Biete Kristall » he tried to recreate the magic of his all-time

WASHINGTON -- No, confetti didnt fall from the rafters, and theres no parade scheduled for Pennsylvania Avenue. But John Wall pumped his right arm and smiled broadly as he dribbled out the clock, and the first word out of Bradley Beals mouth when he addressed the crowd said it all: "Finally." The Washington Wizards celebrated what they hope is the end of mediocrity Monday night, moving above .500 for the first time in more than four years with a 100-90 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. "Its only one game over, but, yeah, its a big relief," said Wall, who has endured more than his share of Wizards frustration since his selection as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft. "But the main thing is weve got bigger goals to try to keep winning games and try to keep getting better and try not to go back down -- so we wont have to have this talk again." Wall scored 22 points, and Trevor Ariza added 20 and had another solid defensive game for the Wizards, who hadnt had a winning record since beating the New Jersey Nets to improve to 2-1 on Halloween in 2009. Washington committed six turnovers while forcing 16 from Portland, and Wall and Co. didnt look back after Kevin Seraphin led a 12-0 run that put the Wizards up by 17 early in the fourth quarter. "Its great to finally get this team over the hump," Beal said. No one on the current Wizards roster was on the team when it was last above .500. They had lost this season at 0-0, 9-9, 14-14, 19-19, 20-20, 21-21 and 22-22, and the hurdle became such a bugaboo that players starting declaring the subject taboo when reporters asked about it. Coach Randy Wittman at one point cautioned against thoughts that "all of a sudden fairy dust is going to fall on us if we get over .500." Sticking with that theme, Wittman wasnt about to consider having slightly more "Ws" than "Ls" as much of an accomplishment. "It aint out of the way. How many more games have we got to play?" Wittman said. "You act like that was the last daggum game. ... If were going to learn to be a good basketball team, we have to do this every night, no matter who youre playing." The Wizards are 120-236 since that Oct. 31 victory 51 months ago, a .336 winning percentage better than only Minnesota and Sacramento over that span. The streak of futility fell just a few days shy of spanning an entire Winter Olympiad. "Its great that were 24-23 now, but I dont want them to focus on a number," Wittman said. "I want them to focus on the act of why youre 24-23. Thats where you keep it going. I want this team to get on a run. They havent ever been on a run." Another way to put the quest to move above mediocrity in perspective: The Trail Blazers would have to lose their next 20 in a row just to fall back to .500. But the Wizards have now topped two of the Wests top teams in back-to-back games, having taken care of Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday. Washingtons first playoff berth since 2008 is well within reach, especially in the watered-down East. The Trail Blazers arrived averaging a league-best 108.3 points and shot 61 per cent in the first half, but Portland was 6 for 17 from the field with seven turnovers in the decisive third quarter as Washingtons defence again held its own against a more celebrated lineup. Seraphin went 7 for 10 from the field and scored a season-high 19 points, making his mark by scoring the last four points of the third quarter and the first four points of the fourth. He followed a turnaround hook shot with a jumper to put the Wizards ahead 86-69. The Trail Blazers cut the deficit to six on a layup by LaMarcus Aldridge with 1:12 remaining, but Nene answered with a jumper to give the Wizards a 98-90 lead. Damian Lillard scored 25 points, and Aldridge had 20 to lead the Trail Blazers, who have lost four straight road games. They could care less about Washingtons over-.500 benchmark, but they know one thing for certain: The Wizards are a better team these days. "Give Washington credit," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "They are playing well, theyve beaten some good teams, and they are playing with a lot of confidence." Notes: G Garrett Temple committed three of Washingtons six turnovers. ... Wizards F Trevor Booker missed the game due to personal reasons. Cheap Mark McGwire Jersey . - This is just the warm-up act for 18-year-old William Nylander. Cheap Athletics Jerseys . - Novak Djokovic beat John Isner 7-5, 6-7 (2), 6-1 on Saturday to reach the final of the BNP Paribas Open, where hell resume his longtime rivalry with Roger Federer. http://www.cheapathleticsjerseys.com/?ta...ckersley-jersey. Not that he was complaining. Davis had 13 points, nine rebounds and a career-high eight blocks, and the New Orleans Pelicans emphatically snapped a three-game skid with a 135-98 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night. Cheap Terry Steinbach Jersey . The 20-year-old Barkley, whose impressive form this season could earn him a place in Englands World Cup squad, was hurt in Evertons 4-0 win over Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup on Jan. Cheap Glenn Hubbard Jersey . Less than 24 hours later, in the same arena, he tried to recreate the magic of his all-time favourite player. Hilliard scored a career-high 26 points and No.(SportsNetwork.com) - In one of the greatest postseason games in recent memory, the New England Patriots only lead was the final score as Tom Brady and Co. outdueled Joe Flacco and a battle-tested Baltimore Ravens team, 35-31, to reach their fourth consecutive AFC Championship Game. In doing so the Patriots became the only team in NFL postseason history to fight back from a pair of two-touchdown deficits to win. Brady finished 33-of-50 for 367 yards and three touchdowns, with his 50th and final toss being a go-ahead 23-yard strike to Brandon LaFell with just over five minutes remaining, a pass that was prettier than Tom Terrifics supermodel wife. It was also Bradys 46th TD pass in the playoffs, breaking Joe Montanas all- time record. I dont think we played as well as we wouldve liked, said Brady, who completed eight of nine passes for 72 yards on the game-winning drive. We showed a lot of toughness coming back from those two deficits. Already the winningest postseason signal caller in NFL lore coming in, Brady was a hair better than Flacco, the most successful playoff QB since 2008 and a player that had already beaten the Pats in January at Gillette Stadium on two different occasions. Flacco was 28-for-44 for 292 yards tossed a career postseason-best four touchdowns but his second interception of the game virtually ended Baltimores chances with 1:39 left to play. Flacco had thrown 197 passes and 17 TDs between postseason interceptions, the second longest streak in history, when Devin McCourty finally figured him out in the third quarter. The University of Delaware product, who has been dubbed January Joe by some and Joe Cool by others for his unflappable demeanor in big spots, only went 11 passes before being picked again, this time by Duron Harmon in the end zone as Flacco misread a single-high safety aas he went deep down the left side for Torrey Smith.dddddddddddd In our increasingly black-and-white society which automatically lauds winners and shuns losers with little nuance, its Flaccos turn to take the heat for a rare mistake. But, this was like an Ali-Frazier heavyweight title fight where the only real loser was the fan who didnt see it. The fourth postseason meeting between the Pats and Ravens in six years was an instant classic, as Flacco connected on his first eight passes, two for touchdowns to Kamar Aiken and Steve Smith, as Baltimore took an early 14-0 lead. The Patriots got off the deck with a Brady 4-yard TD run and a 15-yard Brady to-Danny Amendola hook up late in the first half. Bradys lone miscue -- a woefully underthrown ball that Ravens linebacker Daryl Smith intercepted -- shifted the momentum back to the Ravens as Flacco found Owen Daniels for an 11-yard score with 10 seconds left before intermission. Flaccos fourth TD, a 16-yarder to Justin Forsett in the third quarter, had the Charm City celebrating but New England got off the canvas again, first with a 5-yard Brady to Rob Gronkowski TD and then with a brilliant gimmick play. With the ball at the New England 49, Brady tossed a lateral to former Kent State college QB Julian Edelman, who lofted a pass to a wide-open Amendola to deadlock the game at 28. Weve had (the trick play) in for 10 weeks, and the coaches finally got to call it, Edelman said. I had to loosen up the arm a little bit. Baltimores attempt at a third knockdown fizzled in the red zone and the Ravens settled for a Justin Tucker and a 31-28 edge. And settling for three instead of seven was all Brady needed. We had two separate 14-point leads. Those guys did a good job getting it back to seven as quickly as they could, said Flacco. They dont panic. 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