, three straight days. That’s something I’m not used to,” Thompson said. ”But at this point in the season http://www.chiefsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-breeland-speaks-jersey , any means necessary. And the ankle feels great. I won’t do much tomorrow and I’ll do a little bit Tuesday. But I’m just going to conserve all I’ve got for Wednesday because I don’t want to play with it. It’s something that you use a lot. I didn’t realize how much you use your ankle until you hurt it …”
That drew a quick quip from Curry, who has been plagued by ankle injuries throughout his career.
Herrera homered for the fifth straight game and finished with four hits, helping the Philadelphia Phillies rout the Nationals 12-2 on Friday night.
Herrera hit a tiebreaking two-run shot in the third for his 13th homer, matching the club record for consecutive games with a long ball. He has connected in six of his last seven overall.
The All-Star Game is at Nationals Park on July 17, and Herrera is putting together a solid case for a spot on the NL squad.
”I’m playing hard, giving my best Rasmus Dahlin Sabres Jersey , so if it happens it’ll be great,” he said via an interpreter. ”That’s what you work for.”
Herrera is hitting .472 (17 for 36) with six homers, 11 runs and 10 RBIs in his last eight games. His season batting average is up to .308.
”I don’t think there’s any words for it. I mean it’s simply incredible what he can do,” Phillies pitcher Zach Eflin said.
”The thing with Odubel is that he can shake off anything at any given time. … It can look like he’s struggling and then next pitch he hits it 440 feet.”
Carlos Santana homered and drove in four runs for Philadelphia. Andrew Knapp also connected and Nick Williams drove in three runs.
The Phillies had 15 hits in their fifth win in six games. They also moved ahead of Washington for second place in the NL East behind Atlanta.
”To me, today was the first game where we really got blown out. That was a blowout right there Markus Wheaton Color Rush Jersey ,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. ”We’ve just got to keep our heads up, guys go home and rest, come back tomorrow and do it again.”
Eflin (5-2) allowed baserunners in every inning except the first but limited the damage to two runs over five innings in his fourth straight win.
Washington’s Tanner Roark (3-8) gave up six runs in 4 1/3 innings, and the Nationals needed four relievers to finish the game.
”The last two starts I’ve left the bullpen out to dry,” Roark said Youth Saquon Barkley Jersey , ”and I’m just not happy about it.”
The Nationals have dropped eight of 11, including the completion of a suspended game. They are in third place this late in the season for the first time since 2013.
Michael A. Taylor extended his hitting streak to 13 games and drove in Washington’s first run when he capped an 11-pitch at-bat with a double in the second.
HARPER DERBY BOUND
On Friday afternoon the Nationals tweeted: ”tfw Bryce announces he’ll do the (at)MLB HR Derby if he makes the NL All-Star team…” accompanied by a GIF of Harper celebrating in the dugout.
RECORD HOLDERS
Chase Utley (twice in 2008), Bobby Abreu (2005), Mike Schmidt (1979) and Dick Allen (1969) also homered in five straight games for the Phillies. Ken Griffey, Jr. (1993) http://www.49ersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jonathan-cooper-jersey , Don Mattingly (1987) and Dale Long (1956) share the major league record with homers in eight consecutive games.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Phillies: RHP Jerad Eickhoff (right lat strain) threw his curveball off flat ground and will throw the pitch again during a bullpen session on Saturday. . RHP Pat Neshek (right shoulder strain) will begin a rehab assignment at Class A Clearwater on Saturday. … RHP Luis Garcia (right wrist strain) played catch on flat ground Friday.
Nationals: RHP Stephen Strasburg (right shoulder inflammation) played catch on flat ground for the second time this week Friday. … RHP Jeremy Hellickson (right hamstring strain) will make a rehab start for Class A Potomac on Sunday.
UP NEXT
Philadelphia RHP Aaron Nola (8-2, 2.55 ERA) opposes RHP Erick Fedde (0-2, 5.63 ERA). Nola (seventh overall) and Fedde (18th overall) were both selected in the first round of the 2014 draft. A New Jersey community has raised enough money to send a beloved school bus driver and die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan to the Super Bowl.
A group of parents and students surprised Gary Kelmer with the present when he pulled up to the last stop on his bus route on Monday in Mount Laurel.
Parents Amy and Izaak Smith wanted to raise money as a way to thank ”Mr. Gary” for his daily kindness. They raised more than $5,000 in just a few days on the fundraising site GoFundMe to send Kelmer and his wife to the Super Bowl in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Time was running out in a game earlier this season that Golden State was going to win by 10 points Anthony Santander Jersey , and Andre Iguodala decided to take a 3-pointer instead of getting the Warriors charged with a shot-clock violation.
The Warriors’ opponent that night: Cleveland.
If an unwritten rule of basketball was broken, no one seemed bothered then. But in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, when Shaun Livingston took a jumper with about 3 seconds left in overtime and the outcome decided, the Cavaliers‘ feathers got ruffled and Tristan Thompson got ejected.
One can only guess how those emotions will affect things when the series resumes with Game 2 on Sunday night.
”I contested a shot that shouldn’t have been taken,” Thompson said.
”Whatever. Just play it to the end,” Warriors guard Stephen Curry said.
It’s a thorny issue with no solution.
Philadelphia and Miami jawed over late-game shot attempts in their playoff series this season. The 76ers and Cavs exchanged words over a Dario Saric dunk late in a blowout in March. The Warriors’ JaVale McGee got shoved by Washington’s Brandon Jennings while taking a late 3 in a rout last season. Toronto once sent about half its team to speak to Lance Stephenson after a late open layup in an Indiana win.
And now the rules – arbitrary as they may be – are up for debate in the NBA Finals after the Cavaliers took offense to the Warriors playing offense.
”I mean, it’s like the unspoken rule in the NBA: If you’re up by 10 or 11 with about 20 seconds left, you don’t take that shot Ron Santo Jersey ,” Thompson said. ”I made the contest, and next thing I know I was being kicked out for making a contest that we learn in training camp. I don’t know why I got thrown out.”
Referee Tony Brothers explained why postgame, saying he saw Thompson go into Livingston with his elbow high on that shot. In Brothers’ eyes, that merited the assessment of a flagrant-2 foul and ejection.
”It’s not affecting the outcome of the game,” Miami center Kelly Olynyk said Friday from India, where he’s appearing at a Basketball Without Borders event for the NBA this week. ”It doesn’t really matter to me. It doesn’t really make a difference to me. It doesn’t make a difference in the outcome of the game, win and loss record. If a guy wants two more points we’ll give it to him and move on.”
Thing is, the Warriors take those shots all the time. It’s basically a team policy. Since the start of the 2016-17 season when facing such a situation – time running out Trevor Hoffman Jersey , shot clock still on, game outcome clearly decided – Golden State has been charged with a field-goal attempt 38 times, while committing only five shot-clock violations.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr has a simple rule: Don’t partake in any habit that leads to a turnover.
His guys are listening.
”That’s our thing,” Golden State forward Kevin Durant said. ”It’s no disrespect to any other team. It’s just what we do. We don’t want to take the turnover. We take the shot. So we’ve been doing that all year, since I’ve been here, too.”
For his part, Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue shrugged off the Livingston shot Friday.
”Got to play to the buzzer,” Lue said. ”They took a shot and that’s what they do. It doesn’t determine the game. The game was over. It’s no big deal to me. So Jorge De La Rosa Jersey , whatever.”
The three instances this season of the Warriors taking a shot-clock violation in those situations have one thing in common – they were all against New Orleans, and it should be noted that Kerr and Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry are close friends.
Otherwise, they don’t take the foot off the gas.
In the past two seasons the Warriors have taken shots in the final seconds with leads of 30, 36, 44 and 45 points.
”I don’t think we would get on our feelings if somebody came down and finished out a possession and got a shot up,” Curry said. ”I mean, obviously, if they’re doing some taunting or doing some crazy stuff Steve Pearce Jersey , that’s a little different. But if you’re just playing the game of basketball and finishing out a possession instead of taking a turnover, I don’t see any problem with that at all. Guys are out there to finish a game and play the right way.”
Game 1 had a collection of wacky things happen in the final moments – an overturned block-charge call that left LeBron James livid, J.R. Smith’s baffling decision to run out the clock at the end of regulation, and James and Curry jawing at one another after the Warriors guard tried a layup on the possession before Livingston got fouled on his late shot.
And Cleveland hopes its frustration becomes fuel for Game 2.
”It’s not going to be a prom dance,” Cleveland’s George Hill said. ”It’s going to be a fight.”
