Mitglieder » Zidlickys goal that pushed

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. -- There were some emotional moments and some funny stories as Joakim Noah accepted the NBAs Defensive Player of the Year award on Monday, like this one. The Chicago Bulls centre recalled a grueling workout with coach Tom Thibodeau. "I told Thibs, If we werent winning games, I would really, really hate you," he said. "And he said, Trust me, Jo, I feel the same way about you." Noah laughed. So did Thibodeau. With their drive and desire, those two are in many ways a perfect match. And when it came to this years award, it was no contest. Noah got 100 of a possible 125 first-place votes from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters and wound up with 555 points. Indianas Roy Hibbert (166 points, eight first-place votes) and the Los Angeles Clippers DeAndre Jordan (121 points, eight first-place votes) came in second and third, respectively. "This is very humbling to be in this situation right now," Noah said as his famous father Yannick, his mom, his sisters and brother all watched from the front row. He told coach Tom Thibodeau: "Without your system, this wouldnt be possible." The only other Bulls player to win the award was Michael Jordan in 1988. Besides joining the greatest player in franchise history, Noahs name gets added to an impressive list of centres to take the honour. It includes stars such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning, David Robinson, Dwight Howard. And now, Noah. The recognition comes after Noah helped Chicago win 48 games and earn home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs despite losing Derrick Rose to a season-ending knee injury and trading away Luol Deng. The Bulls won more games than any other Eastern Conference team after New Years Eve before stumbling in the post-season opener against Washington. Game 2 is Tuesday, another test for a team and a player who have passed their share. Noah had some issues with teammates and coaches after he was drafted out of Florida in 2007. But theres little question who the teams most valuable player was this season. When the Bulls looked like they might fall apart, Noah kept them together. The irony is the defensive player award comes at a time when hes getting as much praise for his ability on offence, a weakness his first few years in the league. Noah averaged career highs of 12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists. Hes a focal point on offence and one of the leagues best passing big men, with the ball often being funneled through him. He also remains their anchor on defence with his ability to cover ground and rotate onto smaller players in pick-and-roll situations creates havoc for opponents. He averaged 1.5 blocks. "Its been really fun for all of his to watch him and his game evolve and grow over the years," general manager Gar Forman said. "Hes a competitor. Hes passionate. Hes intelligent and hes a leader. But along with that, what Joakim probably is is the best teammate that Ive had a chance to witness in the 16 years that Ive been with the Chicago Bulls." The recognition comes at a difficult time for Noah, whose youth basketball mentor and second father figure Tyrone Green recently died. He dedicated the award to him, recalled sleeping on his couch in the summer as a teenager and forgoing trips with his mom and sister to work on his game. Green believed he could make Noah into an NBA player even if his own father had doubts. "We were watching a game," said Yannick Noah, the former tennis star. "(Joakim) was 15 or 16 years old. Mr. Green told me, Ill get him there, well get him there. I said, Where are you gonna get him -- to the next tournament or the ABCD camp or something? And he said, No, were gonna get him there to the NBA, and I never believed that." Why not? "He was too skinny, couldnt shoot," Yannick Noah said. "He couldnt jump, couldnt do a lot of things. The only thing I knew he had was his drive." Look where it got him. Dan Quisenberry Jersey . Heck, we might just miss the BCS. Maybe? It sort of worked out this season. Top-ranked Florida State (13-0) was the only team to get through the regular season unbeaten, and the Seminoles did it in dominating fashion. Josh Staumont Jersey . Beckham finished 2 for 4, adding a double in the first inning. Chicago has won eight of 12 to get back to .500 (27-27). The White Sox are 6-3 against Cleveland this season after losing 17 of 19 to their American League Central rival in 2013. Mike Aviles went 1 for 2 with a walk and drove in Clevelands run. https://www.cheaproyals.com/1517a-erick-...-royals.html.ca. Mr. Fraser, I think everyone would like to hear your opinion on what sort of suspension Zac Rinaldo should get. His comment after the game of I changed the whole game, man. Tim Hill Jersey . - Benched Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman said he has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and voluntarily entered the NFL substance abuse program more than a year ago after mistakenly taking a medication to treat the condition. Kansas City Royals Gear . The defending champions sent their preliminary list to FIFA on Tuesday, with coach Vicente del Bosque to announce the final 23-man squad on May 25. Costa is set to lead the attack in his native Brazil, with Atletico Madrid teammate David Villa and Chelseas Fernando Torres also included, while David de Gea replaces injured goalkeeper Victor Valdes.UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Now that Jaromir