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Although hes just 28, San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills has long been a source of pride for Australians.After honing his basketball skills at the Australian Institute of Sport, he made a name for himself in the United States as a collegian at Saint Marys. He was selected in the second round of the 2009 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers and spent two seasons in the Pacific Northwest. He joined the Spurs in 2011 and won an NBA championship in his third season in San Antonio.Now heading into his eighth NBA season, hes moving into elite company in terms of longevity, with only two Australians having played more seasons in the league -- Andrew Bogut (11 and counting) and Luc Longley (10). We recently caught up with Mills to discuss his homeland, the upcoming season, the Rio Olympics, footy and more.Q: How satisfying was it to bring the NBA championship trophy home to Australia in 2014?A: Huge, mate. Really huge. Australia hasnt experienced the NBA in any form or fashion ever, so having that opportunity to not only win the championship, but to take it home to let other people experience. ... At the time, it was me and Aron Baynes on the team, and we felt that support [from Australian fans] throughout the whole season. So I felt it was only the right thing to take the trophy back and let them experience it as well, because to an extent, they were a huge part of it as well. So going back and sharing it was very important. We took it to Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, Cairns [Baynes hometown] ... and up to the Torres Strait, where my family is from. Its one of those things that gives me the tingles thinking about doing that. Im very proud of that.Q: How does the retirement of Tim Duncan change the chemistry of the Spurs this season?A: Theres obviously an empty feeling in the locker room and on the court, and theres no way to fill that. Tim Duncan has been here for millions of years, and theres no way you can fill that. But I might say that weve all done a great job in trying to pick up his slack to the best of our ability -- to understand that weve got another year here where were trying to reach the Finals again and put ourselves in the best position to hopefully win another championship.Q: How do you see the prospects for the Spurs this season -- especially considering the attention the Golden State Warriors are getting after adding Kevin Durant?A: That hasnt changed from year to year. Weve always been able to go about our business and slide under the radar, and whatever else happens around the league doesnt really bother us. Were really focused on ourselves and how well we can play -- strengthening our weaknesses and getting everyone to buy into our culture and onto the same page. Whatever else goes around the league is beside the point for us.Q: You take a lot of pride in your homeland. How does that manifest itself in your style of play and the way you carry yourself?A: It definitely carries over a lot of passion and pride in who I am and where I come from and making sure I represent those people the right way. And I think that mental attitude I take to everything I do, no matter what it is ... because I want to bring the best out of myself. For me, thats just a small motivation that adds fuel to the fire that I use to get myself going to try and achieve great things.Q: Now that youve had some time to reflect on the Olympics, how do you assess Australias performance in Rio -- in particular, the Boomers narrow bronze-medal game loss to Spain?A: Its one of those things thats going to sting and hurt for a while, but I have had time to reflect on it. Its a bitter feeling, because we did try very hard to win a medal and create history for Australia. We fell short [Spain won 89-88] by millimeters or by seconds or however you want to see it. Now Im teammates with one of those guys [Pau Gasol] who won the bronze medal, so I cant complain a whole lot. But from an Australian point-of-view, the feedback we got when we arrived back in Australia was really comforting. It was really good to know how many people followed our journey -- but not only followed it, they felt like a part of our journey from the beginning until the end. They rode our highs, and they rode our lows as well.Q: You were once pursued by the AFLs Sydney Swans. Do you ever consider what might have been if you had decided to play professional Australian rules football?A: I still do every now and again when I watch a game or I watch the Grand Final. Thats a good story that not a lot of people know. I love playing my footy, and I miss it. I have a Sherrin [AFL game ball] in my locker at the moment, actually, that I bring out onto the court to kick around with the boys.Q: Youre heading into your sixth season with San Antonio. Are you beginning to pick up any of the Texas accent?A: You tell me, mate! Well, this is my sixth season, and the South twang is very hard to ignore. But I think Im doing a decent job of it so far.Q: What do you think of the food in San Antonio?A: I love it. I love other cultures. Theres a Hispanic culture here with Tex-Mex. Theres a country culture with Texas barbecue. I love being amidst it and sampling new stuff. Six out of the 10 years that Ive been in the States have been here in San Antonio. So a big part of my life is here.Q: You will be a free agent next offseason. How much will the opportunity to be a starter influence your decision on where to play?A: Its a factor that I cant ignore. Ive obviously wanted to be a starting point guard in the NBA for a long time as a goal. But you know, every situation is different, and Ive learned stuff along the way. I think Im a better point guard now than I was when I first came to San Antonio. That credit goes to the environment here and how Ive been able to develop my game. Thats something that Im going to have to consider. Its not the be-all and end-all of my decision, but well see when it comes. This is obviously a big year for our team and trying to be able to concentrate and stay focused team-wise on trying to get to that next level of a championship. But if I can concentrate and focus on this team and what I can do to help this team, I think everything else will take care of itself.Q: Youre a long way from the end of your career, but would you have interest in playing in the Australian NBL (National Basketball League) when youre done competing in the NBA?A: Its definitely a consideration -- especially how well the NBL is doing now. They have my full backing and support, because the league has definitely risen to a whole other level in the last couple years, which is pleasing to see. I definitely would consider playing back in Australia at the end of my career. Not a lot of my family have been able to come over [to the U.S.] and watch me play. To be able to play in front of family and friends is very important to me, [so they could] be able to see me play live and not just on TV.Off White Vapormax Fake . Denis Coderre, the former federal MP who was elected mayor on Nov. 3, has drawn the ire of some Montreal Canadiens. During last nights game he tweeted: "Hello? Can we get a one-way ticket to (minor-league) Hamilton for David Desharnais please. Cheap Vapormax . Ivanovic was leading 7-5, 1-0 when Hantuchova withdrew after falling 0-40 behind in the second game. The match started slowly for Ivanovic, who surrendered her first two serves as Hantuchova took a 5-3 lead. http://www.cheapvapormaxtrainers.com/cheap-vapormax-plus.html . Varlamov made 33 saves and Ryan OReilly had a goal and scored in the shootout as the Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Thursday night. Discount Vapormax .Gather a group of friends, or find a league to join online, draft your team, set your lineup and compete in a number of different formats. Fake Vapormax For Sale . Laudrup revealed Thursday he was notified of his dismissal in "the briefest of letters which gave no reasons why such hasty and final action was deemed necessary.ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Chad Johnson withstood an early barrage by Minnesota and stayed steady all night for Calgary in the net.Johnny Gaudreau took some hard hits and left the game twice after scoring the only goal.Troy Brouwer found two teeth in his mouthguard.Thats the kind of gritty game this was. Thats the kind of grinding victory the Flames badly needed.Gaudreaus goal early in the first period held up and Johnson stopped 27 shots for Calgarys first shutout of the season, fueling a 1-0 victory for the Flames over the Wild that ended their four-game losing streak on Tuesday.Its almost more confidence-building for us than like a 7-5 game or something, Brouwer said. To be able to hold the lead all the way to the end, get Johnny a shutout, those are huge things that guys really take pride in. So tonight the way we won is just as important as the win itself.Outscored 17-4 over the skid, with two of those goals from Gaudreau, Johnson and the Flames gave their NHL-worst goals against average a big boost. Their scoring differential, now at minus-19, is last in the league. Flames goalie Brian Elliott, formerly of the St. Louis Blues, has an 8-2 record with a 2.18 goals against average in 12 career games against the Wild, but Johnson got the call from coach Glen Gulutzan instead.We got better as a group as the game went on, and everybody was more confident defensively, Johnson said. They had a little bit of pressure and we weathered the storm, and you could see that we didnt get rattled with them coming hard at us.Devan Dubnyk made 26 saves and has given up only nine goals in his last eight games, stopping 245 of 254 shots, but the Wild played an undisciplined game and took eight penalties for a total of 19 minutes.The guys are exerting all their energy to kill penalties, not to be able to score goals, coach Bruce Boudreau said. Not making excuses for us not scoring, but thats a byproduct of that.The Wild brought the NHLs fifth-best penalty kill at 88.1 percent into the game, but Gaudreau tallied the sixth power play goal against them this season just 6:05 into the game. Johnny Hockey made a slick move worthy of his intrepid nickname, snagging a lead pass from Mark Giordano and skating across the front of the goal mouth to get Dubnyk to go with him before tucking in a backhander for the lead.dddddddddddd.That came just seconds after Mikko Koivu misfired on a breakaway shot. Jason Zucker and Mike Reilly each hit posts later in the game for the Wild, whose stretch of 10 games in 17 days didnt start smoothly.This is how were going to have to win, Gulutzan said.The game devolved into a slog of penalties and scuffles throughout the second period, spilling over into the third, and the Wild werent able to knock any shots past Johnson despite myriad scoring opportunities. Theyve allowed an NHL-low 29 goals in 15 games.The Flames, who didnt specify Gaudreaus injury, took issue with some slashing of their young left wing that went on, though Brouwer acknowledged thats the same way he and his teammates play against stars on other teams. Both teams had complaints about the officiating.We killed the whole second period, center Eric Staal said. It just kills the flow.The Wild fell to 4-2 at home after their first contest at Xcel Energy Center in two weeks.Weve got to as a group ask ourselves, `Did we really do enough to give ourselves a chance to create offense, to sustain offense, to get scoring chances?, and I dont think we did, left wing Zach Parise said.Game notesJohnsons last shutout was Dec. 17, 2015, against Anaheim. ... The Wild made rookie Joel Eriksson Ek a healthy scratch for the second straight game. Eriksson Ek, who has two goals and three assists in nine games, could be sent back to his native Sweden for more playing time toward his development. ... The Wild got Parise back in the lineup after a six-game absence due to a lower-body injury. He played on the third line with Erik Haula and Jason Pominville ... For the Flames, LW Matthew Tkachuk returned from a wrist injury that kept him out for the last two games and joined Mikael Backlund and Michael Frolik on the second line.UP NEXTCalgary returns home to face Arizona on Wednesday night.Minnesota hosts Boston on Thursday night. ' ' '