miaowang123: Sens interest. And providing Ceci can maintain his play

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The rematch is upon us. Tyrunn Walker Jersey . The San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat will meet for the second consecutive year in the NBA Finals, starting tonight at AT&T Center. The 2013 NBA Finals went seven games, a series that went down in history as one of the all-time greats. Watch it live on TSN and TSN GO and listen to it on TSN Radio at 8pm et/5pm pt. Last year in Game 6, the Spurs were three clear with five seconds left and staff at Miamis AmericanAirlines Arena started roping off areas in anticipation for a celebration. Ray Allen hit a circus 3-pointer to tie it. The Heat prevailed in overtime to force a Game 7, which Miami won by seven in South Beach. San Antonio was literally seconds away from a fifth title in franchise history, all, not so coincidentally, under the leadership of Tim uncan and head coach Gregg Popovich. The boss was extremely proud of this group. "I think they showed an unbelievable amount of fortitude," Popovich said after clinching a berth in the Finals. "If I can compliment my own team humbly, to have that tough loss, especially the Game 6, and not have a pity party, and come back this year and get back to the same position. I think thats fortitude, and Im really proud of them and even happier for them." And the Spurs welcome the challenge of taming the Heat and exacting revenge. "Weve got four more to win, and well do it this time," boasted Duncan. "Were happy its the Heat again. Weve got that bad taste in our mouths still." That sort of bravado is a little out of character for the mild-mannered Duncan, but perhaps the best illustration of how much the Game 6 loss still hurts. And, its also a testament to the Spurs focus. "They dont like us, they dont. I can sense it from Timmys comments over the last couple of days," LeBron James said after practice on Monday. "They wanted this, they wanted us and well be ready for the challenge. "They wanted us, they got us." This is the first Finals repeat since the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz both made it in 1997 and 1998. Chicago of course won both of those to complete its second three-peat. A win in this series and the Heat would earn three consecutive titles. The Los Angeles Lakers turned the same feat in between Michael Jordans Bulls and James Heat, but this Miami group is the first to reach four consecutive Finals since the Boston Celtics did it from 1984-87. "Im in the moment, I dont really think about it," said James. The Heat clinched their spot in the championship round first. They knocked off top-seeded Indiana in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals after sweeping Charlotte in the first round and needing five games against Brooklyn. The Spurs moved on with a Game 6 overtime victory over Oklahoma City Saturday night. San Antonio was pushed to a Game 7 in round one versus Dallas, but handled Portland in five games in round two. It was in the Dallas series Tony Parker injured his ankle. He sprained it and the All-Star sat out the second half of San Antonios clinching Game 6 victory over the Thunder. Thanks to four days of rest, Parker declared himself ready to go for Game 1 Thursday, but the injury could linger. "Im trying to be very positive, trying to do everything I can, eat healthy, get my rest, do all the treatment. I just trust my body," said Parker. "I had little stuff, wear and tear, but Im still here and I trust my body to hold up for the whole series." The two sides split two regular-season meetings with the home team prevailing both times. Including last years Finals, the Spurs are 5-2 in their building against the Heat, but Miami has won four straight over San Antonio and seven of their last eight at AmericanAirlines Arena. In looking for differences from last years Finals to this years, the format might be the biggest change. The NBA implemented a 2-2-1-1-1 format for this Finals as opposed to the 2-3-2 version of a year ago. Also, Miami had homecourt advantage in 2013 and this year it belongs to San Antonio, which finished with the best record in the NBA. Los Angeles Rams Jerseys . Coach Randy Carlyle didnt know the severity of Bozaks injury. Bozak left the bench and went down the tunnel early in the second period, returned to play a handful of shifts and then did play in the third. Kayvon Webster Jersey . -- Felix Girard scored on the power play in the third period to lift the Baie-Comeau Drakkar past the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 4-3 in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action Friday.Following what the players and coach described as an "embarrassing" loss to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Dave Nonis remains willing, patient and fully committed to Randy Carlyle. "The pressure right now should be placed on the players, Nonis told The Dreger Report on Wednesday. "I know Randy and the coaching staff is working hard. Im not now, nor have I ever contemplated making a coaching change. The players have to respond." Nonis refuted the notion that the players are no longer listening to Carlyle, or have tuned out the veteran coach and says at the end of their season exiting meetings after the Leafs Game 7 meltdown to the Boston Bruins last spring, that every Toronto player - to a man - credited Carlyle and his staff as the main reason the Leafs qualified for the postseason last year. The Hits Keep Coming Now Trevor Smith broke his hand in the 3-1 loss to the Panthers and could be out for the next eight weeks, further taxing Torontos depleted centre ice position as Tyler Bozak and Dave Bolland are still weeks away with long-term injuries as well. Centre Jerred Smithson was recalled from the Toronto Marlies to help fill the void, but Nonis can see the toll - particularly up the middle - that his teams steady stream of injuries is taking on the club. Nonis has been trolling the league looking for trades and admits he has had offers on James van Riemsdyk, Nazem Kadri, Jake Gardiner, Morgan Rielly and both his goalies. However, the general managers with the most interest have yet to produce anything beyond older playeers in return or trade packages that are not useful to the Maple Leafs in the long term. Pharoh Cooper Jersey. More On Gardiner Following back-to-back bad games resulting in a benching against the Panthers, Jake Gardiners availability has once again become topical. Nonis insists hes not shopping Gardiner, but rival management sources say Gardiners name has been brought up by Toronto in trade discussions in Noniss search for a top-six forward. At the moment, there doesnt appear to be a trade fit that makes sense, so amid the growing frustration in Leaf Nation, Noniss plan is to sit tight, pray for good health in the New Year and do whatever is necessary to help this team keep its head above water. Broadway Banter Meanwhile, New York Rangers general manager Glen Sather continues to shop defenceman Michael el Zotto.  Toronto is among the teams with some interest, but the expected return of a young defenceman may be too steep for the Leafs. Its believed the Rangers would prefer a right-handed shot on the blue line, so Cody Franson is a likely target for New York as well. Sources say the Ottawa Senators are also still in the mix, although the sudden and impressive emergence of rookie Cody Ceci may have cooled the Sens interest. And providing Ceci can maintain his play, the Senators may be willing to move either Eric Gryba, Joe Corvo or Patrick Wiercioch to one of the many teams in the market for a defenceman. With the holiday roster freeze looming, its unlikely well see any big-time action prior to the break. But the appetite for change is growing among some of the NHLs big market clubs. Cheap Jerseys 2018 Jerseys NFL Cheap China NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Jerseys Online Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys ' ' '