and a 98-85 win over the Heat on April 12 sealed the eighth spot. "

Getting called out by former NFL star receiver Chad Johnson was a welcome break from the monotony of training camp for Tyron Brackenridge. Johnson, now with the Montreal Alouettes, took aim at the Saskatchewan Roughriders safety Tuesday on Twitter. Brackenridge was still chuckling about it Wednesday. "Was it entertaining?" Brackenridge asked with a laugh during a telephone interview. "I had fun with it. "When youre dealing with the pressure of training camp, these two-a-days and meetings, its good to have a little laugh here and there. He felt like I was the one he wanted to call out, I just entertained his antics." It began innocently enough on Twitter when a fan asked Johnson, a popular social media figure with 3.6 million followers, which team was he most looking forward to facing this season. "#41 from the Rough Riders," Johnson tweeted, referencing Brackenridge. After Brackenridge said, "Cant wait!" Johnson turned up the heat, tweeting: "I will run through you or around you, whichever you prefer." Brackenridge responded: "your cfl career will be short messing with me! You better ask your teammates or better yet find out for yourself." Johnson countered: "They speak highly of you but youll be dealt with." Added Brackenridge, "they speak highly of me for a reason. Its a thin line between tough & stupid. If your not looking for #41 youll regret it.." The colourful Johnson, in his first CFL season following a two-year hiatus from football, certainly didnt select a shrinking violet. The six-foot, 190-pound Brackenridge was a league all-star last year and voted the CFLs hardest hitter by his peers. Johnson referenced that when a fan asked who Brackenridge was. "The person wholl force me to keep my head on a swivel August 16," Johnson tweeted. Johnson ended the lively banter asking his supporters to follow Brackenridge. "I need at least 2 million of you to follow the homie @Tbrack41 please," Johnson tweeted. Brackenridge, 29, who has over 7,000 Twitter followers, said Johnsons comments were unsolicited although the two have a history. Theyve faced each other in the NFL and worked out together during the off-season with the same trainer. "We dont really know each other personally, like buddy buddy," Brackenridge said. "But at the end of the day, things like this make it fun to play the game and look forward to . . . its all fun and games." That is until June 29, when Saskatchewan opens its season hosting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a Grey Cup rematch. Brackenridge hasnt circled Aug. 16 on his calendar — when Montreal visits Regina — because as defending champions the Riders are expecting the best from every opponent this season. "Yes, we have a target on our back but we must defend the title week in and week out and just continue to be consistent and play like pros," he said. "Thats what keeps me on my toes . . . knowing I must continue to elevate my game." However, Brackenridge appreciates the recognition he received from Johnson. "It feels good to know you have respect around the league but you have to continue to earn that every week," he said. "Each year is a new year, you constantly have to get better otherwise somebody will come in and try to take your job or expose you." As for facing Johnson, Brackenridge will worry about that in August. The two teams will meet again in October in Montreal. "I approach every game the same . . . like its a championship game," Brackenridge said. "Im a competitor and I want to win each game, I want to win every play. "When we play them, Ill have the same mentality as I do when we play Hamilton in Week 1." Johnsons tweets did prompt one Riders fan to offer on Twitter a $100 donation to charity if Brackenridge legally hits Johnson hard enough to separate him from the football. The Riders team that will defend the Grey Cup title will differ vastly from the one that won it. Among those departing are running back Kory Sheets (Oakland, NFL), receivers Weston Dressler (Kansas City, NFL) and Geroy Simon (retired), linebackers Rey Williams (retired) and Craig Butler (Hamilton, free agent) and defensive tackle Keith Shologan (Ottawa expansion draft). "Unfortunately, its the nature of the game," Brackenridge said. "Each year youre going to have new personnel, youve just got to make it work. "Training camp is about building the chemistry to goes on throughout the season." Brackenridge was a key contributor last year with 48 tackles, a league-high five forced fumbles and three interceptions. He was a league all-star and voted the Riders top defensive player. Brackenridge spent time in the NFL with Kansas City (07-08), the New York Jets (09) and Jacksonville (09-10). Entering his fourth CFL campaign, Brackenridge says hes very comfortable with the nuances of Canadian football. "Ive learned a lot in this league," he said. "I was a little raw when I first came in but now the game is normal again . . . Id say Im pretty comfortable right now." And that includes life off the field as Brackenridge was married this off-season. "Everything is complete," he said. "They (wife, Christine, and three-year-old daughter Brooklyn) make it fun for me every day. "Im very blessed and thankful and enjoy this game with a smile on my face." Hes also thankful to be playing in Saskatchewan, home to the CFLs most passionate fans. Last November, a loud, predominantly green gathering of 44,710 watched the Riders defeat Hamilton 45-23 for just their fourth CFL title and first at Mosaic Stadium. "Ill tell you what, they make it extremely fun to play this game," Brackenridge said of Rider Nation. "They make it easier for guys like me who are away from home and our families. "Everything we do is dedicated to them as well as our families. It (13 Grey Cup) is very special to people born and raised in this province . . . that moment will live on forever." Basketball Shoes 2020 . -- Nick Bjugstad snapped out of his scoring slump and spoiled Drew MacIntyres first NHL start. Cheap Basketball Shoes China .Mihajlovic was sent off minutes from the end of Thursdays 2-0 win over Brescia and has been punished for using a disrespectful expression toward the fourth official and throwing the contents of a bottle of water at him, thus assuming an intimidating attitude. https://www.cheapbasketballshoesstore.com/ . Chile applied pressure in midfield right from the beginning, challenging aggressively and continually surging forward. Eduardo Vargas beat the offside trap and fired home a stinging shot for Chiles opening goal in the fifth minute. Basketball Shoes Sale . - The Chicago Bears have agreed to a one-year contract with free-agent centre Brian de la Puente. Basketball Shoes From China . -- Thirty years ago, the Detroit Pistons beat the Denver Nuggets 186-184 in triple overtime, a game that remains the highest scoring in NBA history.The Indiana Pacers earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and theyll begin their crusade for an NBA title Saturday night when they welcome the Atlanta Hawks to Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Catch the game on TSN2 starting at 7pm et/4pm pt. The Pacers held the No. 1 spot in the East for much of the regular season, but the end of the campaign didnt go as planned. Indiana went 10-13 to finish the season, but got the top seed when the Miami Heat rested some starters late in the campaign. "I was excited that we got it. It was something we set out for," head coach Frank Vogel said prior to their season-finale. "It gives us the best chances going into the playoffs." The Pacers lost in seven games to the Heat in last years Eastern Conference Finals. They finished second in the NBA in opponents scoring and first in opponents field-goal percentage. They also finished with the best home record at 35-6. But the Pacers will need to improve significantly if they are going to advance in the postseason. All-Stars Paul George and Roy Hibbert both regressed as did Lance Stephenson. But the team is built on defense and have had time to try and cure whats ailing them. "This is the best time of the year," said Stephenson. "Every game is on TV and every game is about business. Theres no joking around. Everybody is watching." The Hawks are in the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season and needed both late-season heroics and a collapse by the New York Knicks to punch a ticket. Under the guidance of first-year head coach Mike Budenholzeer, the Hawks managed to tread water in an otherwise dreadful Eastern Conference and hope to move past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2010-11.dddddddddddd The Hawks have been bounced in six games in each of the last two conference quarterfinals. They lost six in a row in late March and started to feel the heat. However, the Hawks won six of the next eight games to get back on track and a 98-85 win over the Heat on April 12 sealed the eighth spot. "Im happy for all the guys," Hawks guard Jeff Teague said. "We worked so hard all year. Injuries and everything that can happen to a team happened. We were able to still make it to the playoffs." The Hawks dealt with a major loss early on when All-Star center Al Horford went down with a right pectoral injury. But Teague and Paul Millsap picked up the slack and got Atlanta the eighth seed. Teague averaged 16.5 ppg and 6.7 apg and Vogel indicated that he was the key to stopping the Hawks. "The whole defensive game plan is keeping (Teague) out of the paint; its the toughest challenge were going to have," acknowledged Vogel. Indiana and Atlanta met in the 2012-13 playoffs and the Pacers disposed of the Hawks in six games. The Pacers and the Hawks will face each other in the postseason for a sixth time and the two sides split four regular-season meetings this season. The Hawks trounced the Pacers in Indiana on April 6, but Indiana is 10-5 in its last 15 as the host in this series. Atlanta has won 14 of its last 16 against the Pacers at Philips Arena. ' ' '