02-19-2020, 03:59 AM
The main event for the IEM Oakland Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament has begun. With FaZe Clan and Astralis having claimed their spots in the semifinals by virtue of finishing first in their respective groups, four teams were left to battle it out for the remaining semifinal spots. SK Gaming prevailed in a close 2-1 series over G2 Esports, while Ninjas in Pyjamas swept Immortals in a quick series.SK Gaming builds unstoppable momentumDespite claiming the series win overall, SK certainly got off to a slow start in its quarterfinals match against G2. The teams were on Nuke for the first game, and G2 showed that it wasnt messing around one bit. The European squad got out to a 10-5 lead at halftime before winning six of the final seven rounds to claim a 16-6 Game 1 win.But that trouncing in Game 1 paled in comparison to the performance that SK put together in Game 2 versus Train. The outcome was almost never in doubt, as SK took a 10-5 lead into the half and then shut out G2 in the second half for a 16-5 win. Gabriel FalleN Toledo led the way with a stellar 22/6 kills/deaths stat line and 104.8 average damage per round (ADR).Heading into the final game of the series, it felt like SK had gotten into a bit of a rhythm and was destined to have a big game on the third map, Dust 2. And thats exactly what happened. FalleN was once again head and shoulders above the pack, putting together a brilliant start to the match. He had 14 kills before he finally died for the first time in Round 12. SK went into the half up 12-3 and then won four straight rounds in the second half to take the series. The Brazilian team is humming and will look to continue its high level of play in Sundays semifinal match against Astralis.A lopsided win for Ninjas in PyjamasThe second series of the day was not nearly as exciting as the first. Before this event, Immortals had been playing extremely well of late, and were looking to make a deep run at IEM Oakland. The team was matched up against the old guard of Ninjas in Pyjamas, though, who showed the Brazilian squad whos boss. NiP proved that it doesnt matter what side or map its on, as it put together a dominant showing in a lopsided win.In each match of the series, NiP took a major lead into the half -- 11-4 during Game 1 and 12 -3 in Game 2 -- and never really let up. Game 1 was the closest, as Immortals did manage to grab nine wins in the 16-9 loss, but NiP absolutely closed the door on the series in Game 2, taking the map 16-4. Immortals will turn its attention back to the Esports Championship Series Season 2, where it is currently battling for a playoff spot. NiP will now move on to the semifinals to take on FaZe Clan.It all comes down to this. The final four teams have been set, with $125,000 of the $300,000 prize pool on the line at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California on Sunday. The day will start off with Astralis taking on SK before FaZe Clan will meet NiP. The winners of those matches will then head to the finals that evening to determine the victor. The action will kick off at 1:00 PM EST, and you wont want to miss this one. Patrick Willis Jersey . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p. Shaun Hill Jersey . The Croatian served 21 aces and hit 42 winners against Sijsling, who double-faulted to give Cilic a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. "All the players, they know me and they were really happy to see me and they were really happy that this is over for me," Cilic said. http://www.custompatriotsjersey.com/cust...1201f.html . Most important, perhaps, it went off without a hitch. Organizers poked a little fun at the now-infamous opening ceremony gaffe that saw only four out of five snowflakes open up into rings, leaving the Olympics logo one ring short. O. J. Simpson Jersey . -- When the Florida Panthers fell behind by two goals in the first period to the top team in the NHL, it appeared they were on their way to yet another loss. Mike Wilson Jersey . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand. The Denver Nuggets?Nikola Jokic earned tons of hype this offseason as a potential breakout candidate. In a near-upset against the United States in the Olympics this past August, Jokic dazzled and dominated en route to 25 points on 11-for-15 shooting. That marquee performance helped push his stock to new heights.A lofty ranking and Jokics inclusion on sleeper lists throughout the industry propelled an average draft position of 49th overall in ESPN drafts this fall. The results so far this season, however, have been disappointing. Jokic is averaging just 23 minutes per game -- only a slight bump from his rookie rate of 21.7 minutes, and well shy of the exposure we expected and projected this season.Its still early, so we should hold firm to shares of Jokic. The talent is still very real, even if the opportunity to capitalize has yet to materialize. There is a breakout brewing in Denver, though.It just happens to be with another member of the Nuggets frontcourt. Center Jusuf Nurkic?ranks eighth in the NBA in rebounding chances per game with 18.4 (chances are defined as being within 3.5 feet of ?an available board). This rich rate is higher than the likes of Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin and DeMarcus Cousins.Tied for sixth in blocks and in the top 15 in rebounds per game, Nurkic is thriving thanks to 28.4 minutes per game, a sizable leap from the 17.1 minutes he averaged last season for the Nuggets. Nurkic is still available in nearly a quarter of ESPN leagues as a free agent and can likely still be acquired at a relatively inexpensive price in trade talks. With a high floor developing based on steady minutes and rewarding rebounding opportunities, and playing for a team that ranks fifth in the league in pace (104.1 possessions per 48 minutes), Nurkic appears to be the breakout asset we envisioned Jokic would become.Since Nurkic is likely rostered in most competitive fantasy leagues by this point, Ill also endorse the Suns Tyson Chandler as another potential elite rebounding resource. Owned in just shy of 25 percent of ESPN leagues as of Friday afternoon, Chandler ranks third in the NBA in rebounds per game. Hes also third in the league with 22.2 rebounding chances per game. The Suns are even faster than the Nuggets, as they rank third in the league in pace (104.6), so we can expect this rich opportunity rate on the glass to continue for the under-the-radar veteran.Access the downloadable forecaster chart PDF hereMatchup ratings are based on a scale from 1 (poor matchup) to 10 (excellent matchup). These are calculated using a formula that evaluates the teams year-to-date and past 10 games statistics, their opponents numbers in those categories and their performance in home/road games depending on where the game is to be played. The column to the left lists the teams total number of games scheduled, as well as home games, and lists the overall rating from 1-10 for that teams weekly schedule.Ratings roundupNot that they need much help to produce prolific box scores, but the Warriors are in a great position for the coming week with three of their four games at home and with all of their opponents proving friendly in regards to pace and defensive rating. We have to like the Trail Blazers schedule, as well, as they play a series of up-tempo Western foes. The Pacers have struggled a bit with their new-look roster and scheme, although its inviting to consiider two matchups with the 76ers on the week.ddddddddddddAs for tougher setups during the upcoming slate, shares of the Mavericks and Bucks are troubling in weekly formats given they play just two games apiece. If you have heavy shares of either team, it makes sense to supplement them with some of the teams with full weekend schedules, such as the Suns, Timberwolves and Nuggets.Driving SuccessI like to look at drives per game as an indicator of players with a rewarding and ball-dominant role. We see superstars like Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard ranked first and second in drives per game, for example. A quick look at the early-season drive rates has the name?Dion Waiters?jumping out at us. The Heat guard ranks tenth in the league in drives per game.With nearly 36 minutes per game and freedom to crash the lane in the wake of?Dwyane Wades departure, Waiters has become a helpful utility player for fantasy purposes so far this season. Even if efficiency escapes his game -- hes shooting only 36.5 percent from the field --13 field goals per game and 10.8 drives helps fuel his fantasy value.I ?also like the Mavericks J.J. Barea, ranked fifth in the league and just behind the Rockets James Harden, with 12 drives per game. As the leader of the Mavericks second unit and a key complementary scoring option, Barea is playing more than 30 minutes per game and can help in steals, assists and 3-pointers this season.Elite EfficiencyThe Warriors Kevin Durant has always proven to be productive on a per-touch basis. This season, Durant ranks fourth in the league with .533 points per touch. Its encouraging to see Minnesotas Andrew Wiggins become a per-touch peer of Durants, as hes leading the league with .568 points per touch. This efficiency has been achieved via the combination of his strong free throw rate -- Wiggins ranks 12th overall in total attempts from the stripe -- and some awesome post metrics. Wiggins is averaging a very big-man-like 1.57 points per touch in the post.Among other efficient starts to the season, the Sacramento Kings Rudy Gay ranks 11th with .431 points per touch. A recent roundtable of ESPN NBA Insiders praised Gays great start to the season. Tom Haberstroh noted that Gay has proven more active defensively (six blocks) than usual and getting to the line twice as often as he did last season.The Suns?TJ Warren?is also enjoying a proficient rate of .415 points per touch, good for 15th in the league. Warren is among the most surprising early breakout candidates and is still available in more than 30 percent of ESPN leagues. Averaging 36 minutes and given rare offensive freedom for the up-tempo Suns, Warren could actually sustain his current pace for around 20 points per game this season.Touch TrendsThe 76ers Sergio Rodriguez is third in the NBA in frontcourt touches per game, behind only the Celtics Isaiah Thomas and Thunders Westbrook. As long as Jerryd Bayless remains sidelined, Rodriguez is a fine resource for dimes and 3-pointers.George Hill has been stellar for the Jazz so far since coming over in a trade this past summer. This success is in part buoyed by Hill averaging 70.2 frontcourt touches per game, 14th in the league and ahead of the likes of ball-dominant assets like LeBron James and Rajon Rondo. ' ' '