INDIANAPOLIS - If you ask the Phoenix Suns about their promising start to the NBA season, coach Jeff Hornacek is optimistic whi

Posted in IYH Forums by jokergreen0220 at 02:20, Mar 02 2020

INDIANAPOLIS - If you ask the Phoenix Suns about their promising start to the NBA season, coach Jeff Hornacek is optimistic while the players are focused on the long-term goal of getting back to the playoffs. Jamaal Williams Super Bowl Jersey .After making a late-season playoff push last spring, the Phoenix Suns have picked up where they left off and are blazing their way through their first extended road trip of the season.Gerald Green scored a game-high 23 points, Isaiah Thomas scored 16 points off the bench and two other starters scored in double figures Saturday in Phoenixs 106-83 road win over Indiana. With the victory Phoenix (9-5) got its fourth straight win - all on the road during a six-game road trip.Things are looking up in the Valley of the Sun.Were getting a little bit of a rhythm, Hornacek said. Its something about being on the road. These guys have come together and everybody is contributing.The Suns improved their road record to 5-2 this season and remain one of the leagues highest-scoring teams. And it was their ability to score in bunches that allowed the Suns to seize control against the Pacers.Green, going against his former team, caught fire with three minutes left in the first quarter and stayed hot until he took himself out with seven minutes left in the half. In that stretch, Green dumped 18 points on the Pacers and helped the Suns maintain a lead that they took into the half (55-4.Hes among the group inside the organization that feels the team has turned the corner with Hornacek at the helm. But that group also says last seasons late run and this seasons early success only will be meaningful if the Suns can be consistent over the course of an 82-game schedule.Were potentially a 48-to-50 win team, Green said. But potential doesnt mean anything if you dont prepare your potential. Right now were just trying to take it game-by-game. Just because you win four games in-a-row doesnt mean youre guaranteed to make the playoffs so were just trying to use this to build on.With the loss, the Pacers not only saw their two-game win streak end, but they lost starting centre Roy Hibbert midway through the first quarter due to a sprained left ankle. He attempted to return with 9:23 left in the first half but was unable to remain in the game. Hibbert logged just under seven minutes in the game.In his absence, Ian Mahinmi recorded 12 points and 10 rebounds but was limited in the fourth quarter because of foul trouble. The Pacers werent certain on Hibberts status immediately after the game. He had already left the arena before the game ended.Should Hibbert miss any action other than the 2 1/2 quarters he sat out Saturday, hell join fellow starters George Hill, David West and Paul George on the sidelines. Those three starters have not yet played a game for the Pacers this season.Despite relying on role players in the starting lineup because of the number of injuries, Indiana (5- had won four of its last five games entering Saturdays contest. Indiana was led by Rodney Stuckey, who scored 14 points off the Pacers bench. Hill scored 13 and grabbed six rebounds. Markieff Morris added 13 for Phoenix and Goran Dragic had 11.Now headed out for a two-game road trip against Dallas and San Antonio, the Pacers say theyre still confident in themselves and in the way theyre approaching games despite having three starters who havent played and awaiting an update on Hibberts left ankle.I think were here mentally. Were in every game, said Hill, who hit the game-winning shot Wednesday for Indiana in an 88-86 win over Charlotte. We still believe in each other.___TIP-INSNO HARD FEELINGS - Going against his former team, Gerald Green torched the Pacers for 18 points in an 8-minute span. Indiana had no answer, and Greens run came to an end only because he pulled himself out of the game to catch a breather.THEYRE FREE - Phoenix has taken advantage of its trips to the foul stripe this season, leading the league at 82.9 per cent going into Saturdays game. Against the Pacers, the Suns knocked down 18 of 20 free throws.UP NEXTIndiana plays on the road Monday at Dallas.Phoenix travels to Toronto on Monday. Ray Nitschke Super Bowl Jersey . Three days after falling to Hamilton, Abbotsford scored three goals in 53 seconds en route to a convincing 5-1 win over the Bulldogs Saturday in American Hockey League play. Raven Greene Super Bowl Jersey . The alley-oop looked easy -- just like everything else after halftime for the Miami Heat. James scored 32 points, Wade added 22 points and eight assists, and the Heat trailed by 11 early in the second half before running away to a 107-88 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. http://www.officialgreenbaypackerspro.com/Dexter-williams-packers-jersey/ . The San Angelo, Texas product, who was a high school and college quarterback sensation in the Lone Star State, will start his first CFL game with the Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-4) on Friday at Mosaic Stadium against the leagues top team, the Calgary Stampeders (11-2).History and Controversy in Week 2 The Ottawa Redblacks will go through a lot of firsts this year. On Thursday we witnessed the first game played by the new franchise, the first touchdown scored, (Chevon Walker, who will one day be the answer to a trivia question), and almost the first win. The Henry Burris-led expansion franchise got out to a 14-point first quarter lead, but couldnt hold on against a Blue Bomber team that is for real. More on the Bombers shortly, but it was fantastic to see and call a game involving Ottawa again. Football teams in our nations capital never had bad fans, just bad owners, and that is not the case this time around. The business model is sound, the league is strong, and football fans