NEWS » ved a high-five from an assistant coac

The defending champion Minnesota Lynx will face the Phoenix Mercury in a rematch of last years Western Conference finals on Wednesday in the opener of a best-of-five semifinal series at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.Minnesota and Phoenix are meeting with a trip to the WNBA Finals on the line for the fourth year in a row and the fifth time in six years. The Lynx swept the Mercury last season under the old playoff format and went on to defeat the Indiana Fever in five games to win their third WNBA championship in five years.Minnesota went 28-6 during the regular season to win the Western Conference with the best record in the WNBA. Under the leagues new playoff format, the Lynx secured the No. 1 seed and received a double-bye to the semifinals. They won seven of their last eight games but have not played since defeating the Atlanta Dream 95-87 in the regular season finale on Sept. 17.Phoenix went 16-18 during the regular season to claim the WNBAs eighth and final playoff berth. The Mercury went 10-14 before the month-long Olympic break, but won eight of their next 12.Phoenix has won four in a row and five of its last six, including road victories over fifth-seeded Indiana and the third-seeded New York Liberty in the first two rounds of the playoffs.Diana Taurasi scored 20 points and DeWanna Bonner had 18 in an 89-78 victory over the Fever. Taurasi scored 30 points in a 101-94 victory over New York.The Lynx swept the three-game season series against the Mercury, winning 95-76, 85-78 and 89-81. All three contests were played in the first month of the season.Minnesota and Phoenix have been two of the most successful franchises in the history of the WNBA. Both have won three league championships and can join the now-defunct Houston Comets as the only teams with four titles.Minnesota is trying to become the first team to win back-to-back WNBA championships since the Los Angeles Sparks accomplished the feat in 2001 and 2002.Authentic Air Jordan From China .ca. Hey Kerry, big fan of yours, just finished reading your book. I think that we all saw the Canucks/Flames line brawl just after puck drop. It was obvious that something was about to happen, even to the referees because the fourth lines were on to start. Jordans Wholesale Store . Third-seeded Murray had the easiest path to victory on New Years Eve, barely breaking a sweat during his 6-0, 6-0 win over 2,129th-ranked Qatari wildcard recipient Mousa Shanan Zayed. http://www.wholesaleairjordanchina.com/ . - Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie never doubted he would bring back coach Dennis Allen for a third year despite back-to-back 4-12 records. Cheap Jordans Shoes .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city. Wholesale Jordans Free Shipping . -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL.CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict appeared to make an obscene gesture toward the stands late in the fourth quarter of a 16-12 loss to the Buffalo Bills.Burfict sacked Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor on third down, received a high-five from an assistant coach, then appeared to flip both of his middle fingers in the direction of the stands behind the Bengals bench. Teammate Vincent Rey, who was standing behind him, appeared to push Burficts hands down.The Bengals declined to comment until they can look into the situation.Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel was fined $12,000 for flipping his middle finger at Washingtons sideline in a 24--23 loss to the Redskins in 2014.dddddddddddd However, should the league choose to fine Burfict, its likely his fine would be higher as a repeat offender.Burfict was suspended three games without pay to start the season for repeated violations of player safety, and he received a $75,000 fine from the NFL in Week 6 for allegedly stomping on the leg of New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount.Burfict appealed that fine and was defended by Bengals coach Marvin Lewis.Burfict has been fined eight times in his career for more than $270,000. ' ' '