Acoustic Lakeside - Tag 2

16.08.2012
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LeBron James could challenge Michael Jordan for 'best ever' title

Jim Boeheim is back from another successful Olympics, part of Mike Krzyzewski's coaching staff for the men's basketball team that brought home the gold medal from London.

Boeheim talked about the Olympics and some of the players on Team USA with ESPN Radio host Colin Cowherd. Boeheim told Cowherd that most people don't realize just how difficult it is to win the gold medal, even with all the NBA talent on the United States team.nike heels

"I thought the players were unbelievable. I think that there's no realization yet that these other teams in the world can actually beat us, and they can. It doesn't matter who we have, these other teams are teams that have played together for 10 years. We were in a a 2-point game with Lithuania late in the game. We were in a close game with Argentina, we had a close game with Brazil. Obviously, we were in a close game with Spain. And we had a good team. ... It's a team game, and in one 40-minute game, anything can happen."

Boeheim also talked about some of the players on Team USA, and was especially generous with his praise of LeBron James. Cowherd asked Boeheim if James is a different player now compared to when he joined Team USA in 2005.nike heels for women

Here's some of what Boeheim had to say:nike high heels

"Ten times better player. Some of it is maturity. He's a leader; he was a kid when we first got him. ... He's a 6-9, 260-pound point guard-forward-center. He guarded the post guys. They always say a guy can guard five positions, I've never seen that. I've heard about it. This guy can guard five guys. he can guard your center, he can guard your small forward, big forward, point guard, two guard. You put him on anybody and he can guard them."

So, just how good is James ... and how good can he be?jordan heels

"I've always thought Michael Jordan was the best player that I've ever seen. I always have and and I didn't think it was close. I'm not so sure any more. And I love Michael Jordan. I'm not so sure anymore. This guy is 6-foot-9 and 260 pounds, and he's getting better. He works on his game. His shooting is getting better. He's a phenomenal, phenomenal basketball player. I love this game, I love the history of this game. I know we've had great, great players through the years. He's like Magic Johnson with Michael Jordan-type skills as well."

Volleyball coach mentions Michael Jordan while recalling Destinee Hooker’s path

U.S. coach Hugh McCutcheon paid quite the tribute to Destinee Hooker while talking about her path to volleyball stardom.

Hooker was a last-minute cut from the Beijing Games team that won a silver medal. But instead of pouting over the slight, Hooker emulated NBA great Michael Jordan — who was cut from his high school basketball team — by returning more determined.jordan high heels

“Sounds like Michael Jordan getting cut as a sophomore, right?” McCutcheon said after Hooker’s team-high 24 points helped the Americans beat South Korea on Thursday to advance to the gold-medal match.

“She just loves the moment of competition, and that’s the great thing to have in an athlete, a person who relishes that moment, who wants to be out there.”nike dunk heels

The 24-year-old Hooker, a wing spiker, was promoted to the national team two years ago.

“I don’t think she’s been off the court since then,” McCutcheon said.nike dunk sb heels

Hooker’s athleticism has never been in question. She played basketball and was a high jumper on the track and field team at the University of Texas before switching full-time to volleyball.

But her ability to overcome adversity had been in doubt.nike sb heels

The 24-year-old Hooker broke into tears while recounting her past struggles trying to live up to the expectations created by sister Marshevet, who was on the 4x100-meter relay team that won gold in Beijing.Jordan Heels 6 Rings

“When I was younger, being told I cannot do some things and now I’m at this level that I never thought I’d be, it’s truly a blessing,” Hooker said while wiping away tears. “Having people in my life who are there with you, they know you can do it and they want to push you through it. It’s a lot but when you have people like that in your corner you can get through anything.”

Hooker pursued her volleyball dream after being spurred on by her family and McCutcheon, who said Hooker has worked hard to improve her footwork, blocking and technique to add consistency to her natural talent. Coming from an athletic family — both her parents played college basketball — certainly helped her mental stamina and physical development.

“She’s incredible. She’s playing like a vet right now and it’s very easy to play with her,” captain Lindsey Berg said. “And I’m lucky that’s who I have to set up because she makes my balls look good.”nike jordan high heels

Hooker has become one of volleyball’s premier players after overcoming those struggles plus knee surgery last year, when she was also the MVP of the World Grand Prix. Perhaps the biggest obstacle was the constant comparisons to her sister, although she learned to channel that into a positive, too.

“That’s what really pushed me as an athlete, I saw my sister succeed, I saw her do so much and I thought I wanna be just like her,” said Hooker, who likely will finish second in scoring at the London Games. “And now I’m in that spot and I’m doing this for her and my family and I’m glad I didn’t give up.”air jordan high heels

Hooker hopes to compete with her big sister in Rio de Janeiro in four years. The U.S. is hoping to enter those games as the defending champion, with a second straight final rematch against Brazil standing in the way.nike sb high heels

“She’s spectacular, she’s got every attacking shot you need and is a great blocker,” Brazil wing spiker Jaque said. “We’re going to have to be ready for her, she’s the U.S.’ top player.”

___

Follow Paul Logothetis at www.nikeheels2012online.com

Usain Bolt up there with Muhammad Ali, Pele and Michael Jordan as 'greatest' sportsman of all time

Bolt was recalling his two defeats to Yohan Blake in this year’s Jamaican championships. “Blake did give me a wake-up call at the trials,” he said.

“He kind of just knocked on my door and said, ‘Usain, this is an Olympic year, you’ve got to get serious. You’ve got to remember that I’m here and I’m ready to go.’ That was good for me. I lost in the trials and it really opened my eyes to what was going on.”dunk heels

Blake thinks working with the double Olympic 100 metres and 200m champion is a gift, an inspiration, and he would be right. But it works both ways, as the more senior of them described. “He said that in training he always tries to be in front of me and that’s true,” Bolt said. “He’s really kept me on my toes all season. When I lost to him I went to my coach [Glen Mills] and said, ‘Do I need to be worried? He said, ‘No, three hard weeks of training and you should be OK’.”air jordan heels

The heat was off by the time Bolt gave the most compelling press conference of his career. It was after midnight in the Olympic Stadium and the stunts had all been pulled. He had joked with the volunteer who was looking after his kit box, won the 200m in 19.32sec, pressed a finger to his mouth as he crossed the line, thrown in a couple of celebratory press-ups on the track, kissed the ground, borrowed a photographer’s camera to take some snaps and performed his obligatory lightning bolt shtick.

All the showman’s tricks had been played for the gallery and the world had been instructed: “I’m now a legend. I’m also the greatest athlete to live.” So now it was time to reveal his other, more thoughtful side: the one beyond the crowd-pleasing cabaret, itself a mixture of self-aggrandisement and parody.womens jordan heels

Remember: by the time he had given the lucky photographer his camera back, Bolt was on the other side of his “mission”. He was the world’s fastest man at 100m and 200m and a double Olympic champion. No track and field athlete can match the lustre of his four-year record in Beijing and London. So what next? He was already working on that.

First, the 4x100m relay in a discipline where Jamaica pulled off the trifecta in the 200m final (Bolt, Blake, Warren Weir). “The fact that both of us have run fast this year means there could be a record. But you can never know with the relay,” Bolt said. “It would be a good way to close the show.”cheap nike high heels

He speaks now with the assurance of one who knows he could stop tomorrow and take a ledge in history with Pele or Muhammad Ali. Or Bob Marley, still regarded as the ultimate Jamaican icon.cheap jordan heels

The odds are strongly against Bolt chasing a hat-trick of sprint titles in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 but he sounds half-serious about picking up the gauntlet thrown by Kenya’s wonderful 800m champion, David Rudisha, who said he was willing to drop a distance to confront the lightning man.

we see Bolt’s all-seeing, academic side. He was already alive to that possibility before Rudisha called him out. “I don’t know if I’m going to stay around the 200 or try something else. I’m going to sit down with my coach and discuss it,” he said.