The Toronto Raptors gave two key players a breather – and still had more than enough shooting to win their final home game of the regular season.
C.J. Miles scored 22 points Ketel Marte Jersey , OG Anunoby had a career-high 21 and the Raptors beat the Orlando Magic 112-101 on Sunday night.
Serge Ibaka scored 13 points, and Jakob Poeltl and Delon Wright each had 12. The Raptors closed out their home schedule by extending their franchise records for wins (58) and home wins (34).
”We shot the ball confidently,” Toronto’s Kyle Lowry said. ”We needed that, heading into the next couple of weeks, shooting the ball confidently.”
After clinching the top spot in the Eastern Conference on Friday night with a win over Indiana, the Raptors gave guard DeMar DeRozan and center Jonas Valanciunas the night off. Toronto will rest players again Monday night at Detroit Authentic Marshall Newhouse Jersey , then return to full strength Wednesday night for the regular-season finale at Miami.
”It’s not like we totally need rest, but I think it’s the prudent thing to do for our team,” coach Dwane Casey said.
Lowry scored 11 points as the Raptors converted 39 of 78 field goal attempts. Anonoby made five of eight from 3-point range, while Miles hit 5 of 10. Toronto made 17 of 40 from beyond the arc.
”We didn’t guard the 3-point line well enough,” Magic coach Frank Vogel said.
Aaron Gordon scored 16 points and Mario Hezonja had 14 for Orlando. The Magic lost for the eighth time in 11 games. Toronto has beaten Orlando twice in that stretch.
Magic rookie Khem Birch, who was born in Montreal Authentic Mike Remmers Jersey , matched his career high with 12 points and added a career-high 12 rebounds in his first NBA game in Canada.
”He just impacts the game in the right way,” Vogel said. ”He was really good tonight.”
Raptors center Lucas Nogueria made his third start of the season in place of Valanciunas but left midway through the first quarter with a sore left hamstring and did not return. Casey said Nogueira would undergo an MRI.
Norm Powell, who started in DeRozan’s place, suffered a sprained left ankle in the first quarter but returned in the second. Powell finished with 13 points.
Guard Fred VanVleet left in the second quarter with a sore lower back and did not return, but Casey said VanVleet’s injury was not considered serious.
Orlando’s Terrence Ross returned after missing more than four months because of injuries to his right knee and leg.
”I felt good,” Ross said. ”It didn’t hurt at all. It was nice shaking off some of the rust.”
Ross, who started his career with the Raptors, had been sidelined since Nov. 29. He scored three points in 10 minutes.
”It’s great to see him back out there,” Vogel said. ”He can do a lot of things. He’s going to help us when he’s back next year and at full strength.”
TIP-INS
Magic: Vucevic (back) and Gordon (right calf) returned to the starting lineup after sitting out Friday’s loss to Charlotte. Vucevic finished with 10 points and nine rebounds. . Orlando is 8-32 on the road.
Raptors: G Delon Wright thanked fans foe their support in a brief pregame address. … Toronto’s season-high for attempted 3-pointers is 44, set Oct. 21 against Philadelphia in the second game of the regular season.
COOKIN’ AT HOME
Toronto and Houston both went 34-7 at home this season Manuel Margot Jersey , tying for the best mark in the NBA.
MAGIC TRICK
The Raptors swept the season series against the Magic for the first time since 2015-15. Toronto has won 18 of its past 21 meetings with Orlando.
THINKING OF YOU
A moment of silence was held before the game in honor of the 15 members of the Saskatchewan junior hockey team killed when a semi-trailer hit its bus Friday.
UP NEXT
Magic: At Milwaukee on Monday night. The Magic have lost nine of their past 10 road games in the series.
Raptors: At Detroit on Monday night. The Raptors have won five straight against the Pistons. —
OAKLAND Christian Villanueva Jersey , Calif. — LeBron James and Kevin Durant go head-to-head for the third time in seven years while the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors square off for the fourth straight season when the NBA Finals open Thursday night on the court of the defending champions.
The Warriors, by virtue of a 58-50 edge in wins during the regular season, will have the home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series.
Golden State won its three home games by a total of 50 points in last year’s Finals, avenging a dramatic 4-3 loss the previous year with a 4-1 romp past the Cavaliers for its second championship in three seasons.
