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昨天大家與隊長有個愉快的晚餐，隊長的太太也跟所有球員的另一半有一個愉快的夜晚！
The Big Easy's team in the Big Easy🎷🎺
Captain Ernie Els and the #IntlTeam hopefuls have come together this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
鵜鶘隊、同時也是NFL聖徒隊的老闆Tom Benson過世，享壽90歲，R.I.P.。
在Benson擁有經營權期間，聖徒隊整體狀態提升、贏得第44屆超級盃，並在卡崔娜颶風重創紐奧良時，帶給當地居民信心。2012年Benson再買下當時由NBA聯盟託管的黃蜂隊－再改名為現在的鵜鶘隊，讓NBA沒有離開Big Easy City。
鵜鶘隊本季可望以更好的成績進軍季後賽，相信過世的老闆仍在天堂看顧他們，如同30多年來他以職業運動隊伍帶給紐奧良希望那樣。
http://bleacherreport.com/…/2764711-new-orleans-saints-peli…
BTW會對這則消息特別有感，是因為當年的黃蜂隊經營權與票房都有問題，跟國王隊一樣被列為可能搬家，搬到西雅圖變身超音速隊的熱門候選。當時的心情很複雜，希望NBA重返翠綠之城，但不希望願望實現是建立在其他城市失去球隊(畢竟西雅圖就是如此...)，而且當時雷霆隊當紅，我真的能夠拋下他們，重新支持名叫「超音速隊」的弱隊嗎？
Benson的出手收購，讓這些想法不需繼續糾結。所知有限，但我認為他是位好老闆。
With its unique old-world charm, New Orleans is one of the most popular holiday destinations in America. Read our guide and start planning your trip for when travel picks up.
Trailing by seven points with 3:12 left, the Denver Nuggets didn't panic. They made veteran plays.
The Memphis Grizzlies were hurt by their youth.
Allen Iverson had 32 points and 12 assists Wednesday night, and the Nuggets used a late run to beat the Grizzlies 106-102.
"This was a big win for us at somebody else's home," Iverson said. "Down seven points with 3 minutes to go. It was a gut check for us. I think a game like this is going to help us down the road."
Elias Says
Allen Iverson posted his own kind of triple double on Wednesday, leading the Nuggets to a win over Memphis by shooting 11-of-26 from the floor, 10-of-12 from the line and adding 12 assists. It was only the fourth regulation (non-overtime) game in the NBA this season in which a player had double-digit field goals, free throws and assists. Iverson also did it on Dec. 6, as did Joe Johnson (Nov. 14) and Dwyane Wade (Dec. 7).
• Read more Elias Says
Memphis had built its lead with a 6-0 run after Rudy Gay's 11-footer with 3:12 left, before Denver answered with a 12-0 spurt to seize control.
Iverson made all six of his free throws in the final 23.2 seconds, helping the Nuggets snap a six-game road losing streak that included losses at Dallas and New Orleans at the start of the three-game road trip.
"It was definitely important," Denver center Marcus Camby said. "We got our butts kicked the other night down in New Orleans against a great team. We wanted to salvage the rest of this three-game road trip.
"We had to stop the losing streak."
Anthony Carter finished with 18 points, five during the decisive rally, while Linas Kleiza added 15 for the Nuggets. Camby had 13 points and 19 rebounds.
Gay led Memphis with 30 points and 10 rebounds, and Mike Miller contributed 22 points. Kyle Lowry scored 19 and Darko Milicic finished with 14 points and matched his career high with 16 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who have lost four of five.
"It's the same story as before," Milicic said. "[We] just can't find ways to win."
Both teams were short-handed. The Nuggets were without Carmelo Anthony, the league's fourth-leading scorer, who missed his fifth game with a left ankle sprain. That, and previous injuries to guard Chucky Atkins and forward Nene, left Denver with 10 players dressed.
Memphis had one less because of injuries to guard Mike Conley and Pau Gasol, the team's second-leading scorer and leading rebounder. Also, forward Stromile Swift was suspended for the game after an exchange with Memphis coach Marc Iavaroni in Monday's loss to Dallas.
Denver's rally came from missed shots and a pair of turnovers from the Grizzlies. Camby blocked his fifth shot of the night during the stretch, and the Nuggets used their defense to turn the game.
"Unfortunately, we were our own worst enemies with the turnovers once again and not getting back well against a very, very good fast-break team," Iavaroni said.
While Memphis held a 51-39 advantage on the boards, Denver dominated the paint 60-40.
Iverson did everything possible to carry the Nuggets in the first half, scoring 21 points and handing out seven assists as Denver took a 54-52 lead into the locker room.
Denver committed seven turnovers in the opening quarter, and neither team seemed to be in a rhythm offensively. Memphis missed nine of 10 3-point attempts in the half and both teams had nine turnovers at the break.
There was poor ballhandling, wayward passes and mouthing about calls and no-calls.
At one point in the second quarter, Iverson opted out of a breakaway layup for a pass to J.R. Smith, who blew a reverse dunk. The next time down the floor, Smith misfired on a second slam, which Miller converted into a 20-foot jumper.
The Nuggets picked up their shooting touch in the second quarter and erased an early 11-point Memphis lead. They finished the night shooting 51 percent.
The teams stayed close in the second half, including a handful of ties in the third quarter. Miller scored eight points in the first 3 minutes of the period. Meanwhile, Iverson missed all seven of his shots, and Memphis carried a 78-73 lead into the final quarter.
"I got real good shots in the second half. The same shots I got in the first half," Iverson said. "I just went ice cold."
Camby said the difference in the final rally was converting on offense.
"We just knew if we kept being aggressive, shots were going to fall," Camby said. "Guys were missing a lot of easy shots throughout the ballgame that they normally make.
"We just knew we needed to get a consecutive streak of defensive stops in order for us to take the lead."
J.R. Smith made so many boneheaded plays in last year's postseason that he got a benching and a public scolding from his coach.
After working his way out of George Karl's doghouse this season, the new and improved Smith has led the Denver Nuggets to the cusp of a return trip to the NBA playoffs.
The super sub's 23-point performance sparked Denver to a 111-94 rout of the Houston Rockets on Sunday night that both clarified and cluttered the wild Western Conference playoff race.
"That's all he's got to do is come into the game and the energy is there," said Allen Iverson, who scored 33 points. "It hypes us up. You look at the things he does on the floor, it excites us as teammates. Just see the way he can shoot the ball, the way he can dribble the ball, the way he can jump, he has the whole package.
"There's nothing on the court he can't do."
It was the 13th time Smith has come off the bench to score 20 or more points, most in the NBA among players who haven't started a single game.
"He's been a big spark for us, bringing that energy and excitement we were looking for," Carmelo Anthony said. "He's come around for us. It's just great to see him out there playing the way he's playing and knowing he's a big part of our success."
Now all the Nuggets have to do to reach the playoffs for the fifth straight time is beat lowly Memphis on Wednesday night at home.
Denver (49-32) moved a half-game ahead of Golden State for the eighth and final playoff spot. The Nuggets might even be able to catch Dallas for the seventh seed if the Mavericks lose at home to New Orleans on Wednesday night.
As for the Rockets (54-26), they can still secure the top seed in the West, but they're going to need plenty of help to do it.
First off, they need to win their last two games, at Utah on Monday night and at home against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. They also need the two teams ahead of them to lose Tuesday night: the conference-leading Los Angeles Lakers host Sacramento and New Orleans hosts the Clippers.
McGrady was flabbergasted that the Rockets played so poorly with so much to play for on this night.
"That team needed a win badly and we played like it really didn't matter to us," McGrady said. "And at this point in the season, although we clinched, we still have to bring it every night."
The Rockets fell 1½ games behind the Lakers atop the crazy conference, where Golden State could become the first team in NBA history to win 50 games and miss the playoffs.
"I'm not so concerned about the No. 1 spot," McGrady said. "I'm more concerned about how we're playing right now."
Bouncing in and out of the eighth and final playoff spot for a month, no team has had more of a roller-coaster ride than the Nuggets, who won a huge game at Golden State only to lose at Utah on Saturday night before bouncing back against the Rockets.
"It's impossible to feel good because for three weeks we've been feeling stressed," Karl said. "You never play three playoff teams in three games in four nights in three different cities that had huge, huge ramifications. We survived it; we won two out of three, but we're still not out of the woods."
To have a shot at keeping the Nuggets out of the postseason party, the Warriors need to win at Phoenix on Monday night and beat Seattle on Wednesday.
But even that won't matter if the Nuggets handle their business against the lottery-bound Grizzlies, who will be playing the second game of a back-to-back against a Denver team that will have had two days off.
Iverson said the enigmatic Nuggets certainly won't blow it now that they finally have their postseason destiny in their own hands.
"We understand what's at stake, and we don't underestimate them because we know they have talented guys on their team," Iverson said.
This was a surprisingly easy win for the Nuggets, who raced to 43 fastbreak points as the Rockets shot 34 percent. Denver pulled away with a 10-0 first-half run sparked by consecutive 3-pointers from Smith.
Luther Head lead Houston with 19 points and McGrady scored 16. Marcus Camby grabbed 14 rebounds, all but one of them off the defensive glass, and blocked seven shots for Denver, which led 61-44 at halftime and never looked back.
"We didn't have any energy at all," Houston forward Chuck Hayes said. "They were the team that played the night before, but we played like we had. Maybe it meant more to them and we paid for it."
Game notes
Anthony was held to 11 points on 3-of-14 shooting despite the absence of Rockets defensive specialist Shane Battier, who missed his second straight game with a bruised left foot and ankle after playing in 221 consecutive games. ... Houston G Bobby Jackson (left knee) also sat out.
