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Pridružen/-a: 05.07. 2018, 10:24
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 Objavljeno: 28 Avg 2018 03:01 Naslov sporočila: that can happen. |
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Nikola Mirotic watched his third 3-pointer of the first half swish through the hoop Ed Dickson Jersey Seahawks , turned to acknowledge the raucous, roaring crowd and raised his first triumphantly as he trotted back up court.
Portland had a hard enough time dealing with Pelicans All-Star Anthony Davis and the New Orleans backcourt of Jrue Holiday and Rajon Rondo in Games 1 and 2. Pile on the finest playoff performance of Mirotic’s four NBA seasons, and the rout was on in Game 3.
Mirotic scored a career playoff-best 30 points to go with eight rebounds, three steals and a block, and the Pelicans pushed Portland to the brink of elimination with a 119-102 victory on Thursday night.
”I never thought I’d score 30 or something like that,” Mirotic said. ”I’m just trying to play simple. If I have a shot, take a shot, so I need to give credit to my teammates. … It’s just about the team. It’s about winning.”
To illustrate how hard New Orleans has been to defend in the series, Portland coach Terry Stotts made a point of noting that Mirotic was the third different Pelicans player to score 30 in a game. Davis had 35 in Game 1 and Holiday 33 in Game 2.
”New Orleans played extremely well,” Stotts said. ”We arguably had one of our worst games of the year, so it was a bad combination.”
Davis had 28 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and two blocks for New Orleans, which can advance past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2008 with one more victory. Game 4 is Saturday.
The 6-foot-10 Mirotic, acquired in a midseason trade after DeMarcus Cousins‘ season-ending Achilles tear, made 12 of 15 shots, scoring on everything from quick-release 3-pointers to cutting dunks and fast-break layups.
”I knew I was capable to have games like this, but I never want to force any shots and always want to play simple, play for my teammates the same way they play for me Mike McGlinchey Jersey ,” Mirotic said. ”I just want to show them they were right to bring me here.”
Damian Lillard scored 20 for Portland, but missed nine of an unusually low 14 shots. He averaged about 19 shots per game this season, but said the Pelicans were defending him relentlessly.
”They’re making me give the ball up,” Lillard said. ”This is a different coverage than I’ve seen at any point in my career. … It’s two or three layers of defense. It’s tough to play against, man.”
CJ McCollum scored 22 and Al-Farouq Aminu added 21, but Portland trailed by double digits for most of the first half and all of the second.
The Blazers had no answer for a Pelicans offense orchestrated once again to prolific effect by Rondo, who had 16 points and 11 assists – giving him 37 assists in the series. Holiday added 16 points for New Orleans, which shot 53 percent (46 of 87).
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: Starting F Evan Turner was scratched because of his toe injury sustained during Game 2 on Tuesday night. Maurice Harkless started in his place, scoring five points in 26 minutes. … The Blazers committed 24 turnovers, leading to 29 Pelicans points. … Finished 9 of 31 from 3-point range.
Pelicans: Cousins was on the bench, attending his first game in New Orleans since his injury on Jan. 26. When he was shown cheering on his teammates on the main scoreboard, fans erupted into chants of ”Boogie! Boogie!” … The Pelicans shot 11 of 27 from 3-point range and 16 of 19 on free throws. … Scored 62 points in the paint and 32 on fast breaks.
SETTING THE TONE
The Pelicans wore alternate red uniforms and every fan was given a matching T-shirt, turning the entire packed seating area into a sea of red.
The volume was high early with the crowd revved up for the first playoff game in New Orleans since 2015.
The Blazers did nothing to silence the place, shooting about 35 percent and committing six turnovers in the opening quarter.
New Orleans raced to an 18-point lead in the period, aided by Mirotic hitting five of his first seven shots for 14 early points.
Mirotic scored 21 by halftime, which already represented a playoff career high.
Davis joined the fray with his typical array of alley-oop dunks, one of which he caught with his back to the basket and threw down with a two-handed reverse jam.
Rondo ran New Orleans’ offense with a tempo that gave Portland fits, and even when he was forced to settle for a deep 3 late in the shot clock, it went down Billy Price Youth Jersey , pushing the Pelicans’ lead to 20 in the first half.
Portland never got closer than 13 after that and trailed by as many as 33 in the fourth quarter.
FRESH LOOK
Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said he’s not sure Mirotic’s decision to shave his beard had anything to do with his recent surge in production, but said the Pelicans are choosing to believe it does. He then added, ”Tell Niko, no 5 o’clock shadows, OK?”
UP NEXT
The series remains in New Orleans for Game 4 on Saturday night, when the Pelicans have an opportunity to complete the first playoff series sweep in franchise history.
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More NBA basketball: Maybe it was poetic LeBron James had a supporting cast on his injured right hand.
He was missing one in the NBA Finals.
For the second time in a career still ascending after 15 years, James was on the wrong side of a sweep as the Golden State Warriors, a team with no apparent weaknesses and as many as four of the league’s 10 best players on its roster, transformed into a dynasty in Cleveland late Friday.
After what may have been his final game with the Cavaliers, James revealed he hurt himself in a fit of frustration following a Game 1 overtime loss.
He displayed a soft cast on his hand during his postgame news conference and then rounded up his children and some of their friends, and along with his wife, and the usual support group of handlers and security personnel, drove home to Akron.
His next stop is unknown.
Another suspenseful summer of ”Where will LeBron go next?” is off and running.
In the next few weeks, James is expected to decline his $35.6 million contract option for next season with the Cavaliers and become an unrestricted free agent like he was in 2010 and 2014. Then the fun starts – well, officially and legally under NBA rules – and teams can begin courting King James to join them.
At the moment the list of suitors is limited, but it could grow before July as teams position themselves to acquire one of the game’s most transcendent forces.
There are obvious potential landing spots, but James, who averaged 34 points, 10 assists and 8.5 rebounds against the Warriors Blake Martinez Jersey , made it clear that any team coveting him better be prepared to win – everything.
He’s still into hanging banners.
”I still want to be in championship mode,” the 33-year-old said following his eighth straight NBA Finals appearance. ”I think I’ve shown this year why I will still continue to be in championship mode.”
Although James may have dropped to 3-6 in the finals, it hasn’t diminished his pursuit of winning a fourth title or slaying this Golden State goliath, a monster of a team he never imagined getting in his way when he made his Ohio homecoming after playing four years in Miami.
So, who has a legitimate shot at getting him?
The Philadelphia 76ers can entice James with young stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, salary-cap space to accommodate him and other pieces, and the luxury to stay in the Eastern Conference to avoid meeting up with the Warriors until the Larry O’Brien Trophy is up for grabs.
The Lakers’ sales pitch will include their current flexibility to sign another maximum contract player – maybe Paul George or Kawhi Leonard – and Hollywood’s celebrity-filled hills. James already owns two homes and a film production company in Los Angeles, where the star could become a supernova.
Don’t rule out the Houston Rockets, who pushed Golden State to a Game 7 in the postseason. In presumed MVP James Harden; Chris Paul, one of James’ closest friends; and bent-on-overthrowing-the-Warriors general manager Daryl Morey, the Rockets have the building blocks to assemble an uber-team.
In the end, James may decide home is still the sweetest spot.
The Cavaliers, though, have a lot of work to do to convince him he should hang around. The team’s decision to trade All-Star guard Kyrie Irving last summer to Boston sparked a sequence of events that led to a mid-season overhaul, soured James and sent him into the playoffs with a group he carried as far as humanly possible.
Cleveland can offer James more money – a five-year, $209 million contract – than anyone else, but the larger issue is what it can do to improve a roster that’s currently short on title-winning performance. The Cavs have the No. 8 overall pick in this month’s draft as an asset to perhaps package with All-Star forward Kevin Love, who could finally be moved after being the subject of trade rumors for years.
And there’s also the delicate matter of James’ rocky relationship with team owner Dan Gilbert. The two have co-existed purely on business terms since patching things up after Gilbert eviscerated James when he bolted for Miami. It’s unclear if they can move forward together.
On a podcast during the Finals, Gilbert said he views James as much more than a player.
”Legally Reuben Foster Jersey Limited , he may be working for our organization, but that’s not really the case,” Gilbert said. ”He’s more of your partner, really.”
The comment was a concession of sorts from Gilbert, who understands what James means to his franchise and what he represents to Northeast Ohio – hope.
James came home four years ago promising to win a championship and delivered within two seasons, ending a 52-year title drought in a city he has personally helped to revitalize. The summer of 2016 was unforgettable, with a downtown parade that James has said overwhelmed him with emotion.
It may go down as his crowning achievement, or something he wants to feel again.
If so, there’s only one place where that can happen.
The last time James left Cleveland it was because he needed a team to help him achieve greatness. He found it with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, and he came back a different man, ready to build his legacy. A father of three, his priorities have changed again, and this time the decision is more complicated.
There’s a tug-of-war going on between James’ brain and heart.
”When I decide what I’m going to do with my future, my family and the folks that have been with me for the last 20 years will have a say-so,” he said. ”Then it ultimately will come down to me.”<.
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