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TSNs Jack Armstrong offers his thoughts on the impressive run of the Phoenix Suns, the absence of Patrick Patterson in the Toronto Raptors lineup, and the upcoming mayhem of NCAA March Madness. Saints Brandin Cooks Authentic Jersey . 1. PHOENIX SUNS: Second time this year Ive seen them in person and watched them countless other times on TV. Quite impressed with this squad. Ten games over .500 in the brutal Western Conference. Who would have thought that in the Fall? Heres the amazing thing - theyve got a very favourable salary cap situation as well as three first-round picks and a second-round selection in this years deep draft. Long term it really puts them in a nice situation bringing players into a winning and competitive environment internally where talented young picks will have to earn their minutes rather than having them handed to them as it happens on lousy teams. Good for the growth of the franchise. 2. PATRICK PATTERSON (Raptors): Even though his team is 3-2 without him and lost both games by less than 10 points, you can clearly see that they miss him big-time. His ability to shoot the three, rebound, defend on the perimeter and in the post and overall smart play is really missed. The second unit was absolutely dominated yesterday by the Suns and when youre missing one of your main focal points of your second unit youll get exposed some days. Yesterday was one of them. 3. CANADIANS IN THE NCAAS: Theyll be a bunch of them to watch and well have it covered on TSN starting on Thursday. Really cool to see some of the elite teams having young Canadian players who have vital roles. The game keeps growing and the stories get better. 4. NCAA FINAL FOUR & CHAMPS: My Picks for the Final Four are: Florida, Duke, Oklahoma and Virginia. My Pick for the champs is: Florida. 5. A FEW NCAA LOWER SEEDS THAT CAN WIN A 1ST ROUND GAME : Harvard, St. Josephs, Providence, Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Arizona State. Always fun to see who will be this years Cinderella which makes the tournament really special. Have fun and enjoy the games! I cant wait! Saints Jairus Byrd Elite Jersey . "Not arrogant, just better." The debate will rage as to just how good this Manchester United side really is, having eked out many of its 27 league wins using grit and determination rather than the style and panache associated with a number of manager Alex Fergusons former United teams. Saints Jairus Byrd Black Jersey . Pelicans President Dennis Lauscha said such a deal had been a "gigantic" piece of owner Tom Bensons business plan since he bought the long-struggling small-market franchise from the NBA in the spring of 2012.DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors is headed to the NBA All-Star Game. DeRozan was named to the Eastern Conference reserves on Thursday but teammate Kyle Lowry was not named to the team. This is a breakout season for DeRozan, who becomes the Raptors first All-Star representative since Chris Bosh appeared in 2010. The ninth-overall pick out of USC in 2009, DeRozan is enjoying a career year, averaging 21.8 points per game, good for 11th in the NBA. DeRozan set a career high in point on January 22 of this year when he scored 40 in a win over the Dallas Mavericks. Saints Brandin Cooks Youth Jersey. DeRozan becomes the fourth Raptor to appear in an All-Star Game after Bosh (2006-2010,) Vince Carter (2000-2004) and Antonio Davis (2001). Kyle Lowry was not named to the team. In his second season with the Raptors, Lowry is averaging 16.8 points per game to go along with 7.6 assists, 1.6 steals and a .406 mark from beyond the arc. Lowry is a free agent at seasons end. The 2014 NBA All-Star Game will be held in New Orleans on February 16. ' ' ' |
