WALTHAM, Mass. -- Bostons Isaiah Thomas is feeling like a new man. A taller man.Im now listed at 6-1, the 5-foot-9 point guard joked when he sat down at Celtics media day on Monday. I grew a couple of inches this summer.While Thomas was speaking in jest, theres nothing at all fake about his excitement entering this season.The Celtics went into this past offseason focused on attracting the kind of star power to their roster that would help them move into the contender ranks of the Eastern Conference.They missed on Kevin Durant, but added veteran All-Star forward Al Horford to a young core that already includes Thomas -- a first time All-Star himself last season -- Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder and Marcus Smart.Its given coach Brad Stevens a lot to work with entering training camp as he tries to help Boston advance past the first round of the playoffs for first time since 2012.Were not asking Al to be any more than him, Stevens said. Hes a good fit for how we play on offense, hes good fit for how we play on defense...hes a guy that guys can follow by example. Its unfair to ask Al to be anything more than who he is.Who the Celtics have been the past two seasons is one of the surprise teams in the East. They improved from 25 wins in Stevens first season in 2013-14 to 40 and 48 wins the past two seasons, which both ended in playoff berths.Boston pushed the Atlanta Hawks to six games last season despite losing Bradley to a hamstring injury in Game 1 against the Hawks, seeing big man Kelly Olynyk aggravate a shoulder injury in the same game, and watching Crowder struggle throughout the series because of an ankle issue.Having a promising year derailed by that kind of bad luck has stuck with Thomas.All season thats all I thought about, Thomas said. Losing that series left a bad taste in all of our mouths. We want to get past that first round. I do, I know that. I want to win a playoff series. I want to go farther; we have a good enough team to make that happen.Gone are sixth man Evan Turner and Jared Sullinger, who both left in free agency. But the optimism and excitement surrounding Horford was palpable Tuesday. Not only for his ability to defend and be a big man who can stretch the floor, but for his anxiousness to see the Celtics return to a championship contender.His four-year, $113 million deal certainly carries with it some weighty burdens, but he said he isnt feeling any pressure because of it.In his very first trip to the Garden as a rookie in 2007, Horford recalled being mystified by Celtics championship banners hanging from the rafters.Youre very aware, Horford said. I couldnt stop looking at the banners up top. Maybe some guys feel differently, but I couldnt stop looking at them. Its something thats powerful. It leaves an impression on you.Team president Danny Ainge said he thinks Horford is joining a team that already has garnered the attention of other teams around the NBA.Were not going to be able to sneak up on anybody, Ainge said. I think that the team has earned a great deal of respect around the league the way they played last year, and the last couple of years. Thats a good thing. Thats progress. Thats where we want to be. We want our expectations to be higher. And learning to live up to those expectations is part of the grind.This month will be about integrating Horford into that foundation.Its a challenge Horford says hes eager to embrace.I have a good idea of the history of the Celtics, and of the passion of the people here. I know that its special, and thats part of the reason that Im here, he said. I want to be a part of that.Game notes Olynyk, who had arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder in May, is due to have his five-month evaluation on Oct. 15. But he has been cleared to do noncontact drills in the interim. Hopefully in the next three or four weeks, I can get out there and make something happen, Olynyk said. I just gotta make sure its strong enough to take the hit. ...Stevens said that he has had discussions with players and other team officials regarding the protest and demonstrations that have taken place during the national anthem in the NFL and other sports. Its been great to engage in those discussions. Its been really fun for me to hear about how excited our guys are about using their platforms to promote good things, Stevens said.---Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower Clearance Air Jordan Australia Store . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise. Authentic Air Jordan Australia Shoes . The Masters champion and winner of last weeks Australian PGA has a three-round total of 14-under 199 at Royal Melbourne. "Im in a really good position for tomorrow," Scott said. http://www.airjordancheapaustralia.com/ . LOUIS -- St. Cheap Air Jordan Australia For Sale . Ronaldo produced a spectacular individual performance on Tuesday, scoring all three goals and guiding Portugal into the next years World Cup in Brazil with a 3-2 victory in Sweden. The Real Madrid forward has scored 66 goals in 2013, but the last three may be the boost he needs to upstage Messi after FIFA unexpectedly extended the voting period for the Ballon dOr to Nov. Cheap Air Jordan Australia 2019 . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- The Baltimore Ravens fielded the same offensive line in their first three games. They won all of them.Then injuries started happening, and the rapport the quintet established was no longer viable. Not entirely by coincidence, Baltimore lost four in a row to fall below .500.Although the Ravens (5-4) have won two straight to take over first place in the AFC North, the shuffling of their offensive line remains a steady constant. After losing rookie guard Alex Lewis to a high ankle sprain, Baltimore will field a different offensive line for the eighth time in eight games Sunday in Dallas.Not ideal, coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday. Youd like to have continuity with your offensive line -- working together on those combination blocks, the calls, being on the same page.Center Jeremy Zuttah is the only player on the line to play the same position in all nine games. Five-time Pro Bowl right guard Marshal Yanda has missed three of the last four games with a shoulder injury; top draft pick Ronnie Stanley (foot) missed four straight starts at left tackle; and now Lewis will be lost for at least six weeks after being hurt in last Thursday nights 28-7 win over Cleveland.Its a wonder quarterback Joe Flacco can still walk after operating behind a makeshift front thats yielded 20 sacks and created precious few holes for the leagues 28th-ranked rushing attack.Anytime you have moving parts on a team it takes a lot of work together to get it right, Flacco said. But the guys in there are fighting, and thats all you ask for. It hasnt been perfect, and weve got to get better. Ive got to be better at dealing with some things.At the end of the day, were probably going to have to learn to live with one or two miistakes a game and expect to be good enough at the little things to overcome them.dddddddddddd Thats just where we are right now.Yanda participated in practice Wednesday and could return to face the Cowboys (8-1). Before his recent absence he played in 53 consecutive games.If you keep the same five guys for a long time, thats a real good thing. But the reality is that injuries happen, Yanda said. Were just trying to put the best five guys out there week to week. That changes sometimes.This year, its happened a lot.Youve just got to roll with the punches and do your job no matter what happens. Thats just the sport, Stanley said. Its definitely easier to have someone youve been playing with because you build chemistry over a period of time. But people are going to get hurt, and you have to be ready for it.For the Ravens, its next man up -- at just about any time and on any place on the line.If you had your way, youd have the same five guys out there, right tackle James Hurst said. But weve got a really good group thats willing to put in the extra time to make it work.In addition to playing special teams, Ryan Jensen has started twice at right guard and at left guard this season. He also stepped in last month after right tackle Rick Wagner was injured.Since Ive been here we havent had issues like this with injuries and stuff like that, said Jensen, now in his third year with Baltimore. But weve found a way to figure it out and get it tuned up. Weve got a two-game winning streak, so were getting there.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jersyes Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '