who have a better tactical feel, but its obvious th

(SportsNetwork.com) - The Miami Heat completed another exemplary regular season, but there was one team they werent able to conquer, not even in four tries. That team was the Brooklyn Nets. The two squads begin their Eastern Conference semifinals matchup Tuesday night in South Beach and the prevailing theme at the outset is can Miami, the two- time defending champs, beat the Nets? You can catch all of the action on TSN2 at 7pm et/4pm pt. "We know we can beat them, but theres a difference between regular season and the playoffs. Its going to take a collective effort," Brooklyn All-Star guard Joe Johnson said. The Nets won this seasons four regular-season matchups by a combined 12 points and three of the games were decided by a single point. Brooklyns four victories this season snapped a 13-game losing streak to the Heat. Miami swept an injured Charlotte Bobcats team in the first round. The Heat played decently, but theyve been out of action since Monday night. The long wait can work as a positive in that players can get fully healthy, but also a negative if the team loses it sharpness. "Weve been waiting around for a while," said LeBron James. "We dont have a choice, The schedule, it is what it is. Guys are definitely getting their bodies right." The Nets played Sunday afternoon and barely hung on to beat the Toronto Raptors in a Game 7 at the Air Canada Centre. They flew right to South Beach to get started on preparation for this second round. Paul Pierce blocked a Kyle Lowry attempt for the win just before the horn to preserve their season. Pierce and Kevin Garnett, two future Hall of Famers, were brought in at a steep price to give this Nets team championship credibility. With first-year head coach Jason Kidd on the sideline, the team needed leadership. The move didnt bring the kind of expected regular-season success, but the Nets are one of eight teams that can still wear the crown. "This was a very difficult series," Garnett said. "It tested everybodys will here. If anything, I think we grew up a bit during this series." Theyll need growth when they face the Heat. During the Bobcats series, James averaged 30.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.3 steals. Chris Bosh was decent versus Charlotte with 14.5 ppg, but he shot a ridiculous 69 percent from 3-point range. Dwyane Wade, who missed a lot of time in the regular season, averaged 17.5 ppg during the Charlotte sweep, which was down a touch from the campaign. The Nets backcourt of Deron Williams and Johnson has All-Star pedigree, but appeared to slip a little during the campaign. That was until the postseason hit. Johnson averaged 21.6 points against the Raptors and dominated the post against the smaller guards trying to cover him. Williams improved his play tremendously, averaging 17.1 ppg and staying aggressive throughout, at least in Brooklyns victories. Williams tweaked his chronically bad ankle in the Toronto series, but played through it. This is the third time the two franchises will meet in the postseason and the results have been one-sided. Miami swept the Nets in the first round in 2005, then dispatched them in the second round one year later, 4-1. The Heat have won nine consecutive postseason series, which is tied for the eighth-longest in NBA history. Game 2 will be in Miami on Thursday night. Nike Free Canada .com) - Marian Gaborik scored his sixth goal in the last four games to help the Los Angeles Kings top the Arizona Coyotes, 4-2, Saturday at Staples Center. Cheap Nike Free Shoes Canada . Ricciardos exclusion from the results tarnished what had been a day of celebration for local fans, who were jubilant that the Red Bull driver had apparently become the first Australian to finish on the podium at his home race. However just before midnight, stewards ruled that Ricciardos car had "exceeded consistently the maximum allowed fuel flow" and that the team refused an instruction from the races technical delegate Charlie Whiting to change the fuel-flow sensor before the race and a further request during the race to reduce the fuel flow. http://www.cheapnikefreecanada.com/ . "Its not done, but its a huge step," Hannover general manager Dirk Dufner said. Poor defending allowed the visitors to score in the second minute, when Leon Andreasens header from Christian Panders cross sent the ball inside the far post. Nike Free Canada Online . Leverkusen said on Friday it signed Schmidt on a two-year contract. He guided Red Bull Salzburg to the Austrian championship this season. Nike Free Clearance . Kelli Stack and Alex Carpenter also scored for the Americans, who avoided a repeat of Finlands upset at the Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y., in November. Finnish goalie Noora Raty made 58 saves in that one, but the three-time Olympian could stop just 40 of 43 U.MONTREAL - There was something more important than being in last place or blowing a two-goal lead for the Montreal Impact on Wednesday night and it was all about showing support for grieving defender Karl Ouimette. In the end, the Impacts 2-2 draw with the Los Angeles Galaxy, which saw a two-goal lead produced by Marco Di Vaio and Ignacio Piatti in the first half erased in the second on goals from Gyasi Zardes and Alan Gordon, was just more wasted points among many this season for the 5-16-6 club. What counted for this night was holding a moments silence before the game for Ouimettes sister Julie, who died Friday after a 12-year battle with cancer. She was 20. The crowd of only 13,916 at Saputo Stadium stood at the 34th minute mark and cheered for Ouimette, who wears the No. 34 shirt. Di Vaio, the Impacts leader and star striker, opened the scoring in the 28th and then ran immediately to the bench to hug the 22-year-old defender from Terrebonne, Que. "We wanted to dedicate a victory to Karl and his family," said 38-year-old Di Vaio. "When I scored the goal, it was simple to go to him because he spent really bad moments the last few days. "We wanted to give his family some positive emotion. Were a good group, a tight group. Were together in good and bad moments." It had been a trying week for Ouimette, between the high of being invited to play for Canadas national team in Toronto and having to make a quick trip back to Montreal when his sister died. He got one minute of playing time in Canadas 3-1 win over Jamaica on Tuesday night. He returned Wednesday morning and didnt expect to dress against the Galaxy, but coach Frank Klopas sent him on the field to replace injured fullback Hassoun Camara in the 59th minute. It turned out to be an emotional night. "It was great for Marco to come and see me, and everybody on the team gave me support before the game," said Ouimette. "I just came back, so it was the first time I saw them since my sister passed away. "It was great to have the guys show theyre there for me and have my back. Its a big gesture for my sister. The one that was most difficult was the minute of silence before the game. I was away, Id been thinking about other things, trying to get past these emotions. Its hard not to have my sister next to me." The Impact looked to have come up with a third straight win at home in a solid opening half, but injuries to defenders Matteo Ferrari (hamstring) and Camara (left elbow) opened the door for the high powered Galaxy attack in the second. The Galaxy (14-6-7), whho are chasing Seattle for first place in the Western Conference, ended a five-game winning streak but moved to 10-2-3 since the World Cup break in June.dddddddddddd Di Vaio finished a four-pass attack on the rush to open the scoring in the 28th minute. Piatti got a pass back from Dilly Duka and slipped the ball to an unmarked Di Vaio, who back-heeled in his sixth goal of the season. Duka sent Montreal in on a three-man breakaway that saw Felipe Martins feed Piatti for the goal in the 43rd. It was the fourth goal in the past three games for the Argentine who joined the Impact as a designated player a month ago. The Montreal defence lost its bearings when veteran Ferrari was substituted by Wandrille Lefevre at the intermission. A pretty diagonal pass through the penalty area by Juninho found Zardes alone at the far post to redirect his 15th of the season home in the 57th. It was Zardess 14th goal in the past 16 games. Substitute Gordon wasnt on the pitch for two minutes when he converted a Landon Donovan pass across the goal in the 64th. It was Donovans 132nd career assist, three short of Steve Ralstons league record. "To get a point when youre down two goals, you cant complain a lot, but on the night we werent good," said Arena, who had to switch from a 3-5-2 to a 4-4-2 formation at half time because, "we didnt have players who are capable of making the adjustments in the back three. "Id like to see we have players who have a better tactical feel, but its obvious that some of them dont. But thats my responsibility." The Impact play again Sunday but the match that matters now is their CONCACAF Champions League game next Wednesday at home against the New York Red Bulls. Getting through the group stage could save a dismal season. Klopas appealed to the Impact fans to pack the 20,000-seat stadium. "Its probably our biggest game of the season and we need it," he said. Donovan, who is to retire at the end of the season, as well as L.A.s Dan Gargan and Montreals Felipe all were cautioned and will miss their next game due to yellow card accumulation. The Galaxy had Robbie Keane back from international duty, where he helped the Republic of Ireland beat Georgia in Tbilisi on Sunday. Notes: Montreal had veteran Heath Pearce in for Lefevre at centreback and Calum Mallace replaced Patrice Bernier in midfield. Bernier, Issey Nakajima-Farran, Ouimette and Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare had all had been with the national team. . . It was the Galaxys first game at Saputo Stadium. In 2012 they played to a 1-1 draw at Olympic Stadium. ' ' '