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Julie2012's FRKN Blog

Westbrook's injured thumb not expected to be issue

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Oklahoma City Thunder coach Scott Brooks says he expects Russell Westbrook to be fine for nike dunk high supreme royal,Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night, even though the All-Star point guard had his left thumb wrapped again at the team's morning shootaround.

Westbrook was taking one-handed shots with nike dunk high supreme varsity maize,his right hand after reporters were allowed in to see the end of the session. He then pulled the wrap back and tried a couple with both hands.

Westbrook has been dealing with dunk high supreme spark black black rave pink citron the injury since the Western Conference finals but did not wear any sort of wrap during Oklahoma City's Game 1 victory on Tuesday night or during practice on Wednesday.

Brooks says ''obviously there's a little pain but nothing to prevent him from playing the way he can play.

Thunder, not Supersonics, are in the NBA Finals, and Seattle is stewing over bitter departure

SEATTLE – To feel the heartache, be true nike dunks,you must find the biggest heart. And on the first night of the NBA Finals it literally and figuratively belonged to Lorin "Big Lo" Sandretzky, who sat in the corner of a bar owned by former Seattle SuperSonics forward Shawn Kemp and stared sadly at the television.


 Big Lo is something of a legend in Seattle. nike dunk hi hyperfuse prm,He calls himself "Seattle's Biggest Sports Fan," and at 417 pounds he probably is. When Seattle sports teams arrive home from long trips, Big Lo is the first person they see, standing alone by the side of the hanger. Once, nike dunk hi hyperfuse premium,when the Sonics flew back in a snowstorm, the players climbed off the plane to discover Big Lo had shoveled their cars from out of the drifts.

 That was back when Sonics coach Nate McMillan bought Lo's Sonics season ticket in the third row behind the basket. It seemed to McMillan the least he could do. But that was also back when the SuperSonics existed, before they moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 and became the Thunder and before the Thunder made the Finals, which was tearing Big Lo apart.

 "I'm like a lost little kid," Big Lo said. "When you're a kid you try to make sense of things. This is one of the things I can't make any sense of. It's like losing your favorite childhood toy or a friend."

Sparks-Sun Preview

The Los Angeles Sparks are off to their best start in nine years, but their wins have come against lackluster opponents. nike dunk heels high colorful,That could change Wednesday night.

The Sparks will try to extend their win streak to five when they visit Eastern Conference co-leader Connecticut, nike dunk heels high soft pink white challenge red, which is seeking a season-high fourth straight victory.

A healthy Candace Parker and No. 1 nike dunk heels high brown white,overall draft pick Nneka Ogwumike have helped Los Angeles (6-1) quickly put behind a pair of subpar seasons. The Sparks were 13-21 in 2010 and 15-19 last year while missing the playoffs for the second time in 13 seasons.

Ogwumike, leading all rookies with 14.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, posted career highs of 25 points and 12 boards in a 90-74 win over Phoenix on Friday.

Parker, who has dealt with shoulder and knee injuries over the past two seasons, recorded her fourth straight double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

"There's a different energy about this team and a different type of identity," veteran forward DeLisha Milton-Jones said.

The Sparks are off to their best start since matching their own WNBA record by winning their first nine games in 2003, but their wins have come over three teams who are a combined 3-19. Los Angeles suffered its only defeat May 24 to defending WNBA champion Minnesota, which has tied the Sparks' 9-0 record start.

Connecticut (6-1) also suffered its only loss to the Lynx, 85-72 on June 1, but has bounced back by winning its last three by an average of 91.7 points.

Tina Charles became the first WNBA player to record 50 career double-doubles in 75 games during a 92-73 rout of visiting Atlanta on Sunday, finishing with 22 points and 11 rebounds. She also set a franchise mark with her 19th consecutive double-digit scoring performance.

"(I'm) just playing hard, just trying to get a win," Charles said. "That's just my motivation out there. Just trying to get a win and doing what I can each possession."

Kara Lawson added a season-high 21 points as Connecticut shot 61.7 percent, the second-best performance in franchise history.

With Parker not playing in either meeting in 2011, Charles took advantage to lead the Sun to a season sweep of the Sparks, averaging 21.0 points and 18.0 rebounds.

She matched a career high with 23 rebounds and scored 22 points in a 79-76 home victory over Los Angeles on June 28.

The Sun haven't won four straight since July 15-26, while the Sparks are trying to win five in a row for the first time since a six-game run Aug. 15-25, 2009.

