NEW YORK -- Paul Pierce drove his shoulder right into LeBron James, a post-season foul in a preseason game.
cheap nba jerseys . A message to the NBA champions? "Its a message to the league," Pierce said. The Brooklyn Nets showed the defensive toughness Pierce
said will be their identity, smothering the Miami Heat 86-62 on Thursday night
after retiring coach Jason Kidds number. Brook Lopez scored 14 points for the
Nets on a night that peaked with the pregame. Kidds No. 5 was lifted to the
Barclays Center rafters during a ceremony a few minutes before the tip,
honouring him for leading the franchise to its greatest NBA success. The game
itself could have used the jolt Kidd provided when the Nets acquired him in
2001. Except for a few James highlights, it was typical exhibition play, with
starters resting and subs misfiring for much of the night. But theres already a
hint this could become a rivalry when the games do count, as Miami-Boston was
before the Celtics traded Pierce and Garnett to Brooklyn. A day earlier, James
noted that those two shouldnt have been so hard on Ray Allen when he opted to
leave the Celtics for the Heat, since Pierce and Garnett ended up leaving
themselves -- though Allen was a free agent and the pair was traded. "Tell
LeBron worry about Miami," Garnett said when asked about James comments. "He has
nothing to do with Celtic business." James and Chris Bosh each finished with 16
points for the Heat, who shot 32 per cent and did next to nothing in the 20
minutes James wasnt on the floor. "Weve got so many guys out, were just trying
to get better and not waste an opportunity to get better," James said. "I think
we did that at phases. Obviously, we dont have all our guys playing, but when
guys were in the game, they played, worked hard." The Nets believe their
acquisition of Pierce and Garnett, along with a number of other moves, has given
them a roster that can compete with the Heat in the Eastern Conference. All that
could really be told from this game was that the Nets appear to have a better
back end of their bench. Miami managed just 12 points in the second quarter,
when it went mostly with reserves and fell behind 44-28. Dwyane Wade sat out for
the Heat and Deron Williams is still sidelined by a sprained ankle for the Nets,
but the exhibition at times had a playoff feel to it thanks to the rivalry among
some of the veterans. James was dribbling quickly up the floor in the first
quarter and Pierce simply threw his shoulder into James for a foul that stopped
the fast break. Garnett played only 10 minutes. Kidd led the Nets to consecutive
NBA Finals as a player and became the sixth member of the franchise to have his
number retired. A few former teammates attended the ceremony, while taped
messages from Kenyon Martin, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson were shown
during breaks in the game. Key reserves Allen and Chris Andersen also sat out
for the Heat, while the Nets remained without Jason Terry and Andrei Kirilenko
from their bench. The teams will meet again in Brooklyn on Nov. 1 in the Nets
home opener.
nba jerseys china .The list of nominees was reduced Thursday to 15 from the modern era, one senior and two contributors. A
finalist must receive at least 80 per cent of the votes from the 46-person
selection committee to be elected.
cheap authentic nba jerseys . Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston was being investigated for sexual assault, and his Heisman Trophy stock was
falling.TORONTO – Days after his team suffered its worst loss of a young season,
Randy Carlyle spoke sharply of the need for change. "Our level of work has to go
up," said Carlyle on Thursday. "Weve stated that and weve (told) our players
that the message is going to start to be delivered in a different manner if were
not going to get the results that were looking for. Its not just about wins; its
about how we play." Consider the effort on Friday a step in the right direction
for the head coach. James van Riemsdyk scored the lone shootout goal to push the
Leafs past the Devils during Hall of Fame night at the ACC. Most impressive to
Carlyle in victory was the general abandonment of "cute" play that had wreaked
havoc for much of the early season, replaced by simplicity that more closely
resembled the template preferred by the coaching staff. "We drew six
power-plays," said Carlyle. "So we were doing things right as far as getting the
puck into the zone, creating more offensive zone time, playing more of a chip
and support game. "We havent done that in a while," he continued. "We know that
our special teams have been good, we know our goaltending has been good, but our
5-on-5 play needed addressing. Its only a stepping stone for our hockey club."
Though they mustered only 14 shots at even-strength (according to
extraskater.com) – compared with 28 for the Devils – the Leafs managed to grind
in the New Jersey end for extended sequences. They generated more than a handful
of high-quality opportunities against Cory Schneider and secured the
aforementioned six power-plays, which matched a season-high. Employing the man
advantage, Phil Kessel finally broke what lingered as a scoreless deadlock
midway through the third with a slingshot end-to-end effort. It was the
precisely the kind of game-changing goal that reaped the 26-year-old an
eight-year contract before the season began. "Those are difference-maker goals,"
said Carlyle of Kessels 10th marker this season. "It reminded me of Frank
Mahovlich, the windup, come back inside your own line and attack. Thats old-time
hockey, I mean real old-time hockey." Michael Ryder would even the score
awkwardly mere minutes later. From atop the left faceoff circle, the Devils
winger harmlessly threw a puck at Jonathan Bernier, one that the Leafs
goaltender attempted to steer into the corner only for it to leap upwards and
into the net. "I didnt want to have a shutout I guess," said Bernier with a
laugh. The 25-year-old made 34 saves otherwise, adding a perfect 3-for-3 effort
in the shootout to preserve victory. Carlyle was visibly peeved with his teams
effort six days earlier in a 4-0 loss to Vancouver, calling it the worst game of
the season. With three practices and a slew of video and instruction in the days
that followed he harped on the turnovers his team had committed in critical
areas; he stressed the need for a feistier forecheck; he wanted more
"doggedness" on the puck and much more of the chip-and-chase game that finally
arose against the Devils. Neither perfect nor pretty, it was a step in the right
direction. Five Points 1. JVR at centre James van Riemsdyk lined up at centre
for the first time in the NHL and first time in four years. Predictably, the
24-year-old appeared uncomfortable and indecisive at times. "I thought he did
fine," Carlyle said afterward. "The issue for him is going to be more about keep
his feet moving in the defensive zone. If hes going to go and finish a check hes
got to have some urgency in getting over to support our defencemen from a
defensive side. I thought a few times, and he even spoke to it, that he was
watching versus reacting and thats natural." Though he accepted and understood
the move to centre in light of injuries to Tyler Bozak and Dave Bolland, van
Riemsdyk rarely sounded enthused by the change, nor the sizeable adjustment it
required. But with few better options, he was pressed into duty, playing
alongside Kessel and Joffrey Lupul on Friday night. "If he says no then its not
going to work," Carlyle said before the game. "Its 110 per cent his buy-in. We
can say all we want as coaches and say push him there and if he says no what do
you do? Its up to him." Totaling 22 minutes and the shootout winner, van
Riemsdyk won 6 of 15 faceoffs. 2. Clarkson versus New Jersey David Clarkson
played 426 games for the Devils and faced them for the first time as a Leaf on
Friday. Teammates in New Jersey, Mark Fraser explained what Clarkson, at his
best, can do to rattle opponents. "Hes a guy whos able to get under guys skin
and he does it in a physical manner and he can do it with his skill," said
Fraser, "but when hes really a nuisance or well call him a rat to the other team
is when hes at his best." Maybe the most effective trio for the Leafs against
New Jersey, Clarkson joined Nazem Kadri and Mason Raymond on Friday. The
30-year-old totaled 20 minutes, his two best offensive opportunities coming in
the opening minutes on Schneider, including one that squeaked through five-hole
before trickling just wide. Clarkson has yet to score as a Leaf, mustering just
one assist in six games. 3. Kessel, Lupul reunited Lost in the news of van
Riemsdyk shifting to centre was the reuniting of Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul.
The pair formed one of the most lethal partnerships in hockey for nearly two
years; linemates from Mar. 13, 2011 until Jan. 23, 2013. "Ive never played on a
line with anyone for that long," said Lupul before Fridays game. "Id like to
think were both a little bit better players now than we were then when we played
together. Hopefully we can pick up where we left off." Both had career years and
were first-time All-Stars in their first full seasoon together (2011-2012).
