LOS ANGELES -- Thirteen years have passed since Sparks fans got to see their team play in a WNBA Finals game here in California. Franck Ribery Bayern Munich Jersey . And the Sparks are expecting those folks to bring a lot of life Friday night to the Galen Center, the Sparks alternate home, for Game 3 of the WNBA Finals (ESPN2, 9 ET).But they arent counting on that being the deciding factor in this series with Minnesota. After all, the Lynx won both regular-season games in Los Angeles, June 21 and Sept. 6 at Staples Center.We just have to come out with a lot of energy, Sparks center Jantel Lavender said. But thats not about the fans. Its about us, and playing like we played all season to get here.[In Game 2], we were missing a lot of shots, and we missed boxouts. You cant do that against a team thats won championships. But you also cant get too down about mistakes, either. In that split-second of us worrying about a missed shot, and theyre running to a transition layup.In other words, the Sparks know their margin for error might actually be a little less than it is for the Lynx. Not a lot, but as Lavender said, the Lynx have a lot of players with WNBA championship experience, while the Sparks -- whose last Finals appearance was in 2003 -- dont.In the Sparks 78-76 Game 1 victory, Minnesota allowed a few too many easy baskets, sometimes after gambling a bit on defense, and then a buzzer-beating shot by Los Angeles Alana Beard to win it.Game 2, for the most part, was exactly how the Lynx want the rest of this series to go: with them dominating the boards, limiting Nneka Ogwumikes shots and making Candace Parker shoot a lot from the perimeter.That Sylvia Fowles-led defensive formula -- along with key offensive contributions from Maya Moore and Seimone Augustus -- gave the Lynx a series-tying 79-60 victory Tuesday.So weve seen a close game play out in the Sparks favor, and a game that turned into a blowout for the Lynx. Asked how much she thought Minnesota would need to adjust for Game 3, Augustus said not much. Another game like Tuesdays would suit the Lynx just fine.We have some details that we need to clean up, but they are all minor, Augustus said. Its good to say we only have small things to address rather than major things.The Sparks also dont have major issues, but they must figure out how to prevent Minnesotas defense from dictating the game so much. Los Angeles 60 points Tuesday tied for their lowest output this season.The phrase back on our heels came up a lot from the Sparks players after Tuesdays game, and Los Angeles coach Brian Agler said that could be a big factor Friday -- especially for Ogwumike and Parker.Just being aggressive. Just being more on their front foot than their back foot, Agler said when asked what he hoped to see from that duo. Using the skills that they have, their athleticism, their basketball instincts and their intelligence. Theyre elite in those kind of ways.The reality is, against most teams this season, the Sparks were just so talented that they could win even when they didnt necessarily play well. That wont be the case against Minnesota.We have to play better defense. We shot terrible, Parker said, referring to the Sparks 32.9 shooting percentage Tuesday. I think a lot of that was because of our energy and effort. I dont think we were as focused as we were in Game 1. Xabi Alonso Jersey . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. Holger Badstuber Jersey . At a Manhattan federal court hearing, attorney Jordan Siev said his law office has gotten more evidence nearly every day to support its lawsuit accusing MLB and Selig of going on a "witch hunt" to ruin Rodriguezs reputation and career. He said the defendants went "way over the line. http://www.fcbayernsoccershop.us/c-21-kingsley-coman-fc-bayern-munich-jersey.aspx.C. at the helm of the top team in the Eastern Conference. His tenure as the GM in Vancouver was all too brief. Though he led the Canucks to what was then a franchise record-shattering campaign in just his second season, Nonis was gone and replaced one year later. Darrell Hazell never won consecutive games at Purdue and his latest failed attempt to string together a couple victories turned out to be his last.Purdue fired Hazell on Sunday midway through his fourth season and less than 24 hours after the Boilermakers again could not win two in a row.Hazell was 9-33 overall with just three Big Ten victories since taking over in 2013. At .220, He finished with the worst winning percentage of any Purdue coach in 95 years.His dismissal had seemed almost inevitable entering this season, but a 3-2 start with victories over Eastern Kentucky and Nevada, along with an overtime win over Illinois on Oct. 8 gave some hope that he would be given a full season to show progress.Then the Boilermakers lost 49-35 to Iowa on homecoming Saturday and trailed 42-14 heading into the fourth quarter.The hope was that we would build on the victory at Illinois and carry it over to the Iowa game, athletic director Mike Bobinski said Sunday. It didnt happen. We werent showing progress, so it was time to make a change.Bobinski, who was hired away from Georgia Tech in August to replace the retiring Morgan Burke, said he met with Hazell on Sunday morning.Darrell was disappointed, but as he always is, he was a gentleman, Bobinski said. From the first time I met Darrell, I could tell he was a man of high character, but our inconsistent performance and inability to generate positive momentum -- along with the disappointing results of the past three seasons -- made it clear to me that we needed to make a change.Wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator Gerad Parker was named interim coach. Parker is in his fourth season on staff.We met with the team early this afternoon, and we have a bunch of men who are hurting, Parker said. For me, there is great sadness, but it also is a great challenge. It is awkward, but I will lean on Mike Bobinski, our staff and our players. We have to get prepared to get on a plane and fly to Nebraska and play a great Nebraska team. That must be our focus.Along with failing performance came sagging attendance at Purdue.. Philipp Lahm Bayern Munich Jersey. The Boilermakers have averaged 32,078 fans at Ross-Ade Stadium, capacity 62,000, for four home games. Thats down from 37,152 last season.Purdue is in the process of building a $65 million football facility.College athletics cant have a better man than Darrell Hazell, and I would like to see more individuals with his virtues in Division I athletics, university president Mitch Daniels said in a statement. But while character is mandatory every day at Purdue, positive performance also must be there. With new leadership and the rapidly evolving Football Performance Complex, Im confident that better days are ahead.The last Purdue coach to have a worse winning percentage than Hazell was William Henry Dietz, who went 1-6 in 1921.Hazell, 52, was hired away from Kent State, where the former Ohio State assistant went 16-10 with a Mid-American Conference championship in 2012. He replaced Danny Hope at Purdue. Hope had gone 22-27 in four seasons as successor to Joe Tiller, the winningest coach in school history, with 87 victories.Hazell has two years left on his original six-year contract worth $12.75 million and he will be paid the full remainder of the deal.Bobinski said he will quickly begin a search and that Purdues reputation for being thrifty with coaching salaries would not be an issue with this hire.Purdue could look to another MAC coach, Western Michigans P.J. Fleck, or possibly to a former Boilermakers assistant in Brock Spack, who is 58-33 in eight seasons at FCS Illinois State. Spack was defensive coordinator under Tiller.Former LSU coach Les Miles, who is a former Michigan player with Big Ten roots, would bring credibility to a program that hasnt had extended success since Tiller retired after the 2008 season. The 62-year old Miles has said he would like to coach again.The Boilermakers went to 10 bowl games, including the 2001 Rose Bowl, under Tiller, but have not finished with a winning record only once since. Cheap NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Jerseys ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaNFL Cheap JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
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