Dein erstes Forum » in at this suburban venue now known as the Tom

BOSTON -- A runaway start for the Boston Celtics turned into a tight finish.Al Horford led the Celtics early and late, with 26 points, eight rebounds and six blocked shots to lead Boston to a 97-92 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.He just was aggressive. He knocked down his shots. He did what we needed him to do and he carried us tonight, said Isaiah Thomas, who scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half to help the Celtics hold off the Kings.Jae Crowder added 16 points and Avery Bradley had 15 points and nine assists for Boston, which needed a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to pull away and finish off the Kings.Sacramento continued to scrap until the end. Horford helped seal it with six seconds left when he swatted away 3-point attempt by DeMarcus Cousins, then hit a pair of foul shots for Bostons final points.I know that he tried to draw something there. I just stayed solid and not let him get a shot off, Horford said. Im just trying to be active -- as active as I can be.Sacramento outrebounded Boston 51-44, but hurt itself in the final period with turnovers, missed shots and a technical foul called on Matt Barnes as Boston surged ahead.Cousins led Sacramento with 28 points and nine rebounds. Darren Collison and Rudy Gay scored 13 apiece for the Kings.Cousins is Cousins. Hes going to score, Boston coach Brad Stevens said. Hes to get 28 points or whatever he got, but you cant let those other guys have huge nights too.The Kings were playing for the first time since Monday. Sacramentos six-game road trip was interrupted when Wednesdays game at Philadelphia was postponed because of condensation on the floor.The layoff showed early as the Celtics went up by 13 points in the first period, but the Kings regrouped and rallied to tie it by the end of the quarter.Its almost like we have to get hit first for us to react. Its not good for us, Cousins said. Were in the situation where we have to come in and be aggressive every night. If we dont figure this out, were going to continue to have these kind of games and just another losing season.BIG ALIt was Horfords best game since leaving Atlanta to sign with Boston over the summer. His previous high for scoring with the Celtics was 20 points and he hadnt blocked more for Boston since getting four against Brooklyn in his Celtics debut.Hes all over the place. He covers a lot of ground. He calls out calls. I think hes a competitive guy and thats proved in his winning track record, Stevens said. One thing about Al -- hes always in the stands. His arms are always long. He takes up a lot of space and he reacts quickly to what is going on.SLOW-DOWN OFFENSEThe Kings had their chances to win in Boston for the first time since 2007. They didnt help themselves down the stretch, making just 6 of 23 in the fourth quarter and going without a field goal from Gays layup with 8:33 remaining until Gay hit a 3-pointer with 4:51 left to play pulled Sacramento within 84-81.We got off to a really slow start, Gay said. Theyre a good team but we shot ourselves in the foot today.BIG BENCHSacramento reserves outscored Bostons 33-12. Barnes led the Kings reserves with 12 points and sparking Sacramentos rally in the first quarter after the dreadful start.Their bench crushed us when they came in, Stevens said. I didnt think we responded to attacking them well or defending them well with their energy in that group.TIP-INSKings: The Kings closed the first quarter on a 13-0 run to tie it at 29-all entering the second period. ... ... Sacramento entered the game having lost eight straight visits to Boston.Celtics:Horford scored 12 of Bostons 29 points in the first quarter. ... Thomas led the Celtics in scoring the previous 14 straight games.UP NEXT:Kings: Continue a long road trip Sunday at New York.Celtics: At Philadelphia on Saturday in the first of three straight on the road Devonte Graham Hornets Jersey . Perez, 35, posted a 1-2 record with a 3.69 earned-run average in 19 relief appearances last season. His season ended Aug. 9 due to a torn ligament in his left elbow. Perez joins infielder Andy LaRoche and catcher Mike Nickeas with minor-league agreements for 2014 that include invitations to attend spring training. Terry Rozier Jersey . The news was first reported on Gonzalezs Twitter account and confirmed by the Rockies. Gonzalez has a six-week window before position players have their first workout at spring training in Arizona. https://www.hornetslockerroom.com/Glen-Rice-City-Edition-Jersey/ . -- Arizona raced out to a big lead and did not back off, hitting the accelerator instead. Percy Miller Jersey . It says Pocklingtons lawyer filed the appeal Friday in a California court. CTV Edmonton also says Pocklington gave a $100,000 cash deposit as part of the conditions of his bail, and that he will be out on bail until his appeal is heard. Muggsy Bogues Jersey . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg. ATLANTA -- Twenty years after the Olympics were held in Atlanta, some remnants of that improbable summer remain a highly visible part of the citys landscape, while others quickly faded away.Centennial Olympic Park and Turner Field -- known as Centennial Olympic Stadium in 1996 -- were the greatest legacy of those games, though the latter faces an uncertain future after just 20 seasons as home of baseballs Atlanta Braves, who are moving to a new suburban stadium next year.Other venues barely outlasted the extinguishing of the Olympic flame, while still more failed to live up to their intended purpose.A look at Atlantas Olympic facilities two decades later:CENTENNIAL OLYMPIC STADIUM: The 85,000-seat main stadium was site of athletics (Michael Johnsons world record, Carl Lewis farewell) and both the opening and closing ceremonies (Muhammad Alis poignant lighting of the torch). Afterward, the arena was converted into a 50,000-seat baseball park and renamed after the longtime owner of the Braves, Ted Turner. It hosted both the World Series and the All-Star Game during its early years, but the Braves have fallen on hard times and are moving to SunTrust Park in 2017. Georgia State is exploring the possibility of another conversion, which would downsize Turner Field into a 30,000-seat football stadium.GEORGIA DOME: A divider transformed this 70,000-seat football stadium into two separate arenas -- one the site of second Olympic Dream Team winning gold in mens basketball, the other where the Magnificent Seven captured Americas first victory in womens team gymnastics. Just 25 years after its opening, the dome is slated for demolition after $1.4 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium opens next door in 2017.CENTENNIAL OLYMPIC PARK: This was the hub of the games, a gathering spot for sponsor tents and nightly concerts. Tragedy struck midway through the Olympics when a deadly bombing ripped through the park, but it emerged afterward as a catalyst of downtown development, now surrounded by the hugely popular Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, College Football Hall of Fame, National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and a giant Ferris wheel.GEORGIA TECH AQUATIC CENTER: Temporary seating was used during the Olympics, providing a 14,600-seat main pool for swimming, diving and synchronized swimming. There also was a 4,000-seat temporary pool for water polo. After the games, Georgia Tech enclosed the facility and reduced capacity to just under 2,000. This year, it hosted the NCAA swimming championships as well as a pre-Olympic camp for the U.S. swim team before it departed for the Rio Olympics.GEORGIA WORLD CONGRESS CENTER: One of the worlds largest convention centers (and even more sprawling today after a post-Games expansion), it was divided into five separate arenas during the Olympics, reducing the need for wasteful new venues for fencing, handball, judo, table tennis, weightlifting and wrestling. That became a model for future Olympics.ATLANTA-FULTON COUNTY STADIUM: Site of baseball during the Olympics, the former home of the Atlanta Braves served out the 1996 season, then was imploded the following summer to make way for a parking lot serving adjacent Turner Field.OMNI COLISEUM: Just a week before Atlanta Stadium came down, this facility used for volleyball during the Olympics met the same fate. Philips Arena now occupies the site.GEORGIA INTERNATIONAL HORSE PARK: Equestrian, modern pentathlon and the first Olympic mountain bike competittion were held at the park about 30 miles east of Atlanta.dddddddddddd It remains an equestrian and events center, with horse and mountain bike trails plus an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course open to the public.STONE MOUNTAIN PARK ARCHERY CENTER AND VELODROME: Temporary facilities for archery and track cycling came down shortly after the Olympics. The site is now part of a songbird and habitat trail.STONE MOUNTAIN TENNIS CENTER: A permanent tennis facility built in a corner of Stone Mountain Park quickly became a money loser and now sits idle, weeds growing through the outer courts and the scoreboard in disrepair.SANFORD STADIUM (Athens, Georgia): The home of the Georgia Bulldogs football team hosted soccer finals, including the U.S. memorably winning the first womens gold. The stadium known for its famous hedges (which were taken down during the Olympics and then re-planted) has been expanded to hold more than 92,000.ALEXANDER MEMORIAL COLISEUM: Site of boxing in 1996, Georgia Techs basketball arena underwent a massive renovation that completely gutted the interior of the building. It reopened in 2012 as gleaming McCamish Pavilion.HERNDON STADIUM: Perhaps the saddest legacy of the games, this 15,000-seat stadium was used during the filming of the movie We Are Marshall but was abandoned after Morris Brown College ran into financial difficulties. Gutted by vandals, it is now covered in graffiti and piles of trash.LAKE LANIER (Gainesville, Georgia): This man-made lake still has its rowing facilities, which have been used for major competitions over the last two decades. This year, it hosted an Olympic qualifier for Rio.WOLF CREEK SHOOTING COMPLEX: Some facilities remain at this suburban venue now known as the Tom Lowe Shooting Grounds, but it no longer holds major international events.ATLANTA BEACH: Located south of the city, this venue was site of the first Olympic beach volleyball tournament. It was renamed Clayton County International Park, with the main stadium now used for concerts and other events though the park still includes several beach volleyball courts, as well as a water park, lake and biking trails.GOLDEN PARK (Columbus, Georgia): The 5,000-seat stadium, about a two-hour drive from Atlanta, was used for the first Olympic softball competition. It served for years as home to minor league baseball, but the last of those teams, the Columbus Catfish, left after the 2008 season. The stadium remains but no longer has a major tenant.OTHER VENUES: Georgias Stegeman Coliseum (volleyball preliminaries), Georgia States GSU Sports Arena (badminton), Clark-Atlantas Panther Stadium (field hockey) and Morehouses Forbes Arena (basketball preliminaries) are still used by their respective colleges. In fact, Panther Stadium now holds the athletics track used during the Olympics. The Ocoee Whitewater Center in Tennessee (whitewater canoeing) and Wassaw Sound near coastal Savannah, Georgia (sailing) were temporary venues. Preliminary soccer matches were held in four stadiums outside Atlanta. Birminghams Legion Field, Orlandos Citrus Bowl and Washingtons RFK Stadium are still in use, while Miamis Orange Bowl was torn down to make way for a new baseball stadium.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry . ' ' '