Allgemeines » pitching-dominated series.

Five Quick Thoughts for a Monday: 1. NORRIS COLE (Heat): Its funny, you watch a guy play and now really produce and it just jumps off the page at you - why? You put a young player with potential in a winning environment where there is veteran leadership, outstanding coaching and management and a way that things are done and its a wonderful environment for growth, improvement in a climate of constant accountability and expectation of achievement/production. When he was drafted out of Cleveland State this was a young man who could go either way as a pro but the professionalism of the team that drafted him has been a wonderful place for him to be nurtured and educated on how to be a good pro. Hes really impressed me with his play off the bench and has made a significant difference against Indiana in key moments. Proper environment truly does effect outcomes. 2. INDY DEFENCE: Im sorry but the Pacers have NO chance of winning this series if they continue to allow the Heat to shoot 50 per cent plus as theyve done in all of the first three games. The Pacers have been an outstanding defensive team the past few years and thats their "calling card" - it sure aint their offence! To think that youre going to run up and down with the Heat and match buckets - good luck with that. The small/skilled lineups that the Heat throw out there are making Roy Hibbert and David West ineffective to say the least. Its easy to say but hard to do, but the Pacers have to start mucking it up and make this a much more physical and hotly contested defensive style of play. Miami is a flow team and if you allow them to get in rhythm and swing the ball with minimal resistance you might as well set up tee times for next week. The D had better be drastically better on Monday night or this series will wind down quickly. 3. SERGE IBAKA and REGGIE JACKSON (Thunder): A combined 30 points from two starters vs. minimal production from Nick Collison and Thabo Sefolosha - what a difference! Add another playmaker in Jackson (five assists) to the mix and suddenly the ball moves with a purpose and they look like a "team" instead of an "iso show" and then Ibaka was brilliant coming back from the injury with seven boards and four blocks - talk about impact performance. Suddenly the rim/paint was being protected and the Thunder played with some force and swagger defensively and on the boards. Good players used properly and healthy enough to play changes how things go drastically. Winning is really hard and you need your top guys there or you are overwhelmed at times. Now that looked like the OKC Thunder on Sunday night. If they can continue to play that way weve got a series that will go seven games. 4. NBA DRAFT: You watch the Playoffs so far and the thing that continues to jump out at me is how the NBA has changed over the years. How that reflects on this years Draft is that if youre the Cavs and the Bucks with the first two picks youve really got to think long and hard about how Joel Embiids game fits in the league today versus the upside over a 10-12 year period of guys like Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker. This has become a perimeter-based league with skilled guys who can do it all versus the traditional brand of power basketball which still has its place in the game...yet at what price? Always a terrific philosophical discussion for GMs, executives and coaches to hash out. 5. POTENTIAL VS. PRODUCTION (Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas, Raptors): You can talk about the No. 20, 37 and 59 picks in this years Draft that the Raptors have and the free agent decisions and possible moves that GM Masai Ujiri can make this off-season. But for the Raptors to continue to improve and take nice gradual building steps over the next few years the significant improvement in every respect from these two youngsters is paramount. Players are made in the off-season and teams are developed in-season. Will these two young men pay the price between now and early October and come back stronger, more skilled, more knowledgeable and ready to be consistent winning pieces that take an organization from respectable to another gear? Only time will tell. "To whom much is given (major minutes and starting opportunities as sophomores), much is expected." Cant wait to see what both young men come back like in the Fall. Their improvement/development will define the next step for the Raptors. Lots of attention will be focused on the role of head coach Dwane Casey and his staff along with the support staff in the further growth of both guys but in my opinion its a whole lot more now on these two guys personally of how bad do they want to be next level players? When you reach your third year as a pro its time for you to be able to "figure it out" on your own and the coaches are there to guide you on the proper path - yet its on YOU. Its time to be consistent producers in every respect. How these young men (I really like both of them) take personal ownership of their professional careers will set the stage for the long-term direction of the Raptors and the moves Ujiri needs to make accordingly to fill in the blanks. The proper environment exists for both to improve significantly - now its on them to seize the opportunity given to them. Armani Watts Chiefs Jersey . Terms of the contract were not disclosed by the club. Clemons spent his first five NFL seasons with the Miami Dolphins, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2009 draft out of Clemson. Chad Henne Jersey . -- Challenged for the first time under Major League Baseballs expanded replay system, umpires got it right. http://www.chiefsauthenticofficialstore.com/authentic-customized.html . The star receiver certainly isnt celebrating it with the Texans mired in a franchise-record 13-game skid. Breeland Speaks Jersey . Van Slyke drove in a career-high four runs with two homers off struggling left-hander Tony Cingrani, and the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled away to a 6-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night, a rare comfortable win in their pitching-dominated series. Derrick Nnadi Chiefs Jersey . But Josh Bailey scored the shootout winner to lead the Islanders to a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens in a battle of the Eastern Conferences two worst teams. DENVER -- Lance Lynn had such good stuff he could hardly be hit. Matt Adams was so dialed in at the plate he gave his pitcher all the offensive support he needed. The perfect combination for a rout and a rare Coors Field shutout. Lynn allowed three hits in eight innings and Adams provided the spark with two homers and a career-high six RBIs as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the slumping Colorado Rockies 8-0 on Monday night. Lynn (8-5) struck out seven and walked none before being taken out for the ninth after throwing 108 pitches. Its the first time Colorado has been held scoreless at home since July 2. "He was in complete control," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. Adams big night included a two-run single in the third, a solo shot in the fifth and a three-run homer in the seventh. This was the third multihomer game of his career. "Its just a continuation of how Ive felt recently," Adams said. "The big thing that Im happy about is Im laying off the sliders and the curve balls from the lefties. Im trying to make them come over the plate a little bit more instead of chasing what they want me to chase." Jhoulys Chacin (1-6) struggled with his control, allowing five runs in six innings. He also walked three and hit a batter. "Whenever you walk a lot of guys, and you dont make good pitches, especially against a team like St. Louis, youre going to pay for it," Chacin said. Corey Dickerson had two of the hits for Colorado, which has now dropped seven straight. This was the second time in five days the Rockies have been perplexed by a pitcher, with Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw throwing a no-hitter last Wednesday. Mixing a cutter with a sinker, Lynn bottled up one of the most potent lineups in the majors. He surrendered a one-out single to Dickerson in the first and then retired 16 straight until Charlie Blackmon and Dickerson had back-to-back singles in the sixth. Lynn got out of the jam by getting Troy Tulowitzki to fly out. "When you get a good, live fastball like (Lynn) had tonight, youre going to get a lot of guys out," Drrew Stubbs said.dddddddddddd"He didnt make mistakes." Randy Choate got the first two outs in the ninth and Jason Motte struck out Tulowitzki to end the game. Tulowitzki flung his bat in the air in frustration. Once again, Lynn sparkled at Coors Field. He hasnt allowed a homer at the hitter friendly park in the 77 batters hes faced spanning three starts. The right-hander was aided by some fine fielding, too, like centre fielders Jon Jays sliding grab on the warning track in the seventh on Justin Morneaus deep drive. "Thats a good hitting lineup, especially here, in their ball park, where the ball travels a little bit more," Lynn said. "But as a pitcher you cant think about it. Youve just got to try to make your pitch. "I was making good pitches and when youre doing that its a good feeling." Dickerson was the only Rockies hitter who could solve him. "I felt pretty comfortable up there," Dickerson said. "But I think righties were having a tough time picking (his fastball) up." Adams had the first six-RBI performance by a Cardinals player since David Freese on June 7, 2012, at Houston. Matt Holliday added an RBI double against his former team. For the Rockies it was another stinging defeat in a month filled with them. Theyre now 6-15 in June. "If I had an answer, if any of us did, it wouldve already happened," Stubbs said. "At some point, its got to turn around. Hopefully, its sooner rather than later." NOTES: Cards MGR Mike Matheny said LHP Marco Gonzales will make his major league debut on Wednesday. Gonzales grew up in nearby Fort Collins and his father, Frank Gonzales, is a minor league pitching coach for the Rockies. ... Weiss is hopeful RHP Christian Bergman (bruised left hand) can make his start on Wednesday. Bergman was hit by a line drive on his glove hand last Friday. "Hes made a lot of improvement in the last 24-to-48 hours," Weiss said. ... Tulowitzki was named the captain for the National League during the Home Run Derby at the All-Star game. Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '