in the locker room and the city.dddddddddddd Theres special players that come through that are great players, but they dont give their heart and soul off the court or in the locker room to make othe

RIO DE JANEIRO -- With the Olympics behind it, the WNBA is ready to restart its season after a monthlong break.There should be quite the sprint to the finish during the leagues final weeks, starting Friday through Sept. 18.Very excited to get the back end of the season going, WNBA President Lisa Borders said. You think about the format changes, top eight teams make the playoffs, doesnt matter what your geography is, it matters what your record is.Only 4 1-2 games separate fourth place and 11th after the league changed its playoff format this season to get rid of conferences. The top eight teams will make the playoffs.The league is very close right now and anybody can make it into the playoffs or get kicked out at this point, Chicago Sky star Elena Delle Donne said. Every game is do or die.Phoenix, which had nearly half its team go to Rio, has been the biggest disappointment this season. Picked in preseason by the leagues general managers to win the title, the Mercury sit at 10-14 in seventh place.The WNBA season is very tricky, especially with the Olympic break, Diana Taurasi said. If we can start building momentum and playing good basketball, we have championship-caliber talent. We just need to start playing like it.Los Angeles and Minnesota have already clinched playoff spots and likely will be the top two seeds, earning byes into the semifinals. The Sparks had plenty of time to rest during the last month as none of their players made the Olympic team.Not the case for Minnesota, which had coach Cheryl Reeve and stars Maya Moore, Lindsay Whalen, Seimone Augustus and Sylvia Fowles all playing for the gold medal-winning team.Reeve isnt worried about the impact of the Olympics on her core four.They would have been playing anywhere whether it was here or there, she said. The domestic stuff was pretty challenging on their time and their bodies. Once we got to Rio and settled on the (cruise) ship and got a little more of a rhythm and downtime. ... Genos done a great job managing their bodies. Well continue down that path.Here are a few other things to watch as the WNBA gets back underway on Friday:RETURNING FROM INJURY: New York sits in third place and should get a boost from the return of Epiphanny Prince, who missed the first 26 games while recovering from an ACL injury . Coach Bill Laimbeer expects her to be ready come playoff time.FAREWELL: Tamika Catchings won her fourth gold medal and winds down her playing career in Indiana. Shes not the only person retiring at the end of the season. Penny Taylor also announced this is her last year playing professionally . Swin Cash announced her retirement in the middle of the season, effective at the end of this year. San Antonio coach Dan Hughes said before the season it would be his final one on the bench.POWER POLL: The AP power poll will return on Tuesday. The previous poll order before the break: Los Angeles, Minnesota, New York, Indiana, Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix, Seattle, Connecticut, Dallas, Washington and San Antonio.SUPER 20: The WNBA is celebrating its 20th season and the remaining weeks of the regular season with a new ad and sweepstakes through Sept. 18. The league is offering any fan who buys a ticket entry into a sweepstakes to attend next years WNBA All-Star game or the NBA All-Star game or a cash prize.There will be one winner selected for each All-Star game, and the package includes two tickets, transportation and accommodations.With all the interest coming out of the Olympics and our womens national team, with their sixth consecutive gold medal, we really wanted to do something special for our fans and create something that would say thank you to our core fans, WNBA chief operating officer Jay Parry said. And also introduce the WNBA to casual fans and give them a reason to come to a WNBA game as we race towards the playoffs.---Follow Doug on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dougfeinbergMauricio Dubon Jersey . The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Lions have not announced the hiring, which was first reported by ESPN. Lombardi, the grandson of former Green Bay Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, has been an offensive assistant on Sean Paytons New Orleans staff since 2007. Joe Morgan Jersey . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto. https://www.cheapjerseysgiants.us/2516u-sam-coonrod-jersey-giants.html .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Donovan Solano Jersey .J. Ellis hit two-run homers and the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 Saturday night. King Kelly Jersey . Toronto has dropped games to Indiana and Miami since a five-game winning streak and closed out a three-game road trip at 1-2.The Indiana Pacers officially announced the re-signing of two-time All-Star forward David West during a Wednesday press conference. West played an integral role towards Indianas run to the Central Division title and appearance in the Eastern Conference finals this past season, with the 10-year-veteran averaging 17.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists over 73 games as the Pacers starting power forward. Previous reports indicated that Wests new contract is for three years and worth $36 million. "This is the ideal situation for myself at this stage of my career," said West. "Theres really no other group that Id rather be part of for the next few years than this group." The 32-year-old spent his first eight NBA seasons with the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets before signing a two-year deal with the Pacers shortly after the 2011 lockout. Over 669 career games, West has averaged 16.1 points and 7.2 rebounds and made back-to-back All-Star Games with the Hornets in 2008 and 2009. "Hes done more for this franchise then he could ever imagine," Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird said of West. "Coming in here, establishiing himself as a great player, not only on the court, but in the locker room and the city.dddddddddddd Theres special players that come through that are great players, but they dont give their heart and soul off the court or in the locker room to make other players better. Were very much appreciative of that." Indiana also introduced free agent addition C.J. Watson, who signed a reported two-year contract to serve as the teams new backup to starting point guard George Hill. Watson is coming off a solid season as Deron Williams understudy with the Brooklyn Nets in which the six-year pro averaged 6.8 points and 2.0 assists over 80 games and shot 41.1 percent from 3-point range. He averaged 9.7 points and a career-best 4.1 assists while starting 25 out of 49 contests for the Chicago Bulls the previous season. "C.J. Watson is exactly the type of player we were looking for when we said we needed to address our bench," said Bird. "Hes experienced and he has been with winning teams, so he knows what it takes." The 29-year-old Watson owns career averages of 7.6 points, 2.5 assists and a 38.2 percent 3-point percentage over 385 games. ' ' '