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An act that is ultimately the reason for him now
INDIANAPOLIS -- Adreian Payne and Michigan State have that March look again, and the Spartans think their best basketball is in front of them. Joel Armia Jersey . Next up is another showdown with Michigan. Payne scored 18 points, Branden Dawson had 14 and No. 22 Michigan State beat No. 12 Wisconsin 83-75 on Saturday to reach the Big Ten tournament championship. The third-seeded Spartans (25-8) won consecutive games for the first time since an 11-game run ended in January. They will meet the top-seeded Wolverines in the final on Sunday. "Were just scratching the surface," Payne said. "We didnt play at a high level before just because we havent had time for everyone to play together for a long period of time. This tournament has been great because weve been able to play with each other more and were starting to look better." Dawson scored in double figures for the second straight game after getting off to a slow start in his return from a broken right hand. He went 6 for 8 from the field as the Spartans shot 56 per cent against the defence-minded Badgers. The Spartans went on a 16-1 run in the first half and took a 37-16 lead when Gary Harris scored with 5:39 left before halftime. "I thought we played some of our best basketball of the year in that first five minutes," coach Tom Izzo said. "Wisconsin is very good. I thought we played awfully well." Frank Kaminsky had 28 points and Sam Dekker added 11 points and seven boards for the second-seeded Badgers (26-7), who were outrebounded 32-28 by the Spartans. Michigan State was swept by Michigan during the regular season, but it has a perfect record in conference title games. The Spartans last championship came in a win over Ohio State in 2012. The first half against Wisconsin was one of the best periods Michigan State has played all season. Traevon Jacksons layup helped Wisconsin close to 21-15 with 10:43 left in the first half, but the Spartans responded with a 16-1 run that included three three-point plays. Payne scored and Denzel Valentine hit a 3-pointer to give the Spartans a 26-15 lead. Then Dawson was fouled on a layup and made the ensuing foul shot. Bronson Koening made a free throw for the Badgers before Payne and Travis Trice had consecutive three-point plays. Trice then forced a turnover and Harris scored on a fast-break layup to increase the lead to 21 with 5:39 left in the first half. It was pretty much a total breakdown for the Badgers in the first half, a surprising start for a team that was being mentioned as a possibility for a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament. "Ball movement, body movement, shot selection, its never just one thing," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. "Its a combination of things. We werent very fluid, but we found that fluidity." Wisconsin trailed 43-26 at the break, but it rallied in the second half. Dekkers dunk capped an 8-2 spurt that trimmed Michigan States lead to 51-41 with 15:02 remaining. The Badgers got within seven when Jackson made a pair of free throws with under four minutes to play and again when Jackson hit a 3 with 51 seconds remaining. But the rally fizzled from there. "We dug ourselves a hole in the first half and we were trying to climb out of that hole that entire second half," Kaminsky said. "We didnt have enough left in the tank to get over that." Jackson finished with 10 points for Wisconsin, which shot 28 per cent in the first half. The Badgers have dropped two of their last three games and lost for the first time this season on a neutral court. Michael Hutchinson Jersey . Sundays race will be held at the Sepang circuit, adjacent to Kuala Lumpurs main airport where the ill-fated flight took off earlier this month. Authorities now say it is almost certain it crashed in the Indian Ocean, killing all 239 people aboard. Tucker Poolman Jersey . -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have released veteran guard Davin Joseph, a mainstay on their offensive line over the past eight seasons.Night falls on the final Saturday of February and Julio Cesar is not starting a game once again. Yet, when he walks out on the field he has a huge smile on his face as he stops to say hello. Julio Cesar is back in his happy place. His new team, Toronto FC, start their pre-season game against Orlando City FC with him on the bench but he knows it is simply a routine night off from the number one spot he recently inherited. It is fitting that he is here in Orlando, in the shadows of Walt Disney World, a place that turns dreams into reality for millions every year. Yet, it was one thing to bring joy to the face of a child when they meet Mickey Mouse; it is quite another to bring together a scenario where the Brazilian number one goalkeeper chooses a Major League Soccer franchise, that has won 17 of their last 102 league matches since 2010, to prepare him for the sports ultimate stage. From the makers of Remember The Titans and Miracle, Disney, we present you with another remarkable sports script, currently taking place in your back garden. "I am really happy here," Cesar told me in an interview before the match. How can he not be? Everyone he left behind in England is sleeping as he trains hard with fellow keeper Joe Bendik before the game. Three weeks ago thats where he was, fast asleep dreaming of getting another chance. At the end of January he lay in his London bed counting down the days to the World Cup and