in Ottawa can trust that this team will be around for decades to come, and get emotionally invested. The players on this team are certainly "all in". They played hard, on the road, in a hostile environment, and almost got it done. It wont be long until we see some more firsts. Like the first game at home which is already sold out on July 18, and based on Thursdays game it wont be long until we see their first win. The Real Deal Now to the Bombers, and yes they are for real! On paper there still may be some who are suggesting other teams in the league are more talented, or maybe more experienced. However, this is a "what have you done for me lately?" business so experience only helps you if you are executing. Also, at the pro level every player is talented, and the difference between winning and losing is smaller than third and inches, so the culture you create for those talented players is what gives you the edge. The difference in Winnipeg this year is that head coach Michael OShea is a team first guy to the core. It oozes out of him when he talks and it is the main reason the Bombers are off to a 2-0 start. Yes, Drew Willy has looked excellent and they have found a tailback in Nic Grigsby but lots of teams have good QBs and tailbacks. OShea is teaching that the team is the priority and that all decisions must be made with the team considered before any personal agendas. It sounds simple but there are many examples of coaches that couldnt get the message across to their players. OShea has not been perfect. He kicked around the handling of veteran Korey Banks for longer than he had to, but his teams record is perfect so far, and that is what matters more than anything. Oh, and in the end the Bombers new head coach did eventually make the right decision when it came to Banks when he cut him loose. Banks wasnt happy with his role and that may have affected the culture in the locker room. By cutting Banks and letting him continue his career somewhere else, OShea made a team-first decision. Reaction to Willis hit on Collaros There are lots of differing opinions on the hit from Odell Willis of the Edmonton Eskimos on Zach Collaros of the Ticats. On one side there are those that argue the game is fast, physical and played by tough men who know what they signed up for, which is all true. It is an old school mentality and its not wrong. However, we live in a new world where player safety has become a priority in contact sports. Finding ways to make hockey and football safer for those who participate is not just dominating league meetings, but is also very important to the playerrs associations. Blake Martinez Super Bowl Jersey. So what about the hit from Willis? First, it looked like the Esks defensive end did try and turn his head and avoid helmet-to-helmet contact. Second, it also looked like he tried to lead with his shoulder, therefore you can assume that there was no intent to target Collaros head. It is also true that if there is a penalty flag thrown every time helmets collide than there would be a penalty called on every play. Having said all of that, if in fact Willis did contact the head of Collaros - whether it was an accident or not - a penalty had to be called. Many times a defensive player gets pushed or trips into the quarterbacks legs accidentally, and that has to be called as well. The league will also review the hit and there could be supplementary discipline handed down in the form of a fine. It is no longer acceptable to say that it is a tough game and things happen at light speed so you have to let the guys play. Improving player safety is priority number one, and has become a legal issue. In fact you could take the discussion even further. The Players Associations in hockey and football are negotiating the player safety agenda into new CBA agreements, and yet dont self-govern when it comes to questionable hits in a game. How many times have we heard the CFLPA announce that they are appealing a fine by the league on a player who has made a questionable hit? It happens virtually every time a player is fined or suspended. Meanwhile the player that took the hit, in this case Zach Collaros, missed the rest of the game and could possibly miss more due to concussion issues. How many times has the Players Association announced a fine within their own organization to a player/member for a questionable hit? That to my knowledge has never happened. The players associations in contact sports have got to start imposing their own fines to players that cross the line, and show the league that improving player safety is not just the responsibility of the leagues head office, but the associations as well. It looks like the hit by Willis was an accident with no intent, but it was to the head of a quarterback, and that is a penalty and should also result in a fine. There is no provision in the rule book that says, "if the player hits a quarterback in the head by accident, or if he didnt mean to do it, then the hit becomes legal." The only way that Willis could avoid a fine here is if the league determines that Collaros didnt actually get hit in the head but it was the whiplash effect that caused his concussion symptoms, and of the TV angles shown so far that doesnt seem feasible. The tougher rules in contact sports these days are designed to change the behaviour of players to protect them from themselves. Those rules are not going away anytime soon, in fact they are getting tougher. We might as well all get used to it and drop the tough guy talk. If the league lets the Willis hit go without supplementary discipline, it will set a precedent for every other time a defensive player hits the head of a quarterback accidentally. There cant be any more grey area. If a defensive player hits the head of a QB, it is a penalty and a fine or suspension - thats the new reality of football. So much so, it is hard to see why there was even a debate on this hit in the first place. ' ' '