a of South Africa served for the match in the quarterfinals, b

The Cairns Taipans have recovered from a final-quarter lapse to beat the New Zealand Breakers by 11 points in their NBL clash at the Cairns Convention Centre.Cairns will be relieved with the 91-80 win after they almost let a 15 point half-time lead evaporate in the fourth quarter.The Taipans entered the second half with their biggest half-time lead of the season but the Breakers hung around in the third quarter.New Zealands defence then went into another gear to start the final term as they hassled and smothered the Taipans at every turn.By the five-minute mark they had reeled the game back to within two points.But a brace of buckets from Cairns centre Nate Jawai and a breakaway Travis Trice layup from a stolen ball kept the home sides nose in front.A four-point play from Travis Trice with just a minute and a half left then looked to have put the Breakers to bed.But New Zealand, whove enjoyed a strong rivalry with Cairns in recent years, refused to go away.New import David Stockton picked up the crumbs of an offensive rebound to make a three from well beyond the line, but that was as close as the visitors could get.Playing in just his second home game, Snakes point guard Travis Trice proved he had well and truly put his recent hip injury behind him.He has the ability to just go and make a play, and that is his responsibility, coach Aaron Fearne said.It helps when you have someone who can make plays, as much as coaches like structure and plays, he can just go and make it happen.The loss is the Breakers second in a row and coach Paul Henare could only lament his sides slow start.We came out flat and we didnt have the energy required which is hugely disappointing, Henare said.I trusted our group to make good decisions down the stretch but we fell well short of that in the last few minutes.New Zealand will face the Illawarra Hawks next on Thursday, while the Taipans will travel to Brisbane to face the Brisbane Bullets on Saturday. Scarpe Air Jordan 1 Scontate . -- Matt Kuchar and Harris English ran away with the Franklin Templeton Shootout, shooting a 14-under 58 on Sunday in the final-round scramble to break the tournament course record. Air Jordan 1 Scontate Uomo . Its 1987 and a Brazilian playmaker, known as Mirandinha, is being paraded around St James Park to the passionate Newcastle fans. http://www.airjordan1scontate.it/ . P.A. Parenteau scored early in the third period to help the Avs edge Toronto 2-1 on Tuesday night. Cory Sarich also scored for Colorado (3-0-0), which is off to its best ever start. Air Jordan 1 Outlet Italia . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. Scarpe Air Jordan 1 Outlet . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Andre Agassi learned an interesting lesson some time ago on Parents Day at his childrens school. After describing his tennis career, he realized neither the parents nor the kids in the audience were very interested in hearing the way he was able to return the rumbling power of Pete Sampras serve or how he completed a career Grand Slam.They were more mesmerized by the gold medal than anything else, Agassi told ESPN.com on the 20th anniversary of his 1996 Summer Olympic Games triumph in Atlanta. It has this power. Thats why some athletes who have one carry it around with them. Because so many people just want to see it. Some display it. Others hide it or put it in a safety deposit box so it cant get lost or stolen.An Olympic gold medal is the ultimate athletic talisman. It is the unqualified symbol of a competitors victory at a moment that will forever be protected. Theres nothing beyond it.Gold is among the heavier elements, but Agassi still reaches for his medal as if it were a buoyant lifesaver as his darkest days approached. For that reason, his win in Atlanta is as important to him as any of his eight major titles.Early in 1995, Agassi had beaten Sampras in the Australian Open final, and in doing so, he snared the No. 1 ranking for the first time. Agassi flew wild and high that summer, amassing a 26-match winning streak at one point.He finished the year with a sterling 73-9 record and bagged seven titles, but it was one loss in late September that gutted him for years to come. Agassi had navigated his way to the US Open final, but the fearsome ball striker fell to rival Sampras in four sets. A summer of celebration had turned into anguish. Agassi crashed. He had nothing left.By the end of 1995, Agassis life was unraveling like gut strings in a racket that had been played for too long. Demons that lay dormant were coming awake and closing in as the next season began.The bottom was starting to come up at me and my [first] wife [Brooke Shields] in 1996, Agassi said. I took the loss to Pete at the Open hard. My achievements didnt cure the disconnect I felt from the game. I was struggling with meaning and purpose.Agassis youth was a handsomely illustrated catalog of conflicts and poor decisions. But even as a rebel and wild child, he had the patriot gene, as his Davis Cup exploits attest. He always held the Olympic Games in like regard. So while his resentment of tennis by mid-1996 was at a fever pitch, he clung to his Olympic ambitions. He found the will to traain for the intense heat of Atlanta with laser-like focus.ddddddddddddI was really clear, Agassi said. Difficulty is guaranteed, but clarity is gold. It was the first time I felt passion and focus after my struggles started in 95.Still, various burdens coursed through Agassis nervous system like strains of virus as the Games began. Agassi did not always handle pressure well, at least not in his early years. He was a vulnerable top seed in Atlanta.Olympics is in its own category, Agassi said, noting that its the only time a tennis player truly is competing on behalf of his country as an individual.Agassi and Croatian?Goran Ivanisevic were seeded Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in Atlanta. The treacherous nature of Olympic tennis kicked in immediately as Ivanisevic was eliminated easily in the first round.Agassi foundered, barely getting by Jonas Bjorkman, always a tough out on hard courts, in two close tiebreakers. In the third round, Agassi was down a set and a break before he recovered to beat Italian Andrea Gaudenzi. Wayne Ferreira of South Africa served for the match in the quarterfinals, but Agassi came up clutch. In the best-of-five final, Agassi ran Sergi Bruguera to the ground in signature fashion, 6-2, 6-3, 6-1.Some critics will note Sampras, Boris Becker and a host of other Grand Slam contenders did not play Atlanta for various reasons. Most of them never won Olympic gold, either -- even when they chose to compete. Bear in mind, Nicolas Massu has a singles gold, and so does a Swiss player not named Roger Federer. Marc Rosset won the singles competition at the 1992 Barcelona Games. Thats Olympic tennis.I never needed an opponent to lose, Agassi said. But there were also times that it didnt matter who I played. I was going to win. My pride in getting over the line in Atlanta isnt affected by any considerations.Agassis gold medal sits at the very center of the display of his Grand Slam trophies, in the gym he built in Las Vegas some decades ago with great friend and long-time trainer Gil Reyes. Invariably, aspiring athletes visiting the facility wonder where the medal fits into the greater scheme of things.How somebody perceives the challenge or importance of the Olympics is kind of their business, Agassi said. I just look at that medal and say, I wish every person in the history of our game who was great at what he did had one. ' ' '