Dein erstes Forum » its a hard gig

CHICAGO - The Indiana Pacers were without six players and coming off a 21-point loss.Coach Frank Vogel felt he still had enough to win, and thats what the Pacers did.A.J. Price, Luis Scola and Solomon Hill all scored 21 points, and the injury-plagued Pacers beat the Chicago Bulls 99-90 on Saturday night.Chris Copeland added 13 points for the Pacers, who had lost seven of nine and fell 108-87 to the Nuggets on Friday after trailing by as much as 33.We got plenty of guys in uniform. Lets focus on the strengths we have with this group, try to win the next game, weather the storm, Vogel said about his teams focus.The Pacers (4-7) earned another impressive win after beating Miami 81-75 on Wednesday.Its going to be somebody different every night, Pacers centre Roy Hibbert said. Were not a team that has someone who scores 20 every night.Were trying to hold it down until everybody gets back.Jimmy Butler had a career-high 32 points for the Bulls, who played without the injured Derrick Rose and had won six of seven.The Pacers shot 7 for 18 from beyond the arc and 48 per cent overall. The Bulls shot just 4 for 17 from 3-point range and 42 per cent from the field.The Pacers also outrebounded the Bulls 46-34. Hill grabbed 12 rebounds and Scola had 11.Its a tough-minded group, Vogel said. Were just trying to play to our strength, which is our size up front, even with (David) West out.The Bulls are 2-3 at home compared to 5-0 on the road.We got beat in every aspect of the game, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. Weve got to figure out how to play better here. We just played a low-energy game.Butler pulled the Bulls within two on a breakaway dunk late in the third, but Copeland hit a 3 and Price completed a three-point play early in the fourth for a 75-65 lead.Prices 3 extended the lead to 88-71 with 6:42 left, and Hill made one for a 93-81 lead with 1:29 remaining.The Pacers led 46-42 at halftime after shooting 50 per cent to the Bulls 44 per cent. Scola led the Pacers with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting after entering the game averaging seven points.Pau Gasol finished with 12 points and six rebounds for the Bulls after averaging 19.3 and 11.1. The Bulls ended their streak of having at least five players score in double figures in all their games. Kirk Hinrich scored 15.The Pacers were 29th in the league in scoring at 91.2 points per game entering Saturday.When the guys are back, were going to have a really strong team, Scola said.___TIP-INSPacers: Rodney Stuckey (sore foot), CJ Miles (sore calf), David West (sprained ankle), George Hill (bruised knee), CJ Watson (bruised foot) and Paul George (broken leg) all sat out. . Vogel said Stuckey and Miles are likely the closest to returning, perhaps early next week.Bulls: Hinrich started in place of Rose. . With his first assist, Gasol became the sixth player in NBA history with 16,000 points, 8,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists and 1,500 blocks.ROSE UPDATERose was out after straining his left hamstring Thursday in the Bulls 100-93 victory over the Toronto Raptors. He is day to day and missed four games because of sprained ankles. To try to speculate where hell be tomorrow, I dont know, Thibodeau said. Im hopeful if he improves the way he did today, thatll be a really positive thing, so thats what were hoping for.BIG NIGHTButler scored at least 20 points for the fifth time this season. He is the first Bulls player to score 30 or more since Luol Deng had 37 on Dec. 2, 2013, against New Orleans.UP NEXTPacers: Host Charlotte on Wednesday.Bulls: Visit Clippers on Monday to begin a two-week, seven-game trip.?&?????No. 1 Mississippi State (9-1) lost to No. 4 Alabama 25-20. Next: vs. Vanderbilt, Saturday.No. 2 Florida State (10-0) beat Miami 30-26. Next: vs. Boston College, Saturday.No. 3 Oregon (9-1) did not play. Next: vs. Colorado, Saturday.No. 4 Alabama (9-1) beat No. 1 Mississippi State 25-20. Next: vs. Western Carolina, Saturday.No. 5 TCU (9-1) beat Kansas 34-30. Next: at Texas, Thursday, Nov. 27.No. 6 Baylor (8-1) did not play. Next: vs. Oklahoma State, Saturday.No. 7 Arizona State (8-1) at Oregon State. Next: vs. Washington State, Saturday.No. 8 Ohio State (9-1) beat Minnesota 31-24. Next: vs. Indiana, Saturday.No. 9 Auburn (7-3) lost to No. 16 Georgia 34-7. Next: vs. Samford, Saturday.No. 10 Mississippi (8-2) did not play. Next: at Arkansas, Saturday.No. 11 Nebraska (8-2) lost to No. 22 Wisconsin 59-24. Next: vs. Minnesota, Saturday.No. 12 Michigan State (8-2) beat Maryland 37-15. Next: vs. Rutgers, Saturday.No. 13 Kansas State (7-2) did not play. Next: at West Virginia, Thursday.No. 14 UCLA (8-2) did not play. Next: vs. Southern Cal, Saturday.No. 15 Notre Dame (7-3) lost to Northwestern 43-40, OT. Next: vs. Louisville, Saturday.No. 16 Georgia (8-2) beat No. 9 Auburn 34-7. Next: vs. Charleston Southern, Saturday.No. 17 Arizona (8-2) beat Washington 27-26. Next: at No. 25 Utah, Saturday.No. 18 Clemson (7-3) lost to No. 24 Georgia Tech 28-6. Next: vs. Georgia State, Saturday.No. 19 Duke (8-2) lost to Virginia Tech 17-16. Next: vs. North Carolina, Thursday.No. 20 LSU (7-4) lost to Arkansas 17-0. Next: at Texas A&M, Thursday, Nov. 27.No. 21 Marshall (10-0) beat Rice 41-14. Next: at UAB, Saturday.No. 22 Wisconsin (8-2) beat No. 11 Nebraska 59-24. Next: at Iowa, Saturday.No. 23 Colorado State (9-1) did not play. Next: vs. New Mexico, Saturday.No. 24 Georgia Tech (9-2) beat No. 18 Clemson 28-6. Next: at No. 16 G?? Cheap Air Max Direct . Next week, hell try to add to the list. A Stanley Cup champion as a rookie, Seguin followed that up by becoming the youngest player to lead the Boston Bruins in scoring. Cheap Air Max 2012 . They say things like "stress is when you dont know what youre doing" and "I wasnt hired to motivate players, I was hired to coach motivated players." They ring as true now as they did when Mularkey heard them the first time playing tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame coach 25 years ago. http://www.cheapwholesaleairmax.com/cheap-nike-air-max-2003/ . LOUIS -- The St. Cheap Black Air Max Shoes . Jeter doubled high off the left-field wall and scored on Jacoby Ellsburys first hit in pinstripes in the fifth. Hiroki Kuroda (1-1) pitched 6 1-3 sharp innings in the Yankees 112th opener in New York. In what manager Joe Girardi said would be a season-long lovefest for Jeter, the shortstop was cheered every step of the way by an adoring crowd of 48, 142 -- even when his double-play grounder back to Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez (0-2) scored Solarte in the third inning for the first run. Cheap Air Max 360 . After a 99-97 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, his Celtics coaches and teammates have only positive things to say about the Toronto-born rookie.TORONTO - With just over seven seconds left on the clock and Fridays game hanging in the balance, a sellout Air Canada Centre crowd rose to their feet, holding their breath in anticipation. Theyve been holding their breath for six years now, but finally they can exhale. As Celtics forward Jared Sullinger forced up a wild, off-balance runner, the building erupted. It was official. The Raptors are heading back to the post-season. "We made it," shouted Amir Johnson repeatedly as the media filtered into Torontos locker room. "Its a satisfying, kind of overwhelming feeling," he described, following his teams 105-103 victory over Boston, officially snapping the Raptor five-year playoff drought. "Its been six years since this team, this organization made it to the playoffs. This team has worked so hard. We deserved it. Weve been playing our butts off, playing through injuries. Weve had our ups and downs." "Weve made it." Not lost on the team was the fact that they stole a game, their 41st victory of the season, that probably shouldnt have come down to the final possession. Down by four with under three minutes to play, it looked like the Raptors would have to hope for a New York Knicks loss later in the evening or wait until Sunday to punch their ticket to the playoffs. Theyve been resilient all year, so why wouldnt they be now? First DeMar DeRozan drained a fadeaway jumper, then Johnson hit the game-winning put-back layup. "It was fitting," Dwane Casey said. DeRozan and Johnson, the teams longest tenured players, were responsible for Torontos final four points. For them, this moment was a little sweeter. "It means a lot, honestly, man," said DeRozan, the Raptors fifth-year guard, who will make his post-season debut next month. "Especially for me and Amir and what weve been through here with the tough seasons, through the ups and downs and the struggles. We stuck with it." The only player in the building that could give a firsthand account of the Raptors last playoff experience - a five-game, first round defeat at the hands of the Orlando Magic in 2007-08 - was Celtics forward Kris Humphries. Only four other players from that team are currently on an NBA roster, but DeRozan and Johnson – who arrived the year after – have both been in Toronto long enough to appreciate what a night like this means to the franchise, the city and the Raptors long-suffering fan base. "It was all worth it," said DeRozan. "These fans stuck behind us every single day and theyre going to continue to do so. Thats the reason why we work extremely hard. Our fans definitely push us." Of course, it was just a formality. It was inevitable, only a matter of time. Toronto wasnt going to go winless in its remaining games, just like the Knicks were not going to run the table the rest of the way. Still, they have refused to count their chickens before they hatched and for that you can credit the humility and focus of their head coach. Moments after the win, a loud chorus of applause could be heard from outside the teams locker room. Finally, they could celebrate, albeit behind closed doors. Even Casey, who wouldnt pat himself on the back and likely never will, found a way to indulge in what the evening represented. "Were excited about it," he admitted. "My hat is off to all the guys whove come through here," said Casey, crediting MLSE chairman Larry Tanenbaum as well as former general manager Bryan Colangelo for their contributions to the process. "To DeMar DeRozan [and] Amir Johnson, who have been through it all and for the fans, the fans for understanding and being patient. I know they didnt see the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but its a process. You dont build Rome overnight in this league. Is very difficult to do. You talk about rebuilding, its a hard gig." The Raptors have surpassed every rationaal expectation, going 35-19 since the trade of Rudy Gay in early December.dddddddddddd Its been a season of firsts for a franchise on the cusp of its 20th birthday, a franchise many pundits wrote off for dead after selling off its highest-paid player. "Everybody who writes something on a piece of paper isnt always right, thats how I look at it," said DeRozan, the first-time All-Star. Hes right. He and his team have proven a lot of people wrong. As the Celtics made their run, cutting their deficit - once 14 - down and ultimately taking the lead, DeRozan came through yet again. With Kyle Lowry slowed by an ankle injury he sustained in the first half, DeRozan picked him up and scored 24 of his game-high 30 points in the final 24 minutes. 16 of his 27 career 30-point games have come this season. With 10 games remaining and their spot in the pos-tseason locked up, the team can shift its attention to seeding but most importantly, going into the playoffs healthy and with momentum. "We cant be satisfied," Casey repeated, with his team moving into soul possession of the third seed following the Chicago Bulls loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday. "We still want to continue on and weve still got to get better." Lowrys injury scare With three minutes to go in the second quarter, Lowry limped to the locker room after turning his right ankle while back-pedaling to get back on defence. After being examined by the medical staff, the Raptor point guard and most important player was able to return, starting the second half with his ankle taped up. As per usual, Lowry shrugged off whatever pain he was in after the win. "Im a little sore, but Im fine," he said after scoring nine points in 33 minutes. "Im okay. Good to go." Revenge of the second unit Naturally, Casey was frustrated with his under-performing bench after they were outscored 51-7 in Boston on Wednesday. "I challenged them before the game," said the Raptors coach. "I got on them about their productivity or lack thereof in the Boston game. I challenged them. I said, Look, guys want playing time, when the opportunity comes, youve got to do something, whether its defence, knocking somebody down, taking a charge, whatever. And they came through." Greivis Vasquez, who scored all seven of the benchs points on Wednesday, led the teams reserves with 15, but Chuck Hayes and John Salmons were also productive on both ends of the floor. Combined, the three former Kings - along with Tyler Hansbrough, who logged five minutes - totalled 28 points on the night. Patterson nearing a return Although he missed his 12th straight game, Patrick Patterson has been making progress and appears to be on the verge of returning from his right elbow injury. Although the Raptors havent had much practice time to get Patterson back up to speed - a concern Casey expressed before Fridays game - the Raptors forward has been able to participate in smaller, three-on-three scrimmages since being cleared for contact earlier this week. "[His] conditioning is probably going to be step behind a little bit," Casey acknowledged. "Its not going to be where he was before stepping away, so thats going to be expected. Thats why now we need to kind of get him back in rhythm and with the lack of practice time its going to have to be in a game situation." Patterson could be back in uniform this weekend in Florida, as the Raptors begin a back-to-back set with the Magic on Sunday before visiting the Heat Monday evening. The stat With their 41st win of the season, the Raptors secured a .500 record for the sixth time in franchise history and first since 2007-08, the last year they qualified for the playoffs. 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