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Fri Dec 13, 2019 4:39 pm
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OAKLAND, Calif. Troy Hudson Jersey . - Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson sat on the scorers table at Oracle Arena on Wednesday morning. He gazed around the building and tried to envision what it will look and sound like when the Warriors host the Los Angeles Clippers for Game 3 of their first-round playoff series Thursday night. A gold-shirt wearing sellout crowd of 19,596. Roars so loud that, at times, they drown out whistles. The sights and sounds all embodying the spirit of the teams post-season motto: "Loud. Proud. Warriors." "Its going to be a great environment," Jackson said. "But with that being said, they wont get a stop, they wont get a score, they wont make a free throw. Weve got to do our part." The Warriors will indeed need to regain more than their homecourt prowess if they want to pull off another upset in the first round of the playoffs. They need to rediscover their game. Blake Griffin and the Clippers crushed Golden State 138-98 in Los Angeles on Monday night to even the best-of-seven series at a game apiece. The third-seeded Clippers showed just why most had picked them to beat the sixth-seeded Warriors, coming back from a foul-filled opener with an all-around game that wouldve worked in any venue. In Game 1, Griffin had 16 points and three rebounds in 19 minutes before he fouled out. The All-Star forward regrouped to score a career playoff-high 35 points in Game 2. He shot 13 of 17 from the floor, made 9 of 10 free throws and grabbed six rebounds — doing it all in just 30 minutes. The Clippers forced 26 turnovers, shutdown streaky shooting Stephen Curry most of the game and took advantage of the absence of Warriors centre Andrew Bogut — who is out indefinitely with a fractured right rib. "We realized that if we played our game and do the things that we worked on wed be successful," Griffin said. "We play well when were just playing free, so were just going to try and achieve that." Whether the Clippers can duplicate that performance on the road is another matter. For all the success Los Angeles has had in recent seasons, the twice-reigning Pacific Division champions have struggled at Oracle Arena. The Clippers have lost 15 of their last 17 games in Oakland, including the last five meetings. And they have never played at Golden State in the playoffs, when the crowd often reaches even higher decibels. "Its going to be loud. Its going to be exciting. I think every basketball player loves playing in an environment like that," Griffin said. "Weve played in places that are pretty loud before, especially in the playoffs. Ive heard good things about the crowd and were looking forward to it. Absolutely." Of course, home court has not always been an advantage for the Warriors this season. The Warriors went 27-14 at home, including 2-0 against the Clippers, but they had several head-scratching setbacks in Oakland. That included home losses to lesser teams such as Denver (twice), Cleveland, Minnesota, New York, Washington and Charlotte. Golden State has taken advantage of its home court its last two trips to the playoffs. The Warriors are a combined 6-0 at Oracle Arena in the first round in 2007 against Dallas and last season against Denver. "Hearing the roar of the crowd making a big play, it gets you hyped, it gets you feeling good," Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson said. "It definitely wont hurt being home." Game 4 and Game 6, if necessary, also will be in Oakland — where the Warriors promise to make things tougher for the Clippers than they ever did in Game 2. "Were not going to quit. Were not going to just lie down and allow a team to do what they want against us," Curry said. "Were going to be physical, come back and its about that competitive fire for Game 3 that were going to need to get it done to protect our home court." ___ Antonio Gonzalez can be reached at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP Jonny Flynn Jersey . His Chicago Blackhawks teammates werent shocked when he found it. Kanes career has been defined by his brilliance in the Blackhawks biggest moments, and his tiebreaking goal with 3:45 to play in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals will rank among the best. Radoslav Nesterovic Jersey . Damyean Dotson, 19, Dominic Artis, 19 and Brandon Austin, 18, were suspended after the school received a police report concerning allegations made by a student who said she was assaulted by the players in early March. https://www.cheaptimberwolves.com/880j-jake-layman-jersey-timberwolves.html . The 25-year-old McIlroy, who is from Northern Ireland, was eligible to play for either Ireland or Team GB when golf makes its return to the Olympics in Brazil for the first time since 1904.With the MLB Off-Season underway, many teams are looking to upgrade, find replacements, and make major renovations to their clubs. TSN.ca looks at the days hottest off-season rumors and speculations. Oakland Not Done? After shocking the baseball world by dealing All-Star third baseman Josh Donaldson to the Toronto Blue Jays, the Oakland Athletics may not be done on the trade market. According to John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group, the Athletics have talked to the Atlanta Braves about outfielders Justin Upton and Evan Gattis. Upton has been the subject of trade rumours all off-season. The package back in any deal is expected to include Jeff Samardzija, whom Oakland acquired at last season’s trade deadline. Another possible desination for the right-hander is thee Chicago White Sox, according to the Chicago Sun Times. Zach LaVine Jersey. In 16 games with the Athletics, Samardzija went 5-6 with a 3.14 ERA. Billy Beane said that Oakland is unlikely to add a shortstop via free agency. The team is not expected to re-sign Jed Lowrie. One More Year for Avila The Detroit Tigers plan to have Alex Avila as their starting catcher this season, however the team is prepared to let him walk as a free agent next year, according to Lynn Henning of The Detroit News. Since being named an All-Star in 2011, Avila has struggled to continue his strong offensive play. He has also dealt with a number of concussions in recent years. Rookie catcher James McCann, the team’s first round pick in 2011, is expected to succeed Avila in 2016. ' ' ' |
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