#and sam's patience and sam's prioritization of his feelings above all else

[ardentpoop]

remember when sam signed up for the exact same fate with lucifer and everyone around him agreed that sacrificing himself was Correct since the apocalypse was His Fault

remember how he spent the entirety of s5 being made to feel utterly worthless and not a single person in his life intervened or even asked him how he was coping

remember how he DID spend an eternity trapped with lucifer and michael who had nothing to do to entertain themselves besides torture him (and adam, oops)

#compare to dean's MOC arc and dean's s14 michael-sword arc and dean's whatever the fuck else arc #he gets monologues abt his suicidal ideation he gets check-ins from every family member and friend he gets sam's unrelenting support #and sam's patience and sam's prioritization of his feelings above all else #GOD i hate it so much. but again: therein lies the tragedy #spn #liveblog tag #14.11

[flauntpage]

Cavs Rookie is Really Great at This Really Bad Thing

The below has been excerpted from this week's Outlet Pass, to get caught up on everything else you need to know in the NBA this week read the rest of the column here.

Collin Sexton owns one of the most maddening and admirable shot charts in basketball. Guards who fetishize long twos and struggle-face their way into the paint with little to show for it unnecessarily wander uphill while leaving countless points on the table. But, as Cleveland’s physical representation of a silver lining, Sexton (who’s still 19) isn’t afraid to prioritize his own comfort zone over what NBA tastemakers deem obligatory. It’s clear from watching him that threes aren’t necessarily outside his range, but, for now, Sexton and the Cavs are fine with him cozying up to an area on the floor that just about everyone else in the league has abandoned.

“He’s taken what the defense has given him,” Cavs head coach Larry Drew said. “I think as he continues to mature, continues to grow and develop, he’ll start to understand, you know, that you just take a little step back and you get another point. But right now he’s playing off feel.”

Not only does Sexton gorge on the game’s least efficient shot more often than anybody else, but the gap between him and the pack is jarring. According to Cleaning the Glass, 43 percent of Sexton’s shots are long twos. For reference, that’s one point below DeMar DeRozan’s career high and last year’s league leader finished at 38 percent. “That’s just what they’re giving me,” Sexton told VICE Sports. “I have to take advantage and make it.”

Not even 30 games into his career, this doesn’t need to induce a freakout. But just so we’re clear, threes matter, and Sexton will eventually need to take more than 1.6 per game if he wants to widen his own margin for error. The upshot of a mid-range diet typically is not an efficient scorer. The Cavs would like Sexton to eventually be an efficient scorer. The good news is there doesn’t appear to be any sort of unnerving impediment holding him back. His range will someday extend by a few feet without any need to rework shot mechanics or speed up his release, and he’s already shown a willingness to pull up in the face of defenders who duck under his screen.

Sexton’s warm-up routine before games mostly focuses on the tight pull ups that account for a huge chunk of his shot selection, but Cleveland’s coaches also want to simulate the cushion defenders regularly give him above the break.

Earlier this week, before Cleveland’s shootaround began, Sexton and a handful of coaches had half the court to themselves. On the other side, a few Cavs (Alec Burks, Channing Frye, Sam Dekker, and a couple more) walked through sets with Coach Drew. For Sexton, the goal was to sharpen his entire off-the-dribble attack. He snaked pick and rolls as a coach instructed him to step forward towards the paint instead of back to the arc as he weaved middle off a screen, so as to prevent his man from recovering to bother his shot.

“Attack the nail!” they shout, referencing the exact middle of the free-throw line. Speed is important, but this particular sequence is pointless unless Sexton can get his defender on his hip and lock him in jail. Learning such nuance does not happen overnight, but is crucial to his development. Until he figures it out, Sexton will take some difficult shots that don’t need to be so hard.

He then spent ten minutes implementing patience into his side pick-and-roll, setting his big man up to re-screen and let him get downhill for an easier jump shot when his man goes under the pick. For Sexton, these smooth pull-ups are great to keep in his back pocket, especially after the three becomes a regular part of his arsenal and opponents work to take that away. In the meantime, not every long two is created equal. Like, this should never, ever, ever happen in an NBA game:

Sexton doesn’t completely abandon layups or threes—he’s 18-for-39 beyond the arc and isn’t bashful when given enough space and time to let one go—and that’s notable. But his next step will be to initiate pull-up threes instead of settling into them because that’s what the defense wants.

“It’s there,” he told VICE Sports. “I’ve just got to take more reps and not be afraid to shoot...I’m not at all [shy about shooting threes], but if they’re gonna sag back off me I’ve gotta be able to knock that 15 footer down.”

Coach Drew has not instructed Sexton to take more threes, and so long as the Cavaliers are playing to lose, the rookie’s shot selection is sufficient. Frankly, when he makes them at an effective clip (currently 44 percent, which isn’t bad), the threat of a mid-range jumper accentuates Sexton’s blinding speed and forces defenders to guard him tighter than they want to. Ignore his first ten games (all off the bench) and Sexton’s averaging 17.8 points on very impressive shooting splits. He went 3-for-3 beyond the arc on Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors. So long as he and the organization are happy letting his scope expand organically, Sexton can become one of the more dynamic scorers at his position. Attach a potent mid-range pull-up and reliable three ball to Sexton’s uncanny speed and someday defenses won’t know what the hell to do with him.

Cavs Rookie is Really Great at This Really Bad Thing published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

[tonyahayes]

Happy First Day! I am wearing this necklace this week as a reminder to pray for one of my sweet families! The Slagle's. Their are 6 of them: Sam, Spring, Isaac, Eva, Johnathon, and Tirzah. I got to know them all quite well when I was a Speech-Language Pathologist for Isaac at Oak Pointe Elementary and then later served them privately at home for three years. I say I served them because well, you do! When you work intimately in a families home you see the good, the bad, and the ugly. With the Slagle's I always saw patience, love, care, safety, prioritizing of what each child needed and they had four to spread themselves between! Isaac is probably one of my most challenging cases because he had skills and lost them as he aged. He had words but quit using them and his frustration grew. We met weekly and worked and cooked and laughed! Isaac taught me so much! Isaac loves just a few things really well! He loves Christmas! He loves music. He loves Veggie Tales and penguins! The boy loves food!! I learned that in life I get to wrapped up in flitting here there and over there and I'm happiest when I prioritize just a few things to really do well. All the good things around rob me of what I'm best at! Isaac has a way of communicating he's getting upset. Isaac has limited words and often when he's beginning to escalate will begin scripting, "You're ok. Upset." These words are the warning flags to stop the activity and pivot to something he enjoys. You can't always have the chocolate chips you want but you can sing a song or look at a favorite book. Spring often takes the brunt of Isaac's rage as she's his mom and 24-7 care giver. It's really hard. I learned I need to have some phrases I can share with those I love to alert them to when I'm having a bad day and I'm particularly stressed rather than lashing out or being rude. Learning to pivot to a more enjoyable task is also a way for me to diffuse my frustration. Often the ones we love the most are the ones we treat the worst and that's not healthy! I wanna try to raise the flag and not hurt those I love. Isaac writes to calm himself down! I watched Spring de-escalate Isaac more times than I can count! Never raising her voice, using short commands: sit down, hands in your lap, get paper, write name, etc. her commands were a string of tasks that were rote but as he thought about what he was writing about, he emotionally settled. As the pencil pressed the paper and he saw his name, age, address, etc he became a boy who could be reasoned with and trusted to go play and not self injure or harm his younger siblings. I too can use writing to settle me! Lists when I'm overwhelmed, a quick paraphrase of a scripture for twitter or a journal entry when I'm sad or very upset. Getting my feelings out as a prayer to a God who always hears restores my soul! Isaac understood first chore then fun! Weekly I would arrive with a therapy plan of extending his language, increasing comprehension or something else. He would not want to do the work! He wanted to see what was in my grocery bag and what we would assemble or cook today. "First work then cook!!" He had to be reminded to stay on task but he would eventually finish the work and get to cook and eat!! So like Isaac, I have to force myself to do paperwork so then I can walk the dogs or force myself to fold the clothes so then I can read a book!! Life is full of "I don't wanna's but I have to's." If you can learn to reward yourself along the way it sure is nicer! "I have to do the yard work but then I can rest and have a cold glass of water!" We're so busy doing life we don't stop to reward ourselves or we reward ourselves constantly and never really accomplish something meaningful! Which one are you?! I wanna soak in my accomplishments and rewards a little more everyday. That's why I have a page in my calendar that says, "I did that!" Finally y'all can I share how Isaac loved a calendar!! He loved the order it brought to his life. Sunday's he looked forward to going to church, Monday's he looked forward to going to school, Thursday's he looked forward to Ms Tonya coming! And Friday's were pizza night at the Slagle home!! But three fourths into the month he couldn't sleep and would obsess over the fact that it was almost the end of the month. You see Isaac couldn't wait to turn the page to a new month of possibilities! Isaac celebrated "First Day" and the new possibilities that awaited him! My heart is so full because I want to be like Isaac and celebrate like that! To anticipate the first new day of the month, mark my calendar with a few fun things to look forward to but most of all the spirit of anticipation! What amazing things will God have in store if I have a Spirit of expectancy?! I will celebrate a "first" everyday in August as I pray for the Slagle family! #FirstDay Will you join with me in celebrating firsts in your life too!! If you do and you use social media, use the hashtag above so they can see all who are joining the fun!! Pray for them as they do a first...a hard first...Isaac is moving into a new home for full time care. Sam and Spring ache as they make this decision that is best for him. Eva, Johnathon and Tirzah will forever be changed. It will be a new normal as they all adjust. I love them all so very much. Thanks friends!