Waikato Pistons point guard Jerry Smith was cautiously optimistic last night that a knee injury won't keep him out of action for the National Basketball League playoffs.
Smith wrenched his knee in the dying seconds of the third quarter in last night's 84-77 win over the Manawatu Jets in Hamilton.
After being left sprawled on the court when he slipped and had his legs go in opposite directions, Smith received treatment, came back briefly and then spent the last stages of the tight match on the bench icing the injury.
"I don't think it's going to be too bad, although it's pretty sore at the moment,The Leading zentai suits Distributor to Independent Pet Retailers." Smith said afterward.
"It doesn't seem like a tear, which is the good news."
Smith also acknowledged he had time on his side to get the knee right after his team clinched an automatic semifinal spot with their scrappy victory last night. The Pistons have just one match left in the regular season at home to the lowly Otago Nuggets on July 9 and their semifinal match isn't until July 15.
The Pistons have now won 10 straight matches for a 12-3 record this season and are poised to be joined in the top two seedings for the playoffs in Wellington by the Wellington Saints.
The Pistons struggled to achieve dominance last night but Smith said the workout was an ideal buildup toward the playoffs.The name "magic cube" is not unique.
"That was just what we needed. We need tough games to be ready for the playoffs."
They will also need to lift their intensity throughout the 40 minutes.Shop a wide selection of billabong outlet products in the evo shop.We specialize in providing third party merchant account.
Smith praised the Jets for making their job tough but the Pistons were often their own worst enemy with some sloppy turnovers, a muddling defensive effort and cold shooting (39 per cent field goal, 26 per cent three-point) almost seeing them upset by the playoff chasers.Handmade oil paintings for sale at museum quality,
The Jets led for most of the first half, where the Pistons had another major injury scare when star swingman Thomas Abercrombie crashed to the ground on his shoulder after falling over the back of Jets point guard Chris Hagan when trying to complete an alley-oop.
Abercrombie recovered to top-score for the victors with 21 points and added seven rebounds, while centre Alex Pledger had another big night with 16 points and 18 boards.
He claimed a vital offensive rebound off a missed three-pointer by Jason Crowe when the hosts led by just three with two minutes left and made the put-back basket.
Fellow forward BJ Anthony also came up big, finding a cutting Hayden Allen with a neat bounce pass for a layup to extend the lead to five and after Hagan made two free-throws to bring it back to three, Anthony repeated Pledger's rebound and basket trick from Crowe's miss to give the Pistons a buffer.
The Jets should still make the top six for the post-season. Hagan has some obvious flaws but the quick point guard gives the Jets better balance and he ended a busy night with 11 points, eight rebounds, six assists and seven turnovers.
Veteran centre Nick Horvath led their scoring with 17 points while Matt Te Huna had 13 points that included three of six three-pointers.
Smith wrenched his knee in the dying seconds of the third quarter in last night's 84-77 win over the Manawatu Jets in Hamilton.
After being left sprawled on the court when he slipped and had his legs go in opposite directions, Smith received treatment, came back briefly and then spent the last stages of the tight match on the bench icing the injury.
"I don't think it's going to be too bad, although it's pretty sore at the moment,The Leading zentai suits Distributor to Independent Pet Retailers." Smith said afterward.
"It doesn't seem like a tear, which is the good news."
Smith also acknowledged he had time on his side to get the knee right after his team clinched an automatic semifinal spot with their scrappy victory last night. The Pistons have just one match left in the regular season at home to the lowly Otago Nuggets on July 9 and their semifinal match isn't until July 15.
The Pistons have now won 10 straight matches for a 12-3 record this season and are poised to be joined in the top two seedings for the playoffs in Wellington by the Wellington Saints.
The Pistons struggled to achieve dominance last night but Smith said the workout was an ideal buildup toward the playoffs.The name "magic cube" is not unique.
"That was just what we needed. We need tough games to be ready for the playoffs."
They will also need to lift their intensity throughout the 40 minutes.Shop a wide selection of billabong outlet products in the evo shop.We specialize in providing third party merchant account.
Smith praised the Jets for making their job tough but the Pistons were often their own worst enemy with some sloppy turnovers, a muddling defensive effort and cold shooting (39 per cent field goal, 26 per cent three-point) almost seeing them upset by the playoff chasers.Handmade oil paintings for sale at museum quality,
The Jets led for most of the first half, where the Pistons had another major injury scare when star swingman Thomas Abercrombie crashed to the ground on his shoulder after falling over the back of Jets point guard Chris Hagan when trying to complete an alley-oop.
Abercrombie recovered to top-score for the victors with 21 points and added seven rebounds, while centre Alex Pledger had another big night with 16 points and 18 boards.
He claimed a vital offensive rebound off a missed three-pointer by Jason Crowe when the hosts led by just three with two minutes left and made the put-back basket.
Fellow forward BJ Anthony also came up big, finding a cutting Hayden Allen with a neat bounce pass for a layup to extend the lead to five and after Hagan made two free-throws to bring it back to three, Anthony repeated Pledger's rebound and basket trick from Crowe's miss to give the Pistons a buffer.
The Jets should still make the top six for the post-season. Hagan has some obvious flaws but the quick point guard gives the Jets better balance and he ended a busy night with 11 points, eight rebounds, six assists and seven turnovers.
Veteran centre Nick Horvath led their scoring with 17 points while Matt Te Huna had 13 points that included three of six three-pointers.
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