MIAMI -- Erik Spoelstra said he mentioned how daunting the task would be only once. Bobby Orr Jersey . Back in September, when the Miami Heat assembled to begin training camp, Spoelstra addressed his team about furthering its championship legacy and how rare it is for a team to find its way to the NBA Finals in four consecutive seasons. "Weve never brought it up since then," Spoelstra said. Itll get brought up now. The seed the Heat coach planted in the Bahamas at that training camp took root. The Heat are finals-bound -- for the fourth straight time. The sputtering stretches of play in March and April, surrendering the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs to Indiana, winning 12 fewer games in this regular season than a year ago, they all seem moot and meaningless now. The Heat have a chance at a third consecutive NBA title, with the finals starting Thursday night against San Antonio in a title-series rematch. "Its amazing to make it to one finals," Heat forward Shane Battier said. "To do it four times in a row for some of these guys, its a tremendous, tremendous accomplishment and it speaks volumes to the dedication, luck, and perseverance that you need to do it." Spoelstra spoke of that luck factor when he gathered his team for a locker-room huddle moments after the celebration started Friday night, after Miami wrapped up its fourth straight East crown with a 117-92 win over Indiana to win the series in six games. His words were interrupted twice by LeBron James, which nobody minded. "We dont take this for granted," Spoelstra said. "No, sir," James added, nodding. "We do not take it for granted," Spoelstra repeated. "No way," James interjected. "How tough it actually is and how many things have to go our way," Spoelstra continued. "Four times, you guys who havent been here with us the whole time, you guys inherit everything that weve experienced." Only six current Heat players appeared in the 2011 post-season, Miamis first of the "Big 3" era and the last in which it actually lost a series. James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Mario Chalmers, James Jones and Udonis Haslem are the last holdovers. Battier and Norris Cole arrived after the 2011 finals loss. Ray Allen, Chris Andersen and Rashard Lewis -- all playing huge roles these days for Miami -- came after the first title run of this Heat era in 2012. The core of last seasons title squad, with the exception of amnestied Mike Miller, was back to try it again this time around. Even with all that talent, with that championship experience, Spoelstra knew a tone had to be immediately set when the season began. "What I was really encouraged about was our attendance and commitment in training camp in the Bahamas," Spoelstra said. "Right from there, and we communicated during the summer that, if were real about this, about how difficult that journey is, that you cannot shortcut, that we would show it immediately in training camp." Theyre still showing it now. Miami is 12-3 in these playoffs, 8-0 at home, and has won a road game in 15 straight post-season series. The Heat will need to extend that streak to win the NBA Finals; the Spurs will hold home-court advantage. "Obviously, going through the weeks and weeks and weeks and grinding months of a regular season, it was a toll on all of us," James said. "But I felt like down the stretch, if we could get healthy, we could get everyone in uniform and have our full strength, it didnt matter what seed we were. I felt like we can represent the Eastern Conference again in the finals if we had the health, and we were able to accomplish that." At times, like Friday night, they make winning look easy. Collectively, they insist its much harder than it appears. "You still have to go out and do it every single night," Allen said. "Its the toughest thing Ive ever done and I guarantee the guys in this locker room would say the same thing." Only the Lakers and Celtics have appeared in four straight finals, with Boston (1984-87) the last to do so. Wade was 5 when that run ended, James was 2, and Cole, Michael Beasley and Greg Oden hadnt even been born. Now the Heat are in that club. And regarding what Spoelstra said in that first-day conversation, the point of his words then has become perfectly clear to his team now. "Having a chance to win is always a special thing," Bosh said. "We always talk about not taking it for granted from Day One. We know its a very long season. It has its rewards in the end if we stick together and do what were supposed to do. But it hasnt really hit us yet. I would rather it hit me in two weeks." Anton Forsberg Jersey . Theres little time for rest, too. The Flyers and Rangers play again Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. Simmonds scored in the first period and twice more in the second for his first career post-season hat trick. Mason survived a busy first period and stopping 31 straight shots until Carl Hagelin scored late in the third. Corey Crawford Jersey . -- The Oakland Athletics and free agent right-hander Bartolo Colon have agreed to terms on a US$2 million, one-year contract, bolstering their depleted starting rotation. http://www.cheapblackhawksjerseys.com/?tag=adidas-stan-mikita-jersey . 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.MINNEAPOLIS -- With Miguel Cabrera on the bench and Max Scherzer struggling, the Detroit Tigers still found a way to win big. Victor Martinez homered and had four RBIs, to lead Detroit to a 13-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday. Rajai Davis also connected for the Tigers, who have won two straight to earn a split of this four-game series. "We were having better at-bats, we werent chasing as many pitches," said Tigers manager Brad Ausmus. "Weve been kind of waiting for this for a while. ... It was nice to have those guys pick Miggy up." Detroit trials Kansas City by two games in the AL Central and is one back of Seattle for the second AL wild card. Minnesota scored 32 runs in winning the first two games of the series and Detroit had 21 in taking the last two. The Tigers 60 hits in the four games is their most in a four-game series since having 60 at Chicago from July 6-8, 1956. Minnesota set a franchise record for most hits allowed in a four-game series, surpassing the 59 yielded at Texas July 25-28, 2011. Cabrera didnt play after aggravating a sore right ankle Saturday. With the Tigers off Monday, Ausmus thought giving the slugger two days to rest was not a bad thing, adding hed be "shocked" if Cabrera does not play Tuesday. Martinez homered off Brian Duensing in the sixth for a 7-3 lead. His 25th home run of the season ties his career high set in 2007 with Cleveland. Davis hit his two-run homer in the seventh to make it 9-3. A bases-loaded triple by Hunter made it 13-4 in the eighth. "Just to bounce back from losing 20-whatever and 12-whatever, to bounce back shows the fight we have," Hunter said. Kennys Vargas had three hits for Minnesota. "The last two ballgames, their big boys threw and there you have it, it does make a difference," said manager Ron Gardenhire. After Justin Verlander won Saturday night, Scherzer (15-4) lasted just five innings, allowing seven hits and three earned runs, but the Detroit bullpen allowed just one earned run on five hits the rest of the way. "They fouled off pitches, worked counts, did anything they could to grind me out,"; Scherzer said. Cheap Adidas Blackhawks Jerseys. The Twins loaded the bases with one out in the sixth, but Brian Dozier flew out to short left against Al Alburquerque and Phil Coke struck out Joe Mauer. Minnesota starter Kyle Gibson (11-10) only pitched 4 2-3 innings on a hot and humid afternoon, allowing five earned runs on eight hits. He also walked four, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch. This was the third time in four stars the right-hander allowed five runs. "Its one of those starts where six innings, seven innings, three runs wouldve been good for the lack of fastball command I had," Gibson said. "I think the more I pitch, thats the consistency Im looking for." The game took 4 hours, 10 minutes, the longest nine-inning game in Minnesota history, surpassing the 4:05 against Toronto on July 25, 1987. TRAINERS ROOM Tigers: Starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez, on the 15-day DL since Aug. 9 with a right pectoral strain, has not been ruled out to pitch during next Saturdays doubleheader in Chicago. The right-hander is scheduled to throw Monday and, if that goes well, off a mound two days later. "Just because he gets off the mound Wednesday, he may not quite feel right," Ausmus said. ... Reliever Joakim Soria was scheduled to throw again Sunday. Hes been on the 15-day DL since Aug. 10 with a left oblique strain. "In the last three days hes trended upward quite a bit," Ausmus said. Twins: Starting pitcher Yohan Pino will be unable to throw for two to four weeks after an MRI showed a minor elbow strain. Pino was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to start the first game of Saturdays doubleheader and was optioned back after the start. He will be placed on the Triple-A disabled list. UP NEXT Tigers: Rick Porcello (14-8, 3.10) is to get the ball when the Tigers start a three-game home series with the New York Yankees on Tuesday. Brandon McCarthy (8-12, 4.01) is scheduled to pitch for New York. Twins: Off Monday before beginning a three-game series in Kansas City. Ricky Nolasco (5-9, 5.96) is scheduled to pitch for Minnesota in Tuesdays opener against Danny Duffy (8-11, 2.53) Cheap Lions Jerseys Cheap Packers Jerseys Cheap Jets Jerseys Cheap Dolphins Jerseys Cheap Patriots Jerseys Cheap Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Titans Jerseys Cheap Chargers Jerseys Cheap Giants Jerseys Cheap Saints Jerseys Cheap Buccaneers Jerseys Cheap 49ers Jerseys Cheap Seahawks Jerseys Cheap Rams Jerseys Cheap Vikings Jerseys Cheap Colts Jerseys ' ' '