363 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
363 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
sport
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othersports
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basketball
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8359498
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-----
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# Toronto Raptors v New Jersey Nets NBA Double header set make history at the
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O2 in London
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## It's not often Roman Abramovich is merely the second richest Russian in
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town but that is definitely the case in London this week with the arrival of
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the New Jersey Nets and their owner Mikhail Prokhorov for the NBA double
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header against the Toronto Raptors at the O2 Arena.
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![Toronto Raptors v New Jersey Nets NBA Double header set make history at the
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O2 in London][1]
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Game on: New Jersey Nets' Deron Williams and Ben Uzoh participate in a
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practice session ahead of their NBA game against the Toronto Raptors Photo:
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REUTERS
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[![Brendan Gallagher][2]][3]
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By [Brendan Gallagher][4] 9:07AM GMT 03 Mar 2011
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[Follow Brendan Gallagher on Twitter][5]
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Abramovich, although hardly a pauper, still has a little way to go yet to
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match Prokhorov who is conservatively worth $14b.
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A star graduate of the Moscow Finance Institute he is, unusually for a Russian
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billionaire it seems, not an oil baron.
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Prokhorov made his fortune instead founding Norlisk Nickel - the world's
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biggest nickel producer - and has enhanced that fortune by becoming chairman
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of Polyus Gold - Russia's biggest gold producer - and President of the ONEXIM
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investment Group.
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As an athletic 6ft 8 inch Prokhorov, now 45, is a lifelong basketball player
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and fan and before buying his 80 per cent holding in the Nets franchise last
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year for $250m, he also owned the CSKA Moscow basketball, football and ice
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hockey clubs.
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He is the first non-North American to own a major sporting franchise in the
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USA and you can't accuse him of cynically latching onto a successful club for
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the glory.
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## Related Articles
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* [BOA endorses GB Basketball for 2012][6]
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02 Mar 2011
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* ['Ben Gordon a boost for GB team'][7]
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01 Mar 2011
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* [Olympics venues: North Greenwich Arena][8]
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11 Feb 2011
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* [Olympics venues: Basketball Arena][9]
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11 Feb 2011
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* [USA to play warm-up in Manchester][10]
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28 Feb 2011
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* [Olympics: basketball guide][11]
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14 Feb 2011
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The Nets lost 70 of their 82 regular season games last season but, armed with
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a few fresh players and with Prokhorov building them a spanking new stadium
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for next season they are on the up and currently boast a 17-43 record for this
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season.
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Under Prokhorov they have also become much more outward looking. Before the
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season they toured China and Russia and now they seem positively enthusiastic
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about decamping to London for two regular season games.
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The Raptors in contrast been saying they feel that such a double header should
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come at the start or the end of a season.
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"Under our new owner and with the Russian influence, we are trying to become
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more of a global brand," says head coach Avery Johnson.
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"I wouldn't be at all surprised to see the Nets coming over here to London and
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to Europe regularly in the next five to ten years to play regular season
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games.
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"We are glad to be in London and love it here. The weekend's games have been
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on the schedule a long time and we have had a chance to prepare for the
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travelling and the challenge.
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"We are just concentrating on wining two important regular seasons game, this
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won't be exhibition stuff. We are the designated home team and hoping the
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crowd gets behind us. "
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Until recently Brook Lopez was arguably the Nets' only big name player but the
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reinforcements have been coming quick and fast.
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Anthony Morrow is one of the best three-point shooters in the game while
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Slovenia's Sasha Vujacic is a former NBA play-offs winner with the LA Lakers
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and another impressive sharp shooter.
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His fiancee Maria Sharapova might or might not make an appearance at courtside
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this weekend.
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Most important of all they have, only last week, picked up all-star Deron
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Williams in a trade from the Utah Jazz.
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Williams is already an Olympic gold medal winner from Beijing and like Vujacic
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harbours serious thoughts about returning to the O2 next year for the latter
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stages of the London Olympics.
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The Raptors meanwhile boast an almost identical playing record this season but
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arrive after a stunning win against the New Orleans Hornets on Tuesday in
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which Spain's experienced guard Jose Calderon claimed 22 points and a mind-
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boggling 16 assists.
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Italy's Andrea Bargnani is one of their other sand-out players along with
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Leandro Barbosa form Brazil.
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The NBA is clearly going global as well.
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[X][12] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][13]
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* Share: [Share][12] [ ][14] [ ][15]
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[Tweet][16]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/basketball/8359498/Toronto-
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Raptors-v-New-Jersey-Nets-NBA-Double-header-set-make-history-at-the-O2-in-
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London.html
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Telegraph
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## [Basketball][17]
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* ### [Sport »][18]
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* ### [Brendan Gallagher »][3]
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In sport
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[![Olympic Stadium - London 2012 Olympics competition schedule][19]][20]
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### [London 2012 interactive schedule][20]
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[![Sir Chris Hoy - London 2012 Olympics tickets guide][21]][22]
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### [London 2012 tickets Q&A][22]
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[![Sir Steve Redgrave][23]][24]
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### [Olympics email: sign up][24]
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[X][12] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][13]
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Share:
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* [ ][12]
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* [ ][14]
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* [ ][15]
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* [Tweet][16]
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* Advertisement
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![][25]
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[![London 2012 Olympics][26]][27]
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Advertisement
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## [THE OLYMPICS BLOG »][28]
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[ ![Simon Hart][29] ][30]
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** [Simon Hart][30] **
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* [Tax rules are depriving UK fans of Usain Bolt preview][30]
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[ ![][31] ][32]
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** [Jacquelin Magnay][32] **
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* [My Hay Festival speech on ethics in sporting events][32]
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[ ![Tanni Grey-Thompson][33] ][34]
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** [Tanni-Grey Thompson][34] **
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* [Paralympic World Cup can help London 2012 be catalyst for success][34]
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Olympic features
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[![London 2012 Olympics: 20 questions with Nicole Cooke][35]][36]
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### [20 Questions][36]
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Team GB road cyclist **Nicole Cooke **talks to Telegraph Sport
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### [Olympics countdown][37]
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[![][38]][37]
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**426 days to go**
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> Theodosius II ordered the destruction of all Greek temples in AD 426. <p>
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### [Send us your view on the Olympics][39]
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sponsored features
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Loading
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Olympic experts and guides
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### [Olympic Columnists][40]
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[**Steven Redgrave**][41]
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> <a href="http:/www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/columnists
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/chris-hoy/">**Chris Hoy**** **
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> <a href="http:/www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/jamescracknell/">**James
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Cracknell**
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> <a href="http:/www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/columnists
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/tanni-grey-thompson/">**Tanni Grey-Thompson**
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> <a href="http:/www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/sailing/ben-
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ainslie/">**Ben Ainslie**
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* [**Cultural Olympiad**][42]
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* [**Olympics Business**][43]
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### [Daily London 2012 Olympics countdown][37]
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[LONDON 2012 Sport Guides »][44]
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### [Olympics sport-by-sport guide][27]
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* [Archery][45] | [Athletics][46] | [Badminton][47]
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* [Basketball][48] | [Boxing][49] | [Canoe Sprint][50]
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* [Canoe Slalom][51] | [BMX Cycling][52] | [Mountain Bike][53]
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* [Road Cycling][54] | [Track Cycling][55] | [Diving][56]
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* [Equestrianism][57] | [Fencing][58] | [Football][59]
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* [Rhythmic Gymnastics][60] | [Artistic][61] | [Trampoline][62]
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* [Handball][63] | [Hockey][64] | [Judo][65]
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* [Modern Pentathlon][66] | [Rowing][67] | [Sailing][68] | [Shooting][69]
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* [Synchronised Swimming][70] | [Swimming][71]
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* [Table Tennis][72] | [Taekwondo][73] | [Tennis][74]
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* [Triathlon][75] | [Indoor Volleyball][76] | [Beach Volleyball][77]
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* [Water Polo][78] | [Weightlifting][79] | [Wrestling][80]
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Advertisement
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Classified Advertising
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* [Engineering][81]
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* [Cars][82]
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* [Games][83]
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