PHOENIX - Doug Baldwin led the Seattle Seahawks in catches and yards receiving.He ranked 42nd in the NFL in both categories.Forty-second.Its no surprise that Hall of Famer and NFL Networks Deion Sanders dissed Baldwin and the rest of Seattles receiving group.Few analysts give them any credit. So after Baldwin had six catches for 106 yards in the NFC championship game against Green Bay, he directed one of his rants toward Sanders.Thats just what pedestrian, average, mediocre receivers do. Whats up my man Deion Sanders? Baldwin said right after the game.Criticism of Seattles receivers comes from ex-players-turned-broadcasters, other reporters and plenty of fans on social media.Its thrown in my face day in and day out, Baldwin said. I have friends that text-message me whatever is out there. I dont mind it because I use it for extra motivation. I have a shirt underneath my sweatshirt that says, Pedestrians with attitude. We enjoy the label because we embrace it.The New England Patriots arent saying anything this week to motivate Baldwin even more going into Sundays Super Bowl.They work hard, they play hard and they are very passionate, Patriots safety Patrick Chung said of Seattles receivers. I see that on film. Im not going to label them. You can say what you want to say about them, but they are here for a reason. They are here because they are good and they can make plays.Baldwin has calmed down as the Big Game approaches. He even said hed rather Marshawn Lynch win the MVP award on Sunday.We are not about statistics here, obviously, Baldwin said. We only care about winning games and winning championships. We know the formula that we have put in place is if Marshawn wins the MVP then we have done our job on offence. That means that we have controlled the pace of the game.Theres no Megatron, Dez Bryant or A.J. Green on the Patriots, either. They also have an unheralded group of receivers.Julian Edelman led New England with 92 catches, but he was 25th in the league in yards receiving with 972. Brandon LaFell had 74 catches for 953 yards. Tom Brady has only had one elite receiver — Randy Moss — in his career and they set records together during New Englands 16-0 regular season in 2007.Its a really selfless group, guys that are always putting the team first, Brady said. Everybody has a little different skillset. I think that once we hit our stride and everybody found a role for themselves, they really embraced their role. None of them have really played in a Super Bowl before. Hopefully we bring our excitement and as much enthusiasm as possible and we go out and play as best as we possibly can.Jermaine Kearse, Seattles No. 2 wideout, had 38 catches for 537 yards and one TD in the regular season. But Kearse had three catches for a career-best 129 yards and one TD in a 31-17 playoff win over Carolina. Kearse then caught a 35-yard TD pass in overtime to win the NFC championship game.Its just about maximizing opportunities, Kearse said. Just whenever you have an opportunity youve got to make the most of it. I just try to go out there and compete no matter what the stage is if its regular season or its a preseason game or its a playoff game.The Seahawks thought they got a legitimate No. 1 receiver when they acquired Percy Harvin from Minnesota in March 2013 for a trio of draft picks, including a first-rounder.But Harvin missed the first 2 1/2 months that year and was traded to the New York Jets last October. His departure opened the way for Baldwin and Kearse.Obviously we would get more opportunities because we were down a guy, but it was just business as usual for us, Baldwin said.Golden Tate was Seattles top wideout last year. He had 64 catches for 898 yards and one TD in an offence built on Lynchs running and Russell Wilsons scrambling.Tate signed a lucrative deal in free agency with Detroit and made his first Pro Bowl this year after catching 99 passes for 1,331 yards and four TDs. Since Tate proved he could thrive in a pass-heavy offence, perhaps Baldwin will try to do the same in two years when hes an unrestricted free agent.For now, earning another Super Bowl ring is all that matters.Im just trying to focus on the task at hand and living in the moment, Baldwin said. I dont really think I will be able to fathom what we are doing yet (until) a couple years down the line.___Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_RobMaaddi___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP_NFLDiscount Stan Smith Shoes .I dont think it comes to mind in this business, in this game, the Philadelphia Flyers forward said. You dont try to lose games. Cheap Stan Smith Shoes China . TSNs coverage of the Third Round gets underway Sunday with Game 1: Los Angeles at Chicago at 3pm et/Noon pt. TSNs broadcast schedule for the Third Round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs is as follows: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Los Angeles Kings• Game 1: Los Angeles at Chicago – Sunday, May 18 at 3pm et/Noon pt• Game 2: Los Angeles at Chicago – Wednesday, May 21 at 8pm et/5pm pt• Game 4: Chicago at Los Angeles – Monday, May 26 at 9pm et/6pm pt Featured in the broadcast booth for TSN are play-by-play announcer Chris Cuthbert and game analyst