The weak and weary need not apply for Sams Club. TSN basketball analyst and former Toronto Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell announced his midseason inductees to the illustrious self-titled club Thursday, and they all had one thing in common. “Sams Club members come in, we punch the clock, we do our job and we go home,” he told TSNs Cabrel Richards. “We know who and what we are. Were dirt diggers, were grimy, we get in the dirt, we can take it. You know why? Because were mentally tough and we wont give in.” The midseason entrants are not among the NBAs elite and none of them were invited to the All-Star Game in New Orleans on Feb. 16. Here are the selections for Sams Club through the first half of the season. Amir Johnson, PF, Toronto Raptors: “The most important things that Amir Johnson brings to Toronto are mental toughness, rebounding and defence. Hes added the three-ball to his game and you look at Amir Johnson, he had a stretch where he averaged about 18 points a game and shot way over 50 per cent.” Tony Allen, SG, Memphis Grizzlies: “Tough, single-minded, a defensive guy, a guy that fights through screens, a guy that dont need the basketball. Hes been out, missed some games, but theres no better on-the-ball defender than Tony Allen. Lance Stephenson, SG, Indiana Pacers: “Hes in the club because hes tough. Hes not an all-star to me but hes the most improved player. But Lance Stephenson brings a certain toughness, he has a certain bravado that he gives to the Pacers. Taj Gibson, PF, Chicago Bulls: “Taj Gibson is mentally tough. Hes a great defender, shot blocker, takes the toughest four or five every single night. Carlos Boozer has been complaining recently about his minutes in the fourth quarter. Taj Gibson has taken those minutes because he plays defence, rebounds the ball, and now lately hes scoring the basketball.” Nicolas Batum, SF, Portland Trail Blazers: “He takes the toughest offensive player every night, whether its point guard, two-guard or small forward. Very unselfish guy, doesnt call for the ball, excellent shooter, just plays his role.” P.J. Tucker, SF, Phoenix Suns: “Just tough. Just put him out there. See, part of being a part of Sams Club is you have to get better every year in and year out. Now P.J. Tucker is over a 40 per cent three-point shooter, a guy that can shoot, but hes the best defender on this Phoenix team. You talking about tough, gritty and grimy, theres nobody in the United States that I would rather walk down a dark alley with.” While Stephenson looks to be the front-runner for the NBAs Most Improved Player award, the other new members of the Sams Club will likely not see any league-wide recognition for their efforts. 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Larry Murphy Jersey . - Joao Plata scored twice in the final 24 minutes, including the winner in stoppage time, to help Real Salt Lake remain unbeaten with a 3-2 victory over the winless Chicago Fire on Saturday night.CHICAGO -- No matter how this one plays out in the end, Joel Quenneville will at least appreciate the show the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles have put on the Western Conference finals. For pure theatre, its hard to match this. A wild series between the two most recent champions will come to a close with one final act Sunday, a seventh game in Chicago to decide who will advance to the Stanley Cup finals. "The quality of the hockey has been fun to watch and (its) been fun to be a part of it at the same time," Quenneville, the Blackhawks coach, said Saturday. The Blackhawks won a double-overtime thriller at home and took Game 6 on Friday night in Los Angeles 4-3 to wipe out a 3-1 series deficit, sending it back to Chicago. Now, its win-or-go home for both teams. Whoever prevails will host the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals Wednesday night. The Kings, who dropped the first three games against San Jose in the opening round and went the distance with Anaheim, hope to become the first team to win three Game 7s on the way to the Stanley Cup finals. "Were using all our lifelines so far, and we plan on getting the job done yet again," Los Angeles Justin Williams said. If the Blackhawks win Sunday, it will be the second straight year they advanced after falling behind 3-1 in a series. Last year, they dropped three of the first four against Detroit in the conference semifinals before taking Game 7 in overtime on a goal by Brent Seabrook after Niklas Hjalmarsson had one disallowed late in regulation. Chicago went on to take out the Kings in the conference finals before beating Boston for its second Stanley Cup in four years. The Blackhawks looked like they were just about out of it after dropping Game 4. Instead, they jumped back into it with two thrilling victories, pushing a thrilling series to the limit. "You can feel its high-level hockey thats played for sure," Hjalmarsson said. "Theyre a machine-like team. They bring the same effort to every single game so we just have to try to match that. I really think this series deserves a Game 7, and I think the crowd deserves it, too. And I think its going to be a great finish to a great finiish to a great series.dddddddddddd" Its coming down to one after Chicago pulled out two nail-biters. There was that double-overtime victory in Game 5 at home with Michal Handzus scoring the winner, and Game 6 Friday was about as tense. The Blackhawks survived thanks to a late surge after the teams traded leads in the third period, with Patrick Kane setting up Duncan Keith for the tying goal and then firing in the winner from a patch of ice near the painted Stanley Cup logo with 3:45 left. "We know that we can still beat this Chicago Blackhawks team," Drew Doughty said. "But we also know its not going to be easy either. Theyre going to have their best game in this Game 7, especially in their home rink." It would help if they contained Kane. He has come up big in the past two games with seven points after being held to just one in the first four games. He had two goals and an assist Friday and four assists in Game 5, compared to just one assist through the first four games. Hes been able to find at least some open ice, something he wasnt able to do earlier in the series, and the Blackhawks are feeding off that. "We have to do the same things we did in the first four games, not the last two -- check hard and deny him the puck, and when he has the puck, give him the least amount of time possible," defenceman Willie Mitchell said. Now, this series between two powerhouses comes down to one final game, and both teams have come out on top in tough spots. The Kings are 6-0 in elimination games this year. The Blackhawks have won nine of their past 11 elimination games. "Competitive guys, they find a way," Quenneville said. "(Friday) night is a good example. Third period, it doesnt look good and they dont change their approach. We know we have some guys that can make plays and have some ability to score. ... Were playing a real good team that has a lot of similar attributes as we do, but we have to give our guys (credit for) what theyve done, what theyve accomplished and how they handle these situations." NOTE: Kings D Robyn Regehr remains sidelined by a knee injury and is not expected to be available on Sunday. White NFL Jerseys Cheap Youth NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys 2020 Stitched NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Autographed Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Discount Jerseys ' ' '