Dein erstes Forum » is a dangerous threat with ball in hand an

DOVER, Del. -- Jamie McMurray finished fourth in the Sprint Cup elimination race at Dover last year and went from being 11th on the Chase points grid to 13th -- on the outside looking in, by one spot.So if McMurray, currently 13th on the Chase grid, takes an attitude to get the best finish he can and let the points fall where they may, it would be easily understandable. Last year, a fourth-place finish at Dover was a little unexpected, and to perform that well and not advance? Well, that could be chalked up to a little bit of faith.Going into the race Sunday, McMurray sits five points out of the current cutoff -- behind Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Kyle Larson.As an organization, you hope one of the guys in front of us have problems and we both can make it in, McMurray said. Im not going to race Kyle any different than anyone else. Youre going to let the race play out and get the best finish you can.McMurray considers Dover a place of feast or famine. He hopes its a day like last year, when he had a big ol feast even if he missed the dessert.We havent had any drama with anyone in the Chase being eliminated from part failure or being caught up in a wreck McMurray said. This is just one of those places that a lot can happen.I havent worried about it at all because there is nothing I can do about it.Larson is taking a similar approach. He was fastest in practice Friday but starts in the row behind McMurray; the race field was set by points since qualifying was canceled because of rain.Known for not getting too excited about anything, Larson seemed quite calm heading into what some would consider the biggest race of his career.Im not nervous, Larson said. Anything can happen at Dover. That is the only nerve-wracking thing.Its nice to be on the positive end of things. ... Weve just got to run how we normally run at Dover, and hopefully thats enough to advance us.Larson has four consecutive top-10s at Dover, so he knows he can get the job done here. With a five-point cushion on McMurray and Austin Dillon, Larson at least knows that if he finishes fourth, hes in the Chase as long as one of those drivers, or Tony Stewart or Chris Buescher, doesnt win.Dillon will take an approach similar to McMurrays.I know what my job is to do -- to beat Kyle by five or six positions or win the race, and I am automatically in, Dillon said. We have one goal, and thats just to finish as high up as we can, and weve got to beat people. ... Im excited for it.And Im going to step up to the challenge and make it happen.The whole point of this Chase elimination game is to increase the intensity and the pressure.I feel like I handle pressure well, Larson said. I dont think too much about it. Ill go out there and race, and I go out and try to do the best job I can, like I do at every race. If we run how we normally do, I hope that will be enough to transfer through.Some would say these drivers should be just happy to have made the Chase. But with the Chase format, there is hope for every driver still in contention.We havent led any laps this year, McMurray said. That being said, the way this format is, anybody can win it.McMurray tried putting the feeling of getting eliminated in perspective in a system where four drivers get eliminated after every three races, setting up four drivers with a shot at the championship at the season finale at Homestead.Whether you get eliminated in the first round or the last round, if you dont get to go to Homestead, I dont know that it matters when the season is over, McMurray said. In 72 hours, it is going to be a big deal, but if you dont make it to Homestead, it really doesnt matter.Miami Dolphins Jerseys . 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The pride of Weyburn, Sask.In the lead-up to Rio, Australia were forthright in their belief they could win an historic first Olympic mens basketball medal - even gold.The early signs were brilliant, with the Boomers beating France, Serbia, China and Venezuela and pushing Team USA all the way in the group stages.Confidence was high ahead of the semifinal against Serbia but the Boomers dreams were brutally crushed as they were busted open in an 87-61 thrashing.?They were never in the contest, suffering one of their most embarrassing defeats in Olympic competition.So, what went wrong for the Boomers?1. Did they choke? And if so, why?Its one thing to lose, but its another to get embarrassed on the big stage. After a spectacular campaign - including upset wins over France and Serbia as well as pushing the U.S. to the limit - the Boomers saved their worst performance for when it mattered most. A win over Serbia would have guaranteed an Olympic medal for the first time in Australian mens basketball history.But they were way off from the very start as Serbia exploded with an early 8-0 lead that the Boomers could never recover from. Theres no doubt Serbia were strong, especially on the defensive end in stifling the Boomers attack, but the Australians looked dazed and daunted in defence for the first time this tournament.The Serbians pick and roll offense was a thing of beauty that the Boomers had no answers for. They tried going over the screen at the start of the match which allowed Serbia to get inside and knock down the easy elbow jumper. ?They then switched and tried going under screens, leading to open looks from beyond the arc for Serbia.Every little run and adjustment the Boomers made was well and truly countered by Serbia.To make matters worse for the Boomers, talisman Andrew Bogut looked visibly hobbled with a knee concern.2. Why couldnt the Boomers score?The Boomers dont have a go-to player but they used that to their advantage in playing selfless team basketball in the group stages, making sure to move the ball and force the extra pass for easy baskets and open looks. However, that was non-existent against the Serbians.At halftime, Auustralia had just 14 points on the board and had coughed up 11 turnovers as Serbia led by 21 points to virtually put the result beyond doubt.ddddddddddddYes, Serbias defense was suffocating but the Boomers execution and ability to get to their sets was awful.Off the ball, Australia lacked the same cohesion and effort that posed such a threat in offence. Without that activity, the Serbians were able to focus all their pressure on the ball without having to make many difficult decisions in defence.On top of that, the Boomers dynamic backcourt Matthew Dellavedova and Patty Mills could never find their groove as they combined to score just 16 points (less than Mills average of 21.2 points per game) on 7-22 shooting.3. Would Ben Simmons make a difference?After one NBA general manager proclaimed if Simmons had played, Australia would have beaten Team USA, its hard not to imagine that Simmons would have made a difference against Serbia and Australia would be through to the gold medal match.This years No. 1 NBA draft pick is a dangerous threat with ball in hand and would certainly have given the Boomers many opportunities when there was seemingly little happening. His ability to drive to the basket and crash the offensive boards would give Australias three-point shooters such as Dellavedova and Mills even greater room to operate and cut to the lane.At the very least, he would have attracted extra attention and forced Serbia to adjust their defensive schemes.4. Where to from here?The Boomers Olympic campaign isnt over yet.While the result wasnt what the Boomers were hoping for, they still have a chance to make history with a bronze medal against Spain on Monday morning (12:30am AEST).The game against No. 2-ranked Spain wont be easy, but you can bet that after the game against Serbia, theyll have a point to prove.Australia is motivated to lay the platform for the next generation of superstars with Simmons, Thon Maker and Dante Exum set to feature prominently for the Boomers in years to come. ' ' '