The 2017 Finals mano-a-mano was the first for James and Durant with the Cavaliers and Warriors, respectively. They afforded Durant a shot at individual revenge for a 2012 championship showdown in which James led Miami to a 4-1 triumph over Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder.
James’ superior all-around skills were on center stage in the 2012 meeting. He was outscored 30.6 to 28.6 points per game by Durant in the series, but more than made up for it with a series-leading 51 rebounds and 37 assists.
Durant, who left Oklahoma City for Golden State on the eve of the 2016-17 season, had a much more well-rounded approach to last year’s Finals. He outscored James again (35.2-33.6) while also contributing 41 rebounds and 27 assists to the Warriors’ dominance Authentic Nathan Shepherd Jersey , and at the same time playing a role defensively in James’ series-high 21 turnovers.
Surely, both rivals, as well as both teams in general, respect each other on the eve of the fourth consecutive showdown.
“They’ve got four Hall of Famers on their team,” James said of Durant, Draymond Green, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. “And I didn’t even mention their head coach (Steve Kerr). Their head coach is the one who kind of puts it all together, makes it all flow. When it comes to team sports Cheap Tracy Walker Jersey , that’s something that you would hope that you could be a part of.”
Kerr recalled mentor Gregg Popovich’s approach when the San Antonio Spurs encountered James and the Heat in the 2013 Finals.
“The Spurs were going underneath on every screen just daring him to shoot,” Kerr said. “Contrast that to now where he’s shooting fadeaway threes from 30 feet to close games out. It is pretty remarkable when you’ve got a guy who is already considered one of the top few players ever to play the game can make that much improvement late in his career.”
The Warriors and Cavaliers met twice in the regular season, but it might not be wise to read too much into the results.
For one thing, the games came within a 21-day span in the first half of the season, with Golden State winning both.
But, perhaps more significantly, both teams’ road to the Finals were paved with impressive wins over rivals that had held a regular-season advantage.
The Cavaliers, seeded just fourth in the Eastern Conference Cheap Harrison Phillips Jersey , had been thumped by 34 points in their only regular-season visit to top-seeded Toronto. But in the playoffs, Cleveland used consecutive wins in Canada to begin a shockingly easy four-game sweep in the Eastern semifinals.
That earlier loss at Toronto, by the way, came just four days before Golden State’s win at Cleveland in January, at a time when the Cavaliers were mapping in-season changes.
The Warriors, meanwhile, lost two of three to Houston in the regular season and were relegated to second seeding behind the Rockets in the Western finals, before winning twice in Texas — including Game 7 on Monday — to eke out a narrow advancement.
Golden State will be seeing Cleveland for the first time since the Cavaliers jettisoned almost half their roster at the trade deadline in order to bring in four Western imports — George Hill from Sacramento Fernando Valenzuela Jersey , Rodney Hood from Utah and Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. from the Los Angeles Lakers. Only Hill played a significant role in Cleveland’s seven-game dismissal of Boston in the Eastern finals, but it should be noted that three of the four enjoyed a measure of success against Golden State for their previous teams.
NEW YORK — The New York Islanders know Thursday night will be their final home game of the season as well as the last time they call Barclays Center their sole home.
But the most important bit of information remains unknown Cheap Breeland Speaks Jersey , and will likely remain a mystery for almost three more months: Will Thursday night also be the final time John Tavares suits up at home for the Islanders?
An uncertain future will overshadow the waning days of a disappointing season Thursday night when the Islanders host the New York Rangers in a battle of teams playing out the string.
Both teams were off Wednesday after playing Tuesday. The host Islanders edged the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 while the visiting Rangers fell to the New Jersey Devils 5-2.
The local rivals will be playing for nothing more than pride and the opportunity to avoid finishing in last place Thursday, when the Rangers (34-37-9) will take the ice one point ahead of the Islanders. This is only the sixth time since the Islanders (33-37-10) joined the NHL in 1972-73 that both teams will miss the playoffs.
Soon, the Islanders will find out if failing to reach the postseason for the second straight season and the short-term uncertainty of their arena situation are enough to drive Tavares away from the only team for which he’s played.
Tavares, whom the Islanders selected with the first overall pick of the 2009 draft, is scheduled to reach free agency July 1. And while his attendance at press conferences earlier this season announcing the Islanders’ plans to build a new arena on Long Island and to split the next three seasons between Barclays Center and Nassau Coliseum (the team’s old home) could be construed as good signs for his future in New York Authentic Harold Landry Jersey , he has offered no hints one way or the other as the season has spiraled downward.
The Islanders are just 8-17-5 since the All-Star break and have just one winning streak of longer than two games since November.
“Obviously, the season will end on Saturday,” Tavares told reporters following practice Wednesday. “I want to go about it the right way and be the best captain I can be. When the time is right, it will all come to fruition and it will all be over at the same time. It’s gotten to this point now. I can’t say how it’s going to go going forward.”
The Rangers, who are winless in five games (0-4-1) at Barclays Center Miguel Gonzalez Jersey , will not be sad to see the Islanders exit Brooklyn. Lately, the Islanders have thrived against the Rangers regardless of locale, going 8-1-2 against their closest rival since the start of the 2015-16 season.
“Obviously, we haven’t had a lot of success against the Islanders,” head coach Alain Vigneault told Newsday following practice Wednesday. “It’d be good for us to change that Cheap Antonio Callaway Jersey , and we’re getting an opportunity tomorrow to do that.”
Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak will likely get a chance to continue his mastery against the Rangers, who will start backup netminder Ondrej Pavelec. Halak has sat the last three games — his most recent action was March 27, when he recorded 33 saves and earned the win in a 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators — but is 17-7-0 in 25 career games against the Rangers, including 3-0-0 this year and 10-3-0 since joining the Islanders prior to the 2014-15 season.
Minkah Fitzpatrick understands the value of his skill set.
At 6-foot-1 Authentic Uchenna Nwosu Jersey , 201 pounds, he hits like a safety. His speed, hip movement and feet might make him more tailored to cornerback.
So the Alabama star is spending this weekend explaining to NFL scouts he can excel at either, both or some combination of the positions.
”It’s a different kind of position, kind of like a combination between safety and corner,” said Fitzpatrick, describing the slot corner spot he played in college. ”I like to play both safety and corner, so I think slot corner is optimal for my abilities.”
If true, Fitzpatrick would be one of the rarest commodities in football – a tweener with an actual fit.
Traditionally when players at the NFL’s annual scouting combine are explaining what position suits them best Authentic Donte Jackson Jersey , it’s because team executives aren’t sure where they should play and the player’s draft stock sinks.
But Fitzpatrick’s physical gifts could make him a trend-setter in a league that has become increasingly more pass-happy and places a premium on versatility.
He was recruited as a true cornerback, moved to slot corner before the 2015 season, won the starting job and never relinquished it. Coach Nick Saban was so impressed he usually paired Fitzpatrick on the opponent’s top receiver, one-on-one.
It didn’t take long for Fitzpatrick to make an impact.
After being selected to the SEC’s all-freshman team in 2015, he earned first-team All-American honors in 2016 and 2017.
Now he’s off to the NFL, where teams are trying to figure out what Saban once did – the best place for Fitzpatrick to play.
”I think he could play all six defensive back positions. Both corners, both safeties, nickel and dime linebacker,” NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said Saturday. ”He’s the only guy I can say that about. Now Cheap Tracy Walker Jersey , is that a good thing or a bad thing? I’ve had a couple of coaches say to me, `Hey, is he a difference-maker? Is he a nickel? Where’s his ball production?’ He had six picks two years ago, but only had one this year. But I look at (his versatility) as a positive.”
Mayock’s sentiment may explain why Fitzpatrick appears to have a slight edge on his competition right now. He’s projected to be a top-five pick.
Some expect Ohio State’s Denzel Ward, a true cornerback, to be selected in the top 10 with Florida State safety Derwin James the only other defensive back tabbed for the top 20.
The workouts in Indianapolis, which conclude Monday, will help determined the actual pecking order in April.
But one thing working in Fitzpatrick’s favor: work ethic.
While growing up in New Jersey, he sometimes helped his father fix trucks.
After the family’s home collapsed during Hurricane Irene in 2011 Robbie Ray Jersey , Fitzpatrick helped his parents rebuild.
And when the Catholic high school he attended provided peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to students who couldn’t afford school lunches, Fitzpatrick ate them up.
So when he arrived at the combine, less than two months away from possibly hitting a multimillion-dollar jackpot, the reality finally hit.
”It’s really crazy,” Fitzpatrick said. ”I remember the second I got here, I was laying in bed, looked up at the ceiling and just started smiling.”
