MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Lynx have heard it all since they donned black shirts before a game in remembrance of two men who were shot by police and the five Dallas police officers who were killed in an attack last week.They have been hailed as crusaders for using their platform to start a dialogue about police violence. They were also told they should just shut up and play ball.They have seen a social media campaign sprout to pack the Target Center for Friday nights game against the New York Liberty -- another team that has been outspoken in its response to the shootings -- and also watched off-duty police officers walk away from their security jobs at a game in response to their stand.Im not surprised by either. Its a very emotional time in our community, Lynx forward Rebekkah Brunson said. We were just excited about the voices that we heard. Its all about the dialogue we can create.Addressing such a sensitive topic in such a public fashion can be tricky -- particularly for the league -- and the players say they do so with the comfort that WNBA President Lisa Borders and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver have encouraged them to speak their minds when social issues are important to them.We appreciate like crazy the support weve gotten, particularly from the league, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. For Rebekkah (Brunson) to feel like when youre going to work and the people around you support you and not just in things that benefit them, it makes you proud to go work for that organization.Silver has long been an advocate of players standing up for issues they believe in and the league has been vocal in addressing issues of race, gender and equality in society.I actually think it demonstrates that these are multidimensional people, Silver said Tuesday. They live in this society, and they have strong views about how things should be. So Im very encouraging of that.But it was clear, too, that there are limits.Silver said he would prefer if teams do not alter their uniforms for warmups the way the Lynx and Liberty have done.I think its a very slippery slope, he said. As to where you would draw the line when its appropriate for a particular player to use that, use a game, pregame, as a political forum, I think its a dangerous road for us to go down. So I would greatly prefer that the players use the platform theyre given, social media, press conferences, media in locker rooms, however they want to do it, to make their political points of view be known.The NBA and WNBA have lucrative contracts with adidas for in-game apparel, including jerseys and warmup attire.The Lynx have already said they only planned to wear the shirts for one game and now will shift their focus to addressing the issue in other ways. The Liberty reached what the players called a compromise in which they will wear plain black shirts bearing only the adidas logo.You understand when you take a position like that that there is going to be the good and the bad and the ugly at times that youll have to face, Liberty veteran Swin Cash said. If you stand on something you believe in and youre committed to making change, then you understand the risks that come with it.Reeve said the Lynx understand of some of the limitations, and players have and will continue to write messages on the shoes that they wear during the games as Breanna Stewart did with the victims of the Orlando night club shooting.When you get on the court then you start talking about sponsors of the shirts youre wearing and things like that, its really not about wanting to silence or not put forth in a public arena, Reeve said. You start entering into other realms of consideration beyond us.Reeve said she consulted with Borders while the team was deciding what to do, culminating with them wearing black shirts that had the victims names -- Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota -- along with a Dallas Police Department logo and the message Change starts with us. Justice & Accountability.Liberty star Tina Charles said that the support she feels she has from both Borders and Silver has empowered her.Especially when its hurting the society, especially when its not just you that is hurting but other individuals, Charles said. So the fact that I have some power, I use that as a sounding board to reflect what Adam Silver is saying, that you should use your platform to show how you feel, especially in the crisis that we have right now.Players on both teams said that they wont stop with a shirt.I think we made a pretty strong stand, Brunson said. Right now were trying to focus on whats next. The shirts were where we started, where we began to speak and use our voice. Now were trying to figure out whats next, who we can use our voice to be more impactful beyond a shirt to help this time. New Balance Australia Womens . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. Cheap New Balance Shoes . Vaives lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasnt provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents. http://www.cheapnewbalanceaustralia.com/ . -- Bryant McKinnie came out of his stance and lowered his shoulder into a practice squad player, causing a crisp thud to reverberate in the Miami Dolphins practice bubble. Cheap New Balance Shoes Australia . Duchene scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday night to match the best 10-game start in team history. New Balance Australia . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Steve Saunders took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Web. The youthful Lakers raced up the court, chasing a fast-break bucket against the Golden State Warriors.?But Larry Nance Jr. remained near the rear of the pack, pacing himself, surveying everything before him, calculating space and angles, searching, most of all, for an open runway.Throughout a game, the 23-year-old Lakers forward hopes for these moments, almost hunting them but not quite. Hes learned that if he hunts too much, rarely do they unfold just the way he wants: culminating in a powerful, sky-scraping, momentum-shifting slam that blazes across social media and sends fans screaming out of their seats.Above all, Nance, one of the NBAs highest and most exciting flyers, has learned patience. Most of the time, he doesnt have to seek these moments as they will often find him. He just needs to be in the right place at the right time and ready. When a shot goes up, for instance, Nance tracks its arc, then tries to position himself carefully among the rims tall timbers so that he can snatch the ball if it ricochets. Seven, eight times out of 10, Im very certain of where its coming off, he said.Sometimes an opponent will try to box him out, then turn to look at Nance and notice that Nance doesnt seem to be going anywhere. If the opponent falls for this ruse, they will turn away and go chase the rebound. And thats when you crash right on top of them, Nance says. Thus, the simple but effective formula for his signature putback dunks: lure prey into a false sense of security, then strike.When it comes to fast breaks, Nance will trail the action -- not too much but enough that the opposing defense might lose sight of him for a split second. This allows him to slip into the lane unnoticed, where, if all goes as planned, a teammate will feed him a pass which hell turn into a rim-rocking highlight. But first, Nance needs an open runway. If he sees one emerge, hell start to pick up speed, lining up his steps just so, preparing for liftoff, which is what he did early in the second quarter against the Warriors on Nov. 4.After receiving a pass from guard Jordan Clarkson, Nance exploded off the court, ascending skyward much like his famous father, Larry Nance Sr., the NBAs first slam dunk champion, did decades ago. The Lakers once measured the younger Nances vertical leap at 44 inches, though they believed their devices werent calibrated correctly and that he can actually jump higher than that -- and against the Warriors, Nance utilized every bit of bounce in his legs, taking off a few steps inside the free-throw line. Only Warriors forward David West separated Nance and the rim, and as Nance soared by, holding the ball in his right hand high over his head like a torch, he placed his left hand on Wests head, almost palming it.Then Nance dropped the hammer in poster-worthy fashion. Staples Center went wild; the Lakers bench did, too.For Nance, the dunk wasnt just a highlight, a viral sensation; hes had plenty of those -- so many that he says his teammates are very used to them and only offer him a high-five and a pat on the back afterward.Nick [Young] shoots 3s, I dunk, Nance said. Everybodys good at what theyre good at.There are other aspects of his game that Nance excels at, too, such as rebounding or being a versatile defender. His offense has picked up steam, too, and he scored a career-high 18 points against Chicago on Nov. 30.But his dunk against Golden State marked one of the biggest leaps forward in his young career, one of the first moments that he could trust his right knee since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in February 2014, when he was a junior for the University of Wyoming. Immediately after that injury, Nance, like many who have sustained it, wasnt sure if hed ever have the same explosiveness again. All he knew was that it would take a while -- perhaps years -- to truly know.During his rookie season with the Lakers, after being drafted with the 27th pick in the first round in 2015, Nance remained cautious. Understandably, he worried that his knee might fail him, so he didnt put much pressure on it when executing various moves. This past July, during summer league competition in Las Vegas, he planted his right leg and threw dowwn a breath-stealing dunk against the Philadelphia 76ers, but even then, Nance still didnt feel like his explosiveness had completely returned.dddddddddddd That changed on Nov. 4.Before taking off against the Warriors, Nance planted his right foot and leaped, as he did before the injury, but it all came second nature, without worry -- and that was the first thing he noticed when he watched replays of his vicious slam after the game.You know, my knee didnt hurt when I did that -- it felt solid, it didnt cave in, Nance said he told himself. Thats pretty good.Said Nance, That was a page-turner for me, because I knew I was feeling well. I knew my legs were strong -- they were of equal strength and everything. When I planted on that right leg and was able to explode the way I did, it was [like] -- Im good now. I feel great.Nance believes his quickness and explosiveness have returned to his pre-injury levels, and now that they have, the next question on many fans minds is whether hell showcase his aerial acrobatics in the 2017 NBA dunk contest, which will be held in New Orleans. He received an invitation to last seasons event in Toronto but declined in part because he physically didnt feel capable. Like many others in February, Nance watched Minnesota guard Zach LaVine and Orlando forward Aaron Gordon put on one of the most exciting dunk contests in the history of the event.On my way to do some lunges and squats... Nance tweeted after, enticing those who hoped hed follow in his fathers footsteps and win the competition, perhaps as soon as this February.Ive always maintained that at some point, I would love to, Nance said. I just dont know when. I dont know if its this year. I dont know if its next year. I dont know at this point. Ive just got to be ready.And as for living up to his father? Nance says he feels no burden, largely because the 1984 contest his father competed in is far different than whats done today. Man, they hadnt even thought of doing an under-the-legs dunk over a mascot, Nance said. Guys do windmills in warm-ups now; thats nothing. Its a different contest.He said he hasnt studied past dunk contests, hasnt really considered what hed even do if he were in one. Honestly, if they threw me in one right now, Id get last place, because I have no idea what I would do, Nance said. It would just take a lot of planning, which I havent [done]. Instead of worrying about dunks, Im trying to figure out my jump shot and stuff like that.But, he pointed out, there are two kinds of dunkers -- those who are at their best during a game and those who are their best during a contest. Very few can do both. I dont know if Im that rare breed of both yet, Nance said. I havent really tried it. What he does know is that hes a in-game dunker. I see somebody in front of me, and thats what I like to do, he said.Larry Nance Sr., a three-time All-Star and 13-year veteran with the Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers, told ESPN in January that if his son wants any help preparing for the dunk contest, Ill do anything he wants. But, Larry Sr. pointed out, with a touch of pride, that his son is a far better high-flyer than his old man: I could jump really well, but hes just so much stronger, and he just jumps so much easier than I did. Ill give it to him. I had my day. And nothing makes me prouder. Nothing makes me prouder, trust me, than if he just flat-out out-dunks me.Larry Sr. continued, All the little dunks I did, he can do them so easy; there wont be no tips on none of those. Two-hand ball dunk, he can do that. He can cup it and dunk it. If he ever gets invited to be in the slam-dunk contest, Im sure Ill spend some nights awake trying to come up with some stuff. His chances of winning should be as good as anybody elses.And what would Larry Sr. think of his son winning it all? That would be awesome, Larry Sr. said. That would be cool.On that note, Larry Nance Jr. agreed. It would be very cool, he said. It would be a cool story and everybody would love it.Nance Jr. added with a smile: If and when the time comes, I will be ready. ' ' '