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North Melbournes best form had better be in front of them, because their AFL season of great expectations has ground to a halt.Kangaroos coach Brad Scott remained upbeat about their prospects after Sundays 32-point loss to West Coast at Subiaco.It meant they have lost five of their last six games and plummeted from top spot on the AFL ladder to eighth.Scott said they had to rediscover their best form and regain players from injury.Our best footy is in front of us, he said.We have played some really good football this year and we have had some challenges put in front of us. Some challenges we havent been able to overcome.We have played four pretty good teams in the past month (Geelong, Hawthorn, Adelaide, Eagles) and really I didnt walk away discouraged that our best wasnt good enough to win those games.Indeed, their situation is not catastrophic - yet.Norths nine-game winning streak at the start of the season means they are only one game plus percentage outside the top four.And the Kangaroos have a three-game buffer over Port Adelaide, Collingwood Melbourne and St Kilda, who will need a lot to go right if any of them are to push for the finals.But of Norths 10 wins this season, only two have been against other teams currently in the top eight.Their form slump makes next Saturdays home game against the resurgent Power a big clash.The Eagles 16.8 (104) to 11.6 (72) win was their first this year against another top eight team.West Coast improved from eighth to fifth, leaving them just one win adrift of second.Also on Sunday, Adelaide extended their winning streak to seven with a regulation 10-goal win over Carlton at the MCG.The 16.11 (107) to 7.5 (47) win sent the Crows rocketing from fifth to third.Across town, St Kildas four-goal run in the last quarter meant they survived a scare against lowly Essendon and won by 11 points.Jack Steven was supreme for the Saints in the 17.7 (109) to 14.14 (98) win.Geelong and GWS were the big losers in round 16, with the Cats falling at home to Sydney on Friday night by 38 points.As Geelong dropped out of the top four, Sydney replaced them in second spot and set up a ripping clash next Thursday night against top side Hawthorn at the SCG.The Giants were also ordinary at home, falling to the Magpies by 32 points to drop from third to seventh.Richmond gave the Western Bulldogs an almighty scare on Saturday night, but the Dogs won ugly by 10 points to improve from sixth to fourth.Only two games separate top side Hawthorn from North in eighth.The Hawks beat Port Adelaide on Thursday night by 22 points in a rugged clash.Melbourne beat Fremantle in Darwin and Gold Coast won the Q Clash over Brisbane. 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Jose Fernandez Jersey Large . Miller finished in two minutes, 6.09 seconds, one day before the first medal race on the Alpine schedule. The 36-year-old American also turned in the top time in Thursdays opening training session. The Chicago Bulls will have, perhaps, the most fitting opponent of any team in the NBA for a season-opening game Thursday night at the United Center.Chicago will debut its retooled roster against the Boston Celtics, with the Bulls Three Alphas -- otherwise known as guards Jimmy Butler, Dwayne Wade and Rajon Rondo -- leading the way.It is a familiar structural concept to Rondo, the veteran point guard who signed with the Bulls in the offseason. In the early stages of his career, Rondo was a member of the Celtics when the Big Three, of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce led Boston to the 2008 NBA title.Rondo and Wade are both aging, but feel they can help Butler bring the Bulls back to the playoffs in the Eastern Conference -- if not achieve loftier goals.Outside of the Bulls and their Three Alphas, expectations are low. Butler, however, said he isnt paying attention to prognostications.I dont think (criticism) motivates us to do anything, Butler told the Chicago Sun-Times. Theyre going to say and do whatever theyre going to say and do whatever they want to do and say anyways. So ... motivation? Nah. Motivation is we get to go out and compete and put on for this organization every day.Wade and Rondo werent the lone additions to the Bulls roster, however.After trading former point guard Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks, the Bulls blew up last seasons roster with a significant overhaul for coach Fred Hoibergs second season. They will start out with 14 players, one short of the NBA maximum, and will have eight faces making their Bulls regular-season debut.Along with Rondo and Wade, Chicago will unveil center Robin Lopez, recently acquired backup guard Michael Carter-Williams, rookie guard Denzel Valentine, guard Jerian Grant, guard Isaiah Canaan and German rookie forward Paul Zipser.Wade, Rondo and Butler will start, along with Lopez and power forward Taj Gibson -- who earned a starting role over Nikola Mirotic. That starting five is geared more for slugging it out in the paint than spreading the floor and draining 3-pointers.dddddddddddd.We feel like (Gibson) has played excellent basketball throughout the preseason, Hoiberg said this week. Hes been good in practices. Weve talked to our guys about that. Niko has had a couple good practices in a row now. You try to get him in a good rhythm coming out of the gate, but thats the way were going to start.The Celtics will be a good test for Chicago, after opening their season Wednesday night with a 122-117 win over against the Brooklyn Nets -- to whom they traded Garnett and Pierce in a deal that is paying dividends for Boston in a bevy of draft picks that were acquired.Isaiah Thomas led Boston with 25 points and nine assists against Brooklyn, and Jae Crowder added 21 points.The Celtics are coming off back-to-back playoff appearances, and they added four-time NBA All-Star Al Horford, who signed a four-year free agent contract worth $113 million. Horfords veteran experience up front is expected to mesh nicely with Bostons young core group.He contributed 11 points, six assists and five rebounds Wednesday as Boston held on to top the Nets. Brooklyn trailed by 21 with 5 1/2 minutes left yet had two chances to tie in the late going.Thats the NBA for you, Horford said. I think it will humble you sometimes. We had a comfortable lead and we thought it was fine, but this is a good learning experience for our group.Role players Marcus Smart (ankle) and Kelly Olynyk (shoulder) are injured to start the season, but the Celtics are confident their replacements can grant enough rest to the starters.In the opener, the Celtics chalked up 36 assists on 48 baskets -- the most assists by a team in an NBA opener since 2001. They also committed 19 turnovers.We could have even had more assists if we knocked down our open shots, Thomas said. ' ' '