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In November of 2014, I spoke to Kidambi Srikanth over a not so clear phone line from China. He had just experienced the greatest moment of his professional career by beating his childhood hero Lin Dan in the final of his home tournament. It was the first time an Indian male player had won a Super Series title and to add to the luster of the moment, it had come on the birthday of his coach and mentor Pullela Gopichand. Srikanth is a measured, soft-spoken young man but a lilt of excitement seeped through his voice.I had nothing to lose, so I wanted to give my best, Srikanth told me then. When I went into the match, I never thought I could beat him. I had a few strategies in mind, so I thought if I could execute them properly, I had a chance. I felt if I got all my strokes in, a 100 on 100, and make very few mistakes, I could do something. There arent too many weaknesses in his game because he has won more tournaments than anyone else in the history of the game.On Wednesday, at 9.20 am local time in Rio, just 10 minutes short of 6 pm in India, Srikanth faces the onerous task of producing an encore?as he fronts up against Dan in the quarterfinal.Since that heady day Fuzhou, their paths havent crossed. Dan had won their previous two clashes and comfortably at that. He has decimated the field so far at these Olympic games winning his three matches in straight games. Known on the circuit as Super Dan, the 32-year-old won Gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and followed it up with a repeat performance in London in 2012. He has been world champion five times. Hes won the All-England six times. Hes helped China win the Thomas Cup Five times. Just for fun, he has four Asian games Gold medals too.That Lin Dan is a colossus of modern badminton who loves the big stage is clear as daylight. The question is if Srikanth has the tools to upset this rampaging monster of a player. His coach Gopichand, who will have carefully strategised for this moment, was expectedly unwilling to share much insight, offering instead the bare essentials to set up this contest.It will be a tough match, Gopichand said. All we know is that he will give his best, lets see how he performs. All your past records are of no significant value here. It is about who is able to soak in the pressure and who is able to keep the momentum. I think Lin Dan is smart, he knows how to play on the big stage and he will be tough to beat. I think Srikanth will go in with a lot of confidence from his last three matches. Lets see how he does. Hes a good player and hes playing well.After an underwhelming year, Srikanths return to form at these Olympics has been quite encouraging. His upset win over World No. 5 Jan O Jorgensen in the pre-quarters was a reminder of his prowess on the court. Once ranked as high as No. 3 in the world, Srikanths ranking has tumbled just outside the top-10 in recent months at the back of a string of inconsistent performances. Though he started the year by winning the Syed Modi Grand Prix gold title in Lucknow, his results tapered off subsequently.Starting with a second round exit at the All-England championships in March, Srikanth suffered a series of first round defeats at tournaments in India, Malaysia, Singapore and China. He finally showed a flicker of improved form by reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open in June. An attacking player by instinct, Srikanth has been carefully nurtured by Gopichand to develop a more all-round game and improve his fitness. In Rio, the effort put on the training court over the last month and a bit has paid off. His first two opponents were brushed aside comfortably in the group stages and the ninth seed stunned Jorgensen by unleashing a ferocious all-out attack that the Dane could not find a retort to.Its a dream come true as Lin Dan is my idol, Srikanth had said after his pre-quarterfinal victory. Its been a long time since I beat him last time in the China Open final, so this will be a new game. Cheap Nike Basketball Shoes Online . PAUL, Minn. Cheap Basketball Shoes Free Shipping .Y. -- Injured Buffalo Sabres forward Marcus Foligno did not practice with the team Monday and head coach Ron Rolston said its unlikely hell play in Wednesdays season opener in Detroit. http://www.cheapnikeshoesbasketball.com/ . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. Cheap Nike Basketball Shoes . The next step is a better finish. Bae played bogey-free Friday on another gorgeous day at Riviera for a 5-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead over Aaron Baddeley and Robert Garrigus going into the weekend. Nike Basketball Shoes Clearance . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. PORTLAND, Ore. -- The New Orleans Pelicans are on a roll. The Portland Trail Blazers are not.Much has changed since the teams met a week ago at the Smoothie King Center in New Orelans.The Pelicans (6-10) won that one 113-101, beginning a four-game win streak they hope to increase by one Friday night when they visit Moda Center to face Portland. New Orleans, which has won six of its last eight games after an 0-8 start, blasted Minnesota 117-96 Wednesday night behind 45 points from Anthony Davis.The Trail Blazers (8-9) lost four of five games on their recent road trip, falling below .500 for the first time this season.The return of point guard Jrue Holiday -- who missed the first eight games while helping care for wife Lauren, who has a brain tumor -- has helped the Pelicans. But the biggest factor has been a team-first attitude. They averaged 28.5 assists during the four-game skein, second in the NBA over that period.Thats how we win games, Davis, who scored 26 of his points in the first half against the Timberwolves, told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. We just move the ball and share the basketball no matter who scores. There are times we have a good shot and we pass it to someone for a great shot.Thats been our M.O. the past couple of games. Pass up a good shot for a great shot and that has helped guys build confidence in their games. Were playing a good brand of basketball right now.Starting point guard Tim Frazier -- who spent parts of two seasons with Portland -- said the Pelicans cannot get complacent.Four in a row is nice, but we still have a long season to go, Frazier said. We have tto come out and play the same way weve been playing.dddddddddddd Be hungry.The Blazers are no longer the NBAs worst rebounding club -- the addition of power forward Ed Davis to the starting lineup four games ago has helped that. But they are the leagues worst-rated defensive team, and that is not getting better. On the recent trip, the Blazers were lit up by Houstons James Harden (26 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists), Davis (38 points, nine rebounds, six assists, four steals) and New Yorks Kristaps Porzingis (31 points, nine rebounds).Then there was the 137-125 pasting at Cleveland Wednesday night, the most points a Portland team yielded in a regulation game since 1989. LeBron James recorded a triple-double and Kevin Love scored 34 of his 40 points in the first quarter -- the most an NBA player scored in a first period.I dont think its that we dont have the personnel (to play defense), point guard Damian Lillard, who had 40 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds against the Cavaliers, told Comcast Sports Northwest. Its that we have to lock in on certain areas and understand thats what allows you to be a good defender. Like having an idea what is coming.It starts in your mind. You have to believe you can turn it around and that you want to. But we also have to demand more of each other. As a group, thats what should be on our mind -- thinking how we can improve and bring more to the team and get us going in the right direction. Thats part of holding us accountable. ' ' '