wondering if he would be able to play. The transfer window closed and no offers had come. "The truth is Toronto is the only team that came after me and gave me the chance to sign - I talked with my agent and I said I need to play because I went eight months without playing." Cesar stops and apologies for his difficulty with the English language. "My English is really rubbish - everyone in Brazil keeps joking with me about my English. I try and do my best." The 34-year-old jokes he can speak two-and-a-half languages but as he does he concentrates to find the right words to deliver the important message about a time in his life that was clearly a real challenge. He continues: "For me, it was a tough, tough time, I was very sad in England. My agent talked to me and the deal came together quickly for me to sign with them. I have some friends that live in Toronto and they told me its a good city to live and I know MLS is growing, so I accept quickly. I am really happy - I am so thankful to MLS for this good opportunity to play games before the World Cup and arrive at the World Cup fit." Cesars night ends as it began, as a substitute, but as he leaves the field he is joined by Michael Bradley and Dwayne De Rosario. Cesar to Bradley to De Rosario is a combination coach Ryan Nelsen will lean on a lot this season. They are also big parts of arguably the biggest offseason transformation in MLS history. It could be a Disney fairytale, but this is a box office reality show and with two designated players added to score goals as well, the Reds are the talk of MLS here in Disney. The return of the local star De Rosario? Romantic. The signing of Gilberto, an exciting unknown talent from Brazil? Adventurous. The capture of Jermain Defoe? A blockbuster. Bradley? A real hardcore thriller. Now Cesar as well? Are you following along, Disney? Forget Kevin Spacey and his pals, these five are the Unusual Suspects that no one saw coming, tasked with bringing success to Toronto FC and changing perceeptions of a club that has only known failure. Jansen Harkins Jersey. Time to make a movie poster, Toronto FC fans. On it, Cesar would want to be next to Bradley. He spends a lot of time with teammate Jackson, a fellow Brazilian, who he can easily converse with in Portuguese but he admits the former Roma midfielders knowledge of Italian is a big plus. "Michael is great, I followed him in Italy, in Rome, a good midfielder, and day after day he is teaching me English through Italian." Cesar and Bradley started their TFC journey against Columbus here in Disney last Wednesday. It is not a game he will remember much about, although he is a player who remembers many matches. Interestingly, however, when pressed to name the one he will think about more than most, he chooses a game he lost. "Its Barcelona-Inter Camp Nou semifinal of the Champions League in 2010," Cesar tells me with a smile. "Barcelona were amazing at that moment so to put them out at the semifinal was so gratifying and to play in a Champions League final, for me, is one of the best moments in my career." That 1-0 loss gave 10-man Inter (Thiago Motta was sent off) a 3-2 win on aggregate and was one of the greatest defensive performances in recent history. Not surprisingly, Cesars eyes widen when he thinks back to the dressing room after the match, as he celebrated with so many great professionals like Lucio, Javier Zanetti, Maicon, Samuel Etoo and Wesley Sneijder. "We all started jumping inside the dressing room - led by Materazzi. You know, you cant believe it at the moment if its true or not but the dream came true - it is one of the best memories I have in my mind." The goalkeeper knows many of his best memories are behind him but hopes the best moment of all is still to come. "Im really excited for the World Cup, you know, not just for me but my colleagues on the national team, the supporters as well, it is a big moment for our country. We have the opportunity to make history. I played in 2006, 2010 and this is my last World Cup and its in my country, which is amazing!" Spend a few minutes with Cesar and you begin to realize he is one of those rare footballers who think of himself more as an international than a club player. It is not difficult to understand why, having been left out by QPR all season, yet through that heartache his love affair with his national team grew stronger through a remarkable act of loyalty. An act that is ultimately the reason for him now being with Toronto FC. Back in September, Brazilian manager Luiz Felipe Scolari stated Cesar would definitely be going to the World Cup, regardless of what happened with QPR. "This season when I went to the national team I was smiling again because I had an opportunity to play and thats really important, I owe a lot to Scolari but also (assistant coach and former World Cup winner) Carlos Alberto Parreira as well - they are doing good things for me. When you dont play, the press talk a lot with them because we have good goalkeepers in Brazil but when you dont play and the coach of the national team still wants you it is very special, so I am so thankful to them because they trust me a lot in my job, so I came to Toronto because I need to pay them back." And that is why the goalkeeper, who in fifteen weeks will be on the pitch for Brazil against Croatia in the World Cup opener, is here in Disney. The only thing missing is a film maker. 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- Created: Oct 22 '18
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