Yes, it’s been a long trek here for Fitzpatrick and his family.
Yet he hasn’t forgotten his blue-collar roots, his humble perspective on life or his passion for football. It’s served him well Scott Schebler Jersey , so far.
”I think he’s going to go out there and run like a corner, have the size of a safety, and if you’re a defensive coordinator and take him in the top 10, you’ve got to have a plan,” Mayock said. ”What is he? Is he my safety, is he my corner, is he my nickel? Or is he a piece that I can match up week to week against a big wideout or a tight end? How you use him is ultimately going to determine the value of him.”
Seventy-two-year-old Susan Collesidis was never a football fan until she heard Carson Wentz talk about his faith.
Then she was hooked on the Philadelphia Eagles.
When Wentz found out his newest fan was fighting an advanced stage of cancer Christian Yelich Jersey , he sent her an encouraging message with inspirational Bible verses.
”How much joy I get from watching him and his team play supernatural football every week,” she said after reading it.
Two weeks later, Susan Collesidis lost her battle with cancer the night before Thanksgiving.
”The message meant so much to Susan because she admired Carson as a person and believer more than a football player,” her son-in-law Doug Horton said. ”He’s the reason she started caring about sports and she couldn’t wait to watch the Eagles every week.”
Wentz isn’t playing in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots because he tore his ACL in Week 14. But backup quarterback Nick Foles is also a ”brother in Christ” and one of the leaders in a locker room filled with guys who have formed a strong bond because of their faith.
”It truly is a brotherhood,” Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz said. ”Those guys are holding me accountable. Off the field, I’m holding them accountable. We truly care about each other, we truly care about the growth that each individual has in the word, as believers, as well as friends and family. There are a lot of guys who are truly trying to boost me up and keep me focused on the main thing, which is obviously the word …”
Christian players openly expressing their faith is nothing new in the NFL: Reggie White Christian Arroyo Jersey , Kurt Warner, Tim Tebow, Ray Lewis and Russell Wilson among many others. But these Eagles are a unique, close-knit group.
”There is a stronger connection here,” said defensive end Steven Means, who played for three other teams. ”It’s another level because we push each other in certain areas that we are flawed at and open ourselves up to each other. We text each other throughout the day making sure that everybody is on the right path and doing the right thing.”
Torrey Smith played with Lewis on the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens in 2012. They had a solid core of Christian players who used their faith for inspiration during their journey. Smith also spent two years in San Francisco before the wide receiver came to Philadelphia this season. He said it’s different here.
”I’ve been lucky to be part of three organizations that do have a very strong Christian presence,” Smith said. ”The difference here is a lot of younger guys lead.”
It starts with Wentz, the face of the franchise.
Wentz went on a mission trip to Haiti last May with former teammate Jordan Matthews and a group led by Kyle Horner, lead pastor of The Connect Church. He delivered a sermon a month later at a church back home in North Dakota and launched his Audience of One Foundation in July. Wentz and several teammates even created a devotional video series for the Bible app.
Four days before the season opener, Wentz and teammates Trey Burton and Stefen Wisniewski spoke at a faith event in front of a crowd of 2 Cheap DJ Moore Jersey ,000 people who sat in the rain for a couple hours to hear their favorite players share their testimony.
But before he had an MVP-caliber season and led the Eagles from worst to first, Wentz received plenty of criticism from some media and fans because he openly talked about his faith on social media .
He wasn’t deterred.
”Jesus was persecuted everywhere he went,” Wentz said. ”So if Jesus, who is our ultimate example, endured that, then I can endure a couple tweets. I can endure a little riff-raff here and there.”
A large group of players meet for Bible study on Thursdays and hold a study for couples on Mondays. They get together for prayer and devotionals the night before games. They’ve even gathered for baptisms in some unusual places.
In October 2016, Burton and Pastor Ted Winsley baptized six players in a cold tub at the team’s practice facility.
”It was crazy,” said Winsley, the team’s longtime chaplain. ”The guys were just hungry, wanting their lives changed.”
Before a Thursday night game at Carolina last October Corey Dickerson Jersey , second-year pro Marcus Johnson was baptized in a hotel pool.
”Since I’ve come to Philly, I’ve grown in my faith so much,” Johnson said. ”As a rookie last year coming in, you always hear about the locker room and how dysfunctional it can be and people playing for money and this and that, but when I got here, everyone was so supportive and I knew it was something special.”
Having strong faith doesn’t make players immune to adversity, but it helps them deal with it. The Eagles (15-3) have overcome numerous injuries to important players on their way to winning the NFC championship.
Nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters, running back/return specialist Darren Sproles, special-teams captain Chris Maragos and kicker Caleb Sturgis sustained season-ending injuries along with Wentz and Jordan Hicks, the playmaking linebacker and quarterback on defense. Instead of anger and resentment Authentic Luke Falk Jersey , they’ve leaned on their faith to maintain a positive attitude.
One thing is clear through three games of the power-packed Western Conference finals between a Golden State team that has won two of the past three championships and a Houston team that had a league-best 65 wins.
The Rockets found themselves on the wrong end of that equation in a 126-85 defeat in Game 3 that was the most lopsided loss in their postseason history and the biggest win ever for the Warriors, who took a 2-1 series lead.
Now the big question heading into Game 4 on Tuesday night is which team has the edge if both are clicking.
”I kind of expected that yesterday, that it would be that type of game,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. ”We didn’t bring our best game. But I’m hoping for the best. I hope we play great and them bad. Never know.”
In a possible bit of gamesmanship, D’Antoni said the pressure in Game 4 is squarely on Golden State’s shoulders despite the fact Houston trails in the series. He hopes that helps his players stay loose and play with an extra ”giddy-up” in their step.
”We should always have a swagger Authentic M.J. Stewart Jersey ,” star guard James Harden said. ”But even more importantly, tomorrow. They’ve got to try to take a 3-1 lead going on the road. Tie this thing up going back to our crib.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he welcomes the pressure, knowing his team has shown a tendency to lose focus when there’s not as much on the line. That may have contributed to Golden State coming out flat in a 127-105 loss in Game 2 after winning the series opener by 13 points.
Star Kevin Durant has another theory for why there have been so many lopsided games this postseason. There has been only one Western Conference playoff game this month decided by fewer than eight points and there hasn’t been a single playoff game in either conference decided by single digits since May 9 heading into Monday night’s action.
”The 3-pointer’s such a huge part of the game now that it could easily go from six to 16 or 17 in a matter of seconds in the game,” Durant said. ”So I wouldn’t say … the games aren’t good. It’s just the fact that the style of play causes teams to pull away a little faster.”
The Warriors might have to take the court in Game 4 without a key contributor. Forward Andre Iguodala is doubtful with a sore left knee. If Iguodala can’t go, the Warriors will be down a key defender against Harden and a playmaker on offense Cheap D.J. Fluker Jersey , forcing Kerr to make another adjustment after the move to put Iguodala in the starting lineup provided a spark in the second round against New Orleans.
One factor in Golden State’s favor is that Stephen Curry might have found his outside shot in the second half Sunday. After making just 3 of 20 3-pointers in the first 10 quarters of the series, Curry hit 4 of 5 from long range after intermission Sunday, including a 30-footer.
”I work on it all the time, and I made it before,” Curry said. ”I had amnesia Cheap Tampa Bay Buccaneers Hoodie , really. In that moment, in my head am I 0-for-0, or am I 10-for-10 in my head? I’m feeling good in that moment. Just shoot it. You can’t second-guess your first instinct in that moment. So it’s obviously good to see it go down, and we got a little boost from that possession.”
That type of short-term memory is just what the Rockets need after the Game 3 blowout, even if D’Antoni did plan to hold a film session to go over the mistakes for his own sanity more than as a teaching tool.
His players know they weren’t aggressive enough on both ends and lacked the focus needed to beat a Warriors team that is nearly unstoppable when at its best this time of year. But the Rockets have the confidence built in a stellar regular season and first two rounds to believe they have the tools to pull it off.
”Just go out there and do it Drew Butera Jersey ,” Harden said. ”It’s pretty simple. Not try to overcomplicate things. Just go out there and do what we do. Obviously, do the opposite of what we did last game, but it’s not hard at all.”
NOTES: Iguodala banged his knee in the fourth quarter Sunday, Kerr said. … Kerr plans to speak to the league about Draymond Green’s double-technical with Trevor Ariza in the fourth when Ariza shoved the Warriors forward after they traded words.
—
AP Sports Writer Janie McCauley in Oakland contributed to this report.
