NEU » o game condition. The Vertical report

Lions coach Johan Ackermann has done a masterful job transforming his team from easybeats to Super Rugby finalists, yet his decision ahead of the final round may have already dashed any hope of a fairytale title.It certainly has been sensational season for the Johannesburg side, one that began with Super Rugbys historic entry into Asia when the Lions were the first team to face Japans fledgling franchise, the Sunwolves.The Lions then beat tournament heavyweights, the Chiefs, on their own patch before going on to finish the regular season with 11 wins and 52 competition points - giving them second seeding for the finals series.All this after they were confined to Super Rugby obscurity just three years ago when the South African Rugby Union guaranteed Southern Kings a competition spot, only to realise they would be forced to demote a franchise at the same time.But a year later the Lions were back and after a steady progression from 12th (2014) to eighth (2015), Ackermann has taken the Lions into unchartered territory - a Super Rugby final.It has been a supreme coaching effort, one sure to see him coach the Springboks in the future.Yet the former Springboks lock appears to have made one big error in judgement: sending a second-string team to face the Jaguares in Buenos Aires in the regular seasons final round.Ackermanns logic in doing so appeared sound enough, given the fact the Lions had already secured a home quarterfinal and what looked like a matchup against one of New Zealands wildcard qualifiers.But when the Hurricanes stunned the Crusaders with a bonus-point win in Christchurch and the Highlanders beat the Chiefs in Dunedin, the No.1 seeding was suddenly up for grabs in Argentina.And if the Lions had risked even half their regular starting lineup against the Jaguares, they may have been preparing for a final on home soil at Emirates Airlines Park in Johannesburg.Their assignment instead is a trip to Wellington to face the Hurricanes, a team riding an irresistible wave of momentum and the sublime skills of Beauden Barrett, TJ Perenara and Ardie Savea.The Hurricanes, too, are desperate to atone for last years loss to the Highlanders in the decider at home; coincidentally it was the Highlanders that the Lions beat on Saturday night to earn a maiden shot at some silverware.But history suggests the South Africans will be at long odds to lift the trophy.For while the Highlanders upset the Hurricanes in Wellington last year, just four other Super Rugby finals have been won by the away team - three of which belong to the Crusaders.And crucially, the Crusaders are the only side to win a Super Rugby final overseas, a feat they achieved against the Brumbies in Canberra way back in 2001.Those statistics wont make pleasant reading for Lions fans, yet those wearing black and yellow on Saturday could be forgiven for feeling a little edgy as the Hurricanes remain the only New Zealand franchise still to win a Super Rugby title.And given the Lions boast a similarly in-form trio as the Hurricanes in Faf de Klerk, Elton Jantjies and Jaco Kriel, Saturdays final is anything but a foregone conclusion.But Ackermanns decision to send a second-string side to Argentina, albeit before the final-round drama in New Zealand, suggested the Lions were content with reaching the final, rather than hosting it.As fine a coach as Ackermann has become, the Lions now must defy an overwhelming majority of history and win in Wellington or he will otherwise be added to an unfortunate list of all-time coaching blunders.That would be a sad result for a franchise that has picked itself up from the Super Rugby scrapheap.Boston Celtics Jerseys . 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General manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch on Friday that he wants to see Gaboriks contributions go beyond the scoresheet before considering a long-term deal for the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent.NEW ORLEANS -- Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry confirmed Monday that?Jrue Holidays return to the team is imminent.Holiday missed the preseason and each game so far this regular season to tend to his wife, former USWNT soccer player Lauren Holiday, as she recovers from the birth of the couples first child and surgery to remove a benign tumor from the right side of her brain.Not anything definite, but its probably going to be at some stage within the week, for sure, Gentry said. Maybe within a couple days.The Pelicans are 2-9 this season, worst in the Western Conference, but the team has said throughout Holidays absence that there has been no pressure on him to rush back.All of the guys realize what hes been through and how tough its been for him, Gentry said ahead of Mondays matchup with the Boston Celtics. Not just the fact that hes going through the thing with his wife, but to have a newborn kid also is extremely tough. Thats why we wanted him to do it on his terms, when he felt comfortable enough to come back, so he could just play basketball and kind of not worry so much about everything else thats going on. He wasnt going to be able to do that until he was comfortable with his wife and comfortable with his kid.The Holidays have spent the opening of the season in Raleigh, North Carolina, area near the Duke Universsity medical specialists who handled the surgery for Lauren, a two-time gold medalist and 2015 World Cup winner.ddddddddddddA league source said?Holiday?is in great shape, but the Pelicans are expected to limit his minutes as he works his way back into game condition. The Vertical reported last week that Holiday was expected to return within the week.Holiday, 26, was limited to a combined 74 games in his first two seasons in New Orleans because of right leg injuries, but he broke through in 2015-16, averaging 16.8 points and six assists with a career-high 19.7 player efficiency rating in 65 games. His season was cut short after he fractured the orbital wall of his right eye during a game, but he did not miss a game because of his right leg, besides planned absences in the first half of the season.My family comes before basketball, Holiday told the Times-Picayune in early September. Im obviously blessed to play this game and be in the position I am in, but my wife is the most important thing in the world to me. She comes before anything else.New Orleans plays Wednesday in Orlando, followed by home matchups against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday and Charlotte Hornets on Saturday. ' ' '