Dein erstes Forum » had been vocal in calling for both Sterlings to be o

As 2014 winds to a close, TSN.ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. TSN.cas writing staff reflects on the best basketball moments from the past 12 months including T-Ross big night, LeBron overheating, the Sixers not-so-epic fail and more! T-Ross drops 51 on Lob City By Mitchell Machtinger The stage had already been set for a night of highlights. With the Toronto Raptors hosting the Los Angeles Clippers, or ‘Lob City’, the expectation of Top 10-worthy dunks and alley-oops was in the air. The Raptors had caught fire after trading Rudy Gay and the team was playing exciting basketball. Little did anyone realize that it would be the Raptors’ own Terrence Ross who would steal the show. Ross began the night averaging 9.3 points per game, making this occasion even more special. The 22-year-old shot 10-of-17 from three-point range, including buzzer beaters to end the first and third quarters. There was a buzz that filled the arena as he crept closer to the franchise record. With four seconds left in a game that had already been decided, Ross stepped to the free throw line for two shots and with 50 points. He hit the first shot to tie the record. Ross had been perfect from the line all night. The second shot bounced off the back of the rim and the game was over. In one night, Ross had caught magic and scored 51 points, setting a career-high and tying Vince Carter’s franchise record. The Raptors lost the game, but Ross’ hot shooting is what will be remembered. -- Things Heat Up in San Antonio By Shane McNeil With LeBron “going home” during the summer, is it possible that the entire Big Three era in Miami will end up playing like some kind of hardcourt fever-dream? After all, the team enjoyed nearly unprecedented success almost immediately after assembly and looked primed for a dynasty after winning back-to-back NBA Finals over Kevin Durant’s Thunder and the previously perfect San Antonio Spurs. But a funny thing happened on the way to a three-peat. Things got, well, kinda hot. The first half of Finals Game 1 was a back-and-forth affair, picking up where the 2013 Finals left off. Near the end of that half, the temperature started to rise. It started with fanning in the fans, then there was ice on the bench. Then, with four minutes left on the clock, LeBron James finished a lay-up and cramped. He cramped so bad that he couldn’t run back on defence... So bad that Dwyane Wade had to escort him to the bench… So bad that the Heat’s training staff had to carry him to the dressing room. At that point the Spurs were up 94-92. They would finish the game with an 18-1 run. The Heat would win Game 2, but looked otherwise ordinary in a five-game series loss. Less than a month later, LeBron wrote a letter to Cleveland and the NBA woke up. -- Kevin Durant Serves Notice By Ken Rodney With his team down two points on the road in double overtime against the Toronto Raptors and his running mate - arguably one of the best point guards in the NBA - Russell Westbrook injured earlier in the contest, Kevin Durant buried a three-pointer with 1.7 seconds left to secure a 119-118 victory for the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 21, 2014. The visitors had actually fallen behind by eight points in the second overtime period and the game looked to be slipping away from them, before Durant hit two from distance on either side of a Derek Fisher triple to steal a hard fought victory away from a surging Raptors squad. The clutch shot was so much more than that though, it completed an incredible 51-point performance that included seven three-pointers, 12 rebounds, seven assists and erased any lingering doubts about who should be crowned Most Valuable Player in the NBA. After three second place finishes, including the previous two seasons, Durant was finally crowned MVP for the first time in 2013-2014 and while it was well deserved for the entire season, his performance against the Raptors went a long way to proving his case. -- Raps fans turn Maple Leaf Square into Jurassic Park By Ryan Horne After the Maple Leafs fell apart down the stretch, the Raptors were the lone team in Toronto playing in the post-season, and their fans took advantage of it. No longer was the area in front of the Air Canada Centre called Maple Leaf Square, it had become Jurassic Park. The previous spring, the Leafs’ faithful filled the square to cheer on their team and Raptors’ fans did the same this time around, but with a little more enthusiasm. Maybe a lot more enthusiasm. Thousands piled into Jurassic Park hours before every game (even if was raining) and were loud until the final buzzer, not giving up on their team if they were losing or blowing a massive 26-point lead (see Game 5). Although, just like the previous year when the Leafs gave up a three-goal lead against the Boston Bruins, Raptors’ fans left Jurassic Park on a sunny Sunday afternoon in a sour mood after a heartbreaking Game 7 defeat to the Brooklyn Nets. Despite the unfortunate ending, Toronto showed they have one of the most passionate fan bases in the Association and as result gave the Raptors more respect and appreciation from the American media. A silver lining if there ever was one. ?-- The Sixers Can’t Even Tank Well By Mitchell Machtinger Everybody knew exactly what the Philadelphia 76ers were doing. The team had no shame in unofficially tanking the season in hopes of acquiring Andrew Wiggins with the first overall pick in the draft. Except it didn’t work out according to plan. The year before, Philadelphia drafted big man Nerlens Noel with the sixth pick, knowing full well that he would sit out the year due to injury. Philadelphia finished the season with a 19-63 record, the second worst in the league only because the Milwaukee Bucks had been decimated by injuries. The team managed only one win over February and March. They filled out the roster throughout the year with a rotation of D-League call-ups. Of the 23 players to suit up for Philadelphia last season, 11 are not on an NBA roster this year. That’s how bad this team was. The team had offloaded anybody they could to acquire a boatload of future draft picks. Despite tying an NBA record with 26 consecutive losses, the 76ers dropped all the way to the third overall pick, who they used to draft another centre who also won’t play his first year because of an injury. If there was one bright spot of the season it would be the play of point guard Michael Carter-Williams, who was named Rookie of the Year. The future may prove bright in the end with all this young talent, but 2014 won’t bring up many positive memories for 76ers fans. Vincent Trocheck Jersey . Radulov scored the lone goal in the shootout, and the Predators edged the Minnesota Wild 2-1 on Tuesday night to reach 100 points for the second time in three seasons and fourth in seven. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . The mood in Seattle was electrified as the parade featuring the NFL champions began near the Space Needle and made its way to CenturyLink Field, the home of the team. At a ceremony inside the stadium, the team thanked its loyal followers -- the 12th Man -- capping a day of boisterous celebration that drew an estimated 700,000 revelers to Seattle. http://www.cheapfloridapanthersjerseys.com/?tag=adidas-jamie-mcginn-jersey .m. ET, CBSOPENING LINE — Packers by 3RECORD VS. SPREAD — New England 7-4, Green Bay 5-5-1SERIES RECORD — Tied 5-5. James Reimer Jersey . -- LeGarrette Blount made one last big splash into a soggy end zone. Jared McCann Jersey . Martin Reway and David Griger both recorded four points with a goal and three assists each. Mario Lunter, Daniel Gachulinec and Stanislav Horansky also scored for Slovakia (1-0). Dominik Kahun had both goals for Germany (0-2), who lost its opening match to Canada 7-2 on Thursday.LOS ANGELES -- The NBA has called off a hearing to oust embattled Los Angeles Clippers co-owner Donald Sterling in advance of a vote on a potentially record-breaking deal negotiated by his wife Shelly Sterling to sell the team to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion. Shelly Sterling negotiated the deal despite objections expressed through her estranged husband Donald Sterlings attorneys. She said in a statement late Thursday that she agreed to sell the team to Ballmer "under her authority as the sole trustee of The Sterling Family Trust, which owns the Clippers." The NBA said in a statement Friday that the league, Shelly Sterling and The Sterling Family Trust had "resolved their dispute over the ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers." "Under the agreement, the Clippers will be sold to Steve Ballmer, pending approval by the NBA Board of Governors, and the NBA will withdraw its pending charge to terminate the Sterlings ownership of the team," it said. But Donald Sterling is still fighting, filing suit in federal court against the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver and asking for damages in excess of $1 billion. The suit was filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. It alleges that the league violated Sterlings constitutional rights by relying on information from an "illegal" recording that publicized racist remarks he made to a girlfriend. It also says the league committed a breach of contract by fining Sterling $2.5 million and violated antitrust laws by forcing a sale. "Mr. Sterlings lawsuit is predictable, but entirely baseless," NBA general counsel Rick Buchanan said. "Among other infirmities, there was no "forced sale" of his team by the NBA - which means his antitrust and conversion claims are completely invalid. Since it was his wife Shelly Sterling, and not the NBA, that has entered into an agreement to sell the Clippers, Mr. Sterling is complaining about a set of facts that doesnt even exist." The NBA had been prepared for a lawsuit, saying in its statement that "Mrs. Sterling and the Trust also agreed not to sue the NBA and to indemnify the NBA against lawsuits from others, including from Donald Sterling." The ownership hearing had been scheduled for next Tuesday after the NBA charged Sterling with damaging the league with his racist comments that were recorded and released. A three-quarters vote of owners to support the charge would have terminated the Sterlings ownership, and the league would have sold the team. Shelly Sterling reached an agreement to sell the team on Thursday night. Donald Sterling was stripped of his ability to act as a trustee of the familys fortunes, including the Clippers, after two neurologists determined he was suffering from dementia earlier this month, according to a person close to the Sterling family. The individual, who is familiar with the trust and the medical evaluations but wasnt authorized to speak publiclyy, said Sterling was deemed "mentally incapacitated" according to the trusts conditions because he showed "an inability to conduct business affairs in a reasonable and normal manner.dddddddddddd" Donald Sterling made voluntary visits to two prominent neurologists who conducted extensive tests, including brain scans, earlier this month, the person said. Though Donald Sterling is no longer a co-trustee of The Sterling Family Trust, he still retains his 50 per cent ownership and still receives proceeds from the sale, the individual said. "There is specific language and there are protocols about what to do, and steps in order to get a sole trustee position and thats what took place in the last couple of days," the individual said. Sterling can try to reinstate his trusteeship by appealing to the California Probate Court. Donald Sterlings attorneys contend, however, that as a co-owner he must also give his consent for the deal to go through. They say he wont be giving it. His attorney, Bobby Samini, said "the assertion that Donald Sterling lacks mental capacity is absurd" and that hell fight to not sell given the NBAs conduct. But the league said the sale agreement is binding and is going ahead with the approval process for Ballmer. Ballmer said in a statement that he is honoured to have his name submitted to the NBA for approval and thanked the league for working collaboratively with him throughout the process. Shelly Sterling negotiated the sale after Donald Sterlings remarks came to light. Silver banned Sterling for life and fined him $2.5 million, and said he would urge owners to force a sale, unless the Sterlings chose to sell first. And the price Ballmer paid was stunning. "Obviously, I saw $2 billion. That gave me a reaction," said Miami Heat star LeBron James, who had been vocal in calling for both Sterlings to be out of the league. "That was a reaction for sure. But as far as everything else, I havent quite dived into it. ... Any time a B goes after a number, man, you already know that youre talking about some real money." This is not Ballmers first foray into potential NBA ownership. Ballmer and investor Chris Hansen headed a group that agreed to a deal to buy the Kings from the Maloof family in January 2013 with the intention of moving the team to Seattle, where the SuperSonics played until 2008. But Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson lobbied the NBA for time to put together a bid to keep the team in California, and though the Ballmer-Hansen group later increased its offer, owners voted to deny the bid for relocation and the Kings were sold to Ranadive. Johnson, who has been advising the NBA Players Association in the wake of Sterlings comments, praised Ballmer in a series of tweets Friday night. "When the Clips play next season, players will be proud to wear the logo on their chest & fans will be proud to cheer for their hometown team," Johnson wrote. ' ' '