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ST. Cheap Dodgers Jerseys China . PAUL, Minn. -- The Mercury reviewed video of their 113-95 loss to the Lynx in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals before a light practice Thursday at the Xcel Energy Center. Brittney Griner hardly needed the visual reminder of something that bugged her.In 27 minutes Wednesday in Game 1, the 6-foot-8 Griner, the tallest player on the floor, grabbed two rebounds, both on the defensive end. Her 16 points on 7-for-8 shooting meant nothing to her, because scoring isnt her primary gig. Her inside presence keys Phoenixs defense, which came up woefully short in Game 1.Four days after her dominant second-round performance in New York -- 22 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four blocks -- lifted Phoenix into the WNBA semifinals, Griners lack of aggression annoyed her so much that she brought it up without being asked. She knows she needs to be better Friday night in Game 2 (ESPNEWS, 8 p.m. ET).Two rebounds in a playoff game? Thats ridiculous, said Griner, a two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. Its unacceptable. I have to make a better effort at boxing out Syl (Sylvia Fowles), or whoever it is, and getting more boards.Rebounds usually arent plentiful when one team shoots 63.9 percent, as the Lynx did. Yet Fowles grabbed 10, keying Minnesotas 38-20 edge on the glass and 16-2 dominance in fast-break points.I saw a Minnesota team playing one of the best games Ive seen them play, and I saw a Phoenix team that didnt play anywhere near as good as they could play, Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello said. We just didnt give them any resilience or defense. We didnt execute much. Hopefully we play better in the next game.The Mercurys poor defense and inability to slow the Lynx even a little enabled Minnesota to set the league record for points in a regulation-length playoff game. Brondello sat Griner, Diana Taurasi, Penny Taylor and Candice Dupree for the entire fourth quarter, unwilling to overtax them with the game out of hand. In the final minutes, Taurasi turned to jaw with a heckler. It was that kind of night.Our overall schemes were a little bit too passive, Dupree said. Because our offense was going early, our defense slacked. We cant let our defense be predicated on our offense. Regardless of whether were scoring the ball or not, weve got to be able to get stops. Weve got to be more aggressive.The new best-of-five semifinal format, instead of a best-of-three series, means one clunker doesnt decide a series. That takes the elimination edge off Friday night. Brondello said the Mercury prefer playing up-tempo to prevent Minnesota from setting its defense. But that requires Phoenix to play some defense itself.There wasnt much on either side Wednesday, except late in the first quarter, when Minnesotas three-guard tandem of Anna Cruz, Jia Perkins and Renee Montgomery disrupted Phoenixs offense by slowing the hot-shooting Taurasi.The Lynx countered with 14 consecutive points in the second quarter to go up 39-25. Phoenix never recovered. The Mercurys 34-point third quarter made little difference because they gave up 36. Phoenix shot 53.5 percent and still lost big.The first quarter we had a pretty good rhythm, doing things that were hurting them, Taurasi said. In the second quarter it all went away. In the third quarter, we were trading baskets. That doesnt help when youre down double digits.Added Griner: A lot of times they just drove down the middle. Weve got to clog up the paint, make it harder for them to get to the basket. ...In a playoff like this, when you let a team go on a run like that, theyre going to make it hard for you to get it back. We got into a little bit more of rhythm, though, with our offense later on in the game. Now its coming out the next game, applying that at the beginning of the game and all the way to halftime.Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve wasnt thrilled with her teams defense, either, making that a point of emphasis Thursday. Her bench might be thinner for Game 2 if Janel McCarville, who missed Game 1 with back spasms, and Cruz (buttocks contusion) cant go.Brondello also termed backup center Kelsey Bone (left elbow strain) questionable for Game 2. She hurt it in the fourth quarter trying to wrest her arm free from Fowles grasp. Cheap MLB Jerseys .1 million pounds ($61.2 million) on Saturday, giving the beleaguered English Premier League champions a major lift. Cheap Dodgers Jerseys Authentic . Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe. http://www.cheapdodgersjerseys.com/ . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Los Angeles Angels slugger Albert Pujols had surgery on his right foot Friday, possibly sidelining him past opening day.Angels general manager Billy Eppler said Pujols had the procedure Friday in North Carolina to release his plantar fascia, the ligament connecting the heel to the toes. The three-time NL MVP was bothered by plantar fasciitis repeatedly during the season, but played through the pain in arguably the strongest year of his half-decade with the Angels.Eppler said the surgery typically prevents players from participating in baseball activities for three months, along with another month before theyre ready to resume playing in games. Opening day for Los Angeles is April 3, and the Angels hope Pujols can be ready.Hes at that point in his career where hes keenly aware of whats happening with his body, Eppler said in a phone interview. I dont put the timetable on Albert like you would with your younger players. Well just see in Alberts case, as he progresses, what his timetable is.Pujols, who turns 37 next month, batted .268 last year with 31 homers and 119 RBI, the fourth-most in the majors -- although his .780 OPS was among the worst of his career. He largely served as a designated hitter instead of playing first base due to problems with his hamstrings and feet.Pujols heads into 2017 with 591 career homers, ranking him ninth in major league history. He is 18 homers behind Sammy Sosa for eighth place.After playing in pain until thee final week of the Angels disappointing season, Pujols began shock wave therapy on his foot early in the offseason, believing he wouldnt need surgery. Cheap Dodgers Jerseys. .But Pujols foot became more painful in recent weeks despite the therapy, and he huddled with the Angels top brass to decide on surgery after his most recent trip to see Dr. Robert Anderson in North Carolina. Continuing with conservative care would have required 10 more weeks, forcing Pujols to miss the first half of the 2017 season if he still required surgery.He just felt that the pain had gotten to a point where he was comfortable having surgery, Eppler said. If we did delay it, youre just looking at 2 1/2 more months into the season.Pujols had a different type of surgery on his right foot last winter, but recovered in time for opening day. He also had plantar fasciitis in his left foot during the 2013 season, eventually forcing him out for the year when his fascia snapped.Pujols has five years and $140 million remaining on the 10-year, $240 million free-agent contract that pried him out of St. Louis, where he won two World Series and became a nine-time NL All-Star.The Angels havent won a playoff game since Pujols arrival and Mike Trouts concurrent emergence as one of baseballs best players. They went 74-88 last season, the injury-plagued clubs worst record since 1999. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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