TSNs Jack Armstrong offers his thoughts on the Christmas Day extravaganza, including the Nets struggles, the improvement of Serge Ibaka, the feisty Mario Chalmers, the performance of Chandler Parsons and the lane presence of DeAndre Jordan. Discount Under Armour Australia . 1. BROOKLYN NETS: I know Brook Lopez is a good player but come on now. The Chicago Bulls didnt have Derrick Rose and Luol Deng wasnt suited up and they get their tails kicked at home. What I see is a team thats disjointed and just not on the same page in terms of what the plan is. Injuries and the lack of practice time with a healthy group have been factors no doubt but when I see inconsistent effort and lack of fire/passion, then I wonder. I think we all thought this team would be so much better. Now what? Tough decision for GM Billy King. Theyve gone all in with this group and it will be a difficult fix. 2. SERGE IBAKA (Thunder): Each time I watch him, Im more and more impressed with what I see. Hes continuing to improve his game and has become a very nice third piece to compliment Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Plays the game very hard. Relentless in his rebounding effort, finishes in the lane and has become so much more confident in his face-up game and jump shot. He was so raw when he first entered the league but not anymore. Its a true testament to his work ethic. 3. MARIO CHALMERS (Heat): Doesnt get a lot of attention on this team yet hes a feisty perimeter defender and gets the ball to the right places at the right time. Is a guy that can hurt you with the 3-point shot and loves the big moment. Perfect complimentary fit for this club. You dont need to run a lot of plays for him and the style of play is good for his game. Has a really good motor and compete level and playing with such great players has taught him to slow down and concentrate on making the smart play which he does with better consistency. 4. CHANDLER PARSONS (Rockets): Never thought hed be this good as a pro when he came out of the University of Florida. Not a big, strong guy and when you look at him, hes far from a physically imposing figure yet at an explosive/demanding position, hes more than held his own. His performance yesterday against the Spurs was one of pure efficiency and productivity with 21 points, six rebounds and six assists. He makes you guard him from deep (5- 3 Pointers) and has a neat change of pace with his ball skills. Plays the game at a controlled speed yet with superb energy and awareness. A keeper. 5. DE ANDRE JORDAN (Clippers): He gives his team the lane presence that is so important to win consistently in the NBA. Gets 13 rebounds and six blocks against the Warriors and takes only terrific high percentage shots in the lane, usually on offensive rebounds or off of Chris Paul penetration for dunks. As we get into the playoffs in April, Ill be curious to see if Doc Rivers continues to play him major minutes, particularly late in games with his shaky free-throw shooting. Rivers has made it a point of emphasis to play him and boost his stock and compliment him and its paid dividends in an improved player. With coaches leaning towards playing small and adding skill to the court in bigger games, this will be an interesting dynamic to watch develop. Under Armour Australia Online . Louis Cardinals have agreed to a one-year contract. Under Armour Sale Australia .com) - Patrik Elias registered the winner in the shootout as New Jersey nipped Toronto 2-1 at Prudential Center on Wednesday. http://www.cheapaustraliaunderarmour.com/ . Kuper, a fifth-round pick in Denvers 2006 draft, started 79 games at guard over eight seasons. He dislocated his left ankle in the last game of the 2011 regular season, and though he started another seven games after that, he never returned to his previous level. MONTREAL -- The Canadiens almost let it slip away. With a three-goal lead going into the final period on Saturday, Montreal conceded three straight goals to Detroit, including two in 36 seconds, but ultimately held on for the 5-3 victory. Pavel Datsyuk scored his 16th of the year at 5:11 on the power play, and Luke Glendening reduced the deficit again at 5:47 on a soft backhand shot that Carey Price got a piece of but couldnt keep out. Niklas Kronwall tied it up for Detroit midway through the third, beating Price with a rocket of a slap shot from the point, through traffic, on the man advantage. Instead of keeling over, however, the Canadiens answered Kronwalls game-tying goal with renewed energy. "At that point, you just reset, and go back to what made you successful in the first half of the game," said Montreal captain Brian Gionta. "You have to make sure you dont lose that momentum. Its much easier at home, when you have the crowd. You build some momentum off of them. You make a good play, and things start to snowball the right way again." With seven minutes remaining in a 3-3 game, Gionta helped right the ship. He was credited with his second goal of the evening when his shot, which was initially saved by Detroit netminder Jonas Gustavsson, bounced off defenceman Brian Lashoffs skate and into the net. Alex Galchenyuk added a fifth for the Canadiens two minutes later when a Tomas Plekanec shot deflected off his chest and past Gustavsson, who stopped 19 shots in the loss. "Thats proof that theres a lot of character on this team," said forward Michael Bournival. "Weve done this a few times this year. Even if we concede three straight goals, were able to bounce back. We knew the Red Wings never give up. They had us on our heels to start the third, but we got back on our feet." The red-hot Canadiens (45-27-7) are now 10-2-0 in their last 12 games. With the victory, Montreal remains in second place in the Atlantic, four points clear of division-rivals Tampa Bay, which lost on Saturday. The Habs play three more times - against the Blackhawks, Islanders and Rangers - before the start of their first-round playoff series. Montreal got a goal from each of its four lines against the Red Wings (37-27-14). "We need that depth in scoring," said Gionta. "Thats going to help us down the stretch. We cant just rely on one line. Were a much deeper team now." Fourth-liner Bournival scored the first for the Canadiens, his seventh of the year and first in 37 games, at 14:16 of the first period. Under Armour Clearance Australia. The rookie got the play going, intercepting the puck in the neutral zone before feeding Ryan White at the blue-line. White held off defenceman Kyle Quincey and took a weak backhand shot on Gustavsson, who kicked the puck straight to a wide-open Bournival. "Thats Ryan Whites goal," said Bournival. "He charged the net. He made all the effort. I just had an open net. It felt good. But all the credit goes to Ryan." Max Pacioretty made it 2-0 on a great individual effort at 8:52 of the second, going around Kronwall with speed at the Canadiens blue-line to generate a breakaway. Pacioretty fended off a diving Lashoff before beating Gustavsson blocker-side for his ninth goal in his last eight games. With his 39th goal, Pacioretty moved into a tie with Joe Pavelski of the San Jose Sharks for third in NHL scoring. Gionta got in on the action five minutes later, scoring his first of the night after a set play off the end boards landed perfectly on his stick, unmarked in front of the net. The goal was Montreals second in the period on only their third shot. Montreals victory snapped Detroits four-game winning streak. The Red Wings, with 88 points, are holding on to the first of two wild card spots in the East. "We have to be better than we were tonight," said Wings coach Mike Babcock. "Weve been on a good run here where we play hard. I didnt think there was a problem with our energy or our commitment to working hard tonight. We didnt execute well enough with the puck." The Red Wings outshot the Canadiens 37-26, including 15-4 in the second period. But they were repeatedly frustrated by Price, who made 34 saves on the night. "Lets face it. We had the puck a lot, and we didnt find a way to win, thats all," added Babcock. "When youre tied in the third, you need to find a way to win, and we couldnt do that." Both Montreal and Detroit were coming off wins on Friday. The Red Wings scored three times in the first period to beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-2, while the Canadiens scored seven straight to down the Ottawa Senators 7-4. Both Price and Gustavsson had the night off on Friday. Notes: The game was Giontas 300th with Montreala Forwards Brandon Prust (upper body), Travis Moen (concussion) and Dale Weise (upper body) did not dressa Defenceman Douglas Murray served his second of a three-game suspension for his elbow to the head of Tampa Bays Mike Kostkaa The Red Wings are seeking a 23rd consecutive playoff appearance. ' ' '