04-18-2019, 06:39 AM
MIAMI -- A year ago, the Spurs-Heat matchup in the NBA Finals was considered a classic. And now, an encore awaits. For the first time since 1998, the NBA Finals is a rematch. San Antonio and Miami will decide the leagues champion for the second straight season, the Spurs earning their spot Saturday night by beating Oklahoma City 112-107 in overtime in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals. Miami -- the NBAs two-time defending champion -- eliminated Indiana from the East finals Friday night, also in six games. "The two best teams will meet," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. "Were just happy and excited that were one of the best." The Spurs and Heat split two meetings this season, both winning by comfortable margins at home. Game 1 of this years Finals is Thursday night in San Antonio. "Its unbelievable to regain that focus after that devastating loss that we had last year," San Antonios Tim Duncan said. "But were back here. Were excited about it. Weve got four more to win. Well do it this time." Its the sixth trip to the Finals for San Antonio, which won titles in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007 before falling to the Heat last season in a series that had some unbelievable drama. The Spurs held a 3-2 series lead and were leading by five points with 28.2 seconds left in Game 6 at Miami, before Ray Allens 3-pointer capped a wild rally and forced overtime, where the Heat ultimately prevailed. Miami then won Game 7, 95-88. The Heat are heading to the Finals for the fourth straight season and fifth time overall, beating Dallas in 2006, losing to the Mavericks in 2011, then topping Oklahoma City in 2012 and the Spurs last season. The Spurs -- who had the leagues best regular-season record, 62-20 -- are now the eighth franchise in league history with at least six trips to the championship round, and would be just the fourth franchise with as many as five NBA titles. "We know were facing a very talented and tough team and its going to be rough," the Spurs Manu Ginobili said. "But of course, we believe in our means and were going to do our best, as always." Both teams have a multi-time Finals MVP. Duncan has won it three times for the Spurs; LeBron James has won it twice for the Heat, and will look to join only Michael Jordan and Shaquille ONeal on the list of players to receive that award in three consecutive seasons. The last Finals rematch came in 1998 when Chicago beat Utah for the last of Jordans six championships. Terry Sawchuk Jersey . Seriously. Seven years of losing has brought many different faces, players and management, to the annual pre-season get-to-know-the-team round up. Pavel Datsyuk Jersey . - Tiger Woods only made it through 10 holes Thursday — this time because of the weather, not his back. http://www.hockeyredwings.info/authentic...ersey/.com) - The 2014 Holiday Bowl is the first postseason venture pitting a pair of ranked foes against each other, as No. Frans Nielsen Jersey . - Novak Djokovic beat John Isner 7-5, 6-7 (2), 6-1 on Saturday to reach the final of the BNP Paribas Open, where hell resume his longtime rivalry with Roger Federer. Sergei Fedorov Jersey . The team said Saturday that the 36-year-old Robidas is expected to miss four to six months, jeopardizing his return this season. He was injured when he slid hard into the boards in the second period of a 2-1 shootout loss to Chicago on Friday.Michael van Gerwen plays Phil Taylor in a stunning top-of-the-table clash as Premier League Darts heads to Glasgow. A bumper night of awesome arrows also includes Scottish duo Gary Anderson and Peter Snakebite Wright meeting in their home country, and you can watch it on Thursday live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7pm.But it is the prospect of darts greatest ever player Taylor against current world No 1 Van Gerwen that excites us the most, with the added importance of the elite pair vying for Premier League supremacy. They both have 10 points but first-placed Van Gerwen sits one leg ahead of second-placed Taylor heading into Thursdays battle. MVG or Taylor? Wayne Mardle assesses both sides of the coin The debate has started. Is Michael van Gerwen the greatest darts player ever? Who will the Scottish crowd prefer when world champion Anderson faces Wright? Wright, with seven points in fifth-place, is a point ahead of Anderson in the Premier League standings so play-off inclusion will be at stake when they meet. Reigning champion Anderson hasnt thrown his best arrows yet but a return to Scotland could be exactly what the doctor ordered.Facing Wright will be Andersons second match of the night - he will also play in the opener against Adrian Lewis, meaning The Flying Scotsman will immediately have his back against the wall with two top players gunning for him. Peter Wright brought the house down in Dublin after checking out on 161 Robert Thornton is rock-bottom of the Premier League with just one point, and still hasnt won a match, but must fancy his chances against James Wade with a vociferous Scottish crowd roaring him on.dddddddddddd Returning to his home country might be the catalyst for Thornton to finally put a win on the board.Elsewhere, Raymond van Barneveld takes on Dave Chisnall. Both players are coming off defeats and sit seventh and eighth, respectively, in the league table. Van Barneveld has frequently mentioned his desperation to be in the play-off hunt when the Premier League makes its debut trip to the Netherlands in May so a win on Thursday would be helpful. After Michael van Gerwen set the highest televised average, we look back at Phil Taylor’s previous record of 117.35 in 2012 Watch Premier League Darts on Thursday live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7pm. Or watch for £6.99 without a contract, on NOW TV.Thursdays Premier League fixturesGary Anderson v Adrian LewisJames Wade v Robert ThorntonMichael van Gerwen v Phil TaylorRaymond van Barneveld v Dave Chisnall Gary Anderson v Peter Wright Also See: Fixtures/Results On Sky TV Prem Table Darts betting Get Sky Sports ' ' '