“But Yohan Blake’s going to be there, so it’s going to be good. If I trained well I could take Rudisha at 400m. Anything more and I don’t think I could do it.cheap nike heels

“I was watching his 800m and I think he went through the 500m in 56sec. My personal best at the 500 is one minute. So he’d be way ahead of me. At 400m I think I could take him. Not now, but I could.”

intriguing observation confirms that Bolt thinks in assignments, in chunks of time. He is not just blowing along with the breeze. And the truth is that Blake had him rattled in those Jamaican championships. Nor was he completely sound as he opened his campaign with a 9.63sec victory over his younger friend in the 100m.

“I really came here a little bit off, but I said if I focused I could come here 90 per cent and do it. I did just that,” Bolt said. Few elite athletes could overcome those doubts, especially in an event where the margins of victory are so tiny.

Yet Bolt, as we saw twice on the London track, is blessed with almighty self-belief to go with his huge stride and speed: a confidence that allowed him to unfurl his talent with unanswerable power and precision.nike heels 2012

Even he, though, is daunted by the long road to Rio. “When I get to 30 I’ll think about retiring also because athletics is way too hard. It’s rough, day in day out. As you can see Yohan Blake is running 19.4 already, his personal best is 19.2 [for the 200m]. He’s running 9.7. So in the next four years he’s going to be firing. I’d like to get out early before he starts running too fast.

“[Rio] is going to be a hard mission. Both these guys [Blake and Weir] are training too well. I’m going to be 30. They’re going to be 26. Both these guys are training extremely well and I think I’ve had my time. In life anything is possible, but that’s going to be a hard reach, because there’s going to be a lot more talent coming up, and these guys have stepped up already. I’m not looking that far. I’ve made myself a legend. I’m just going to enjoy it right now.”

Before and after the show, there is calculation and cunning. During it, there is a sublime skill of mixing the jokey and the serious. The whole world saw Bolt messing about with the young woman who was looking after his kit as he stood on the starting blocks. “I was looking at her and she looked kind of nervous,” he explained. “I said, ‘Are you nervous?’ She said, ‘Yes’. I said, ‘Why?’ And she said, ‘Because I’m so excited’.

"That’s what I like to do. I like to talk to them and smile with the person carrying my bag, just to show appreciation. To meet the athletes, they’re over the moon, so for me to interact with them is good.”jordan heels 2012

These are astonishing vignettes. They defy the old orthodoxy of intense concentration and being 'in the zone'. Maybe Bolt does this to relax himself as much as the volunteer. The clue might be Blake’s revelation: “Usain’s always told me, ‘You’re not doing this for the people or the fans, you’re doing this for you’.”

An obsession with the here and now is not required to see that Bolt is out in front of Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson and all the other greats of Olympic track and field. Reporters wanted to place him in another pantheon, beyond the Olympic lanes.nike high heels

“I can’t say if I have the status of Ali or Pele. I’ve really set myself high in track and field,” Bolt said. “Michael Jordan was the greatest in his sport and I’m the greatest in mine. Ali was the greatest in his. I’m guessing I am in that category but I’ll let other people decide that. I just know I’m a legend.

“When it comes to Bob Marley, Bob Marley is one of the greatest Jamaican legends. He did great for the country before me. I’m just carrying out his duty, pretty much. I wouldn’t say I’m greater than him. We had the same goal: to make Jamaica one of the most loved countries in the world.”jordan heels

His desire to inspire sounds genuine, and touching. It could hardly be anything else on an island of 2.9 million where athletics has become the biggest source of national self-esteem, and where elevating superstar behaviour would not be tolerated. Again, with a depth of seriousness in his voice Bolt said: “I know a lot of kids look up to me. When I came home from Jamaica even the girls were saying, ‘I want to be the next Usain Bolt’.

know I inspire a lot of kids. I always encourage them to work hard. I get a lot of messages on Facebook from kids who ask me about coaching. I try to give them inspiring messages. I push myself hard because I know they want to see my run fast and do good. There will be rough times. It’s all about how you focus and how much you want it.”

