MIAMI -- For the first time all season, the Miami Heat are alone atop the Eastern Conference.
Russell Martin All Star Jersey . And thats quite a turnaround from how things seemed less than a week ago. LeBron James
fought through a sore back to score 32 points, Chris Bosh added 18 and the Heat
used another strong defensive effort to beat the Toronto Raptors 93-83 on Monday
night. The win pushed the two-time defending NBA champions percentage points
ahead of the struggling Indiana Pacers in the race for the No. 1 seed in the
East. "It doesnt feel like anything," James said. "The standings are what they
are. We want to play the best we can and the fact that we are in first place, I
think thats pretty cool but weve got so much work to do. Weve got too much work
to do. Weve got guys that need to get healthy. We havent even talked about it.
We probably wont talk about it. Weve got to play the season out." Chris Andersen
scored 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting and Mario Chalmers added 12 for Miami
(51-22), which was again without Dwyane Wade (hamstring), Greg Oden (back) and
Ray Allen (flu). Indiana (52-23) lost at home earlier Monday night to San
Antonio, 103-77. "The No. 1 seed is the last thing on our minds right now,"
Pacers coach Frank Vogel said after his teams loss. The Heat -- who were three
games out in the East after losing at Indiana on Wednesday -- are basically
saying the same thing. Sure, its a neat perk -- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra called
it an "ancillary" effect of hard work -- and Bosh acknowledged the outcomes
Monday merited a very subtle fist-pump from him. But theres still plenty of time
for things to change, and Miami is thinking more about getting those who are
hurt and sick back into rhythm with the playoffs coming up in less than three
weeks. "Were aware of it," Spoelstra said of the standings. "Its not that were
naive to it. I didnt talk about it. ... These were pros that were getting ready
for battle and its that type of focus, thats the type of thing were trying to
stress right now, the process of building those habits. The results will follow.
They tend to take care of themselves." Greivis Vasquez scored 17 points,
DeMar DeRozan scored 16 and Jonas Valanciunas finished with 14 points and 10
rebounds for the Raptors. Steve Novak added 13 for Toronto, which lost
Kyle Lowry to a sore left knee late in the third quarter after he collided with
James. "It was a hard-fought game -- basketball at a high level," Vasquez said.
"We lost it in the third period. We came out too relaxed. We didnt attack the
basket. Everything worked for them." Lowrys knee swelled, Raptors coach Dwane
Casey said, and that hardly sounds like good news for a team fighting for the
No. 3 spot in the East. "He bumped knees," Casey said. "It puffed up a little
bit. X-rays were negative. We just have to wait and see how he is tomorrow." The
Heat were down 10 midway through the second quarter, and then closed the half on
a 22-9 run to take the lead and never trailed again. Bosh had consecutive
baskets in the fourth quarter, the last of them an easy breakaway, to put Miami
up by nine. A possession later, after a 3-pointer from Vasquez, James split a
pair of defenders on the dribble and found Toney Douglas for a right-wing 3. And
after a stop on the ensuing Miami trip, James got a wild layup to fall while
getting fouled. Moments later, the Heat could look at the standings and finally
see themselves on top. "We could still lose it," Bosh said. "That reality is
there. We just have to keep concentrating on what weve been doing." NOTES: Miami
has now won 15 straight against the Raptors, the last 14 of those meetings
coming since Bosh left Toronto and joined the Heat during the summer of 2010.
... Monday was the start of a five-game homestand for the Heat, who face
Milwaukee, Minnesota, New York and Brooklyn.
Aaron Sanchez Blue Jays Jersey . Subban has started off his season strong, ranking sixth in the NHL in assists with 20 and
23rd in points with 24. Yet the question remains, should Subban be on Canadas
Olympic roster? Subbans skill-set as an offensive defenceman limits his
competition for a position on the team, but it also restricts his chances.
Roberto Alomar Blue Jays Jersey . Louis Blues. The Capitals did themselves no favors with a recent 0-3-2 skid that was
finally snapped with Saturdays 4-3 shootout victory over the New York
Islanders.MANCHESTER, England -- Juan Mata is on the brink of becoming the most
expensive player in Manchester Uniteds history after the Premier League
champions announced Friday they have reached an agreement with Chelsea over the
transfer of the Spain midfielder. United released a statement saying Mata will
move for a club-record fee "subject to a medical and the agreement of personal
terms." Although United didnt give any further details, the club this week made
a bid of 37 million pounds ($61 million) for Mata, which would eclipse the 30.7
million pounds that United paid to sign striker Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham
in 2008. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said Mata had requested to leave Stamford
Bridge after losing his place in the London clubs starting lineup. "I asked him
(Mata), Are you really happy to go?" Mourinho said. "He said, Yes, Im really
happy to go. "We hope he does well," Mourinho added in a news conference. "We
are convinced he is going to do well. If Man United pays their record for a
player, its because they know exactly what they want from him. And they know
exactly what he can give them." The 25-year-old Mata was Chelseas player of the
year for the last two seasons but has been marginalized at the London club this
campaign following the return of Mourinho as manager. He has largely been on the
bench, with Mourinho preferring Eden Hazard, Willian and Oscar as his
playmakers. "If he cannot be fully happy here because he is not playing 100 per
cent like he was the last two years, if he has a big club that wants him -- even
if its a rival club and in England -- the club decided, and I was on the clubs
side for this feeling, that you cannot stop people to be happy," Mourinho said.
United refused to negotiate with Chelsea in the off-season when Mourinho lodged
two bids for Wayne Rooney, who was pushing for a transfer afteer losing his
regular place in Uniteds team.
Roy Halladay Blue Jays Jersey. Mourinho said that hadnt been a factor in dealing with Mata. "Would Chelsea supporters be
happy if we stop a fantastic person, that they all like, from being happy, if we
say you only can go to Russia, China, to France or to Portugal, not England?"
Mourinho asked. "To say now, You cannot go, Juan, to United because United
refused in the summer to sell us Wayne Rooney, I dont think its fair to Juan. So
if they decide not to sell (Rooney, its) their decision." United will hope the
arrival of Mata, who is likely to be in Spains squad for the World Cup in
Brazil, proves to be a turning point in its so-far lacklustre season under new
manager David Moyes. The team is languishing in seventh place in the Premier
League -- 14 points behind leader Arsenal -- and facing a fight to secure one of
the four Champions League places. United exited the FA Cup at the first hurdle
and the League Cup in the semifinals. The bright spot is still remaining in
Champions League title contention going into the round of 16 against Olympiakos
next month. Chelsea, meanwhile, has already found a replacement for Mata in
Mohamed Salah after striking a deal with Swiss team Basel for the pacey Egypt
winger. Salah still needs to agree personal terms and pass a medical with
Chelsea. Mourinho laughed off criticism by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who
said Thursday that Chelsea had timed the sale of Mata specifically to hurt its
Premier League rivals. United has already played Chelsea twice -- most recently
on Sunday -- but still has to play Manchester City and Wengers Arsenal in the
run-in. "Wenger complaining is normal, because he always does. Its something
that we know," Mourinho said. "We dont do the market, we dont do the rules." Two
points separate Arsenal with third-place Chelsea with 16 games left.
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