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OKLAHOMA CITY -- The San Antonio Spurs never believed Serge Ibaka was out for the Western Conference finals, even after the Thunder said they expected him to miss the rest of the playoffs with a calf injury. Looks like the Spurs might have been on to something. The Thunder said Friday that their defensive standout now is day-to-day after his strained left calf showed improved movement and stability and a significant decrease in swelling. The Thunder have missed Ibaka badly as San Antonio has raced to a 2-0 lead in the series, and his possible return gives the Thunder hope as they prepare for Game 3 on Sunday in Oklahoma City. "His progress in the last several days has been surprising," Thunder general manager Sam Presti said. "I dont think any of us thought wed be standing here talking about this. Were grateful that we are." Well, maybe no one with the Thunder expected it. The Spurs certainly did. "We knew he would be back, and thats good," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Nobody would wish that on anybody to miss a playoff. Weve had guys miss playoffs before. Its obviously a downer. If he gets back in -- and Im sure he will, as Ive said from the beginning -- I think its great." Ibaka was injured in Game 6 against the Los Angeles Clippers, a Western Conference semifinals series-clinching win on May 15. He is averaging 12.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in the playoffs while shooting 62 per cent from the field. Presti did not say if Ibaka would be available for Game 3, just that he could not be ruled out. Presti said he felt it best to be forthcoming with the change in the situation. "It would be convenient to not provide the information, and if he were ever healthy enough to play in a game, to release that an hour before the game," he said. "But in this case, we dont think that was the way to handle it, because previously, we had deemed him out. And we cant deem him out." Ibaka, a 6-foot-10 forward, led the league in blocked shots during the regular season and erased many of Oklahoma Citys defensive mistakes. Without having to deal with Oklahoma Citys primary rim protector, San Antonio scored 66 points in the paint on 67 per cent shooting in a 122-105 win in Game 1. The Spurs followed up with 54 points in the paint on 66 per cent shooting in a 112-77 blowout in Game 2. Ibaka also provides balance for Oklahoma Citys offence with his mid-range jumper and an ability to finish close to the hoop when defences focus on Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. "Big difference," Spurs guard Danny Green said. "Obviously, one of the best defensive players in the league. Alters everything around the basket, rebounds, and also, of course, he can knock down shots. So youve got to respect him. Hopefully, if he does come back hes not as fresh, hes a little rusty." San Antonio said it will not make adjustments based on the news. "Were going to try to do the same thing," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. "Its not like were going to change the game plan for him. For sure, hes going to give them another big body that can be a presence in the paint, block shots and make some jumpers, but our idea will be the same." Presti said Oklahoma Citys medical staff would like to see Ibaka go through game-like conditions before allowing him to return. So far, he has done low-impact training -- light drills and light shooting. Conditioning could be an issue and even if he returns its unclear how much he would play. "Were still focusing on trying to beat the Spurs without him playing," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "That has not changed. I know hes listed as day-to-day, but he is out until Im told differently." Thunder centre Kendrick Perkins said Ibaka could not have erased all the defensive mistakes the Thunder made in Game 2. The Spurs shot 50 per cent from the field and made 9 of 23 3-pointers. "Hes a key guy, but at the end of the day, we shouldnt be getting beat this bad," Perkins said. "In my opinion, even if we would have Serge the last game, the way we played, we still would have lost." John Brown Ravens Jersey . No, the San Antonio star didnt announce retirement plans during an off day at the NBA Finals on Wednesday. Michael Crabtree Jersey .com) - Intrastate rivals collide Saturday as the Texas State Bobcats hit the road to take on the eighth-ranked Texas Longhorns in a non-conference battle at Frank Erwin Center. http://www.ravensrookiestore.com/Ravens ... tt-Jersey/. - The Seattle Seahawks have signed nine players to 2014 future contracts, including quarterback B. Jaleel Scott Ravens Jersey . Ronaldo failed to connect on an ample number of opportunities at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. But Karim Benzema and Jese Rodriguez scored in each half for Madrid to come out of the first leg with the firm advantage. Robert Griffin III Jersey . -- Cole De Vries had a couple of key strikeouts during what could have been the inning that doomed him to defeat against the Kansas City Royals, allowing him to escape further damage and keep the game tied up.Toronto’s second line stars against Dallas, a Flames rookie – no, not that one – has a big night and shoutouts for shutouts; lineup news, Fantasy tips and more in Scott Cullen’s Statistically Speaking. HEROES Kadri, Lupul, Santorelli – Toronto’s second line had a big game against Dallas. C Nazem Kadri had a goal and two assists, with 13 shot attempts (6 SOG), giving him seven points (2 G, 5 A) in the past seven games. In his third game since returning from injury, LW Joffrey Lupul scored two goals, his second consecutive multi-point game. RW Mike Santorelli added three assists, giving him seven assists during a four-game point streak. Kadri is the most intriguing of the group, as the debate rages over relative values of Toronto’s centres. I wrote about Tyler Bozak’s hot start to the season a couple days ago and he scored another goal against Dallas, but Kadri continues to produce at a high level during 5-on-5 play: KADRI PRODUCTION YEAR GP G A PTS CF% CorsiRel% PTS/60 2012-13 48 18 26 44 47.1% +3.3% 3.18 2013-14 78 20 30 50 45.3% +3.1% 1.71 2014-15 24 6 8 14 50.1% +3.8% 2.45 Kadri’s come under criticism this season, particularly because he hasn’t done much on the power play – his assist on Phil Kessel’s second-period power-play goal was Kadri’s first power-play point this season – but his 4.68 points-per-60 on the power play over the past three seasons is certainly respectable, ranking 30th among centres who have played at least 300 power play minutes over the past three seasons. In any case, Kadri is going to bring the Maple Leafs to a decision soon enough. He’s a restricted free agent at season’s end and continues to have his name mentioned in trade rumours. Given the difficulty teams have acquiring scoring centres, if Kadri is available, there will surely be a market for his services. Josh Jooris – The Flames rookie centre scored three goals in a 5-2 win over Arizona, giving him 12 points (8 G, 4 A) in 19 games. An undrafted free agent out of Union College, Jooris is scoring on a league-leading 27.6% of his shots (8-for-29), so that’s not going to continue and, like most Flames is struggling in possession (43.4% Corsi), but any contribution from an undrafted rookie free agent is pretty valuable, especially considering Calgary’s injuries at the centre ice position. Shoutouts for Shutouts Marc-Andre Fleury – The Penguins goaltender recorded his league-leading fifth shutout, stopping all 29 shots he faced in Pittsburgh’s 1-0 win against New Jersey. He has a career-best .928 save percentage this season and, according to War On Ice, he’s facing closer-than-average shots, so his adjusted save percentage (.930) is even better. Jonathan Quick – Turned aside all 31 shots he faced in the Kings’ 2-0 win over Boston and now has a career-best .933 save percentage, which has only been moderately helped by shot distances, with a War on Ice adjusted save percentage of .931. ZEROES Mike Smith – The rough season continues for Arizona’s goaltender, who allowed five goals on 23 shots against Calgary. He has a career-low .891 save percentage and while he’s facing closer-than-average shots, his adjusted save percentage (.897) isn’t great either. Olli Jokinen – The veteran forward was stuck in the defensive zone (7 shot attempts for, 14 against, 33.3%) in a 2-1 loss at Carolina, failing to register a shot attempt in 14:56 of ice time. After scoring 43 points in 82 games for Winnipeg last season, Jokinen has one goal and no assists in 24 games this year. His points per 60 is worst among forwards with at least 300 5-on-5 minutes this season. FEWEST POINTS PER 60 MINUTES, 5-ON-5 FORWARD TEAM PTS/60 Olli Jokinen Nashville 0.20 Jarret Stoll Los Angeles 0.39 Dainius Zubrus New Jersey 0.40 Chris Stewart Buffalo 0.73 Reilly Smith Boston 0.87 Justin Williams – Gasp! The analytics star didn’t register a shot attempt in 17:46 against Boston, finishing the night with 43.3% possession (13 attempts for, 17 against). He’s still a strong puck possession player (54.2% Corsi), but that mark is his lowest since the 2008-09 season. LINEUP NEED TO KNOW Chris Kunitz – Injuries keep decimating the Pittsburgh forward ranks as Kunitz is out for a couple weeks with a broken foot. With Kunitz joining Pascal Dupuis on the shelf, Sidney Crosby had Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling on his wings, leaving Blake Comeau and Jayson Megna to skate with Evgeni Malkin. Jaromir Jagr - Before getting knocked from the game by a hit from Penguins D Robert Bortuzzo, Jagr had a stellar possession game (15 shot attempts