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Geregistreerd op: 14 Okt 2019
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 Geplaatst: 30-11-2019 04:56:31 Onderwerp: Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov |
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| MIAMI -- Erik Spoelstra said he mentioned how daunting the task would be only once. Air Max 97 Off White Pas Cher . Back in September, when the Miami Heat assembled to begin training camp, Spoelstra addressed his team about furthering its championship legacy and how rare it is for a team to find its way to the NBA Finals in four consecutive seasons. "Weve never brought it up since then," Spoelstra said. Itll get brought up now. The seed the Heat coach planted in the Bahamas at that training camp took root. The Heat are finals-bound -- for the fourth straight time. The sputtering stretches of play in March and April, surrendering the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs to Indiana, winning 12 fewer games in this regular season than a year ago, they all seem moot and meaningless now. The Heat have a chance at a third consecutive NBA title, with the finals starting Thursday night against San Antonio in a title-series rematch. "Its amazing to make it to one finals," Heat forward Shane Battier said. "To do it four times in a row for some of these guys, its a tremendous, tremendous accomplishment and it speaks volumes to the dedication, luck, and perseverance that you need to do it." Spoelstra spoke of that luck factor when he gathered his team for a locker-room huddle moments after the celebration started Friday night, after Miami wrapped up its fourth straight East crown with a 117-92 win over Indiana to win the series in six games. His words were interrupted twice by LeBron James, which nobody minded. "We dont take this for granted," Spoelstra said. "No, sir," James added, nodding. "We do not take it for granted," Spoelstra repeated. "No way," James interjected. "How tough it actually is and how many things have to go our way," Spoelstra continued. "Four times, you guys who havent been here with us the whole time, you guys inherit everything that weve experienced." Only six current Heat players appeared in the 2011 post-season, Miamis first of the "Big 3" era and the last in which it actually lost a series. James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Mario Chalmers, James Jones and Udonis Haslem are the last holdovers. Battier and Norris Cole arrived after the 2011 finals loss. Ray Allen, Chris Andersen and Rashard Lewis -- all playing huge roles these days for Miami -- came after the first title run of this Heat era in 2012. The core of last seasons title squad, with the exception of amnestied Mike Miller, was back to try it again this time around. Even with all that talent, with that championship experience, Spoelstra knew a tone had to be immediately set when the season began. "What I was really encouraged about was our attendance and commitment in training camp in the Bahamas," Spoelstra said. "Right from there, and we communicated during the summer that, if were real about this, about how difficult that journey is, that you cannot shortcut, that we would show it immediately in training camp." Theyre still showing it now. Miami is 12-3 in these playoffs, 8-0 at home, and has won a road game in 15 straight post-season series. The Heat will need to extend that streak to win the NBA Finals; the Spurs will hold home-court advantage. "Obviously, going through the weeks and weeks and weeks and grinding months of a regular season, it was a toll on all of us," James said. "But I felt like down the stretch, if we could get healthy, we could get everyone in uniform and have our full strength, it didnt matter what seed we were. I felt like we can represent the Eastern Conference again in the finals if we had the health, and we were able to accomplish that." At times, like Friday night, they make winning look easy. Collectively, they insist its much harder than it appears. "You still have to go out and do it every single night," Allen said. "Its the toughest thing Ive ever done and I guarantee the guys in this locker room would say the same thing." Only the Lakers and Celtics have appeared in four straight finals, with Boston (1984-87) the last to do so. Wade was 5 when that run ended, James was 2, and Cole, Michael Beasley and Greg Oden hadnt even been born. Now the Heat are in that club. And regarding what Spoelstra said in that first-day conversation, the point of his words then has become perfectly clear to his team now. "Having a chance to win is always a special thing," Bosh said. "We always talk about not taking it for granted from Day One. We know its a very long season. It has its rewards in the end if we stick together and do what were supposed to do. But it hasnt really hit us yet. I would rather it hit me in two weeks." Air Max 97 Off White France . -- The Oakland Raiders expect to have starting right tackle Tony Pashos back for Sundays game against the Houston Texans. Vapormax Noir Pas Cher Site Fiable .Y. -- In a span of three days, Shabazz Napier and Connecticut knocked out both Philadelphia schools in the NCAA tournament. http://www.outletairmaxpascher.fr/fausse-air-max-97-noir.html .com) - A pair of programs shooting for their 10th win of the season get together at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, as the NC State Wolfpack tangle with 22nd-ranked West Virginia during the challenge round of the Gotham Classic. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Although it was only the eighth game of the season, it was already vital for the Columbus Blue Jackets to show some improvement. A pair of thirty-somethings led the way. R.J. Umberger scored his first goal of the season with 8:46 left to help make a winner of Curtis McElhinney as the Blue Jackets ended a four-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night. "Its a good feeling," said coach Todd Richards, given a nice present on his 47th birthday. "I sense in the locker room theres some relief. As the losses started piling up, obviously the pressure amps up as well. The win will alleviate some of that." The 31-year-old Umberger had yet to score this season. "Its a good first step for us to get out of the hole we were in," he said. "It was a gutsy challenge we had and we had to find a way to win." McElhinney, making his first appearance for the Blue Jackets in place of Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky, had 37 saves -- including several clutch ones while Columbus protected a one-goal lead. "I just felt relaxed in there," said the 30-year-old McElhinney, who won his 20th NHL game but first since going 1-0-0 in 2011-12 with Phoenix. "I was certainly nervous going into the game. Its been a while since Ive played at this level. I just wanted to go in, get that first save and then after that it was all downhill. The guys did a good job in front of me of letting me see pucks." McElhinney, who has spent parts of five seasons with Calgary, Anaheim, Ottawa and Phoenix, played last year in the American Hockey League after being picked up in a trade with the Coyotes. Bobrovsky, selected the NHLs top goalie last season, was given the night off after starting Columbus first seven games. Marian Gaborik and Ryan Johansen also scored for the Blue Jackets, who won for the first time at home this season after losing their first two. Umberger and Johansen each had an assist. Umberger scored his 152nd career goal but first since April 15, when the Blue Jackets were putting on a late surge that fell just short of getting them into the playoffs. With the game tied 1-all, Johansen carried the puck on a 2-on-2 rush intoo the offensive zone and slid a pass through the skates of Vancouvers Chris Higgins to Umberger, who had advanced behind Higgins. Air Max 90 Pas Cher Femme Acheter. Umberger faked and slid the puck between Lacks legs. "Phenomenal," Umberger said of Johansens pass. "He came to the middle and he threaded it right through the guys legs. It was right on my tape. I didnt have to move my stick." The win left a lot of Blue Jackets breathing easier. "Its huge," Johansen said. "But its one win and its not going to get any easier." Henrik Sedin had the goal for the Canucks. Eddie Lack stopped 26 shots in place of Roberto Luongo, rested on the second night of back-to-back games for Vancouver. "It was tough to get good opportunities," Sedin said. "A lot of shots were outside and we didnt have a lot of traffic (in front of the net)." The Canucks, playing their fourth of a season-high seven-game road trip, applied plenty of pressure to try to tie it. McElhinney gloved a hard one-timer by Jason Garrison in the final minutes and then stopped Higgins jam shot from point-blank range off a pass from the back wall by Daniel Sedin with 45 seconds remaining. Johansen then added an empty-netter. Canucks coach John Tortorella said the stat sheet was misleading. "Dont let the shots fool you," he said. "I dont think we played enough in the areas (you have to) to score goals. Theyll let you play on the outside all night long. For most of the minutes, thats what we did." NOTES: Columbus forwards Gaborik, Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov played for Tortorella when all were with the New York Rangers the past few years. ... Anisimov has points in his last three games. ... The crowd of 14,168 booed a call midway through the third period when it appeared Dubinskys shot out of a pileup slipped over the goal line. Seconds later, Umberger scored and it counted. ... Columbus played five of its first seven games on the road. ... Gaboriks goal was his third in eight games, matching his total in 12 games last season after he was acquired from the Rangers at the deadline. ... The Canucks killed five power plays, including 1:34 of a 5-on-3 in the second period. ' ' ' |
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