Basisphilosophie » would battle back to cut the lead to four in t

FIVE QUICK NBA THOUGHTS 1. GREIVIS VASQUEZ (Raptors): Has been sensational for the Raps in the past few weeks. His confidence in his three-point shooting and his ability to make difficult shots in the lane have been huge. He runs the team well and plays with wonderful enthusiasm. Major pick-up as a back-up point guard and hes finally settled in to his role and comfort level in Toronto. Really fun/upbeat personality who loves the game and plays with a swagger. Fun to see it all coming together for him. 2. ALLEN IVERSONS NO. 3 RETIRED IN PHILLY: In an otherwise gloomy season in Philadelphia, this was the definite highlight. Talk about a guy that absolutely carried his team and was the heart and soul of his franchise. Loved the passion and toughness he played with. When you think of great small guards who have ever played the game, hes right at the top of the list. His competitive spirit resonated throughout the teams he led and the city that adopted him. I think back to broadcasting the 2001 Raptors seven-game series in the Eastern Conference semi-finals against them and he was awesome. A complete joy to watch. Willed his team to the NBA Finals. Deserving honour. 3. NY KNICKS: I talk about AI and his competitive spirit and then I watch the Knicks vs. Bulls game on Sunday and just shake my head. The wheels have come off and Im not surprised one bit. When the Knicks were in Toronto twice during the pre-season I could sense from chatting with their folks an over-confidence about what they achieved last season and the feeling that they would just pick up where they left off. It aint that easy. Last season doesnt mean a thing - youve got to start off all over again. Complacency can be a killer. Whats the old line? "Good is the enemy of great". Doubt the Knicks would ever be considered great but they sure were good last year. When you enjoy those good spoils of success and arent ready for the grind again it spells trouble. I feel bad for head coach Mike Woodson, its not like he hasnt called them and challenged them on things constantly. Losing battle right now. House cleaning coming. 4. JIMMER FREDETTE (Bulls): Nice pick-up for John Paxson and Gar Forman. This team is playing great yet lacks consistent offensive fire power. Wouldnt surprise me to see Jimmer earn some playing time in a few weeks after he gets adjusted to the new system. Remember last season, Nate Robinson and Marco Belinelli were huge for them off the bench as DJ Augustin has been this year. Jimmer will give them another three-point threat. Yes, hes got challenges defensively due to his size - he lacks lateral quicks - but he will compete his tail off and stick shots if he gets in. Im sure hell get a good look down the road this month. Solid under-the-radar move. 5. THABO SEFOLOSHA and KENDRICK PERKINS (Thunder): Both banged up right now in OKC and with the return of Russell Westbrook its been a revolving door around Kevin Durant yet I think its all a blessing for their organization. Its been "Force Feed" time for Reggie Jackson, Steven Adams, Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones and theyve developed folks that need to grow as players quickly in an elite environment. From April 15 onward when both injured guys will be back for the Playoffs, the depth and experience of these challenges will help this team become steadier and more consistent when the stakes are higher. Lucas Moura Jersey . -- Washington Capitals forward Brooks Laich is expected to miss the rest of the regular season after having an operation on a groin muscle. Davinson Sanchez Jersey . He left in the 4th inning of Saturdays game against the Tigers after experiencing tightness. Reyes and the team still hope that he will be ready for Opening Day in Tampa Bay in one week. http://www.footballhotspurstore.com/Women-Toby-Alderweireld-Tottenham-Hotspur-Jersey/ . No surprise there. Kershaw, who also earned the title after throwing his first career no-hitter in June, had a 1. Kyle Walker-Peters Jersey . Nikolai Khabibulin was yanked in the second period, and the Ottawa Senators looked ready to put away a big road win. Dele Alli Hotspur Jersey . The Redblacks host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (7-9) Friday night in their last home game of the year and as of Thursday afternoon, the team was anticipating a ninth consecutive sellout. You can watch all the action on TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, and TSN5 beginning at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Al Jefferson had a pretty good inkling it was Charlottes night when he banked in a 31-footer from well beyond the top of the key to beat the shot clock midway through the fourth quarter. "I didnt call the bank, but I trusted my right hand," Jefferson said with a laugh. Jefferson scored 34 points and the Bobcats stunned NBA-leading Indiana 109-87 Wednesday night, handing the Pacers just their second two-game skid of the season. Jefferson was 16 of 25 from the field and had eight rebounds for the Bobcats (28-33), who won their fifth straight at home to equal their combined win total from the previous two seasons. "Im not accepting that were a team that guys look at on the schedule anymore and say, OK, we have the Bobcats (so) we can take the night off." Jefferson said. Jefferson, whose 38-point, 19-rebound effort Monday night was overshadowed by LeBron James career-high 61-point outing, has scored at least 20 points in 21 of his last 24 games. "I think everybody needs to question the Eastern Conference voting on why Al Jefferson wasnt on the All-Star team because clearly he is one of the best in the game," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "He showed it tonight. Give him credit." Charlotte was finishing a brutal four-game stretch, becoming the first team since the 2009-10 Knicks to play the NBAs top four teams in consecutive games. They previously lost to San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Miami on the road, but left no doubt about this this one. Charlotte jumped out to a 28-8 lead after the first quarter and never trailed. Kemba Walker added 19 points and nine assists for the Bobcats, who have the seventh-best record in the Eastern Conference. Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said he thought his team played well in the road losses to the Spurs, Thunder and Heat and that it carried over some confidence to Wednesday night. "We played a lot of good basketball and you get nothing for it," Clifford said. "To be honest, we took a day off (on Tuesday) and you could tell from our shootaround, not that we were going to win, but that we were going to play well." Evan Turner had 22 points for the Pacers (46-15), who lost back-to-back games for only the second time this season. Charlottes Michael Kidd-Gilchrist said he was "extra fired up" to deffend All-Star Paul George, two nights after James destroyed the Bobcats by knocking down 8 of 10 3-pointers.dddddddddddd Kidd-Gilchrist did his job, holding George without a field goal. George was 0 for 9 and finished with just two points. Jefferson defended Kidd-Gilchrists effort against Miami, saying he did the job asked of him against James. "Against LeBron, the game plan was we didnt want him to get to the basket," Jefferson said. "We want LeBron to shoot jumpers. If he hits 8 of 10 3-pointers, we can live with that." George said he wasnt at the top of his game against Charlotte. "I was sore," George said. "I tried to play through it thinking it would loosen up. It was a tight night for me." The Pacers had won 14 of their last 15 against the Bobcats coming in, including five straight by an average of nearly 18 points. But Indiana was sluggish from the start, shooting 4 of 20 from the field in the opening quarter and turning the ball over six times, leading to 12 Charlotte points and a 20-point deficit. The Pacers, shooting at the home end of the floor where some of the lights were out, were held to eight points -- the fewest allowed in a quarter this season by the Bobcats. While the Pacers were struggling on offence, Jefferson was at it again on the offensive end. He hit his first six shots and had 20 points at the break. The Pacers would battle back to cut the lead to four in the second quarter, but the Bobcats never surrendered the lead and stretched the lead back to 18 again by the end of the third quarter. The Bobcats shot 51 per cent from the field against the NBAs top defensive team. The 22-point loss was the third-largest of the season for the Pacers. "Charlottes a good basketball team," Vogel said. "Theyre rested. We are coming in here in this situation in their house. We beat them pretty handily the first couple of times. So, we knew they were going to come out and we were going to have to play great and we didnt play great." NOTES: Chris Douglas-Roberts got the start in place of Gerald Henderson, who missed his second straight game with a strained calf. ... The only other time the Pacers lost back-to-back games this season came Dec. 16 and 18 against Detroit and Miami. ... The Bobcats are 14-3 at home when scoring at least 91 points. ' ' '