News » unparalleled in the league

DURHAM, N. Nike Air Span Sale .C. -- If this was Jabari Parkers last home game at Duke, what a farewell it was. The freshman phenom scored a season-high 30 points and added 11 rebounds in the fourth-ranked Blue Devils 93-81 win over No. 14 North Carolina on Saturday night. In leading Duke in both scoring and rebounding all season, he hasnt looked like a first-year player very often. And he doesnt want to be called one, either. "No more freshman," he said. "I dont like getting in that category anymore because my team needs me more than just an 18-year-old. They need somebody with experience through the whole game. ... Its time to grow up." Rodney Hood added 24 points to help Duke (24-7, 13-5) end the Tar Heels 12-game winning streak and clinch the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. Duke never trailed, shot 51 per cent -- 57 per cent in the second half -- and dominated the ACCs best team on the glass, outrebounding North Carolina 34-20. "I think at the end of the day, it just came down to our want-to against their want-to, and it just wasnt there -- the sense of urgency," North Carolina big man James Michael McAdoo said. Marcus Paige -- who led UNCs second-half comeback two weeks ago -- finished this one with 24 points, while Brice Johnson had 15 and McAdoo added 13 for the Tar Heels (23-8, 13-5). They shot nearly 60 per cent but couldnt overcome their disadvantage on the glass and are locked into the No. 4 seed in the league tournament. Leslie McDonald added 12 points for North Carolina, which was denied its fourth win over a top-five team, but briefly made things tense in the final minutes when Paige converted a four-point play to make it 81-73 with 2:50 left. But the Tar Heels point guard missed 3s on the next two possessions -- with Parker blocking the second of those with 2 1/2 minutes left. Quinn Cook hit two free throws, Amile Jefferson added another and Parker hit two foul shots with 2:03 left to push the lead to 86-73 and effectively end it. Cook finished with 11 points and Rasheed Sulaimon added 10. And in what might have been his finale at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Parker put on quite a show. "Its hard to say what it is," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said, referring to an intangible quality coach Mike Krzyzewski had chided Duke for being without in its loss to UNC. "But whatever the hell it is, Jabari found it," Williams added. Parker hit 10 of his 17 shots, cracked his previous high of 29 points set last month at Boston College and showed off all the skills that have him as a likely high NBA draft pick -- should he decide to forgo his final three seasons of college eligibility and turn pro. But he says he has time to make that decision. "Mostly what Im focusing on is to do as much as possible with these guys (during) my time here," Parker said. Parker set the tone early by converting repeatedly around the rim, and he hit two of his four attempts from 3-point range -- including one from the corner that gave Duke its largest lead, 74-55, with 8 1/2 minutes left. "I just thought he had his best spirit to score tonight that hes had all season, because theyre really good, and at times he just wasnt going to be denied," Krzyzewski said. "And then, boom, boom, boom, you hit those 3s (and) that lead can go to double digits quick." Indeed, when those 3s are falling, the Blue Devils are tough to beat. When theyre not, Duke is usually in trouble. The Blue Devils were only 5 of 22 from long range in their 74-66 loss in Chapel Hill. They made just 6 of 27 from beyond the arc in a 10-point loss at Wake Forest on Wednesday night. In this one, Duke missed 12 of its first 14 3-pointers and held a tenuous 47-39 lead when pesky senior guard Tyler Thornton picked up his fourth foul with 17:11 left. Cook came on to replace him and immediately hit a straightaway 3 that started the Blue Devils big burst. "It was good to see the ball go in for the first time," Cook said, adding that Parker "told me he was going to hit me as soon as I came in the game. Thats just the trust we have in each other." Andre Dawkins followed with another one from the corner to help the Blue Devils open up a 53-41 lead. Parker then added a jumper and two free throws before Cook hit and up-and-under layup. And Hood then followed that with a 3 with 14 minutes left to give Duke its largest lead to that point, 62-46. That shot whipped an already amped-up Cameron crowd -- which included Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett and his quarterback, an apparent Blue Devils fan, Tony Romo cheering enthusiastically from behind the scorers table -- into an absolute frenzy. There were plenty of famous faces in the crowd for the latest renewal of college basketballs fiercest rivalry: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell -- wearing a Duke sweater -- watched from one baseline, while former Oklahoma coaches Barry Switzer and Billy Tubbs sat on the other one. And Hood and Parker kept them entertained all night. "Jabari was sensational, and so was Rodney," Krzyzewski said. "This is the first game where the two of them were sensational together. Theyve both been good together, but they were sensational together." Air Max 2011 Sale . Nothing pretty. But this is 1/4 World Cup. Usually plays out this way. Yeezy 750 Sale . -- Steven Stamkos scored his first goal since returning from a major injury, Ryan Callahan had his first goal with Tampa Bay, and the Lightning beat the Florida Panthers 5-4 on Thursday night. https://www.wholesaleshoesforcheap.com/paul-george-shoes-sale/ .com) - Devin Booker scored 19 points and top-ranked Kentucky put on a defensive clinic in an 83-44 obliteration of UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic. Tim Duncan could have easily gone out on top, with his fifth NBA championship trophy under his arm and his health intact just a few months after his 38th birthday. Theres just no way. Duncan is having too much fun with his San Antonio Spurs coaches and teammates, and hes playing too well to call it quits now. Duncan has decided to exercise the option on his contract for 2014-15 and will return next season, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Monday. The person requested anonymity because an official announcement has not been made. As the Spurs beat the two-time defending champion Miami Heat in the NBA Finals earlier this month, Duncan was asked several times about his future, as he has been for the last five or six years. He was noncommittal, saying he would take some time after the season ended to mull his decision. But after Game 5, most of the Spurs said they expected the group to return and now Duncan has reached his decision, which was first reported by Yahoo! Sports. He will make about $10.3 million next season in the final year of a two-year agreement that was drawn up specifically to allow the Spurs the financial flexibility to surround Duncan with top-shelf talent. "He feels a responsibility to his teammates," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said after the team won the championship. "He enjoys them. He wants to hang around as long as he can while hes useful and while hes having an impact on the game. He takes care of his body. He works out all summer long with a variety of different things, boxing, swimming. Hes very careful about what he puts in his body, so he does everything he can to maintain a level of play. "At some point," Popovich added, "that will stop." But not this year. When Duncan looked around at the Spurs, he saw every reason to come back and try to do just about the only thing the SSpurs havent done during his 17 years there -- win back-to-back titles. Air Jordan 17 Sale. In Popovich he has perhaps the best coach in the game, one who has established a culture of teamwork, success and stability that is unparalleled in the league. In Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, he has two trusted teammates who have been by his side for years, have sacrificed money, fame and statistics right along with him to build the Spurs organization into the envy of the NBA. And in Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, Duncan has a young, fresh-faced star on the rise to carry more of the load as the Big Three get older. "With the front office putting the teams together that weve had and us playing smaller roles and our roles changing over the years, and us happy to accept the roles that were in, I feel we can do it until we feel we dont want to do it anymore," Duncan said two weeks ago. Perhaps as important as anything, Duncan is still one of the best big men in the league. He was named first team All-NBA in 2012-13 as he helped the Spurs to the finals, where they lost to the Heat in a heart-breaking seven-game series. This season, Duncan averaged 15.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in just 29.2 minutes per game, playing in a system expertly devised by Popovich to limit the wear and tear on his body. He shot almost 57 per cent in the finals and dismantled Heat star Chris Bosh, who grew up with a Duncan poster on his bedroom wall. "Weve been on our last run for the last five or six years from how everyone wants to put it," Duncan said. "We show up every year, and we try to put together the best teams and the best runs possible because what people say doesnt matter to us. "As I said, as long as we feel were being effective, were going to stay out here and were going to play. We feel like we can be effective, and we have been." ' ' '