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• July 12, 2018 10:21 am IST

  in the topic It’s all ABA, baby.” in the forum News and Announcements

  Basketball Hall of Famers George Gervin and George McGinnis see a lot of their old league in today’s NBA. Their former teammates notice it Rams Authentic Jerseys , too. Five decades ago, they were the guys running the floor, embracing the 3-pointers and welcoming underclassmen. They understood the entertainment value of high-scoring games, dunk contests and halftime shows. They valued rivalries, camaraderie and the sense everyone in the sport was working toward a single goal. Today the business model first adopted by the American Basketball Association has largely become the standard operating procedure for the world’s biggest basketball league. ”When the merger happened, we knew the NBA was going to have a strong foundation,” Gervin said Saturday in Indianapolis. ”People talk about how Magic (Johnson) and (Larry) Bird saved the NBA. I think it’s ludicrous because we gave the NBA an infusion of excitement that made the league fun again.” Just about any player in town for the league’s 50-year reunion knows the truth. Aside from the league’s trademark red, white and blue basketball that served as a center piece for the dinner Youth Justin Jones Jersey , just about everything else the league innovated with has eventually made its way to its rival league. Some of it was borne out of necessity. Most ABA teams lacked the size or the star power of the more established NBA, so they relied on tempo, showmanship and pizazz to attract fans. Gervin earned the nickname ”Iceman” in San Antonio. Julius Erving became better known as ”Dr. J.” Playoff series got nicknames, too, and there were times the backstories seemed as every bit as wild as the social culture of the 1960s and 1970s. ”The league had to have an identity,” Gervin said. ”You call it wild. I call it fun.” The biggest secret was that amid all the fanfare, there was some darn good basketball being played. Numerous former ABA stars including Erving, Rick Barry Youth Kemoko Turay Jersey , Moses Malone have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. So has Spencer Haywood, one of the sport’s most important pioneers. Haywood became the first underclassmen to declare he was leaving school after his sophomore season at the University of Detroit and was shunned by the NBA, prompting a Supreme Court case Haywood would eventually win in 1971. The NBA still balked. ”It set the tone for a lot of things that are happening today,” said McGinnis, another underclassman who joined the ABA’s Pacers after turning pro. ”Roger Brown and Connie Hawkins weren’t allowed to play in their prime in the NBA because they got blackballed by the NBA. And Roger didn’t get to play at all because he was 28 or 29 when he came to the Pacers. But it was those type of guys who laid the foundation for guys like myself and those who are entering the league today.” Haywood was back in Indy, too, enjoying he stories and seeing old friends. He also was here for a purpose. While the Dropping Dimes Foundation, which put on the reunion JK Scott Jersey Packers , is trying to help provide health care for former ABA players, Haywood has taken it a step further. As the new chairman of the board for the NBA’s Retired Players Association, he is putting on a full-court press to advocate bringing players from the now defunct league into the NBARPA’s health insurance policy. The league’s current players contribute more than $16 million to the fund. ”We have about 100 or 150 players who don’t have much, so my mission now is to get all of the ABA players covered with health insurance,” he said. ”And I know they (the current) players will take care of it.” But this night was a celebration. With highlight reels playing over and over, many old players donning their shiny championship rings and the Pacers bringing out one of their three championship trophies, the talk inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse was more about satisfaction that the league had accomplished something many doubted it could. ”You look at everything, you look at the halftime events New England Patriots Jerseys Womens , that’s all from us,” Haywood said. ”The 3-point contents, the dunk contests that was all us. It’s all ABA, baby.” . Houston Texans Customized Jerseys , Womens M.J. Stewart Jersey , Authentic Womens Donte Jackson Jersey , Adidas Henrik Sedin Jersey ,
• July 12, 2018 9:33 am IST

  in the topic ukwuma Okorafor Jersey[/url in the forum News and Announcements

  There’s no doubt Saquon Barkley has the talent to be great NFL running back. Speed Cheap Customized Baltimore Ravens Jerseys , power, quickness, smarts, good hands. The Penn State product who the New York Giants grabbed with the second overall pick in the draft has it all. What he needs is knowledge. He has to learn a new playbook for coach Pat Shurmur and then pick up all the little adjustments that turn a college star into one of the NFL’s elite. And it all has to be done in roughly four months. ”Physically, he looks the part,” two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning said of Barkley. ”I’ll be excited to see him with pads on, in the open field, and see what he can do. He has done a good job.” Barkley has done everything asked of him so far. He also has drawn some attention. Veteran defensive tackle Damon ”Snacks” Harrison quipped he couldn’t wait until training camp so he could ”hit his ass.” Barkley laughed about it Wednesday. ”I’m just happy that we’re on the same team Ronald Jones II Jersey Buccaneers , and he only gets to hit me maybe once or twice a year, rather than facing him for a whole game,” Barkley said. Barkley has spent a lot of time the past few weeks picking the minds of veteran running back Jonathan Stewart, Manning and his coaches. When he is not doing that, he is watching videotapes of Cardinals running back David Johnson and the Steelers’ Le’Veon Bell blocking and running inside and outside the tackles. ”There is always room for improvement on anything,” Barkley said Wednesday after the second day of a mandatory three-day minicamp. ”Playbook is definitely something that I feel like I am getting more comfortable with. I am seeing the field a lot differently. Understanding where I have to be in my pass concepts.” Offensive coordinator Mike Shula said Barkley needs to learn the little adjustments that need to happen before and after snaps. He also has to learn how to adjust to facing different defenses each week. So not only does he need to know the plays, he has to understand what happens when Manning changes plays, where the protection slides Cheap Preston Brown Jersey , and where he needs to be. Barkley believes good backs run on instinct. He also says they have to help their offensive linemen by setting up their blocks. ”For me, I did it so natural in college that I didn’t even notice I was doing it,” Barkley said. ”Now, understanding and seeing the play before it develops and seeing the linebacker overflowing, that is how you set up cutback lanes.” Defensive coordinator James Bettcher has enjoyed watching Barkley. ”He’s a special player,” Bettcher said. ”He’s a guy that’s going to create nightmares for any defensive coordinator, and matchup problems on any given down.” After Thursday’s workout, the Giants will be off until training camp opens in late July. Barkley intends to go home to Pennsylvania for his sister’s Sweet 16 party and later train in either Florida or California Authentic Customized Ravens Jerseys , or a mixture of both. He is also looking forward to his first season with the Giants and being in the shadow of New York. ”At State College, it is like its own little city. It is a small city,” he said. ”Then, in New York, you walk around and people know you. It is not like, `Wow they know me, I have fame,’ but it is like people notice you and what you are doing. I have not played a down of football yet Youth Jaire Alexander Jersey , so I am just handling myself.” ERECK FLOWERS: Ereck Flowers says his adjustment to playing right tackle is going well. He admitted it was tough being told he was being moved from left tackle to the right side after the signing of Nate Solder as a free agent. ”They have to do what is best for the organization,” said Flowers, the Giants’ first-round pick in 2015. ”I don’t have any personal feelings about it. For me, I want to prove myself every time I hit the field.” The Giants did not pick up the fifth-year option on Flowers’ contract in the offseason, so he will be a free agent after the season. NOTES: NFL Films was at Giants practice on Wednesday and Shurmur was wired for sound. … CB Janoris Jenkins says fellow cornerback Eli Apple has matured after a troubled season in 2017. ”He understands that there are going to be people that love you and people that hate you,” Jenkins said of Apple. ”No matter how good you play, it is still going to be the same.’ — . Womens Chukwuma Okorafor Jersey , Womens Bradley Chubb Jersey , Authentic Womens Jordan Whitehead Jersey , Womens Kyzir White Jersey ,
• July 12, 2018 9:22 am IST

  in the topic let the Golden Nugget back in the game. in the forum News and Announcements

  The Latest on the New Jersey Legislature’s effort to legalize sports betting (all times local): 5:25 p.m. Monmouth Park Racetrack says it won’t take any sports bets Thursday night. But the track’s plans beyond that remain unclear. The Oceanport Youth Sebastian Janikowski Jersey , New Jersey track near the Jersey shore says it will announce soon when it plans to begin taking bets at its sports wagering lounge. The New Jersey Legislature approved a sports betting bill Thursday, but Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy won’t say when he’ll act on it. One state lawmaker notes that language that would have prohibited a casino or track from taking sports bets before the bill is signed was stripped from the bill before it was approved. —- 5:20 p.m. Texas billionaire Tilman Fertitta is thanking the New Jersey Legislature for a last-minute fix that will allow his Golden Nugget casino in Atlantic City to take sports bets – just not on basketball. Fertitta owns the NBA’s Houston Rockets, and would have been shut out of sports betting under previous versions of the bill. But the change allows him to offer bets on other sports except for basketball. Fertitta says he eventually hopes to persuade New Jersey to let the Golden Nuggets take bets on basketball teams other than the Rockets, which is what Nevada regulators allow. — 5 p.m. Major League Baseball, the NBA and the PGA Tour want New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy to ”fix” the sports betting law on his desk to address concerns about the integrity of betting on their games. The leagues are seeking payments to help them police betting patterns, and want better information sharing. They say the law passed Thursday by the state Legislature does not address those concerns. Lawmakers rejected the integrity fee payments. It remains unclear when sports betting might begin in New Jersey Joseph Noteboom Jersey Rams , or when the Democratic governor might act on the bill. —- 4:55 p.m. A major bookmaking company has signed a contract to offer sports betting at tracks in New Jersey and New York. Moments after the New Jersey Legislature gave final approval to a bill legalizing sports betting, Betfair US announced it will offer sports betting at the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, just outside New York City. It will do likewise at Tioga Downs Racetrack in New York. Betfair says it will start offering sports betting this summer and will be operational at the tracks before the NFL season begins in September. Betfair US is a subsidiary of Paddy Power Betfair, one of the largest publicly traded sports betting companies in the world. —- 4:40 p.m. A New Jersey lawmaker says a Jersey shore racetrack is technically free to start taking bets immediately, even before a bill legalizing sports betting is signed by Gov. Phil Murphy. Republican state Sen. Declan O’Scanlan says language was dropped from the bill that prohibited any sports betting facility from opening until the bill is signed. That appears to clear the way for Monmouth Park in Oceanport to begin taking bets right away. The track has loudly wanted to begin taking bets Friday. But its chief, Dennis Drazin Justin Bethel Jersey Falcons , also has said he does not want to antagonize the governor. It remains unclear what the track’s plans are and when the governor might act. 3:35 p.m. The New Jersey Legislature has given final approval to a bill legalizing sports betting. The state Senate approved the bill Thursday afternoon shortly after the Assembly approved it. It now goes to the desk of Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, who hasn’t said when he’ll sign it. Murphy’s office says the bill will get a careful review, but won’t estimate when the governor will act on it. Monmouth Park racetrack has been particularly vocal about its desire to start taking bets on Friday. —- 3:10 p.m. The New Jersey Assembly has unanimously approved a bill that would legalize sports betting. The bill approved Thursday now goes to the state Senate, which also is expected to approve it, and then to the desk of Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. It’s unclear whether he will sign it into law. The Assembly amended the bill to allow casinos that own more than 10 percent of a sports team to still offer sports betting, but only on sports other than those in which they own a team. That would let the Golden Nugget back in the game. Texas billionaire Tilman Fertitta owns the Golden Nugget and the NBA’s Houston Rockets. Under the change Youth Tennessee Titans Hats , the Golden Nugget could still take bets on sports including football, baseball and hockey, but not basketball. — 1:50 p.m. New Jersey lawmakers are rethinking a law that would have banned one Atlantic City casino from offering sports betting. The state Assembly is expected to amend its proposed sports betting law to allow casinos that own more than 10 percent of a sports team to still offer sports betting, but only on sports other than those in which they own a team. That would let the Golden Nugget back in the game. Texas billionaire Tilman Fertitta owns the Golden Nugget and the NBA’s Houston Rockets. Under the change, the Golden Nugget could still take bets on sports including football, baseball and hockey Roquan Smith Jersey Bears , but not basketball. — 12:30 a.m. New Jersey’s proposed sports betting law is heading down to the wire. Final legislative approval is expected on Thursday, but it’s anyone’s bet when Gov. Phil Murphy might sign it. Despite the desire of Atlantic . Womens Chris Herndon Jersey , Authentic Womens Richard Rodgers Jersey , Adidas Daniel Sedin Jersey , Womens Chase Edmonds Jersey ,
• July 12, 2018 9:10 am IST

  in the topic w.officialusafootballs.c in the forum News and Announcements

  NEW YORK — Last season Troy Apke Jersey Redskins , New York Yankees right-hander Luis Severino credited things such as getting tips from Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez as a reason why everything came together after a difficult experience in 2016. This year, Seattle Mariners left-hander James Paxton is joining Severino among the elite pitchers in the American League, and he credits improved conditioning to go along with an aggressive mindset in attacking hitters. Paxton and Severino will oppose each other Thursday afternoon at Yankee Stadium when the Mariners and Yankees conclude their three-game series. The Yankees are in position to get the sweep after rallying from five runs down and recording a 7-5 win on Wednesday on Giancarlo Stanton’s two-run homer in the ninth inning off Ryan Cook. The Yankees are 16-4 in their last 20 games and are going for their first home sweep of Seattle since May 23-25, 2008. Seattle is on its second three-game losing streak after blowing its first five-run lead this season. Despite their worst collapse of the season, the Mariners are 13-6 in their last 19 games and 32-17 in their last 49 games. Paxton heads into his first career start against the Yankees with a 6-1 record and a 3.44 ERA. After going 18-15 in his first 50 starts since making his debut in 2013, Paxton is 18-7 in his last 39, a stretch that includes a 99-pitch no-hitter last month in Toronto and six of his eight career double-digit strikeout games. Last season Youth Carolina Panthers Jerseys , Paxton was 12-5 with a 2.98 ERA but only made 24 starts due to two stints on the disabled list with a strained left forearm and a strained left pectoral muscle. After five DL stints within the first five years of his career, Paxton refined his conditioning with a program to keep everything working. He described the program in detail while referring to the muscle activation technique. “You need everything to be firing together at the right time and have all your muscles working together in order for them to be optimal strength and stamina,” Paxton said. “So, that’s what I did this offseason and I continue to work with those guys during the season to allow myself to stay healthy.” Paxton enters his 90th career start with 115 strikeouts this year, 39 away from his total last season and sixth in the American League. Paxton said the strikeouts are coming more often because of aggressiveness — resulting in numbers such as a .216 opposing batting average with runners on base, a .194 average with runners in scoring position and a .178 mark when getting ahead of a hitter 0-1. “I think I’ve gotten more aggressive in the zone and stuff,” he said. I’m not picking around the corners as much. I tried to be a little too perfect I think in the past Youth Cincinnati Bengals Jerseys , got myself in bad counts, allowing guys to cheat on fastballs. I think when I get ahead of guys, it gives me more options, makes them think about more pitches I can throw and gets them off my stuff a little bit.” Since the no-hitter on May 8 in Toronto, Paxton is 4-0 with a 3.48 ERA in his last seven starts, a number inflated due to his last start. Paxton is coming off his shortest start of the season when he allowed five earned runs on six hits in 2 1/3 innings Friday against the Boston Red Sox in an eventual 7-6 win. “He’s matured a ton,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “He knows how important he is for our team and how important it is for him to stay healthy. “He’s changed a lot of his offseason workouts Kendall Wright Jersey Elite , his work in between starts, understanding to be able to take the ball every fifth day means so much to our team. He’s really put a priority on that, probably more so than actual pitch sequencing or pitch development.” As for Severino, he can join Cleveland’s Corey Kluber as the second 11-game winner in the majors with a victory Thursday. He is 10-2 with a 2.09 ERA after allowing three hits in eight scoreless innings in Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. It was the fourth time he pitched into the eighth inning and fourth scoreless start. “Obviously anytime he goes, I feel great about it,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s a great pitcher. He’s clearly establishing himself as one of the best in the game.” Severino was 14-6 with a 2.98 ERA last season after Martinez suggested some mechanical tweaks and encouraged him to include his changeup more frequently. Martinez’s advice took place after Severino finished 3-8 with a 5.83 ERA in 22 appearances in a 2016 campaign that featured a triceps injury and a demotion to the minors. It has resulted in Severino being able to maintain velocity throughout games, such as Saturday when 23 of his 102 pitches were clocked at 99 mph or higher. “I’ve played with him all the way through the minor leagues Jeff Locke Jersey 49ers ,” Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge said. “This is what I expect out of Sevy. Go out there and just dominate.” The right-hander is 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA in two career starts against Seattle. He pitched seven scoreless innings in a 4-1 win at Seattle on July 20, 2017, and allowed four runs in 5 2/3 innings in a 7-1 home loss on April 15, 2016. New York left fielder Brett Gardner missed his third straight game Wednesday with a swollen right knee and is day-to-day. If Gardner does not play, Aaron Hicks will likely bat leadoff. . Womens Derrick Nnadi Jersey , Tyson Ross Jersey Womens , Womens Nathan Shepherd Jersey , Oakland Raiders Elite Jerseys ,
• July 12, 2018 8:55 am IST

  in the topic ds shot 55.3 percent o in the forum News and Announcements

  LeBron James is keeping his thoughts to himself. Whatever concerns – or confidence – he might harbor about his Cleveland Cavaliers facing a 2-1 first-round Eastern Conference series hole heading into Game 4 at the Indiana Pacers on Sunday were not going to be made available for public consumption. James decided not to speak to reporters on Saturday. And he did not have a whole lot to say in the immediate aftermath of Game 3 Cheap Uchenna Nwosu Jersey , either, when Indiana erased a 17-point deficit and then held on for a 92-90 victory over the Cavs. Not only has the four-time MVP and three-time NBA champ never lost an opening NBA postseason series, going 12-0 in the past, he had never even trailed in the first round until this one, when Cleveland dropped Game 1 at home. Now he is behind again. ”We’ve had some good quarters,” James said Friday, ”and we didn’t have some good quarters.” Well, that explains a lot. Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue’s synopsis? ”They won a game we should have won,” Lue said. ”That’s what’s disappointing. But we’re not discouraged. We’ve got to get Game 4 – and I’m confident.” In addition to Cavaliers-Pacers on Sunday, the day’s other NBA games are the Boston Celtics at the Milwaukee Bucks Youth Mike Gesicki Jersey , the Golden State Warriors at the San Antonio Spurs, and the Toronto Raptors at the Washington Wizards. A look at Sunday’s full slate of NBA playoff games: — CELTICS AT BUCKS Boston leads 2-1. Game 4, 1 p.m. EDT, ABC NEED TO KNOW: Good as All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo is, the Bucks are getting major contributions from Khris Middleton, who is giving the Celtics headaches with his mid-range jumper and all-around game. Middleton is averaging 26.3 points in the series, while shooting 62 percent overall, 12 of 19 on 3s. ”For me, it’s about seeing the offense, finding my spots to be aggressive Buccaneers Game Jerseys ,” Middleton said. ”Just playing in rhythm.” KEEP AN EYE ON: The first quarter. Veteran forward Al Horford hopes the young Celtics can take lessons from their disastrous start in Game 3 , when Boston was outscored 27-12 in the opening period and never recovered. Boston was flat in front of a raucous road crowd, overwhelmed by an energetic Bucks team that received contributions from up and down the roster. ”This is new for our group,” Horford said. ”We’ll look at film and learn from it.” PRESSURE IS ON: One of the NBA’s best defensive teams in the regular season, the Celtics have been overrun by the Bucks of late. Milwaukee shot 57 percent in each of the last two games, making a franchise playoff-record 16 3s in Game 3. INJURY UPDATE: It’s unclear whether Bucks C John Henson will be ready after sitting out Game 3 with a bad back. … Celtics G Marcus Smart will see a doctor again next week to determine when he can return to full-contact practice. — WARRIORS AT SPURS Golden State leads 3-0. Game 4, 3:30 p.m. EDT, ABC NEED TO KNOW: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will sit out a second game in the aftermath of his wife’s death. Assistant Ettore Messina coached San Antonio in Game 3 and will again in Game 4. ”You know how important Pop is, not only for us players, but the whole organization and the whole NBA Dante Pettis Jersey 49ers ,” Manu Ginobili said. ”We probably are in a better situation emotionally, and hopefully it fuels us. But it’s hard to tell how a team is going to react.” KEEP AN EYE ON: Ginobili. The 40-year-old could be playing in his last NBA game. Spurs fans serenaded Ginobili in last season’s Western Conference finale, believing it could be his farewell. It wasn’t. Ginobili says he will wait until the offseason to decide whether to return for a 17th season. ”It was super awkward,” Ginobili said. ”I didn’t want to acknowledge it. I didn’t want to ignore it.” PRESSURE IS ON: Anyone on San Antonio other than LaMarcus Aldridge. The All-Star forward is averaging 22 points in the series, and has been the team’s only consistent scorer. San Antonio needs someone else to step up. INJURY UPDATE: Golden State is without Stephen Curry and Kawhi Leonard remains out for San Antonio. Both have knee issues. Leonard missed all but nine regular-season games. — RAPTORS AT WIZARDS Toronto leads 2-1. Game 4, 6 p.m. EDT, TNT NEED TO KNOW: As long as all the chippiness and on-court chatter that showed up in Game 3 doesn’t lead to any real fights moving forward, this series could be mainly about the two terrific All-Star backcourts, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry of No. 1 seed Toronto vs. John Wall and Bradley Beal of No. 8 Washington. And each duo has performed much better at home than on the road. Wall and Beal each scored 28 points in a Game 3 win , while the Wizards shot 55.3 percent on field-goal attempts Youth Paul Worrilow Jersey , the third-best playoff showing in franchise history. KEEP AN EYE ON: Turnovers and bench scoring. Those were two of the Raptors’ strengths in the regular season, but both were huge issues in Game 3, when Toronto’s 19 turnovers led to 28 points for Washington, and the Wizards’ sometimes-unreliable reserve unit outscored their counterparts 35-32. ”We had some turnovers that are just our fault, that we really shouldn’t have – we can’t have,” Toronto reserve Jakob Poeltl said. PRESSURE IS ON: Otto Porter Jr. As much as the Wizards dominated in a 122-103 victory Friday, they still train in the series and can’t afford to head to Toronto trailing 3-1. So now that Beal has awoken and joined. 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