MINNEAPOLIS -- The whole point was to create conversation. In that regard, the Minnesota Lynx succeeded.In the six days since Lynx players donned black warm-up shirts memorializing Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and the five slain Dallas police officers while asking for dialogue and healing, their message has been applauded, denounced, misconstrued and debated from coast to coast.Subsequent news that four Minneapolis police officers on security detail Saturday night at the Target Center left the building in protest gave national legs to a story that might have fizzled by Monday afternoon.Minneapolis police chief Janee Harteau criticized the officers for walking off the job, and Mayor Betsy Hodges lambasted Lt. Bob Kroll, head of the Minneapolis police union, on Facebook for jackass remarks about the Lynx, including a condescending, inaccurate putdown of their attendance.The silver lining in that is, it got people talking, Lynx forward Rebekkah Brunson said of the police walkout. Thats the most important thing right now. It maybe kept a conversation going that may have gotten stunted.Regardless of how we feel about that, the important thing is, were talking about it. And by talking about it, we have an opportunity to create change.Tuesday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he supported the players speaking out. Then Wednesday night at the ESPYS, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade opened the show by calling for an end to racial profiling and retaliation -- exactly the message Brunson and Maya Moore conveyed in their news conference before Saturdays game with Dallas.So Thursday, Brunson and Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve beamed over the way the discussion took off.Their expressions on Saturday were very thoughtful, very measured, in hopes of creating change, having conversation, having dialogue, said Reeve, whose Lynx (17-4) have the second-best record in the WNBA and have won their last two games by a combined 61 points. Im really, really proud were moving this thing forward, shining the light on a problem, and creating the dialogue.The Lynx play the New York Liberty here Friday night, and Kroll told the Minneapolis Star Tribune his officers might refuse to work future games if the players wore the shirts again. The Lynx donned standard team warm-up tops Tuesday afternoon in San Antonio, and Brunson hinted the players have moved on.The shirts are where we started, where we began to speak and use our voice, Brunson said. Now were trying to figure out whats next. How can we do things that are going to be more impactful beyond the shirts to help throughout this time?Last Sunday the Liberty wore their own black warm-up shirts supporting the Lynx , with #BlackLivesMatter and #Dallas5 on the front. Thursday, the Liberty announced plans to switch to plain black warm-up tops.The biggest loser in all this appeared to be Kroll. He told several Twin Cities media outlets he was unaware of what Brunson and Moore said Saturday before commenting about the walkout and the Lynx.And Krolls claim that he needed only four detail officers at Target Center because the Lynx were a pathetic draw was especially off base. The Lynx finished second in the WNBA in attendance the past four years, drew more than 13,000 to a game three weeks ago and 18,933 to Game 5 of last years WNBA Finals.Kroll later blamed that comment on a pushy reporter he was trying to get off the phone. Randy Furst, the Star Tribune reporter in question, is known for his doggedness and tenacity; Kroll isnt the first public official to turn snarky under Fursts questioning.Reeve and Brunson declined to criticize Kroll, though Reeve teetered around the edges. We draw well ... biting tongue here, said Reeve, who praised Harteau and Hodges for their leadership.Its not clear what the four Minneapolis officers, who have never been identified, objected to, or whether they heard Brunsons and Moores pregame remarks. Brunson cited racial profiling and senseless violence as problems, and Moore noted the tragic irony of the killings in Dallas, a city where de-escalation training dramatically reduced shootings by and complaints against police.This is a human issue, and we need to speak out for change together, Moore said that night.The shirts, ubiquitous now, featured the phrases Change Starts With Us -- Justice and Accountability on the front, and four elements on the back: The names of Castile and Sterling; the Dallas Police Department shield; and, at the bottom, Black Lives Matter. The shield was particularly hard to identify in some photos circulating on social media. The officers left quietly more than 45 minutes after the news conference and less than an hour before the opening tip.Some critics of the Lynx accused them of siding with Black Lives Matter against the police, which Reeve said wasnt the case at all.More than anything, the inclusionary aspect of this is so important, Reeve said. Its really important that you dont fall into pick a side. Were not trying to create sides. Were trying to create dialogue. You cant have dialogue unless you listen.Our players have done a great job of handling all thats gone with this. Its courageous. And you cant have change without challenge, and our players have been exemplary examples of how to lead through times like these.Meanwhile, Black Lives Matter Minneapolis is organizing a group outing to Minnesotas July 22 game against Seattle, the last before the Olympic break, in gratitude for the teams support. On the groups Facebook page, more than 280 people indicated they planned to go out of almost 1,500 interested.Before this, weve always been a team and an organization that wants to get out in the community that were involved in and do the best that we can to leave them better than before we got there, Brunson said. So this is no different. Were happy that we have this opportunity and platform to try to start some change on something thats positive. Buck Buchanan Jersey . They had already blown a double-digit lead, fans were hitting the exits, and a long seven-game road trip waited at the end. Larry Johnson Jersey . Boucher previously coached the Tampa Bay Lightning and had a 97-78-20 record over two-plus seasons. He was dismissed by the team last March after the Lightning struggled in the lockout-shortened season with a 13-18-1 record. http://www.customchiefsjersey.com/custom-john-alt-jersey-large-796n.html . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. Mike Garrett Jersey . From filmmaker Nanette Burstein (On the Ropes), The Price of Gold revisits the saga that rocked the figure skating world ahead of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games: the assault on Nancy Kerrigan, and the plot that led its way back to her rival Tonya Harding. Morris Claiborne Jersey . Just not the game. Kyle Palmieri scored two straight goals in the third period to rally the Anaheim Ducks past the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Tuesday night. India Blue 336 for 4 (Agarwal 161, Gambhir 90, Pujara 63*) v India GreenScorecard and ball-by-ball details Opener Mayank Agarwal smashed 161 off 218 balls to headline a dominating performance from India Blue in the third Duleep Trophy match in Greater Noida. His captain Gautam Gambhir was run out 10 short of his century, which brought Cheteshwar Pujara to the crease to face the pink ball. Pujara finished the day unbeaten on 63, having spent more than 30 overs at the crease. With those three bossing the game, India Blue racked up 336 runs at 3.73 per over, giving no respite to the Suresh Raina-led India Green.The BCCI had reintroduced the Duleep Trophy this season and chose to play the matches under lights to see if they could host day-night Tests in the near future. To that end, Pujaras innings now and M Vijays later - he is part of the opposition - would be crucial. They are the only representatives from the first-choice Indian Test side who have been involved in the tournament so far.The other players would also want to catch the selectors eyes and Agarwal would feel he has done reasonably well, following up his 92 last week with his second first-class hundred on Sunday.dddddddddddd Often seen as a short-format specialist - his four-day debut came three years after he had begun his T20 career - Agarwal struck 21 fours and one six and was a big contributor to India Blues 212-run opening partnership. Considering he was only 21 matches old in long-form cricket, and only recently became a reliable opener for Karnataka, his big break might take a while coming.Gambhir, also looking for a go at international cricket, struck his second successive half-century. He took a particular liking to the spinners, securing 62 of his 90 runs and eight of his 10 fours off Jajaj Saxena, Pragyan Ojha and Shreyas Gopal.Pujaras spread was a bit more even. He struck his sixth ball for four - a pull shot off Ashok Dinda - and continued finding the boundary regularly. Back-to-back hits to the fence with nine overs left to stumps brought him his fifty. Siddhesh Lad, caught for 1, was the only batsman to miss out. ' ' '