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NBA JERSEYS

Hamidou Diallo wins dunk contest; Jayson Tatum best in skills challenge

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Hamidou Diallo knew he’d have to make an impression to win the slam dunk contest. So he decided to find a way to make the biggest one possible: by dunking over the biggest person in the building.

Wearing a Superman shirt underneath his teal Thunder jersey, Diallo threw down a slam after jumping over 7-foot-1 Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal and then hung on the rim by his elbow to steal the show and come away as the winner of this year’s competition.

Diallo’s dunk was one of the few highlights of a competition that featured some compelling slams — including New York Knicks guard Dennis Smith Jr. dunking over rapper J. Cole while wearing Cole’s high school jersey, and Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins jumping over an airplane prop — but also lengthy delays because a few contestants required multiple tries in order to complete their dunks.

Two players — Smith and Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges — failed to convert one of their attempts.cheap nfl nike jerseys china

Smith’s failed attempt came on his first dunk in the final round, but he earned a 50 on his second dunk of the final, jumping over Dwyane Wade while getting an alley-oop from Stephen Curry.6

Diallo needed at least a 43 on his second dunk of the final to win the title. After pulling rapper Quavo out of the crowd and having him hold the ball over his head, Diallo leaped over him, took the ball out of his hands and slammed it home to score a 45.

As it turns out, Diallo had actually planned on dunking over Wade, his childhood idol, but when Smith used Wade for his dunk, Diallo switched to Quavo.

“It was great,” Diallo said of winning the competition. “Dennis stole my third dunk. I was going to use D-Wade last. That was my favorite player growing up. But it all worked out.”

The dunk contest was boring enough that the skills challenge — typically the least interesting event of the night — was arguably more compelling.cheap nike nfl jerseys wholesale

That was thanks to the theatrics of Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, who fell behind in each of his three rounds — first to Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley, then to Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, and finally to Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young — but rallied to win each and start the night off with a victory.

NBA JERSEYS

Russell Westbrook sharp in season debut, but Thunder lose to Kings

Returning from mid-September knee surgery with no obvious signs of rust, Russell Westbrook’s season debut couldn’t have gone much better. Except for the losing part, which was striking not only in which team it happened against but also in how it happened.

Westbrook finished with 32 points on 13-of-23 shooting, plus 12 rebounds and eight assists, but the Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Sacramento Kings 131-120 Sunday, dropping to 0-3.

“It was OK. Wasn’t my best night,” Westbrook said of how he felt. “But I’ve got I don’t know how many games left to play. Not worried. It was my first time. I just hate losing, honestly. I don’t really care to talk about how I played.”nfl nike jerseys cheap china

Westbrook came out of the gates looking very much like himself, ripping down a defensive rebound in the first few seconds and setting up Paul George for an open 3 shortly after. Westbrook dove on the floor — and into the seats — for loose balls and played with his trademark energy and intensity.5

“Almost notched a triple-double. I’d say that’s pretty Russ to me,” said George, who finished with 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting. “He looked comfortable, he looked midseason form, and he just looked good energy-wise. He was able to play both ends, run the floor and manipulate the game.”

Westbrook underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Sept. 12. In the past week, he ramped up the intensity of his workouts and started contact practice and drills. He went through a workout Sunday before the game and, in tandem with the medical staff, made the decision to play.

“I never take this game for granted, always blessed and very thankful to the man above for allowing me to go out and play,” Westbrook said. “That’s my main thing — always going out and giving everything I have.”cheap nike nfl jerseys paypal

This is the first time the Thunder have started 0-3 in the Oklahoma City era. Two of the games were without Westbrook, but with him back Sunday — against the Kings — there was an expectation that the Thunder would get back on track. But with some glaring defensive breakdowns, woeful shooting from deep (9-of-39 from 3) and hot shooting by the Kings, the Thunder find themselves in an awkward place one week into the season.

“If we could snap our fingers and change it right away, it’ll happen,” George said of the Thunder’s early struggles. “It just comes down to us grinding and scratching and taking these losses and trying to get better. Take [these] practice days and try to get better. That’s it.”

NBA JERSEYS

The unique relationship between Russell Westbrook and Mo Cheeks

One by one, Oklahoma City Thunder players cleared off the practice court. Rookie two-way guard P.J. Dozier finished a round of free throws, Paul George disappeared through a door after shooting about a hundred corner 3-pointers, and head coach Billy Donovan and Steven Adams walked toward the corner corridor after talking pick-and-roll positioning at midcourt.

Underneath a basket across the court, Russell Westbrook sat on a basketball leaned up against the stanchion. Next to him sat Maurice Cheeks, reclined up against the padding next to Westbrook.

With 2Pac’s “I Get Around” popping through the speakers, they sat alone together in the spacious practice facility, talking. It wasn’t an unusual sight; Westbrook and Cheeks are almost always together after practice.cheap nike nfl jerseys wholesale

They routinely compete in free throw contests against each other — Cheeks wins a lot of them, by the way — and are always connected in conversation.1

Knowing what was likely happening in this Westbrook-Cheeks meeting, a couple staffers couldn’t resist wandering over to join in. Eventually, somehow, a bet was made for Cheeks to race strength trainer Kevin Hyde.

Ready, set, and before “go” Cheeks took off — a savvy veteran move — and won in a “sprint” from baseline to half court as Bobby Brown’s “Every Little Step” played.

Westbrook, almost assuredly having a hunch, had placed his bet on Cheeks. He roared with pride at his pick.

The synergy between Westbrook and Cheeks started basically from Day 1, when Cheeks was brought in as a top assistant under Scott Brooks in 2009 with a pretty straightforward job description: Russ.
Even after Cheeks left the Thunder to become head coach of the Detroit Pistons in 2013, he returned to OKC the next season after being fired early in 2014. As a player, Cheeks was known less for flash and more for simple traditional accolades: poise, demeanor, pass-first, efficient, conservative.

In a lot of ways, he was the anti-Westbrook. He fit the floor general mold, and was no stranger playing alongside big talent and big personalities such as Julius Erving, Moses Malone and Charles Barkley.cheap nfl jerseys china nike

Last December, when Cheeks wasn’t yet named a Hall of Famer, Westbrook made an unprompted pitch for his assistant coach, but not necessarily because of on-court achievements.

“That’s just the stigma,” Westbrook said of the complicated nature of legacy. “If you won, oh, three championships then [you’re worthy]. Like in my opinion, Coach Cheeks — I tell him all the time he should be [in the Hall of Fame] because of the different things he’s done, not just for the game of basketball, but in everything. Like for me, just talking to him.”

NFL JERSEYS

Conflicting information about new helmet rule irks Eagles players

A presentation this week by NFL referees to the Philadelphia Eagles on the new helmet rule caused frustration among the players, according to team members, and created further confusion for some about what is expected of them.

“We were trying to ask questions to get a better understanding, and yet they couldn’t really give us an answer,” linebacker Nigel Bradham said. “They couldn’t give us what we were looking for.”

Under the new rule, cheap official nike nfl jerseys a player will be penalized 15 yards and potentially fined or ejected for lowering his head to initiate and make contact with his helmet against an opponent.

During the presentation, which lasted close to an hour according to Bradham, players were shown clips of what are now considered illegal hits — some of which appeared to them as routine tackles.

Seeking further clarification during the Q&A that followed, the players showed the presenters a video of safety Malcolm Jenkins’ hit on wide receiver Brandin Cooks during Super Bowl LII that knocked Cooks out of the game. The refs were split on whether it would now be considered an illegal hit.10

“I’m going to make that play 10 times out of 10. If it’s a flag, it’s a flag,” Jenkins said after practice Sunday, adding that he doesn’t believe that hit would lead to an ejection under the current policy. “You can’t slow yourself down thinking about rules in a split second. The game happens really, really fast, faster than the rules, I think, take account for, but I won’t let it affect the way I play.”

The rule applies to not only tacklers but linemen and ball carriers as well. The concern for running backs is that they are going to have to retrain themselves after years of attacking a certain way.

“It’s going to take a different approach to learn as individuals how to keep our head up and see what we’re doing,” Matt Jones, a 6-foot-2, 239-pound power back said. “But it’s going to be kind of hard because we’re taught to run through guys and put our helmet where their number is at. It’s like if it’s a third-and-1 and you have to have it, and you meet in the hole,nfl cheap nike jerseys there’s no way possible you’re not going to meet head-on-head and helmet-on-helmet.”

The meeting between the Eagles and refs was described as spirited, with the players expressing consternation over the new rule.

“[The refs] were kind of like, ‘Hey, we didn’t make the rules.’ Because I think guys were kind of frustrated,” running back Wendell Smallwood said. “Most of the defense was like, ‘Man, how are we supposed to tackle?’ They were frustrated.”

MLB JERSEYS

Nationals’ Juan Soto, 19, homers in first start; ‘special,’ Bryce Harper says

Making his first start for the Washington Nationals on Monday, the 19-year-old outfielder went deep in his first at-bat against Padres starter Robbie Erlin, helping propel Washington to a 10-2 win over San Diego. Soto’s three-run, opposite-field shot came on the first pitch from Erlin and traveled an estimated 422 feet before landing over the wall in left-center.

“I didn’t think it was going to go out of the park,” Soto said. “I just run hard, the same I do in the minor leagues. Then I heard the noise, and I know it was gone.”where can i buy nfl jerseys cheap

Upon returning to the dugout, Soto received a curtain call from the crowd at Nationals Park.

Before getting called up this past weekend, Soto was hitting .362 with 14 homers in 39 minor league games across three levels. Despite those numbers, his promotion was a surprise, given that he had only 31 at-bats above Class A. But after utility man Howie Kendrick tore his Achilles on Saturday, the latest in a rash of injuries that has severely depleted Washington’s outfield options, Soto got the call, making him the youngest player in the majors.275

That wasn’t the only thing that stood out. While taking batting practice before his first start, Soto was the only member of the Nationals wearing a helmet, a choice he made expressly for the purpose of getting accustomed to the single-flap ear helmet worn in the majors instead of the dual-flap model he used in the minors. By the time first pitch rolled around, he seemed more than comfortable.

In addition to his second-inning homer, Soto singled in the sixth and came around to score on a Michael A. Taylor triple. In his other two plate appearances, he grounded out to shortstop and lined out to right field, both times putting the ball in play with two strikes.

Afterward, Soto’s teammates sang his praises.

“He’s a special player,” said Bryce Harper, who hit his NL-leading 14th home run on Monday and who, replica nike nfl jerseys before Soto, was the last MLB player to homer as a teenager (Sept. 30, 2012). “We’ve seen that throughout the minor leagues, and we saw that in spring training as well. So we’re all just excited for him to be here and excited for him to help us out and super proud of him and just got to keep it going.”

NFL JERSEYS

Not easy for Patriots to replace ‘ridiculously large mammal’

When it comes to the New England Patriots’ task of replacing left tackle Nate Solder in 2018, few can offer the type of perspective that Matt Light can.

Light protected Tom Brady’s blind side from 2001-2011 and is the 2018 inductee into the Patriots Hall of Fame. Furthermore, as a rookie, he started 15 games at left tackle for the Patriots (12 in the regular season, wholesale authentic nfl jerseys three in the playoffs).

This season, the Patriots might be turning to a rookie to replace Solder after selecting Georgia’s Isaiah Wynn in the first round of the draft.

“As far as fans, and how they view this season with respect to the loss to a guy like Nate, Nate’s not a guy you can just replace. No. 1, because he’s a ridiculously large mammal,” Light said of the 6-foot-8, 325-pound Solder, who signed a four-year, $62-million contract with the New York Giants as a free agent.

“From the first time I met him, I thought, ‘Man, this just shouldn’t be right that big guys like this are designed the way they are.’ No fat. Runs like a deer. Got the reach and wingspan of a vulture. The guy is just unbelievably talented in so many ways, and he’s smart, a cerebral player. You don’t replace a guy like that overnight.”

Solder, of course, replaced Light in the 2012 season and held down the left-tackle spot (outside of injury) for six seasons.251

As for who replaces Solder in 2018, Wynn is one option. Four-year veteran Trent Brown, who was acquired in a trade from the 49ers, is another. The team also has six-year veterans LaAdrian Waddle and Matt Tobin, along with developmental prospect Andrew Jelks. Offensive-line coach Dante Scarnecchia said last week that the team prefers to keep Marcus Cannon at right tackle, so he would ideally only be tapped in an emergency.

“They have some guys that have had a little experience and have seen some stuff, but overall it looks as though you’re going to be going with a guy that may have zero experience in the NFL. Who knows how it all shakes out?” Light said.

“But it’s been done before. They survived me going through that first year of being lost in so many ways and trying to figure out things on the run. I would say this,official nfl jerseys for all the fans out there, it’s been documented but I’m not sure it’s been appreciated as it should be, but the work Dante does and the work he puts into the offseason — and the work he puts into the young guys that are coming into the organization and how he motivates those guys and pushes them to be in the best position possible to play the game — I’ve got a lot of confidence in his ability to prepare the guys he thinks are the best to take the field.

soccer jerseys

Australia trim preliminary World Cup squad to 26 players

Australia have trimmed their World Cup squad to 26 players who will join the Socceroo’s pre-tournament training camp in Turkey.

Six players who had been named to the preliminary squad last week did not make the cut:cheap nike jerseys nfl  forwards Apostolos Giannou and Jamie Maclaren, defenders Alex Gersbach, Aleksandar Susnjar and Bailey Wright, and goalkeeper Mitch Langerak.

Still with the team are two uncapped players: Melbourne City’s 19-year-old forward Daniel Arzani and defender Fran Karacic, who turned 22 on Saturday.

The Socceroos’ all-time leading goal scorer, Tim Cahill, is also still in contention to play for his country at a fourth World Cup.180

The squad features five players from the A-League: Arzani, Joshua Brillante, Dimitri Petratos, Josh Risdon, and James Troisi.

Australia boss Bert van Marwijk must trim three more players before the World Cup, with an announcement set for June 3, two days after a friendly against Czech Republic is Austria.

The final team will then travel to Hungary for a final friendly on June 9 before heading to Russia, where France, Denmark and Peru await in the group stage.

“It is always a challenging task to reduce a squad, however this is the nature of professional sport at the highest level,” said van Marwijk. “Overall, I believe we have named a strong and ambitious squad for our training camp in Turkey and friendly against Czech Republic in Austria.”

“I am sure that in training in Antalya, and in our match against the Czech Republic, cheap nfl nike jerseys free shipping we will see players pushing to go to a higher level as they compete for a place in the final squad,” he said.

soccer jerseys

Russia drop Ruslan Kambolov from World Cup squad ahead of doping probe

Russia cut defender Ruslan Kambolov, who faced a doping investigation, from their World Cup squad on Monday, saying he injured a calf muscle with Rubin Kazan the day before.

Kambolov was replaced on the preliminary squad by 38-year-old veteran Sergei Ignashevich, who came out of international retirement.new nike nfl jerseys for sale cheap

The RFU said coaches dropped Kambolov, “taking into account the training time [until the World Cup begins] and the possibility of exacerbating the problem.”

Kambolov was investigated by FIFA this year following the publication of World Anti-Doping Agency investigations alleging Russian officials covered up earlier doping cases.

Lawyers for Kambolov said last month his case was closed for lack of evidence, though FIFA hasn’t confirmed that.179

The centre-back Ignashevich has made 120 appearances for Russia but last played for the team at the 2016 European Championship.

Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov said he met on Sunday with CSKA Moscow’s Ignashevich, who refused previous comeback pleas.

“Ignashevich heard me out calmly,” Cherchesov said in a statement. “And today he gave his agreement after the results of Kambolov’s examination became clear.”

Ignashevich said the call was a surprise “but I thought saying yes was the right thing to do,” in comments on the team Twitter feed. “After all, it’s the World Cup and moreover it’s happening in our country. I’ll give every effort to help the team.”

Russia are struggling ahead of the tournament with no wins in their last five games. Since the start of 2016, they have played 13 games against teams who will be at the World Cup and won only once, against South Korea.cheap nike jerseys nfl

In Group A, Russia play Saudi Arabia in the opening game of the World Cup on June 14 in Moscow, followed by Egypt and Uruguay.

Ahead of the tournament, Russia scheduled friendlies against Austria away on May 30 and against Turkey in Moscow on June 5.

Russia’s 28-man preliminary squad must be cut to 23 players by June 4.

MLB JERSEYS

Mark Reynolds debuts for Nats, homers twice in win over D-backs

Mark Reynolds’ offseason didn’t go much like he expected. But when his 2018 season finally got underway Sunday with the Washington Nationals, it undoubtedly exceeded the expectations he had as he debuted with his eighth big league team.

Reynolds went 3-for-4, smacked two home runs and knocked in three in a 6-4 victory in Arizona, where the 34-year-old broke into the majors in 2007.cheap nfl jerseys china nike

“That was fun. I was in extended [spring training] and Triple-A a couple of days ago, and it’s good to be back in this atmosphere, under the lights, in a big league uniform,” Reynolds told ESPN’s Buster Olney after the game.

Reynolds said he “definitely had some butterflies” playing his first game as a National, but he said getting a hit in his first at-bat, a single in the first inning, helped him settle down.

Coming off a season in which he hit 30 home runs and drove in 97, Reynolds had to figure there would be at least a few teams interested in a guy with a power bat and the ability to play first, second and third base and even the outfield.167

But Reynolds, despite being 11th in active career home runs, was among many free agents who had to settle for what they could get. In April, Reynolds signed a minor league deal with the Nationals and reported to Triple-A Syracuse.

Reynolds’ opportunity to return to the big leagues came over the weekend, when Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman went on the disabled list with a right oblique strain.

After singling in his first at-bat and popping out in the third, Reynolds led off the sixth with a 413-foot solo blast to left off Zack Godley that boosted Washington’s lead to 4-1.

The Diamondbacks climbed back to tie the score 4-4 before Reynolds uncorked a 415-foot blast to center in the eighth off Archie Bradley that made the difference for the Nationals and their newest middle-of-the-order power bat.nike nfl jerseys wholesale cheap

Reynolds has a multihomer game with seven major league teams, which puts him one shy of Mike Cameron for the most ever, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

NBA JERSEYS

Wolves top Rockets 121-105 in Game 3, cut series lead to 2-1

Jimmy Butler hit four 3-pointers among his 28 points and Karl-Anthony Towns snapped back from a bad start to the series with 18 points and 16 rebounds, leading the Timberwolves past the Rockets 121-105 in Game 3 on Saturday night for their first postseason victory in 14 years.

”This city deserves being in the playoffs a little bit longer,” Butler said.nike official nfl jerseys ”We’ll see what we have. But as long as we guard, as long as we defend, we’ll put ourselves in a good enough position to win.”

Jeff Teague scored 23 points and Andrew Wiggins pitched in 20 points with another four 3-pointers, helping the Timberwolves match the NBA’s best 3-point shooting team with 15 makes apiece from long range. Minnesota took 27; Houston launched 41.

”I tell everybody all the time, as long as you’re in rhythm, no matter if somebody’s in front of you or not, it’s a good shot for you because we think that you can make that,” Butler said after the Wolves shot 50 percent overall from the floor.

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The Rockets made four 3-pointers on their last seven possessions of the first half to turn an 11-point deficit to just one in less than 3 1/2 minutes up until the break. Butler twisted his left ankle during that stretch, causing him to clutch his foot in pain and create some brief anxiety in the arena, but he didn’t require, or at least accept, any medical attention. There was no hint that he was hurt in the second half.

”He’s the heart and soul,” said Teague, who made three 3-pointers himself. ”When he’s out there competing, it rubs off on everybody.”

Taj Gibson hounded Harden and forced an airballed 3-pointer, prompting the apex of the noise throughout the night with the Wolves ahead 77-70. where can i buy nfl jerseys Towns powered his way past Ryan Anderson for a layup and a three-point play with 1:57 left in the third quarter, pushing the lead to 10 points, and he flexed his biceps to the crowd after the whistle as he walked like King Kong to the corner of the court in celebration. There was no letdown in the fourth quarter, either.

For the first time since May 29, 2004, the fifth game of the Western Conference finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, the NBA playoffs descended on downtown Minneapolis. The shine of this long-awaited return to relevance by the 29-year-old franchise was dulled a bit by the team’s fade down the stretch to finish eighth in the conference and draw the most daunting matchup available against a Rockets team that won all four regular season games by an average of 16 points and took the first two games of this series in Houston.