Cuts » round, will return punts.Undrafted rookie

(Sports Network) - Two of the NBAs most successful franchises, not just during this regular season, but over the past 15 years, will square off in the NBA Finals, starting Thursday night. The Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, who also double as the defending NBA champion, will have home-court advantage over the Western Conference winners, the San Antonio Spurs. The Heat finished with the NBAs best regular-season mark, a staggering 66-16, which featured a 27-game winning streak, the second-longest in the history of the league. The Spurs, who havent played since sweeping the Memphis Grizzlies a week ago Monday, had the third-best record in the NBA at 58-24. If not for a Tony Parker ankle injury late in the season, San Antonio might have earned the next-best record behind the Heat. But one season hardly makes for a successful franchise. The measure of greatness in professional basketball can be counted by the number of Larry OBrien Trophies in team headquarters. The Heat won last seasons title and lost in the Finals the previous year. The Spurs have four championships since 1999, with the last coming in 2007. That year, San Antonio knocked off a young Cleveland Cavaliers team led by LeBron James. Fast-forward to June of 2013 and James is already staking claim to the title of one of the best players in NBA history. Hes won four MVPs, including the last two, and is a much more seasoned force. "Just smarter, a lot smarter, more experienced, older, more mature both on and off the floor," James said on Wednesday. "And I think thats the most important thing. Ive matured as a basketball player. Ive matured as a man. And it has allowed my game to sprout." It surely has and James confidence has sprouted along with his game. Theres also nothing wrong with James memory, especially when it came to that first brush with the NBA Finals. "When I got the ball, they kept me on the sideline. They went under a lot of my pick-and-rolls and dared me to shoot," explained James. "If you go into my pick-and-roll now, Im going to shoot," he said. "And Im confident Im going to make every last one of them. Im just more confident in my ability to shoot the ball. "You cant dare me to do anything I dont want to do in 2013." Bold words from the games best. Another difference between the Finals six years ago and now has to do with James supporting cast. Cleveland started James, Daniel Gibson, Drew Gooden, Sasha Pavlovic and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Miami features Hall of Famers-in-wait in Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but that duo may hold the key to the series. Both struggled badly against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Wade averaged 15.4 ppg during the Indiana series and his knee is nowhere in the vicinity of healthy. But, with everything at stake, Wade had 21 points in Game 7. Bosh has been really bad of late. He hasnt scored in double figures since Game 3 against the Pacers and had a very difficult time matching up physically with both Roy Hibbert and David West. Things dont get easier against San Antonio where hell either have to defend Tim Duncan or Tiago Splitter, who is much bigger and stronger. And what about Duncan. The three-time Finals MVP, enjoyed a career renaissance this season. After shedding 25 pounds in the offseason, Duncan averaged 17.8 ppg, 9.9 rpg and 2.7 bpg. He returned to the All-NBA First Team for the first time since the 2006-07 season and was Second-Team All-Defensive. Duncan was not alone in getting San Antonio back to the Finals. Parker was his consistently great self in the regular season, but his scoring is up almost 3.0 ppg during the postseason. Hes at 23.0 ppg throughout the playoffs and was legitimate MVP candidate before an ankle injury. Manu Ginobili is the third member of San Antonios version of the Big Three. He has struggled shooting during the postseason (38 percent from the field and 32 percent from the 3-point line.) Duncan, Parker and Ginobili have combined for 98 playoff victories. That total is second all-time to the Los Angeles Lakers trio of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Cooper. Duncan, Parker and Ginobili have played 150 playoff games together. That is 72 more than the next highest trio of active players -- Bostons Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo. (Wade, Udonis Haslem and Mario Chalmers are third with 69.) "Weve been blessed to have won four championships. And were blessed to be back and have a chance to win the fifth one," said Duncan. "So it doesnt matter what people say or what people think or how they take us, as long as were in the mix when we have to. And were back here right now to make another push at it. So thats all that matters to us." These teams are both so strong and sadly, the head-to-head regular-season matchups offer little insight. Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, who can join Pat Riley and John Kundla in third place in NBA titles as a coach, famously sent Duncan, Parker, Ginobili and Danny Green home the day of the first regular-season matchup in Miami. The NBA fined the Spurs $250,000 for the action, but the Heat barely squeaked out the victory. In the second regular-season meeting, this time in Alamo City, the Heat clinched the best record in the league and sat James and Wade. Miami still prevailed. "Theyre still the defending champs. Theyre still the best in the regular season," Duncan said. And the respect goes both ways. "Theyve got a bunch of Hall-of-Famers, so I look forward to the challenge," James said. Game 2 will be Sunday night in Miami. Cheap Air Max 95 For Sale . Pert has formerly spent time as an assistant coach with Cardiff City, Coventry City, and Bahrain mens national team. 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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- General manager Jon Robinson and coach Mike Mularkey promised a makeover of the Tennessee Titans roster before the regular season when the duo was formally introduced in January, and they took their biggest step thus far on Friday.Neither high draft status nor prior Pro Bowl honors provided any safety as the Titans waived and released 22 players Friday to reach the NFLs 53-man roster a day before Saturdays league-wide deadline.The Titans waived a pair of second-round draft picks in wide receiver Justin Hunter, who they traded up to select in 2013, and Bishop Sankey, the first running back drafted in 2014, along with last years third-round pick offensive tackle Jeremiah Poutasi who started seven games as a rookie.They also released running back Dexter McCluster, who went to the Pro Bowl in 2013 with Kansas City and was a captain for Tennessee last season.Mularkey said they simply added players at those positions that played well consistently.Obviously, weve got some numbers at those spots that we feel like we can go into a game with, Mularkey said. And like we said from the very beginning, the guys that are the most consistent and play at a level that we like them to play at those will be the guys on the final roster and that played a factor into it.Hunter has 68 catches for 1,116 yards in his three years with injuries ending each of the last two seasons. Sankey started only 12 of 29 games as the 54th pick overall with just 762 yards rushing.The Titans now no longer have a second-round pick from any draft between 2011 and 2015. Robinson, who replaced Ruston Webster in January, traded for DeMarco Murray and drafted Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry to bolster the running back position. The GM also signed veteran Rishard Matthews, drafted Tajae Sharpe and then added Andre Johnson in July at receiver.Mularkey said he and Robinson had beeen talking so much about the roster that it simply made sense to go ahead and make the cuts Friday.ddddddddddddAfter going 3-13 last season and winding up with the top overall draft pick, the Titans have first claims off the waiver wire as the rest of the league pares its rosters down.Were pretty well set with the roster until we get a chance to look at the waiver wire, Mularkey said.As the roster stands, the Titans have three quarterbacks with Alex Tanney joining Marcus Mariota and veteran Matt Cassel for now. They also have five wide receivers with Johnson and Tre McBride, who will also return kicks, rounding out that group. Rookie safety Kevin Byard, their first pick in the third round, will return punts.Undrafted rookie free agent Mehdi Abdesmad is on the roster for now at defensive end. Mularkey said the lineman played well in the Titans win Thursday night at Miami to wrap up the preseason. Cornerback Cody Riggs also is on the roster for a second straight year as an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame.With the cuts made, Mularkey said the Titans can turn their focus to Minnesota, their opponent in the season opener on Sept. 11.Game notes Henry, who wore No. 2 this preseason, now will switch to No. 22 for the regular season. That was the number McCluster had the past two seasons. ... Others waived included FB Sam Bergen; TEs Jerome Cunningham and Alex Ellis; RB David Fluellen; LBs Curtis Grant, Justin Staples and J.R. Tavai; WRs Ben Roberts and Andrew Turzilli; CBs B.W. Webb, and Kalan Reed; C Ronald Patrick; S Marqueston Huff and Curtis Riley; K Aldrick Rosas; NT Antwaun Woods and OL Ronald Patrick, Tyler Marz and Will Poehls.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '