Only for Guild Members » Minnesotas lowest previous point

TSNs Three Man Weave returns for its first run of 2015, with lots of trade talk in Cleveland, Oklahoma City and Memphis. Skal Labissiere College Jersey . Hosts of TSN Radio 1050s 1-On-1 With Will & Duane, Will Strickland and Duane Watson are joined by ATB News Founder and Editor Don Kingu as they explore the Raptors four-game slide and the Pistons six-game upswing. Can the addition of two new starters and a key reserve right whats going on in Cleveland? Strickland: Not if they dont find chemistry and the secret to playing defence in the NBA. Good chance theres no app for that. Whatever J.R. can offer in his time near Lake Erie will determine his long-term staying power there. Iman Shumpert was the real asset gain and should contribute perimeter defence and young, active legs once hes back from injury. Timofey Mozgov is a serviceable big who can make 15-18 foot jumpers, rebound and offer more resistance at the saucepan than anyone else on the roster. Coach David Blatt now has to show he has the right parts for the job of resurrecting the Cavs season. Kingu: Not completely but itll help address some of their needs, like size on the wing with Smith and Shumpert, who can also help defend the perimeter, more depth and with Varejao out, the addition of Mozgov will help them match up better with the top teams in the East. Watson: If right means get them to the top of the Eastern Conference, no. Cleveland is in panic mode and while the moves can be rationalized, this team has not come together in a way thats been expected. Just as James/Irving/Love have needed time to develop chemistry, the same will be said for the new players. However, J.R. Smith is one untied shoelace away from being JR Smith. The trades also buy head coach David Blatt some time to figure it out and cool off his hot seat some. Whats most alarming about the Raptors four-game losing streak? Strickland: Habits. They are tough to break if you, as a team, have not focused on defensive discipline and defensive integrity, one of the calling cards of this team last season and a necessity to enhance their place within the leagues elite, top tier teams. The increased offensive production has come at a cost and it may be too great to overcome as the season rolls along and the Raps defence remains offensive. Kingu: The defense has gone extinct. In this four-game losing streak, the Raptors are allowing 114ppg on almost 50 per cent FG shooting. Opponents have scored 100+ in 14 of the last 19 games and they allowed 40+ pts in a quarter twice with a whooping 49 points to the Bulls, so the defence is most alarming in my opinion! Watson: I would say the defence, but its been a glaring concern throughout the season. After establishing themselves as a top five offensive unit, the Raptors have simply been outscoring teams, meanwhile their defensive prowess has moved into the bottom third of the league. Its a team-wide issue and needs to be resolved before April or… After winning six games in a row, what got into the Detroit Pistons? Strickland: Detroit vs. everybody and simple math: addition by subtraction. No Josh Smith. No toxic environment. Better team energy, chemistry and floor spacing. Stan Van Gundys building the team in Motown he envisioned with a monster rebounding tandem down low, speedy guards whose dribble penetration on pick and roll offers options of lobs for dunks and wide open threes for their shooters and increased effort and discipline on the defensive end of the floor. See? Simple. Kingu: The disappearance of Josh Smith. With his departure theres more space on the court for Jennings and Monroe to operate and the offence seems to be more fluent now with Smith gone, better shots are being taken by the right players and thats why they won seven of their last eight games. Watson: Josh Smith is the easy answer, but Brandon Jennings could have easily been the player waived. Both had copious spells of poor shot selection, paid fleeting attention to defence and never stepped up as veterans on this ball club. With no one else left to blame, Jennings has embraced Stan Van Gundys philosophy along with his teammates and banded together to show why they were viewed as a team that would make the jump in the pre-season. Who is more likely to turn it around, Waiters in OKC or Smith in Cleveland? Strickland: Despite Waiters success in his first home game in OKC, consider it fools gold. Waiters is insurance for if/when Reggie Jackson decides to leave and test his fortunes as a lead guard on a bad team in the NBA hinterland. Its basically rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, with Dion Waiters and Earl Joseph Smith, Jr. Lets call it a wash. Kingu: Its really a toss up. I like both moves but if I had to choose, Ill give Smith the edge just because I feel hes a better offensive player and with the change of scenery, playing with the best player in the world in LeBron James, that can only change a players approach to the game for the better. Watson: In either situation, youre asking a big if, which is what any team wants when they make deals like this. However, Waiters needed this fresh start more, as he was never going to supplant Irving in Cleveland. The opportunity to provide offence for OKC as the beneficiary of ball movement from Westbrook and Durant gives him the edge. Does Memphis eventual acquisition of Jeff Green from the Celtics bump them to the top of the Western Conference? Strickland: No. Green is a guy who can stretch the floor and is versatile enough to handle the ball occasionally and offer additional rebounding for the Grizzlies, but hes not a game changer. In the long run, his presence will be aesthetic, if nothing else. Kingu: I think so. Since they got rid of Gay, Memphis has been coveting a SF the year they went to the Western Conference Finals. The Grizzlies started the season so well then Gay got shipped and the talk was, What if they never traded Gay? Jeff Green could fill that void on both ends of the floor. Watson: Yes. Memphis was already at the top, but the addition of Green lightens the offensive burden on Conley, Gasol and Randolph, while also opening up the floor as defenders sagged off Tayshaun Prince incessantly. He provides a long, athletic body that can rebound and will fit into the Grizzlies grindhouse system. As a complimentary player that has never excelled at being a number one or two option on a team, hes exactly what this team needs. Follow Will, Duane and Don on Twitter: Will Strickland (@WallStrizzle1), Duane Watson (@duanewatson) and Don Kingu (@atbnews_) Cheap Kentucky Jerseys Authentic . -- Canadas Milos Raonic defeated Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France on Saturday to advance to the third round of the BNP Paribas Open. Anthony Davis College Jersey . The midfielder had an operation on Saturday, and is set to miss seven Premier League games, the third round of the FA Cup and the semifinals of the League Cup. http://www.cheapkentuckyjerseys.com/?tag=kentucky-deaaron-fox-college-jersey . With the Nets winning streak in jeopardy, Williams scored 23 points, 11 in the final six minutes, to lead Brooklyn to a 104-99 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night.INDIANAPOLIS -- The Pacers arent letting anybody keep up with the Georges. Certainly not Monday night. George Hill took care of the early work, scoring a season-high 26 points, and Paul George closed it out by scoring 11 of his 26 points during a decisive second-half stretch that finally allowed Indiana to pull away from Minnesota 98-84 for yet another win. "We just dont rely on one person to do all the work," Hill said. "We have multiple people who can make plays, who can play defence and things like that. We just continue to work together. We dont know whos night its going to be. All we know is we have one common goal and thats to win the game." The Pacers (13-1) are doing that at a record-setting pace this season. After opening with nine straight wins, theyve followed their only loss with four more wins. Theyre now a perfect 8-0 at home for the first time in franchise history, off to the best start in franchise history and 3-0 against the Western Conference. Mondays win followed a familiar script. Indiana used a suffocating defence, a balanced offence and a strong bench and to put away scrappy Minnesota (8-8). But Hill and George proved to be too much. Hill dominated the first half, scoring 12 points as the Pacers took a 20-6 first-quarter lead. George took care of the rest, spurring the game-changing run that finally gave Indiana some breathing room in the second half. Together, they went 19 of 29 from the field and 7 of 8 on 3-pointers. Hill finished with seven assists, five steals and three rebounds, while George had eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. "Its great, were playing together, were making smart plays," Lance Stephenson said after scoring 13 points. "We have so many weapons, you dont know who is going to have a big night." Minnesota had other problems, too. The NBAs best defensive team essentially turned the high-scoring Timberwolves into a three-man show. Kevin Love finished with 20 points and 17 rebounds, Nikola Pekovic had 18 points and 11 rebounds and Kevin Martin added 18 points. Minnesotas other five players combined for 28 points and 19 rebounds -- not nearly enough to turn back the white hot Pacers. What happened? Minnesota shot 32.6 per cent from the field, was 3 of 19 on 3-pointers, had 19 turnovers and went 8 1/2 minutes without a basket. "We shot the ball poorly, plain and simple, and you are not going to win that many games doing that," Love said. "We knew it was going to be a physical game and we tried to be physical right back. Edrice Adebayo College Jersey. . Then they went on that one run and were able to keep their distance." Playing short-handed didnt help. Chase Budinger missed the game with a left knee injury, Shabazz Muhammad sat out with a sprained right ankle and Ronny Turiaf missed the game with a right elbow injury. Derrick Williams, the former No. 2 overall draft pick, also did not play as trade rumours swirled. During the game, word leaked that Minnesota agreed to send Williams to Sacramento for Luc Mbah a Moute -- coach Rick Adelman said after the game that he wasnt aware of a deal. But the bigger problem was containing the one-two punch of Hill and George. Hills fast start helped Indiana take the 14-point lead midway through the first quarter and forced the Timberwolves to spend the rest of the night playing catch-up. Minnesota didnt tie the score again until Pekovic hit two free throws with 4:53 left in the third quarter. Minnesota then took the lead twice for a total of 22 seconds, the second time coming when Kevin Martin made three throws to give the Timberwolves a 66-65 edge with 3:09 left in the quarter. Thats when George kicked things into high gear. He drove to the basket, drawing a foul and made two free throws. He came up with a steal on the ensuing possession and drove in for a highlight-reel windmill dunk to make it 69-66. When the Pacers missed their next shot, George grabbed the loose ball and made a nifty behind-the-back pass to David West, who jogged in for a layup. West closed out the 8-0 portion of the run with a 6-foot runner to give Indiana a 73-66 lead late in the third. Then George opened the fourth quarter with two more baskets and when the 17-4 run ended, Indiana led 82-70. Minnesota never got within single digits again. "We get stops, we get blocks, we get steals, creating easy offence on the other end and thats really the recipe to separate from other teams," George said. "We knew we needed some more energy and we needed to click more offensively. But the defensive end is where we kind of came down and really took care of business." NOTES: Minnesotas lowest previous point total was 92 in a loss at Cleveland on Nov. 4. ... ... Former Purdue star Robbie Hummel made his first trip back to his home state as an NBA player and finished with zero points and three rebounds. ... Indiana won its fifth straight home game over the Timberwolves. ... Indiana Hoosiers coach Tom Crean and NFL sacks leader Robert Mathis both attended the game. Cheap Adidas Hockey Jerseys Wholesale College Jerseys Cheap Nike Basketball Jerseys Cheap Football Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Baseball Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Jerseys From China Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Nike NBA Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Soccer Jerseys China Cheap NCAA Jerseys China Stitched NFL Jerseys Cheap Custom Jerseys China Cheap Basketball Jerseys Authentic NFL Jerseys China Cheap College Jerseys Wholesale Football Jerseys ' ' '