Schwarzesbrett » diamond works against his team

The games two best players will be showcased Thursday night when LeBron James leads the Cleveland Cavaliers into Chesapeake Energy Arena to face the newly-healthy Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Catch all the action as the first part of a doubleheader tonight at 8pm et/5pm pt on TSN2. The Cavs have won eight in a row, which is the third-longest current streak in the NBA. The Thunder have won three straight, five of their last six and are 3-1 since Durant, the reigning MVP, returned from offseason foot surgery. Durant won his first MVP last season with James finishing second in the vote. Durant finished second the previous two seasons to James. The titles chase is no contest with LeBron up, 2-0. The Cavs winning streak reached eight this week thanks to a win in Brooklyn on Monday night, when James wore an I Cant Breathe shirt and met Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton. One night later, the hoopla was less, but the opponent was tougher. Cleveland topped the Eastern Conference-leading Toronto Raptors, 105-101, at Quicken Loans Arena. James joined Mark Price at the top of the Cavaliers all-time 3-pointers made list in style. James go-ahead triple with 48.1 seconds left lifted the Cavaliers to victory. Toronto shot 58.1 percent (38-of-62) through the first three quarters and led by as many as 10 in the fourth, but Cleveland held the Raptors to a 30 percent (6-of-20) clip in the final frame. The Cavs outscored them 20-6 in the final 8:37. In the fourth quarter we really amped up our defensive intensity, Cleveland head coach David Blatt said. That was a tough, hard victory. James finished with 35 points, Kevin Love posted 17 points and nine rebounds and Kyrie Irving added 13 points and 10 assists for Cleveland, which beat Toronto for the second time in five days. The eight-game run is Clevelands longest since it also won eight in a row in March 2010. After a loss in New Orleans in Durants season debut on Dec. 2, the Thunder have won three straight. Thursdays contest will be the stiffest challenge for a healthy OKC squad as its three consecutive victories came over the Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks. The win over the Bucks on Tuesday was Durants season home debut. To be out for so long and finally get a chance to play in front of our home crowd, it felt good, said Durant. Getting my name called in the starting lineup, that was fun. Russell Westbrook, who returned one game before Durant after hand surgery, combined with Durant for 51 points on Tuesday. Westbrook finished with a game- high 28 points, Durant scored 23 and both handed out seven assists in the victory. Reggie Jackson donated 18 points off the bench and Serge Ibaka made all five of his shots and free throws for 15 points. The two teams have split the previous eight meetings, but the Cavs have won two of their last three in Oklahoma City, including last season when James was on the Miami Heat. Arizona Cardinals Kyler Murray Jersey . -- The Oakland Raiders expect to have starting right tackle Tony Pashos back for Sundays game against the Houston Texans. Arizona Cardinals Jerseys China . Sterling was banned for life and fined US$2.5 million by the NBA on Tuesday for racist comments the league says he made in a recorded conversation. Nash, who plays for the rival L.A. Lakers, spoke as a representative of current NBA players at a press conference assembled by Sacramento mayor and National Basketball Players Association adviser Kevin Johnson. http://www.cardinalscheap.com/ . Not only that, when Julian de Guzman first stepped on the pitch for Deportivo de la Coruna he became the very first Canadian to play in Spains top tier. Cheap Arizona Cardinals Jerseys Online . Jets head coach Paul Maurice made the announcement Saturday following the morning skate and confirmed Al Montoya will start in goal against the Dallas Stars on Sunday. Custom Cardinals Jerseys . -- Kyle Busch edged teammate Joey Logano at the Bristol Motor Speedway finish line Friday night to become the all-time winningest driver in Nationwide Series.As I left the broadcast booth at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday night, I took an elevator down to the main level with a family of four. They were energetic, full of smiles and happy with how their evening had gone. The teenage son turned to me and asked where I was from. I explained my reason for being there and he immediately wanted to know if I was surprised at the 3-0 defeat suffered by Toronto FC. His eyes widened when I said I wasnt. "I dont know too much about soccer but I was told tonight I was coming to see Salt Lake play the New York Yankees of MLS," he said. Minutes earlier, they were a part of a crowd that chanted overrated towards the opposition. Real Salt Lake fans know, more than most, what a competitive, perennial MLS Cup contender should look like and the jury in Utah was in. The verdict? Pretenders not contenders. For now. However, it is hard to think the management at the club didnt see this coming. It is, after all, only three games into the season following a massive overhaul. Just as expectations soared to ridiculous heights following the opening game win in Seattle, the reaction since this loss has been equally irrational. The biggest issue with Toronto FC through three games is not squad depth (this can be an issue for all in a salary cap league, plus Andrew Weideman was their fifth forward before Bright Dike got hurt and Kyle Bekker is their fourth central midfielder). The biggest issue with Toronto FC is not Doneil Henry, who was criticized in some quarters for giving away a first half penalty. He would go on to shine once again following the error. The two biggest issues with Toronto FC as March comes to a close is cohesiveness and a lack of tactical versatility. The first point can only come with time. Once again it was another new starting XI on Saturday and the team has yet to play back-to-back games with the same lineup from the start, and because of that, relationships within the team that need to gel for the collective to succeed, will take time. The second point, however, is one worth following closer than any other story around this team at the moment. Formations Real Salt Lake not only presented a good test as a unit on Saturday for the visitors, but also tactically in the shape they play in. Ryan Nelsen has said the formation is only really how you line up at the start but being a manager who wants to play two up top, he got a different look at how a 4-4-2 diamond works against his team. The Game Jeff Cassars RSL get their full backs forward more than most. I said that in the pre-game show on TSN and Nelsen certainly was aware of this heading into the game. This is how they get their width. However, it was the intelligent decision-making and movement from their midfield four that allowed them space to run into. Javier Morales ran the game for the home team. His lateral movement was magnificent drifting into pocketts of space unoccupied by TFCs midfield.dddddddddddd He made the move into the space to help ignite the play for the second goal. And then on a quick break for the third goal, he again found the space to send the ball over the top for Saborio. Nelsens team has struggled in possession through all three games and that is fine when you can transition and counter as effectively as they did in the first two games. However, against a midfield diamond, the outlets couldnt be found. Alvaro Rey and Mark Bloom were passengers during the first half while the two strikers never got any service. Yes, it can be said they needed to pass the ball better when they got it but the 4-4-2 shape they played really hurt them. Playing two quick, mobile strikers up top means they demand service. Michael Bradleys intelligent balls over the top caused RSLs centre backs some discomfort but the wide players (including full backs) just didnt get into advanced positions to provide crosses enough. Many funds have been given to Gilberto and Jermain Defoe and when they are fit, they will play, but the game was screaming out for an extra central midfielder to make up the numbers and here is the biggest conundrum the coaching staff has at the moment. Games are won and lost in transitions and in Bradley, they have a superior man for that role. However, when he, or his central midfield partner, started one in this game it often began with two wingers and two strikers 30-40 yards away. Defoe and Gilberto will not be left out and can cause massive issues when the game dictates it, matching up 2vs2 in areas, but the use of the wide midfield players can be modified. Bloom and Justin Morrow, just like Salt Lakes full backs, can get forward (it should be noted Bloom did just that when moved back there late in the match) to provide width and away from home, specifically, Toronto would be much better suited playing a narrower 4-4-2 diamond, giving Bradley more outlets around him. The American international is a real difference maker at this level and cannot be regularly concerned about the space in behind him because it pushes Toronto deeper and deeper. Yes, it is part of his job but not at the top of the list. Defoe and Gilberto are also not strikers that feast off crosses, although the Brazilian did excel in a number of aerial duels on Saturday. Bradley, of course, missed his midfield partner Jonathan Osorio on Saturday but the brilliance of Morales, combined with Torontos shape, meant little would have changed had the Canadian played. Once fit, against the leagues strongest teams, Osorio and Bradley should play just ahead of a more defensive-minded midfielder allowing them to have a much clearer job defensively and in transition. In the end, it was just one loss in March but as the club goes through a transition off the field, they need to find a way to ensure they can transition better on it. 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