Ray Ferraro, with Farhan Lalji contributing reports from rinkside. http://www.cheapstansmithshoes.com/. The Canucks figured to be active prior to Wednesdays trade deadline, getting a jump on things the previous day when they dealt goaltender Roberto Luongo to the Florida Panthers for netminder Jacob Markstrom and forward Shawn Matthias. Wholesale Authentic Stan Smith . Josh Mazzola drove in five runs to lead the Goldeyes (20-12) past the Capitales 11-5 Friday night at Le Stade Municipal in Quebec City. Authentic Adidas Stan Smith From China . Granada defender Diego Mainz barged into the back of Villa to send the Spain striker to the ground inside the area and Costa stepped up to the spot to score his 12th league goal in the 38th minute. Costa showed no effects of the news that his Brazilian citizenship may be revoked after he elected to play for Spains national team, as the forward was a constant threat for Atletico and forced several saves from goalkeeper Roberto.AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Detroit had just lost to Atlanta when a last-second 3-pointer missed the mark, but Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy noticed something unusual about the home crowds reaction.There were people standing up and cheering guys and the whole thing, Van Gundy said. They want to see you go out and give a great, great effort every night, and I think watching us and watching us on TV, I think thats what people are seeing — the energy and the effort and the spirit of this group.The loss to the Hawks was Detroits only defeat in its last 10 games, and although the Pistons remain well under .500, theyre finally beginning to win back their fans, whose indifference had become one of the defining characteristics of this dreary period in the teams history.As they near the halfway point of Van Gundys first season at the helm, the Pistons may finally be shedding their reputation as frustrating underachievers. Lately, theyve looked more like the type of hungry underdog Motown loves to embrace.Its just fun that its a buzz around the Pistons, forward Jonas Jerebko said. Usually its only been when LeBrons been in town or the Lakers come in and stuff like that.Detroit hasnt made the playoffs since 2009, and attendance fell off quickly after the team plunged into mediocrity. It was hard to pinpoint the worst moment of the last five seasons. There was the day in 2011 when seven players missed at least part of a team shootaround in Philadelphia, and only the remaining six played that night in a blowout loss. There was the 1-13 record in March of 2013.Maurice Cheeks was fired last February, just 50 games into his first season as Detroits coach. The Pistons went 8-24 the rest of the way.This season didnt start any better under Van Gundy. The Pistons lost 13 in a row at one point and were 5-23 when they made the bold decision to waive pricey forward Josh Smith, who was filling up the stat sheet but shooting poorly — and who was such a focal point of the offence that it seemed hard for other players to flourish.After cutting Smith, Detroit won seven games in a row, and tthe Pistons have won two straight since the loss to Atlanta.dddddddddddd Detroit was two games out of the Eastern Conferences final playoff spot entering Tuesday, when the Pistons had a night off before a home game against New Orleans.Point guard Brandon Jennings is averaging 20.3 points and 7.0 assists since Smiths departure. Less than two weeks before waiving Smith, the Pistons welcomed Jodie Meeks back from a back injury that had kept him out all season. Meeks was one of a few players added this off-season in an effort to boost Detroits perimeter shooting.Since Smiths exit, the Pistons have attempted 29.1 shots per game from 3-point range, and theyve made them at a 38-per cent clip. If Detroit is connecting from the perimeter, that gives talented big men Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe more room to operate.We started making our shots, we started shooting with more confidence, and we started to space the floor out for everybody, Drummond said. Youve got to pick your poison, whether you want a 3, or you want to, you know, get dunked on.Detroit fans really took notice when the Pistons won at San Antonio and Dallas last week. With the Detroit area still reeling a bit from the Lions playoff loss, the Pistons rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat the Spurs. At the end, Van Gundy was seen on live television exhorting his team to form a wall near the basket to prevent a last-second alley-oop — only he threw in some colorful language while making his point.That clip became a hit on social media, and when the Pistons played the Hawks in their next home game, an announced crowd of 18,859 — Detroits largest since the home opener — saw an exciting game that came down to the wire. The next night, Detroit beat Brooklyn, and the attendance was 19,301.Theyre getting into it. I think thats great, because I think thats what our fans deserve, Van Gundy said. Were not going to win every night, and were still a really young team, but theres no reason we cant bring that energy and a fight to the game every night, and I think our fans are responding to that. ' ' '