nd Jeremy Lane -- to fill the spots. Trufant

Posted in IYH Forums by lavender123456 at 03:29, Jun 24 2014

MIAMI -- Best player. Best game of his career. LeBron James clearly isnt ready to concede his MVP award to anyone yet. Dazzling from inside and out, James put on the best scoring show of his NBA life Monday night, pouring in 61 points -- a career high and franchise record -- as the Miami Heat beat the Charlotte Bobcats 124-107. It was the eighth straight win for the two-time defending champions, who are starting to roll as the playoffs get near. James made 22 of 33 shots from the field, including his first eight three-point attempts. "The man above has given me some unbelievable abilities to play the game of basketball," James said. "I just try to take advantage of it every night. I got the trust of my teammates and my coaching staff to go in there and let it go." His career best had been 56 points, on March 20, 2005, for Cleveland against Toronto. Glen Rice scored 56 to set the Heat record on April 15, 1995, against Orlando. James had 24 points at halftime, then added 25 in the third quarter. The record-breaker came with 5:46 left, when James spun through three defenders for a layup that fell as he tumbled to the court. "There was an efficiency to what he was doing," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "The rim looked like an ocean for him." Spoelstra walked into his postgame news conference with a confession: He nearly took James out after the third quarter. Good thing he thought better of that plan. "He was in a great groove, obviously," Spoelstra said. Al Jefferson had 38 points and 19 rebounds for the Bobcats, his huge night merely an afterthought. This was all about LeBron. "You take away his 61 points," Jefferson said, "and we still had a fighting chance there at the end." Yes, even the Bobcats were marveling at James. He was hitting from everywhere, even a pull-up three-pointer from about 30 feet -- Spoelstra joked it was from 40 -- late in the third quarter, as the crowd roared and the Heat bench jumped with joy. "Yeah, that was a designed play," Spoelstra deadpanned. "Weve been working on that one for a while." That was the moment, James said, when he knew he was in the midst of a special night. "I felt pretty good in the first half but halftime can always kind of derail things and slow things up," James said. "But I was able to get things going once again in the third quarter and I knew it could be one of those nights." Not "one of those nights." Even for James, this was like no other. Most points in a game. Most field goals in a game. Most points in any quarter in Heat history, with the 25 in the third. Most points in the second half, 37, by any Heat player ever. "Once he sniffed 60, we knew he was going for it," Heat forward Shane Battier said. "And the amazing part is the efficiency. Good Lord. Sixty-one on 33 shots, thats Wilt Chamberlain-esque. Thats pretty amazing. Incredible performance." When James checked out with 1:24 left, the entire Heat roster met him near midcourt for high-fives and hugs, and the sellout crowd gave him a standing ovation. A second huge roar followed when he waved to the crowd, as "M-V-P" chants rained down. Charlotte has allowed the two biggest single-game scoring totals in the NBA this season. Carmelo Anthony had 62 points for the New York Knicks against the Bobcats on Jan. 24. Chris Bosh scored 15 for the Heat, and Toney Douglas added 10. Chris Douglas-Roberts and Anthony Tolliver each scored 12 for Charlotte. "If hes going to shoot the ball like that from that range, theres nobody thats going to beat them," Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said. Miami was without guard Dwyane Wade, who got a night off to rest. Spoelstra stressed theres been no setback for Wade, who has been on a knee-maintenance program throughout this season and is averaging 23.5 points on 62 per cent shooting since the All-Star break. Wade probably didnt mind sitting for this one. It gave him a courtside seat for the show. James scored 11 in the first quarter, after which Miami led by three, and added 13 more in the second. His 24-point first half was the highest-scoring opening 24 minutes for the four-time MVP in nearly a year, helping stake the Heat to a 60-54 lead at the break. Jefferson was up to 26 at that point. He didnt cool off much after halftime, either. It just didnt matter. James, said Clifford, "was phenomenal." There was no way Jefferson or anyone else was keeping up with James, who had to listen to critics in recent weeks say that Kevin Durants scoring for Oklahoma City this season shifted the balance of MVP power. Not so fast. "Every night I go on the floor I want to be the MVP, of this league, MVP of this team, MVP for me, myself and my family," James said. "Ive set a high standard and I have to live by that." James made three three-pointers in the first seven minutes of the quarter -- he was 6 for 6 from beyond the arc at that point -- and when Charlotte bit on his head fake from the top of the key, James coolly found Douglas to set up another 3. A tip-in by James followed not long afterward and just like that, the lead was up to 83-63. Charlotte scored the next six points, but any notion that the game was slipping from Miamis control was quickly extinguished. James scored the next six himself, a pair of three-point plays to restore the 20-point edge and give him 43 points, already a season high. All that was left to see was what hed finish with. The answer was history. "I was happy I was able to make a few plays to help us win," James said. NOTES: Spoelstra won the Eastern Conference coach of the month award for February. Houstons Kevin McHale won in the Western Conference, and the Rockets host to Miami on Tuesday night. ... The Heat improved to 10-6 when Wade doesnt play. Theyre 33-8 when he does. ... Kemba Walker had eight assists for Charlotte. ... The Heat were 16 for 28 from beyond the arc. Akeem Spence Buccaneers Jersey . Gray played for the New Orleans Hornets last season, averaging 3.1 points and 4.2 rebounds and a career-high 13. Adrian Clayborn Buccaneers Jersey . Truchon, 21, from Sainte-Adele, Que., earned his first World Cup title with 176.75 points. Finlands Petja Piiroinen was second with 172. http://www.authenticbuccaneersshop.com/Dashon-Goldson-Buccaneers-Jersey. -- Brenden Kichton scored twice to lead the St. Demar Dotson Buccaneers Jersey . The club made the offer in a statement on Monday after fans were left fuming at the star duo being sold, some even staging a mock funeral outside Milan headquarters. Austin Seferian-Jenkins Buccaneers Jersey .P. Arencibia had a good day at the plate, but it was what he did behind it that satisfied him the most.RENTON, Wash. -- Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll expects to have his starting cornerbacks available this Sunday in Chicago. After that is anyones guess. Carroll said Monday he plans on Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner playing this week against the Bears, despite the possibility they could be facing four-game suspensions for violating the NFLs policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Carroll didnt say much regarding the duo at his regularly scheduled media availability, trying not to violate league rules. But his belief is that Sherman and Browner will be able to play in potentially Seattles most important game of the season. "As of right now, Im planning on those guys playing," Carroll said. ESPN.com first reported Sunday afternoon, following the Seahawks 24-21 loss at Miami, that Browner and Sherman are facing suspensions and are in the process of appealing. The team said Sunday night it was aware of the report and according to the leagues collective bargaining agreement, players can continue to play until the appeal is heard and settled. The team is limited in what it can say regarding the possible suspensions and Carroll eventually said he wouldnt comment further until there is some resolution. "Because its so important we do this properly Im not going to comment on anything about it. Thats the best way to do this because these are league issues," Carroll said. "At this point Im going to keep it there and hope you can respect that this is the way we have to do that, and we can talk about it later on." In a phone interview with Seattle reporters after Carrolls press conference finished, Browners agent Peter Schaffer said that his client only received notice of the failed test last week. "Brandon Browner has no knowledge of how any illegal substance could have gotten into his system," Schaffer said. "He is an outstanding person and a very good football player. He takes tremendous care of his body and he is very careful with what he puts into it. Were exploring all avenues to try and figure out how any substance out of the ordinary would be in his system." Schaffer added that the league typically schedules appeals within 20 days of the notice being received, depending on circumstances. He did not provide specifics on when Browners appeal would take place. "Its too early to tell what were going to need, what witnesses and evidence and experts are going to be required, so there is no way to even guess at this point," he said. Shermaan, an active participant in social media, posted on his Twitter account late Sunday night after arriving back in the Northwest, "This .dddddddddddd.. issue will be resolved soon and the truth will come out. Not worried." If Browner and Sherman are found guilty of violating the leagues policy, they would be the fourth and fifth Seahawks players in the last calendar year to be violators. Guard John Moffitt was suspended four games late last season. Reserve offensive lineman Allen Barbre was suspended for the first four games of this season before being released by the team once his suspension was up. And just last week, rookie safety Winston Guy was handed a four-game suspension after taking an over-the-counter product that had a banned substance in the ingredients, according to his agent. None of those suspensions could have the impact of Browner and Sherman, and it could not come at a much worse time with the Seahawks trying to hold on to the final wild-card spot in the NFC. The Seahawks (6-5) are tied with Tampa Bay and Minnesota, but hold the tiebreakers. Seattles defence is predicated on the ability of its cornerbacks to play man coverage and lock up receivers. Sherman and Browner allow strong safety Kam Chancellor to play closer to the line of scrimmage in run support and give free safety Earl Thomas the chance to roam the secondary with his speed. If the duo does miss time, Seattle would turn to veteran Marcus Trufant and a trio of youngsters -- Walter Thurmond, Byron Maxwell and Jeremy Lane -- to fill the spots. Trufant was a starter until getting injured during the 2011 season, while Seattle has hoped Thurmond would develop into a key contributor, but he has been slowed by injuries. Thurmond has yet to be active for a game this season after starting the year on the physically unable to perform list. "Theyve been special in their effectiveness and a lot of it has to do with the way we ask them to play. It suits them very well. It fits. Theyve been a big factor for us. We love the way theyre playing. ... How it develops in the future with our guys when they get a chance they can play at the level and style that we want," Carroll said. "We still try and tailor our expectation of our play to the athlete and what he can do and what theyre capable of doing, and weve always looked at it that way. Some guys play a little different than others and we have a pretty good group of guys to battle and give us versatility, I think." ' ' '