LeBron vs Durant, Heat vs Thunder, in NBA finals

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) LeBron James is quickly racking up MVP awards while Kevin Durant is pokemon pikachu nike dunk high,collecting scoring titles at the same pace.

Either could make a nike dunk high sb venom,case as the best player in the NBA.

Neither is interested in anything beyond team accomplishments nike sb dunk high blue denim.

One of them is about to get the only crown he craves, their head-to-head duel the leading story line of the NBA finals that begin Tuesday night when Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder host James and the Miami Heat.

''I think it's going to be a great matchup,'' Miami's Dwyane Wade said Monday. ''I think it's going to be two players that's going to be tough to guard each other, that's going to have to guard each other.''

Both insist the series is more than an individual matchup and the All-Star talent around them supports the claim. But the focus will be on James, the three-time MVP in his third shot at a championship, and Durant, the three-time scoring champion who is playing for his first at age 23.

It's the first time the MVP and scoring champ have met in the finals since 1997, when Michael Jordan's Bulls knocked off MVP Karl Malone and Utah.

''Everybody is going to make the most out of the matchup of me versus LeBron, but it's the Thunder versus the Heat,'' Durant said. ''One guy versus another guy, it's not going to be a 1-on-1 matchup to win the series,pokemon pikachu nike dunk high, it's going to be all about the team.''

They are friends and workout partners, play the same small forward position and are blessed with unlimited basketball talent. After years of waiting on a James-Kobe Bryant finals matchup that never materialized, the league gets one that's perhaps even better, if not quite as sexy, to wrap up a successful season after the lockout.

''It's great for the NBA,'' Miami's Shane Battier said. ''I anticipate record ratings, which is great, so maybe we can get some of the escrow check back from the owners. First and foremost, that's why I'm excited to see Kevin Durant versus LeBron James. But selfish reasons aside, it's just a great matchup.

''There's so many young, great players in this league and established players and All-Stars. If you're a basketball fan, you're missing out if you're not watching this series.''

Both have sworn off Twitter, at least for the time being, James posted his last message on April 27 and Durant on May 1.

For now, KingJames and KDTrey5 will stick to making their statements on the court.

''Kevin is locked in on what he needs to do to help the team win,'' Thunder All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook said. ''It's going to be a great series for both teams and hopefully we can come out with the win.''

Rivers, Celtics look back on good season, bad end

BOSTON (AP) Ever since the 1960s, when the Boston Celtics emerged as the most decorated franchise in the NBA, nike dunks high graffiti yellow nothing less than a championship has satisfied the team or its fans.

This year's team may have changed that.

Overcoming age and injuries to make it to fragment design beijing nike dunk high Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against the more-heralded Miami Heat, the Celtics bowed out of the playoffs on Saturday night with a 101-88 loss that likely ended the new Big Three era in Boston.

''I don't know if I've ever had a group like this,'' capt america x us soccer nike dunk high coach Doc Rivers said. ''They did everything I asked them to do. They came up short. ... Our guys, I love them. They were phenomenal.''

The Celtics won their 17th NBA championship in 2008 - the first season together for Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. They returned to the finals two years later and, playing without injured center Kendrick Perkins, came within 6 minutes of beating the Los Angeles Lakers again.

Perkins was traded the next year as general manager Danny Ainge attempted to stock up for another title run. But his roster began to fall apart even before the season started when Jeff Green was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm; center Jermaine O'Neal was lost during the season and guard Avery Bradley went out in the playoffs, costing Boston one of its best defenders.

''I wish we could have had healthy runs,'' Rivers said. ''This team won a title. Got to another one, a Game 7, where they had a shot to win. Got to the Eastern Conference finals and one game away on the road. Banged up.

''But you don't get do-overs.''

With Garnett and Allen eligible for free agency, Ainge considered breaking the team apart at the trading deadline to build for the future. Rivers campaigned to keep the group together, and when a deal for Allen fell through at the last minute, the coach got his wish.

''It was a great opportunity,'' Pierce said. ''You couldn't ask for anything more. We're very thankful for these last five years.''

For his decision this year, Ainge was rewarded with another long playoff run.

Celtics may be people's choice, but Heat tough to beat

Boston teams haven't exactly been national favorites in the last several years, nike dunk high supreme royal
with professional teams in the region doing a good deal of winning
(championships by the Celtics, Red Sox, Patriots and Bruins). But with
the way the country outside of the Miami area has turned on the Heat in
the last two years, the Celts have the sentiments of many behind them.



 They might need that nike dunk high supreme varsity maize
and more in Game 7 Saturday night in Miami because wishes weren't
enough on Thursday night as the Heat evened the Eastern Conference final
with a 98-79 victory. LeBron James had 45 points, and the Celts had no
answer.



 So the Celtics will need dunk high supreme spark black black rave pink citron everything they can muster to make it to the NBA Finals, but by now they know they are most of the people's choice.



 Longtime NBA coach Flip Saunders, now serving the Celtics as a
consultant in these playoffs, has a perspective from both the inside and
out.



 "I think there are a lot of things that play into it," he said. "You
know, Miami has been the villain because of a year ago when LeBron went
there and how that whole thing came down. That's just the perception of
the people.



 "But I do think that the way the Celtics play, people look at them as
being the embodiment of team basketball, defensive oriented. And I think
everyone always has some sentiment for the older players as they get
into the last part of their career. To see them giving everything they
have, knowing that it could be their last opportunity, is something
people want to see and pull for.



 "But that can be hard for some people after what's happened in Boston
these last years. I think there's no question that there's a great
amount of jealousy because they've won so much. That's the biggest
thing. And I think people are even jealous of the fans because the fans
in Boston are so into games. It's at a different level compared to when
you go to a lot of other places."



 But coach Doc Rivers said, "I just think this is a lovable group." And
Keyon Dooling believes the support the Celtics have received in this
series has to do with more than just dislike of the Heat and the way
that team was put together with free agents LeBron James and Chris Bosh
joining Dwyane Wade.



 "I think a lot of people can relate to the different guys that we have
on our team," he said. "I just think they can relate to a (Rajon) Rondo.
They can relate to a Kevin Garnett. They can relate to a Paul Pierce.
You know, we've got like a very radiant bunch. Everybody has a different
personality, so there's something of yourself you can find in one of
our guys."



 As for the venom directed at James, Dooling, a south Florida native, doesn't believe it's warranted at all.



 "Sometimes it's like that, but I've never seen a superstar like LeBron
have such a hard time from the fans and from the general public,"
Dooling said. "You know, he's our most prized possession in this league.
He makes our game. He's a big part of why our game is so popular. I
don't understand why he's so disliked. The guy's an unselfish superstar.
He does phenomenal work in the community. He's empowered his friends
and made them businessmen. He does so many great things. I don't
understand why the perception is so negative with LeBron."

Wigginton's 6 RBIs send Hamels, Phillies past Mets

Cole Hamels keep the Philadelphia Phillies rolling a day after they faced another injury to nike lebron 9 ps elite maize a critical player.

With Roy Halladay's status still uncertain, nike lebron 9 ps elite home Wigginton drove in a career-high six runs with a homer and a pair of two-out hits and Hamels won his eighth straight decision as Philadelphia beat the New York Mets 8-4 Monday.

''You know when you miss someone like Halladay, nike lebron 9 ps elite for sale you're missing him, but there's nothing you can do about it,'' Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. ''It might get hard, but we're definitely not going to fold tent. We're going to try to outplay everybody.''

Halladay was pulled Sunday after two innings because of shoulder soreness. The Phillies say they will send the right-hander to see a doctor on Tuesday. The two-time Cy Young winner is 1-3 in his last five starts.

Hamels (8-1) pitched well enough to match St. Louis' Lance Lynn for the major league lead in wins. He said he did not place any extra pressure on himself because of Halladay's situation.

''We're not going to put any added stress on what we have to do,'' Hamels said.

Hamels struck out six and allowed seven hits in eight innings to help the Phillies win for the fifth time in six games following a season-long four-game losing streak.

''He came in after the loss yesterday and did it again,'' Wigginton said. ''Cole's been stepping up all year and he did it again today.''

Scott Hairston and Vinny Rottino each hit tying two-run homers for the Mets, who had a three-game winning streak end.

''It was one of those days when they got better pitching and their bats were a little hotter,'' David Wright said.

Down 5-4, the Mets threatened in the eighth when pinch-hitter Andres Torres doubled. With one out and Torres on third, Daniel Murphy grounded out and then Wright also grounded out to end the inning. Wright has gone hitless in his last 14 at-bats, dropping his average to .373.

James, Heat start tuning for East finals

LeBron Jamesshook a few hands, slapped a few fives, gave a few hugs.
That was the extent of his celebrating air jordan retro 10 chicago bulls after the Miami Heat ousted the Indiana Pacers.
A return to the Eastern Conference finals — no small achievement by any measure — is nice, air jordan retro 10 chicago for sale though it's far from the oft-stated goal for the reigning NBA MVP and the Heat. They'll host Game 1 of the East title series on Monday night against Boston.
"You can't just show up, no matter who you're playing against," James said Saturday, when the Heat resumed practice after taking one day off to rest up and recover from a grind against Indiana. "We have to prepare the same way we've done the first two rounds — and even prepare ourselves even more. As the rounds go, the competition grows, so we look forward to the challenge."
The way James sees it, there's not a lot of reason for celebration yet. After all,air jordan retro 10 chicago release date he's not wearing the letters VIII across his upper teeth.
Over the past couple seasons, James has worn mouthguards with fangs, others with the Heat logo, and some with no adornments whatsoever. For these playoffs, he's broken out something new: A mouthguard embossed "XVI."
It doesn't take much to decipher what those Roman numerals are supposed to signify. It's 16, the number of wins that the Heat would need to capture the NBA championship. Miami has the first eight of those out of the way, but in this all-or-nothing season for the Heat, that's far from enough to satisfy anyone. Beating New York brought one or two quick moments of excitement, as did topping Indiana, but neither provided the ultimate moment.
"The first year in Cleveland, when we beat Washington in that first-round series, it was an achievement for not only myself and my teammates but for our franchise, which hadn't been to the playoffs in a long time," James said. "Those days are over. My aspiration is to go win a championship now. So those days are over."
They've been over for a while, of course. And as if anyone needed any reminder of the goal, James started wearing the "XVI" mouthguard. The idea came from Mike Mancias, a trainer who has worked with James for years, first in Cleveland and for the past two seasons with the Heat.

Heat's LeBron James leads NBA all-defensive team

NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James is nike lebron 9 ps elite maize the leading vote-getter for the league's all-defensive team.Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka, nike lebron 9 ps elite home Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul, Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen and Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard join the Heat star on the first team announced Wednesday.
New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler, despite being named Defensive Player of the Year by NBA media, was not voted onto the all-defensive team,nike lebron 9 ps elite for sale which is selected by the league's 30 head coaches.Ibaka and Allen earned first-team honors for the first time.James totaled 53 points, including 24 first-team votes. He averaged 1.9 steals and 7.9 rebounds as Miami ranked fourth in the league in opponent scoring.

Chiefs get on field for offseason workouts

When the whistle blew, air jordan12 retro cool grey Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry
headed off to the corner of the far practice field while the rest of the
Kansas City Chiefs began a full-squad practice.


In many ways it looked like last season, air jordanretro 12 cool grey 2012 when the speedy running back
and playmaking safety were recovering from torn knee ligaments. The
difference this time was that Charles and Berry were dressed in shorts
and jerseys and appeared on the cusp of returning.

That alone made the first in a series of organized team activities a success.



''I'm excited. Jamaal has made tremendous progress,'' quarterback
Matt Cassel said. ''Every day he's been working out in the weight room
and doing tremendous things already.''






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Charles and Berry weren't alone in doing rehab work. Tight end Tony
Moeaki is also coming back from a torn ACL. Defensive back DeQuan Menzie
hurt his hamstring during a recent rookie minicamp, air jordanretro 12 cool grey release date safety Kendrick
Lewis is still working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery and
linebacker Brandon Siler from a torn Achilles tendon.

That made six players expected to contribute heavily next season off to the side.

Then there was wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. The Chiefs have until July
16 to sign him to a long-term contract; otherwise he'll play next season
under the franchise tag.

All the players sitting out gave others an opportunity to shine.

Jonathan Baldwin, the Chiefs' first-round pick last season, spent
most of the workout running with the first team offense in place of
Bowe. He made a couple of nifty grabs of throws from Cassel, one of them
on a deep route down the left sideline when he was tightly covered.

''I'm going to continue to do the best I can do,'' said Baldwin,
deftly sidestepping any talk about Bowe's absence. ''I don't know
anything about that, so I'm just going to do the best I can.''

All the injuries at defensive back gave guys like Terrance Parks an opportunity.

He was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Florida State and
found himself running with the first team defense for part of practice,
something that first-round draft pick Dontari Poe couldn't pull off in
his first organized workout.