Jagr has 700 NHL goals in the bank, the future Hockey Hall of Famer is already setting his sights on his next big milestone. There are only six guys who have ever scored more. So yes, this is a significant marker to reach. "Maybe not for Wayne Gretzky, but for the rest of us its a very big number -- 800 is a little bit better than 700," he said. Jagr scored in the second period of the New Jersey Devils 6-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Saturday. Through bits of laughter, Jagr suggested that 800 goals is attainable, as well as Gretzkys record 894. With tongue firmly in cheek, Jagr said he could get to the first number in two years and Gretzkys mark in four. So far, he has no plans for the special puck that got past goalie Evgeni Nabokov. "I might save the 800th one, but I dont know what I am going to do with the 700th," he said with a smile. Jagrs tally sparked New Jerseys four-goal second period, and Martin Brodeur earned the win in his first start in over a month. Jagr gave the Devils a 2-0 lead early in the second, and Ryane Clowe, Marek Zidlicky, and Mark Fayne followed in rapid succession. The four goals came in a span of 4:36 in the first 8:07 of the second. Adam Henrique opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 5:00 of the first. New Jersey needed only 12 shots to net its first four goals and 16 total to get to five against the beleaguered Nabokov. Clowe and Zidlicky, with a milestone assist from Jagr, also tallied during power plays. "The game went away from us pretty quickly. We deflated after they scored two power-play goals," Nabokov said. "This is part of the business. You got knocked down, but you have to get up again and you have to do the job. "When the penalty kill is good, the goalie makes the saves. Today that wasnt the case." Kyle Okposo cut New Yorks deficit to 3-1 at 6:14 of the second with his team-leading 25th goal, but the Devils quickly answered with two more goals. Anders Nilsson, recalled Saturday from Bridgeport (AHL), made 15 saves in the third period in place of Nabokov, who stopped only 14 shots. Eric Gelinas scored a power-play goal with 38.1 seconds left to make it 6-1. Brodeur, the subject of trade rumours less than a week before the NHL deadline, played for the first time since being pulled from a loss to the New York Rangers on Jan. 26 at Yankee Stadium when he allowed six goals on 21 shots in two periods. Cory Schneider started all seven games since. "I am happy Im back playing. Thats the bottom line," Brodeur said. "I play hockey to play hockey games. Its been a hard month. "I wish every game was like that. It would make it a lot easier on us. I did my job in the first with the chances they had after we scored our goal to keep the gamee under control.dddddddddddd The second and third we just took over." Brodeur, who said he did the rare move of tapping his stick to honour Jagrs milestone goal, stopped 10 shots in the first period and 18 overall in earning his 14th win this season and 683rd of his NHL career. "I didnt have a great warmup, so I was kind of really bearing down in the game," Brodeur said. "They got some great chances early on and I was able to make the saves. That makes you feel a little bit good about your game." Brodeur said he had thoughts that this could be his final game with the Devils, the only NHL team for which he has played. He holds the right to refuse any trade. "Its just a little different because my name has been swarming around a little bit," the soon-to-be 42-year-old Brodeur said of trade rumours. "We have a couple of more days to go and we will see what the future will bring for me." The 42-year-old Jagr moved into the elite goal group when he netted his 19th of the season. The Islanders have been Jagrs top target in his 20 NHL seasons. He has 61 goals and 88 assists in 101 career games. "Is it that many? I love this team," Jagr said. "Its my favourite team. Thats a lot of goals. Its almost 10 per cent." Jagr stickhandled from the right wing boards into the slot and then slid a shot along the ice that eluded Nabokov at 3:31 of the second. Jagr was surrounded by his teammates on the ice with him and then skated across the front of the bench, patting gloves along the way. He received a nice ovation from the crowd when his milestone was announced. "Well they knew I scored 61 goals against them," he said with yet another laugh. The Islanders are the only team from the old Patrick Division for which Jagr, a recent Czech Republic Olympian, has never played. This is his first season with New Jersey. Jagr is only eight goals behind Mike Gartner, sixth on the NHL career list. Jagr is seventh in career points with 1,740. Gretzky netted his 700th goal on Long Island on Jan. 3, 1991, while with Los Angeles. Marcel Dionne, then of the Rangers, also reached the mark against the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum on Oct. 31, 1987. Dionne is fourth with 731 goals. Jagr later set up Zidlickys goal that pushed the Devils ahead 4-1. It was Jagrs 1,040th assist, tying him with Dionne for ninth in NHL history. NOTES: Devils captain Bryce Salvador missed the game because of a bruised collarbone. D Anton Volchenkov took his place in the lineup. RW Damien Brunner also sat out because of a charley horse in his left leg. C Jacob Josefson replaced him. ... The Islanders loaned G Kevin Poulin to Bridgeport (AHL). ... Clowe, Henrique and Zidlicky had two-point games. ... New York had killed 21 of 22 penalties over eight games before yielding four power-play goals. ' ' '