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Theyve been very, very good for us

in Balance Discussion Fri Sep 28, 2018 7:42 am
by jinshuiqian0713 • Farseer | 1.260 Posts | 12600 Points

The Indiana Pacers struck first in their Eastern Conference Finals series with the Miami Heat and theyll go for a commanding lead tonight when the two sides meet for Game 2 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Gregory Polanco Jersey . Watch the action unfold live on TSN and TSN GO at 8:30pm et/5:30pm pt. The Pacers took Game 1, 107-96, Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis in a rematch of last years East Finals. The Pacers made six of their first seven shots from beyond the arc and shot 59.5 percent in the first half en route to a 55-45 cushion at the break. Indiana built its advantage up to as many as 19 in the third quarter and staved off every Heat push down the stretch in the wire-to-wire win. For the game, Indiana shot 51.5 percent from the floor and 42 percent from long range. "We played a pretty good basketball game. I think we can play better," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said after practice Monday. "I think were going to need to play better because I think Miami is going to come back and play a more complete basketball game so we have to elevate our level." The Heat lost only their second postseason game, but are staring in the face of something unprecedented. Since the Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh descended upon South Beach, the Heat have never gone down 0-2 in a series. "We had a couple of breakdowns. In the Eastern Conference Finals, you cant have that many breakdowns," James said after practice. "It wasnt a bad game at all. We scored 97 points, we got 54 points in the paint, we had 23 assists, only 11 turnovers. But we had some breakdowns defensively that allowed them to get some good shots." Paul George led the way for the Pacers with 24 points and seven assists. Indianas entire starting five scored in double figures and it moved to 6-0 this postseason when Roy Hibbert scores 10-or-more points. He finished with 19 points and nine rebounds. David West tallied 19 points and seven boards, Lance Stephenson posted 17 points, eight assists and four rebounds and George Hill added 15 points for the Pacers, who improved to 4-4 at home in the playoffs after going an NBA- best 35-6 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse during the regular season. Wade netted 27 points, while James supplied 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals for Miami. Chris Andersen finished with 14 off the bench and Ray Allen added 12. Indiana raced out to a quick 7-0 start after Hill hit a quick 3-pointer and sunk a pair of free throws before Stephenson nailed a step-back jumper. The Pacers led 30-24 following a quarter of play. It was their first 30-point opening frame since Feb. 27. James cut Indianas gap to 50-45 following a pair of buckets, but the Pacers netted the final five points of the half. The Pacers piled it on in the third. George capped an 8-0 burst with a layup to extend the margin to 69-52 just before the midway point of the stanza. Two Hibbert free throws made it 81-62, but James layup concluded an 8-0 Miami flurry to get the two-time defending champs within 81-70. Wades layup pulled Miami within 83-74 early in the fourth, but the Pacers responded with six straight and the Heat never got the deficit below double digits again. "We played with a great energy," George said. "Thats been an area where we lacked this postseason. Being consistent with our energy and urgency to start games off. I thought we brought that." Indiana finished the season 7-9 and limped through the playoffs, at times looking brilliant, and other times, inconsistent. Miami has looked generally brilliant during the playoffs, and despite never falling down 0-2, this incarnation of the Heat has won all four series in which they lost Game 1. The home team in this matchup is on a nine-game winning streak. Game 3 will be Saturday night in Miami. Colin Moran Jersey . Last years runner-up, Sara Errani, also reached the last eight in straight sets. Flipkens converted all four of her break points against Meusburger, and the third-seeded Errani broke Karin Knapps serve five times to win their all-Italian match 6-4, 6-3. Barry Bonds Jersey . The Padres made the moves before Fridays game at Washington. They promoted infielder Jace Peterson from Double-A San Antonio and right-hander Kevin Quackenbush from Triple-A El Paso. http://www.piratesrookiestore.com/Pirates-Josh-Harrison-Kids-Jersey/ . On July 27 cyclings best-known race will host "La Course by Le Tour de France" -- a one-day womens competition staged hours before Tour riders race on the same circuit to finish the three-week event on Paris Champs-Elysees.PITTSBURGH – Just when it seems that the Maple Leafs might be turning a corner does the inconsistency, which has branded the team through the first two-plus months of the season, emerge yet again. Sidney Crosby ultimately sunk Torontos ship at the Consol Energy Center on Monday night, beating Jonathan Bernier with the eventual game-winner in the final minutes of the third frame. Though his team would hold serve with the tattered Penguins for most of the evening, Randy Carlyle couldnt help but express disappointment at parts lacking, specifically a stunted start. "Its disappointing tonight," said Carlyle, clearly frustrated following the 3-1 loss. "We didnt come out jumping like I thought we would. I thought we would have lots of energy and be on the puck and jumping and we just seemed like were a step behind." Energy was to be expected after a stunning home victory against the defending Stanley Cup champions two nights earlier, but it was notably absent in the opening period. Whatever momentum theyd established against the Blackhawks seemed to short-circuit upon arrival in Pittsburgh, much in the way it did in St. Louis last week. Only 39 seconds had elapsed before the Penguins snatched hold of the lead, Chris Conner redirecting a point shot behind Bernier. "I thought we were a little flat off the gate," said Bernier, who made 28 saves. Outshot 15-7 in the period, the Leafs managed to even things out in a second that saw them fire 13 shots at Marc-Andre Fleury. Morgan Rielly capped the resurgence with his first career NHL goal. "I think as a team we hoped to play a bit better than how we did," said Rielly, who played 19 minutes. "I dont think we were playing our game in terms of how we usually skate. I think we were a bit slower tonight." Unable to generate much in the third, the Leafs were ultimately undone by a series of mistakes and missed opportunities which resulted in Crosbys game-winner. There were the mostly failed efforts of the power-play, including one in the final minute. There was the Nik Kulemin attempt that missed just wide of an open cage. There was the icing which saw Jake Gardiner fire the puck beyond the tape of James van Riemsdyk (though he and his teammates believe it touched a Penguins defender at the offensive blue-line). And though Jay McClement won the subsequent defensive zone faceoff, there was the failed clearing attempt from Gardiner and the inability to check the games greatest player in the slot. "Hes the best player in the game for a reason," said Dion Phaneuf of the Penguins captain. "He has been for a long time. He makes a real good shot there."More good has emerged from the Leafs in recent days, including strong efforts against the Kings and Blackhawks, but the Jekyll and Hyde of their inconsistency remains. "I think weve kind of flirted with the way we can play," said van Riemsdyk, "but weve got to do it more consistently." Five Points 1. Riellys First It took 41 shots for Morgan Rielly to score his first goal in the NHL. Winding up with a wrist shot at the top of the left circle on a power-play, Rielly slung the puck by a surprised Marc-Andre Fleury. "Its a pretty nice feeling," said the 19-year-old about the goal, "but its always tough when the team loses and youre not overly happy after the game because of what the score was. But its pretty nice just to get it out of the way." Rielly is tied for fifth in scoring among rookie defencemen with 10 points in 26 games. 2. World Juniors? Rielly had been a healthy scratch for three consecutive games last week, at which point it seemed that a trip to the World Juniors was all but certain. And then he was reinserted back into the lineup for four straight games, predictably quieting the assumption. Carlyle made clear after Mondays game though that a final decision had not yet been reached on whether to send Rielly to Sweden. "Were going to have a tough decision here coming thats for sure," he said. Be it Carlyle, Dave Nonis or any member of the management team, the Leafs have stressed that theyll do whats best for the long-term development of their prized rookie defender. But that assertion typically included the caveat that Rielly would remain in the NHL if he was playing regularly and contributing. "We feel that he can play here and make a contribution," said Carlyle, questioned on the subject on Dec. 2. The decision will come soon. Canada plays its first pre-tournament game on Friday. 