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left in the third period, Ritchie tied the game for the Stars wh

in Here is your first Forum Wed Nov 06, 2019 7:20 am
by sakura698 • 630 Posts

MIAMI -- LeBron James was walking down the hallway that the Miami Heat call "Championship Alley" a few minutes after last seasons NBA Finals, when he decided the time was right to send a message. Air Jordan China . It wasnt for his fans. It was for his detractors. "Keep giving me motivation! I need it!" James shouted in the crowded corridor, as the champagne for a second straight NBA title started spraying in the nearby locker room. "Keep doubting me! I need it!" James still has his haters, of course. But with the start of this years playoffs looming, the four-time NBA MVP said Friday he doesnt necessarily need to be fueled by them anymore, not with the Heat having a chance to become just the fourth franchise in league history to capture three straight titles. And if doubt exists -- to be clear, it surely does after Miami lost 14 of its last 25 games -- James said hes not noticing. "I sent out a few tweets but I havent been reading anything," James said after Miami ended practice Friday. "Im kind of just gearing toward locking in tomorrow night and go from there. But I dont need any motivation. I dont need extra motivation. Im motivated enough. This is the best part of the season, its the best time of the year and Im happy to be here once again." Miamis path toward what it hopes is a third straight title and fourth straight appearance in the NBA Finals starts on Sunday against the Charlotte Bobcats, a team the Heat swept this season and are 15-0 against since James arrived in South Florida. Still, no one needs to tell him how much more difficult this post-season could be for Miami, since history isnt exactly on his teams side. Only two franchises -- the Lakers and Celtics -- have won as many as four straight conference titles. James got a reminder of that Thursday night when he watched a documentary about the "Bad Boys"-era Detroit Pistons, a group that won back-to-back NBA championships and reached the finals three years in a row, just as the Heat have now. "When they said they went to three straight finals, they won two in a row, now theyre looking to go to a fourth straight final, I looked at my wife and said, Whos that sound like?" James said. "I know exactly what they were going through." Thing is, those Pistons couldnt get it done. Whether or not Miami does largely hinges on James. He averaged 27.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.4 assists in the regular season, shooting nearly 57 per cent -- the seventh straight year in which hes set a career best in that department. He had a career-high 61-point night against Charlotte last month, climbed five more spots to No. 27 on the leagues career scoring list, and is likely to pick up his eighth All-NBA first-team selection. And even if James doesnt wind up getting his fifth MVP award, with Kevin Durant of Oklahoma City appearing to be the favourite this year, the Bobcats know the enormity of the challenge awaiting them. "Obviously he is the best player in the world," Charlotte guard Chris Douglas-Roberts said. "Hes the best player on the planet and we know he is going to make shots that are contested and will have nights he gets 30. But I think we have a pretty good defence. The game he had 61, if he hits 8 3s on anyone that is going to happen. But we like our chances on the defensive end." Fairly or unfairly, everything the Heat and James have done to this point in the season is now irrelevant. Theyll all be judged by what they do in the next two months. James knows and accepts thats the case, as do his star teammates Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. "This is what makes elite players elite players," Wade said. "You dont get the elite name unless youve done it at this level." Over the last two postseasons, James has made the elite look ordinary. The 45-point, season-saving game at Boston in 2012. A triple-double in Game 5 of that seasons Finals against Oklahoma City to wrap up his first championship. A layup at the buzzer to beat Indiana in Game 1 last year. A 32-point game in Game 6 of last years Finals against San Antonio, followed by a 37-point outing in the second straight title-clincher. The Heat can only hope for more of the same this time around. "I think Ive put together some pretty good second seasons in my career," James said. "Hopefully I can continue to do that." Fake Jordan . - Chris Davis hit a two-run double, scoring Nelson Cruz in his Orioles debut in Baltimores 9-7 win over to the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday. Air Jordan Outlet .com) - Its fair to call Mike McCarthy one of the best coaches in the NFL but its also more than objective to point out that the veteran mentor bookended the Green Bay Packers season with two, truly awful game plans in Seattle. https://www.jordanchina.us/ .com) - The San Francisco Giants delivered plenty of big hits to tie the World Series. ST. JOHNS, N.L. -- Travis Morin scored twice, including in overtime, as the Texas Stars clawed back from a three-goal deficit to rally past the St. Johns IceCaps 4-3 on Monday night and take a 3-1 series lead in the American Hockey Leagues Calder Cup final. Despite being outplayed through the first period, Stars coach Willie Desjardins said the team was waiting for the chance to get back in the game. "The guys knew we werent playing good and knew we had to do better. We knew we had to go hard and hope we caught a break," said Desjardins. "Getting those two goals at the end of the second (period) gave us some life." Morin sealed the win when he capitalized on a one-time opportunity 2:24 into overtime, burying the puck top corner from the slot with a quick wrist shot. "It was obviously a big goal," he said. "We had a lot of momentum going after getting that one in the third. It seems like most games we play in overtime this post-season, we get it done as quickly as we can. I was flying up the backside and Brendan Ranford made a great pass. I didnt get all of (the puck). I really wanted to, but I didnt. It sort of fluttered over his shoulder." Morin said his line with Ranford and Curtis McKenzie has had chemistry the entire post-season, and continues to produce. "We all contributed, it was a complete effort from our whole line. We all know our roles and we all know what to do. Were unselfish and not afraid to make a better pass for a better scoring opportunity." McKenzie and Brett Ritchie also scored for Texas. Ben Chiarot, CCarl Klingberg and Kael Mouillierat scored for St. Cheap Air Jordan Free Shipping. Johns. Chiarot opened the scoring for the IceCaps while shorthanded when his wrist shot from the point found its way through traffic at the 13:02 mark of the first period. Klingberg gave the IceCaps a two-goal lead when he finished off a give-and-go with Mouillierat 57 seconds into the second period by carrying the puck to the net on his backhand and burying it high glove. The IceCaps scored again at the 8:21 mark of the second when Mouillierat hit a one-time slap shot from the top of the right face-off dot on a Will ONeill pass during a 5-on-3 power play. Morin ended the drought for Texas when he tapped in a goal five-hole in the slot with 4:27 left in the second period. The Stars pulled within one through McKenzie, who swatted in a loose puck bouncing around the crease with 1:51 remaining in the second. With 2:19 left in the third period, Ritchie tied the game for the Stars when he finished off a good spell of puck possession with a quick wrist shot in the slot. IceCaps goalie Michael Hutchinson made 34 saves while Texas goaltender Cristopher Nilstrop stopped 32 shots. Morin said the Game 4 win is key in the Stars ability to close out the series. "(Winning Monday) was big. It guarantees us having three shots at it. If we need it, two of those shots will be in our building. Thats what we worked for all year, to get those opportunities, but we would love to take care of it tomorrow night. Game 5 is Tuesday night in St. Johns. Game 6 and 7, if necessary, will be back in Cedar Park, Texas. ' ' '

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