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 linchao
Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined: Aug 25, 2018
Member#: 8560
Posts: 68
Location: http://www.chicagobearsteamonline.com
    
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 Posted:
Mon Aug 27, 2018 8:12 pm Post subject: e to go on with th |
 
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LeBron James will get a couple days to catch his breath Bob Uecker Jersey , then make his annual June journey to Golden State or down to Houston to face a team far better than his.
His eighth straight NBA Finals sets up as one of his most difficult, flanked by a largely unheralded set of teammates who force him to do much more at 33 than most other players are ever asked.
But James keeps showing he can do it, and he can’t wait for his chance to win another ring.
Dare count him out?
”At the end of the day, the game is won in between the lines, and we have an opportunity to play for a championship,” he said after Sunday’s 87-79 victory over Boston. ”That’s all that matters.”
James dragged an injured and inconsistent Cavaliers team out of the Eastern Conference and back to the NBA Finals, where they will be an underdog against whichever team wins Game 7 in the West on Monday.
But after playing all 48 minutes in his 100th game of the season, punctuating one of the greatest series a player has ever had with 35 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, he sure looks capable of more.
And the Cavaliers will need every bit of it. They had to play seven games just to get out of the first round, and seven more to finish a climb out of 2-0 deficit against a younger, more athletic Celtics team. They have to be tired, and that’s no way to go into a series against Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and the Warriors, who blew Cleveland away in five games last year, or James Harden and a Rockets team that can be every bit as potent on one end and lock teams down on the other.
The only way it would appear Cleveland would have a chance would be if James can summon his highest level Authentic Shaquem Griffin Jersey , the kind that perhaps no other player can reach – and then do it three more times.
The Celtics have seen him do it, after he averaged 33.6 points, 9.0 rebounds and 8.4 assists to eliminate them in the East finals for the second straight year.
”I think we’ve played now until May 25th and May 27th the last two years, and we started on Sept. 25th,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. ”That’s every day. Every day that you’re totally focused on this, and he’s gone past that eight straight times. It’s ridiculous, and he does it at this level and with the pressure, with the scrutiny. Doesn’t matter. It’s just unbelievable.”
This was the year James’ finals streak looked over. Kyrie Irving had been traded to Boston in the offseason, Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose weren’t the answers as his replacement, and Kevin Love missed significant time with injuries.
And even after the Cavaliers remade their team at the February trade deadline, it didn’t look good enough. Cleveland had finished just fourth in the East, never developing the necessary cohesiveness required to be even a mediocre defensive team, let alone a championship-caliber one. They still can surrender open shots everywhere, a flaw that seems fatal against the 3-point happy Rockets or Warriors.
The only obvious advantage the Cavaliers have is James, the kind of player who can win a Game 7 in Boston with a team that was without its other All-Star because of a concussion and couldn’t shoot straight deep into the first half Da'Ron Payne Jersey Elite , with Cavaliers other than James missing their first 10 3s until J.R. Smith hit one with 2:54 remaining until halftime.
”I mean, the bigger the stage, the bigger the player, and he’s been doing it for us since we’ve been here,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. ”The great quote from the great Doc Rivers is you always want to go into the Game 7 with the best player, and we have the best player on our team going into a Game 7. I like our chances.”
And he’ll like them again starting Thursday even if the oddsmakers don’t. The Cavaliers were probably far better last year and could only get a game from the Warriors.
But two years ago, they also weren’t given much of a shot against the Warriors, especially after falling behind 3-1 in the finals. Nobody had ever overcome that deficit in the championship round, and Cleveland had to do it against a team that had won an NBA-record 73 games.
James led that comeback to Cleveland’s first title, and now he’s got a shot for another unlikely one.
”I’ll be available for at least four more games,” James said, ”and we’ll see what happens.”
—
Coming off a troubling season, New York Giants cornerback Eli Apple seemingly has grown up.
A bad attitude led to a suspension for the final game of the 2017 season and a couple of benchings earlier in the campaign has been replaced by a business-like approach.
That's rapid progression for a soon-to-be 23-year-old who appeared to have worn out his welcome two years after the Giants drafted him with the 10th pick overall.
The change didn't just come. It's been coming since Pat Shurmur was named coach and Dave Gettleman took as general manager. They met with Apple after a 3-13 season and told him he would be starting with a clean slate.
"It is definitely important for me, first impressions," Apple said. "I just wanted to show that I was a hard worker and just continue to show that even now as we continue to go on with these practices, staying on top of that and trying to get better every day."
Apple is going to be a key piece for the Giants in James Bettcher's 3-4 system. He has the talent to be a lock-down cornerback Cheap Baker Mayfield Jersey , which would give the Giants two. Janoris Jenkins is on the other side of the field.
"They have a lot of confidence in me," Apple said of the coaching staff. "They told me that they feel I am a really good player and as long as I listen to them, I can get better and become a Pro Bowl player. I see that as well. With my athleticism, I see myself, especially in this defense, I see myself as excelling in it and I am looking forward to the season.is"
Apple started 11 of 14 games as a rookie and finished with two interceptions, 49 tackles, and a fumble recovery, playing on a team that went 11-5 and earned a playoff berth. Last year was a horror. He started seven of 11 games, didn't have an interception, and was suspended for the final game of the season for getting into an argument with coaches about playing on a scout team. The Giants called it conduct detrimental to the team.
Safety Landon Collins didn't hesitate to say last season that Apple needed to grow up.
Apple won't say what caused the turnaround, but it's obvious something has changed.
On the field now, Apple is all smiles and ready to work. The former Ohio State product frequently goes over to Jenkins and picks his brain.
"Like when I see Jackrabbit make a play on the other side, I think to myself, 'OK, it's time for me to make a play if the quarterback comes my way Authentic Kolton Miller Jersey ,'" Apple said of Jenkins. "But it's always fitting that I'm trying to pick his brain because he was All-Pro, Pro Bowl corner, so he's definitely one of the best in the game. So, if I can learn as much as I can from him, that'll make me a better player."
Apple also is taking no downs off. Early in Saturday's workout, he hounded first-year receiver Amba Etta-Tawo on a pass over the middle. Later on the Giants' first day in pads, he gave second-overall draft pick Saquon Barkley a good bump on a running back.
Shurmur certainly has been impressed by the new version of Apple.
"With my eyes, just a few months into this, I'm seeing a guy that's all about his business," Shurmur said. "He is very business-like and he is covering really well, which is a good attribute for a corner. I like the way he is working. He's out there challenging but he is also being smart. Based on what I have seen, there are very few mistakes that he is making when we move the coverage around and I like the way he is functioning in the building."
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