About the Project » t a second straight game

Goran Dragic is going back to his native Slovenia in a few weeks for the summer. There’s a couple of weddings the Miami Heat guard needs to attend Tell Authentic And Replica NFL Jerseys , a trip scheduled with his wife to Paris for a fashion show and probably even some pickup basketball to remind his friends that he’s an NBA All-Star and they aren’t.

And there will be some celebrating.

Winning the European title last summer is still a huge deal to Slovenians, which means Dragic’s homecoming will be a huge deal as well. He was recently voted as the most influential Slovenian, a poll conducted by media in that country who picked people from the sports world to the top six spots. No. 7 was U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, and No. 8 was Slovenian President Borut Pahor.

Leading that list shows what Dragic’s countrymen think of him, especially after he led the nation to probably its proudest sports moment.

”As soon I go out with my family, walk around the town, probably that’s going to be the time I’m going to start realizing how much that was a big deal,” Dragic said. ”We’ll see.”

”We’ll see” is a mantra of sorts for Dragic’s summer.

Even though Heat President Pat Riley said no one on the roster is untouchable if the right deal comes along, Dragic has made clear that he wants to stay in Miami – and let his bosses know as much. He raves about his house, the one with the newly upgraded landscaping because he intends to be there for a long time. He likes the makeup of the locker room, and has too many favorite restaurants in Miami to count.

Plus, he’s very much a fan favorite.

Out for dinner this week, Dragic was approached by about a dozen people seeking autographs or selfies – plus one who wanted him to have a video chat with a child home studying. Dragic never complained, routinely getting up from his soup, salad, broiled snapper and cappuccino nightcap to accommodate every request.

”This is where I want to be,” Dragic said. ”Everything here Good Sellers For Fake NFL Jerseys , it’s the way I want it.”

He’s not going to touch a basketball for a little bit, in desperate need of some time off. Eurobasket – the tournament where Slovenia beat Serbia for the gold medal – went into mid-September, and Dragic didn’t get to Miami until the day before training camp. He basically hasn’t had a break from playing for a full year, and paid the price for that this season with the Heat.

Dragic was an All-Star for the first time, but dealt with nagging injuries, and soreness in his right knee limited him considerably in Miami’s five-game playoff loss to Philadelphia.

”I felt it the whole season,” Dragic said. ”Mentally I was OK but physically I had minor injuries. You know those injuries, if you keep playing they never go away. But it was nothing serious that I could not play. You’re always battling against your thoughts, against your head. But if you’re asking me if I would do it again … yeah.”

Thing is, he won’t be doing it again.

Slovenian officials came to Miami this season begging Dragic to reconsider his decision to retire from the national team, and he declined. The only thing that will lure Dragic back into the international game is if Slovenia makes the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which won’t be easy especially if he isn’t going to partake in qualifying.

He’s also been asked to consider running for political office, which is an absolute non-starter for Dragic. But summers in Slovenia are still very important, both for relaxation and to remind his kids of their heritage.

”My country, they give me everything,” Dragic said. ”I was in school there. They make me (the) person I am now. I have friends, family 5 Ways To Tell Authentic And Replica NFL Jerseys (Real VS Fake) , we always as a family we’re really tight. I always cherish my ancestors, my grandpa, great-grandpa, what they did for us, especially my dad who moved from Bosnia. He started a new life in Slovenia so basically I grew up there.”

He plans on returning to the U.S. around mid-August, a month or so before training camps open for the 2018-19 season.

And he’s desperately hoping he’ll remain in Miami.

”I think we have all the pieces here,” Dragic said. ”I think I’ll be better. I think we’ll be better. I want to see how good we can be.”

—

Facing an opponent missing arguably its best player in front of a raucous home crowd, the Toronto Maple Leafs felt pretty good heading into their Game 4 matchup with the Boston Bruins.

Less than three hours later, they had been pushed to the brink of playoff elimination.

Brad Marchand scored the go-ahead goal and Tuukka Rask made 31 saves as the Bruins defeated the Leafs 3-1 to grab a commanding 3-1 lead in their first-round series. Boston was minus No. 1 center Patrice Bergeron, who was a late scratch with an upper-body injury, but it didn’t matter as the Bruins ground out a victory on a night where some of Toronto’s young stars failed to produce on the big stage.

”We were set up pretty good,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock lamented. ”We didn’t take advantage. That’s on us.”

Torey Krug and Jake DeBrusk had the other goals for the Bruins, who can clinch the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series at home in Game 5 on Saturday at Boston’s TD Garden. David Pastrnak added two assists.

Tomas Plekanec scored the lone goal for the Leafs, who got 18 saves from Frederik Andersen.

”We gave them opportunities and they didn’t miss,” Leafs forward Mitch Marner said. ”Now it’s do or die.”

Bergeron, part of a top line that combined for 20 points in the Bruins’ two home victories to open the series, was a surprise late scratch. Riley Nash took his spot between Marchand and Pastrnak 2018 Good Sellers For Fake NFL Jerseys , and played well in the four-time Selke Trophy winner’s absence earlier this season.

”It doesn’t matter (if Bergeron’s out),” Marchand said. ”You play the same way.”

Marchand snapped a 1-1 tie for Boston with 3:05 left in the second after the Bruins were called for icing. Leafs coach Mike Babcock put his top line, centered by Auston Matthews, out hoping to pounce on a tired group, but Nash won the draw to Adam McQuaid, whose clearing attempt up the boards skipped past Toronto defenseman Jake Gardiner. Pastrnak moved in on a 2-on-1 with Marchand, faking a shot to draw the overaggressive Nikita Zaitsev to him before feeding his linemate with a slick pass for a wide-open net.

The Leafs had a number of chances earlier in the period to go ahead, including Mitch Marner’s breakaway off a stretch pass from Morgan Rielly that Rask turned aside with the blocker, but were unable to get one by Rask.

Boston then made it 3-1 at 4:17 of the third. David Krejci blocked Travis Dermott’s shot and raced the other way on a 2-on-1 before finding DeBrusk, who beat a helpless Andersen after Roman Polak failed to block the pass across.

”We had a breakaway and a good 2-on-1, and we got nothing out of it,” Babcock said. ”Both their 2-on-1s … they buried and we didn’t make good plays on them to help our goalie out. In the end, that’s the game.”

The Bruins stunned the Maple Leafs just 28 second into the game to quiet an electric Air Canada Centre when Krug’s snapshot from the sideboards found its way past Nash and Plekanec in front before glancing in off Andersen’s shoulder.

”It’s one I’ve got to fight to see,” Anderson said.

Toronto eventually got going and tied it at 7:43 when Marner fed a pass from his knees that was helped on by Patrick Marleau to Plekanec, who scored his first goal since being acquired from Montreal before the trade deadline.

The Leafs kept coming and nearly grabbed the lead later in the period, but Rask shot out his pad to deny Zach Hyman from in close as Toronto outshot Boston 12-7 through the opening 20 minutes.

Asked how concerned he is that Matthews, who scored the winner Monday NFL Blog , has been mostly quiet, Babcock said some of his youngsters are learning hard playoff lessons.

”I’m assuming he thought he would come tonight and dominate the game – that’s what I thought,” the coach said. ”I thought the same with (William Nylander). That didn’t happen, but the other people you’re playing against are pros and they’re trying, too, and they’re competitive. There’s regular-season competitiveness and there’s Stanley Cup playoff competitiveness, and it keeps amping up.

”When you leave here tonight as an individual, as a coach, as a player, you’ve got time to evaluate … and most guys are pretty honest.”

NOTES: Pastrnak has 11 points in the series (four goals, seven assists), while Marchand has seven (two goals, five assists) despite Boston’s top line getting shut out in Game 3. … Plekanec had three assists in 20 combined regular-season and playoff games with Toronto before Thursday. … Leafs winger Leo Komarov sat out a second straight game with a lower-body injury. … Toronto center Nazem Kadri served the final game of his suspension for taking a run Boston forward Tommy Wingels in the series opener. Wingels suited up for the first time since the hit. … Game 7, if necessary, goes Wednesday in Boston.

UP NEXT

Game 5 on Saturday at Boston.
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