![]() |
|
In Buffalo, Brown joins an offence that ranked second in yards
in Addon`s und nützliches 18.09.2019 05:00von sakura698 • 465 Beiträge
OKLAHOMA CITY -- In accepting his first MVP award, Oklahoma Citys Kevin Durant made a point of sharing the honour with those who made it possible. Brett Favre Youth Jersey . In a soul-baring speech that lasted more than 25 minutes, Durant fought back tears several times while thanking each of his teammates, the coaches, support staff and team executives, and finally his family. The emotional outpouring culminated with a tribute to his mother, Wanda Pratt, and the sacrifices she made, the inspiration she provided while raising Durant and his brother in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. "You made us believe," Durant said to Pratt, who was at the ceremony in Edmond, Oklahoma. "Kept us off the street. Put clothes on our backs, food on the table. When you didnt eat, you made sure we ate. You sacrificed for us. Youre the real MVP." Durant explained that Pratt was a single mother with two boys, and though times were tough while growing up, Pratt always thought something better was ahead. Durant said to appreciate moments like these, he often looks back to gain perspective. "One of the best memories I had is when we moved into our first apartment," he said as tears streamed down Pratts face. "No bed, no furniture, and we just all sat in the living room and hugged each other, cause thats when we all thought we made it." Hes really made it now. The young man who said he was told he "wasnt supposed to be here" won the NBAs top individual honour Tuesday, receiving 119 first-place votes. Miamis LeBron James, who had won the last two MVP awards and four of the previous five, finished second with six first-place votes, and Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers was third. Durant, 25, called it "surreal" and at one point, as he thanked his teammates, he stopped and said, "I dont know why Im crying so much." "Everything in my life, I had to take it," Durant said. "Theyre not going to give it to you out of sympathy. I wouldnt want it any other way. This was another case, if I wanted to win the MVP, I had to go take it. I felt that this was the year I did that." During a speech in which Durant revealed a humility and vulnerability rarely displayed by a professional athlete, he also drew some laughs. "I could walk in and have a terrible day and I could see Hasheem (Thabeet) smiling at me, at 7-foot-3 with small pants on," he said. "That would change my day." Durant mentioned qualities about each teammate, showing respect for the veterans who challenge him and the rookies who inspire him to do things the right way because they look up to him. "I go home and I think about that stuff, man," he said. "When youve got people behind you, you can do whatever." Durant won his fourth scoring crown in five years by averaging 32 points. The 6-foot-9 forward helped the Thunder go 59-23, second-best in the league, despite playing much of the season without three-time All-Star Russell Westbrook because of a nagging knee injury. "Hes basically put himself in front of everybody else in the league and shown that hes the best player in the world," Westbrook said at the end of the regular season. James agreed, saying Monday: "Much respect to him and he deserves it. He had a big-time MVP season." Durants run of 41 consecutive games this season with at least 25 points was the third-longest streak in NBA history. "It was a two-man race, and then toward the end, it was kind of a no-brainer," Griffin said. James averaged 27.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.3 assists while shooting nearly 57 per cent from the field. Griffin averaged 24.1 points and 10.1 rebounds. Durant scored at least 40 points 14 times. He also averaged 7.4 rebounds and a career-high 5.5 assists while shooting 50 per cent from the field. While Westbrook was out after his most recent knee surgery, Durant averaged 35 points and 6.3 assists as the Thunder went 20-7 and remained among the leagues elite. Teammates and opponents say Durant became a more complete player this season. They praised him for improving his court vision, consistently making the extra pass and moving more efficiently without the ball. "I think we take it for granted," teammate Nick Collison said. "To be able to stay on for long periods of time -- have to cut hard, catch the ball in the right spot and defend on the other end -- is tough to do. To be able to show that shows that he has an edge to him. He doesnt take a night off." Though Durants consistency stood out this season, he had several exceptional games. He scored 48 points on Jan. 4 at Minnesota, then scored 48 again two games later at Utah. He scored a career-high 54 points in a home win against Golden State on Jan. 17 and two games later scored 46 at home in a victory against Portland. Two games after that, he had a triple-double -- 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists -- in a win at Philadelphia, and he followed that with 41 points in a victory over Atlanta. He scored 51 points at Toronto on March 21 in a staggering 53 minutes and hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left in double overtime. He capped it off in the season finale by scoring 21 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter against Detroit and winning the game with a dunk with 16.5 seconds left. The Thunder overcame a 10-point deficit in the quarter to clinch the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. "I put in so much work and so many people helped me," he said. "I feel like we all won it. Our equipment guy gave me a hug today and said, This is my first MVP, and I thought about that. And I said, Yeah, this is our first MVP. I couldnt have done it without the teammates, without the trainer. Everybody. We all just did this together." Brett Favre Falcons Jersey . His fellow Finn, 21 years his junior, had just arrived in Anaheim and was hoping to stick with the Ducks. Takkarist McKinley Jersey . Dallas also Monday recalled defenceman Aaron Rome from his conditioning assignment with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League and assigned goaltender Jack Campbell to the AHL squad. http://www.thefaclonsshoponline.com/Kaleb-mcgary-falcons-jersey/ . The England international had both goals in TFCs season-opening 2-1 win over the Seattle Sounders on Saturday.ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills crossed off a draft need by acquiring running back Bryce Brown in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday. The teams swapped seventh-round picks in this years, with the Eagles moving up five spots to land the 224th selection. The Bills also gave up a conditional draft pick -- either a fourth-rounder next year or a third-round selection in 2016. In landing Brown, the Bills filled a need for depth without having to address it in the draft. Hell serve in a backup role behind co-starters Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller. The Eagles, by comparison, had what coach Chip Kelly called "a logjam" at running back. Brown was also regarded as expendable in Philadelphia because his side-to-side running style didnt fit Kellys offence. Kelly and Bills director of player personnel Jim Monos both said the trade had been in the works for the past month. Brown has 190 carries for 878 yards and six touchdowns in 32 games in two seasons with the Eagles. He overcame fumbling issues during his rookie season to finish with 564 yards rushing and four touchdowns in 16 games, including four starts. Brown sset the Eagles single-game rookie rushing record in his first start, when he had 178 yards and two scores against Carolina on Nov. Kendall Sheffield Jersey. 26, 2012. He followed that up a week later with 169 yards rushing and two scores at Dallas. In Buffalo, Brown joins an offence that ranked second in yards rushing last season. "Yeah, I was definitely surprised," Brown said. "But I think its a great opportunity for me to come in and be able to contribute any way that I can. Im excited about the journey. And I cant wait to get started." This was the latest in a series of trades the Bills have made over the past month. On Friday, Buffalo dealt receiver Stevie Johnson to San Francisco. Johnson became the odd-man out in a crowded group of receivers after the Bills opened the draft by trading up five spots to select Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins with the No. 4 pick. Last month, Buffalo gave up a sixth-round draft pick to acquire receiver Mike Williams in a trade with Tampa Bay. On Friday, the Bills swapped second-round draft picks and picked up an additional fifth-round pick (153rd overall) in a trade with St. Louis. ' ' '

|
![]()
Das Forum hat 3498
Themen
und
3620
Beiträge.
|
![]() | Einfach ein eigenes Xobor Forum erstellen |