for, 3 against, 83.3%) in New Jersey’s 1-0 loss.dddddddddddd Jagr figuratively beat up on the defence pairing of Bortuzzo and Paul Martin with 10 shot attempts for and none against vs. Bortuzzo and 11 for with none against vs. Martin. Cal Clutterbuck – The Islanders’ mucker played 5:48 against Ottawa before leaving with a lower-body injury. Michael Ryder – The Devils made Ryder, their fourth-leading scorer (with 12 points in 24 games) a healthy scratch for Tuesday’s game against Pittsburgh. Scott Gomez – Returned to the Devils for the first time since 2007, centering Jaromir Jagr and Tuomo Ruutu. More remarkably, he played 22:10, his most in a game since March 18, 2011, and had solid possession (23 shot attempts for, 12 against, 65.7%). Alec Martinez – Returned to the Kings blueline after missing three weeks with a broken finger, pushing Jamie McBain to the press box. SHORT SHIFTS Islanders D Thomas Hickey had a goal and an assist, while playing a season-high (and team-leading) 23:08, in a 3-2 win over Ottawa. He has five points (1 G, 4 A) in the past six games…Canucks LW Daniel Sedin had two goals and an assist, C Henrik Sedin had a pair of assists and RW Radim Vrbata notched a goal and an assist in Vancouver’s 4-3 win over Washington…Hurricanes RW Jeff Skinner put up a goal and an assist in a 2-1 win over Nashville…Maple Leafs D Cody Franson had a pair of assists in a 5-3 win over Dallas, giving him 14 points (3 G, 11 A) in the past 13 games…D Dion Phaneuf added two assists, and now has five assists in the past six games…Panthers RW Jimmy Hayes contributed a goal and an assist in a 4-3 win at Detroit. Hayes has 11 points (5 G, 6 A) in his past 12 games…C Vincent Trocheck notched a goal and two assists, giving him 11 points (2 G, 9 A) in his past 10 games. Red Wings LW Henrik Zetterberg recorded an assist, 11 shots on goal and game-best possession (26 shot attempts for, 10 against, 72.2%) in a 4-3 loss to Florida…Flames LW Johnny Gaudreau had a couple assists against Arizona, giving him seven points (1 G, 6 A) in the past seven games…RW Jiri Hudler picked up a pair of helpers, leaving him with 10 points (5 G, 5 A) during a five-game point streak…The Capitals line of Eric Fehr, Brooks Laich and Joel Ward carried better than 76% of possession against Vancouver, led by Ward (27 shot attempts for, 7 against, 79.4%)…The Canucks primarily used the defence pairing of Alex Edler and Chris Tanev, with the line of Nick Bonino, Chris Higgins and Alex Burrows, to hold Capitals LW Alex Ovechkin to one shot on goal in 22:41 of ice time in Vancouver’s 4-3 win. Hurricanes G Cam Ward stopped 32 of 33 shots in a 2-1 win over Nashville…Sabres G Jhonas Enroth turned aside 26 of 27 shots, backstopping the Sabres to a 2-1 shootout win over the Lightning…Bruins G Niklas Svedberg stopped 33 of 34 shots in a 2-0 loss at Los Angeles. Bruins rookie RW David Pastrnak had nine more shot attempts in a 2-0 loss at Los Angeles. Through his first four games – way too soon to put stock in the results -- Pastrnak is generating shot attempts at an amazing level. Among players with at least 40 minutes of 5-on-5 play this season: INDIVIDUAL SHOT ATTEMPTS PLAYER TEAM SHOT ATTEMPTS/60 David Pastrnak Boston 28.3 James Neal Nashville 23.9 Alex Ovechkin Washington 22.1 Brendan Gallagher Montreal 21.6 Jeremy Morin Chicago 21.5 FIRSTS Scott Wilson – A seventh-round pick of the Penguins from 2011, Wilson made his NHL debut, playing just 4:21 against the Devils. He had 12 points (3 G, 9 A) in 21 AHL games before getting called up. Brendan Shinnimin – Missed his NHL debut over the weekend, but the undrafted free agent has now played a couple games for Arizona after getting promoted from the AHL, where he had 14 points (4 G, 10 A) in 19 games with Portland. FANTASY FOCUS Four games tonight, four players to consider for your fantasy lineup: Marco Scandella – With injuries/illness befalling the Minnesota blueline, Scandella is playing big minutes, more than 20 minutes in eight of the past nine games. Antti Raanta – With Corey Crawford hurting, the opportunity is there for Chicago’s backup goaltender to get some reps. Raanta has stopped 84 of 90 shots (.933 SV%) in three appearances this season. Nail Yakupov – The world is crashing down around the Oilers right now, and Yakupov – currently mired in a nine-game point drought – has mostly been a mess, but he played 17:35 last game and is probably overdue for something good to happen. Matt Beleskey – Making the most of his opportunity to play with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, Beleskey has four points (3 G, 1 A) in the past four games. Much of the data included comes from www.war-on-ice.com, www.puckalytics.com, www.hockeystats.ca and www.naturalstattrick.com Scott Cullen can be reached at [email protected] Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '