SALT LAKE CITY -- Stephen Curry threw up some improbable 3-point shots just to see if he still had it.
Mike Martin Eagles Jersey . "I call them heat checks," Curry said. The Golden State Warriors needed all of Currys continued
hot shooting against the Utah Jazz on Friday night. Curry scored a season-high
44 points, including eight 3-pointers, to lead the Warriors past Utah 95-90 on a
night the Jazz honoured former coach Jerry Sloan. One game after shooting 8 of
10 in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers, Curry said, "Every time I have a
clean look, I feel like its a good shot. I have the confidence of everybody in
the locker room. So if its time to score and Im feeling the moment, I got to
rise up." Curry had 13 points in the fourth quarter as the Warriors came from
nine points behind to win on back-to-back nights. "He got hot. He was shooting
it from deep. He would come down in transition, guys running at him and he was
still making them," said Utah coach Ty Corbin, who tried switching defences and
doubling Curry to no avail. Andrew Bogut had 16 points, 17 rebounds and five
assists to help overcome the loss of David Lee (shoulder, hip) and a horrendous
shooting night from backcourt mate Klay Thompson, who was 3 of 20 for 11 points.
"I just let the game come to me. I got some open looks from Steph because he was
on fire out there. Thankfully I made them, but we won this game defensively in
the fourth in my opinion," Bogut said. Reserve guard Alec Burks had 26 points on
a variety of jumpers and acrobatic drives, but it wasnt enough for Utah, which
dealt with injuries to three frontcourt players. The Jazz played without
starting forward Marvin Williams (heel), centre Derrick Favours (hip) and
starter Jeremy Evans had 10 points before leaving the game in the second quarter
after a scary fall. In a halftime ceremony, the Jazz honoured Sloan, their
former Hall of Fame coach. They raised a banner at EnergySolutions Arena
featuring the number "1223," which represents the combined number of Sloans
regular season (1,127) and playoff (96) victories in his 23 years as head coach
of the Jazz from 1988-2011. Karl Malone, John Stockton, long-time assistant Phil
Johnson and Utah owner Gail Miller were among those who spoke during the
festivities, which brought long periods of sustained ovations. "I feel like I
was the luckiest coach in basketball to have these players and the organization
I had here," said Sloan, who won more games with one franchise (1,127) than any
other coach. More than a dozen of his former players joined him on the court,
The Jazz led 77-68 early in the fourth quarter, but the ragtag Jazz lineup
collapsed against the onslaught of Currys 3-pointers and Boguts inside play
during a 12-0 run that allowed the Warriors to reclaim the lead with 6:55 to
play. Burks made a layup for Utahs final lead at 88-87 with 2:17 remaining.
Curry responded with a shot in the lane to spark a spurt of eight straight
points to clinch the win for Golden State. "The good teams, they play their best
after they play their best. The challenge was for us to respond after a big win
against the Clippers and put forth the same type of energy and effort," Golden
State coach Mark Jackson said. The Warriors have struggled since a 10-game
winning streak in December and January, unable to string two wins together until
the past two. "This was a huge game for us, and we were dealing with fatigue,
and playing without D-Lee so for us to overcome a second-half deficit like that
and find a way to get it done . we knew a win tonight would validate last nights
win and get us over the hump and get some momentum going," Curry said. Evans was
undercut on a rebound and landed on his back with 3:15 left in the first half.
He was still for a couple minutes and then gingerly walked to the locker room
with assistance. Diagnosed with a bruised tailbone and right elbow, he missed
the rest of the game. NOTES: In one of many tributes to Sloan on the video
board, Charles Barkley joked, "Do you know how good you could have been if you
had a real power forward?" The camera then panned the stands to a laughing
Karl Malone, who received a standing ovation from the crowd. . Malcolm Thomas,
who was signed on Jan. 15 by the Jazz, had his first action as a Utah player but
did not score in 11 minutes. . On his first shot, Curry reached 6,000 career
points.
Miles Austin Eagles Jersey ., continues his run in Melbourne tonight when he takes on Bulgarias Grigor Dimitrov in the third
round of the Australian Open.
Vinny Curry Eagles Jersey . -- After losing home-ice advantage on the final day of the regular season, the Montreal
Canadiens couldve found satisfaction in splitting the first two games at Tampa
Bay Times Forum.After missing the playoffs for three straight seasons, the
Colorado Avalanche stormed to the Central Division crown in 2013-2014, their 112
points the second most in franchise history. Off-Season Game Plan looks at an
Avalanche team that has promising young talent, but also serious warning signs
heading into next season. First, the talent. Not many teams would prefer their
forward core to the Avalanche group of Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog,
Nathan MacKinnon and Ryan OReilly -- Duchene, at 23, is the senior member, so
they could be together for a long time. Defencemen Erik Johnson, 26, and
Tyson Barrie, 22, as well as 26-year-old goaltender Semyon Varlamov are other
core players that figure to be big parts of the team for years to come. Varlamov
had an outstanding year in 2013-2014 and hes a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as
a result, but goaltenders that vastly exceed past performance are likely to
experience regression. Of the 11 goaltenders to post a save percentage of .920
or better in 2013, Tuukka Rask was the only one whose save percentage didnt go
down and, of the other 10, the decline in save percentage went from .924 to
.914, collectively. Knock .10 off a starting goaltenders save percentage and,
facing 2013 shots like Varlamov did last season would mean an extra 20 goals
against. Further reason for concern is that the Avalanche cant simply count on
reducing the shots against. They ranked 27th in Fenwick Close, and face the
prospect of losing their best puck possession forward, Paul Stastny, as a free
agent. Maybe the young core will be able to take steps forward and improve those
numbers, but that requires some projection and projection brings risk.
Essentially, this is a cautionary post. There is all kinds of optimism around a
talented young Avalanche squad that enjoyed a breakthrough season, but they are
a team whose statistical profile ought to temper expectations and that makes
this summers stakes significant. The TSN.ca Rating is an efficiency rating based
on per-game statistics including goals and assists -- weighted for strength (ie.
power play, even, shorthanded) -- Corsi, adjusted for zone starts, quality of
competition and quality of teammates, hits, blocked shots, penalty differential
and faceoffs. Generally, a replacement-level player is around a 60, a top six
forward and top four defenceman will be around 70, stars will be over 80 and MVP
candidates could go over 90. Sidney Crosby finished at the top of the 2013-2014
regular season ratings at 87.12. Salary cap information all comes from the
indispensable www.capgeek.com. CF% = Corsi percentage (ie. percentage of 5-on-5
shot attempts), via www.extraskater.com. GM/COACHGreg Sherman/Patrick Roy
Returning Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit Matt Duchene 79.15 71 23
47 70 49.3% $6.0M Gabriel Landeskog 76.06 81 26 39 65 48.8% $5.571M
Nathan MacKinnon 74.96 82 24 39 63 46.9% $925K Alex Tanguay 71.04 16 4 7 11
47.8% $3.5M PA Parenteau 69.40 55 14 19 33 49.8% $4.0M John Mitchell 64.71 75 11
21 32 45.9% $1.8M Maxime Talbot 62.25 81 8 19 27 44.6% $1.75M Cody McLeod 58.32
71 5 8 13 42.0% $1.55M Patrick Bordeleau 55.57 82 6 5 11 42.0% $1.0M
Marc-Andre Cliche 54.29 76 1 6 7 41.1% $700K Free Agent Forwards Player Rating
GP G A PTS CF% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Paul Stastny 79.03 71 25 35 60 50.2% UFA
$6.6M Ryan OReilly 75.09 80 28 36 64 48.4% RFA $5.0M Jamie McGinn 67.01 79 19 19
38 47.0% RFA $1.75M Brad Malone 55.34 32 3 2 5 40.7% UFA $735K Over the past two
seasons, Matt Duchene has tallied 113 points in 118 games, which ranks 16th in
the league, and while his points tilt towards assists rather than goals, Duchene
isnt riding coat tails. In the past two years, Sidney Crosby, Joe Thornton and
Ryan Getzlaf are the only players with more primary assists per 60 minutes of
5-on-5 play. Thats a player generating opportunities and he used his speed to
generate the best penalty differential in the league. There werent a lot of
forwards who played the kind of tough minutes that Gabriel Landeskog did, while
posting strong relative possession stats, and his 3.02 shots on goal per game
through his first three seasons ranks 11th since 2005-2006 (post Lockout I).
Like Duchene, Landeskog set a career-high in points in 2013-2014, despite
playing fewer minutes per game than the year before. The first overall pick last
summer, Nathan MacKinnon was eased into the lineup, playing 13:33 per game in
October, but gradually took on more responsibility and was up to 19:48 per game
in April (20:34 per game in the playoffs). His 63-point rookie season was
impressive, and MacKinnon really took off in the second half of the year,
putting up 39 points (14 G, 25 A) in his last 42 games, before adding 10 points
in seven playoff games. While he was the beneficiary of fortunate percentages,
MacKinnon has game-breaking speed that gives him a chance to be one of the games
premier offensive threats. A knee injury limited Alex Tanguay to just 16 games
last season, yet the 34-year-old remains productive. Hes a ridiculously accurate
shooter and has handles increasingly difficult ice time as his career reaches
its twilight. If Tanguay is fully recovered for next season, he can be a
valuable contributor. With a decline in ice time, and his name in trade rumours
last season, its possible that PA Parenteau could be plying his trade elsewhere
next season. He has 196 points (70 G, 126 A) in 264 games over the past four
seasons, and his 0.74 points per game ranks 56th in the league (minimum 200 GP),
so even if he isnt ideal for the Avalanche coaching staff, there should be some
appreciation for Parenteaus ability to produce offence. Checking centre
John Mitchell rode some fortunate percentages on his way to a career-high 32
points, playing a bigger role than might have been expected given the Avalanches
centre talent, but injuries and Ryan OReilly and Nathan MacKinnon spending time
on the wings gave Mitchell lots of time in the top nine. Acquired from the
Philadelphia Flyers, Maxime Talbot was given a big role with the Avalanche,
playing a career-high 16:10 per game (16:19 per game with Colorado) and while
Talbot has, at times, taken on tough assignments (based on defensive zone starts
and quality of competition) it hasnt been enough to justify his poor possession
numbers over the past couple years. Hes a solid and respected veteran, but
probably doesnt need the kind of ice time hes been getting. Cody McLeod has
fought 90 times over the past seven seasons, but his production has been limited
and he had the worst puck possession numbers of his career last season. Part of
the reason for those poor puck possession numbers is that McLeod spends much of
his time skating on the fourth line with Patrick Bordeleau and Marc-Andre Cliche
and that trio doesnt have the talent to keep pace. Bordeleau is a 6-foot-6
winger who can play the intimidator, but when he and McLeod are on the ice, they
pack more punch than they do possess pucks. Throughout his career,
Marc-Andre Cliche has been a defensively-responsible forward with no offensive
upside. After six AHL seasons in the Kings organization, he earned a spot with
the Avalanche last year and while he may have a defensiev conscience, Cliche was
one of six forwards to play more than 800 minutes in an NHL season and register
one goal or less. A tremendous young two-way player, Ryan OReilly had a
career-best offensive season after moving to the wing to play with Duchene. He
plays a well-rounded game, which earned him a career-high 19:49 time on ice per
game last season, and figures to be a priority for the Avalanche to sign as a
restricted free agent, though that comes with some complications because the
offer sheet he signed last season with Calgary paid him $6.5-million in
2013-2014. Working off that base means a pricey ticket going forward, depending
on how OReilly is prepared to structure his deal. Jamie McGinn is a solid
physical winger who can contribute offensively, and had a career-high 38 points
last season. Hes a nice complementary piece for the Avs, and has handled playing
with skilled linemates, making him a good fit in the top nine. The Avalanche can
still put together a legitimate top nine even if they lose Paul Stastny to free
agency, but Stastnys departure would be huge -- he plays hard minutes and that
helped free up Duchene for a more offensive role. Returning Defence Player
Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit Nick Holden 72.26 54 10 15 25 48.0% $600K
Erik Johnson 70.
Mike Quick Eagles Jersey. .76 80 9 30 39 47.3% $3.75M Jan Hejda 61.98 78 6 11 17 44.6% $3.25M Ryan Wilson 60.92 28 0 6 6
44.1% $2.25M Nate Guenin 58.45 68 1 8 9 44.5% $800K Free Agent Defence Player
Rating GP G A PTS CF% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Tyson Barrie 73.83 64 13 25 38 50.2%
RFA $900K Andre Benoit 65.56 79 7 21 28 46.6% UFA $900K Cory Sarich 60.15 54 1 9
10 47.8% UFA $2.0M After five seasons in the AHL, during which he got into a
grand total of seven NHL games, Nick Holden not only earned a regular spot on
the Avalanche blueline, but he was playing more than 20 minutes per game by the
time April rolled around. Surely, his finishing ability helped earn him playing
time, but Holden also had adequate relative possession stats for a team that
didnt have good puck control numbers. The first overall pick in 2006,
Erik Johnson has gone through ups and downs to this point, but 2013-2014 may
have been as good as any in his career, taking on the tough assignments and
starting more shifts in the defensive zone on his way to tying a career high
with 39 points. For all the questions on the Avalanche defence, Johnson appears
to be one cornerstone around which they can build. Jan Hejda gets pressed into
shutdown duty, facing the oppositions best forwards and starting shifts in the
defensive zone, but hes among those defencemen who get destroyed under that
workload. Hes a defensive defenceman, but one that tends to spend a lot of time
in his own end and, no matter how good you are defensively, if you spend that
much time in your own end, pucks tend to find the net. In 2010-2011, Ryan Wilson
was playing nearly 20 minutes per game on the Avalanche defence, but hes been
battling injuries and has fallen out of favour on the Colorado blueline, playing
a career-low 14:40 per game last season while getting into only 28 games. Hes
going into the final year of his contract and may not be more than a depth
player for the Avs. As part of the Avalanche plan to turn over their blueline to
AHLers, 31-year-old Nate Guenin got into 68 games, after playing 32 career NHL
games previously. His possession stats do suggest that theres some reason that
Guenin hadnt previously been an NHL regular. The Avalanche have been exceedingly
patient with Tyson Barrie, perhaps too much so, but he finally secured his place
in the lineup and contributed 35 points in his last 47 games last season. His
playoff was cut short by a knee injury, suffered on a hit by Wild LW Matt Cooke,
but Barrie is a dynamic puck mover who should be in line for a bigger role next
season. It would be conceivable that the Avalanche could lose Stastny as a free
agent, then turn around and spend their money on a free agent to bolster their
blueline. They could try to keep Andre Benoit, and still seek out Tom Gilbert,
Anton Stralman, Stephane Robidas or Mark Fayne as guys that could play in their
top four. Returning Goaltenders Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Cap Hit
Semyon Varlamov 79.70 63 41 14 6 2.41 .927 $5.9M Reto Berra 58.24 31 9 18 3 3.07
.893 $1.45M Free Agent Goaltender Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Class 13-14
Cap Hit Jean-Sebastien Giguere 68.70 22 11 6 1 2.62 .913 UFA $1.5M After posting
a career-low .903 save percentage last season, Semyon Varlamov bounced back with
a career-best .927 save percentage in a career season. Hes only 26-year-old, so
there is reason to believe that Varlamov could be an above average goaltender
going forward, but it would be more than a little surprising if he duplicated
his career-best season in 2014-2015. That could be a legitimate issue if the
Avalanche dont drastically improve their puck possession because a lot of their
success last season was predicated on Varlamovs superior play. Looking ahead to
next season, the Avalanche acquired Reto Berra from Calgary for a second-round
pick and the Avs sure better have some scouting that they like on Berra, because
he had an .893 save percentage in his first NHL season, ranking 37th out of 38
goaltenders to play at least 30 games. That was enough to earn a three-year
contract extension. Top Prospects Player Pos. Team/League Stats Joey Hishon C
Lake Erie (AHL) 10-14-24, -10, 50 GP Chris Bigras D Owen Sound (OHL) 4-22-26,
-11, 55 GP Calvin Pickard G Lake Erie (AHL) 2.85 GAA, .906 SV%, 43 GP
Duncan Siemens D Lake Erie (AHL) 1-3-4, -1, 46 GP Stefan Elliott D Lake Erie
(AHL) 14-14-28, -16, 61 GP Sami Aittokallio G Lake Erie (AHL) 2.65 GAA, .909
SV%, 36 GP Troy Bourke C Prince George (WHL) 29-56-85, -4, 69 GP Colin Smith C
Lake Erie (AHL) 8-26-34, -9, 76 GP Andrew Agozzino LW Lake Erie (AHL) 17-32-49,
-12, 75 GP Mitchell Heard C Lake Erie (AHL) 4-8-12, +1, 63 GP Will Butcher D
Denver (NCHC) 8-8-16, -3, 38 GP Its really a shame how injuries, including
concussions, have side-tracked Joey Hishons career, because he was sizzling in
his last year of junior. While 30 points in 59 AHL games since hardly assures
that the 22-year-old is destined to make the NHL, the 17th pick in the 2010
Draft did get into three playoff games with minimal ice time. A smart young
defenceman, Chris Bigras was Colorados second-round pick last summer and while
he impressed in camp last season, the defensive blueliner could still play
another year of junior before playing pro. A second-round pick in 2010,
Calvin Pickards second pro season wasnt quite as strong as his first, but the
22-year-old remains a viable option for the future. The 11th overall pick in
2011, Duncan Siemens may not live up to his lofty draft status, but hes a tough
defensive defenceman. After a mediocre rookie year, a strong sophomore season
would put him in a better place as a prospect. Drafted in the second round in
2009, Stefan Elliott has 18 points with strong puck possession stats in 58 games
with the Avalanche, but he hasnt been able to hold down a spot in Colorado.
Drafted in the fourth round in 2010, Sami Aittokallio improved in his second pro
season, and may eventually have a shot at the NHL, but he needs further
development. Picked in the third round in 2012, Troy Bourke improved steadily
throughout his junior career and, at the end of last season, chipped in seven
points in 15 AHL games. With few premium forward prospects in the pipeline,
Bourke has a chance to climb the ladder quickly. Taken in the seventh round in
2012, Colin Smith isnt big, but he was productive in junior and did enough in
his first pro season, putting up 18 points in his last 25 games, to be
encouraged that there is more to show. Undrafted second-year pro Andrew Agozzino
has 101 points in two AHL campaigns. He may not have a high ceiling, but could
have a chance to get called up if the Avalanche need forward depth.
Mitchell Heard, a second-round pick in 2012, has 16 points and 239 penalty
minutes in 86 AHL games. Hes tough, but will that be enough to make it to the
next level? An undersized puck-moving defenceman, Will Butcher had a fine first
collegiate season and the 2013 fifth-round pick should get more responsibility
as he matures. Checking winger Garrett Meurs, big defenceman Mason Geertsen and
Croatian winger Borna Rendulic are others to keep an eye on moving forward.
Avalanche advanced stats and player usage chart from Extra Skater DRAFT23rd -
Roland McKeown, Conner Bleackley, Travis Sanheim. FREE AGENCYAccording to
www.capgeek.com, the Avalanche have approximately $45.1M committed to the
2014-2015 salary cap for 17 players. Check out my possible Avalanche lineup for
next season on Cap Geek here. Needs: One top pair defenceman, depth
forwards.What I said the Avalanche needed last year: One top pair defenceman,
depth forwards, starting goaltender They added: Nathan MacKinnon, Alex Tanguay,
Marc-Andre Cliche, Nick Holden, Andre Benoit, Cory Sarich, Nate Guenin. TRADE
MARKETPA Parenteau, Jamie McGinn, Ryan Wilson. Scott Cullen can be reached at
[email protected] and followed on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook.
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