Sonstiges » with Shurmur, putting three

MINNEAPOLIS -- Candace Parker and the Sparks jumped with joy on the court, joined in celebration by a guy named Magic Johnson who once made basketball championships a habit in Los Angeles.Parkers old college coach, the late Pat Summitt, was there in spirit too.Nneka Ogwumikes short jumper with 3.1 seconds left, off the rebound of her blocked shot, gave the Sparks a 77-76 victory over the defending champion Minnesota Lynx in the deciding Game 5 of the WNBA Finals on Thursday night for the franchises first title in 14 years.Parker had 28 points and 12 rebounds to earn MVP honors of the Finals and her first WNBA title, capping a trying year marked by the death of the beloved Summitt, with whom she won two NCAA championships at Tennessee.The journey to get here I wouldnt have wanted to do it with anybody else, Parker said. Its amazing when you surround yourself with good people how fun it is.Sparks coach Brian Agler started his postgame news conference by playing a recording of the Tennessee fight song, Rocky Top, from a phone in front of him at the podium. Parker cried as she leaned over to hug her coach.Ive never been around somebody that has been critiqued so hard, Agler said, and Ive never been around anyone Im happy for than Candace.Said Ogwumike: Shes been through so much. Shes probably the most misunderstood person in the league. I told her I wanted her to get one.Parker heard Summitts voice in her head, recalling the time-worn advice to focus on defense and rebounding.You cant control if shots go in or shots dont, but what you can control is defense and rebounding, Parker said.Rebekkah Brunson made one of two free throws with 23.4 seconds left to give the Lynx a 74-73 lead. Parker answered with a layup on the other end that Maya Moore countered with a jumper. Then Ogwumike hustled her way over to the loose ball after Sylvia Folwes blocked her first attempt. She coolly swished it.Lindsay Whalens heave from just inside halfcourt bounced high off the backboard, setting off the celebration for the Sparks and silencing the sellout crowd of 19,423.Moore had 23 points and 11 assists for the Lynx, who fell short of matching the WNBA record of four championships. The Houston Comets won four straight titles from 1997-2000. The Lynx played in the finals for the fifth time in the last six years. They won three.The team that won this game deserved to win the game, Moore said, so its just hard to have it come that close.Chelsea Gray reeled off 11 consecutive points for the Sparks, capping that run with a smooth up-and-under layup to put them in front 60-59 early in the fourth quarter. Parkers putback with 3:06 left gave L.A. a 71-63 lead, putting the Lynx in trouble.But Moore seized the moment with a 3-pointer that brought Minnesota within four points, and Parker forced an off-balance 3 on the other end. Whalen stole the ball from Kristi Toliver and finished the fast break with a layup to tie the game at 71, setting up the final flurry.On the next play, Ogwumike hit a jumper that appeared to come after the shot clock expired. The officials signaled for a review but never looked at the basket. Los Angeles led 73-71 with just over a minute left. Seimone Augustus answered with a jumper, but those points proved to be critical.Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, making sure to credit the Sparks for their performance was livid about the non-call afterward.Its not enough just to apologize and send out a memo that they got something wrong, OK? These players are so invested, and something must be done about the officiating in this league. Because it is not fair to these great players that we have, Reeve said.The WNBAs new postseason format with the field ordered by overall record regardless of conference sure worked well, leading to this classic matchup between the two teams that fought all summer for the top seed and featuring several of the leagues biggest stars.I hope that we gained a lot of fans from around the world and around this country, Augustus said.The game was remarkably close, with 24 lead changes and 11 ties with no team ever leading by double digits.CHAMPIONSHIP ATMOSPHEREThe sea of green T-shirts donned by almost everyone in the crowd produced a deafening soundtrack from start to finish befitting a game for the trophy.Even Johnson was there, wearing all black while sitting courtside to root for the Sparks team hes a part-owner of and spoke to after the loss at home in Game 4 on Sunday. His presence was all the more impressive considering the Dodgers, the other pro club hes invested in, were playing baseball in Los Angeles at the same time in Game 5 of their National League championship series.They had to believe they could do it on a tough home court. This team Minnesota is tremendous, Johnson said. We just beat the champions so I give them a lot of credit to.WOLF TRACKSThe Lynx had celebrity backing, too, with Timberwolves players including Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Ricky Rubio, Cole Aldrich and Nemanja Belica in the seats to support the women they share an arena with.Cheap NCAA Jerseys Authentic . The deal is pending a physical, assistant general manager Bobby Evans said. Traded from Seattle to Baltimore on Aug. 30, Morse also can play first base and right field to give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility in writing his lineup. Fake NCAA Jerseys . Denis Coderre, the former federal MP who was elected mayor on Nov. 3, has drawn the ire of some Montreal Canadiens. During last nights game he tweeted: "Hello? Can we get a one-way ticket to (minor-league) Hamilton for David Desharnais please. https://www.ncaajerseys2020.com/ . -- The Magic have their first victory of the new year. Wholesale NCAA Jerseys . -- The St. Johns IceCaps weathered a wild first period with the help of goaltender Jussi Olkinuora, before finding offensive inroads in the second. Fake College Jerseys . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite.EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- After spending the night at the office, Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer had a surprise early-morning visitor.Offensive coordinator Norv Turner, following the offseason hire of a potential replacement and feeble performances by the Vikings in losing the last two games, came to tell the boss he was quitting for the best interest of both Turner and the team.After taking the leagues only remaining undefeated record into their bye week, the Vikings have stumbled badly. Turners abrupt resignation Wednesday was the latest stunner, with players returning from a day off to learn of the change in leadership on offense. Pat Shurmur, who has five years of experience as an NFL offensive coordinator plus two as a head coach, was picked to replace Turner.I obviously didnt see this coming. I was in here yesterday talking to him. I didnt really think anything was different, said quarterback Sam Bradford, who found out via phone from his wife as he pulled into the parking lot at team headquarters.Zimmers voice cracked and his bottom lip quivered near the end of his news conference while discussing his relationship with Turner. He hired Turner to run the offense after getting the job with the Vikings in 2014.Zimmer said the decision was made entirely by the 64-year-old Turner, but after two seasons of lagging production by the offense Zimmer hired Shurmur as an overqualified tight ends coach for 2016.Norv is a very, very good friend of mine. He has helped me tremendously in the three years that Ive been here, Zimmer said. Hes had an unbelievable career. Hes been, really, my right-hand man.Turner released a statement through the Vikings, stating his tremendous respect for Zimmer, the staff and the players, and his desire to see them succeed without him. He said in subsequent interviews that the decision stemmed from differing views with Zimmer about the direction of the offense.It just got to the point where I didnt think it was going to work with me, so I removed myself, Turner told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.The Vikings have scored only 10 points in each loss after the 5-0 start, with the offensive lines performance the primary concern. Bradford, sacked 11 times over the last two games, said he had no problem with the scheme and that the players felt responsible for Turners departure.The first thing you think about is what you couldve done differently, what we could have done as aan offense to prevent this from happening, tight end Kyle Rudolph said.dddddddddddd Weve just got to get everybody to do their job. We have the talent and ability to make that happen. There just has to be a little bit more sense of urgency on our side of the ball to go out and execute.The Vikings (5-2) host the Lions on Sunday, still in first place in the NFC North and second in the conference despite their recent struggles. Theyre averaging 2.7 yards per rushing attempt, by far the lowest in the league, and are fourth worst in sacks allowed. The original starters at quarterback (Teddy Bridgewater), running back (Adrian Peterson) and tackle (Matt Kalil and Andre Smith) are all on injured reserve.So while Turners departure could further the post-bye spiral, Shurmurs takeover could also provide a system restart needed for a sputtering group.Its really hard to say. I know that the players really respect Norv. I know the coaches do. I know I certainly do. So well just have to see how that goes, Zimmer said. I do think that its hard to do a lot of things different during the season.Turner, who was calling all of the plays, has been with nine NFL teams over 32 years, almost half of that as a head coach. This was his 10th season as an offensive coordinator in the league. Turners son, Scott, remains Minnesotas quarterbacks coach, and the rest of the staff remains intact.Zimmer became more involved in the offensive planning last year and hired Tony Sparano as offensive line coach along with Shurmur, putting three former NFL head coaches on the offensive staff.Since Norv has been here Ive given him almost 100 percent total free will in everything that theyve done offensively, Zimmer said. Obviously Ill come in and make suggestions, but there really has not been a time where Ive demanded everything from there.Last season, Shurmur had Bradford as his quarterback with the Eagles. His input helped Vikings general manager Rick Spielman make the emergency trade for Bradford on Sept. 3 after Bridgewater was hurt. Shurmur was also Bradfords offensive coordinator in 2010, the quarterbacks rookie year with St. Louis.Ive always enjoyed working with Pat, Bradford said. I think hes a great football mind.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '