TSNs Jack Armstrong offers his thoughts on the Spurs being back in the mix, the bench strength of the Raptors, the Pacers and Heat not being ready for prime time, the compete level of Kemba Walker and the Warriors coaching situation.
Fake Penguins Jerseys . 1. SAN ANTONIO SPURS: Have won 15 straight games and suddenly here they are again in the mix regarding the discussion of what teams can be in the Finals in June. Dont beat you ever with flash but man, oh man lots of substance when you talk about this team. Wednesday night against Denver, they had five players in double figures and had 30 assists on 43 field goals. Thats quite impressive. The commitment to the team and playing the game together is a principle that has served them well over the years and will make them a tough out in the playoffs. The sum is more important than the parts. 2. RAPTORS BENCH: Its pretty evident that in spite of the Raps being 6-5 in the absence of Patrick Patterson, they miss his presence big-time in a variety of ways. Hes a wonderful perimeter defender on screen and roll sequences, gets after it on the glass, defends in the post and can give you both scoring inside/out as well as intelligent team play on offence. He and Greivis Vasquez are the two major contributors off the bench and when you look at the Boston game Wednesday night with less than 10 points coming off the bench, its an area of concern to say the least as you prepare for the playoffs. Pattersons absence has clearly affected the defence as well with teams putting the Raptors in screen and roll scenarios and the nightly battles on the boards without one of your sturdier post guys. John Salmons has struggled of late and is a solid veteran player. When hes going good, this team has another gear. Getting Patterson back and healthy and an on-track Salmons will go a long way towards getting this team ready for the playoffs. Digging themselves early holes that they have to battle back from are an issue that has to be corrected along with tightening the screws again with the defence. They do that and Im confident that they can compete quite well in a first round series. 3. PACERS VS. HEAT: Watched the game Wednesday night and I must say I was underwhelmed with the quality of play. Yes, it had great playoff intensity but it appeared to me that both of these teams have needed a game like this for a while to get that next gear back in their playing style. Both looked like they need to work out some kinks in the final weeks with offensive flow/execution to be ready to roll in mid/late April. A long season combined with injuries, etc. have a way of messing up your chemistry and neither looked as fluid as when theyre at their best. The Raptors see both of them next week with the Houston Rockets sandwiched in between (what a week!) which will be a good test of their playoff readiness as the Heat have been able to knock off the Raptors this season three times while the Pacers are 2-1 and the Rockets won their game in Houston vs the Raps. The good teams start to take that next step here in the final 10 games to get everything humming and in sync. Always fun to watch as teams gear up for the second season. 4. KEMBA WALKER (Bobcats): Al Jefferson (35 and 15) was awesome in the overtime win vs. the Nets Wednesday night. Coach Steve Clifford has done a terrific job with that team. Its about time the folks in Charlotte get behind their team and support them for a change; this is a team you can root for. Love Kemba - what a gamer, scoring 20 points and five rebounds along with 12 assists. There are certain guys that you just throw out the stats some night because they just play so hard and have amazing pride and competitive spirit and do whatever it takes to win. From his days at UConn to now, he personifies what it means to give it his all. Hes been in a tough situation there with a poor roster, shaky coaching and questionable management decisions and Im happy for him that some of the proper decisions have been made around him and things are coming together. This team has become fun to watch and Walker is the heart and soul of that. 5. BRIAN SCALABRINE (Warriors): Assistant coach gets demoted to the D-League by head coach Mark Jackson. This is right out of the book of Jason Kidd/Lawrence Frank differences that took place early in the season. Jackson was adamantly supportive of Kidds move in the fall with Frank and now he does the same thing. Ive been both an sssistant coach and a head coach and I always felt that loyalty to the boss was #1 and if you disagree, you do it behind closed doors and it never gets picked up by the players, media, etc. At the same time, its vital that the assistant coaches cant be Yes Men that have to supress their opinion as opposed to express their opinion. Healthy dialogue is important yet at the end of the day, the head coach makes the call and we all march together in unison. (Hes also got to be open to suggestions and not have all the answers.) Jason Kidd got past this controversy and has done a good job with the Nets and it will be significant for Jackson to get past this as well by the performance of the team. Expectations are high in the Bay Area and results will be needed. Never an easy situation for any coach to be in and I can relate to the feeling of both. Jackson has a healthy ego and high opinion of his coaching acumen which is good to a degree, yet its time to get this team to the next level and the playoffs will be a major stage for him and his team to show that they can do it. Hes got major potential to be an outstanding coach in this league for a long time and this is another of the many tests young coaches go through in their development. Youre paid to make the tough calls and many times you have to be ruthless in this results-oriented business because at the end of the day, it all falls back on you and your record. Jackson is nobodys fool and is as competitive as they come. Its his show - plain and simple. Never easy or fair. In one word, you have to produce.
