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Pridružen/-a: 03.06. 2018, 03:33
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 Objavljeno: 18 Sep 2018 03:19 Naslov sporočila: r in the Spurs’ turnaround |
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Steven Stamkos is back on the ice Micah Hyde Jersey , eager to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning into the NHL playoffs.
The five-time All-Star missed the last three games of the regular season with a lower-body injury. He returned to practice this week and hopes to be ready Thursday for the start of a first-round series against the New Jersey Devils.
”It was obviously tough,” said Stamkos, who watched the Lightning go 2-0-1 down the stretch to hold off the Boston Bruins for the Atlantic Division title and No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
”You want to be in those games. But the more important games are now, and I just want to make sure I feel as good as possible heading into the playoffs,” the team’s second-leading scorer added. ”Hopefully it keeps progressing and I can feel good come Thursday.”
Stamkos, a two-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner, rebounded from missing most of last season with a knee injury to bolster the NHL’s most prolific offense with 27 goals and a career-high 59 assists for 86 points in 78 games.
The 28-year-old center anticipates a tough matchup against the young Devils, who won all three regular-season meetings between the teams.
”It doesn’t really matter where you finish (in the standings) any more. All these other teams are their own different animals come playoff time,” Stamkos said. ”It’s a fresh start once you get into the playoffs. Regular season is regular season. We all know that.”
Stamkos’ health figures as a key to the series.
He missed 65 games after undergoing surgery to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee last season Austin Hooper Jersey , when the Lightning narrowly missed the playoffs. Two years ago, a blood clot discovered near his collarbone sidelined the center from late in the regular season until Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, when Tampa Bay lost to eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh.
The Lightning didn’t practice Tuesday, but coach Jon Cooper said the team remained hopeful of having Stamkos back for Game 1 against the Devils.
Stamkos is optimistic, too, though with his history of injuries in recent seasons he has no illusions about being completely healthy when he returns.
”Listen, my body will never be 100 percent, regardless, going through the stuff I’ve been through Duke Riley Jersey ,” the No. 1 overall pick from the 2008 draft said. ”So there’s no point asking about percentages.”
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More NHL hockey:
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs are both hoping that history repeats itself when they meet in Game 2 of the Western Conference playoffs on Monday night.
The second-seeded Warriors thumped the seventh-seeded Spurs 113-92 in the series opener on Saturday afternoon, putting both teams in a familiar position.
Golden State used a home win in Game 1 as a springboard to a four-game sweep of the Spurs in the Western Conference finals last season.
San Antonio, meanwhile, was drubbed 126-99 in Game 1 of the Western semifinals by the Houston Rockets last May, only to turn things around immediately with an equally decisive 121-96 blitz in Game 2 en route to an eventual six-game victory in the series.
“We’ve got to regroup, feel hurt, upset, kind of desperate Dean Lowry Jersey ,” Spurs veteran Manu Ginobili said after Saturday’s shellacking. “We don’t want to go home 0-2. So we’ll fight as hard as we can in Game 2.”
After leading the NBA in scoring during a 58-win regular season, the Warriors focused on defense in Game 1 of the postseason. Coach Steve Kerr moved super-sub Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup in an attempt to give the game a defensive tone from the start.
It worked. The Spurs shot just 35 percent in the first quarter and were held to 17 points, falling behind by as many as 14 points.
“The whole point of these games early in the series is to re-establish our defense,” Kerr explained. “You can’t win in this league in the playoffs unless you defend.”
The Spurs finished the game at 40.0 percent from the field. The Warriors held five opponents below 100 in the playoffs last season, and won all five of those games.
The Golden State defense was especially problematic to San Antonio star LaMarcus Aldridge, who was held to 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting.
Coincidentally, Aldridge also shot 5 of 12 in the Spurs’ regular-season finale against New Orleans, a loss that dropped San Antonio into the undesirable first-round matchup with the defending champs.
Aldridge averaged 23.1 points and 18.0 shots from the field during the regular season.
JaVale McGee had the defensive assignment on Aldridge at the start of the game and actually outscored him 9-4 in the Warriors’ first-quarter runaway.
Kerr declared afterward that McGee also would get the start in Game 2, but Spurs coach Gregg Popovich wasn’t committing to anything on his end.
Kerr switched to Pau Gasol at center in the Spurs’ turnaround against the Rockets last season David Andrews Jersey , a move he also could make Monday, with the veteran having come off the bench in Game 1.
Popovich made it clear after Saturday’s loss that no one player was more responsible for the Game 1 embarrassment than any other.
“The first quarter, we looked like a deer in the headlights. Very disappointing,” he said. “I thought we were very prepared physically and mentally, but I was mistaken. That was the game right there.”
The series will shift to San Antonio for Games 3 and 4 on Thursday and next Sunday.
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