The Celtics expected to see a different LeBron James in Cleveland after the Cavaliers fell into a 2-0 hole to open the Eastern Conference finals.
Two games and back-to-back wins later Authentic Customized Jaguars Jerseys , James has reminded everyone exactly why he’s been to seven straight NBA Finals.
Boston will be back in the embrace of its raucous fans at TD Garden for Game 5 on Wednesday. But a team that has thrived on youth this postseason suddenly looks disoriented without a go-to player and opposite a more veteran squad that has found a new attitude thanks to the fuel being provided by its biggest star.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens said all you can do against James is ”make it as hard as you can.”
”LeBron is the best player of this generation and he’s just maintained that because of his commitment to improvement,” Stevens said. ”He’s always been an unbelievable physical player. He’s always been a savvy player. And he’s always had, just like the natural instincts to make the right basketball play along with his tremendous skill set.”
While the Cavs are certainly feeling rejuvenated behind the play of James, coach Tyronn Lue said it hasn’t changed their sense of urgency.
”We still gotta play,” Lue said. ”We have veteran guys who have been there and know what it takes, but this is a young team, a good team that’s playing at home so experience is not going to be a factor. We have to come in there and have the same mentality that we had in Game 3 and 4.”
They had moved to 9-0 at home during these playoffs and taken 2-0 series lead, which has been a magic number for a franchise yet to surrender such an advantage during its storied history (37-0). Over the last 96 minutes, Boston has been outscored by 39 points, has dropped to 1-6 on the road and is suddenly facing a must-win game to maintain home-court advantage.
Stevens said at the start of the playoffs that he believed there was value in the greenness of a young group that had several players getting their first taste of postseason basketball. He was proven right with Terry Rozier, Jaylen Brown and rookie Jayson Tatum all thriving as first-time postseason starters.
Their success had the cumulative effect of masking the absences of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. Now, the lack of an alpha like Irving capable of creating his own shot is sticking out with every 40-point game James produces.
Al Horford, Boston’s only healthy All-Star Youth Braden Smith Jersey , was never a dominant scorer, but more of a facilitator who worked well in a finely tuned system.
Horford started off the series strong but his scoring and assist numbers have declined over the last two games.
Lue’s move to reinsert Tristan Thompson back into the starting lineup in Game 2 is a huge reason.
Thompson has not only helped things move better on the offensive end for Cleveland , he’s combined with Larry Nance to make things difficult on Horford. Horford had just four shots and seven points in 30 minutes in Game 3. He scored 15 points in Game 4 but was just 5-of-13 from the field with one assist.
If the Celtics are going to get back to the by-committee style that got them here, it must begin with his leadership. To that end, Horford said they’ll focus on correcting their issues, but also won’t dwell on them.
”As a group, we’re excited to be back Natrell Jamerson Jersey Saints , going back home,” he said. ”Obviously we understand the challenge of it. We can’t think about the past. We just have to worry about this opportunity. We have a Game 5 at home, and we have to make the most of it.”
Cleveland is hoping James’ once quiet supporting cast continues its surge in Boston.
Kevin Love just missed his third straight double-double in Game 4 and sharpshooters JR Smith and Kyle Korver were 12 of 19 from the 3-point line in Games 3 and 4.
Korver’s efforts have stood out.
At 37 years old he was all over the court scoring in Game 4, diving for loose balls and collecting three blocks. While he anticipated being sore from all the activity, Korver said playing ”fun basketball” is still propelling a guy looking for his first ring after appearing in 124 playoff games for five different teams during his 15-year career.
”There’s not many of us `03 class guys still around,” James said of Korver. ”I feel like we’re just cut from a different cloth because we’ve been around for so long. We have this work ethic and you see him every day putting in the work, putting his mind Youth Minnesota Vikings Jerseys , his body into it. It’s not about his age.”
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AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Independence, Ohio contributed to this report.
DerEineMinecraftServer-Forum » Foren Suche nach Inhalten von panxing18
08.08.2018 07:50
Astros manager AJ Hinch told mlb.com. “We made some mental errors, we had some big moments that they executed some pitches. One-run games, a couple of losses this series, are tough to swallow. We’ll take it to the next city 
se money as a way to thank ”Mr. Gary” for his daily kindness. They raised more than $5,000 in just a few days on the fundraising site GoFundMe to send Kelmer and his wife to the Super Bowl in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