Custom Pittsburgh Penguins Jerseys . - Loosening up for their first training camp practice, the Miami Dolphins high-stepped sideways up and down the field while House of Pains song "Jump Around" blared on the loudspeakers.
Pittsburgh Penguins Store . Thats the feeling that eight Canadian Football League teams are experiencing right now in advance of the expansion draft to stock the Ottawa Redblacks. CLEVELAND -- Johnny Manziel had scrambled away long before Asdrubal Cabrera came to the plate in the 12th inning. And when Cabrera connected for a three-run homer in the 12th inning, ending a game that took nearly seven hours to play, Indians manager Terry Francona was relieved to be finally leaving the ballpark. "Nice to see anyone come through," Francona said. Cabrera connected for a three-run homer with one out in the 12th, giving Cleveland a 7-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox early Thursday and a three-game sweep of the defending World Series champions. With two runners on and Boston playing five infielders and only two outfielders, Cabrera made the shift moot by driving an 0-1 pitch from Edward Mujica (2-2) into Bostons bullpen as the Indians won their sixth straight overall and ninth in a row at home. Cleveland is an AL-best 21-11 at Progressive Field. Cabrera slid into home plate after his fifth homer and was doused with water by his teammates, who were relieved to finally end a game that didnt finish until 2:02 a.m. The start of the game, originally set for 7:05 p.m., was delayed by rain until 9:33 p.m., cancelling a scheduled ceremonial first pitch by Manziel, the Browns popular rookie quarterback, who flashed his signature "money" gesture when he and his teammates were introduced to the crowd. With practice on Thursday, Manziel ducked out early and was long gone when the game ended with just a few thousand die-hard fans in the seats. The teams each used seven pitchers, who combined to throw 364 pitches. "Regardless of the time, anytime you go 12 innings, losses sting a little bit," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "We were doing everything we could to extend the ballgame. Guys came out of the bullpen and did a good job. Cabrera just got hold of a breaking ball and put an end to this one." Mujica didnt make any excuses. "That pitch was a big mistake and he hit it out," he said. "I left it over the plate. It was a little crazy, but we had to keep it going however we could." Carlos Carrasco (1-3), the Indians seventh pitcher, worked two innings. The surging Indians have trimmed seven games off first-place Detroits lead in the AL Central in 17 days. Cleveland is within 3 1/2 games and back to .500 for the first time since April 24. David Ortiz homered for the Red Sox, who came in riding a seven-game winning sstreak but are now headed in the wrong direction.
Cheap Penguins Jerseys. Trailing 4-2 and in danger of leaving town winless, the Red Sox tied it in the seventh inning when they chased Indians starter Corey Kluber on Brock Holts two-run single. Kluber, who was so dominant in May going 4-0 with 60 strikeouts in 43 innings, walked Stephen Drew to start the seventh and Daniel Nava singled. Jackie Bradley Jr. sacrificed and Holt followed with his game-tying base hit to centre. Kluber got a no-decision and remained unbeaten in seven starts since April. He allowed four runs and five hits in 6 1-3 innings. Michael Brantley had three hits off Boston starter Brandon Workman, who pitched while appealing a six-game suspension for throwing at Tampa Bays Evan Longoria last week. Workman gave up three runs in five innings. Ortizs 13th homer gave the Red Sox a 2-1 lead in the sixth. Kluber blanked Boston over the first five innings but opened the sixth by hitting Xander Bogaerts in the right elbow. The right-hander retired Dustin Pedroia on a hard liner to right, but wasnt so fortunate with Ortiz, who ripped a fastball over the fence in right-centre -- a 422-foot shot -- to give the Red Sox their first lead of the series. It didnt last long. The Indians scored three runs in the sixth on an RBI single by Jason Kipnis and another clutch hit by David Murphy, who is batting .383 (18 of 47) with 31 RBIs with runners in scoring position. Brantley picked up his 23rd RBI in his past 32 games in the first with a one-out single to give Cleveland a 1-0 lead. In the fifth, Brantley helped Kluber by making a leaping catch at the left-field wall to rob Bradley of extra bases. NOTES: It was the Indians fifth walk-off win. They are 4-1 in extra inning. ... Red Sox C A.J. Pierzynski was ejected in the sixth by plate umpire Quinn Wolcott. ... Brantley is batting .349 (45 of 129) in 32 games since April 29. ... Indians RHP Danny Salazar was placed on the 7-day DL at Triple-A Columbus with a strained right triceps. Francona doesnt think the injury is serious and expects Salazar, who started Clevelands playoff game last October, to miss "one or two starts." ... Indians RHP Zach McAllisters rehab start with Lake County (A) was rained out and pushed to Thursday. The right-hander, out with a sore lower back, is expected make a second start in the minors. ' ' '