is such a good comic, too. Asked about his apparent celebration with the Swedish women’s handball team after the 100m (it was no such thing, he says) he started out: “Ha. Ha. Ha,” to show he was one step ahead of the questioner.jordan high heels

Asked how a wife or girlfriend could ever reach his standards he said: “That’s a tough question, huh? I don’t know. For me it’s all about falling in love. There, I said it. If I could find the right girl it wouldn’t matter what she did. But I’m looking forward to it. I’m a bachelor. Huh.”

the euphoria, you could sense the weight lifting from him. The slab of expectation was off his back, and it was time to settle a score with Lewis, who has questioned the legitimacy of Jamaica’s triumphs in the sprints: “I’m going to say something controversial. Carl Lewis: I have no respect for him,” Bolt said. “It was really sad for me when I heard what he’s saying. I’ve lost all respect for him. All respect.

“It was all about drugs what he was saying. All about drugs. For an athlete to be out of the sport and to be saying that is really upsetting.”nike heels

But Lewis cannot lower the colours of champion who has dominated from Beijing to London and filled both congregations with awe. “To set a goal for yourself, and then achieve it, is just a wonderful feeling,” he says.

“You can’t really explain because it’s not going to hit you until you get home, sit down and talk to your friends, reminisce.

“And they’ll say, ‘Do you remember when you got injured here, and injured here, and beat there?’ Those are the things that will bring tears to your eyes. Because you’ll remember the journey.”

Mike Cameron says he's retiring as Mariner

On his way to Seattle earlier this week, Mike Cameron decided he wanted to retire as a member of the Mariners.

It was the one stop in his major league career that most felt like home for the former All-Star center fielder.griffey shoes

"It's a long way from home for me, but it's also been a special home for me," Cameron said on Friday night. "I felt like it was only fitting to try to slide my way into the Mariner family for the rest of my life."

Cameron made that decision official Friday when he signed a one-day employment contract that allowed him to retire as a member of the Mariners organization. Cameron was in town to throw out the first pitch before the team's home opener.ken griffey shoes

It was a largely ceremonial move, but one Cameron wanted to do while he was here. Cameron was signed for the 2012 season by Washington, but informed the Nationals shortly before spring training that he planned to retire, concluding a career that spanned 17 seasons and seven teams. Cameron also played for the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati, the New York Mets, San Diego, Milwaukee, Boston and Florida.

"The days that I played here and replacing a legend and the fact that the people took hold and took shape of me and walked me through everything, gave me a great opportunity to start my career off right," Cameron said. "This is basically where I want to finish."ken griffey jr shoes

The four seasons Cameron spent in Seattle matched the longest stint he spent with one franchise. But while his four seasons with the White Sox came at the beginning of his career when Cameron was just getting started, his time in Seattle was arguably the prime of Cameron's career.king griffey shoes

He was an All-Star in 2001 and also won a Gold Glove that season before adding a second in 2003. He had the unenviable task of taking over in center field after Ken Griffey Jr. was traded to Cincinnati, but quickly made his own mark. In his first week with the Mariners, Cameron made a fence-climbing leap to rob Derek Jeter of a home run and showed he was just as capable in the outfield as his predecessor.

Later in his Seattle career, Cameron hit four homers in one game and was perhaps most remembered for circling the field with an American flag after the Mariners clinched the AL West title in 2001 in the days following the attacks of Sept. 11.

Cameron played 610 games and hit .256 with 87 homers and 344 RBIs with the Mariners. His best season was also Seattle's best season in 2001 when the Mariners won 116 regular-season games and Cameron hit .267 with 25 homers and 110 RBIs.griffeys 2012

"We were winners. We won a lot of games here. Came up short as far as getting to the ultimate prize," Cameron said. "But I couldn't be more proud of the thing I was able to do here, so that's why I feel like it should end here."

Reds' Votto agrees to 12-year, $251.5 million deal | Baseball

Joey Votto agreed to a $251.5 million, 12-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds that is the longest guaranteed contract in major-league history.

The agreement adds $225 million over 10 years to his previous contract. The deal includes a club option for 2024, when the 2010 National League MVP turns 41.air griffey max 1

After watching NL Central rivals St. Louis and Milwaukee lose their first basemen to bigger markets, the Reds secured Votto with a package that easily eclipsed Ken Griffey Jr.'s $116.5 million, nine-year deal from 2000 as the largest in franchise history. In the majors, it trails only Alex Rodriguez's $275 million and $252 million deals, both over 10 years.

"Is it risky?" said owner Bob Castellini. "No doubt. That's the environment we live in, especially as a small market. We feel Joe will be a cornerstone."nike air griffey max 1

Said Votto, 28: "Maybe I could have found that elsewhere. Maybe not. But I like what I've got here."

Marlins Park a hit nike air griffey fury max 2012

MIAMI — Commissioner Bud Selig offered a one-word review of the Miami Marlins' new ballpark. "All you can say is,'Wow,' " Selig said.

Muhammad Ali had the same reaction.griffey max fury 2012

Selig's critique came 90 minutes before the first pitch of the first game Wednesday in the Marlins' season opener against the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, who won 4-1.

The ballpark's retractable roof, which is expected to be closed for all but about 10 games, was opened 30 minutes before the start. When the Marlins were introduced, each starter was accompanied by a Latin showgirl.griffeys for kids

The surprise guest delivering the first pitch: Ali. He emerged from behind the center-field gate in a cart alongside team owner Jeffrey Loria.griffeys 2012

Notes

? Left-hander John Lannan asked the Washington Nationals for a trade after they demoted him to Class AAA Syracuse, and he declared in an email sent to reporters: "I believe that I belong in a big-league rotation."

? Left-hander Jonathon Niese agreed to a $25.5 million, five-year contract with the New York Mets.nike air griffey max ii

? The Cleveland Indians finalized a three-year contract with shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera. He'll make $4.55 million in 2012, $6.5 million in 2013 and $10 million in 2014. Also, the Indians placed oft-injured center fielder Grady Sizemore from Everett on the 60-day disabled list.air griffey max 2

? Reliever Yoshinori Tateyama will begin the season on the Texas Rangers' disabled list, and outfielder Julio Borbon is headed for the minor leagues.

Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox combine to win 6 Gold Gloves | Baseball

Clayton Kershaw, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier became the first trio of Los Angeles Dodgers to win National League Gold Gloves in the same year, while Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury became the first three Boston Red Sox in 32 seasons to win the AL honor together.

Kershaw became a first-time winner at pitcher when the awards were announced Tuesday. Ethier earned his first Gold Glove in the outfield and outfielder Kemp won the NL honor he also received in 2009.women ken griffey shoes

First baseman Gonzalez earned his first AL Gold Glove to go along with two he won in the NL while with San Diego, Pedroia won at second base for the first time since 2008 and center fielder Ellsbury picked up his first Gold Glove. The previous three Red Sox to win in the same year were shortstop Rick Burleson along with outfielders Dwight Evans and Fred Lynn in 1979.

For the first time since 1986, the Mariners lacked a Gold Glove winner. Ichiro's streak ended at 10; he shares the AL record for Gold Gloves won by an outfielder with ex-Mariner Ken Griffey Jr. and Al Kaline.women griffey shoes

Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle, who won for the third year in a row, was the lone AL honoree who also earned a Gold Glove last year.griffeys for women

Other AL Gold Gloves went to catcher Matt Wieters and right fielder Nick Markakis of Baltimore, shortstop Erick Aybar of the Los Angeles Angels, ex-Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre of Texas and left fielder Alex Gordon of Kansas City.cheap griffey shoes

Non-Dodgers to win NL Gold Gloves were St. Lous catcher Yadier Molina, Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto and second baseman Brandon Phillips, Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, Philadelphia third baseman Placido Polanco and Arizona left fielder Gerardo Parra.

Managers and coaches do the voting.cheap ken griffey shoes

McCourt to sell Dodgers

LOS ANGELES — Frank McCourt has agreed to sell the Los Angeles Dodgers, surrendering the team he fought to retain for two years and in two courts.

McCourt and Major League Baseball have agreed to seek approval from U.S. Bankruptcy Court for an auction of the Dodgers.griffeys sneakers

Notes

? Former Mariners infielder Willie Bloomquist, 33, has declined his end of a $1.1 million mutual option for 2012 with the Arizona Diamondbacks.ken griffey sneakers

? Brian Cashman, New York Yankees general manager, signed a three-year, $9 million contract.

The Verizon iPhone hype: Oh, where do we begin

The news release, from Verizon Wireless, was marked urgent.

Complete text:

"iPhone 4. Verizon. It begins."king griffeys 2012

Hate to break it to the phone company, but honestly, the "It begins" line really should be saved for actual, monumental events. Like wars. Periods of drought or famine. Breaking of ground on a viaduct replacement. Free chowder at Ivar's. Or Shark Week on the Discovery Channel.

Otherwise, you risk looking especially lame when, as in this case, the decided lack of enthusiasm for said overpriced product at Verizon stores signals that, even before "it" began, something unexpected might have occurred.king griffeys

It ended.

More unsettling hype:

You Hate It When This Happens: Arnold Schwarzenegger's announcement of his triumphant returning to acting was tempered by the sobering realization that there's only one role for a sad, old, sexist former steroid abuser who has left an entire state in ruins. And he's already played it.kids ken griffey shoes

Welcome To Jacques Cousteau Realty: About a third of Seattle metro-area residents with home mortgages now owe more than their homes are worth, www.griffeys2012forcheap.com estimates. Everyone else is living with their parents.kids griffey shoes

Ding Dong: Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak finally stepped down. Sources said it was the incessant breathless coverage of that Egypt-fleeing grandma on Seattle-area TV stations (She's lost at the Cairo airport! She's found at the Cairo airport! She's lifted off! She's landed in New York! She's landed in Seattle! She's at baggage claim! She can't get a cab! She's on Shuttle Express! She's at her doorstep! She's on her couch! She's eating Bran Chex! ... ) that finally pushed him over the edge.

The Week's Poetic Justice Award: More than 100 pages of interview transcripts, photographs and other documents related to sexual-assault claims against WikiLeaks head Julian Assange have been leaked online.griffey shoes

Still Huffing, No Puffing: President Obama, D-Marlboro Country, quit smoking almost a year ago, first lady Michelle Obama said. He's using replacement therapy: Every time he's tempted to light one up, he caves in to a Republican demand instead.king griffey shoes

Meanwhile, In Gotham City: Donald Trump is considering throwing the strange animal that rides atop his head into the ring for the U.S. presidency in 2012.griffey shoes 2012

The Captain Has Turned On The d-CON Light: An Alaska Airlines flight from Sea-Tac was delayed when a rat was found prancing around inside the cabin. Seems like a lot of fuss, especially when Southwest is running that First-Rat-Flies-Free promotion.

Speaking Of Which: Anyone willing to bet that Alaska plane made a recent stop in Newark?ken griffey shoes

Leading By Example: Rumor is that Ken Griffey Jr. might return to the Mariners in a "consulting" role. He could bring a badly needed dose of entitlement to the clubhouse.cheap griffeys

And Finally: It says something about America; we're just not sure what. The "most-shared" story list on Google News, Friday afternoon: 1) Egypt Unrest. 2) Egypt Unrest. 3) Listen to Lady Gaga's New Single, "Born This Way," HERE!!! 4) Mubarak Steps Down. 5) Mubarak Refuses To Step Down. 6) Egypt Protests. 7) Beer Lovers More Likely to Have Sex on First Date.ken griffey jr shoes

Ron Judd's column appears each Sunday. He also writes Restless Native columns. Reach him at griffeys2012forcheap.com

NBA | Charles Barkley arrested on DUI charges

Charles Barkley was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol early Wednesday.

An officer with a task force that targets drunken driving saw the former NBA star run a stop sign about 1:30 a.m., Gilbert police Lt. Eric Shuhandler said. Barkley was in Scottsdale's Old Town area, a trendy spot in the Phoenix area.

