GGordon, Austin Rivers and Evan Turner, sources say.dddddddddddd Rivers agreed to a three-year, $35 million deal to return to the Los Angeles Clippers, sources told Shelburne, shortly after Lee agreed with

NEW YORK -- Nearly two years ago, Stan Van Gundy stood in a crowded hallway at Barclays Center and lamented how the Detroit Pistons did not have chances to win the way they defended and vowed changes to the roster he was coaching.At the time of Van Gundys impassioned plea for improved defense, the Pistons had dropped 23 of their first 28 games.Detroit split the final 54 games of 2014-15, won 44 games last season and is projected to be a middle seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Pistons wound up 14th in points allowed two seasons ago, improved to 12th last season and have allowed the second-fewest points per game so far.Detroits defense will look to remain effective Wednesday night when it visits the Brooklyn Nets.The Pistons began Van Gundys third season by allowing 109 points in an 18-point loss at Toronto last Wednesday. The Pistons followed it up by holding Orlando and Milwaukee to 82 and 83 points, respectively, in double-digit victories.On Tuesday, Detroit continued its positive defensive trends in a 102-89 win over the New York Knicks. After allowing 55 points in the first half, the Pistons allowed 10 in the fourth quarter and held the Knicks scoreless in the final 5:40.We just kept saying in the timeout that to win, were going to need to make a defensive stand, Van Gundy said. We were skating on thin ice for a long, long time. Theyd get it down to three and wed get a couple of hoops. Then the last (5:30), we were able to get it done.Tobias Harris scored 25 points and Marcus Morris added 22 points for Detroit, which is 3-1 for the second straight season.Its real satisfying, Harris said. Its something that when we came into the timeout, that was our emphasis. Lets go out there and get stops, lets get rebounds and lets see how many we can string together to come out with this victory.While the Pistons have been playing strong defense, the Nets have struggled defensively through most of their first four games. Although Brooklyn held Indiana to 15 points in the fourth quarter Friday, it is allowing 111 points per game, has given up seven 30-point quarters and allowed opponents to shoot 47 percent.The Nets lost their first two games at Boston and Milwaukee by a combined seven points and were never in Mondays 118-88 loss to the Chicago Bulls. The Nets gave up 38 first-quarter points, trailed for the final 45-plus minutes, shot 34 percent and made 5 of 31 3-pointers.I just think we didnt have that normal pop or that explosiveness or the normal hunger that we normally have on the defensive end, actually just in general, Brooklyn guard Jeremy Lin said. We didnt have that normal spirit or that normal energy that we play with. Tonight everybody came out flat and you know, its time to get our bodies right and well be good and well be ready on Wednesday.An area where the Nets will have to be ready is rebounding and blocking out Detroit center Andre Drummond, who leads the league with 15.5 rebounds per game. Brooklyn has allowed 49.8 rebounds per game by opponents, which is the third-highest in the league.Were addressing it, Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson said. We understand its a weakness and an area weve got to get better.Another area where the Nets will have to be improved is backup point guard play. While Lin has averaged 16.3 points, his primary backups, Randy Foye (mild right hamstring strain) and Greivis Vasquez (sore right ankle), will not play Wednesday.Those injuries mean Isaiah Whitehead will likely see a decent amount of time again. The rookie had a difficult home debut by shooting 3 of 11 and committing five turnovers in 21 minutes.I think whoever we put in there, we expect them to do their job and play the way we want them to play, Atkinson said. So it could be a rookie, a second-year guy, a veteran and when a guy is out the next guy has to step up and play.The Pistons have won four of the last five meetings with the Nets since allowing 110 points and 52 percent shooting on Dec. 21, 2014. The only players remaining on their roster since then are Drummond and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.Steve Blass Jersey . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. Clay Holmes Jersey . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. https://www.cheappiratesjerseys.us/2112e-kevin-newman-jersey-pirates.html . 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The World Anti-Doping Agency provisionally suspended the Moscow Antidoping Center on Sunday, saying its operations must improve or a six-month ban on the facilitys accreditation will be imposed.Free-agent shooting guard Courtney Lee has agreed to a four-year deal with the New York Knicks, sources told ESPNs Ian Begley.The deal is worth approximately $48 million, sources say, with all four years guaranteed.?Basketball Insiders first reported Lees decision to agree with the team.Lee, 30, has played for six different teams in eight NBA seasons. He averaged 8.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 30.2 minutes per game in 28 appearances -- all starts -- for the Charlotte Hornets in 2015-16. He was acquired from the?Grizzlies in a three-team swap at the February trade deadline.Lees deal with the Knicks would not have happened without Joakim Noah, a source close to Lee told Begley. Lee had several offers to decide from and chose New York in part because of Noahs recruitment. The free-agent center and the Knicks agreed Friday on a four-year, $72 million deal, league sources told ESPNs Ramona Shelburne.Courtney understands what playing for the New York Knicks means, the source said. He wanted to play in New York, and Joakim Noah was instrumental in recruiting him. Would not have happened without Joakim. Courtney couldnt be more excited.The Knicks had also showed interest in guards Eric GGordon, Austin Rivers and Evan Turner, sources say.dddddddddddd Rivers agreed to a three-year, $35 million deal to return to the Los Angeles Clippers, sources told Shelburne, shortly after Lee agreed with the Knicks. Gordon reached a 4-year, $53 million agreement with the Houston Rockets, sources confirmed to ESPNs Chris Broussard.Lee earned a raise during a summer in which contracts increased due to a salary-cap increase. He earned $5.7 million in the final year of a four-year, $21 million deal he originally signed as part of a sign-and-trade swap that delivered him to the Celtics in July 2012. Lee spent little more than a season in Boston before being traded to Memphis in January 2014.Lee started all seven of the Hornets games in the 2016 playoffs, averaging 8.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists over 36.7 minutes per contest. He shot 44.4 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, but only 41.2 percent from the floor overall.Lee, the 22nd pick of the Orlando Magic in the 2008 draft, is the quintessential 3-and-D player. He has shot 38.4 percent on 3s in his career. ' ' '