KREISCHBERG, Austria - American snowboarder Ryan Stassel won the world slopestyle championship for his first major title, and Miyabi Onitsuka of Japan
took gold in the womens event on Wednesday.
Roberto Clemente Pirates Jersey .Stassel led the competition after the first two runs, then earned the highest score of 97.50
point for his final effort, beating defending champion Roope Tonteri of Finland,
who earned silver with 93.75.Stassels teammate, Kyle Mack, took bronze with
92.75.Stassel is still chasing his first podium on the World Cup. He finished
seventh at the worlds in Canada in 2013, and made his Olympic debut the
following year, finishing 14th at Sochi.The 16-year-old Onitsuka was a surprise
winner of the womens gold medal. She won the Japan slopestyle title last year
but finished 46th in her sole World Cup appearance at Copper Mountain, Colorado,
in November 2013.Onitsuka failed to reach 55 points in two qualifying runs but
scored 92.50 with her second finals effort, beating Anna Gasser of Austria by
three points. Klaudia Medlova of Slovakia finished on 84.25 for the bronze
medal, while the silver medallist from 2013, Sina Candrian of Switzerland,
finished fourth.Olympic slopestyle champions Sage Kotsenburg and Jamie Anderson
skipped the worlds in Austria to compete at the X Games in the U.S.
Dave Parker Jersey . At Manchester United, Ferguson developed Beckham into one of the worlds most recognizable sportsmen,
but the midfielder left United in 2003 for Real Madrid under a cloud after his
relationship with the manager broke down.
Andrew McCutchen Jersey . Horford is out 3-to-4 months with a torn pectoral muscle for the Hawks, who have won two
straight and five of six games. Atlanta improved to 2-0 on the residency with
Saturdays 93-91 triumph over Minnesota, as Ivan Johnson scored his teams final
four points, including the game-winning free throw with 4.The Chicago Bulls
begin another playoff run without Derrick Rose on Sunday night when they welcome
the Washington Wizards to the United Center. Catch the game as the first half of
a doubleheader on TSN2 starting at 7pm et/4pm pt. Chicago is in the postseason
for a sixth straight year and for the second time without Rose because of
lingering knee issues. The Bulls got by without Rose in the first round last
season, using a full seven-game series to dispose of the Brooklyn Nets, but the
eventual two-time NBA champion Miami Heat bounced the Bulls in five games in the
East semifinals. Now the Bulls are taking on a young and inexperienced Wizards
team that won two of three meetings against them in the regular season. The
Wizards have to play the first two games in the Windy City, where they are just
5-15 in the last 20 games. "The Wizards are a tough team, tough, tough team,"
said Chicago sixth man Taj Gibson. "They gave us so many problems in the regular
season; great shooters. They got some great bigs in Nene and (Marcin) Gortat.
John Wall is playing some phenomenal basketball. Bradley Beal is playing great
basketball, too. Their bench is loaded up. Its going to be tough." When Rose
went down early this season, the Bulls became Joakim Noahs team, although
defense is still their calling card. Chicago finished tops in the NBA in
opponents scoring (93.7 ppg) and second in opponents shooting percentage (43.2).
The Bulls have ranked no lower than third in opponents scoring in head coach Tom
Thibodeaus four seasons at the helm. Noah is headed toward a possible Defensive
Player of the Year award, but his offensive game is what carried the Bulls. He
averaged 12.6 points and led the Bulls with 11.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. Noah
played an integral part for Chicagos top defense, but also averaged a
career-high 5.4 assists. Chicago won an Eastern Conference-best 36 games since
Jan. 1 and won seven in a row before closing out the season with two losses in
three tries. Washington is wet behind the ears when it comes to recent
postseason appearances. It has returned to the playoffs for the first time since
2007-08, when it lost in six games to a young LeBron James and the Cleveland
Cavaliers. The Wizards are facing the Bulls for the third time in the
postseason, as they were swept 3-0 back in the first round of the 1997 playoffs
and won a best-of- seven series 4-2 in 2005. "I feel like we like our chances
against anybody if we play the right way," said Wall, who averaged 20.7 points,
8.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds in three games versus the Bulls this season. "We
just have to go out there and play the way we know how to play, and play the
defense were capable of playing. Were here and were focused and will try to
leave a statement and see where it takes us." The Wizards received a big boost
with the return of veteran big man, Nene. He missed a ton of time in the middle
of the season, but came back for four games at the end. He averaged 14.3 points
and should come in handy against the bruising frontline of Chicago. Washington
toook advantage of a weaker Eastern Conference to reach the playoffs and went
19-11 after the break.
Francisco Cervelli Jersey. The Wizards closed the regular season with four straight wins and eight in the last 11 games.
Portland Trail Blazers at Houston Rockets Two of the leagues best offensive
units take center stage Sunday night when the Houston Rockets host the Portland
Trail Blazers at the Toyota Center. Catch the game as the tail end of a
doubleheader on TSN2 starting at 9:30pm et/6:30pm pt. The Rockets are the NBAs
second-ranked offense at 107.7 ppg, followed by the Trail Blazers, who are
fourth with 106.9 ppg. Houston secured the home-court advantage with a win on
Monday against the NBAs best, the San Antonio Spurs. "We fought hard for it. It
took a little longer than I hoped but we knew we had to get 54 wins and we got
there with one to spare," said Rockets coach Kevin McHale. The matchup between
the two squads has been decidedly in Houstons favor over the last few seasons.
The Rockets have won nine of the last 12 meetings, including three of four this
season. "Its the West. We dont care who were going to play, its going to be
tough anyway," said Portland forward Nicolas Batum. "Houston is a good team, a
great team. Theyve got a good group of players. We match up pretty well with
them. Weve had good games, tough games." The Rockets were believed to be a
serious contender for an NBA title when they signed prized free agent
Dwight Howard in the offseason. Along with All-Star guard James Harden, they
form a formidable one-two punch. Portland, on the other hand, was a bit of a
surprise this season. The Blazers hadnt made the playoffs the last two seasons,
but the core group stayed healthy and the bench improved significantly. These
two teams met in the first round back in 2009, but oh how different they both
are just five years later. Houston has no players on the roster from that team,
which was led by Yao Ming, while only LaMarcus Aldridge and Batum remain for the
Blazers. "It wont be easy. It is going to be fun," said Batum. "Excited finally
for playoffs to start because we wait too much for that, now almost three years,
so ready to start." The Rockets got healthy at the right time. Howard missed
significant time late in the season with an ankle injury and starting point
guard Patrick Beverley was shelved with a knee problem. Both came back before
the end of the season and should be all-clear for the playoffs. Portland is
healthy. This matchup is so even, down to the matching 54-28 records. Each team
had two All-Stars in Howard and Harden for Houston and Aldridge and
Damian Lillard for Portland. As expected due to both teams high offensive
output, defense has suffered. The Blazers ranked 22nd in opponents scoring,
while the Rockets were one rung below. "Its going to be a great series," said
Harden. "There are so many guys that can score for them and for us. Its going to
be a matter of the small things: who can limit their turnovers and rebound the
basketball."
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