That night the 1996 draft tension could be cut into the meeting room of the Lakers . Jerry West , a history of the franchise now work manager, breathing relieved in each round passed without any team he chose to that lanky kid he dreamed since I saw him in action with just 17 years in a private test. The Lakers had hatched a plan to seize him, Kobe Bryant showed signs, but whose youth backed down to most franchises. The way to take him to Los Angeles was to convince the Hornets, who selected him in the 13th and transferred to the Lakers for Vlade Divac . An operation at that time few imagined that would change forever the history of the NBA.
Kobe Bryant this morning which played his last game as professionally has been the great protagonist of the last two decades in the NBA. A special player, unable to never settle and continuous learning. Twenty years leading the Lakers, who he led the ring five times, and chasing the shadow of Michael Jordan. the legend of the Bulls was his model and his obsession. The player who aspired to emulate. The largest in history, whose six rings have long stayed away from Bryant.
The decline of the Lakers in recent years also engulfed Kobe. Unable to overcome the departure of Pau and leading a failed reconstruction, Bryant announced earlier this season his farewell after two years of continuous injuries.
Gone were the happy years with Phil Jackson, the coach who best understood his play and that made him champion five times in two different stages. In the first, just three years after arriving in the league, he had as squire to Shaquille O'Neal , with whom he formed an almost invincible couple that led the Lakers to achieve three championships in a row (2000-2002). If its hegemony lasted was the clash of egos, perhaps the biggest problem of Kobe, which cost him assimilate the power forward role rob him in those final.
The emergence of Pau Gasol
Progress Bryant O'Neal left as the undisputed leader of the Lakers, but
joi, 14 aprilie 2016
Benzema - Announces he will not play Euro
Jour de match! Match day! Día de partido!@realmadrid vs @VfL_Wolfsburg - 20h45@ChampionsLeague#APorLaRemontada ! pic.twitter.com/EhX2Qp3INs— Karim Benzema (@Benzema) April 12, 2016
Doubts are over. Karim Benzema , French striker of Real Madrid, will not be finally selected for his country to play the European Championship this summer. This was announced by the player himself through his official profile on Twitter.
Malheureusement pour moi et pour tous ceux qui m'ont toujours soutenu et supporté. Je ne serai pas sélectionné pour notre Euro en France...— Karim Benzema (@Benzema) April 13, 2016
"Unfortunately for me for all those who I have always encouraged apotado and I will not be selected for our European Championship in France ..." Benzema has written the popular social network.
The French Football Federation (FFF) had announced that it would decide on the presence of the striker in the tournament selections on April 14, once disputed the semifinals of the Champions League, in which the front was engaged with his club. But it was the player himself who has decided to make the decision public the day before .
The desire to Noel Le Graet, president of the FFF, was that Benzema were playing the Euro 2016, but was strong opposition from political and social pressures weigh in your country. Even Manuel Valls, French Prime Minister said on several occasions that the front should not go to the Euro, because "it is not a good example for the youth."
Not even a favorable ruling from the judge Boutard , tentatively allowed Benzema and Valbuena could match the selection has served to forward the continental competition is not lost. Also own Valbuena, the victim of sexual blackmail by a video home with her partner, she has taken a step forward in that respect: " I have no problem, I can play with Benzema Euro".
Pau Gasol - The emotional farewell letter to Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant played this morning the last game of his brilliant career. One of the best players in NBA history to put an end to his career after twenty years in the elite , of which six and a half shared with Pau Gasol, lograndos two rings. Those feats in the Lakers carved a great friendship between the two and now, hours of goodbye, Pau wanted to pay tribute to Kobe with a letter full of feelings and emotions.
LETTER INTEGRA PAU
"On my first day with the Lakers, I met the team at the Ritz in Washington DC and 1:30 am someone knocked on my door. That's how I discovered that Kobe does not sleep much. I sat on the bed, I think, and he sat at the table next to the television. He welcomed me to the team and told me it was time. It was time to win. He felt that I could take it to the top again and wanted to make sure I knew it. "This is our chance," he said. For me that meeting was very meaningful.
Much of the triangle offense is based on reading and understand each other. I understand the game. He was very meticulous with it. And I think he appreciated it . It was fresh air. Our relationship conceded from the start. We both knew we needed each other to succeed.
There are many games in the NBA, this causes it easy to get carried away. He kept us all at bay. In training he challenged people. He spoke ill of others. This does not hold everyone. Some players can not with this, but I did not care. It was his way of motivating us and push us to us to give more. It is easy to accommodate. He made sure that no one did.
After losing the sixth game against the Celtics in late 2008, we did not talk much about it. It was time to digest what had happened and why we had fallen short and let the fire began to burn up inside. We arrived the next season with a different, more aggressive and more determined attitude, with a stronger focus. I think that was the reason we won the next two titles.
Guardiola wins the battle and Bayern goes to semifinals
The Estadio da Luz became a pressure cooker , as feared Thiago Alcantara, but the mirage lasted 38 minutes. Benfica had to give in to the powerful Bayern Munich, and that Pep Guardiola Lewandowski sat on the bench to opt for a hat trick attack clearly addicted to the average tip.
The Portuguese, with the significant drop of the Brazilian Jonas , managed to sow panic in the German box to mark the Mexican Raul Jimenez, former Atletico Madrid. But before the break put Arturo Vidal(again, as in the way) things in place.
That's hopes vanished in Lisbon and Bayern began to show his safety, his conviction that will be on Friday in the draw for the Champions League semifinals.
When Thomas Müller scored the second both, and it became too difficult for the team Rui Vitória, specialist harangue his players with more thrust and heart than anything else.
He gambled by withdrawing the Luso coach Pizzi to get the Brazilian Talisca, who soon prove his punching power with a goal from a free.
But hardly it had time for a comeback, as two goals with just over 10 minutes required to play.
The Estadio da Luz recovered the illusion with the draw, but hung in the air a climate of resignation directly proportional to the German fortress.
One can speak at all ride for Bayern , but it became clear that it is more team and once again deserves to appear in the hype of the last heat, prior to the final at San Siro on May 28.
Guardiola ended strategy paying off, certifying that is an expert in bringing their pupils born winner (as it did in Barcelona) at the top of the top European competition.
The club and the public Lisbon had to settle for at least not lose the match, proof that they have maintained the type in the aggregate.
Atletico - The fifth assault on the Champions League
Atletico Madrid with a 2-0 win against Barcelona in the return of the quarter-finals and 2-1 in the first leg (global 3-2) for the fifth time has reached the semifinals of the Champions League, the second under the name Champions League.
Two years after the end of Lisbon Champions League 2013-14, which fell against Real Madrid in extra time 4-1, Atletico group led by Diego Simeone Argentina is again among the best four teams the continent.
Like two years ago, Atletico won the ticket to the semifinals defeating Barcelona in this season overcoming the adverse 2-1 brought the Camp Nou with a 2-0, thanks to two goals from Frenchman Antoine Griezmann in the Vicente Calderon the second penalty in the 89th minute.
In the 2013-14 season, when they played the semi-finals last time, the red and whites came to achieve a 1-1 (goals from Diego and Neymar) draw in Barcelona and served them a 1-0 (Koke) to overcome the crossing. After they beat Chelsea in the semifinals, to meet with Real in the final.
The former Atletico precedent in the semifinals of the showpiece of European football clubs have to find it under the name European Cup in 1973-74 season, just at the other end that Atletico have played in this competition, that of infamous memory for their fans against Bayern Munich German.
In the quarterfinals of 1974, the athletic victim was the Serbian Red Star, which defeated Atletico 0-2 in Belgrade (goals from Luis Aragones and José Eulogio Gárate) and served with a 0-0 in the return in Calderon. The semi-final opponent was the Scottish Celtic Glasgow, passed after a qualifying row to face Bayern in the final.
Three years earlier, Atletico overcame the quarter-final against Legia Warsaw thanks to the double value of away goals. The rojiblancos achieved a 1-0 in the first leg at the Calderon (goal Adelardo Rodríguez) and lost 2-1 in Warsaw (Ignacio Salcedo made the Atletico goal, Pieszko and Stachurski scored for the hosts). They lost in semifinals against Dutch Ajax, where he played the recently deceased Johan Cruyff.
The first experience in the semifinals of the European Cup for Atletico was in the 1958-59 season , in which he beat in the quarterfinals German Schalke 04 with a 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu (goals from Vava, Gonzalez and Peiro) and 1-1 in Gelsenkirchen (Nowak for German, Vava for Atletico). They fell in the semifinals against Real Madrid, in a tie that required a playoff game.
Rojiblanco signed with their eighth victory in the quarterfinals of this competition, which has come consecutively in the last three editions. He was eliminated in the quarterfinals in three seasons: 2014-15 (Real Madrid) 1996-97 (Ajax) and 1977-78 (Bruges).
Luis Enrique: "The team is sad"
Luis Enrique, Barcelona coach praised Wednesday following the elimination of his team in the quarterfinals of the Champions League with Atletico Madrid (2-0), his team has to "rise" of defeat and "improve" in the final stretch, which are "two objectives," referring to the League, of which he is leader, and the Copa del Rey.
"The team is like can only be a team that aspires to win the title was one of our goals, no doubt;. A goal that flattered us a lot, but this year will be no such a possibility.. The team is sad " he said at a news conference after the 2-0 loss at the Vicente Calderon.
"Our goals are always the highest and is proud that the club is always favorite at all, but you have to accept defeat, understood as something of sport, such self-criticism to improve and we have two competitions on the horizon in which we have to will improve our performance if we want to win them options ", reviewed.
"Any coach of any league in the world if you win those two titles (League and Cup) would be a great season, but we need to improve, I am the first , " continued Luis Enrique, who insisted that "yet" there are "two very interesting targets "and took" one hundred percent "of the blame for the defeat on Wednesday.
"For that I am the coach, the head and not intended to have any points less than one hundred percent , " he added the coach, who, when asked by Argentine Lionel Messi, declared that "the only undeniable is that it is very unfair individualized a player when there is a loss, because this is all, of all the players. "
The coach stressed the "excellent attitude of all" players in the return leg tonight at the Vicente Calderon, but admitted: " What is evidence is that we are not at our best, but in terms of attitude'm so proud of my players . "
"Sorry for the Catalans fans and my players. Our goal was to conquer all, but get up. This is a test for the team," continued Luis Enrique, also questioned the why and if he saw that this bad time could arrive.
"Because there are rainy days and other days the sun rises. We controlled parameters that are important to view the status of the players, but I have no magic ball to know how we will be if we'll be lucid ... What yes it is clear is that we can improve. it's not our best version. and from that analysis and things to improve, consider the season finale with logic and ambition that is going to have this team, "he said.
Luis Enrique admitted he expected "Atletico Madrid maybe a not so quiet" at the start of the match, "as waiting in a medium retreat". "I expected a higher pressure. We had the ball calmly and that has allowed us to have controlled the match in what is playing out against Atletico," he said.
"I think the game has gone well in the idea they had. They have taken advantage of their time in our error, have been ahead on the scoreboard and have played what they do best, to defend their own country. They do very well. they have it played a very complete match. To us it lacked perhaps more finesse and daring "he said.
"We wanted a party control through ball wearing rival. The course was not to offer frills, non-excuse me, it was difficult to stand. We had control, but not depth. We have not generated occasions. We understood that make a goal it would be very important, but it has not happened, "he added.
"In the second half, and yet it lost, we have gone with a lot more people ahead of the ball to create more situations but it cost us a lot. Congratulating Atletico Madrid and wish him the best of luck," he said.
"The team is like can only be a team that aspires to win the title was one of our goals, no doubt;. A goal that flattered us a lot, but this year will be no such a possibility.. The team is sad " he said at a news conference after the 2-0 loss at the Vicente Calderon.
"Our goals are always the highest and is proud that the club is always favorite at all, but you have to accept defeat, understood as something of sport, such self-criticism to improve and we have two competitions on the horizon in which we have to will improve our performance if we want to win them options ", reviewed.
"Any coach of any league in the world if you win those two titles (League and Cup) would be a great season, but we need to improve, I am the first , " continued Luis Enrique, who insisted that "yet" there are "two very interesting targets "and took" one hundred percent "of the blame for the defeat on Wednesday.
"For that I am the coach, the head and not intended to have any points less than one hundred percent , " he added the coach, who, when asked by Argentine Lionel Messi, declared that "the only undeniable is that it is very unfair individualized a player when there is a loss, because this is all, of all the players. "
The coach stressed the "excellent attitude of all" players in the return leg tonight at the Vicente Calderon, but admitted: " What is evidence is that we are not at our best, but in terms of attitude'm so proud of my players . "
"Sorry for the Catalans fans and my players. Our goal was to conquer all, but get up. This is a test for the team," continued Luis Enrique, also questioned the why and if he saw that this bad time could arrive.
"Because there are rainy days and other days the sun rises. We controlled parameters that are important to view the status of the players, but I have no magic ball to know how we will be if we'll be lucid ... What yes it is clear is that we can improve. it's not our best version. and from that analysis and things to improve, consider the season finale with logic and ambition that is going to have this team, "he said.
Luis Enrique admitted he expected "Atletico Madrid maybe a not so quiet" at the start of the match, "as waiting in a medium retreat". "I expected a higher pressure. We had the ball calmly and that has allowed us to have controlled the match in what is playing out against Atletico," he said.
"I think the game has gone well in the idea they had. They have taken advantage of their time in our error, have been ahead on the scoreboard and have played what they do best, to defend their own country. They do very well. they have it played a very complete match. To us it lacked perhaps more finesse and daring "he said.
"We wanted a party control through ball wearing rival. The course was not to offer frills, non-excuse me, it was difficult to stand. We had control, but not depth. We have not generated occasions. We understood that make a goal it would be very important, but it has not happened, "he added.
"In the second half, and yet it lost, we have gone with a lot more people ahead of the ball to create more situations but it cost us a lot. Congratulating Atletico Madrid and wish him the best of luck," he said.
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