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GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- The New York Knicks new starting five havent played together in the preseason. So Kristaps Porzingis knows that it will take time for the club to develop cohesion.Its going to take us some time to figure this whole thing out, Porzingis said on Sunday, two days before the Knicks open their season against the defending-champion Cleveland Cavaliers. It doesnt have to be in a week. It takes time.New point guard Derrick Rose was away from the team for more than two weeks this month during a civil trial in Los Angeles. And starting center Joakim Noah missed 10 days earlier this month because of a hamstring injury.Both players absences have seemingly affected the Knicks chemistry during the preseason.I think were definitely a work in progress, Noah said on Sunday. We have a lot of work to do. We got to get better. We havent had a lot of time to play together. Overall, I felt [Sundays practice] was a good day. But we definitely have ... we have to get better.Rose returned to New York on Friday after a jury found he and two friends were found not liable in a civil lawsuit that accused them of gang-raping Roses ex-girlfriend. He met with coaches that day to go over elements of the offense that he had missed during his time in Los Angeles and practiced with his teammates Saturday and Sunday.Porzingis said on Sunday that Rose looked strong during those weekend workouts.Hes been learning really fast. He picks up this stuff really quick, Porzingis said. I think with a point guard like Derrick, itll be easier for me. He will try to make plays for us, and hell try to make the game easier for us.Porzingis added, though, that the Knicks would need some time with Rose to develop strong timing on offense.I dont want to put too much pressure on us that were going to be really good right away, he said. Its going to take some time.All teams develop cohesion and chemistry over the course of the season, of course. But the injury to Noah and Roses absence seem to have affected the Knicks development under first-year head coach Jeff Hornacek, particularly on defense. New York ranked 25th among NBA teams in preseason defensive rating.Noah said on Sunday that the Knicks had a lot of work to do on defense when he was asked about the subject after practice.We have to get better. Numbers dont lie, and right now I feel a step slow defensively, said Noah, who missed three preseason games because of the hamstring injury. I have to do better. I have to do better for this ballclub. We all do. Air Max 270 Sale .500 on the season. The Jets are now 0-5-1 in the second game of back-to-backs. The game started the same way the Vancouver game started the night before, with the Jets taking the first two penalties of the game and killing off the first, but the Oilers getting on the board first, scoring on the second man-advantage. Nike Air Max 270 Clearance . With their top three point guards and Kobe Bryant all sidelined by injury, the Lakers signed Marshall out of the D-League on Friday before their home game against Minnesota. http://www.wholesaleairmax270.com/ . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. Air Max 270 Online Shop . JOHNS, N. Discount Air Max 270 . 9. Price, heading to the 2014 Olympics for Canada, was named the First Star after posting wins in three starts with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Ten games into the season, the Atlanta Falcons find themselves with exactly the same record as a year ago.Yet it feels a whole lot different.The Falcons (6-4) head into their bye week leading the NFC South and exuding plenty of confidence, even coming off a discouraging loss at Philadelphia.We all know this is a pretty special group to be a part of, coach Dan Quinn said. You can feel their connection, their tightness, how bad they want to go for it.At this point last season, the Falcons were also 6-4. But they had lost three games in a row -- none to teams that would make the playoffs. They were already out of the division race, having fallen far behind a Carolina team that was 10-0 and would reach the Super Bowl.Atlantas losing streak would grow to six games, and a season that started with such promise ended at 8-8.Quinn keeps insisting that his team learned some valuable lessons from its 2015 collapse, and indeed these Falcons look far more capable of reaching the playoffs for the first time in four seasons.While the 24-15 loss to the Eagles was a definite step back, the offense remains the most productive in the NFL (averaging 32 points per game) and seems to have found its groove in Year 2 under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. The young defense -- which has started as many as four rookies -- is setting the sort of fast, aggressive tone that Quinn wants on that side of the line.In perhaps the most telling sign of where this team believes it is heading, the coaches and players all consider the bye week to be the midpoint of the season.In other words, they plan on playing up to four games beyond the regular season, which would mean a trip to the Super Bowl.You have to get rest this week and have a mindset that youre not preparing for the last six games of the season, but the mindset to play nine or 10 more, said quarterback Matt Ryan, who is having the best season of his nine-year career. Thatll be my message to everybody. Keep moving, but let your body and mind get right.The Falcons certainly hold a far more promising position in the NFC South than they did in 2015. The Panthers have slumped to 3-6, while Tampa Bay and New Orleans are struggling at 4-5, leaving Atlanta with a fairly comfortable 11+-game lead in the division race.ddddddddddddThe rest of the schedule looks highly favorable, as well. Four of the last six games are at the Georgia Dome, which will be replaced next season by a $1.4 billion retractable-roof stadium under construction next door. Kansas City (7-2) is the only remaining opponent with a winning record.The week off comes at a time when several key players are trying to get over injuries. Running back Tevin Coleman has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury, but Quinn is confident that hell be ready to return when the Falcons host Arizona on Nov. 27. Punter Matt Bosher is contending with a recurring hamstring issue, but the extra week of rest gives him a chance to recover for the next game.The outlook isnt quite as clear for cornerback Desmond Trufant, the teams top coverage defender. He missed the last game with a left shoulder injury, and theres been speculation he could be done for the season. But Quinn said hes absolutely hopeful that Trufant will play again this season.The defense has gone through some growing pains, most notably getting gashed in the running game by the Eagles. But there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic.After a disappointing rookie season, Vic Beasley has emerged as a pass-rushing force with 9+ sacks, tied for third in the league. Rookies Deion Jones, DeVondre Campbell and Keanu Neal are having a huge impact, as is second-year tackle Grady Jarrett.We still have a ways to go in improvement on our tackling and making sure our fits are exactly on point, Quinn said. We are gaining confidence in those players and how we like to play.Neal said the loss to the Eagles will be a huge motivating factor when Atlanta returns from its break.Were going into the bye week and it doesnt feel too good, he said. But its going to help us in the long run. Two weeks with that bitter taste in our mouth and we are going to come back ready to go.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .---For more NFL coverage: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '