OAKLAND, Calif. Cheap Jerseys China . -- At the beginning of training camp, Andrew Bogut set a goal to play all 82 regular-season games and regain his place among the NBAs best centres. Hes on pace to come awfully close. With his health no longer holding him back, Bogut has been a force in the middle for the Golden State Warriors (29-19) entering Tuesday nights home game against the Charlotte Bobcats. He ranks near the top of the league in blocks, rebounds and defensive ratings, and he has begun to silence the chatter that hes a player who is always hurt. "I havent felt this great in while," Bogut said after Mondays practice, then quickly asking not to jinx his good fortune. "Touch wood," he said. The 7-footer from Australia, who has a well-documented history of injuries, has played in 47 of 48 games -- with his lone absence stemming from a suspension handed down by the NBA for his role in a scrum against Portland. Bogut had played in only 44 games the past two seasons combined. Boguts presence has been especially big considering his primary backups, Jermaine ONeal and Festus Ezeli, have been out most of the season. "Hes been spectacular, protecting the paint, setting screens, rebounding the basketball, being a leader, being durable," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "If hes not here, youre asking basically a power forward to be a (centre), and to do it for a lengthy period of time is a recipe for disaster. But hes been awesome, and certainly should be in the discussion for Defensive Player of the Year." The Warriors took a big risk by signing Bogut to a three-year, $36 million extension in October that could be worth up to about $42 million with incentives. They also took a gamble when they acquired Bogut in a trade-deadline deal in March 2012 that sent guard Monta Ellis to Milwaukee. Bogut did not play for Golden State that season while recovering from a fractured left ankle. Bogut battled back and knee injuries while averaging a career-low 5.8 points to go with 7.7 rebounds last season, but he was at his best in the playoffs, making a major difference on defence to help the Warriors advance to the second round. Bogut missed the end of the 2009-10 season with the Bucks when he dislocated his right elbow, sprained his right wrist and broke his right hand in a hard fall to the floor. He also missed significant time with an injured lower back in the 2008-09 season. Bogut has repeatedly called both injuries "freak accidents." "People that label me injury-prone, its fair enough, I understand it," Bogut said. "But to say that theyre chronic injuries, those people are idiots. Two injuries that have hurt my career and probably shortened the length of my career and probably a little bit of my playing ability are completely out of my control." Even still, the setbacks have taken a toll -- physically and mentally. At one point while rehabbing his ankle last season, Bogut said he was in a "dark place" and even considered retirement. Instead, Golden States surprising playoff run -- and his big role in it -- left him rejuvenated. He lost about 15 pounds this off-season, and the only real injury scare cost him some practice time in January after he strained his right knee. Bogut is averaging 10.6 rebounds and two blocks per game, and he has the NBAs third-best defensive rating -- which is calculated by how many points are given up per 100 possessions while a player is on the floor. Offence is still something that has eluded Bogut since his elbow injury, though on a Golden State team stacked with shooters, hes not asked to score much. Bogut is averaging 8.2 points, which is sixth on the team, but he leads the Warriors with 64 per cent shooting -- with most of his points coming on pick-and-roll dunks or put-back rebounds. Hes also rediscovering his passing ability -- once considered among the best for NBAs centres -- lately, including tying his season high with five assists in Fridays win at Utah. "Hes talented, man," point guard Stephen Curry said. "Its not often you see a big man get the rebound, push in transition, change directions a couple times, read the defence and make behind-the-back passes and one-handed passes for a backdoor cut. That creativity he has, Ive rarely seen it for a guy his size." Bogut, now 29, has concentrated on becoming a more versatile defender. Hes not just guarding centres near the rim, but often going out against power forwards, including holding down All-Star starter Blake Griffin in a win over the Clippers last week. Bogut believes hes "close" to playing the best defence of his career, and hes making a strong case to be on the first or second All-NBA Defensive teams. The only time Bogut could remember playing this well was before his injury in the 2009-10 season, when he finished second behind Orlandos Dwight Howard in blocks per game but didnt even get a vote for the defensive teams that season. "Hopefully, I can make up for that this season," Bogut said. "But awards are predicated on how the team is, how the success of the team is, so if we go to the playoffs and make some noise, I think all that stuff will take care of itself." Cheap Jerseys . The 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner will start Sunday nights series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Giants held a half-game division lead in the NL West against their rival going into Saturday nights middle game at AT&T Park. Cheap Jerseys From China . Fourth-place Liverpool came from behind twice to maintain its three-point lead over Tottenham, which won 4-0 at Newcastle. Liverpools last-gasp win, secured by a Steven Gerrard penalty, left Brendan Rodgers side just four points behind league leader Chelsea.SYDNEY, Australia -- Glenn Stewart and captain Jamie Lyon scored Manlys second-half tries and the Sea Eagles held off a late comeback attempt by the New Zealand Warriors to win Australias National Rugby League grand final match 24-10 Sunday. The win, before a crowd of 81,988 at Sydneys former Olympic stadium, cemented Manlys reputation as the best team of the past five years. It has played in three grand finals in that span, and won the NRL championship in 2008, also with Sundays winning coach Des Hasler. Trailing 18-2 with 20 minutes left, Manu Vatuvei and Elijah Taylor scored unconverted Warriors tries five minutes apart to make it close before Lyon crossed in the final minute to give Manly its eighth league title overall. "Full credit to the Warriors, I think they did themselves proud, a great cultuure, a great club," Hasler said. Cheap NFL Jerseys. Banned for three matches after a brawl with Melbourne Storm players a month ago, Stewart also made strong plays to set up two other Manly tries. Glenn Stewarts brother, Brett, and Daly Cherry-Evans scored Manlys first-half tries after James Maloneys penalty goal gave the Warriors an early 2-0 lead. The Warriors were beaten 40-10 in the first round of the playoffs by Brisbane, but came back in the second-chance playoff format to beat Wests Tigers 22-20 and first-place Melbourne 20-12 in the semifinals. "Its been a special experience to have for our team," Warriors captain Simon Mannering said. "Its been an awesome week for us, an up-and-down season, but it just shows what sort of people you are, how we finished the year." Cheap Jerseys nfl jerseys cheap authenticwholesale jerseys jerseys from china authentic Cheap Jerseys wholesale stitched jerseys ' ' '
