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LOS ANGELES -- History? Pressure? Jason Collins would have none of it after becoming the NBAs first active openly gay player. After all, it was almost game time. "Right now Im focusing on trying to learn the plays, learning the coverages and the game plan and the assignments. So I didnt have time to really think about history," Collins said at a crowded press conference less than an hour before his Brooklyn Nets faced the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night. Collins signed a 10-day contract with the Nets earlier Sunday and played in the first half against the Lakers, grabbing a rebound and committing a couple of fouls. The 35-year-old centre revealed at the end of last season he is gay, but he was a free agent and had remained unsigned. Collins said he was aware of the magnitude of his signing, but repeatedly said he was most concerned with learning the Nets schemes. "The pressure is playing in an NBA game tonight and last time I played in an NBA game was last April," Collins said. "So I think thats enough pressure right there." With a need for another big man, the Nets turned to the 7-foot Collins, who helped them reach two NBA Finals in the early 2000s. "The decision to sign Jason was a basketball decision," general manager Billy King said in a statement. "We needed to increase our depth inside, and with his experience and size, we felt he was the right choice for a 10-day contract." Collins has played 12 NBA seasons, including his first seven with the Nets, when they were in New Jersey and Jason Kidd was their point guard. Kidd is now the Nets coach and Collins has been a teammate of several other current Nets. "Jason told us that his goal was to earn another contract with an NBA team. Today, I want to commend him on achieving his goal. I know everyone in the NBA family is excited for him and proud that our league fosters an inclusive and respectful environment," Commissioner Adam Silver said. The Nets worked out Collins during the All-Star break and met with him again Sunday, with his twin brother, Jarron, hinting that history would be made. "Hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday. Today should be a pretty cool day!" Jarron Collins wrote on Twitter. The news on Jason Collins comes as Michael Sam, the SEC co-defensive player of the year from Missouri who recently revealed he is gay, is taking part in the NFL draft combine. Sams on-field workouts in Indianapolis are scheduled for Monday. Collins was asked if he felt the tide is turning regarding gay players coming out, including Sam. "I hope so. What Michael said was it was about him being a football player and me being a basketball player, and going out there and trying to help our respective teams win," Collins said. He played 38 games last season with Boston and Washington and averaged 1.1 points and 1.6 rebounds in limited minutes. For his career, the 7-foot Collins averages 3.6 points and 3.8 rebounds. "Im a solid veteran, and hopefully Ill be in the right place" on the court, Collins said. "I know I can execute the game plan. Its just about focusing on the task at hand and not thinking about history or anything along those lines. I just want to make it difficult for the Lakers tonight." Collins entered the game with 10:28 left in the second quarter and the Nets leading 35-26 after Nick Young made the first of his two free throws. The crowd welcomed him with a nice ovation when public address announcer Lawrence Tanter announced his name. Collins announcement last spring was followed by numerous NBA players insisting he would be welcomed in the locker room. Collins has played for five other teams and is well respected inside and outside the league -- he attended the State of the Union as a guest of first lady Michelle Obama. "I just know Jason as a person and as a player. Thats what Im happy about. He has earned it. Hes a great guy. Its good for the league. The important thing is to judge him as a person and a basketball player," Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau said. "I know people who have coached him, and I know how highly thought of he is." Former Suns player Kevin Johnson, now Sacramentos mayor, said he saw Collins two weeks ago at the White House "and I thanked him for his courage and being strong and wished him well and to keep fighting hard. "I think its incredible for him. I think its incredible for the league. If Im on the Nets, my commitment is I want to get in the playoffs and I want to go far. All that is fine but I need him to win games and I think hes up for that challenge." The Nets had an opening for a big man after trading Reggie Evans along with Jason Terry to Sacramento on Wednesday for guard Marcus Thornton. King said Thursday that Collins would be among the players