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They won more games than expected. They proved more competitive than projected. Heck http://www.chargersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-uchenna-nwosu-jersey , they even forced the three-time defending Eastern Conference champs into a decisive seventh game all while receiving the stamp of approval from the world’s best player.

Not bad for a team that was supposed to be sitting home and plotting draft strategy long ago.

”This was one of the most amazing seasons of my career,” forward Thaddeus Young said. ”We played for one another, not as individuals. It’s tough (being eliminated), but this is a great group of guys. We all gave our blood and sweat to the game and each other.”

And it could be just the start.

The Pacers’ future looks far brighter now than it did 12 months ago after they were swept out of the playoffs by LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

Back then, there questions about Paul George’s future in Indiana loomed heavily over the franchise. By late June, new general manager Kevin Pritchard was forced into a difficult choice when George’s camp made his plans public: Take one more shot at winning a title with George and risk losing him in free agency or start rebuilding immediately.

Pritchard opted for a widely panned trade that netted Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.

It all turned out just fine for Pritchard and the Pacers.

Oladipo emerged as the leader of this young group, earned his first All-Star trip, won the league’s steals title and eventually figured out how to deal with constant double teams, a familiar treatment for superstars.

”They obviously have the snake in Vic, unbelievable jump from last year to this year,” LeBron James said after scoring 45 points in a Game 7 victory. ”I mean, we all saw the improvement and why he is a franchise-caliber player and everybody on down, they just got a well-rounded team and they definitely pushed us, pushed us to the brink.”

Sabonis http://www.49ersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-kentavius-street-jersey , a lottery pick in 2016, became a key contributor off the bench. Point guard Darren Collison was the NBA’s most accurate 3-point shooter, and Young and Bojan Bogdanovic thrived in their roles, too.

Four of the starting five and Sabonis are already under contract for next season with Young being the lone exception. He and backup point guard Cory Joseph have player options and Pritchard likely will exercise the team option on Lance Stephenson.

If Young and Joseph opt in, the Pacers would have their top eight players back from a team that won 48 games, fell just short of finishing in the top four in the Eastern Conference and was within four points late in their final playoff game at Cleveland.

”We did an amazing job this year sticking together,” Stephenson said. ”This is one of the funnest teams I’ve been on. We left it on the floor every night, every game. Each and every one of us had a goal. Now, everyone in the world knows who we are.”

Now, they’re out to prove they can be dramatically better next season.

The key may be the continued development of Myles Turner, Indiana’s 22-year-old center and one of the league’s leaders in blocks. The Pacers need him to get stronger and become a better rebounder.

At times this season, he showed just how dominant he could be.

Now, the Pacers are asking him to stay healthy, become a more consistent scorer and help Oladipo lead this team to greater successes.

”I wouldn’t trade this year or the men in that locker room for anyone. It’s been phenomenal Connor Williams Youth Jersey ,” Oladipo said. ”It’s the best locker room I’ve been a part of. It’s been an honor playing with those men and I look forward to growing with them in the future.”

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Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals used a fast start to end a perfect road trip.

Ovechkin scored his NHL-leading 45th goal and the Capitals extended their winning streak to four games with a 4-2 victory over the New York Rangers on Monday night.

T.J. Oshie, Matt Niskanen and Evgeny Kuznetsov also scored for Washington, which went 3-0 at Detroit, Montreal and Madison Square Garden.

Nicklas Backstrom, who had four assists in a win over Montreal on Saturday, added two more to give him 44 this season. Philipp Grubauer made 28 saves.

”Tonight we got really loose in the second two periods there, they really took it to us,” Oshie said. ”Without Grub, we might be in overtime right now.”

Washington increased its lead to five points over two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh for first place in the Metropolitan Division.

”We’ve still got to keep going and keep getting points every night,” Oshie said.

Lias Andersson scored in his NHL debut and Mats Zuccarello added a goal for the Rangers.

Andersson, at 19 years, 164 days, became the youngest player in team history to score in his NHL debut. He broke the mark set by Mike Allison (19 years, 195 days) on Oct. 9 Jim Thome Jersey , 1980, at Boston.

”It feels good, obviously,” Andersson said. ”It’s always fun to score and especially in your first NHL game, so it was fun.”

The Capitals scored four goals in the first period and cruised from there.

”I think we jumped in right away,” Ovechkin said. ”I think we had pretty good chances in the first couple of shifts. Osh scored, Nisky’s goal is pretty sick. How he scored, it was pretty impressive.”

Oshie gave the Capitals a 1-0 lead 2:50 into the game with his 18th of the season. Backstrom skated the puck into the zone and had three Rangers near him when he passed to an open Oshie at the right faceoff circle and he beat Alexandar Georgiev with a wrister.

Niskanen made it 2-0 just 2:23 later. Kuznetsov skated with the puck at the blue line and sent a backhand pass to Niskanen, who had plenty of time to score his seventh of the season at 5:13

Ovechkin scored on a one-timer on the power play from his favorite spot in the left faceoff circle at 8:54. Georgiev was pulled after allowing three goals on six shots.

Ondrej Pavelec replaced him and made 26 saves. It was Pavelec’s first appearance since Feb. 9 against Calgary.

Kuznetsov finished off the dominant first period with a short-handed goal at 16:39.

”We talked about this road trip,” Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. ”We’ve had really terrible starts. We put a lot of emphasis on the first period, obviously. We were able to get their goaltender out and obviously built a lead.”

Andersson and Filip Chytil gave the Rangers a glimpse of the franchise’s future. Andersson and Chytil, both 2017 first-round draft picks and centers, were promoted from the team’s American Hockey League affiliate in Hartford on Sunday.

Chytil centered a line with Kevin Hayes and Zuccarello. Andersson centered a line with Jimmy Vesey and Ryan Spooner and got the Rangers on the board. Andersson cut it to 4-1 late in the second period when Vesey worked the puck behind the net and sent a pass to Andersson, who wristed it past Grubauer at 13:16.

”It was a great feeling to see him score his first goal Jaguars Logan Cooke Jersey ,” Chytil said of Andersson. ”It was something special. We will talk about it tonight. It’s great that he scored his first goal in his first game.”

Chytil assisted on Zuccarello’s 16th goal at 4:26 of the third for his first NHL point.

”Both kids had a good game,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. ”It was an emotional day and an emotional game for them, but I thought they played well.”

NOTES: Devante Smith-Pelly, Shane Gersich and Christian Djoos were scratched by the Capitals. … According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Andersson and Chytil became the first pair of teenagers to get a point in the same game with the Rangers since Dec. 18, 1974 (Ron Greschner and Dave Maloney). Chytil played two games earlier in the season with New York. … Henrik Lundqvist, David Desharnais, Peter Holland, Paul Carey and Tony DeAngelo were the healthy scratches for the Rangers.

UP NEXT

The teams play the second half of a back-to-back Wednesday night in Washington.

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