3. Surviving Injuries Like the Leafs – if not more so – the Penguins have endured a substantial amount of injuries at key positions, notably on defence. Pittsburgh hhas been without three of its top-four on the blue-line – Rob Scuderi, Paul Martin and Brooks Orpik – and just placed Kris Letang on injured reserve. Sean Rodriguez Jersey. And yet, theyve continued to win, now nine victories in the past 10 games. Boasting two of the top players in the world certainly helps, with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin pacing the league-wide scoring race, as does terrific goaltending, but the Penguins have also benefited from the steady contributions of players plucked from their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre. "I think all the guys who have come in deserve a lot of the credit," said Crosby. "Theyve been thrown into some pretty important situations right off the bat here and theyve done an unbelievable job. They deserve a lot of the credit. Thats impressive. You have seven, eight guys from Wilkes-Barre coming in and playing the minutes that theyre playing and doing the job theyre doing that says a lot about the depth in our organization." Its a model to replicate for those clubs beset by injuries, including the Leafs, who remain without Dave Bolland and Tyler Bozak. Contributions from the organizational ranks have picked up steam for Toronto in recent days with Trevor Smith, Jerry DAmigo, and Peter Holland – who never played for the Marlies, but slides down the depth chart with a healthy lineup – all chipping in amid a challenging stretch. What the Penguins survival efforts highlights is the value of quality depth within an organization. "I dont know if you necessarily get an appreciation for it when theres only one or two guys coming up," said Crosby. "When its this many guys that have to come in you definitely get that appreciation." Pittsburgh entered the night with 161 man games lost to injury compared with 101 for Toronto following the game. 4. Leafs Goaltending Still Good, But Not Quite Heroic Despite their struggles defensively, the Leafs managed to win 10 games in October, largely on the heroics of their two goaltenders (and special teams). Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer have remained a solid duo in November and December, but not nearly to the largely unsustainable level they were at early on as the table below indicates. Save Percentage Splits for Toronto Goaltenders Goaltender October November December James Reimer .949 .916 .914 Jonathan Bernier .933 .923 .915 "Weve been very, very fortunate with our goaltenders," said Carlyle on Monday morning. "Theyve been very, very good for us. Weve made a lot of mistakes along the way, but our goaltenders have been able to provide with us that save and timely saves." 5. DAmigos Rough Night First Jerry DAmigo was hammered into the boards by Zach Sill. Then he was crunched twice in the neutral zone by Robert Bortuzzo, the first of which drew a penalty for a hit to the head, the latter ending the 22-year-olds night. The NHL said shortly after the game that Bortuzzo would not be suspended for the first offence. "Its a 6-foot-5 or 6-foot-6 guy on skates delivering a check to a 5-foot-10 guy," said Carlyle of the collision. "It didnt look good from the bench where he hit him with his shoulder, but I cant say that I can comment other than I only saw it in live time and its difficult." Departing the game briefly after the first hit (likely for a concussion test), DAmigo returned before he was crunched into the boards once more by Bortuzzo, appearing to favour his shoulder as he left the ice for good. Carlyle had no update on the Binghamton native following the game, but he was seen leaving the arena in considerable discomfort. Stats-Pack 1-1-1 – Leafs record against Pittsburgh this season. 1-6-3 – Road record for the Leafs in the past 10 games. 39 – Seconds elapsed before the Penguins opened the scoring. 40 – Shots on goal for Morgan Rielly before scoring his first career NHL goal against the Penguins. 15 – Assists for Cody Franson this season, tied for the team lead. 19:04 – Ice-time for Rielly against the Penguins. Special Teams Capsule PP: 1-5Season: 24.1% (3rd) PK: 1-1Season: 76.9% (27th) Quote of the Night "Were going to have a tough decision here coming thats for sure." -Randy Carlyle, on the impending decision on Morgan Rielly and the World Jrs. Up Next The Leafs play host to the Panthers on Tuesday night. 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