Durant, at 27, is obviously still on his upward arc, as good as he looked when it | Forum

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick wont clutch at straws - or head-to-head records - as his AFL side prepare to face Greater Western Sydney. Cheap Ducks Jerseys .The Tigers, playing only for pride in the final five rounds of the season, face second-placed GWS in Canberra on Saturday.Richmond have won all five of their previous clashes with GWS.But Hardwick knows the expansion side are a different prospect this season, having won five of their past six matches to all but secure a maiden finals berth.Weve had a good record against them previously but thats got no bearing on this games result, Hardwick said.Its not something we worry too much about. We did our oppo presentation to the players today (Thursday), theyre an incredible side.They are a side that has matured. Theyve come together over 2-3 years and started to formulate a game plan that can be really strong. We look forward to the challenge.Hardwick was wary of the Giants run but was just as impressed with their contested-ball work in recent weeks.Their stoppage numbers are very, very good, he said.Well put a lot of work into that area.Richmond are coming off a 70-point loss to Hawthorn, with Hardwick lamenting their shameful lack of pressure after a final-quarter fadeout at the MCG.Hardwick insisted his side had plenty to play for this year despite being out of finals contention.Were going to try a few different things with regards to how we play, how we defend and set up around the ball, he said.Thats all part and parcel of building in a springboard to 2017. It keeps us invigorated as a coaching group and playing group.Theres certainly some upside for us from that point of view.RICHMONDS RECORD AGAINST GWSR14, 2015: 9 point win at MCGR19, 2014: 27 point win at MCGR10, 2014: 113 point win at ShowgroundsR22, 2013: 121 point win at ShowgroundsR12, 2012: 12 point win at Showgrounds. Cheap Ducks Jerseys Authentic . The third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces and broke Wickmayer, also a former winner in 2009, five times. "The result looked easier than it really was," Ivanovic said. Wholesale Ducks Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.cheapducksjerseys.com/ .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Ten first-time Olympians. Six players who had never played a game for the senior national team before they got here. The shock to the system of three single-digit games in one single Olympics wasnt all that surprising to USA Basketball officials once you did the roster math.So thats why USAB chairman Jerry Colangelo didnt need a lot of time Sunday night, after the medals were handed out here in Rio, to make an immediate declaration about the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.We cant go back again with 10 new players, Colangelo said. Thats not going to happen.For me, he added with unmistakable relief, Im glad we got past this.Colangelo was grateful, mostly, for the presence of the few wise old heads who did make the trip to these Olympics. There they sat in front of the worlds media at the postgame podium from left to right: Mike Krzyzewski, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony.The three men most responsible for Team USAs surviving the absence of all the starry names that, because of injury or a mere desire for extra rest, didnt make themselves available this summer: LeBron James,?Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Anthony Davis, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Damian Lillard, Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, et al.Its not just how they played but how they acted and how unselfish they were, Krzyzewski said of vets Durant and Anthony. Im amazed at these guys.Melos for sure the leader, Team USA sixth man Paul George offered. Hes the voice of this team.We dont have enough time, Colangelo said of the outgoing coach, to talk about how much he has meant to our program.Hard as it was to keep track of all the understandable praise flying around, Sundays gold-medal dismantling of Serbia was ultimately Durants day. He managed to trump the retiring Coach K (who leaves his post with a record of 88-1) and the record-setting Anthony (who became the first mens basketball player in Olympic history to win three golds) with a performance on par with the 30 points he uncorked in the 2012 gold-medal game in London.At least it was until Krzyzewski pointed out that the better parallel was mentally rewinding to the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey, Durants maiden stint with the national team as part of a super-untested roster.To me, what he did in Istanbul is what he did today, Krzyzewski said, recalling the long-range treys Durant made such a habit of sinking at the 2010 Worlds. The coaching staff was saying that. In fact he took two shots farther than he ever did in Istanbul. Its called the ultimate green light.The Americans won their final three gammes in group play in these Olympics by a mere 16 points combined. Cheap Anaheim Ducks Jerseys. In the victories over Serbia and France, Durant took nine shots combined.In the knockout portion of the tournament, Team USA beat Argentina, Spain and Serbia by a total of 63 points, with Durants offensive aggressiveness standing out as the clear difference.I wasnt being myself, Durant admitted. Coach sat me down and showed me some film from 2010 and he said, I want to see that guy again.Said Colangelo, referring to the considerable debate sparked back home by Durants move to the Golden State Warriors and the resulting Durant duress he says hes seen with his own eyes: This was good for him. For his psyche.Durant, for the record, doesnt dispute that diagnosis.But he left Brazil looking positively buoyant, which the Warriors must love seeing as much as USABs elders.I cant let anybody steal my joy, Durant said, presumably addressing critics of his free-agency decisions. [Former Thunder assistant and current Team USA assistant] Monty Williams used to tell me that every day; dont let anybody steal my joy.Anthony knows the feeling. He spent much of these Olympics fielding questions about his belief that a third gold medal takes his resume to the same stratosphere as an NBA championship ring would. But now hes done playing defense for the summer and insists he, too, has zero future plans to listen to anyone eager to challenge the contention.Of course it wasnt as easy as we would have liked, Melo said. [But] this journey that we had here in Rio, starting in [Las] Vegas, you cant ask for nothing more than that.Said Durant: Im on cloud nine right now for sure.That was evident at the local airport, before Team USA boarded its flight back to the States, when Durant thrust himself into an Anthony interview with SportsCenter and bellowed: Hes coming back in 2020, baby.Except that Anthony really isnt. Nor is Krzyzewski, who steps aside at last -- one Olympics later than he originally planned -- to let San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich take over as head coach for the next four years.Durant, at 27, is obviously still on his upward arc, as good as he looked when it mattered most down here. But an era ended Sunday in South America for USAB.Ready or not.Ive seen both sides of it, Anthony said. Ive seen the losing side [in the 2004 Olympics in Athens] and Ive seen what it feels like to win three gold medals.I wouldnt trade that, for anything in the world. ' ' '