Funkerstation » me of it, as theyve been known

MIAMI - LeBron James and Dwyane Wade wrapped each other in a pregame embrace, chatted and laughed at halftime, then hugged again after the final buzzer.Just like old times.Only this time, just one got to enjoy a victory.James return to Miami as an opponent was a success — for the Heat, that is. Wade scored 24 of his 31 points in the first half, Luol Deng had 25 points and dogged James defensively all night, and the Heat beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 101-91 in a hyped Christmas matchup Thursday.We didnt have a bad breakup, Wade said. We played against each other for seven years, man. The weirdness just wasnt there. It wasnt like we played against each other our whole career and the breakup happened. We played against each other for seven years, then with each other for a period of time, then he went back to the same situation and Im in the same place.Heres an example of how their relationship has endured: When James, who returned to Cleveland in the off-season after four seasons and two titles with the Heat, and the Cavaliers landed in South Florida on Wednesday, the four-time NBA MVP went to Wades house for a night of Christmas Eve revelry.James turns 30 on Tuesday. He had questions for the 32-year-old Wade about what changes at that age. Thats what they talked about, no smack about how the Cavaliers are perceived to be a championship contender and how the Heat arent even at the .500 mark.We only play this game for so long, said James, who got a warm ovation when a video of his Heat highlights played in the first quarter. Youve still got life afterwards. For us were going to compete, were going to go about our business and do what we need to do in our profession. Youll never let friendship come in between that.It was fitting that they talked about life after 30 — because for the seventh time in their head-to-head meetings, both scored at least 30 points.James had 30 points and eight assists for the Cavaliers, who got 25 from Kyrie Irving and 14 from Kevin Love.Couple of the best in this generation, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said about the James vs. Wade nights. Spectacular. I wish I could sit back and enjoy it like a fan, because its just fantastic basketball. ... However long these two guys play, youll get your moneys worth.Deng had eight points and eight assists for Miami. Chris Andersen scored 12 for the Heat, who led by as many as 17, trailed for a moment in the fourth quarter before gathering themselves and pulling away again.Miami was again without Chris Bosh, still sidelined by a calf injury.Wade was just 2 for 12 after halftime. Backcourt mate Mario Chalmers was 2 for 12 for the game.It didnt matter.Miami found a way, even after a 17-point lead slipped away — just like a 23-pointer did against Philadelphia two nights earlier.James had a go-ahead dunk in transition with 11:20 left. After that slam put Cleveland up 78-77, he got a technical foul for hanging on the rim a bit too long — so that lead lasted exactly zero seconds.Wade made a free throw after the technical, tying the game. And up 90-87 late, the Heat finished on an 11-4 spurt.Were not that good right now, James said. Weve won some really good games, weve lost some games, but were not that good right now.TIP-INSCavaliers: Love started at centre, replacing the now out-for-the-season Anderson Varejao. James had left leg tightness after leapfrogging a row of baseline seats in the third quarter, and Irving bruised a knee in a collision in the final moments. ... Clevelands next trip to Miami is March 16.Heat: Wade made his 10th Christmas start, twice as many as any player in Heat history. Chalmers started on the holiday for a fourth time, tying Bosh and James for third-most. ... The second half was briefly delayed while lights were coming back up after Flo Ridas halftime show.FREE THROWSJames took 18 free throws. The Heat took 17.DENGS NIGHTDeng never before had a game with at least 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. This game meant a lot to a lot of people, Deng said.UP NEXTCavaliers: At Orlando on Friday night.Heat: Host Memphis on Saturday night. Luis Gonzalez Jersey .While Rosberg is coming off a strong victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Hamilton is dwelling on a mistake that ended his streak of five consecutive wins and kept him from increasing his advantage. David Peralta Jersey . -- David Price didnt think he would be in Port Charlotte this spring. http://www.cheapdiamondbacksjerseys.com/. HEROES Alex Ovechkin – Scored a pair of goals in Washington’s 4-0 win over Pittsburgh. With 13 goals in the past 13 games, Ovechkin now has 29 goals on the season to lead the league. Cheap MLB Jerseys . "Canada," Bolland said with a smile. "Is that a question?" One day earlier, though, fellow Toronto Maple Leafs centre Nazem Kadri wasnt so sure his home and native land could pull off the win against the United States in the semi-finals of the Olympic hockey tournament. Chris Owings Jersey . -- Jerome Verrier scored once and set up two more as the Drummondville Voltigeurs downed the visiting Chicoutimi Sagueneens 5-1 on Friday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League play.SACRAMENTO - The Raptors nearly got away with what should have been one of their most lopsided defeats of the season. Down by 22 early in the fourth quarter, the Raptors - on the heels of yet another fierce comeback - had cut their deficit to six as Kyle Lowry launched what could have been a game-changing three pointer. Kings rookie Ben McLemore closed out hard and the two collided just before Lowrys shot dropped and the whistle blew. Had the bucket counted and, assuming Lowry then connects on the subsequent free throw, the Raptors would have been down by two with 25 seconds remaining. Instead, official Eric Lewis called the foul on the shooter. Lowry had kicked out his leg on the jumper, he explained. The call was bold, to put it mildly, and in disbelief, Lowrys reaction earned him his second technical foul of the game. He was done for the night, heading straight to the locker room, and for all intents and purposes so, too, were the Raptors. On the night, the Raptors were assigned three techs. They finished the game with more personal fouls (35) than Kings field goals (32). Lowry, like the rest of his teammates, didnt say much following Wednesdays 109-101 loss in Sacramento. What he did say spoke volumes. "I cant say what I really want to say," Lowry commented, biting his tongue. "Its as simple as that." Theyve all lived through this narrative before, most recently in Portland this past weekend. Questionable officiating aside - theyve seen their fair share of that, too - slow starts followed by one last-ditch effort to save the day have become the norm. Its a bad habit that the likes of Indiana and Miami can get away with because theyre Indiana and Miami. When the Raptors play with fire, more often than not, theyll get burned. Dwane Casey, moments after lacing into his players in the locker room, could have gone after the officials but wisely chose to save his money and direct his angst at the team. Correct what you can control was the mindset, and the Raptors have displayed a few glaring faults worth correcting. "We havent done anything, Ive been repeating this, we havent done anything in this league yet to come out and play in second gear until we try to turn it on," said the Raptors coach, his team giving up 92 points and trailing by 20 after three quarters Wednesday. "Were not that good and, until we have that disposition from start to finish, were going to be disappointed a lot. Ive said that warning, Ive given that warning and like I just told them, they have to decide how they want to live." The emotions of the evening got the better of them. On a night in which seven players - including the Kings Rudy Gay - faced their former team for the first time since Decembers trade, Sacramento came out with the focus that escaped the Raptors.dddddddddddd "Its a business" is a phrase that was uttered over and over on both sides leading up to the much-anticipated reunion between Gay and the Raptors, but only one team followed through on it. "Were out hugging, giving [high] fives and all that," said a disappointed Casey. "This is a business and I didnt think our disposition from start to finish was in the fight mode, the hungry-team mode." The Raptors had rallied around Gay as he made his first trip back to Memphis earlier in the season and the Kings did the same Wednesday. The former Raptors forward and leading scorer had a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds, but he didnt do it alone because he didnt have to. DeMarcus Cousins scored 25 and Isaiah Thomas added 23. Combined, the three Kings accounted for 41 of the Kings 51 free throw attempts. Toronto made just 24 trips to the line. "Its about putting your body on someone," Casey said. "The fundamental box-out, going to get it, getting to rebounds, all the little things that you have to do. And then you put them on the line 51 times because either youre late or out of position." Just like it did in Portland on Saturday, Torontos defence took the first half off. The Kings - a 16-win team going into the evening - scored 30 points in the first quarter and 37 in the second. By halftime, four of their five starters were in double figures. The Raptors are a resilient bunch, sure. Comeback specialist Steve Novak checked in and promptly knocked down three triples. They made a game of it, as theyve been known to do, but when you rely on the miraculous, you leave yourself vulnerable to the unpredictable nature of crunch time in the NBA. Things happen. In Portland, it was a relatively unforced turnover on the games final possession. In Sacramento, it was a bad call. The visitors locker room in Sleep Train Arena - easily the coziest in the league - was filled with frustrated players, packed together like sardines. They had every reason to be frustrated, but as Casey stressed to them, they need to look inward. "We got guys who are going to fight to the end, but we cant let ourselves get down by 20 and think we are going to come back every time," said John Salmons, one of four Raptors who came over in the trade from Sacramento. "Its not going to happen every time." "Like I told the guys in the locker room, it was probably the worst game weve played since I got here," said Chuck Hayes, another former Kings player. "This ones probably going to [cause us to] lose a couple hours of sleep but weve got to get over it." ' ' '