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GREENBURGH, N.Y. - The coaching search is on in New York, and the best possible candidate has already been eliminated. Phil Jackson wont be hiring himself to coach the Knicks. Two days after firing Mike Woodson, Jackson reiterated Wednesday that he wont be returning to the bench, despite the fact that even fiancee Jeanie Buss told him he should. But Jackson, who retired from coaching in 2011 after winning an NBA-record 11 titles, said his body isnt up to doing the job. "Jeanie Buss was here with the Board of Governors last week and stayed through the weekend, and tried to encourage me to coach the team. And if theres anyone that can encourage me to do anything, its Jeanie Buss. But I was able to withstand her arguments the whole time," Jackson said at the Knicks training centre. So the new team president said hes looking for a leader with the personality and charisma to succeed in New York. He hopes to talk with Steve Kerr, the TNT analyst frequently mentioned as the leading candidate, sometime within the next month. "New York, I think, demands a personality, a person that the fans can believe in, a person that has some confidence, has the charismatic appeal, and I think has a forward-looking idea about the game," Jackson said. He believes Kerr, who played for him in Chicago and served as general manager of the Phoenix Suns, could be that person. He discussed Kerrs potential interest in coaching last year when a group was trying to buy the Sacramento Kings and move them to Seattle. Jackson was prepared to run their basketball operations if that happened. He and Kerr spoke again earlier this year about basketball, so Jackson is comfortable they share the same view of how the game should be played. "I know philosophically we have a strong connection. Whether hes able to take a job like this, I dont know," Jackson said. "I will get in a conversation with him later on this month and talk to him about and see where hes at as far as his desire to coach." Jackson said he didnt have a timetable beyond wanting a coach in place before the July summer league. He has other candidates in mind, but said: "You dont want to know their names. I dont want you to have their names." Jacksons will always come up because of his coaching legacy. Madison Square Garden Chairman James Dolan first talked to Jackson around the holidays about coaching the team, but Jackson declined before they began discussing a management position. Jackson said Buss, whose family owns the Lakers, encouraged him to reconsider because it was "low risk" for him and a "do-what-you-know-best type of thing." But he said hes already made up his mind. "Right now I know physically what I can do," Jackson said. "Thats something that I dont think physically I can do." Jackson hopes Carmelo Anthony wont change his mind, either. Anthony plans to become a free agent this summer and has said he would take less than a maximum salary if it helped build a winning team. Jackson, noting that Tim Duncan and the Miami Heats Big Three had sacrificed salary in the past, said he would talk to Anthony about the benefits of doing the same. "Thats the beginning of team play," Jackson said. "Its really hard to just have one or two top stars, max players, and put together a team with enough talent. Youve got to have people making sacrifices financially, so we hope that Carmelo is true to his word, and we understand what its going to take and well present that to him at that time." The Knicks would have to pay Anthony more than $120 million over five years if he insisted on a max contract. Anthony was one of the only bright spots on a 37-45 team that missed the playoffs. The Knicks would like to keep him. "Im all about moving forward. Just deal with what is and move forward," Jackson said. "If its in the cards, man, are we fortunate. If its not in the cards, man, are we fortunate. Were going forward anyway." Pavel Zacha Jersey .J. Mayo made seven three-pointers and scored 25 points, Ersan Ilyasova added 20, and the Milwaukee Bucks placed seven players in double figures in a 130-110 rout of the Philadelphia 76ers, who lost their 11th straight game on Monday night. Ken Daneyko Jersey . Its the second of three meetings between these teams this season. Vancouver was a 2-1 winner on home ice December 22nd. http://www.authenticdevilspro.com/Miles-wood-devils-jersey/ . Needing to bulk up on both sides of the line, the Falcons agreed to terms with guard Jon Asamoah, defensive end Tyson Jackson and defensive tackle Paul Soliai. Asamoah and Jackson played last season with Kansas City, where Asamoah lost his starting job. New Jersey Devils Jerseys . Dane Dobbie and Shawn Evans each had two goals and two assists for the Roughnecks (8-5), who outscored Minnesota 6-2 in the fourth quarter after being tied through 45 minutes. Curtis Dickson scored once and set up three more for Calgary and Dan MacRae, Geoff Snider, Tor Reinholdt, Karsen Leung and Matthew Dinsdale. Taylor Hall Jersey . PAUL, Minn.NEW YORK, N.Y. - Henrik Lundqvist wasnt happy going into Game 6 against Montreal. Given the hook midway through the previous game of the Eastern Conference final, the US$100-million-plus Rangers goalie had been doing a lot of soul-searching. "You have so many highs. You have a few lows where youre questioning a lot of things, but then you just have to make up your mind," Lundqvist said after Thursdays 1-0 series-clinching win over Montreal. "You cant have any excuses. You just have to go out there. "I kept telling myself all day, believe in what youre doing. Ive been in that spot before. It gets silly, you get pulled. You have a tough game, but you just have to stay confident." The mental review concluded, Lundqvist returned to world-class form. In dispatching the Canadiens to win the series four games to two, Lundqvist only had to deal with 18 shots. There were stretches of inactivity for the stylish Swede but he had to be razor sharp on a couple of occasions. Lundqvist, in 20 playoff games this season, leads the NHL with a .928 save percentage and ranks second with a 2.03 goals-against average. New York will need more of the same in the Stanley Cup final. "He was totally focused," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said of his goalie. "He was probably a little upset tonight coming into the game. I dont know if it was because of the opportunity or if he was upset with the way it ended in Montreal in Game 5. "But he was definitely focused, and those are not easy games to play. I mean, there is not a lot of work, but youve got to stay sharp. He stayed really sharp." The biggest save came in the second period off Thomas Vanek. It was an amazing circus-like save with his arm and then blocker as Lundqvist, who lost his stick in the process, corkscrewed his body to stop the close-range shot that deflected off a diving defenceman. Asked what he thought of the play, Vigneault replied: "Same thing you did. Wow." The Rangers scored soon after to book a ticket to their first Cup final in 20 years. When the final whistle blew, the normally ice-cool Lundqvist threw his arms up in the air and pumped them in celebration, before being mobbed by his teammates as New York celebrated its 11th trip to the final. The Rangers will open the championship series next Wednesday in either Chicago or Los Angeles. "Its going to be a great challenge," said Lundqvist before knowing the identity of his opponent. "Were going to play against a really good team. Its about, for us, in the room to remind each other that this is such a special moment that you have to grab it. You have to make sure youre ready and play your absolute best. "Youre not going to get that many opportunities. Ive been here for nine years. This is my first final, and now its all about preparing the right way and try to leave it all out there." In front of Lundqvist, the Rangers can roll four lines. Vigneault started the fourth line of Dominic Moore, Brian Boyle and Derek Dorsett against the Habs in Game 6 and they responded with the lone goal on the night. The goal came through nose-to-the-grindstone resolve as the Rangers outworked a tired Montreal quintet to keep the puck in the Habs end. Left alone behind the goal, Boyle sent a perfect pass through defenceman Francis Bouillon and Moore snapped a shot past Dustin Tokarski on the stick side. The Rangers rrely on goaltending and penalty killing to limit the opposition offence.dddddddddddd Its a recipe that worked well against Montreal, other than Game 5 when Lundqvist was pulled after giving up four goals on 19 shots. New York also has speed in the form of Carl Hagelin, Mats Zuccarello and others. There are Cup winners in Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis. And first-class defencemen in Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi. There is character galore. Moore and St. Louis have had to endure personal tragedies in recent time, but found refuge at the rink, according to Vigneault. The team is well-drilled and does the little things well, although there was a tendency to take poor penalties against Montreal. Behind the bench, Vigneault is a calming presence. In a year that saw the Rangers wobble out of the starting gate, forced to play on the road for most of October due to Madison Square Garden renovations, Vigneault kept the train on the tracks while changing the team culture. Lundqvist also endured a rocky start, going 8-11 with a 2.51 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage in his first 20 games. "We did change a lot of things going into the season. I think it was a time where we had to find ourselves a little bit as a group," the goalie said. "But personally, I think it was my toughest start in my career, my 12, 13 years as a pro, if I combine the Sweden years. "So its definitely a tough test. But it feels better when you turn it around and good things start to happen. Its been a great ride so far, especially the second half of the season. Its been a lot of fun to be around the guys, thats for sure." Lundqvist, in the final year of a six-year, US$41.25 million deal, signed a seven-year contract extension worth US$59.5 million that will make him the NHLs highest-paid goalie. The win that moved the Rangers into the final came a year to the day that New York fired fiery coach John Tortorella, who is worlds apart from Vigneault. "I personally just like how calm he is," Lundqvist said of Vigneault. "Obviously, he changed a lot the way we play, so it was a big change early on in training camp and the first couple months for us to adjust and for me to adjust. It was a little different game. But he was very patient and calm and understood the process for us to get there. Its going to take a while to get there. "But obviously having Tortorella for almost five years and having that coaching style and then A.V. comes in, theyre opposites. As a player, you learn from both, and I enjoy both. But its refreshing when you see a new coaching style that you havent had before and the way he handles pressure situations. ... Hes pretty consistent with the way he talks to us good or bad." Vigneault is the picture of calm, although he is no automaton. "Yeah, he gets worked up. Hes a human being, and hes a coach," said Richards. "Coaches have to do things sometimes to get things going. But his worked up is different than other peoples worked up. Different from my worked up and your worked up, everybody has different ways of showing it. "I think youve just got to be around it and be behind closed doors, and youll know when he wants a little more of a practice or a little more preparation or whatever hes doing. He still sets the tone when you see him that day, if things need to be changed or need to be worked on." ' ' '