News & Neuigkeiten » categories, including an NFL-low nine trips to th

Editors note: ESPN.com is counting down the best basketball shoes of all time.?But before we reveal our list, our writers are sharing their favorite sneaker tales.For all of the Space Jam nostalgia -- be it the movie re-release, the new shoes geared toward taking on Monstars or the retro-themed Air Jordan XIs -- there is one thing that cant be recaptured. Its the epic pickup games that emerged during the filming of the movie in the summer of 1995.Michael Jordan was fresh off the sting of what would turn out to be the last playoff series loss of his career, to the Orlando Magic in the second round. Movie or no movie, he was determined to return to his place atop the NBA. So he ordered the construction of a tented hardwood basketball court on the Warner Bros. studio lot and laced up his Concords. Word got out, and an array of NBA players came through.Besides the movie co-stars such as Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson, there were the likes of Grant Hill, Rod Strickland, Glen Rice, Dennis Rodman, Juwan Howard, Steve Smith and Cedric Ceballos. Shaquille ONeal came by. Magic Johnson, less than a year shy of his return to the NBA, made an appearance. Reggie Miller showed up for what turned into a clear-out-and-let-em-go-at-it game, with the trash talk flying.It was like an NBA all-star game every day, said Tracy Murray, who was coming off the third season of his 11-year pro career that summer.Except it had regular-season intensity. So many players showed up that losing meant a two- or three-game wait to get back on the court. Veteran center Olden Polynice came by and made the mistake of thinking, Its the summertime, theyre going to be bulls----ing.Come to find out, they werent bulls----ing, Polynice said.Murray credits the cutthroat competition with priming him for a breakout season -- he made 116 more 3-pointers and his scoring average jumped by 11 points, setting him up for a nice free-agent contract that provided the bulk of the $22 million he made in his career.For Jordan, it was the launchpad to the Bulls record-setting 72-10 season, capped by a championship.Maybe we should credit the singer DAngelo as well. His first album dropped that summer, and his seductive songs wound up providing the soundtrack to the pickup games on the Warner Bros. lot.Michael loved that CD, Murray said.Therefore, Everybody hooped to DAngelo, Murray said. Driving up the floor ... Brown Sugar.Dont think for a second that the neo-soul or even the low stakes of the summer diminished Jordans ultra-competitive fires. Don MacLean learned that the hard way.It started when Jordan was loosely guarding MacLean, and MacLean (the all-time leading scorer in the old Pac-10 conference) got hot and scored about two-thirds of his teams buckets to send Jordan off a loser on the final game of the night.As MacLean changed clothes and iced his knees, Jordan came by and asked if hed be back. MacLean had an overseas trip to conduct basketball clinics in Japan, so he couldnt return the following week.Jordan told him, Thanks for coming, make sure you come back.Im thinking: That was cool for him to say that, MacLean said. Not thinking ...Jordan was plotting his revenge. When MacLean did show up a couple of weeks later, he played in the first game of the night.[Jordan] walks on the court, says, I got MacLean, and did not let me touch the ball for the entire game, MacLean said. And I was trying. And he was not letting me touch the ball.Right then and there, I was like, My God. For a pickup game in the summer that means nothing, two weeks later, he remembers that. I couldnt believe it.Said Polynice: Thats the true nature of Michael Jordan. It can be two weeks, it can be two years.And thats why, two decades later, no one who was there can forget those summer nights of hooping. Sione Takitaki Jersey . -- Teemu Selanne scored the first goal of his 22nd NHL season, and the Anaheim Ducks extended the best start in franchise history with their fifth straight victory, 3-2 over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. Jarvis Landry Youth Jersey . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. http://www.brownsrookiestore.com/Browns-David-Njoku-Jersey/ . The 19-year-old Olsen played 34 games with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL this season. In that time, hes recorded 17 goals and 17 assists with 36 penalty minutes. Greedy Williams Womens Jersey . Here are his mid-season NBA awards. MVP: (KEVIN DURANT-Thunder) - Has been sensational this season and more importantly, the most consistent player in the league. Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level. Jim Brown Browns Jersey .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Jared Goff talked to Carson Wentz a couple of weeks ago, congratulating his offseason training partner on a stellar start to his rookie season with the Philadelphia Eagles.And then Goff went back to waiting for his own chance to make things happen for the Los Angeles Rams.I dont think Ive ever gone backward, Goff said Wednesday. Ive gotten better every week, every day, so I feel good.The No. 1 pick in the NFL draft hasnt played a snap through five games for the Rams, whose season is off to a solid 3-2 start in spite of the NFLs least productive offense. Coach Jeff Fisher and his staff have given no indication Goff will debut anytime soon, instead praising Case Keenums performances for the struggling unit.Goff works with his fellow backups in practice and studies intently in the film room, but spends his Sundays on the sideline analyzing defenses for Keenum. The rookie will be on the sideline again when the Rams visit Detroit (2-3) on Sunday.All around, Im just trying to improve and make everything become second nature, Goff said. Continue to get better and continue to feel more natural in the offense.Goff spent Tuesday night watching his San Francisco Giants melt down in the NL Division Series, but he also pays attention to the rest of the NFL -- and sees his fellow rookies having success. Along with Wentzs strong start in Philly, Dak Prescott is doing exceptionally well in Dallas. Jacoby Brissett and Cody Kessler also have already started games as rookies.Every situation is different, Goff said. All these guys that are doing well right now, Im very happy for them. Most of them Im good friends with, and theyve done a really good job.Although Keenum has the NFCs 15th-best passer rating at 75.4, the veteran has done a capable job of managing the Rams offense, which clearly has bigger problems than the quarterback. For instance, star running back Todd Gurley is averaging 2.7 yards pper carry.ddddddddddddAlthough another loss or two could change everything, the Rams dont appear overly anxious to see what theyve got with Goff, who is still learning the nuances of coordinator Rob Boras offense.A lot of times, you understand how a person is learning by the questions hes asking, Boras said. (Goff) is not asking rookie questions anymore. Hes starting to ask those more advanced (questions). ... The easiest way to understand if somebody knows it is when they can regurgitate it back to you, and hes able to do that right now. (He can) ask you some of those questions where youve got to look up at the sky and try to think, `OK, thats a good one, and try to give him the right answer.While Fisher and Boras insist things are getting better, the Rams had the NFLs worst offense last season, and they have the NFLs worst offense again through five weeks this fall. Theyve managed just 284.2 yards per game, and they rank near the bottom in most statistical categories, including an NFL-low nine trips to their opponents red zone for just four touchdowns -- 28th-best in the league.Fans increased their calls for Goffs debut after Los Angeles struggled in a 30-19 home loss to Buffalo last week. Goff turns 22 years old on Friday when the Rams head out on a two-game road trip to Detroit and London, where theyll face the New York Giants.Goff will return a year older, but its too soon to tell whether hell get his first snaps along the way.Hes putting a lot of work in as if hes the starter, which I know is not an easy thing to do, especially for a young player, Boras said. But to watch him go ahead and study Detroit and get ready for this week as if hes playing, I think that says a lot about his maturity as a 21-year-old.---AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '