by ldh2013 » Thu Jun 30, 2016 8:26 am
DULUTH, Ga. . -- Miguel Angel Jimenez made a dramatic Champions Tour debut, setting a tournament record with a first-round 65 on Friday in the soggy Greater Gwinnett Championship. Jimenez, coming off a fourth-place finish in the Masters, overcame constant rain and chilly temperatures at TPC Sugarloaf. He shot a 6-under 30 on his first nine holes, including an eagle on No. 18. He reached 7 under with a birdie on No. 2 and closed with seven straight pars. Defending champion Bernhard Langer, Steve Pate and Kenny Perry each shot a 68. Fred Couples shot a 69, including a double bogey on No. 9, his finishing hole. Jeff Sluman also shot a 69. Though light rain began soon after the round began and became more intense in the afternoon, there was no delay. . Toronto will also send a 2015 second-round pick to Atlanta in the deal. Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri had been shopping Salmons and his cap-friendly contract through last weeks draft, hoping to turn him into an asset that can help the team next season. The 34-year-old can be bought out of the $7 million hes owed in 2014-15, the final year of his deal, for just $1 million if hes waived prior to Monday evening. . The 29-year-old scored once and assisted on another as Colorado edged the host Calgary Flames 3-2 on Friday. .com) - The San Antonio Spurs are one win away from yet another title and they will go for it Sunday night against the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the NBA Finals at AT&T Center.MIAMI - Dwyane Wade thinks theres no one better than the Miami Heat at dealing with the mental challenge of the playoffs. In his eyes, only one other team might compare. Hes talking about the San Antonio Spurs. Thats why Wade believes these NBA Finals are just getting started. When he looks at the Spurs, he sees qualities his own team has, including an ability to break down a loss and quickly correct things. Its what Miami did before Game 2 of the finals and its what Wade expects the Spurs to do before the title series resumes with Game 3 in Miami on Tuesday night. "You never put them away," Wade said. "I think they always believe and its the same with us. You cant, you wont, put us away because were always going to believe. Thats why this is a perfect, different animal, kind of series. Theyre the other team like us. They dont lose much and when they do they come back and be better in the next game. So weve got to come out and do the same thing." That would explain why on Monday, instead of a day off, the Heat gathered to watch video of Game 2. By winning in San Antonio to even the finals at 1-1, home-court advantage now belongs to the Heat. But no one in their locker room thinks its going to get easy now. "They came out great. They played a great game," Spurs guard Tony Parker said after Miamis 98-96 win in Game 2, the 13th straight time the Heat immediately followed a post-season loss with a victory. "Now its our turn to go over there and get one. We played pretty well all season long on the road and so were going to have two great opportunities to try to come up with a win." Miami has won a franchise-record 11 straight post-season games at home. The last team to win a playoff game in Miami was the Spurs, winning Game 1 of last seasons finals. "We are in a tough situation because weve got to go to Miami and weve got to get one," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. "We dont want to come back here 3-1 down. Its very hard to overcome that. Definitely going to be a great challenge for the team to play in an arena like that and having to win." A challenge, sure, but its one Heat coach Erik Spoelstra knows the Spurs can handle. . "Coming back here there has to be an incredible sense of focus and urgency," Spoelstra said Monday. "Theyre a veteran, poised, championship-level team thats been through a lot. The crowd wont affect them much." Neither team thought it played all that well in the game that it won so far in these finals. The Spurs turned the ball over too much for their liking in Game 1 — the game that will be remembered for the air conditioning malfunction and cramps inside a steamy building forcing LeBron James to leave in the final minutes. In Game 2, the Heat werent thrilled with a slow start and how they spent much of the game playing from behind. When James got rolling in the third quarter, things started swinging Miamis way in Game 2. When he found Chris Bosh for the 3-pointer that put Miami ahead for good with 1:18 left, it was just another example of the four-time MVP setting a teammate up for a big play. "Im going to make the right play," said James, who signalled to Bosh about what he wanted on that play. "To have that trust from my teammates, they know when Ive got the ball, Im going to make the right play. Doesnt mean its going to go in. Doesnt mean its going to result in a win, but they believe in my ability." The pressure, if Miami had not found a way to win in the final moments of Game 2, would have been enormous on the two-time defending champions. Now, it seems to have shifted to the Spurs. "It doesnt matter what weve been through before," Spurs forward Tim Duncan said. "Were here now again." The last time these teams met in Miami at this time of year, the Heat wound up spraying champagne in their locker room. Its tempting, Bosh acknowledged, to think that all Miami needs to do for a third straight championship is stay unbeaten at home. But Bosh wont let himself go there. "I can only think about Game 3," Bosh said. "Weve played well at home this post-season. I think we feel we have an advantage now. We have to make sure that we play well and keep it that way." ' ' '
