FIVE QUICK HOOPS THOUGHTS 1. SPURS WIN TITLE: The model NBA franchise. Bottom line, Im hopeful that everyone saw how beautiful the game is when its played with the team concept in mind and thats the right way to play. In a society where if very "Copycat" aligned, this could be a really good development for the game as a whole on all levels. Every coach out there has the blueprint that we all witnessed for the sacrifice and selfless play that is the core principle of the sport. Now its on every coach to demand that the game be played (and important for folks in authority to back this concept and their leaders) in the proper fashion with We/Us always coming first before I/Me and a guys nonsensical "brand". Youre a player, not a "brand". Its a TEAM game - always will be. Fingers crossed that young players across the globe and particularly here in North America (where some have a warped view of what the sport is) see this as a cool way of playing the game and that the "pass" is a great way of "expressing yourself". 2. LEBRON JAMES (Heat): Im tired of the knuckleheads that bash him vs. Michael Jordan. Hes a totally different player in a different era. The guy plays hard, is a great teammate and is the only reason the Heat even were able to compete in short stretches. I saw no Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Horace Grant, Toni Kucoc, John Paxson or Steve Kerr out there for Miami in this series. The guy was fighting many times on his own. Hed be a guy that I would be honoured to coach and Id say more than 99 per cent of players - current and retired - would love to have him as a teammate. Is he as good as Jordan? No. So what? Its not like he isnt laying it on the line each night. Hes still terrific and not the problem. Im far from an apologist. He has made his fair share of mistakes but at the core, he carries himself properly and values the team concept. I would take him any day of the week on my team. 3. CARMELO ANTHONY (Knicks): I said this after Game 4 and Ill say it again, I think the Melo to Miami rumours were a distraction to the Heat - particularly to guys like Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. By the way, the two of them played poorly to say the least (24 points combined on 26 shots in Game 5). Not sure where he ends up but hes a wonderfully talented player who is an amazing scorer who Im not totally sold understands the 10-man (5-on-5) game and the value of team play. He needs a very strong coach and point guard to get him to see the light. In my opinion, Jason Kidd really helped him last season in his final year as a player, allowing him to understand the right way to play. With him though, its a daily fight to continue to get him to shake off bad habits and buy in to the value of the team game. He knows right from wrong - hes a big boy with tons of talent and money. Accountability is key with him. You keep him on the right path and he can really help you but you have to battle him every day. Ask George Karl - thats tiring. It can be done though. You need great energy and persistence to get him to do it each day. Teams need to decide if they want to fight that fight. 4. SHANE BATTIER and RAY ALLEN (Heat): Battier has already announced his retirement (guys actually retire? Not too often these days - normally guys hang on for anther deal as long as possible) and Allen might choose the same path. Both of them are FIRST CLASS, top-notch professionals who got everything out of their games. They had work ethics off the charts and are coachable. Wonderful examples of the best the game has to offer. Have always admired their approach. When you think of all the lucky guys who had a chance to play with these guys over the years, it has made the game better. Their influence and maturity were impactful, as was their play. 5. DAVID BLATT (Coach): Has had great success overseas and in international competition. Happy to see his name mentioned for the Cavaliers head coaching job as well as the top assistant job with the Warriors. Long overdue. Hes a top-notch offensive coach and gets a ton out of the talent level at his disposal. Very adaptable and creative. Would be a nice addition to the NBA coaching fraternity in some role. Wholesale Devils Jerseys . Granada goalkeeper Roberto Fernandez saved Morenos first two headers from corner kicks taken by Sergio Garcia, but the defender beat him on his third try after Garcia found Moreno unmarked at the near post in the 78th minute. Cheap Devils Jerseys China . Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley told local media in comments published Wednesday that John Tomic would not be allowed into Melbourne Park in any official capacity or as a spectator. http://www.cheapdevilsjerseys.com/. Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins (5) – He had a brilliant game; it was a huge response for his average games before. Cheap Devils Jerseys . The 28-year-old lefty made his MLB debut in 2013, making 10 starts and going 2-5 with 4.05 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. Albers was named the Twins organizations minor league pitcher of the year for 2013. Cheap Devils Jerseys Authentic . -- The Orlando Magic finally are showing the patience in critical moments that coach Jacque Vaughn has been waiting for all season.TORONTO - The clock continues to tick and there are only minutes now before the current collective bargaining agreement between the CFL and the Players Association expires - but still theres no deal. After almost two days of talks at a Toronto airport hotel, the CFL eventually did increase its financial offer and the union removed any revenue-sharing percentages from its own proposal, but talks between both sides broke down Thursday afternoon. The current CBA expired Thursday at midnight ET. Neither side knows when theyll meet again at the bargaining table, but the union wont stop players from reporting when training camps open Sunday and the league, too, wont stop any player from stepping onto the field. "No we wont [keep players away from the field]," commissioner Mark Cohon told TSN after both sides parted. "We want football to be played. We want them to vote on this best offer that we have for them." "Weve come to the table many times and theyve pushed away," union president Scott Flory told TSN before leaving the hotel to catch a flight. With so much on the line so late, its a frustrating and compelling moment in the immediate future of Canadian football. The sides met for over a 12-hour period Wednesday in the company of a third-party mediator and on the surface, everyone agreed those discussions were beneficial. "We thought we had good talks in the [Wednesday morning]," Flory, a former Montreal Alouettes offensive lineman said. "We had some [talks] without prejudice. We talked freely and we were allowed to discuss issues." "Great conversations [Wednesday] - some important issues that were important to the players - and we came back with some creative ideas," Cohon said. Cohon and his team - chief operating officer Michael Copeland, vice president of football operations Kevin McDonald, Calgary Stampeders president Ken King, Roughriders president Jim Hopson and CFL legal counsel Steve Shamie - presented the union with a base salary cap of $5 million in 2014, along with a clause that stipulated if in the third year of a new CBA (potentially 2016) the leagues aggregate revenues grew by $27 million compared to the previous year, the CFL would be open to renegotiating and possibly raising the salary cap. Cohon later called it the leagues "final offer." "In the discussions the players said to us Were really worried if you have some break-out revenues, some extraordinary opportunities - new TV deal, major, major sponsorship, all of a sudden all your stadiums are full - we want to participate," Cohon said. "We thought that was a major step forward for us." The players representatives at the table - union president Scott Flory, vice presidents Marwan Hage and Jeff Keeping, treasurer Brian Ramsay and CFLPA legal counsel Ed Molstad - tabled a counter proposal before 11:30am ET. It included a $5.8 million cap and $4.8 million minimum cap floor. The players also banished the revenue-sharing percentages from their previous offer, and in its place created a "Revenue Protection Clause." The clause offered the potential for a "fixed cap for a minimum of two years," and if league revenues in the third year - excluding money made from the Grey Cup - increased "more thhan $12 million," the league and union would reopen talks on the salary cap limit or the existing CBA would be void at the end of that season.dddddddddddd "A system where the cap is tied to revenue," Flory said. "They are fixed on fixing the cost of the players. We came up with a system that we thought was incredibly reasonable, where there is a protection for guys. If revenues grow by a certain amount, we are just going to recalibrate the cap." The league met the players after 2pm ET, saying the unions proposal was unacceptable and walked out. "You get to a point in negotiations where you have to look holistically at whats important to our league - we have to protect and continue to try and thrive and build this league," Cohon said. "The reason [talks] broke down is the proposal from the players would set us back. We cant do that." "We tried to accommodate and make a deal because we want to be on the field," Flory said. "We want to play football. It is just clear to the other side that they are going to try and dictate terms to us. We arent willing to accept that." Cohon said the league couldnt accept the players math. "When we put our best offer on the table, which was a significant offer - and by the way we walked in and placed down all of our financials - we broke down each teams P&L (profit and loss) and based upon their proposal over two-thirds of our teams would be losing money," the commissioner said. The players offer also includes non-financial points - including one padded practice per week and the desire to have an independent neurologist on the sideline for every game - and a proposal to reduce contract option years. But differing methods to constructing, setting and growing the salary cap appears a wide gulf right now. The one thing both sides apparently agree on, however, is its up to the players to decide their next move. Union sources told TSN the players are awaiting all strike ballots and reviewing particular provincial labour laws before declaring to the league they have the will and right to strike at any time. Flory told TSN hes encouraging players to report to training camp. Ramsay (Edmonton Eskimos) and Keeping (Toronto Argonauts) are active players and both confirmed to TSN they will report to training camp Sunday. "We hear, we listen - you can see our proposal and the movement weve made...Were telling players to report to training camp. We want to play football," Flory said. Cohon wants the players to vote on the leagues offer. "Its really our final offer. Its what weve mentioned to the players; that is what weve said to the players," he said. "We want them to take this to a vote. We want to hear from the players. "Players are all coming to camp is what we hear - theyre reporting, the rookies are there, and the quarterbacks are there. Guys are flying in. We want them to take this to a vote and let the players speak." As members of both sides left the hotel, the third party mediator - who didnt offer his name or want to comment extensively on negotiations - smiled when asked if he could see some kind of conclusion. "These kind of negotiations usually get done," he said as he walked out the lobby door. 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