NBA Power Rankings: Final Regular-Season Edition Entering 2019 Playoffs

For our final regular-season edition of NBA power rankings, we’re still considering each team’s record, advanced metrics and health. real nike nfl jerseys Though it may seem like all it should take to organize the 30 teams into an order reflective of the league’s hierarchy is a glance at the standings, we know that’s not true.nike nfl jerseys on sale

Some teams stumbled into the postseason, while others surged late to secure a seed. Even those in the lottery aren’t necessarily as good or bad as their final record shows.

Recent play, then, still matters. Weighing the last few weeks against a team’s full-season numbers is the only way to get an accurate picture of where each team ranks right now. And, as a point of clarification, this week’s games barely matter at all because, with seeding largely decided, many teams rested their stars.where can i buy authentic nfl jerseys

Just like that, the 2018-19 NBA regular season is over.

If you blinked, you missed it.where to buy nfl jerseyhi-res-a429ab91c3f54ebb65b5473d4a12cc03_crop_north

30. New York Knicks (30)buy nfl jerseys from china

It seemed like every other Mitchell Robinson highlight this year featured the swat-happy rookie blocking a three-point attempt. No surprise: He set the NBA record in that statistic.

The Knicks finished 2018-19 with the worst record and lowest offensive efficiency in the league. They spent more time at No. 30 in our rankings than any other team. But hey, at least they have a rookie center worth watching.

29. Cleveland Cavaliers (29)

It feels right that Cleveland surrendered 124 points to the Hornets in its final game of the season on Tuesday. That loss, the Cavs’ 10th in a row, is exactly how you’d expect the team with the worst defensive rating in league history to go out.china nfl jerseys nike

On the plus side, Larry Nance Jr. quietly developed playmaking chops and a serviceable three-point shot this season. Even more encouraging, Collin Sexton dramatically altered his shot profile for the better over the final two months of the year, swapping out mid-rangers for threes and layups.women nfl jersey

Finally, Cedi Osman leaves you with this: a strong metaphor for the Cavs’ 2018-19 season.women’s authentic nfl jerseys

Loser: Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

One of the biggest individual losers of the offseason is Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. From an on-field perspective, the Steelers lost a lot of talent this season, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Roethlisberger will miss his cheap authentic nfl jerseys free shipping top target in wide receiver Antonio Brown, a reliable starter in tight end Jesse James and an All-Pro running back in Le’Veon Bell.f8971604f096a58a9ce10db4666cf915_crop_exact

To make matters worse, the Steelers also lost offensive line coach Mike Munchak to the Denver Broncos. Under Munchak, Roethlisberger has been sacked a total of 115 times in his five years in Pittsburgh, according to 360.sportradar.com. No quarterback who has started at least 70 games in that period has been sacked fewer times than Roethlisberger. All in all, that is a lot for the 37-year old quarterback to overcome this season.nfl jersey cheap free shipping

And this doesn’t even account for Roethlisberger’s character issues, which might have led to the departure of Brown. Roethlisberger has been called out by former teammates and players across the league, including being accused of fumbling cheap nfl jersey free shipping a ball on purpose because he didn’t like a play call.

With likely the biggest workload of his career now upon his shoulders, it’s up to Roethlisberger to carry the Steelers to the playoffs. Without Brown or Bell, that could be a tough task.cheap nfl jerseys free shipping paypal

15-11: Japan, Portugal, Denmark, Spain, Switzerland

15. Japan

Japan became many supporters’ second team. They played good, fast, technical football with smiles on their faces, and Takashi Inui and Gaku Shibasaki stood out in midfield for all the right reasons.

They almost pulled off what would have been one of the shocks of the tournament but surrendered a two-goal lead to Belgium. Considering the cloudy circumstances that accompanied their arrival in Russia (they sacked their manager in April), you can’t sniff at what the Samurai Blue achieved.

14. Portugal

From a team-wide perspective, Portugal’s performances weren’t good. Cristiano Ronaldo dragged them through the thriller with Spain, and in the next three games only William Carvalho and Pepe impressed regularly.nike jersey nfl cheap

An inability to construct passing moves and poor form from the likes of Raphael Guerreiro and Bernardo Silva contributed to a round-of-16 exit.

13. Denmark

For Denmark to progress any further than they did—the round of 16—they needed Christian Eriksen to have a world-class game in every game. A solid defence can only get you so far if your offensive output is lacking; they only scored three goals in four games, not one of them coming from a striker.cheap youth nfl jerseys

12. Spain

Those suggesting Julen Lopetegui’s departure the day before the tournament began would not impact Spain, that they were simply a self-aware, footballing machine, were proved wrong. Stand-in coach Fernando Hierro looked lost on the touchline as his side passed itself to death then lost on penalties to Russia.youth nfl jerseys cheap

11. Switzerland

Switzerland emerged as a side who had the mettle and the qualities to upset good sides, but when tasked with playing against teams they were supposed to beat, to dominate, they came up short.

