t expect it from her. Overall, its a consistent body of work. I dont think she gets nearly the amount of credit for what she does for our basketball team. Shes not flashy, shes

Despite some impressive star power in the building (I see you, Kobe!), the Los Angeles Sparks fell at home?Sunday?to the Minnesota Lynx in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals.But before the game even started, Candace Parker showed why shes one of the sports biggest stars by making a ridiculously impressive half-court basket on her FIRST TRY. Yes, you read that correctly.I could tell you more about it, or you could just watch it below.@candaceparker. First try. MVP @nnemkadi diggin it. LA leads 2-1, look to close out Maya & the Lynx. #WNBAFinals, Game4, 8:30et, @ESPN!A video posted by NBA (@nba) onOct 16, 2016 at 3:49pm PDTNow Sparks fans just have to hope she makes one of these shots in Game 5 on Thursday night in Minnesota.See something entertaining on social media that you think deserves to be shared? Let me know on Twitter, @darcymaine_espn. NFL Jerseys Cheap . By having more great seasons. Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday. Cheap Jerseys Stitched . Denis Coderre, the former federal MP who was elected mayor on Nov. 3, has drawn the ire of some Montreal Canadiens. During last nights game he tweeted: "Hello? Can we get a one-way ticket to (minor-league) Hamilton for David Desharnais please. http://www.wholesalenflchinacheapjerseys.com/ . Its sharpness matched my mind. This was no night to go to sleep. Wholesale Cheap Jerseys .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play. Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping . Meanwhile, there were huge victories for Sunderland and West Ham over fellow relegation rivals, leaving the battle to avoid the drop up for grabs with the bottom 11 teams separated by just six points. Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres scored second-half goals to seal a fourth straight victory for Chelsea, which climbed above Arsenal and Manchester City in the standings ahead of their games on Monday and Sunday respectively. What do you do when youre a two-time NCAA champion, an Olympic gold medalist and the WNBA MVP by age 23? You keep working to get better.It sounds simplistic. Even kind of drab and boring, right? Except its the formula for greatness, and there arent any easy roads to get there. Nothing replaces the time in the gym, the commitment to fitness, the unforgiving demands of goal setting.So in the case of New York post player Tina Charles, who is in the midst of making a compelling run for another MVP award, we already know the general answer as to why shes one of the most consistently productive players in the league. She works very hard at it.However, there are specifics as to why Charles has been able to ratchet her own high bar up a little higher.She has improved her perimeter shooting. She has fully committed to being a premier defender. She is embracing areas of team leadership that were initially less compatible with her somewhat strong, silent-type personality.At age 27 and in her seventh season in the WNBA, Charles is in full bloom as a professional superstar. And its exactly what the Liberty need from her.Consistency and stability go hand in hand, and she brings that, Liberty coach Bill Laimbeer said of Charles. You know every night what youre going to get, and you can plan your team around her accordingly. There is much more to her now, though. Her defense last year was the best its ever been, and this year, its even better.She can easily be overlooked, because you just expect it from her. Overall, its a consistent body of work. I dont think she gets nearly the amount of credit for what she does for our basketball team. Shes not flashy, shes not emotional, she doesnt draw attention to herself.Thats been true of Charles going back to her days as a star at UConn, where she won NCAA titles as a junior and senior before becoming the WNBAs top draft pick in 2010.This season, Charles has been the Eastern Conference Player of the Week five times (which ties the WNBAs single-season record) and her numbers speak loudly: Shes averaging a league-best 22.8 points -- four points better than her best average in her six completed seasons -- and 9.8 rebounds. Her career numbers are 17.7 PPG and 10.1 RPG.For Charles, the key word always has been accountability, a trait inspired by her parents. She is the first to critique her own performances and find them lacking. She is motivated by a strong sense of owing it to her team to do more -- even when shes already doing plenty. Theres a lot going on in her mind even when shes not showing any of it on her face.Every time you step on the court, youre playing for your teammates and your coaches respect, Charles said. Im playing for them and their trust, for them to be able to depend on me night in and night out.I know Ive been blessed with great talents, and Im always playing for a reason. I know a high percentage of what I do on the court can make it easier for my teammates. I put that weight on my shoulders, and I welcome iit.ddddddddddddNow, you might be saying, OK, but whats new? Charles has been a standout since she came into the league. Yes, thats true. But lets look at some more specific highlights were seeing in 2016.Charles has made 9-of-25 3-pointers this season; she attempted just 17 treys in her previous six seasons combined. Shes shooting 78.3 percent from the free throw line (65-of-83), the second-best percentage of her WNBA career, behind just the 80.2 she shot from the line in her MVP season of 2012. And shes averaging a career-best 4.1 assists; her previous best was 2.4 last season.Laimbeer has helped by trying to keep Charles in the power forward spot that is the best fit for her, rather than having her at center, where he can use Kiah Stokes, Carolyn Swords and Amanda Zahui B.But Charles can take on whatever assignment she has to for the Liberty, who at 13-6 have the WNBAs third-best record behind Los Angeles and Minnesota.Shell guard anybody now, Laimbeer said. If she has to go out on a small forward? No problem. We try to keep her away from the super-bigs, but she has no problem doing it.Our leagues getting bigger all the time, and we dont necessarily need her sumo-wrestling with some of those players. That just drains her strength from what her necessity is for us: scoring and rebounding. And in this year, youve also seen her passing skills more.Laimbeer said that Charles particularly recognized during the 2015 playoffs how much teams were gearing their defenses toward stopping her.Now, she passes out of the double-teams much quicker -- and smarter -- than she has before, he said. Every year her game is evolving, adding a piece.Thats something her fellow competitors have noticed.She has added different elements to her game, Indianas Tamika Catchings said. Its hard to be an MVP, make the All-Star Game, get these accolades. But the even harder part is, how do you stay at that level? Or improve? You have to work on your game and get better. You look at someone like Tina, and its a prime example of someone who has continued to get better and better.Charles will be on her second U.S. Olympic team in August. After that, she might have Liberty teammate Epiphanny Prince -- who has been out with a knee injury suffered in November 2015 -- back on the court. New York guard Sugar Rodgers (16.1 PPG) has taken a big step up in Princes absence, but having both of those perimeter sharpshooters would boost the Liberty.Regardless of who is around her, though, Charles isnt just ready to shoulder that heavy load -- shes flat-out eager to do it.I have learned to trust my teammates around me, too, Charles said. I have no problem knowing if I dont make it easier on them -- by the way I play, by how hard I sprint down the floor even when Im tired -- Im not doing my job. My mindset has just become even more like that as Ive gotten older in the game. ' ' '