they would look at, insisting they wouldnt be concerned about any extra attention the signing of Collins would provide. "Were going to bring in a basketball player," King said. "Its not about marketing or anything like that." The Nets posted a photo on their Twitter account of Kidd watching Collins sign his contract, encouraging followers to retweet it to welcome Collins to Brooklyn. Collins is third in Nets history with 511 games played, and also ranks in their top 10 in minutes played, and offensive rebounds and total rebounds. A limited offensive player, the Nets hope he still provides a presence defensively and on the boards. "I know Jason Collins is a competitor. One thing I know about him is he fouls very hard," Miamis Dwyane Wade said with a laugh. "Hes one of those tough veterans. Im sure hes happy to be back playing in the league. Welcome back." Since making his announcement last year, "Life is more exciting for me," Collins said. "I mean, I dont have to hide who I am and I can be my normal self. The past 10 months have been incredible. Im making new friends, hearing different peoples stories, sharing experiences. Its just been an overall positive." Collins grew up in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles and has a house here, so there was some normalcy to his day. "It was pretty easy for me just to come to the game tonight," Collins said, "drive down the 405, take the 10 and get here in 20 minutes." Cheap New York Knicks Jerseys .The Ottawa Senators winger was relegated to a corner seat in the locker-room to allow Daniel Alfredsson to return to his regular stall one last time. Cheap Knicks Jerseys Authentic . Rajon Rondo had 18 of Bostons season-high 38 assists and the Celtics committed just seven turnovers in a 118-111 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. http://www.cheapknicksjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-tracy-mcgrady-jersey .com) - Ames, IA (SportsNetwork. Kevin Knox Jersey . The result was a game-winning, power-play goal. Chiasson snapped a third-period tie and lifted the Dallas Stars to a 3-2 victory on Monday night. Mario Hezonja Jersey . Amid a rain of confetti, Shabazz Napier basked in the celebration on the court after being named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four following the 60-54 win over Kentucky.Division: Pacific GM: Don Maloney Head Coach: Dave Tippett 2013-14: 37-30-15 (4th in Pacific) Playoffs: Did not qualify Goals For: 210 (20th) Goals Against: 224 (18th) PP: 19.9% (4th) PK: 79 (26th) That Was Then: The newly-minted Arizona Coyotes missed the playoffs for the second straight season in 2013-2014. A late-season seven-game losing skid, due in part to an injury to goaltender Mike Smith, led to the Coyotes demise. With 11 games remaining in the regular season, the Coyotes sat in the second and final wild card spot in the Western Conference ahead of the Dallas Stars. In a Mar. 24 game against the New York Rangers, defenceman Derek Morris nudged Rangers forward Derick Brassard late in the third period, causing Brassard to fall onto Smiths legs, knocking him out of the game and the season. Thomas Greiss came in relief that night, allowing the tying goal and the winning goal in overtime. Greiss did manage to win the next two games for the Coyotes, but lost the next seven (three in overtime or shootout) and the Coytoes missed the playoffs by just two points. Even if Smith had been healthy down the stretch, they still had problems putting the puck in the net. While they were fourth in the NHL in power play percentage (19.1 per cent), they only managed to score 210 total goals and were 20th in the league in that category. Defenceman Keith Yandle was the teams highest point producer with 53, including eight goals and 45 assists. Radim Vrbata led all forwards in points with 51, while Antoine Vermette scored the most goals (24). Mike Ribeiro had a down year and always reliable captain Shane Doan missed time with a rare bout of Rocky Mountain Fever. On the plus side, 24-year-old Mikkel Boedker broke through with his best season yet as a pro. He scored 19 goals and added 32 assists, both career highs. Blueliner Oliver Ekman-Larsson had a stellar campaign as well, scoring 15 goals and adding 29 assists in just his fourth NHL season. Another positive for Arizona was the play of Smith. After two solid seasons in Glendale, the Coyotes awarded him with a six-year extension going into last season. Smith appeared in 62 games, recording a 27-21-10 record with a 2.64 goals against average and a .915 save percentage. His stellar play earned him a spot on Canadas gold medal-winning Olympic team in Sochi. Scott Cullens Analytics Coyotes 2013-14 Stats by Quarter Games GPG GAA SH% SV% SAF% PTS% 1-20 3.15 3.00 9.0 .929 47.4% .725 21-41 2.52 2.71 7.2 .924 52.6% .488 42-62 2.29 2.43 5.4 .928 49.8% .439 63-82 2.25 2.30 7.0 .932 49.6% .550 NHL AVG 2.67 2.67 7.8 .922 50.0% .562 Key: GPG= goals per game, GAA= goals-against per game, SH%= even-strength shooting percentage, SV%= even-strength save percentage, SAF%= score-adjusted Fenwick percentage (differential of shot attempts faced vs. shot attempts, excluding blocked shots, adjusted for game score), PTS%= percentage of available points. Analysis: Games 1-20: Unusually high percentages, at both ends, and a 4-1 shootout record overpowered shaky possession stats. Games 21-41: Hit a rough patch offensively, winding up with a losing record despite solid goaltending and possession. Games 42-62: Goal-scoring crashed with, aside from a streaking Antoine Vermette, a really low finishing rate. Games 63-82: Continued to struggle offensively, while goaltending kept them competitive, it wasnt enough to reach the postseason. Key 2014 Additions: C Alexandre Bolduc, G Devan Dubnyk, D Andrew Campbell, RW B.J. Crombeen, C Sam Gagner, G Mike McKenna, C Joe Vitale Key 2014 Subtractions: LW Paul Bissonnette, G Thomas Greiss, C Jeff Halpern, LW Tim Kennedy, D Derek Morris, C Mike Ribeiro, RW Radim Vrbata This Is Now: While the geographical name for this team is different, the on-ice product looks a bit similar aside from a couple of changes. The Coyotes lost one of their top scorrers - Vrbata - to the Vancouver Canucks via free agency and bought out the remaining three years of Ribeiros contract after a lacklustre season in Glendale.dddddddddddd They did, however, bring in Sam Gagner. The 25-year-old centre had a down year with Edmonton in 2013-14, scoring just 10 goals and 27 assists with a minus-29 rating. The London, Ont. native has yet to reach the 50-point plateau - hitting a career high of 49 during his rookie campaign in 2007-08 - but may benefit from a change of scenery with his prime years still ahead. The Coyotes also added gritty forwards B.J. Crombeen (as part of the Gagner deal) and Joe Vitale to shore up the bottom six and goaltender Devan Dubnyk to back up Mike Smith after Thomas Greiss left for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Arizona is hoping for a big year out of forward Martin Erat, whom they acquired from the Washington Capitals at the trade deadline. The 32-year-old scored just twice over 17 games with the Coyotes, but is playing for a new contract this year as his current deal expires at seasons end. Erat has shown he can put the puck in the net in the past with the Nashville Predators and could do the same with a full year in the desert. Off the ice, the team named former Buffalo Sabres general manager Darcy Regier as senior vice-president and assistant general manager. Meanwhile, Dave Tippett enters his fifth season as the Coyotes bench boss and looks to get his team back to the playoffs for the first time since they lost to the Los Angeles Kings in the 2012 Western Conference Final. That wont be an easy feat, especially in the Pacific Division where California superpowers Los Angeles, San Jose and Anaheim are almost a lock to make the NHLs second season. DEPTH CHART Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Mikkel Boedker Martin Hanzal Martin Erat Lauri Korpikoski Antoine Vermette Shane Doan Rob Klinkhammer Sam Gagner David Moss Brandon McMillan Kyle Chipchura B.J. Crombeen Lucas Lessio Joe Vitale Jordan Szwarz Max Domi Henrik Samuelsson Tobias Rieder Defence Left Right Oliver Ekman-Larsson Zbynek Michalek Keith Yandle Michael Stone David Schlemko Connor Murphy Brandon Gormley Chris Summers Andrew Campbell Dylan Reese Goaltenders Mike Smith Devan Dubnyk Mark Visentin Craigs List TSN Director of Scouting Craig Buttons Top Prospect: The NHL is a fast-paced league which requires players to do things at high speed and Max Domi is ideally suited to excel. With speed, quickness and real explosiveness in his skating, he can push the tempo. He is an excellent passer but his shot makes him a dual offensive threat. His ability to think, see the play and execute quickly will allow him to be a top line player in the NHL. Domi, selected 12th overall by Arizona in 2013, spent last season with the London Knights, his third in the OHL, and scored 34 goals with 59 assists over 61 games. Fantasy - Cullens Player to Watch - Sam Gagner It looked like 24-year-old Gagner might have been poised for a big year in 2013-2014, building on his career-best points-per-game production in the shortened 2012-2013 season, when he scored 38 points in 48 games. Those plans were derailed, however, when Gagner had his jaw broken by Zack Kassian in the preseason and Gagner missed nearly the entire first month of the season, then had no goals and one assist in his first seven games. He started behind due to injury and couldnt get on track, ending with a career-low 37 points in 67 games. ' ' '