Their elimination at the hands of Sweden came as a surprise to many, but they displayed their limitations in possession and in attack.youth nfl jerseys

1 Move Each NFL Team Should Make Before the Regular Season Begins

NFL teams are constantly in motion. Moves are always being made—even in the offseason.

Players are being added and jettisoned. Offensive and defensive schemes are being tweaked. Players are jockeying up and down draft charts.

In Cleveland, that’s called Tuesday morning.nike cheap nfl jerseys

Whether it’s the Browns taking a buzzsaw to a tomato can or the Philadelphia Eagles making a tweak or two to a championship roster, every team is making multiple changes this offseason.

Whether pretender or contender, every franchise, from Phoenix to Boston and all points in between, has at least one more move it should make before games start to count in September.

By all accounts, Josh Rosen has shone from the moment he set foot on the practice field for the Arizona Cardinals. While appearing on The Rich Eisen Show (via Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com), Pro Bowl corner Patrick Peterson raved about the 10th overall pick in the 2018 draft.nike nfl cheap jerseys

“I’m very impressed,” Peterson said earlier this month. “To see [Rosen] make checks and get guys in line early, I was like, ‘Has this guy been here before?’ I was very, very impressed of his spring camp, minicamp, OTAs. He’s just been extremely sharp.”nfl nike jerseys cheap china

If this trend continues into training camp, the future is now for the Cardinals, and Rosen should be under center in Week 1.

We know who Sam Bradford is: a bridge veteran who will all but certainly get injured at some point in the season. Arizona brought him in just as a stopgap. nike jerseys nfl cheap

So far, it doesn’t appear the team needs that bridge. This isn’t to say that Rosen will take the NFL by storm as a rookie, but some young quarterbacks learn best by doing.

It worked for Carson Wentz.

Two years ago, the Atlanta Falcons were an offensive juggernaut and a Super Bowl team. Last season, they were good offensively but not great. They got bounced from the playoffs in the divisional round.

The personnel were essentially the same. But under first-year offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, the offense was both less consistent and explosive (it dropped from second in the league to eighth). Per Matthew Tabeek of the team’s website, Sarkisian is looking for a big improvement in 2018:

“I think the biggest thing for me is just overall comfort level. When I came in a year ago, it was learning the system that was in place. It was learning the players that were in place. In Year 2, I have a year in the system. Now I can make some of the tweaks that I feel like are needed for this offense to continue to grow.”

With an MVP quarterback in Matt Ryan, one of the NFL’s best receivers in Julio Jones and a two-headed monster at tailback in Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman—plus a first-round rookie wideout in Calvin Ridley—the pieces appear to be in place for a prolific, high-octane offense.

Sarkisian needs to channel his inner Kyle Shanahan and open things up. Spread the field. Attack vertically. And then use those backs and Ridley to exploit the holes that creates underneath.

American League East

Baltimore Orioles: SS Manny Machado

Do we need to say a whole lot?

The Orioles are in last place in the American League East, buried…let’s check…a billion games out of first place (give or take). Manny Machado is an impending free agent and one of the best players in baseball. The writing is scribbled on the wall.

Will Machado go to the Dodgers, Yankees, Cardinals, Chicago Cubs or some other suitor? It’ll be among July’s biggest stories.

Will he remain an Oriole as the calendar turns to August? That’s as close to a hard “no” as you’re going to get.authentic nfl jerseys

Boston Red Sox: RHP Tanner Houck

With third baseman Michael Chavis serv wholesale nfl jerseys ing an 80-game performance-enhancing drugs suspension and right-hander Jay Groome sidelined by Tommy John surgery, the Boston Red Sox’s farm system is diminished.

At the same time, the Sox are locked into a prize fight with the archrival Yankees in the AL East and may need to boost their bullpen or otherwise add reinforcements at the deadline.

If Boston wants to get bold, it could deal right-hander Tanner Houck. The 24th overall pick in the 2017 draft, Houck has the stuff to be a mid-rotation fixture or late-innings stud and could net the Red Sox a game-changing acquisition such as Britton, nfl jerseys wholesale who was linked to the Sox by Fancred’s Jon Heyman.

New York Yankees: OF Clint Frazier nfl jerseys china

The Yankees could use pitching in a starting rotation that lost Jordan Montgomery to Tommy John surgery, got Masahiro Tanaka back Tuesday from a pair of hamstring strains and is counting on Sonny Gray and his 5.85 ERA.nfl jerseys from china

New York will almost inevitably make a play for a top-shelf starter such as Hamels as it tries to keep contact with Boston and angle for a 28th world championship.

Clint Frazier could be a piece of the future in the Bronx in a crowded outfield depth chart, but he might also headline a package for an arm after posting a .958 OPS in High-A and Triple-A and tasting the big leagues for a second consecutive season in 2018.nfl authentic jerseys

Tampa Bay Rays: LHP Blake Snell

The Rays are perennially retooling and surely accept reality as they gaze up at the Yankees and Red Sox.nfl authentic jerseys cheap

They also have Blake Snell, whose 2.09 ERA leads the AL and who would immediately improve any contender with his 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

The 25-year-old isn’t eligible for free agency until 2022, so keep your eyes peeled for a gargantuan prospect payday if he’s traded.

Toronto Blue Jays: LHP J.A. Happ

As mentioned, Happ could reunite with the Mariners. He could also join the Yankees or land in any number of alternate destinations.

Happ’s 4.44 ERA through 18 starts isn’t overly impressive, but he’s struck out 115 in 105.1 innings and has logged a 3.72 ERA in 19.1 playoff innings.

He could likely be had for a package that doesn’t involve any blue chips and boasts the pedigree and recent performance to inspire a degree of confidence.

Sounds like the definition of a deadline rental.nfl jersey wholesale

Miami Dolphins: Tannehill Garnering Rave Reviews

The Miami Dolphins were sunk in 2017 before the season ever started. After partially tearing his ACL late in the 2016 campaign, quarterback Ryan Tannehill chose not to have surgery, only to then re-tear the ligament in camp last summer.nfl nike jerseys from china

However, Tannehill was back on the practice field at OTAs without a brace on his knee, and, according to Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, his performance has been met with the approval of teammates.authentic wholesale nfl jerseys

“He looks good,” veteran safety T.J. McDonald said of Tannehill. “He looks real good right now. His leadership is also great on and off the field.”

“He’s been a great leader, gets us all together, get us on the same page. I think it’s going to be awesome to work with him,” right guard Jesse Davis added.

Quarterback isn’t the only problem facing the Dolphins this year, but the only person who isn’t cheering the return of Tannehill to South Florida is Jay Cutler.

Jay Cutler never cheers.

There are approximately 84 million reasons all eyes are on Kirk Cousins in the Twin Cities at OTAs.where can i find nfl jerseys

The quarterback the Minnesota Vikings gave a fully guaranteed contract to in the hopes he can get the team over the hump and into the Super Bowl has yet to take a snap that counts in purple and gold. But as NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reported, Cousins has already put a smile on the face of 2017 breakout wide receiver Adam Thielen.

“[Stefon] Diggs said it the other day—the spiral he puts on it just makes it easy for us to catch,” Thielen said. “It just kind of pops out of his hand differently than you’re used to, and you don’t see that kind of stuff on film. You can only see that when you’re out here practicing. It’s been fun, and we have a lot of work to do.”

For what it’s worth, Cousins said he’s also enjoying the opportunity to sync with his new receivers.

“Each play helps build a confidence, helps build a rapport with the receivers, with the tight ends, continue to try to get on the same page with the centers, making the right protection calls,” Cousins said. “It is a lot of new, a lot of chemistry that still has to be built, but every day cheap china jerseys nfl we’re out here, we take another step, and that’s exciting to be a part of.”

Granted, this is without pass-rushers trying to break him in half, but it’s still welcome news that Cousins and his pass-catchers are clicking.

Celtics Win Crucial Game 5 as LeBron James Can’t Carry Cavaliers on Road

The Boston Celtics are one win away from their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010. cheap nike nfl jerseys free shipping

After dropping a pair of Eastern Conference Finals games in Northeast Ohio, the Celtics snapped out of their mid-series malaise and churned out a 96-83 Game 5 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night at TD Garden behind quality outings from Jayson Tatum (24 points) and Jaylen Brown (17 points).

A visibly tired LeBron James (26 points, 10 rebounds, five assists) and Kevin Love (14 points, seven rebounds) did the heavy lifting for the Cavaliers, while Cleveland’s other three starters combined for only 10 points.

The Celtics should want no part of that. cheap nfl nike jerseys from china

To avoid a return trip to TD Garden, Boston will have to overcome its playoff road woes. The Celtics are 1-6 away from home since the start of the postseason and have been outscored by an average of 11.6 points per 100 possessions in those tilts,

The Celtics have the comfort of knowing they’ll have one more game back in Boston—where they’re undefeated in the playoffs—if they drop Game 6. But given James’ illustrious track record, it would behoove them to produce their finest road effort of the playoffs to avoid becoming the latest victim of the King’s Game 7 dominance.

