Gästeforum » as "my beloved Springboks." Current Spring

LOS ANGELES -- Chris Paul had 21 points and eight assists, Blake Griffin added 20 points before both All-Stars sat out the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Clippers breezed to a 108-76 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night. Nine-year veteran Danny Granger did not make his debut with the Clippers because of a technicality on the teams active list, which is signed by coach Doc Rivers before every game and relayed to the officials. Grangers name was printed by hand by a member of the public relations staff under the heading: "Updated Roster Additions," but the number on the sheet was not circled along with the other active players by the required deadline of 6:30 p.m. local time, which is mandatory. As a result, referee Bill Spooner ruled Granger ineligible and instructed him to change back into street clothes. The Clippers didnt need their newest small forward in the wire-to-wire victory, which extended their winning streak to four games and increased their Pacific Division lead to four games over Golden State. It was the fourth game this season in which the Clippers winning margin was 30 or more points. Tyreke Evans had 22 points and nine rebounds for New Orleans. But Anthony Davis picked up three fouls in his first 7 minutes on the court and finished with eight points, three nights after spraining his left shoulder in a loss against Dallas. Los Angeles opened a 27-11 lead while New Orleans missed 17 of its first 20 shots. Former Clipper Eric Gordon, who went to New Orleans in the multiplayer deal that brought Paul to Los Angeles, started 0 for 8 before ending the drought with a short running bank shot. By then, the Pelicans were staring at a 43-24 deficit with 5:26 left in the first half. They shot 3 for 22 from 3-point range and committed 22 turnovers that were converted into 33 Clippers points. The Pelicans, buried in last place in the Southwest Division and 10 1/2 games behind fourth-place Memphis, are 8-19 since Jan. 4, when they began an eight-game losing streak at Indiana. Theyve dropped their last seven, including a 123-110 decision to the Clippers at home last Monday. It was the second straight start for Evans, who had been used exclusively in a reserve role this season before Mondays 116-104 loss at Phoenix. He was primarily a starter at the shooting guard spot during his first four NBA seasons with Sacramento, after getting picked fourth overall in the 2009 draft. One day after the Pelicans made it official that point guard Jrue Holiday will miss the remainder of the season following surgery in Los Angeles to repair a stress fracture in his right tibia, backup Brian Roberts had four points and missed seven of eight shots. New Orleans is 8-17 since Roberts replaced Holiday in the starting lineup. The Clippers also played without Jamal Crawford, who strained his left calf during Wednesdays 101-93 win over Houston; and J.J. Redick, who hasnt played since Feb. 3 because of a bulging disc in his lower back. NOTES: Granger signed with Los Angeles on Friday after his contract was bought out by the Philadelphia 76ers, just six days after the 76ers acquired him from Indiana. His Clippers debut will now be Tuesday night at Phoenix. ... Pelicans G Austin Rivers, the son of the Clippers coach, had 19 points off the bench. ... Granger, who turns 31 in April, was born in New Orleans and played his high school ball in Metairie, La. He was limited to only five games last season because of patellar tendinosis in his right knee, and was sidelined for almost two months at the start of this season because of a left calf strain. ... The Clippers have had an least one player with double-digit rebounds in 59 of their first 61 games and each of the last 38. ... Los Angeles has won nine of its last 12 meetings with New Orleans after losing 14 in a row. Each of their Pelicans previous two losses to the Clippers was by 13-point margins. Wholesale Sneakers For Sale . The Raptors two leading scorers were never able to co-exist the way they hoped or the team had envisioned, but individually DeRozan was thriving, in the midst of a career season. Sneakers Sale Uk .The seventh-seeded Raonic was scheduled to play U.S. Open finalist Kei Nishikori of Japan, but was replaced in the Group B pool by Spanish substitute David Ferrer.Raonic, who was 0-2 at the year-end event, said he suffered the injury late in the first set of Tuesdays 6-3, 7-6 loss to Murray. http://www.sneakersuksale.com/. Van Slyke drove in a career-high four runs with two homers off struggling left-hander Tony Cingrani, and the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled away to a 6-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night, a rare comfortable win in their pitching-dominated series. Cheap Sneakers Online Uk . 1 Caroline Wozniacki and three-time champion Serena Williams cruised into the semifinals, while last years runner-up Vera Zvonareva succumbed to Aussie Samantha Stosur in Thursdays womens quarterfinal action at the U. Sneakers For Cheap .com) - Kam Chancellor bobbed his head in celebration as he crossed the goal line on his game-clinching 90-yard interception return. When it came to sport, Nelson Mandela had the ability to inspire even inspirational figures and leave global stars completely star-struck. The anti-apartheid leader, former South African president and Nobel Peace Prize winner died on Thursday at the age of 95, prompting a vast outpouring of tributes from the worlds best-known athletes and top sporting bodies. Muhammad Ali, himself a role model for so many, said Mandela inspired others to "reach for what appeared to be impossible." "What I will remember most about Mr. Mandela is that he was a man whose heart, soul and spirit could not be contained or restrained by racial and economic injustices, metal bars or the burden of hate and revenge," Ali said in a statement through his foundation. Pele wrote, "He was my hero, my friend." Tiger Woods called his meeting with Mandela in 1998 "inspiring times." "Its sad for everyone who got a chance to not only meet him, but Ive been influenced by him," Woods said. Usain Bolt posted on Twitter: "One of the greatest human beings ever." The NBAs LeBron James said: "In his 95 years, he was able to do unbelievable things not only for South Africa but for the whole world." As much as sportsmen and women loved Mandela, he in turn loved sport and appreciated its enormous potential to do good. Nowhere more than in his own country, where he famously used the 1995 Rugby World Cup to knock down the last barriers of apartheid. "A remarkable man who understood that sport could build bridges, break down walls, and reveal our common humanity," International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said in a statement to The Associated Press. The IOC would fly the Olympic flag at half-staff for three days for Mandela, he said. Bach later choked up while speaking about when he met Mandela in 1996 and asked the former political prisoner if he felt hatred toward the apartheid regime that imprisoned him for 27 years. "His immediate response was no but he saw the doubt in my eyes," Bach said on Friday. "You dont believe me? he asked. I can tell you why. If I hate I would not be a free man anymore." Bach wasnt the only one to show his emotions. Gary Player paused while speaking at a golf tournament in South Africa to compose himself and wipe away tears. "When you think of a man going to jail for all those years for doing the right thing, not the wrong thing, its hard to comprehend that a man can come out and be like that," Player said. "He was an exceptional man, just exceptional." FIFA president Sepp Blatter said he and world football were in mourning at Mandelas passing and ordered that the 209 flags of its member countries at FIFA headquarters in Switzerland also be flown at half-staff. "It is in deep mourning that I pay my respects to an extraordinary person, probably one of the greatest humanists of our time and a dear friend of mine," Blatter said. From a cricket test in Australia to basketball games in the United States, and a golf tournament in the wilderness of South Africa, Mandela was remembered by players and fans across sport with moments of silence. A keen amateur boxer and runner in his youth, Mandela understood the intricacies of rugby, football and cricket, the most popular sports in his country, but even games and players the South African wouldnt have been familiar with were touched by him. "Nelson Mandela was one of the most powerful and inspirational leaders in the world and a great friend of the NBA," league commissioner David Stern said, "... and while we mourn his passing, we know that his legacy andd quest for equality will endure.ddddddddddddquot; Sport was never far from Mandelas mind. He was there -- often the driving force -- when South Africa returned to the Olympic family, won rugbys World Cup, won footballs African Cup and earned the right to host FIFAs World Cup in 2010, the first in Africa. It was fitting that Mandelas last appearance for an adoring public was when he greeted fans in a packed stadium on the outskirts of Soweto ahead of the 2010 World Cup final. "When he was honoured and cheered by the crowd ... it was as a man of the people, a man of their hearts, and it was one of the most moving moments I have ever experienced," Blatter said. A string of Spains World Cup winners from that year and Portugals Cristiano Ronaldo all tweeted messages of condolence, with many including photographs of themselves with Mandela. Global superstars Woods and David Beckham both made a point of meeting him when they travelled to South Africa. Woods came out of his audience with a copy of the mans autobiography and Beckham was almost reverent in their 2003 meeting. "We have lost a true gentleman and a courageous human being," Beckham said on his Facebook page. "It was truly an honour to have known a man who had genuine love for so many people." South African golfer Ernie Els said that from around 1996 onwards Mandela would call him every time he won a tournament and they once exchanged gifts after Mandela visited him at a tournament near the ex-presidents Johannesburg home. "Ive still got that picture in my office in the U.S.," Els said. "He was just the most amazing person I have ever met." But Mandelas interest in sport wasnt just for the grand occasion and the photo opportunity. Recalling his first conversation with a still imprisoned Mandela in 1986 and away from the media spotlight, former Australian prime minister Malcolm Fraser said Mandelas first question was about cricket and the man regarded as that sports greatest player. "His first remark to me, after hello, was ... Mr. Fraser, is Donald Bradman still alive?" Fraser later brought him a bat signed by Bradman. Crickets finest batsman had written "in recognition of a great unfinished innings" for Mandela on the bat. What Mandela did at that 1995 Rugby World Cup final is one of sports defining moments and enshrined in the new South Africas conscience. By pulling on the green and gold jersey of the Springboks, the national team previously all-white and associated with the apartheid regime, Mandela signalled to all South Africans that they should unite. His presentation of the trophy to the Springboks blond captain Francois Pienaar provided a lasting image of reconciliation that politics just couldnt match. "It was our privilege to have lived in this country during his lifetime," South African Rugby Union president Oregan Hoskins said. After 1995, Mandela commonly referred to the team that had previously been boycotted abroad for its associations with apartheid as "my beloved Springboks." Current Springboks captain Jean de Villiers said: "His presence at a test match just lifted the crowd and energized the team -- it is actually hard to describe." Even for New Zealands losing rugby captain on that famous June day in 1995, Sean Fitzpatrick, Mandelas effect was too momentous not to appreciate. "Afterwards, when we were driving back to our hotel crying, to see the sheer enjoyment of everyone running down the streets ... black, white, colored, whatever they were, just arm in arm celebrating sport," Fitzpatrick said. "He saw the bigger picture." ' ' '