Allgemeines » ts made in 2010, when they signe

CHICAGO -- The Portland Trail Blazers had dropped three straight games and appeared in danger of losing considerable playoff ground in the tough Western Conference before LaMarcus Aldridge returned to the lineup on Thursday. Two games later, the Blazers seemed to have turned things following a pair of comfortable wins, the latest a 91-74 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night. Is the turnaround as easily explained as the return of an All-Star performer? Well, yeah, the Blazers say. "Other than us getting our best player back, which changes everything, I think our urgency is going up," Damian Lillard said. "After the loss at Orlando (on Tuesday), we realized, All right, its time to turn it around now. We cant wait and we cant have all of these lackadaisical efforts. "Everybodys got on the same page and, during these last two games, weve really defended and done everything together." Mo Williams scored 18 points to lead five Blazers in double figures. Lillard had 16 points, Nicolas Batum and Robin Lopez each had 13, Wesley Matthews had 11 and Thomas Robinson added 10. The Blazers got past the Bulls easily, despite a quiet night from Aldridge, who was playing just his second game after missing two weeks with a back injury. He had five points and 13 rebounds in 29 minutes after having 25 points and 16 rebounds in Atlanta. "His presence on the court puts pressure on everyone," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "He does a lot more to help us win than just his field-goal percentage." No one in the Bulls locker room would disagree. "He is a load down there; a great player," Joakim Noah said. "You can tell when he is on the court, whether he scores or not. He changes their team. He is one of the best in the game." Carlos Boozer had 16 points and 12 rebounds in 24 minutes to lead Chicago. D.J. Augustin had 15, Taj Gibson 13 and Noah added 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Bulls, who had a chance to clinch a playoff spot with a win on their own, lost both games of the season series and have dropped 11 of 13 overall against Portland, including five of seven at the United Center. With the New York Knicks loss to the Phoenix Suns, the Bulls still managed to wrap up a playoff spot. Before Friday, the Bulls had been 10-3 in their last 13 home games, averaging 96.8 points on 44.5 per cent shooting during that span. But it was apparent early that they wouldnt approach either of those marks in this one. "We were flat," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "They had something to do with that." Getting off to fast starts was one reason behind the Bulls recent home success, but they were cold at the start, going 8-of-23 (34.8 per cent) from the field in scoring 16 points in the first quarter. Minus Boozers 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting, the rest of the team managed just six points on 3-of-13 shooting. The Blazers had a 47-36 halftime lead and then took charge at the start of the third quarter, beginning the second half with a dunk by Lopez and a 3-pointer by Batum to make it 52-36. In all, Portland stretched the run to 15-2 for a 62-38 lead. The Bulls ended the third quarter on a mini-spurt -- including a three-point play on a dunk and foul by Gibson -- to trim the deficit to 73-58 entering the fourth quarter. The Bulls got the ball first in the final quarter and had a couple of inside looks on that initial possession, but came up empty. Lillard then essentially dashed any hopes of a huge rally with a 3-pointer at the other end to make it 76-58. The Bulls failed to score 80 points for the 11th time this season and are 0-11 in those games. "Our defence tonight was just an example of everybody being there for each other," Lopez said. "When you know there is someone behind you, it gives you the confidence to be aggressive." NOTES: Bulls G Derrick Rose, out for the season with a torn right meniscus, suffered the injury in the first game against the Blazers on Nov. 22 and had surgery three days later. ... Thibodeau was asked if he was taking part in the Bulls NCAA pool. "I didnt get a chance to participate," the coach said. "I was looking at that Quicken Loans one. I think I would have won that." That was the contest in which Warren Buffett offered $1 billion to anyone who could fill out a perfect bracket. No one made it through the third day without at least one game wrong. ... Portland entered with a 20-18 road record but was 2-7 in last nine. Adrian Amos Jersey . Algeria led 3-0 at halftime, but withstood a stronger South Korean second half performance to claim its first World Cup win since 1982 and move into second place in Group H with one match left to play. Defeat for South Korea means it must now beat already-qualified Belgium to stand a chance of progressing to the knockout stages. Cole Madison Jersey .FIFA says it is relaxing the rule which forced match officials to leave its international list at the end of the year they turned 45. http://www.wholesalepackersjerseys.com/ . 42 sitting next to the bench. The 57-year-old with greying hair couldnt box out or grab a rebound, but owner Ted Leonsis waved his red towel and egged on a cheering crowd that chanted "Free Nene!" The Wizards did just fine without the suspended Brazilian forward. Sam Ficken Jersey . The Toronto Argonauts (11-7) look for an opportunity to repeat as CFL champions when they host the surging Hamilton Tiger-Cats (10-8) on Sunday. Ty Summers Jersey . The cause of his death is as of yet undetermined, but police said foul play is not suspected.NEW YORK -- Always fast on the field, Chris Johnson is looking to quickly prove his critics wrong. The New York Jets signed the former Titans running back Wednesday, a little over a week after he was officially released by Tennessee. Johnson met with the Jets all day Tuesday -- the first team he visited -- and stayed in town to watch the Knicks-Nets game in Brooklyn before signing Wednesday. The Jets announced the move, but didnt release terms. In a text message to The Associated Press, Johnson confirmed it was a two-year deal. "I have a fresh start," Johnson told The Tennessean. "Now I am going to go out there with a chip on my shoulder. I know a lot of people are doubting me." Johnson was told by the Titans of their decision April 4, ending a six-year stint in Tennessee during which he became one of the NFLs most exciting running backs. The former 2,000-yard rusher will team with Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell to give coach Rex Ryan and offensive co-ordinator Marty Mornhinweg a deep and dangerous backfield. The Jets also have Mike Goodson, who is dealing with legal issues and recovering from torn knee ligaments. "Ive always been a big fan of the Jets," Johnson told the teams website. "There was some thought into this, but just at the end of the day, I was comfortable here. I just felt like it was the right situation." While his days as a workhorse running back -- he carried the ball over 300 times in each of the 2009 and 2010 seasons -- might be over, Johnson could be the perfect complement to the bruising Ivory and versatile Powell. In Mornhinwegs first season as offensive co-ordinator, the Jets finished sixth in the league in rushing last year with Ivory and Powell sharing the load. Despite the solid production, New York still entered the off-season aiming to improve the position with a big-play runner. Thats exactly what theyre hoping to get in the speedy and durable Johnson, who turns 29 in September and is only the sixth player to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his first six seasons. "I see this as a team on the rise," Johnson told newyorkjets.com. "This is a winning team." But there have been questions about whether hell ever be the same player who rushed for 2,006 yards in 2009, whhen he earned his "CJ2K" nickname.dddddddddddd Johnson finished with 1,077 yards -- the second-lowest total of his career -- and a career-worst 3.9-yard average last season. He also rushed for 100 or more yards just twice. The Jets held Johnson to just 21 yards on 15 carries in their 38-13 loss last season at Tennessee, but Johnson gouged them for 122 yards on 21 carries, including a career-best 94-yard touchdown run, in 2012. The splashy move is reminiscent of the one the Jets made in 2010, when they signed an aging LaDainian Tomlinson, who turned out to be a useful role player. While being deliberate throughout free agency, general manager John Idzik has now signed arguably the three best players available at their positions in Johnson, quarterback Michael Vick and wide receiver Eric Decker. New York also showed early interest in free agency in running backs Maurice Jones-Drew and Donald Brown, but they signed elsewhere. The Titans cut ties with Johnson, making him a free agent, to avoid paying the $8 million he was due for this season, along with the final three seasons left on the $53.5 million contract he signed in September 2011. Johnson, who set several franchise and NFL records during his time in Tennessee, repeatedly said he wouldnt take a pay cut this off-season. That prompted the Titans to unsuccessfully explore trade options this off-season-- including with the Jets -- before releasing him. Johnsons exit appeared inevitable when Tennessee signed Dexter McCluster to a three-year deal and re-signed Leon Washington to join Shonn Greene in the backfield. "The Titans were ready to move on," Johnson said in his interview with The Tennessean. "They didnt want me anymore. But everything is going to work out." Johnson was the 24th overall pick in the 2008 draft out of East Carolina, and had never missed a game because of injury -- despite having surgery after the season to repair a torn meniscus that he played with most of the year. He has 7,965 career yards on 1,742 carries for a 4.6-yard average, including 50 touchdowns, and ranks th