MIAMI -- The San Antonio Spurs left Miami last June looking so human, Tim Duncan nearly in tears talking about how close they were to another championship. Stitched Golden Knights Jerseys . They dont look human now. They look like a machine. Up 3-1 and shooting the ball at a level never seen in the NBA Finals, the Spurs headed home with a chance to wrap things up on Sunday night in Game 5. The Miami Heat, who were able to deny the Spurs last year, have two days to figure out what can possibly be done to do it again. "Theyre a high-oil machine and they move the ball extremely well," LeBron James said. "They put you in so many difficult positions. If youre not right on time, right on target, theyre going to make you pay for it." The Spurs won by 19 and 21 in the two games in Miami and are shooting 54.2 per cent in the series. The NBA Finals record for a series of any length is 52.7 per cent. No team has overcome a 3-1 deficit in the finals, and the Heat were so thoroughly manhandled in Miami that the only reason to think they could be the first is what they did in the past. Duncan said the memory of last seasons loss -- the pain thats driven the Spurs through this entire season -- would "definitely come up" before Sunday. "As I said, we know the calibre team they are, and we have a lot of respect for what theyre able to do," Duncan said. "Theyre able to throw it another gear and theyre going to do just that. They dont want this to be done." Duncan probably meant "done" as in the series. Of course, it could also mean the era. Two off days were sure to be filled by talk of the Heats uncertain future, with James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all eligible for free agency. Might such a one-sided beating convince James he had to leave to find a better roster elsewhere? Make him more resolute in his desire to stay and get the Heat back on top? The two-time champions have more urgent concerns now. "Did we expect to come here and lose two the way we did at home? No way," Wade said. "But we also expect to go to San Antonio and put up a better effort and try to come out with another win. So well get away from it (Friday), but well still think about what we need to do to try to get another win to keep the series alive." James simply acknowledged the obvious, that the Spurs were the better team, when they swept his Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007 for the last of their four NBA championships. But he wasnt supposed to be on the wrong side of the talent differential once he bolted for Miami, where the Heat would build a Big Three for this decade that would rival what San Antonios did last decade. But the Spurs go so far beyond Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili now. Theres Kawhi Leonard, who followed his career-high, 29-point night in Game 3 with 20 points and 14 rebounds Thursday and has done no worse than battled James to a draw over the last two games. Or Boris Diaw, who wasnt even in the starting lineup until Game 3 and had eight points, nine rebounds and nine assists in Game 4, serving as one of the catalysts for the Spurs mesmerizing ball movement. Individual players get hot all the time. The Spurs are on a team-wide hot streak. "I just think were playing Spurs basketball," Parker said. "Were just moving the ball and were just playing the way weve been playing all season. Wed like to do a good to great, the extra pass, and we preach that, and right now were clicking." It gets a little harder to keep that going when trying for that fourth win, the one the Spurs couldnt quite get last year, when even the real freewheeling teams tend to tighten up a bit. "I mean, every closeout game is very difficult, for all the obvious reasons," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. Especially if James delivers as so often when the Heat faced elimination, from his 45-point game in Boston in the 2012 Eastern Conference finals, to a triple-double against the Spurs in Game 6 last year, followed by 37 points in Game 7. He may need to deliver something similar, or a championship reign could be over sooner than expected. Custom Vegas Golden Knights Jerseys . With the Canadiens leading by one to start the third period, Price turned away 16 shots by the Panthers in the final frame to give Montreal a 2-1 victory over Florida on Monday night. The Panthers (16-21-6) outshot Montreal 16-10 in the final frame, but were repeatedly frustrated by Price, who made 26 saves on the night. Vegas Golden Knights Shirts . I kept my eyes focused up on the camera during each approach. I just tried to stay focused on my form, as I didnt know what the ball reaction was. I was quite emotional at the end. I did not actually see any of the shots in the game until I got home and watched the video. https://www.cheapgoldenknights.com/ . “Momentum is only as good as the next days starter,” the long-time Baltimore Orioles manager famously quipped.Winnipeg Goldeyes manager Rick Forney announced today the signing of infielder Rhyne Hughes to a contract for the 2014 season. Hughes, 30, is a former Major Leaguer with the Baltimore Orioles, having played in 14 games with the Os in 2010. He played with Class AA Binghamton of the Eastern League in the New York Mets system last season. In 53 games, the left-handed hitting product of Picayune, Miss. hit .278 with five home runs and 30 RBI. “Weve been looking for an impact left-handed bat for the middle of our lineup and were obviously thrilled to have Rhyne Hughes become part of the Goldeyes organization,” Forney said. “Hes the kind of guy that can certainly carry a team for a significant period of time. “Hell hit for power and drive some runs in. Hes13 a 25-30 doubles guy in our league and 10-15 home run type of guy, maybe more depending on how hes seeing the ball. Hes a power threat in the middle of the lineup.” Primarily a first baseman, Hughes made his MLB debut on April 24, 2010 at Fenway Park agaainst the Boston Red Sox. Fake Golden Knights Jerseys. He went two-for-five with an RBI. Originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the eighth round of the 2004 MLB amateur draft, Hughes played six seasons in their system before being traded to Baltimore in exchange for catcher Gregg Zaun. Hughes signed as a free agent with the Mets for the 2013 season. He has spent parts of seven seasons at the Class AA and Class AAA levels. He was a Midwest League All-Star in 2006, Florida State League All-Star in 2007, Southern League All-Star in 2009 and named to the Arizona Fall League All-Prospect Team in 2008. In an unrelated move, the Goldeyes have acquired the playing rights of right-handed pitcher Pete Parise from the Lincoln Saltdogs as the player to be name later in the Mike Coles trade from last season. Following that transaction, Parises playing rights have been traded to the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs for cash considerations. The Goldeyes now have 18 players signed for the 2014 season, including eight pitchers and 10 position players. ' ' '  |
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