Dewi Morris shares his five key talking points ahead of the Challenge Cup final between Harlequins and Montpellier. Yeezy Sko Fake . Harlequins arrive in Lyon with a large Montpellier side standing between them and the trophy. The threat of the Top 14 side is obvious, with a recent eight-game winning streak taking them to the top two in their domestic competition.However, there are plenty of English stars in the Harlequins side, can they repel the streamrolling Frenchmen? Dewi Morris looks at five key talking points... Coaches cornerTo me Harlequins have revolutionised the English game under Conor OShea, and they will want to send him off with a trophy to thank him for his service. On the same note, OShea himself will want to prove his credentials on the big stage before he heads for Italy. In boxing they say styles make fights, and that saying will resonate in France this weekend. Dewi Morris The Irishman has already brought Challenge Cup silverware to the London club in what has been a quite successful period for Quins, but he certainly has his work cut out for him on Friday.In the room next to him will be Jake White, who voiced his desire to coach England when he was in the UK for Montpelliers match against Quins at the Stoop in November, and dont forget he won the World Cup with the Springboks in 2007. Can Harlequins win the European Challenge Cup to add to Conor OSheas silverware at the London club? White has lured a host of South Africans over to France and will have promised them long-term success along with euros, and with Montpellier chasing two trophies at the business end of the season, White will be hoping to deliver on at least one front.Honours even Harlequins beat Montpellier in November The Round 1 meeting between these sides in the group stages of the tournament ended in a 41-18 hiding for Montpellier, but the Top 14 side returned the favour with a 42-9 victory at Altrad Stadium in January.Theres not much to separate the sides this season, and to make it even more difficult to figure out who has the mental edge going into this game, both sides arrive on the back of heavy losses in their domestic leagues.Quins were humbled by Exeter Chiefs to the tune of 62-24 in the final round of the Premiership, while Montpellier were treated to a 36-10 loss to La Rochelle to bring an end to their eight-game winning streak. Will Greenwood previews the Challenge Cup final between Harlequins and Montpellier It would be fair to say that both sides had one eye on this weekends clash when they lost those fixtures, but the fact is neither will be bringing any immediate momentum into Fridays kick-off.Smash v PanacheIn boxing they say styles make fights, and that saying will resonate in France this weekend. On the one side youve got the French team who will use their South Africans to smash, bang and wallop everything, while Quins will be trying to move the ball around as much as possible.Montpellier have a growling pack filled with grit, and Harlequins have the quick hands and running game that can punish opposition defences when they fracture under pressure. Jamie Roberts looks ahead to Harlequins game against Montpellier Four of the Montpellier tight five are bruising South Africans who will be tough to stop with ball in hand, but if Quins are smart they will keep the ball away from the contact area and force the likes of the Du Plessis brothers and Paul Willemse to run around the park for as long as possible.Tiring out the Montpellier forwards will be high on OSheas agenda.Nick Evans v Demetri CatrakilisI cant see Harlequins turning over this Montpellier side, but if they do manage it, the saving grace will be Nick Evans.Just as Racing 92 have a former All Black fly-half tasked with spearheading their challenge for European glory, Harlequins are pinning their hopes on a big performance from - in my opinion - one of the best ever overseas signings in the Premiership. Demetri Catrakilis has his work cut out against Nick Evans Opposite Evans is Demetri Catrakilis, another of Whites South Africans who moved to France from the Stormers. He has been fighting Francois Trinh-Duc for the No 10 jersey all season, which has benefited the squad.Evans up against Trinh-Duc would have been an interesting tussle, but one thing to remember is that Trinh-Duc has been injured for some time, and has missed the big winning run that Montpellier went on this year. Champions Cup: Pundit predictions Sky Sports pundits give their predictions for Saracens v Racing 92 Catrakilis will be more than trusted by White to do the job but he will likely be overshadowed by the sheer wealth of experience that Evans boasts. Will that be enough to get Harlequins up on the podium?Kicking to the backHarlequins have in Mike Brown a world leader in taking the high ball, and someone who is happy to run the ball back at opposition defences - he is a genuine threat in space.Montpellier have opted for Benjamin Fall, who is an interesting selection at full-back. The Frenchman will also be happy to run the ball back at the Quins line if they kick poorly, but White wont want to venture too far from the kind of rugby that wins finals. Make no mistake, despite the ambition of the individual players and the generally accepted ways of the Top 14, the Montpellier boys will kick plenty. However, when the back three do choose to run, Harlequins will need to switch on. Likewise if Brown is able to break through the middle and unleash his wingers out wide it could be a long night for the Montpellier side.Intelligent kicking out of hand, from the back three as well as the fly-halves, will be a requirement rather than a desire.Watch Harlequins v Montpellier live on Sky Sports 2 from 7.3pm on Friday. Catch all the action for £6.99 with a NOW TV day pass. Also See: Sky Live: Quins v Montpellier WATCH: Can Quins win it for OShea? Road to Champions Cup final Past Anglo-French finals Yeezy Boost 350 Norge . -- Josh Smith made a 3-pointer as time expired and finished with 20 points to lift the Detroit Pistons to a 99-98 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night in both teams exhibition finale. Fake Yeezy Boost 350 v2 . In a matter of days, he went from unwanted to wanted, from fired to hired, from discarded by the Philadelphia Eagles with reputation tarnished to rock star treatment and a new fat contract from the Washington Redskins. http://www.yeezysnorge.com/ .Chanathip Songkrasin opened the scoring in the sixth minute before Kroekrit found the target twice in the 57th and four minutes from fulltime.Vietnam and Malaysia play their second leg on Thursday. Vietnam won the first leg 2-1.The NHL has suspended Bruins forward Shawn Thornton for 15 games for his attack on Penguins defenceman Brooks Orpik. After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. Orpik suffered a concussion and was taken off the ice on a stretcher and sent to hospital. "This cannot be described as a hockey play that went bad, nor do we consider this a spontaneous reaction to an incident that just occurred," NHL director of player safety Brendan Shanahan said. The NHL described it as an "act of retribution." After he was suspended, his people, which include the NHLPA and his lawyer/agent, issued the following statement: "I am aware of todays ruling by the NHL department of player safety. I will be consulting with the Bruins, my representation and the NHLPA about next steps, and will be in a position to address the matter publicly after speaking with those parties." Translation: Thornton and the NHLPA are assessing the merits of an appeal and whether he stands a reasonable chance of getting his suspension reduced. Bruins president Cam Neely believes that the suspension is too long. "Higher than I expected and higher than I think is warranted…Weve had our fair share of players hurt badly by concussions. I dont think anyones gotten a 15-game suspension out of those. Thornton is a guy who plays the role he plays and has never had any suspensions or issues. It comes down a little harsh for me" Neely declared. Timeline Thornton has 48 hours to appeal his suspension as per the collective bargaining agreement. That takes us to Monday. That appeal goes to the Commissioner Gary Bettman. Since the suspension is over five games, Bettman will need to conduct an in-person hearing. Assuming Bettman upholds Thorntons suspension, which is a near certainty, Thornton will have seven days to appeal the decision to an independent arbitrator. The arbitrator will also have to hold an in-person hearing. If Thornton does appeal, the NHLPA will argue that the length of the suspension is not in keeping with the leagues practice for similar incidents. Effectively, it will be argued that the punishment is disproportionately long. Could Thornton Win An Appeal? Should the case be appealed to an arbitrator, Thornton will have a difficult time getting the suspension reduced. Ultimately, the appeal is unlikely to meet with success. Why? The league should be able to demonstrate that the length of the suspension is aligned with its past practice when it comes to incidents where one player intentionally targets and assaults another player in a manner that cannot be considered contact that is incidental to the game. Heres just a sample of suspensions dating back to 1978 that the NHL could rely on to show that the Thornton suspension makes sense: Chris Simon (2007): 30 games for stomping on the leg of Jarko RuutuJesse Boulerice (2007): 25 games for a cross-check to the face of Ryan KeslerRaffi Torres (2012): 25 games for his hit on Marian HossaMarty McSorrley (2000): 23 games for swinging his stick at Donald Brashears headDale Hunter (1993): 21 games for his hit on Pierre TurgeonBrad May (2000): 20 games for a slash to the head of Steve HeinzeSteve Downie (2007): 20 games for launching himself at the head of Dean McAmmondTodd Bertuzzi (2004): 20 games for his assault on Steve MooreDave Brown (1987): 15 games for his cross-check to Tomas Sandstroms faceTony Granato (1994): 15 games for slashing Pittsburghs Neil WilkinsonWilf Paiement (1978): 15 games for swinging his stick and hitting Dennis Polonich in the face There are certainly arguments that could be relied on to distinguish certain of these incidents from the Thornton incident. Yeezys Norge. . That being said, however, all share a common element: an intent to harm together with contact that falls squarely outside the scope of what is considered acceptable contact in the game of hockey. In these cases, the length of suspensions has ranged from 15 to 30 games. The league will also be able to rely on an extensive history of lengthy suspensions. The NHL has been suspending players for long stretches for decades. Thornton suspension, the league will argue, is by no means unique. Rather, the length fits in nicely with previous cases and is wholly supported by precedent. In fact, based upon the leagues history of suspensions and the egregious nature of the incident, the NHL may well be in a position to argue that it exercised restraint in suspending Thornton. The suspension, the league may contend, could have been longer but was reduced on account of Thornton having no priors. One more thing: the league could argue that times have changed. It is now generally accepted that players can suffer irreversible brain damage as a result of blows to the head, and as a result, the league must take active and decisive steps to safeguard the brains of its players. Part of that is imposing sanctions that are designed to strongly discourage behavior that threatens the long-term health of its players. Failing to firmly discipline players in these circumstances puts all players at risk at a most sensitive time for sports. So relying, in part, on deterrence may assist the NHLs position. Merits aside, we may still see an appeal. The option to appeal a suspension to an independent arbitrator is brand new having been introduced in the latest CBA. So far, no case has been appealed to an arbitrator. The NHLPA may want to appeal the decision to start building case law and precedents for future cases. So while this case does not present a high likelihood of success for Thornton, the NHLPA may want a decision from an arbitrator to help guide it on future cases. Indeed, there is value in precedents. Ultimately, given the NHLs past practice when it comes to assault on the ice, Thorntons suspension is on the lighter side or at the very least eminently reasonable. So I dont see an appeal unless the NHLPA wants to start building precedents. The problem with that, however, is that this isnt a great case to test the independent arbitrator waters since Thornton is very likely on the losing side of the case. ' ' '