desperately need a win as they seek to retain their Four Nations

The youthful Lakers raced up the court, chasing a fast-break bucket against the Golden State Warriors.?But Larry Nance Jr. remained near the rear of the pack, pacing himself, surveying everything before him, calculating space and angles, searching, most of all, for an open runway.Throughout a game, the 23-year-old Lakers forward hopes for these moments, almost hunting them but not quite. Hes learned that if he hunts too much, rarely do they unfold just the way he wants: culminating in a powerful, sky-scraping, momentum-shifting slam that blazes across social media and sends fans screaming out of their seats.Above all, Nance, one of the NBAs highest and most exciting flyers, has learned patience. Most of the time, he doesnt have to seek these moments as they will often find him. He just needs to be in the right place at the right time and ready. When a shot goes up, for instance, Nance tracks its arc, then tries to position himself carefully among the rims tall timbers so that he can snatch the ball if it ricochets. Seven, eight times out of 10, Im very certain of where its coming off, he said.Sometimes an opponent will try to box him out, then turn to look at Nance and notice that Nance doesnt seem to be going anywhere. If the opponent falls for this ruse, they will turn away and go chase the rebound. And thats when you crash right on top of them, Nance says. Thus, the simple but effective formula for his signature putback dunks: lure prey into a false sense of security, then strike.When it comes to fast breaks, Nance will trail the action -- not too much but enough that the opposing defense might lose sight of him for a split second. This allows him to slip into the lane unnoticed, where, if all goes as planned, a teammate will feed him a pass which hell turn into a rim-rocking highlight. But first, Nance needs an open runway. If he sees one emerge, hell start to pick up speed, lining up his steps just so, preparing for liftoff, which is what he did early in the second quarter against the Warriors on Nov. 4.After receiving a pass from guard Jordan Clarkson, Nance exploded off the court, ascending skyward much like his famous father, Larry Nance Sr., the NBAs first slam dunk champion, did decades ago. The Lakers once measured the younger Nances vertical leap at 44 inches, though they believed their devices werent calibrated correctly and that he can actually jump higher than that -- and against the Warriors, Nance utilized every bit of bounce in his legs, taking off a few steps inside the free-throw line. Only Warriors forward David West separated Nance and the rim, and as Nance soared by, holding the ball in his right hand high over his head like a torch, he placed his left hand on Wests head, almost palming it.Then Nance dropped the hammer in poster-worthy fashion. Staples Center went wild; the Lakers bench did, too.For Nance, the dunk wasnt just a highlight, a viral sensation; hes had plenty of those -- so many that he says his teammates are very used to them and only offer him a high-five and a pat on the back afterward.Nick [Young] shoots 3s, I dunk, Nance said. Everybodys good at what theyre good at.There are other aspects of his game that Nance excels at, too, such as rebounding or being a versatile defender. His offense has picked up steam, too, and he scored a career-high 18 points against Chicago on Nov. 30.But his dunk against Golden State marked one of the biggest leaps forward in his young career, one of the first moments that he could trust his right knee since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in February 2014, when he was a junior for the University of Wyoming. Immediately after that injury, Nance, like many who have sustained it, wasnt sure if hed ever have the same explosiveness again. All he knew was that it would take a while -- perhaps years -- to truly know.During his rookie season with the Lakers, after being drafted with the 27th pick in the first round in 2015, Nance remained cautious. Understandably, he worried that his knee might fail him, so he didnt put much pressure on it when executing various moves. This past July, during summer league competition in Las Vegas, he planted his right leg and threw down a breath-stealing dunk against the Philadelphia 76ers, but even then, Nance still didnt feel like his explosiveness had completely returned. That changed on Nov. 4.Before taking off against the Warriors, Nance planted his right foot and leaped, as he did before the injury, but it all came second nature, without worry -- and that was the first thing he noticed when he watched replays of his vicious slam after the game.You know, my knee didnt hurt when I did that -- it felt solid, it didnt cave in, Nance said he told himself. Thats pretty good.Said Nance, That was a page-turner for me, because I knew I was feeling well. I knew my legs were strong -- they were of equal strength and everything. When I planted on that right leg and was able to explode the way I did, it was [like] -- Im good now. I feel great.Nance believes his quickness and explosiveness have returned to his pre-injury levels, and now that they have, the next question on many fans minds is whether hell showcase his aerial acrobatics in the 2017 NBA dunk contest, which will be held in New Orleans. He received an invitation to last seasons event in Toronto but declined in part because he physically didnt feel capable. Like many others in February, Nance watched Minnesota guard Zach LaVine and Orlando forward Aaron Gordon put on one of the most exciting dunk contests in the history of the event.On my way to do some lunges and squats... Nance tweeted after, enticing those who hoped hed follow in his fathers footsteps and win the competition, perhaps as soon as this February.Ive always maintained that at some point, I would love to, Nance said. I just dont know when. I dont know if its this year. I dont know if its next year. I dont know at this point. Ive just got to be ready.And as for living up to his father? Nance says he feels no burden, largely because the 1984 contest his father competed in is far different than whats done today. Man, they hadnt even thought of doing an under-the-legs dunk over a mascot, Nance said. Guys do windmills in warm-ups now; thats nothing. Its a different contest.He said he hasnt studied past dunk contests, hasnt really considered what hed even do if he were in one. Honestly, if they threw me in one right now, Id get last place, because I have no idea what I would do, Nance said. It would just take a lot of planning, which I havent [done]. Instead of worrying about dunks, Im trying to figure out my jump shot and stuff like that.But, he pointed out, there are two kinds of dunkers -- those who are at their best during a game and those who are their best during a contest. Very few can do both. I dont know if Im that rare breed of both yet, Nance said. I havent really tried it. What he does know is that hes a in-game dunker. I see somebody in front of me, and thats what I like to do, he said.Larry Nance Sr., a three-time All-Star and 13-year veteran with the Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers, told ESPN in January that if his son wants any help preparing for the dunk contest, Ill do anything he wants. But, Larry Sr. pointed out, with a touch of pride, that his son is a far better high-flyer than his old man: I could jump really well, but hes just so much stronger, and he just jumps so much easier than I did. Ill give it to him. I had my day. And nothing makes me prouder. Nothing makes me prouder, trust me, than if he just flat-out out-dunks me.Larry Sr. continued, All the little dunks I did, he can do them so easy; there wont be no tips on none of those. Two-hand ball dunk, he can do that. He can cup it and dunk it. If he ever gets invited to be in the slam-dunk contest, Im sure Ill spend some nights awake trying to come up with some stuff. His chances of winning should be as good as anybody elses.And what would Larry Sr. think of his son winning it all? That would be awesome, Larry Sr. said. That would be cool.On that note, Larry Nance Jr. agreed. It would be very cool, he said. It would be a cool story and everybody would love it.Nance Jr. added with a smile: If and when the time comes, I will be ready. Nike Air Max Shoes 2017 China . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. 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Shaun Johnson has called upon his New Zealand teammates to play smarter ahead of their Four Nations opener against England.The Warriors NRL star also says he needs more support in defence from his Kiwi forwards ahead of the clash against England in Huddersfield on Saturday.After their disappointing 26-6 loss to Australia in Perth two weeks ago, the Kiwis, desperately need a win as they seek to retain their Four Nations crown.Halfback Johnson was heavily criticised for his effort in the loss to the Kangaroos at nib Stadium, but he was behind a beaten Kiwis pack.Now playing on British grounds that should suit their forward-oriented approach, Johnson said the Kiwis need to sharpen their approach.We have to mix things up. I feel we have the best forward pack in the world we just have to learn how to use that in the best way, Johnson told AAP.You saw (against Australia) when we got ourselves going, we got back into the game.We just played a bit too straight up and down and let our big boys run through the middle without too much shape.We just expected them to win the ruck for us.But to be fair their middles played a bit smarter, with more width and found thinggs easier.ddddddddddddWe have to use the eyes a bit more, look to go wider a bit more and look for the halfback, you know.Johnson was forced to make 34 tackles, behind only Kevin Proctor (44) and fellow back-rower Tohu Harris (35) in the Kiwis side.I found myself tackling a lot, it is hard, it is very hard, Johnson said.Individually we have to lock that ball up and hold onto it.You can have all the fancy game plans and all the fancy plays you want but if you are not holding onto that ball you are going to get points put on you.Johnson did say new coach David Kidwell had them on track after taking over from new Warriors coach Stephen Kearney six weeks ago.The environment that David has brought back and brought his own little touch on has been a really enjoyable one, he said.We are away for a month and we need to enjoy our time in camp. We will keep feeding off that. I know we are going to play some really good footy and learn our lessons.We will play Australia again soon and we will have the chance to show what we have learned. ' ' '