Pirate Galaxy » play basketball. That says a lot

American bantamweight Shakur Stevenson is moving on to the gold-medal final at the Rio Olympics.Stevenson, who dazzled in decision wins in his first two Olympic fights, was supposed to face Vladimir Nikitin of Russia in the semifinals on Thursday. But Nikitin was so battered by Irelands Michael Conlan in his controversial decision win on Tuesday that he withdrew from the tournament.That gave Stevenson a walkover to the finals of the 123-pound weight class. He will face fellow southpaw Robeisy Ramirez of Cuba for the gold medal on Saturday afternoon.Ramirez, 22, won the flyweight gold medal at the 2012 London Games before moving up in weight for the Rio Games.Stevenson, 19, of Newark, New Jersey, has the opportunity to win the first mens boxing gold medal for Team USA since Andre Ward -- now an undefeated, dominant professional -- won the light heavyweight gold at the 2004 Athens Games.Im ready to put on a show and were about to turn this place out. I think its about to be a great matchup, said Stevenson, who was cheered on by Floyd Mayweather during his quarterfinal victory.Weve got the 2012 Olympic gold medalist from Cuba, a great fighter, and youve got the up-and-coming, rising superstar from USA. Were about put on a show and I plan on coming out victorious.Stevenson heard about Nikitins withdrawal from the tournament on Wednesday night, but had to wait for the official notification of the walkover on Thursday morning, when they were supposed to weigh in for the semifinal bout.I found out [Wednesday], but I wasnt really too sure, so I had to stay in the mindset that Im fighting, Stevenson said. I got up, went to weigh-ins and once I weighed in, they told me that Im not fighting.Stevenson said has spent a lot of time studying video of Ramirez, who won a unanimous decision against Murodjon Akhmadaliev of Uzbekistan in their semifinal match on Thursday.I came up watching Robeisy in the Olympics. Its work time, just me and him, mano y mano, Stevenson said. Ive watched a lot of his fights. I know what Im in for. Hes a great fighter. I definitely watched his fight [Thursday]. I paid close attention to it. He had a tough opponent from Uzbekistan and he got it done.Im competitive, so I like competitive fights. I like being in the ring with people that I think are good. For an Olympic gold medal, its going to be a great fight. I promise. Its going to be two talented, skillful fighters and were going to see whos going to come out on top. Nike Odyssey React Sale . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games. Nike Epic React Flyknit Cheap . Cuban testified Thursday that he was upset when the companys CEO told him news that would reduce the value of his shares, for which hed paid $7.5 million. 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She can mimic voices and act out the parts in whatever tale she is sharing.When she starts with the stories, I listen, Lynx teammate Maya Moore said. Because theyre so funny. She impersonates people and adds her own little touches to it. Shes quite a character.However, the stories from Augustus beloved hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, havent been amusing this year. The massive rain and subsequent flooding that hit the area in August wrought horrific damage that will take a long time to clean up and rebuild. Many people were also left devastated emotionally.Ill show you a picture of my grandmothers house, Augustus said while getting out her phone to display a gigantic pile of debris. Thats how the entire street looked. So many people lost all their belongings.Augustus parents had damage but not total destruction. They also had flood insurance, which was a big help. The animals Augustus keeps back home all made it through the flooding safely; that was among her worries while she was at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.Augustus was moved to tears while talking about her hometown after the United States won the gold medal, and she has been back to visit a couple times since. When the WNBA Finals are over, shell have more time there because she doesnt plan to play overseas this winter.Her heart is always between these two places: Minneapolis, where she has played professionally since she was drafted No. 1 in 2006, and Baton Rouge, where she was born, grew up and played collegiately at LSU. Through her play and her life off the court, she looks to honor both places.Now in her 11th WNBA season, Augustus is trying to win a fourth league title. But she has already cemented her legacy as a champion. What do you want your legacy to be? was the question Cheryl Reeve asked Augustus when she took over as Minnesotas coach in 2010.When she kind of challenged me, I had never really thought about it, Augustus said. Then I realized, in order for us to be successful, Ive got to be a complete player. I have to play defense.It cant be like, Well, Mone is guarding this player today, so well have to give extra help. Because that puts pressure on everyone else to not only do their job but to help me do my job too.Augustus averaged 21.3 points over her first three seasons before a knee injury limited her to six games in 2009. From 2010 to 14, Augustus averaged 16.5 points, with her offensive production as consistent as a metronome.As the Lynx improved in other ways offensively the past two seasons, her scoring average dropped: 13.8 points per game in 2015 and 11.2 this year. Yet guarding her remains a difficult task.Shes incredibly crafty with the ball, Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike said. Shes a spectacular ball handler. But she can also score in many different situations. She can post up, pull up, take you off the dribble.Sparks coach Brian Agler added, Seimone knows the game so much more than she did when she was younger. And thats not to discredit her younger days. Its just to say that shes worked at her craft and thinks the game now at a different level, which all the great ones do.Ultimately, as Augustus said, her commitment to defense helped turn the Lynx into champions.In 2011, when Minnesota beegan its current run of success, the Lynx had another young scoring sensation: then-rookie Moore.ddddddddddddCheryl didnt want to throw me into the fire defensively then, as I was adjusting from being a 4 to a 3, Moore said of her move from power forward at UConn to small forward in the WNBA. She had Seimone guard the more dominant scorers every night, and she stepped up and did it. That was a big reason why we were able to win in 2011.I have appreciated how she doesnt necessarily get a lot of praise for it outside of our team. But its so important to why we win. Shes just dependable. And we know if theres a game where she struggles, shes going to bounce back.Augustus didnt have her best showing Sunday in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, shooting 2-of-5 from the field for six points with four turnovers. But Moore is right that Augustus has always been resilient, and her personality has been the perfect counter for Reeves seriousness.She is incredibly humble and hilarious to be around, Reeve said. I always say shes great for me because she brings levity to a lot of situations. Seimone is a big reason why this team has fun in what they do.At this point, shes saying, Im going to play as long as I can and as hard as I can. Shes a great veteran and a great teacher, and I think shes grown into those things.Augustus is outspoken without being strident. She has never shied away from talking about social issues and things that matter beyond basketball. She was out and an advocate of marriage equality before a lot of other athletes were willing to talk about it. Earlier this year, she took a stand?with her Lynx teammates in regard to the Black Lives Matter movement. The shooting deaths of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge and Philando Castile in St. Paul, Minnesota, in July hit especially close to home for Augustus because those two communities are home for her.There are always those boundaries that you can and cant always cross in your professional career, Augustus said. Some people speak up, no matter what. And some people tend to take the back seat and wait it out.The great thing about Coach Reeve is she said, Theres no better time to do it than now. Its happening now. We got some backlash from it, but for the most part, we got a lot of positive feedback. We were talking about the maturity and growth of this team, to be able to do that and play basketball. That says a lot about the women we have on the team.Maturity is a key word and one that means so much to Augustus development. She was a prolific scorer in high school, college and the early part of her WNBA career. She could have been offended by Reeves suggestion that she needed to be better at everything else. She could have been resentful when asked to do more of the so-called dirty work.She just said, OK, and did it, Reeve said. I think its leadership and being a great teammate. Shes like the pied piper. Everyone loves being around Mone. But we needed her to not just be that fun person but also a leader on the floor, to sometimes have to say something difficult to a teammate.Now you look at her years later. What is her legacy? Thats something she took very personally and applied it. ' ' '