Five Quick Thoughts for a Wednesday: 1.
Jermaine Gresham Cardinals Jersey . KAWHI LEONARD & DANNY GREEN (Spurs): 44 points combined on 17-21 shooting in Game 3. Both were very assertive and set the tone in the first quarter. Brilliant! When these guys are playing the two-way game, the Spurs are a force. Wow. 2. D-WADE & LEBRON (Heat): Combined for 44 points but 12 turnovers combined is not going to cut it. Wade, in particular, was ineffective in the first half, leading to the Spurs blow out. LeBron was terrific in the first and faded after that. They need lots more support, yet these guys are capable of being more impactful and in particular more efficient. Their sloppy/careless play fed the Spurs rout. They need better than that. 3. DEREK FISHER (Knicks): Not surprised by his aftermath of Steve Kerr going to the Warriors. Hell have Phil Jacksons full support. Now its about fixing the roster and figuring out Carmelo Anthonys status. My one recommendation would be to hire experienced pro coaches who can help him in the transition from player to head coach. Phil Jackson was always smart to have veteran guys like Tex Winter and Johnny Bach with him. Job is tougher than it looks. Having older guys with lots of wisdom that arent angling for your job really helps when times get tough. Need folks that tell you what you need to hear. 4. BORIS DIAW (Spurs): Great move to start him in Game 3. Tony Parker looks like hes playing hurt and doesnt have the same pop/burst in his game right now. Need more play making and a guy that moves the ball quickly to teammates. Diaws numbers are respectable at nine points and five rebounds along with three assists, yet he had lots of Gretzky Passes -- the critical pass that leads to THE pass (assist). Hes a wonderful passer with off-the-charts basketball IQ and when you put him out there its like having a second point guard on the floor. 5. HEAT DEFENCE: Frist half was poor and overall giving up 111 points on 59 per cent shooting is a huge concern. Game 2 defense was sound but major slippage. Energy level was inept. Perimeter D and communication was surprisingly off kilter. Not typical of the Heat. Help and recovery and shot contests have to elevate. A shockingly poor performance for such a big stage. Lots to clean up. Ball pressure and compete level has to be back to form. Not as good a defensive team as past years yet not this bad. Expect to see much more focused group on Thursday. If not, theyre in huge trouble. Pick it way up.
Daryl Washington Cardinals Jersey . Fifth-seeded Cilic gained his fourth title in Zagreb and became the third Croat overall to win at least 10 career titles. Cilic also lifted his career record in Zagreb to 22-4, winning 20 of his last 21 matches at the event.
Arizona Cardinals Jersey . The Mariners ace allowed just one hit over eight innings while striking out nine, and Robinson Cano backed him with a two-run homer as Seattle earned a 3-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Sunday.WASHINGTON - Even the most well-crafted and sensible play can be changed at the line of scrimmage. Though hes no Peyton Manning, Masai Ujiri recognizes the value in allowing circumstance to dictate his next move. Like everyone else, the Raptors first-year general manager has been pleasantly surprised by how well his team has performed in the aftermath of the Rudy Gay trade and as a result, the rebuild has been put on hold for as long as they continue to win, maybe permanently. "These guys, theres a good spirit about them," Ujiri gushed moments before his team made quick work of the Wizards, 101-88 Friday evening, winning their fifth in a row. "They like playing with each other, they play hard, they give it their all on the court and in the NBA that goes a long way." "So well keep it going and this is credit to the players and the coaches." When Gay was shipped to Sacramento - along with his $17.8 salary and $19.3 player option for next season - nearly a month ago, Ujiri was admittedly looking ahead to the future. "Long-term, I would think," he responded when pressed about the expected payoff of the deal the day it was made official. The move was executed with roster flexibility in mind. Many believed it would be the first in a series of changes made with the intention of gutting a roster that started the season 6-12 and, at the time, seemed universally flawed. "Well watch this team and see where it goes from there," Ujiri said back on December 9th. "I couldnt tell you where the team is going to go from here. Sometimes you have to make change. Were trying to figure out how we can make this team better whether its now or in the future, we have to keep that in mind." Fridays win in Washington - a game that was over before the end of a 36-point third quarter - was Torontos 10th in 13 games since the trade was made on that fateful night in Los Angeles. The Raptors have recorded 20 or more assists in 10 of those games - culminating in a season-high 29 assist performance against the Wizards - a feat they accomplished in just three of 18 games to begin the campaign. "Besides the winning it just feels good, were all playing together," said DeMar DeRozan, who had five dimes to go along with a game-high 20 points against the Wizards as the Raptors moved above the .500 mark for the first time - this late in the season - since April of 2010. "I think you could tell, were just going out there and having fun, were playing with one another." Ujiri gave the Gay experiment an 18-game audition. It was an unmitigated disaster. With a little help from a historically terrible Eastern Conference, this group of holdovers - a roster pieced together to kill time and lose games before the nnext domino was ready to fall - has earned the right to ride this out.
Kurt Warner Cardinals Jersey. "The NBA is a crazy league, one day its great, the next day its tough," Ujiri acknowledged. "I think everybody is encouraged. Im really happy how everybody has taken the opportunity and everybody is growing in the organization." For Ujiri and company the goal is to win, that has not changed, but taking a few steps back to take the ultimate step forward was - at least at one point - being strongly considered and could be revisited when and if this team comes back down to earth. "Ive communicated to everybody where we stand," Ujiri insisted. "We want to be a good team, we want to be a winning team and if its not that way we have to figure out a way to rebuild the team or figure it out. So I think everybodys clear on how this thing works." At least for the moment, that rebuild does not seem necessary and Ujiri is savvy enough to know when to hold em. Not only are the Raptors turning heads with impressive victories in Dallas and Oklahoma City, or at home to Indiana, but theyre taking care of business against beatable teams, which was the case Friday against an overachieving Wizards club. "Youve got to look at it like, a woman is a woman," DeRozan said with a smirk on his face, perhaps realizing the outlandishness of his analogy after he was asked about a "less-sexy" match-up against the Wizards following morning shoot-around. Washington had won five of its last seven but that team was nowhere to be found as the Raptors ran them out of their own, unsettlingly quiet arena. Toronto was on cruise control after outscoring the Wizards by nine in the first quarter and 20 in the third. Again, Kyle Lowry was brilliant, scoring 19 and assisting on 11 buckets. The Raptors will face Miami and Indiana - the Easts two best teams - on the road next but dont seem like a team anyone would or should feel comfortable betting against. "You feel good but again, I know what a marathons all about," said Dwane Casey, the Conferences reigning Coach of the Month. "Ive been in it too many years, seen it too many times to get too excited or too low. Im going to be the same way if we lose five in a row or win five in a row, you have to be in this league because it can turn around and knock you in the butt and thats what Ive got to get these guys to do." One day at a time. Thats how Casey and his players are approaching it, despite a remarkable run that has them sitting on top of their division, bearing down on third-place Atlanta. That is also the mantra of Ujiri, the Raptors patient assassin, who has wisely altered his game plan and may do so a few more times before the season comes to a close.
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