pickup, Stills hauled in a 16-yard strike and Col

FIVE QUICK HOOPS THOUGHTS 1. SPURS WIN TITLE: The model NBA franchise. Bottom line, Im hopeful that everyone saw how beautiful the game is when its played with the team concept in mind and thats the right way to play. In a society where if very "Copycat" aligned, this could be a really good development for the game as a whole on all levels. Every coach out there has the blueprint that we all witnessed for the sacrifice and selfless play that is the core principle of the sport. Now its on every coach to demand that the game be played (and important for folks in authority to back this concept and their leaders) in the proper fashion with We/Us always coming first before I/Me and a guys nonsensical "brand". Youre a player, not a "brand". Its a TEAM game - always will be. Fingers crossed that young players across the globe and particularly here in North America (where some have a warped view of what the sport is) see this as a cool way of playing the game and that the "pass" is a great way of "expressing yourself". 2. LEBRON JAMES (Heat): Im tired of the knuckleheads that bash him vs. Michael Jordan. Hes a totally different player in a different era. The guy plays hard, is a great teammate and is the only reason the Heat even were able to compete in short stretches. I saw no Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Horace Grant, Toni Kucoc, John Paxson or Steve Kerr out there for Miami in this series. The guy was fighting many times on his own. Hed be a guy that I would be honoured to coach and Id say more than 99 per cent of players - current and retired - would love to have him as a teammate. Is he as good as Jordan? No. So what? Its not like he isnt laying it on the line each night. Hes still terrific and not the problem. Im far from an apologist. He has made his fair share of mistakes but at the core, he carries himself properly and values the team concept. I would take him any day of the week on my team. 3. CARMELO ANTHONY (Knicks): I said this after Game 4 and Ill say it again, I think the Melo to Miami rumours were a distraction to the Heat - particularly to guys like Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. By the way, the two of them played poorly to say the least (24 points combined on 26 shots in Game 5). Not sure where he ends up but hes a wonderfully talented player who is an amazing scorer who Im not totally sold understands the 10-man (5-on-5) game and the value of team play. He needs a very strong coach and point guard to get him to see the light. In my opinion, Jason Kidd really helped him last season in his final year as a player, allowing him to understand the right way to play. With him though, its a daily fight to continue to get him to shake off bad habits and buy in to the value of the team game. He knows right from wrong - hes a big boy with tons of talent and money. Accountability is key with him. You keep him on the right path and he can really help you but you have to battle him every day. Ask George Karl - thats tiring. It can be done though. You need great energy and persistence to get him to do it each day. Teams need to decide if they want to fight that fight. 4. SHANE BATTIER and RAY ALLEN (Heat): Battier has already announced his retirement (guys actually retire? Not too often these days - normally guys hang on for anther deal as long as possible) and Allen might choose the same path. Both of them are FIRST CLASS, top-notch professionals who got everything out of their games. They had work ethics off the charts and are coachable. Wonderful examples of the best the game has to offer. Have always admired their approach. When you think of all the lucky guys who had a chance to play with these guys over the years, it has made the game better. Their influence and maturity were impactful, as was their play. 5. DAVID BLATT (Coach): Has had great success overseas and in international competition. Happy to see his name mentioned for the Cavaliers head coaching job as well as the top assistant job with the Warriors. Long overdue. Hes a top-notch offensive coach and gets a ton out of the talent level at his disposal. Very adaptable and creative. Would be a nice addition to the NBA coaching fraternity in some role. Rob Ramage Avalanche Jersey .com) - Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer were among the third-round winners Friday at the French Open. Peter Forsberg Avalanche Jersey . The team made the announcement after Saturdays 6-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. RHP Kenny Giles will be called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to fill Adams spot on the roster. http://www.hockeyavalanche.com/ . -- Mississippi State was crushed twice by Florida last season, once by 35 points and the other by 25. J.T. Compher Jersey . Despite Arsenals financial firepower, the 31-year-old midfielder was the only arrival in the January transfer window. Signed until the end of the season as injury cover, Kallstrom might not be fit until mid-March after arriving Friday at Arsenal having injured his back earlier in the week while training with Spartak Moscow. Joe Sakic Jersey . Bach, a 59-year-old German lawyer, was elected Tuesday as president of the International Olympic Committee. He succeeds Jacques Rogge, who stepped down after 12 years. Bach, the longtime favourite, defeated five candidates in a secret ballot for the most influential job in international sports, keeping the presidency in European hands.Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Drew Brees threw three touchdown passes in his 200th career game and the New Orleans Saints vaulted into first place in the NFC South with a 31-15 victory over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Monday. The Saints (6-8) climbed a half-game over the Carolina Panthers for the top spot in the woeful division and control their own destiny with two games remaining against division foes Atlanta and Tampa Bay. You want to be playing for a lot at the end of the season and we are right now, Brees said. No bigger game than the one coming up. Brees completed 29-of-36 passes for 375 yards and set an NFL record with his ninth straight season with at least 4,000 yards passing. Josh Hill caught two scores, Marques Colston finished with five catches for 65 yards and a touchdown and Mark Ingram ran in a late score. We were pretty balanced and able to make some plays in the passing game, said Brees. It was a great team effort. The defense really stepped up and played great. Jay Cutler turned in a sub-par performance as he threw for just 194 yards on 17-of-31 passing with two touchdown passes and three interceptions for the Bears (5-9), who have dropped their last three games. Alshon Jeffrey and Marquess Wilson each hauled in a touchdown pass in the loss. Overall, I just feel that we need passion to come from certain places and I dont think the passion is always there all the time, Bears tight end Martellus Bennett said. New Orleans had the ball to start the second half and embarked on a 12-play, 80-yard scoring march. Graham made a 29-yard catch to move the Saints into their opponents territory, Kenny Stills came up with a 13-yard grab on third down and Hill found the end zone again from seven yards out for a 21-0 lead. The teams traded punts and the Bears started at their own 20. Cutler dropped off a pass to Bennett, who took it 12 yards for a first down. Three plays later, Cutlers deep pass intended for Alshon Jeffery was intercepted by Pierre Warren, who took it back 21 yards to the Saints 44. On the ensuing drive, Brees eluded a diving defender, rolled out to his left and delivered a 17-yard strike to Nick Toon down to Chicagos 4 on third down. The Saints settled for Shayne Grahams 25-yard field goal for a 24-0 lead with 16 seconds remaining in the third. Chicago avoided a shutout as Wilson scored on a slant from a yard out just over two minutes into the fourth quarter. Cutler connected with Bennett on the 2-point conversion attempt. Following a Saints punt, Cutler scrambled 20 yards on third down for a fresh set of downs, but he was sacked on the next two plays to make it 3rd-and-21.dddddddddddd Cutler connected with Bennett on an 8-yard pass, but after a false start, the Bears punted the ball away with just 5:26 remaining. After the Bears turned the ball over on downs at their own 23, Ingram followed two straight 4-yard rushes with a 15-yard scamper into the end zone with 1:47 to play. Down by 23 points, Chicago put together one of its more efficient drives of the night with under two minutes to play. Jeffery took a short pass 35 yards, KaDeem Carey made 18-yard catch and Jeffery ended the 4-play, 71-yard drive with a TD catch from seven yards out. Both teams turned the ball over on their opening possession. On the third play of the game, Bennett couldnt haul in Cutlers pass over the middle and Patrick Robinson intercepted the ball at the Bears 24. Two plays later, Toon made an 11-yard grab, but fumbled the ball at the 3-yard line and Jared Allen recovered it for Chicago. After the Bears punted the ball away, the Saints drive stalled and Graham came on for a 51-yard field goal attempt. The New Orleans kicker originally slipped and never got a kick off, but offsetting penalties gave him a second chance. Graham pulled his second try wide right with 8:26 to play in the first quarter. Pierre Thomas took a screen pass 31 yards into Bears territory. Brees capped the 7-play, 85-yard drive by dumping off an 8-yard pass off to Hill, who dove into the end zone for a 7-0 lead eight seconds into the second quarter. The Saints increased their lead late in the second after going 95 yards in 10 plays on a drive that featured three catches from Colston. Brees hit Colston for a 13-yard pickup, Stills hauled in a 16-yard strike and Colston moved the Saints to the Bears 9 with a 13-yard catch before scoring on the very next play for a 14-0 game with 32 seconds to play in the first half. The first half closed similar to how it opened as Cutlers bomb down the left side was intercepted by Warren. Game Notes Brees has thrown at least 30 touchdowns passes in seven straight seasons ... The Bears are now 5-of-5 on two-point conversions this season ... Brees and Colston tied Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne for the fifth best scoring duo in NFL history with 67 scores ... Saints linebacker David Hawthorne finished with three sacks to lead his defenses seven-sack effort ... New Orleans owns a 14-13 edge in the all-time regular-season series ... Ingram ran for 59 yards on 17 carries, while Graham made five grabs for 87 yards ... The Saints outgained the Bears, 443-278. ' ' '