Bayern Trupp » situation so far

SAN ANTONIO -- After nearly falling on their face in the opening round of the playoffs, the San Antonio Spurs found their footing Tuesday night and ran the Portland Trail Blazers off the court. Tony Parker had 33 points and nine assists and San Antonio never trailed in a resounding 116-92 victory over Portland, bullying the younger Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. "Hes been doing that for a lot of years," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Its nothing different. Hes the guy thats our attack guy. (He) creates for everybody and starts the offence. Hes also played very good defence this year and most people dont really see that." Parker, who had 32 points in Game 7 against Dallas, scored 13 points in the first quarter on a series of drives and capped it with a corner 3 as San Antonio built a 10-point lead 8 minutes into the game. The Spurs never led by less than 20 in the second half. "They did what championship teams do," Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge said. "They came out and set the tone early. Most of the guys on (Portlands) team havent even been in the second round and theyve won championships. Theyve been here. I think they definitely came out and they let us know how its going to be." Kawhi Leonard had 16 points and Tim Duncan added 12 points and 11 rebounds for San Antonio. More importantly for the Spurs, their bench contributed mightily after being virtually nonexistent in the series against Dallas. Marco Belinelli had 19 points and the Australian connection of Aron Baynes and Patty Mills had 10 points apiece. "We came out swinging, caught them with a few early punches and they were on their back heel at that point," Baynes said. "It was good for us that we came out like that but now we have to maintain it." The Spurs had their most complete game of the post-season, playing with the flair and fluidity that resulted in the leagues best regular-season record. "I think Game 7 (against Dallas) gave us a lot of confidence for our team," Parker said. "I think team wise we played our best game in Game 7. I think tonight was a little bit of the same thing. Defensively, it was one of our best games because Portland has a lot of shooters, a lot of scorers." Portland, meanwhile, didnt come close to resembling the confident and sharp-shooting group that upset Houston in the opening round. Aldridge had 32 points and 14 rebounds and Damian Lillard had 17 points for Portland, but the All-Star duo combined for just 17 points in the first half as San Antonio built a 26-point lead. "They knew where we were going to do (plays)," Aldridge said. "They tried to deny guys on certain sets. They tried to force guys to their weak hand. They did what good teams do. I think guys are going to learn from it." Lillard was pushed out of the paint by 6-foot-7 Leonard early in the game and was nearly knocked off his feet defensively by a series of blistering picks. It wasnt any easier physically for Aldridge, who opened the game shooting 1 for 5 against Tiago Splitter and Baynes. "The first half was not what we were looking for," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "San Antonio really came out with a lot of energy and aggressiveness. They were the more aggressive team at both ends of the floor for the whole half." Splitter had an early steal on a pass to Aldridge and nearly had a second when he poked a dribble away as the 6-11 forward attempted to push his way into the block. Splitter hit the court in a failed attempt to keep the ball from going out of bounds, but it mattered little as the tone had been set for a long night for Aldridge and the Trail Blazers. Duncan left the game with 4 minutes remaining in the first quarter after picking up two quick fouls, but the Spurs increased their lead in his absence thanks to big contributions from reserves. Baynes had an immediate impact after playing only the final 6 minutes of San Antonios Game 7 victory over Dallas. He scored four points quickly and continued the physical defence against Aldridge that Splitter established. "He was awesome," Duncan said. "He gave us some great minutes. He came in there with his big body, made some plays for us, made some shots, cleaned up the glass. He did everything he was asked to do. It was great." Belinelli finished 3 for 5 from 3-point range, leading the Spurs bench to leap to their feet in loud celebration after the Italian guards struggles in the opening series. After going just 4 for 7 on 3-pointers against Dallas, Belinelli opened the game by hitting his first three attempts from long range. "Ball movement was good," Parker said. "Dallas made a conscious effort to stay on our shooters. Tonight was different. I made a conscious effort to find Marco. I talked to Pop. We wanted Marco to be back in the series, be back in the playoffs. I was trying to call his number and look for him a lot. Tonight I think half my assists were to Marco." The Spurs scored the opening eight points from close range as Portland missed its first six attempts from a variety of spots on the court. NOTES: San Antonio and Portland had not met in the playoffs since the Western Conference finals in 1999, when Sean Elliott made a dramatic 3-pointer with 9 seconds remaining to win Game 2 and spark a series victory. Dubbed the "Memorial Day Miracle," Elliott made the game-winning shot after catching a pass, turning with his heels hovering above the out-of-bounds line and firing a high-arcing shot over a hard-charging Rasheed Wallace. The Spurs would go on to win their first NBA title that season. ... Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen was in attendance as was NBA super fan Jimmy Goldstein, who was dressed in his trademark leather outfit and hat. ... Ginobili was issued a technical foul by Tony Brothers after slamming the ball to the court following a travelling violation with 1:23 remaining in the first quarter. ... Entering the series opener, Duncan had played as many post-season games (218) as the entire Portland roster. Custom Chicago White Sox Jerseys .com) - Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James will sit out Thursdays game against the Oklahoma City Thunder with left knee soreness. Fake White Sox Jerseys .5 million. University officials released the term sheet signed by Harsin Wednesday, the day the former Broncos walk-on player and Boise native was named the successor to Chris Petersen, who left for Washington last week. https://www.cheapwhitesox.com/. According the CSNBayArea.com, the 31-year-old suffered an ACL injury in his right knee on Friday when he collided with Anaheims Emerson Etem during a pre-season game. Stitched White Sox Jerseys .A. Happ is coming off his first start of the year, a win at Philadelphia Monday. The former Phillie allowed three hits in five scoreless frames of a 3-0 triumph. Chicago White Sox Store . - Joao Plata scored twice in the final 24 minutes, including the winner in stoppage time, to help Real Salt Lake remain unbeaten with a 3-2 victory over the winless Chicago Fire on Saturday night.James Reimer and his Toronto teammates return to the scene of the crime Saturday night. Its a new season -- some six months on -- so the chalk outline of the Maple Leafs has been erased at TD Garden in Boston. But memories of a Game 7 collapse against the Bruins in last seasons playoffs may take longer to forget. For Reimer, the post-season ended facedown in his crease after Patrice Bergeron scored at 6:05 of overtime to cap a miraculous 5-4 recovery for a Bruins team that trailed 4-1 some nine minutes into the third period. Back in the post-season after a nine-year absence, Toronto had clawed its way back from a 3-1 series deficit only to see the first-round comeback crash and burn. It was painful for players and fans alike. "That hockey game will haunt me until the day I die," winger Joffrey Lupul tweeted the next day. Reimer, who has been sharing goaltending duties with Jonathan Bernier this season, gets a chance to write some new memories in Beantown on Saturday. "It means something, but I dont think its as big a deal as Im sure people are making it out to be," Reimer said after the morning skate Friday. "If we win there (Saturday) it doesnt reverse what happened last year. If we play them in the first round of the playoffs again, then maybe you can say theres more of a story there. But its a regular-season game. "Obviously theres a history there and you want to play well and you want to win. But the main thing is the two points." Toronto (11-5-0) can also take solace from the fact that it arrives in Boston with a slightly better record than the Bruins (9-5-1). The return to Boston holds no surprises for Toronto coach Randy Carlyle. "We know that we can and we have proven to ourselves we can go in and compete with the Boston Bruins," he said. "Simple as that." "We think we can go into any building and compete with any team as long as we stick to the game plan and execute," echoed ccentre Nazem Kadri.dddddddddddd Leafs forward Jay McClement looked to take something positive from the playoff loss. "Our goal is to not worry about it, but our goal is to get in to that situation again and handle it better," he said. Plus the Leafs have other things to think about, he suggested. "We want to get our game back to where it should be," McClement said. "Its not really something thats been brought up around here." Kadri said most of the memories had faded. "It was a little tough before the season started and kind of waiting all summer and just having to deal with it," he said. "Now that the seasons started and were kind of 15, 16 games into it, I think a lot of guys have forgotten about it. "Its still in the back of your head," he conceded, however. Reimer says the Boston meltdown can be used as motivation, although he insisted he was over it. "Its just a memory, its just something that happened in the past," he said. "Ive got lots of memories. Its just something you learn from. Its something you use to help you in every game, in every situation so far. Is it still there? Yeah. But its not a negative any more." "Its something that happened, but its not at the forefront of your thoughts at all," he added. Reimer, who had the night off Friday after Bernier started a 2-1 shootout win over the New Jersey Devils, arrives in fine form. He has a 4-1-0 record with 2.36 goals-against average and .942 save percentage despite facing a nightly barrage of shots. He made 43 saves last time out, some of the highlight-reel variety, losing 4-0 in Vancouver in a game that was not as close at the score indicated. It marked the 13th time in 15 games that Toronto has been outshot. Prior to that, he blanked the Edmonton Oilers 4-0 in another 43-save performance that marked his 11th career shutout and stopped 37 shots en route to a 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. ' ' '