wholesale nba jerseys. Kessel finished with a career-high 37 goals and 82 points, Lupul totaling a career-high 67 points in 66
games. "I think offensively we can read off each other pretty well," Lupul said
of chemistry with Kessel. "I had or hopefully still have a good understanding of
where Phils going to be, especially in the neutral zone [I] try and get him the
puck with speed, which is where he creates the majority of his chances. I think
thats where we had some success." An underrated aspect of the 26-year-olds game,
Kessel had a career-high 45 assists alongside Lupul. "Obviously we both probably
are scorers first," Lupul continued. "But, especially with Phil, his playmaking
can get under looked. I think everyone is expecting him to let go the big shot
[but] hes quite a good playmaker as well." They remained linemates when the
lockout-shortened 2013 began, but when a broken right forearm sidelined Lupul
for 25 games, he was replaced on the top unit by van Riemsdyk, who would compile
18 goals in 48 games. 4. Smithson joins Leafs Jerred Smithson played in his
589th NHL game Friday and his first with the Leafs. Previously with the Marlies
on a pro tryout, Smithson was inked to a one-year contract for the veterans
minimum ($550,000) on Wednesday. The 34-year-old spent 497 games previously with
the Nashville Predators during which time Carlyle, formerly the Ducks head
coach, became familiar with him. "It goes back to one of those situations where
you always take note of who the opposition coach puts on the ice," Carlyle said
Thursday of the 6-foot-3, 209 pound Smithson. "And he was one of the guys that
took a lot of faceoffs and played a lot of defensive situations against our big
guys." Down two of their top centres, Bozak (hamstring) and Bolland (ankle), the
Leafs looked to Smithson to help stem the void at centre. The organization
valued his experience, faceoff acumen, penalty killing ability, size, and
physicality. Smithson spent last season split between Florida and Edmonton,
unable to land a job during the cap crunch this summer. "Being away from the
game for those few months and missing training camp was frustrating," said
Smithson, who earned a fan in Steve Spott during seven games with the Marlies.
"To get back with a team and to play games I was just really focusing on getting
my conditioning and timing back down there." Compiling a 55 per cent mark on the
draw in 2013, Smithson could be a valuable addition in the faceoff circle. Bozak
and Bolland assumed 65 per cent of the teams faceoffs prior to Friday, leaving
only Nazem Kadri (43 per cent), Jay McClement (54 per cent) and the
inexperienced van Riemsdyk (63 career faceoffs before Friday). Smithson won 8 of
9 faceoffs against the Devils in his Toronto debut, seeing a majority of his 10
minutes on the penalty kill. 5. Fraser returns Mark Fraser returned from a
13-game stint on injured reserve – left knee – paired with Paul Ranger in his
third game this season. The 27-year-old first injured the knee against the
Flyers on Oct. 2, hit blindly by former Leaf Jay Rosehill. "It wasnt really
until I was in the penalty box that I started feeling it," said Fraser, who was
whistled for high-sticking on the play. "I had my foot up on the bench trying to
flex my quad [and] thinking my knees sore, maybe I can stretch this out." Once
back on the ice, "I tried to take a stride, because we were still shorthanded
when I got on the ice, as soon I knew I couldnt really push hard I knew
something was up." He was diagnosed with a grade-2 MCL tear. The injury required
weeks of rest and rehab. "Once youre able to get back onto the ice youre just
limited," he said. "A lot of the pains gone away, but you just protect it, you
dont want to push yourself in a manner that stresses it and it needs to be
stressed for one thing, to get comfortable with it." It was expected that
19-year-old Morgan Rielly would sit in Frasers return, but with a last minute
injury to Colton Orr – and no other bodies up front – Rielly remained in the
lineup as the seventh defenceman. "Hes made some mistakes as every member of our
hockey club has," Carlyle said of Rielly on Thursday. "I dont like to say that a
young player cutting his teeth in the NHL is experiencing anything other than
life in the NHL. We have veteran people that are making the same amount of
mistakes or the same type of mistakes and they get a pass. And what wed like to
do is make sure Morgan understands, as every player has to understand, that in
certain situations those mistakes are not ones that were going to tolerate."
Stat-Pack 6 – Power-plays for the Leafs on Friday, matching a season-high. .936
– Save percentage for Jonathan Bernier this season, good for sixth-best overall.
24:02 – Minutes for Mason Raymond against the Devils. 27:06 – Minutes for
Dion Phaneuf against the Devils, a season-high. 65 per cent – Faceoff burden
injured centres Tyler Bozak and Dave Bolland had assumed for Leafs prior to
Friday evening. 426 – Number of games David Clarkson played for the Devils prior
to joining the Leafs. 0 – Number of goals for Clarkson this season. 63 – Career
faceoffs for James van Riemsdyk entering Fridays game. 15 - Total faceoffs for
van Riemsdyk versus the Devils. 8-9 – Jerred Smithson on the draw in his Leafs
debut. Special Teams Capsule PP: 1-6Season: 22.8 per cent PK: 2-3Season: 86.2
per cent Quote of the Night "I didnt want to have a shutout I guess."
-Jonathan Bernier on the lone goal he allowed against the Devils. Up Next The
Leafs return to the scene of their Game 7 defeat last May, set to face the
Bruins in Boston for the first time this season.
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