Dein erstes Forum » mystical threats, then Leonard i

Defense was the difference for the Chicago Sky with their season on the line and facing elimination in Game 3 of its WNBA playoff semifinal Sunday against Los Angeles Sparks.The reward? Chicago earned a 70-66 win and another shot at Los Angeles in Game 4, set for Tuesday night at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. Los Angeles still holds a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series, meaning everything the Sky accomplished on Sunday will be for naught if it cant replicate the effort at least one more time.Game 5, if necessary, will be played Thursday in Los Angeles.The Sky held Los Angeles forward Candace Parker, who came into the game averaging 25 points in the first two contests in the series, to just nine points on 3-of-14 shooting from the floor. The Sparks shot just 36.6 percent as a team and just 18.2 percent from three-point range.Los Angeles took a whopping 33 three-point shots in Game 3 after attempting 41 in the first two games of the series combined. Conversely, Chicago was just 1 of 3 from long-range and took 69 two-point shots.Parker did corral 15 rebounds, 11 of them on the defensive end, and league MVP Nneka Ogwumike scored a game-high 22 points for Los Angeles.Chicago got 17 points from Courtney Vandersloot and 13 points and 11 rebounds from rookie center Imani Boyette in Game 3. Vandersloot and Boyette scored Chicagos final 10 points of the game.The Sky is still playing without star forward Elena Delle Donne, who on Sunday missed her ninth straight game after undergoing right thumb surgery on Sept. 13.Los Angeles led by 15 points in the first half and by nine at halftime. Chicago outscored the Sparks 19-8 in the third quarter and clinched the game on a pair of free throws in the final seconds by Vandersloot.The Sparks won Games 1 (95-75) and 2 (99-84) and have captured five of the six meetings between the two teams this season, including twice on Chicagos home floor with Delle Donne in the lineup. Los Angeles has scored at least 93 points in four of those victories.The winner of this series will play defending champ Minnesota, who swept Phoenix in the other semifinal, in the WNBA finals beginning Oct. 9 in Minneapolis. Liberty London sWell Bottle .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. Swell Uk . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. http://www.swellbottleuk.com/ . Down by seven with 90 seconds left in regulation, thats where they looked comfortable. Marble Water Bottle Cheap .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city. Cheap Swell Water Bottle . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. Athletes such as LeBron James and Stephen Curry seem to rise to another plane of existence, even above their superstar peers. Imagine if these stars could get a powerful boost from Dr. Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme and Master of the Mystic Arts.In a content partnership between ESPN and Marvel, our heroes battle for the fate of the world -- and the Larry OBrien Trophy in the 2016-17 season. Marvels protector of Earth against mystical threats has imbued the NBAs greatest players with incredible abilities, even beyond those theyve already demonstrated.Stephen CurryGolden State Warriors | PGPower: All-seeing shooting eyeKey stat: Single-season record of 402 3-pointers in 2015-16Mind-bending moment: Made a 3-pointer from beyond 30 feet with one second left in overtime to beat the Thunder in Oklahoma City.The reigning two-time MVP shoots so well from beyond the arc, youd think hes using the Eye of Agamotto to enhance his vision. Last season he smashed his own single-season record of 286 made 3s in 2014-15, becoming the first NBA player to make 400 3s in a season -- while shooting an unfathomable 45.4 percent from beyond the arc. Curry already has proved his talents are out of this world; now hell put them to use in a quest to recapture the trophy he lost in June. Illustration by Greg Land and Chris SotomayorKevin DurantGolden State Warriors | SFPower: Versatility of VishantiKey stat: Career average of 27.4 PPG, third highest in NBA historyMind-bending moment: He split multiple defenders and threw down a left-handed slam against the Heat.Kevin Durant is such a gifted scorer that youd be forgiven if you thought there were multiple Durants on the court at any given moment. But the newest Warriors star isnt astral-projecting to fool defenders -- instead, hes blowing past them, slicing through them or shooting over them to get to 20 points with more frequency and consistency than any other player in the league. Illustration by Oscar JiminezLeBron JamesCleveland Cavaliers | SFPower: Superhuman strengthKey stat: Averaged 36.3 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 9.7 APG, 3.0 SPG, 3.0 BPG in Games 5-7 of 2016 NBA FinalsMind-bending moment: Chase-down block on Andree Iguodala to preserve a tie late in Game 7 of 2016 Finals.ddddddddddddPrior to June, we believed we lived in a world in which Cleveland was incapable of winning a championship. But LeBron James knew that such a reality was just one of many, and he used his supernatural abilities to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds and introduce us to a world in which Cleveland is the city of champions. As The Ancient One says, not everything has to make sense -- like a player seemingly teleporting across the court to pin an opponents shot against the backboard in the most important game of his life. Illustration by Dale Keown and Chris SotomayorKawhi LeonardSan Antonio Spurs | SFPower: Defender of Earth and the cosmosKey stat: Back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awardsMind-bending moment: Steal on Kevin Durant leading to poster dunk over Russell Westbrook.While some stars impose their will on the opposition, Kawhi Leonard merely prevents his opponents from imposing theirs. He demonstrates more skills with his hands (1.8 steals, 1.0 blocks per game in 2015-16) than Stephen Strange did as a neurosurgeon, creating a virtual force field around the Spurs basket. If Doctor Strange is Earths defender against mystical threats, then Leonard is the defender against basketball threats. Illustration by Jay Anacleto and Chris SotomayorRussell WestbrookOklahoma City Thunder | PGPower: Lightning-fueled speed and strengthKey stat: 18 triple-doubles in 2015-16Mind-bending moment: Inbounding the ball off Rodney Hood before draining a buzzer-beater against the Jazz.?At times, Russell Westbrook appears to be a demon on the court, but hes no Dread Dormammu. He is Thunder and Lightning in a single package, zipping around the court and leaving defenders in his dust, then turning them into dust with rim-rattling slams. With his former running mate off to Oakland, Westbrook will take the step up from nominal sidekick to lone hero of OKC in 2016-17 -- with his colorful costumes at the ready. Illustration by J.L. Giles and Wil Quintana ' ' '