"I am disappointed that I put myself in that situation," Barkley said in a statement to The Associated Press. "The Scottsdale police were fantastic. I will not comment any further as it is a legal matter."Air Max2 CB 94

The 45-year-old Barkley, now an NBA television commentator, failed field sobriety tests after the officer smelled alcohol on him, and he was arrested. Barkley declined to submit to a breath test but was given a blood test. The results weren't immediately available.

Barkley was cited and released. His car was impounded and he left in a cab, Shuhandler said. Police described Barkley as cooperative, adding it is customary to release people after an arrest on suspicion of DUI.

"There was nothing unusual about how he was taken into custody," Shuhandler said. "He was treated exactly like we treat anybody else."Nike Air Max2 CB 94

Thunder wins No. 4

OKLAHOMA CITY — Scott Brooks figured his Oklahoma City Thunder team had been in enough close games in the fourth quarter to eventually win one. The team's time came Wednesday night.

The Thunder pulled away in the third quarter and held on for a 107-100 victory over Golden State. It was only the fourth win of the season for Oklahoma City, which snapped a five-game losing streak.

"We've had a lot of fourth-quarter games. When you're put in that situation constantly, you get better," the interim coach said. "You find a rhythm. You find a little bit of anger inside your soul and say you're going to keep fighting, we're going to break through. And we've done that."

Jeff Green scored 18 of his 26 points in the second half. Oklahoma City turned 20 Golden State turnovers into 24 points, many coming off steals.Charles Barkley shoes

"It's obviously a big win for all of us, fans included," Scott said. "They're sticking with us, which is incredible. I've been around 17, 18 years in the league and you don't see that. Players feel good about that and we all appreciate that."

? Orlando guard Mickael Pietrus will be out indefinitely after breaking his right wrist on a dunk against Detroit on Monday.Nike Air Trainer Max 2 94

One of the Magic's main three-point threats, Pietrus is averaging 11.7 points. But he has had trouble staying healthy after the Magic signed him away from Golden State in the offseason. Pietrus was appearing in his fifth straight game on Monday after missing 10 with a torn ligament in his right thumb.

? Forward Jermaine O'Neal (knee) and guard Jason Kapono (quadriceps) missed Toronto's game against Denver.Air Trainer Max 2 94

? Washington forward Caron Butler had an MRI that revealed no serious damage to his injured left ankle. The MRI confirmed the initial diagnosis of a sprain, and he will continue to be listed as day-to-day.

Butler hurt the ankle during the loss to Cleveland on Christmas Day. He has since missed three games.

? Longtime NBA assistant Ron Adams has been hired to complete Brooks' staff in Oklahoma City.

Mercer Island teen opts for charity at his bar mitzvah

Earlier this year, Rebecca Fox-Dewhurst and her son, Ben Dewhurst, were perusing invitations for his coming bar mitzvah when Ben noticed one in particular. On the front were the image of a globe and a quote from the Talmud: "Whoever saves a single life," it read, "is as if one saves the entire world."

Before long, Ben — a 13-year-old, soccer-playing Kanye West fan — found himself immersed in the life of a young woman 60 years before his time, a non-Jew whose family in Ukraine had helped rescue a young Jewish girl during the Holocaust.Nike Air Yeezy 2

Now, with his celebration today, Ben not only will acknowledge his transition into adulthood but the actions of those who, in one of history's darkest periods, helped Jews survive persecution.

The invitation that broadened Ben's purpose touted the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (JFR), a 22-year-old New York-based agency offering financial support to non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during World War II.Air Yeezy 2

Through its bar/bat mitzvah program, the JFR encourages boys and girls to incorporate the Jewish commitments to tzedakah, or charity, and hakarat hatov, the seeking out and recognition of goodness, into their experience. Children choose to pair with one of the 100 or so rescuers profiled on the JFR Web site, typically honoring that rescuer's deeds during their celebrations.

Ultimately, they contribute to the foundation, which suggests a donation of $5 per invitation mailed. In Ben's case, that would be about $500. "Ben just felt that this invitation did what he wanted to do with his bar mitzvah," Fox-Dewhurst said. "He said, 'That is so incredibly cool, Mom.' "Air Yeezy

The JFR each month sends money to nearly 1,200 verified rescuers in 26 countries. The greatest numbers are in Poland, Ukraine, Belarus and Hungary; 17 are in the U.S. Most are Catholic, some Muslim, and their stories are verified by Jerusalem's Yad Vashem, a 55-year-old organization that documents the history of Jews during the Holocaust and those who helped save them.

Ben, a seventh-grader at Mercer Island's Islander Middle School, scrolled through the dozens of JFR's rescuer anecdotes and an hour later came to his parents with one that had stuck out to him — the story of Emilia Maksimova, a Ukrainian.Air Yeezy shoes

"She helped a kid about my age," he said. "She and her family took her home. They even moved and went to a lot of trouble to help."Air Yeezys sneakers

Maksimova's parents found Nusia, a 10-year-old Jewish girl abandoned on the street. The family kept her in hiding, sometimes under the floorboards of their home, until the war ended. At age 13, Nusia was reunited with her parents. Now living in Israel, she still corresponds with Maksimova, who is in her 90s and has since relocated to Russia.

Like Maksimova, many surviving rescuers are now aged and struggling, perhaps coping with the aftermath of communism's fall in Eastern Europe.Air Yeezy glow in the dark

"The elderly are not running around with fur coats and driving Mercedeses," said JFR Executive Director Stanlee Stahl. "The idea is to provide additional funds so they can live out the remainder of their years in dignity."Nike Air Yeezy For Women

"After learning the stories, I realized not enough people know about them," said Rachel Siegel, a Dallas girl who celebrated her bat mitzvah in September 2007 and has earned more than $12,000 for the organization through sales of a book she wrote about Holocaust rescuers, "Stories of Moral Courage."

Rescuers apply their money toward expenses such as food, heat and medication. Alternately, they might put out a big holiday feast for their grandchildren, or save their money in order to replace an outhouse with a new bathroom.Cheap Air Yeezy

While the notion of tzedakah is a responsibility, Stahl said, it nonetheless takes "a special kind of kid" to opt for a charity-oriented celebration. "That says to me that the child and the family have put the bar mitzvah into the right perspective," she said.kanye west shoes

That's what drew Susan Hoerger, of Chapel Hill, N.C., to the organization, when her son Jacob celebrated his bar mitzvah in 2005. "The greatest charity you can do is not only to save people you don't know, but people who aren't even your people," she said. "It's the height of righteousness."

More than 900 youngsters have participated in the program. The matches with rescuers are strictly symbolic; donations don't go directly to those individuals but into a pool of funds that benefit all rescuers.air yeezy shoes glow in the dark

"I think it's important that you teach young people that you need to give back, that there's something bigger than themselves," Stahl said.Air Yeezy kanye west shoes

For 90 minutes every Thursday, Ben has been studying for his big day at Temple B'nai Torah, reading out of the Torah in Hebrew. One night, he looks over the script, fidgeting in his polo shirt and tennis shoes, anticipating the day when he'll be draped with a tallit, or prayer shawl, and sing a hymn for the congregation.

Ben is earning his donation by doing odd jobs for his parents — six extra hours of work a week, including some recycling and yard duty and organizing some of his dad's old files.Nike Air Yeezy Shoes

"A lot of things he'd like to do, like video gaming, have just disappeared from his life right now," said Ben's father, Tim Dewhurst.air yeezy shoes for sale

"[Ben] has kept up with it, despite his overloaded schedule," Fox-Dewhurst said. Sure, sometimes he needs to be reminded; he's a kid after all. Nonetheless, he's going to have a party, and most of the attendees will be kids his age. The setting, as is Ben's style, will be a modest community-center one.

"Ben's only real request is that he has a chocolate fountain there," Fox-Dewhurst said.cheap air yeezy shoes

What has Ben learned from his involvement? "That you should help people through their hard times," he said. That even under the most trying of circumstances, he said, it's possible to find goodness in people.

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