SAN ANTONIO -- If only for a couple of minutes, Tony Parker started thinking about life as a member of the Boston Celtics. Sitting inside Madison Square Garden and waiting for his name to be called late in the first round of the 2001 NBA draft, Parker had been handed a Celtics cap, an indication that the team planned to select him with the No. 21 pick that was approaching.But before Bostons selection even went on the clock, former NBA vice president of player development Chrysa Chin, lovingly nicknamed Hat Lady by those who received draft-night caps from her through the years, swooped in to retrieve the lid. The Celtics, she apologized, were going in a different direction.For the better part of the past two decades, fans of the Celtics have lamented how Boston missed out on the opportunity to draft Tim Duncan. The truth is that, once the pingpong balls defied them, the Celtics never truly had a chance to nab Duncan.Now that Duncan has retired, its time to shift the spotlight to another future Spurs Hall of Famer, one whom the Celtics whiffed three times on picking, none more noticeable than with their final pick in the 2001 draft, when Boston instead selected guard Joe Forte.I dont remember what happened [with Parker], but normally what happens when a player doesnt get the hat that hes supposed to is theres been a change in the pick or theres been a trade, or a trade is coming, or there was discussion of a trade and maybe it was unsettled, said Chin, who now serves as the executive vice president of strategy and development for the National Basketball Players Association.It happens quite a bit where, at that time, I would give a player a hat, then youd have to go back and get the hat back. Sometimes families want to keep it to sort of document the history and all of that, but its normally not anything sort of catastrophic. Its sort of an operations issue.Yes, the perils of live TV. Fortunately, in the days before Twitter and cellphone cameras, no one noticed the switcheroo. Still, poor Parker, who sat in the stands despite not being one of the invited draftees, then had to wait until San Antonio finally selected him with the 28th pick. This time, Chin greeted Parker on the arena floor with a Spurs cap and directed him to the stage. During TNTs broadcast, former Celtics coach Rick Pitino detailed why Parker might have been on Bostons radar.The Boston coaching staff, they thought this was the premier point guard in the draft, Pitino said. They loved him. If Forte was not available, they probably would have gone with Tony Parker. This is someone who is very, very highly valued in the league and can really shoot it and play the point position.With three picks, including two in the lottery, the Celtics essentially emerged with 48 games of Joe Johnson at No. 10; Kedrick Brown, a freak junior college athlete who was heavily rumored to be heading to Portland but never did at No. 11; and one forgettable season with Forte.Six All-Star appearances and four NBA titles later, its fair to say things worked out just fine for Parker. But that night has certainly stuck with him.[The Celtics] made my eyes water on draft night, Parker recalled during Grantlands BS Report podcast at All-Star weekend in 2013. Im going to tell you a true story. True story. True story. The draft, you have that NBA lady, Chrysa -- she comes to me, and it was the 19th pick, she gives me a Celtics cap and says, They are going to pick you. And it was like three minutes left on the clock, and you have five minutes to pick. Then at one minute she comes back and takes the cap, [and says,] Oh no, they changed their mind. They took my cap. I was like, What?And so then they drafted Joe Forte. I was always curious what happened. One day I asked the GM, Chris Wallace, I was like, What happened in the draft, like when you changed your mind? Because the day before, I had practiced for Boston. So I did two workouts -- I did the normal workout, then the day before the draft they did a workout. It was Jim OBrien at the time, the coach, and he was like, We want to draft you, but the Spurs are going to try to make a trade at 20, but if youre available at 21, for sure well take you. The coach and the GM, they wanted me, but the president, big boss, he changed his mind.That big boss, of course, was Red Auerbach, who lit two cigars in celebration of the Forte pick. And while its now well-documented that Forte was the last hand-picked selection for Auerbach, who had watched Forte play in high school in Maryland and likely trumped those who might have preferred Parker. Remember, too, the pick was widely praised at the time.In the aftermath of the draft, Auerbach proclaimed that Forte was an, ideal 2-guard; he can flat-out shoot the ball. Alas, Forte could not flat-out shoot the ball. He made only one field goal in 12 career attempts with Boston. He played a mere 39 minutes in eight games. Thirteen months after drafting Forte, the Celtics traded him to Seattle as part of the package that returned Vin Baker (and somehow that might have been an even worse personnel decision).Forte is otherwise remembered in Boston only for his curious fashion choices. He once reportedly wore a Magic Johnson jersey to a team meeting, seemingly oblivious at the time to the history between the franchises. He atoned by wearing a Bill Russell throwback jersey on the bench during one of the games he was inactive for, though hes better remembered for donning a Scooby-Doo sweater in the days before a more stringent NBA dress code.Forte appeared in just 17 games for Seattle and had an even rougher go there (the Washington Post detailed how he wore a Michael Jordan jersey the night of a Wizards game that ended with him getting in a fight in the team showers). Fortes final NBA career averages: 1.2 points, 0.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists over 5 minutes per game. He briefly latched on with the Asheville Attitude of the NBA D-League, playing close to his college roots in North Carolina, before embarking on a decade-long overseas career that included stops in Greece, Italy, Russia, Iran and Israel.Now in his 16th NBA season, Parker isnt quite the force he once was. But he can still turn back the clock, as he did in Saturdays win over the Nets when he put up 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting over 20 minutes.Thats twice as many points more than Forte ever scored for Boston. Kyrie Irving Shoes From China .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. Fake Air Max 270 For Sale . Carey Price didnt, but he still came out on top against one of his rivals for the No. 1 job at the Sochi Games. The Anahim Lake, B.C., native was stellar in making 39 saves in his home province and Lars Eller got credit for a bizarre short-handed winner as the Canadiens defeated the Canucks 4-1. http://www.wholesalenikeshoesclearance.com/cheap-lebron-james-shoes.html . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. Air Max 95 Replica . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. Air Max 97 Plus Wholesale China . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Sometimes Wofford coach Mike Ayers cant fathom what his team has accomplished, given the adversity the Terriers have faced all season.Starting linebacker Michael Roach collapsed during the game at Tennessee Tech with a previously undiagnosed career-ending heart condition. In October, linebacker John Patterson fractured his C6 vertebra -- a potentially devastating injury that he walked away from.Wofford had to turn to its fifth-string quarterback because of injuries and still managed to beat undefeated Citadel, 17-3, last week and reach the FCS quarterfinals.Its kind of awesome just to see the way the guys are still playing, Ayers said. Conducting business on a daily basis.The Terriers (10-3) continue their playoff trek Saturday at Youngstown State (10-3) with a national semifinals spot at stake.Wofford had been a power in the Southern Conference, winning four league titles and reaching the NCAA playoffs six times between 2003 and 2012. But the Terriers went 17-16 the past three seasons and appeared a program in decline entering the year.The personnel losses began in the summer when starting quarterback, senior Evan Jacks, tore an ACL in the first scrimmage of fall camp.The most frightening incident came in the opener at Tennessee Tech when Roach went into cardiac arrest and collapsed on the bench early in the third quarter. He was unconscious, stopped breathing for 45 seconds and rushed to Cookeville Regional Medical Center where he was alert and responsive. Roach was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a thickening of the heart walls that make it harder to pump blood, and had a procedure to place an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. He returned to campus two days later.The shocked Terriers, who did not learn their teammates status until after the game, scored three touchdowns in the second half for a 21-7 victory.We didnt know what to do, Wofford fullback Lorenzo Long said. Hes not breathing. You could feel the shock through the whole stadium. But we knew we had to continue the game, win it for Roach.That began a series of win aanyway moments for the Terriers.ddddddddddddBackup quarterback Brad Butler started the first four games until he tore an ACL against East Tennessee on Sept. 24.Pattersons season-ending neck injury occurred in a loss to the Citadel on Oct. 22. The linebacker got up after a hit and walked to the sidelines looking like he hurt his shoulder. Moments later, he was carted to the locker room and later to the hospital. He had surgery the next day to fuse several vertebrae.Team orthopedist Stephen Kana said after the surgery that he could not believe Patterson had walked off the field.But the following Monday, Patterson, wearing a neck brace, was walking around with teammates.Senior safety Jaleel Green said Pattersons loss was difficult to take after losing Roach.To see him carted off to the locker room was hard, Green said. Were just a team of adversity. You get used to it happening, I guess.The lineup changes continued into the playoffs.Junior quarterback Brandon Goodson left last weeks game with a sprained ankle, the Terriers had to go to fifth-string freshman Joseph Newman because David Howerton, fourth on the depth chart, was recuperating from donating bone marrow several weeks earlier.If Newman gets hurt at Youngstown State, Wofford will have to turn to running back Nick Colvin, although he hasnt played quarterback since high school.Roach and Patterson are at practice each day, supporting teammates and cheering on Woffords playoff run. Roachs football career is over while Patterson hopes to return next season.Ayers is the schools all-time winningest coach with 197 victories in 29 seasons. Hes grateful both Roach and Patterson were not more severely injured. Hes also amazed at his teams resiliency to keep achieving despite obstacles.Sometimes, I think, `Golly, will these kids ever break? Ayers said. Its just a special group with a special bond, doing things nobody thought we could do.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '