struggles (29 per cent) with his three-point shooting and his handle in

FIVE QUICK NBA THOUGHTS: 1. EASTS THIRD SEED (RAPTORS OR BULLS?): With Sundays Raptors win at Detroit coupled with the Bulls loss in New York, suddenly the Toronto Raptors are back in a tie for third place and hold the tiebreaker for the spot with two games to go. The opportunity to play either Washington or Charlotte rather than the Brooklyn Nets is a real possibility right now and keeps the pressure on both teams to play out the regular season trying to win outright. It should be fun to watch how both of these squads approach the urgency of that. Players always say they dont care who they play as long as theyre in the playoffs, but coaches really care because theyre the ones doing extensive prep for these match-ups and know all of the ins and outs as they pertain to the good and bad matchups. Theres still lots to play for. 2. WESTERN CONFERENCE: In the East, only two teams (Indiana and Miami) will finish with 50 wins while weve got five teams with 50 wins already in the West and another three (Golden State, Dallas and Memphis) with a chance to get to 50 in the next few days. Pretty remarkable to see how strong this conference is. Consider the fact that the ninth place team in that conference (Phoenix) will come close to 50 and be playing golf in a few days if they dont get a few breaks here. Its been a terrific year and the playoffs in the West will be hotly-contested matchups. 3. MASON PLUMLEE (Nets): He wont win the Rookie of the Year award, but the more I watch him play the more I love his game. This guy plays hard all of the time, has nice bounce to his game and can score in the lane for you. Has a nose for the ball with great rebounding instincts. With various injuries to the Nets this year hes been able to get on the floor and has taken advantage of the playing time and looks quite comfortable now. Hes earned coach Jason Kidds trust and has a valuable role off the bench for them. Good development for him and their team. 4. ANDREW NICHOLSON (Magic): His playing time and his numbers are down this season and the second year Canadian hasnt been able to get any sort of rhythm going at all. He is your classic tweener - a combo 3-4 who has good post and mid-range skills yet struggles (29 per cent) with his three-point shooting and his handle in the open court still needs improvement. Big off-season coming up for him as he needs to add a few tools to his tool kit to create a niche for himself as a pro. He had some solid moments as a rookie but theyve been few and far between as a sophomore. Hes a worker and plays all out all the time. I have no doubt that hell pay the price in the next six months and come back for Year 3 as a better player. 5. MO WILLIAMS (Blazers): Even though his career numbers are off this season, his role is smaller for him in Portland yet hes been a terrific addition to their team. Still a solid playmaker (4-plus assists per game) and can score (10 ppg) and shoot the three (37 percent) while providing veteran leadership and savvy to the backcourt. His knack for making the high percentage play and knowing/accepting his role in their scheme has helped coach Terry Stotts bring this team along and enjoy a fun season. Sometimes guys just fit and other times they dont - hes been an ideal fit for them. Los Angeles Rams Jerseys China . The rest of the team was already on the field stretching before batting practice while Puig was getting dressed in the clubhouse. He had been slated to start in right field for the afternoon game against the San Francisco Giants, who beat the Dodgers 8-4. Wholesale Los Angeles Rams Jerseys . Lynn was tied for 16th entering the fourth round, six shots behind leader Paul Waring. He started with two birdies and added three more on his last five holes at the Oceanico Victoria course for an 18-under total of 266. http://www.ramscheap.com/ . -- The road to the Masters got off to a bumpy start Sunday for Tiger Woods when he withdrew from the Honda Classic with what he said was a lower back injury. Discount Los Angeles Rams Jerseys . -- The Washington Redskins coaching staff distanced itself from other coaches Thursday by siding with ownership -- and not the players -- in the NFLs labour dispute. Authentic Los Angeles Rams Jerseys . Kerr said he had dinner with Jackson, his former coach with Chicago and the new Knicks team president, on Friday night and they talked again Saturday. Kerr is in New York to work the game between the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors for TNT.Uniondale, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Kyle Okposo notched his first career hat trick, including the game-winner in the third period, and totaled four goals as the New York Islanders rallied for a 6-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ryan Strome and Michael Grabner had the other goals, while Josh Bailey and John Tavares each posted three assists for the Islanders, who have won four straight games. Jaroslav Halak turned away 21 shots in the win. Sidney Crosby had two goals and an assist, while David Perron also scored for the Penguins, who had a two-game winning streak snapped. Marc-Andre Fleury was tagged for five goals on 34 shots. The Isles trailed by a goal entering the third, but tied the contest just 6:42 in as Baileys shot from the left point was tipped on net by Tavares, with Okposo backhanding home the rebound. Okposo then gave his team the lead at 11:51 as he took a feed from Bailey in the slot and picked his spot before zipping the puck home for a 4-3 advantage. Steve Downie took an ill-advised slashing penalty on a retaliation with 2:41 to play, and Okpooso sealed the victory 18 seconds later when he whacked the puck in for his 13th of the year.dddddddddddd. Grabner scored with the net empty and 1:13 showing to account for the final score. Pittsburgh drew first blood when a Chris Kunitz shot from the right wing hit off of Crosby in front at 10:52 on the power play, and the Pens scored 1 1/2 minutes later on another power play, this time from Perron. Okposos first goal of the game came off his right skate, as Tavares stickhandled down the left wing and sent it to the front where a charging Okposo saw the puck go in off his skate at 16:51 of the first. Strome tied the game at 12:31 of the second after he swept it in from in front, but Crosby scored on a one-timer with 4.4 seconds to play in the second to give the Pens a 3-2 lead. Game Notes New York plays in Montreal on Saturday ... Pittsburgh hosts the Rangers on Sunday ... Kris Letang posted two assists in the game for Pittsburgh ... Pittsburgh was 2-for-2 on the power play, while New York went 1-for-3. 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