OKLAHOMA CITY - Thunder general manager Sam Presti is aware of coach Scott Brooks critics. Bruins Jerseys China . An NBA Finals appearance in 2012 fueled expectations, so when San Antonio beat the Thunder in Oklahoma City this season to close out the Western Conference finals, it didnt go over well with some locals in this era of winning coaches getting fired. Naysayers also believe Brooks offensive strategy gives point guard Russell Westbrook too much freedom at the expense of MVP Kevin Durant. Presti did his best to squelch the talk on Thursday. After all, he said, the Thunder finished with the second-best record in the NBA this season, despite numerous injuries to key players. "Scotty, I think, did an excellent job," Presti said. "I understand, we all have a tendency to look at the last game and the last series. I respect it. Thats part of sports. I cant do that." Brooks took over for P.J. Carlesimo during the 2008-09 season and led the team to a 22-47 record. The team has won at least 61 per cent of its games each season since. Brooks has a 293-170 record with the Thunder. "Hes stacking successful seasons on top of each other, increasing our odds to take a really unique amount of time that weve been successful and extend it to a very, very unique amount of time," Presti said. Durant said this week that he feels Brooks is the man to keep things moving. "Thats our guy," Durant said. "Im riding with him." Brooks has praised Westbrook while often publicly pointing out his three-time All-Stars need to find a balance between shooting and passing when he attacks. Westbrook also spoke highly of Brooks this week. "Hes done a great job of having confidence in me personally," Westbrook said. "Theres times when things have gone south and hes the only one that always — regardless of what happened — always had my back. Regardless if people were saying I was doing this or doing that, I was being selfish, he always was the first person to step up and have my back and support me regardless of whats going on." Brooks will have plenty to work with. Durant is signed through 2015-16, and Westbrook and defensive ace Serge Ibaka are signed through 2016-17. Backup centre Steven Adams figures to be a prominent part of the future. The 20-year-old from New Zealand improved dramatically late in the regular season while Kendrick Perkins was out with an injury, then continued to get better in the playoffs. Presti sees Adams talent, but says he has work ahead. Perkins is still a solid defender, but his offensive limitations allow defences to pay more attention to Durant and Westbrook. When Presti was asked about the amnesty clause, which allows a team to waive one player without his salary counting against the cap or luxury tax, he hesitated before offering perspective. He said though Adams was solid against the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio, Perkins played a key role in the grueling seven-game series against Memphis. Presti said he wouldnt consider waiving or trading Perkins unless it could help the team strategically long term. Shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha is an unrestricted free agent who lost his starting job during the playoffs. Caron Butler, a mid-season pickup, is an unrestricted free agent. He had his moments, but was out of the rotation by the end of the playoffs. The team has the option to keep Hasheem Thabeet, a 7-foot-3 backup centre. Thabeet played little, even while Perkins was injured. Presti was non-committal in each case. Presti seemed uncertain what unrestricted free agent Derek Fisher will do, but said he will be successful whatever he decides. The 39-year-old guard has been connected to the New York Knicks head coaching job. "We have absolutely no reason to expect Derek to keep us informed of his plans," Presti said. "The only thing we have a right to do is to support him because hes left an impact here in a positive way." __ Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CliffBruntAP Boston Bruins Store .com) - The St. Boston Bruins Gear . Yet heading to New York, the Habs remain positive as it all comes down to the one main ingredient that the organization has built its team on - character. https://www.cheapbruins.com/ . Mladenovics quick hands at the net made the difference while Bencics inexperience in doubles showed. "We took a lot of pleasure," Mladenovic told Sport Plus television. "Its extremely difficult to play in such conditions, but our doubles team showed a lot of quality.FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Todd Bowles and Mike Maccagnan might have once shared a golf cart, making small talk during an uneventful ride around Washington Redskins training camp 25 years ago or so.The details are fuzzy, but Bowles was a safety in the prime of his playing career and Maccagnan, an eager intern in the front office.I probably checked Todd into training camp, Maccagnan recalled Wednesday.Little did the two know that they would someday share the spotlight as the leaders of the New York Jets new regime — Bowles as coach and Maccagnan as general manager.Although we never really interacted a lot, its kind of ironic our paths have crossed even though we are from two different backgrounds, 40-something miles apart, Maccagnan said at the teams introductory news conference.This is a homecoming of sorts for both Bowles, who grew up in Elizabeth, about 19 miles southeast, and was the Jets secondary coach in 2000, and Maccagnan, whos from Hightstown, about 50 miles south of team headquarters. They both know the history of the franchise, from Broadway Joe making good on his Super Bowl guarantee in 1969 to the failure to make the big game since.Were going to try to build a championship team here, Bowles said. Thats my only job.Funny thing is, Maccagnan thinks theres a good chance the two actually first crossed paths in the late-1970s. Maccagnans father was a teacher at the Peddie School, while Bowles played football at Elizabeth High School. When Maccagnan picked up Bowles from the airport for his second interview with the Jets last week, the two talked about their New Jersey roots.Maccagnan realized that Bowles football team would often have preseason practices at Peddie in 1978 or 79. And thats when it hit the new Jets GM.I actually went out there and probably watched their practices, Maccagnan said, not realizing that 50 yards away, Todd was running around as a junior or senior in high school.Now, theyre on the same team, two Jersey guys aiming to turn around the Jets fortunes after four straight years without making the playoffs.It was just one of those situations that just felt right, Maccagnan said.Maccagnan was hired last Tuesday to replace the fired John Idzik. Bowles was signed a day later to replace Rex Ryan.Ive been at it 15 years now and hopefully,, Im making better decisions or good decisions because, yeah, you have to win these games and you have to get to the next level, owner Woody Johnson said. Bruins Jerseys 2019. Each of the gentlemen sitting to my left are, in my estimation, the people to do it.And unlike Ryans first brash, headline-making news conference with the Jets in 2009, Bowles offered no Super Bowl guarantees but rather modest goals focused on restoring a winning approach.Were going to be a tough team, Bowles promised, an intelligent team.A few months into his tenure, Ryan declared that he didnt come to New York to kiss (Bill) Belichicks rings. Bowles was asked about those same rings, and managed not to provide the New England Patriots with any bulletin board material.Im going to work on getting my own rings, he said.The 51-year-old spent the last two seasons as Arizonas defensive co-ordinator. Before that, he worked with some of the games most successful coaches — Bill Parcells, Joe Gibbs and George Seifert to name a few — first as a player during his eight-year NFL career and then as an assistant coach.As you get older, you evolve and you learn more of the football game, Bowles said. And in 2007, maybe 2007-08, I started to think, OK, Im starting to learn the game pretty good. If I can get some things down, if Im good enough and somebody is lucky enough to see me as a head coach, it was about that time.Maccagnan, 47, had been with the Houston Texans since the franchises inception in 2000, brought on board by Charley Casserly — who Johnson tapped as a consultant in the Jets hiring process. Maccagnan had carved out a reputation as a tireless scout who identified key players for the Texans over the years.People in my profession work their entire career to get an opportunity like this, Maccagnan said. This is my lifes passion, my dream. And to actually have this opportunity, basically 50 miles from where I grew up is truly a dream come true.After that car ride together last week, it didnt take long for Bowles and Maccagnan to feel comfortable tackling a new challenge with the Jets — together.We hit it off, Bowles said, smiling. So, going forward, its going to be a dream working with this guy.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '