When last seasons NBA Finals ended, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich was all smiles. For a few minutes, that is. Popovichs first order of business after the seasons final buzzer sounded in Miami was to go and embrace Erik Spoelstra, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, giving everyone hearty hugs and offering genuine words of congratulations after the Heat topped his Spurs in Game 7 of one of the most dramatic, thrilling championship series in league history. The pain of losing started setting in later, and lasted for months. But now, the dream scenario for San Antonio has arrived. Starting Thursday, the Spurs get a rematch in the NBA Finals against the only team to ever beat them in a championship series. San Antonio will be holding home-court advantage, so if another Game 7 awaits, the Spurs will have the decided edge this time around. If that wasnt enough, the Spurs even got basically five full days between games to get healthy and prepare. It is, without question, everything the Spurs could have wanted. "We know what were going against," said Spurs guard Tony Parker, who added that he has great respect for what the Heat have done in this four-year run. "Its a great challenge." There are so many things that would seem like a distinct San Antonio advantage right now. First, while everyones better at home, the Spurs dominate in San Antonio, winning 103 times in their last 123 games there. Over the past four seasons, the Spurs are also 25-5 when having three or more days between games. Maybe most importantly, having nearly a week between the end of the Western Conference finals and the start of the NBA Finals gives Parker plenty of time to get his ailing left ankle ready to go for Game 1. "Ill do my best," said Parker, who didnt practice Tuesday but is hoping to play in the series opener, as the Heat expect he will. This is San Antonios sixth trip to the NBA Finals. The Spurs won it all in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007, the last title in that run coming when San Antonio swept a Cleveland team that featured a young LeBron James making his debut on the leagues biggest stage. James is no finals apprentice anymore. Hes been to the title round three times since, winning the last two. And James is quick to point out that the Spurs arent the only team fueled by hunger in this championship round. "Both teams have motivating factors," James said. "They have a motivating factor. We have our own." Losing the finals is one thing. Losing the way the Spurs did last June, thats something else. Forget Game 7 for a moment. Game 6 will be replayed for as long as there are replays, unforgettable for both how the Heat rallied and how the Spurs collapsed. A 10-point lead going into the fourth quarter was erased, in part because Mike Miller scored three points on one shot while wearing one shoe. And a five-point lead with 28.2 seconds left, well, you know the rest. Manu Ginobili misses a free throw. James makes a 3-pointer. Kawhi Leonard makes one of two free throws. James misses a 3-pointer. Chris Bosh out jumps Ginobili for the rebound. Ray Allen started backpedaling to the right corner, hoping for a chance. ABCs Mike Breen described what happened next like this: "Rebound Bosh ... back out to Allen ... his 3-pointer ... BANG!!! Tie game!" The Heat went on to win in overtime that night, then found a way to win Game 7 and the title, 95-88. When this season began, Popovich started camp by showing his team Games 6 and 7, painful as it was. "I try to learn something every game I watch," Popovich said. "Thats what we do." And while there were plenty of teams that looked like contenders this season, neither club was surprised that the end result is the first NBA Finals rematch since 1998. "We got wined and dined with some of the other teams that kind of popped up and showed greatness throughout the year," Allen said. "The Clippers looked great. OKC, they had their issues and then they popped up. Memphis looked good at the end of the year. Indiana was always hovering. But if you go back to the beginning of the year, most people said the same thing. Pop knew how to manage his team to get to this point. Same thing with us." In other words, maybe Spurs-Heat II was meant to be. "It was," Allen said. ___ Associated Press Writer Raul Dominguez in San Antonio contributed to this story Margus Hunt Jersey . But even after all that time, the sting still lingers. "Im still pretty angry about it," Raonic said of the straight-sets loss to the Swiss star. Brandon Thompson Bengals Jersey .com) - Looking to extend a five-game win streak, the 13th-ranked Iowa State Cyclones will clash with the Drake Bulldogs in the Hy-Vee Big Four Classic at Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday. http://www.footballbengalsofficial.com/Elite-Cedric-Peerman-Bengals-Jersey/ .S. -- Nicolas Roy scored a goal and added two assists to lead Quebec to a 4-1 victory over West at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge on Thursday. Leon Hall Womens Jersey . "That was a great lift for the staff," Padres manager Bud Black said. Yonder Alonso and Yasmani Grandal homered, and Chase Headley drove in three runs, as the Padres beat the Chicago Cubs 11-1 on Friday night. Denarius Moore Jersey . He made that dream a reality Wednesday night. Olt, who grew up in Branford, Connecticut, attended UConn and made a nearly 2 1-2 hour trek to Boston a handful of times to watch the Red Sox, belted a two-run homer, one of four hit by Cubs in a 16-9 rout that completed a three-game interleague series sweep.Oakland, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Derek Carr passed for 214 yards and two touchdowns, while Sebastian Janikowski kicked four field goals as the Oakland Raiders topped the Buffalo Bills, 26-24, on Sunday. Carr completed 17-of-34 attempts and tossed scores to James Jones and Jamize Olawale for the Raiders (3-12), who have a chance to match their win total of the past two seasons if they top the Broncos in Denver next week. Latavius Murray and Darren McFadden combined for 140 yards on 32 attempts, while Kenbrell Thompkins posted 90 yards on five receptions. Kyle Orton finished 32-of-49 for 329 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions for the Bills (8-7), who conclude the regular season at New England seven days from now. With the running game largely shackled to the tune of 13 yards on 13 attempts, Fred Jackson totaled 93 yards on nine catches, while Sammy Watkins, Scott Chandler and Robert Woods posted a TD catch apiece. Chandler and Orton combined for a 29-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth and Buffalo closed the gap to 19-17. The Raiders went ahead by a 26-17 count with 2:51 to go after Carr found Olawale from one yard out. That score was set up by a pair of big plays: Carrs 51-yard completion to Andre Holmes on 3rd-and-22 along with McFaddens 25-yard run to the one on a 2nd-and-6. On 3rd-and-21 from the 9-yard line, Brandian Ross stepped in front of an Orton pass at the Bills 33 and returned it seven yards. However, Janikowski failed to convert from 488 yards out and Buffalo had the ball back with 1:55 to play.dddddddddddd Woods was in the end zone to accept a 30-yard pass from Orton, and the extra point pulled the visitors to 26-24 with 1:09 showing. Charles Woodson recovered the onside kick and Carr knelt twice to run off the remaining time. Orton found Watkins for a 42-yard catch-and-run score to cap Buffalos initial drive of the contest. Carrs three-yard strike to Jones evened the score early in the second and Janikowskis 45-yard field goal just before the midway point gave Oakland a 10-7 edge. His 36-yard boot provided a 13-7 margin with 1:11 left before halftime, but Dan Carpenter nailed a 54-yard try on the final play for a three-point game. A 38-yard try from Janikowski ended the Raiders first series of the third pushed the hosts lead to 16-10, and he was good from 49 yards out later in the period. Game Notes Oakland has beaten Buffalo four straight times at home since moving back from Los Angeles prior to the 1995 season, and improved to 14-5 overall on friendly ground against their former AFL rivals ... Sunday marked the 13th time Janikowski made exactly four field goals in one contest, doing so for the first time since Nov. 24, 2013 against Tennessee ... Jackson, Watkins and Woods became the first trio to record at least 60 receptions each in one season in team history ... Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore left the game with a concussion and did not return. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '
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