Is LeBron’s Workload Finally Catching Up to Him?china nike nfl jerseys cheap

For a passer and decision-maker of James’ caliber, those figures are eye-opening.

Then again, he has played 38.8 minutes per night through the first five games of the Eastern Conference Finals after shouldering a workload in excess of 41 minutes per game in each of the first two rounds.

While he may seem superhuman at times, that type of physical pounding was bound to catch up to him.

The Cavaliers are staring down elimination, which means LeBron could be facing questions galore about his future in Cleveland as soon as Friday night.

If that sounds familiar, it should. nike nfl cheap jerseys

The same story unfolded eight years ago, when the Celtics knocked James and the top-seeded Cavaliers out of the playoffs in the second round.

James proceeded to hit unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career, and one cringeworthy TV special later, he was headed to the Miami Heat.

It’s fair to wonder if a redux is in order this year—minus the melodrama that accompanied The Decision.

While James has been tight-lipped about his free agency, a few options could be more attractive than the Cavs from a personnel standpoint. League sources told The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor that the 65-win Houston Rockets, financially flexible nike jerseys nfl cheap Los Angeles Lakers and upside-laden Philadelphia 76ers will join the Cavaliers on the list of teams James considers joining, which suggests Cleveland will have legitimate competition for his services this summer.

With a loss on Friday, whispers of his potential departure figure to grow even louder before reaching a fever pitch at the start of July.

Jay Ajayi, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

After being traded from the Miami Dolphins midseason, Jay Ajayi led the Philadelphia Eagles with 128 touches from November through the playoffs. And he did not play the team’s final regular season game.nfl nike jerseys cheap china

Ajayi’s touches over that span dwarfed Corey Clement’s 62 and Wendell Smallwood’s 12, the other top returning backs on the team. After months of running backs like LSU’s Derrius Guice being mocked to Philadelphia with the 32nd overall pick, the team eventually traded out of the final pick in the first round with the help of the Baltimore Ravens and secured tight end Dallas Goedert of South Dakota State in the second round.nike jerseys nfl cheap

Ajayi has the second-highest yards per carry on positive attempts among rushers with at least 200 carries over the last two years, and he is finally in a high-volume situation where his breakaway style of running can overwhelm teams behind a strong offensive line. After LeGarrette Blount signed with the Detroit Lions, the Eagles backfield should revolve around Ajayi moving forward.

Last September, Alex Collins was a waived former fifth-round pick. While he did post over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in 2017, running backs with his background come and go often. There’s a reason why only two running backs cheap nike nfl jerseys from china (LeSean McCoy and Devonta Freeman) are playing under significant veteran contracts in the NFL: Turnover is massive in the league at the position.

There’s no doubt that Collins met or surpassed everyone’s expectations last season, but history is littered with backs who were able to do it for one year and then were immediately replaced by a top-100 pick. After the Baltimore Ravens chose to not select one of the running backs in this class, the only significant backs on Baltimore’s roster behind Collins are Javorius “Buck” Allen and Kenneth Dixon.cheap official nike nfl jerseys

Allen started six games in 2015 but hasn’t started a single game in the last two seasons. Dixon has just 544 total yards over his two NFL seasons. Collins may have to prove himself and re-earn a starting role every offseason for the rest of his career, but his path to playing time on the 2018 Ravens should be a brisk walk.

Spurs can say goodbye to Wembley with Champions League mission accomplished

Mauricio Pochettino stood on the edge of his technical area, arms folded, waiting, as the clock ticked down. Just get over the line, Tottenham. That had been the order of the night. Securing Champions League football, a precious housewarming present to take back to N17 for next season, was at the forefront of everybody’s mind.

The outpouring of elation at the final whistle was all about that, all about a marker to help Tottenham in this period of seismic change for the club. Champions League qualification is always a boon, but it was especially appreciated when the news was confirmed at Wembley thanks to Chelsea hitting the brakes at Stamford Bridge because it feels like it’s about something bigger than one campaign in everybody’s favourite European competition.
Harry Kane purges Spurs of Champions League nerves with win over Newcastle
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The idea that an elite club’s ambitions live or die by the Champions League is a bit hysterical at a time when the old top four have turned into a high-ambition six who rightly enter each season thinking they ought to be a contender for a Champions League position. But Tottenham’s prospects seem tangled up in the chase more intensely than the others because of their stadium rebuild.

The what-ifs can go away for a while. What if Tottenham didn’t make the Champions League and missed out on both revenue and pull as they begin a new era in a new home? What if Daniel Levy had to consider bids for the most coveted talent mindful of the costs of debt repayment? What if Pochettino found his head could be turned now he is used to an environment where his team can make high-impact memories like beating Real Madrid or drawing at Juventus? Those what-ifs evaporated when Harry Kane found one of his accomplished finishes to decide a tensely fought game where a high-energy Newcastle caused umpteen scares.
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For some perspective, in the pre-Pochettino era Tottenham had only ever made it to the Champions League once, and at the end of the night they assured themselves a third successive season in the competition. They were desperate not to cheap nike nfl jerseys free shipping  lose status that had been a long time coming.

Spurs’s form had been fluffy going into this final week of the season, with points frittered away, allowing doubts to gnaw away. Having been in a comfortable top-four position all season, the fear began to take hold. Don’t mess it up. Now is not the time. The noise of crackling urgency shuddered through the home crowd early on as Jonjo Shelvey’s thumping free-kick clipped the outside of a post. The Newcastle midfielder thrust his head in his hands. He knew it was fractions from perfection. Tottenham’s stress began to show.

Some of the twitchiness stemmed from a reorganised midfield, with Moussa Sissoko and Victor Wanyama paired to compensate for the absence of Eric Dier and Mousa Dembélé. Newcastle were boxing clever, a performance with sufficient focus to suggest nfl cheap jerseys nike this team were playing to impress for next season rather than minds wandering to the beach.

Tottenham needed to find some rhythm but it didn’t come easily. Half an hour gone a sign that they were off key came when Ben Davies received the ball, looked up to build some kind of a move and just lumped the ball forward to nobody. That was not the style Tottenham aspire to. Kane’s sureness of touch eluded him when he was in for a one-v-one. It was nervy.

Kane rediscovered his touch to unshackle Tottenham from their anxiety in the second half with one of those unerring moments of striking clarity. He sidefooted the ball with crisp curl. The team’s body language changed in that instant. nfl nike jerseys for cheap uddenly they were all calling for the ball, pointing for it, wanting it.

Tottenham will finish as the top London club for the first time in 23 years. The last time they had the capital’s bragging rights dates back to 1994‑95, when they finished seventh (just above QPR and Wimbledon), since the season Blackburn won the title. Modern Tottenham want to continue to look up. Levy has not historically used Champions League qualification as essential to the sums for the season, but there is no doubting how easy it is to get used to all this.nike nfl cheap jerseys

It was hardly a great performance but the result meant so much. Now Chelsea and Liverpool go into the final weekend of the season with fourth place on the line – Antonio Conte’s team hoping that they can up their game and that Liverpool might just be put off theirs with the Champions League final over the horizon. Tottenham can turn up on Sunday, turn out the lights and hand the keys back to Wembley without looking back.nike nfl jerseys wholesale cheap
Since you’re here …

… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading the Guardian than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help nike jerseys nfl cheap . The Guardian’s independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our perspective matters – because it might well be your perspective, too.

NFL Declines Cheerleaders’ Mistreatment Settlement Offer, Will Meet with Lawyers

The National Football League opted not to accept $1 settlement proposals from two former cheerleaders who filed gender-discrimination complaints against the league before Friday’s deadline.

John Branch of the New York Times reported the NFL did reach out to Sara Blackwell, an attorney for Bailey Davis and Kristan Ware, cheerleaders who previously worked for the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins, respectively, nfl jersey factory about a potential discussion focused on improving workplace conditions.

“I’m grateful for this letter, and I do believe that this is a good-faith effort by the NFL,” Blackwell said. “There could be good things that come from it.”

League spokesperson Brian McCarthy confirmed to Branch it’s been in contact with Blackwell.

“As we said before, our office is working with the clubs in sharing best practices and employment-related processes that will support club cheerleading squads within an appropriate and supportive workplace,” he said. “The letter expressed that a conversation would be welcome regarding information or recommendations related to the teams’ policies.”nfl jersey wholesale authentic

On Wednesday, the New York Times’ Juliet Macur spotlighted alleged mistreatment of Washington Redskins cheerleaders. It included a 2013 trip to Costa Rica, where some posed for a topless photoshoot with male suite holders present. Squad members were also “picked” by male sponsors without consent to serve as escorts at a nightclub.jerseys nfl wholesale

“They weren’t putting a gun to our heads, but it was mandatory for us to go,” a cheerleader said. “We weren’t asked, we were told. Other girls were devastated because we knew exactly what [the team director] was doing.”cheap womens nfl jerseys china