The NBA pre-season is upon us and hope springs eternal for 30 teams. Greg Maddux Authentic Jersey . Cant wait. How time flies. Im starting my 16th year as a Toronto Raptors broadcaster and this is my sixth year with TSN. I feel very fortunate to be involved in the sport I love and to have the opportunity to be part of it in a lot less stressful way than my previous career as a coach. Its fun and you folks with your passion for hoops make it awesome. Thanks for your support and look forward to enjoying lots of great basketball moments together in 2013-14 and beyond. Lets quickly touch on a few NBA topics. 1. Glen Grunwald (Knicks): Totally bizarre that he was removed as GM. He did a better than good job there in his roles with the organization. Very strange but in the world of owner James Dolan, nothing shocks me. Feel for Grunwald; good basketball man who is very low key. Dont be fooled by his quiet demeanor, hes a sharp guy and very competitive. I know that life is unfair but this is a time where you just shake your head and feel awful for a guy. Steve Mills is the new president & GM; a stunning return to MSG for him. One of those moments where you say to yourself, You cant make this nonsense up! 2. Derriok Rose (Bulls): Thrilled that hes healthy and back practicing with his team. If there is one guy (if 100 per cent healthy) that can dramatically change the makeup of the Eastern Conference, its this guy. Impact guy with explosive ability. The Miami Heat are obviously the team to beat with the Pacers, Nets and Knicks all in the hunt. Rose will put the Bulls right back in the elite discussion again if it all works out and Im cool with that. Its great for the sport. 3. Erik Spoelstra (Heat): Outstanding move by owner Micky Arison and president Pat Riley to get him locked up on a long-term deal. He fits the organizational approach/mindset of the Heat exactly and is an outstanding young coach. Stability is crucial to any good franchise and the coaching leadership is paramount. Hes proven himself to me time and time again as a guy who is one of the elite rising coaches in the game today. 4. Channing Frye (Suns): Reports out of Phoenix are that hes close to coming back after missing last season with heart ailment. Good for him. Have always liked his ability as a stretch perimeter guy and is a team player who gives it his all. Any time you can have a floor spacer like Frye on the court it helps dramatically with the flow/spacing and efficiency of your offense. Hopefully, it works out for him. 5. Toronto 2016 NBA All-Star Game and Drake: Lots of news out of Toronto with the announcement of the 2016 NBA All Star game and Drakes involvement with the Raptors. Ive been saying for years that getting the All-Star Weekend is a good thing for Toronto and will be a nice opportunity for the organization and city to showcase itself as a place that has amazing potential (it does!) as a viable NBA destination as well as (if run properly) a place where a franchise can be a significant player (it can be!) in the NBA landscape. The involvement of Drake doesnt hurt one bit. Were in the recruitment and retention business. If he can even help a little bit with the recruitment of a player and/or helping a current player who is on the fence about life as an NBA Player in Toronto stick with his commitment, then why not try it. Worth a shot. In my 16 Years doing this in Toronto, Ive seen more than my fair share of the attempts to win press conferences with the glitz and glitter and then Day 2 and beyond, it fizzles. Never confuse activity for achievement. Sooner or later, as the Raptors start Year 19 in the NBA, youve got to see results and those results on a consistent basis. If this helps that, wonderful. Let it rip. All for it. At the end of the day, all fans want is the durable, solid level of success/results of teams like the San Antonio Spurs, New England Patriots, St. Louis Cardinals and the New Jersey Devils. Substance ultimately overrules style. In the words of Al Davis, Just Win Baby! Babe Ruth Authentic Jersey . -- Whenever a Royals pitcher has issued a walk lately, the runner has usually scored. Orlando Cepeda Braves Jersey . -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are making a case for saving coach Greg Schianos job with a strong second-half turnaround.ATLANTA -- Atlanta and Sacramento traded baskets for much of the night. When the fourth quarter rolled around, Kyle Korver and Co. put the Kings away. Korver made seven consecutive 3-point attempts on his way to a season-high 28 points, leading the Hawks to a 124-107 victory on Wednesday. "Those are dangerous games," Korver said. "We kind of said when the fourth quarter started that weve got to pick it up right now." Al Horford added 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who have won two straight and five of seven. Jeff Teague finished with 18 points and tied a career high with 15 assists. DeMarcus Cousins scored 28 points, Rudy Gay had 22 and Isaiah Thomas 20 for the Kings, who allowed a season high in points. The Hawks outscored the Kings 39-20 in the fourth quarter of their 12th consecutive victory against Sacramento. Horford made consecutive jumpers to help Atlanta open a 117-105 lead with 2:49 left. "I guess Im not doing a good enough job of giving them a game plan that they can execute," Sacramento coach Michael Malone said, "and Im not doing a good enough job of explaining who the players are on their team that can make shots." Korver missed his first 3 attempt early in the first, but then hit seven in a row before missing midway through the fourth. He went 8 for 10 from long range while extending his NBA record to 95 straight games with at least one 3-pointer. Korver finished with his highest point total since Nov. 21, 2007, when he scored 31 for Philadelphia in a 104-84 home victory over New York. "I got a lot of really good looks tonight," Korver said. "I usually dont get that many. That was a product of a lot of our spacing and just everyone knocking down shots." Atlanta finished with 38 assists for its highest total since it had 39 in a 136-104 home victory over Philadelphia on April 19, 1997. "Thats the product of a lot of things," Korver said. "Its unselfishness, its good spacing, its a lot of guys in rhythm, its everyone being dangerous and no ones really sure where the help is going to come from (on defence). When Jeff is attacking like that and really going to the basket, it really createss a lot of openings for us. Greg Maddux Braves Jersey. ." There were 14 lead changes in the third quarter. Late in the period, Gay stole the ball from Teague and drove the length of the court for a reverse layup that put the Kings up 78-75, but Teague answered with a 3 on Atlantas next possession. Sacramento grabbed the lead for the first time early in the second quarter. Jimmer Fredette had a jumper and a 3-pointer, and Cousins tip-in made it 33-30 with 9:38 to go. The Hawks had a quick response. Korver made his third 3 and Mike Scotts alley-oop dunk put Atlanta ahead by six about 3 minutes later. "It was a back and forth game," Teague said. "Everybody was scoring. We couldnt stop each other. Luckily we got some stops in the fourth." Gay, who was playing with right knee stiffness from Tuesdays loss at Charlotte, hit a jumper in the final minute of the second to put Sacramento up by one. Scott hit consecutive 3s from the left corner early in the fourth, his second one making it 93-91 and giving Atlanta the lead for good. After resting to begin the fourth, Cousins returned with 7:44 remaining, but he was nearly shut down offensively, hitting his only field-goal attempt after being very active in the paint throughout the first three quarters. Led by Korver, the Hawks went 15 for 25 from 3-point range. "When you play against guys like that, like known shooters, youve got to play with more urgency," Cousins said. "Thats something we didnt do tonight and the results of that, he had an incredible game." NOTES: Kings minority owner Shaquille ONeal was at the game. ... DeMarre Carroll scored 15 points and Paul Millsap had 14 for Atlanta. ... Korvers 3-point streak began in his second game with Atlanta on Nov. 4, 2012, in a victory at Oklahoma City. ... Sacramentos previous high in points allowed this season was 122 in a home loss to Utah last Wednesday. ... Atlanta had the games biggest lead at 14 when Millsap hit a 3 late in the first. ... The Hawks were without F Cartier Martin (sprained left ankle) and C Gustavo Ayon (sprained left ankle, bruised left leg). ... Kings F Carl Landry missed his 14th straight game with a torn hip flexor. wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' '
