FIVE QUICK NBA THOUGHTS: 1. KEMBA WALKER (Bobcats): Walker is a little man with a huge heart. There are certain guys you come across in this gamewho just have that little extra something in their make-up and hes one of those guys. His team was down 16 in the second half against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night and he just willed his team to victory. He took over and dominated the game at the point of attack. You think back to his wonderful collegiate career at Connecticut and his ups and downs as a pro, playing for a less-than-stellar team. You cant keep him down for long. Hes become a respectable three-point shooter now and its opened his game up even more. There is still lots of room for improvement, but you wont find many guys in the game today who have his competitive spirit. I respect the guy. 2. MIAMI HEAT: I dont care what they say, but that was a necessary win for them last night against the Indiana Pacers. You dont want to let your top conference opponent have too much belief or confidence when it comes to the match-up. When youre the world champions, act like it and play like it and they did. It sets the tone for how you want to be viewed during the rest of the season around the league. Last year doesnt matter a bit anymore. Its all about the now and this win helps both in the short and long term. 3. ANDRE DRUMMOND (Pistons): I must confess that every day Im checking out Detroits box scores and watching their games when I have a free night. Drummond is simply fun to watch. Im not sure yet how much he truly knows how to play the game in all respects, but hes incredibly talented and gifted. On Wednesday night, he had another double-double with 14 points and 16 boards, eight of them offensive rebounds, against the Boston Celtics. Hes got major league, elite rebounding ability and he has the chance to be an impactful defender once he figures out schemes and tendencies of opponents. He can change shots in the lane at a high level and hes got two significant talents that directly change how you have to play as an opponent. 4. VINCE CARTER (Mavericks): Ill see him Friday night in Dallas and just cant believe its been 16 years since his rookie year with the Toronto Raptors. I feel old since its my 16th year as well as a Raptors broadcaster. Hes had the much better career, thats for sure. Wednesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies he had 14 points, four rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes. For a 16-year vet, hes still got game left and really knows how to play. Carter is a good teammate and fits Rick Carlisles system well. You see so many guys fall off the cliff when they get to this stage of their career, so its impressive that hes still able to play at a respectable level. 5. JJ BAREA (Timberwolves): It was a huge win for Minnesota over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night. Barea comes in and gives you something every game. On Wednesday, he put up 10 points along with five assists in the victory. He plays with great energy and determination when he plays and hes very difficult to keep out of the lane. Barea possesses good ball skills and shot-making ability. Hes undersized, but not undeterred. China Jerseys Outlet . Patrick Deslisle-Houde and David Rose each scored in the second to give the fourth-seeded Redmen a 3-1 lead after Jean-Philippe Mathieu scored in the first. China Jerseys Reviews . Or at least on everyone elses expectations. Costa Rica followed up its surprise win over Uruguay with another World Cup stunner on Friday, beating four-time champion Italy 1-0 to secure a spot in the next round and eliminate England in the process. http://www.chinajerseyspaypal.com/ . Malone will become an unrestricted free-agent and as per the collective bargaining agreement, the Lightning will be responsible for two-thirds of the remainder of his contract over twice the length of the rest of the deal. China Made Jerseys . The Red Wings hadnt played the night before. The Boston Bruins had. A month from now, or two months from now, it doesnt matter. But right now it does matter, when you start and you play back to back, its wear and tear on you for sure, Babcock said. China Jerseys Knockoff . As they are wont to do, the Spurs made things real easy. The Spurs signed Parker to a multi-year contract extension on Friday, ensuring that the six-time All-Star point guard will be in the fold whether Duncan and Ginobili are able to continue their careers or not.SAN FRANCISCO -- If Tim Lincecum wants to win without an overpowering fastball, he knows he will have to find his way through games when he is nowhere near his best. And he was nowhere near his best Friday night. And yet, he still won. Pablo Sandoval and Brandon Hicks homered to back a wildly effective Lincecum, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Minnesota Twins 6-2. "He was bobbing and weaving out there the whole game," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. Lincecum (4-3) struck out four and walked six in six innings. He allowed five hits and also had two wild pitches, escaping trouble in nearly every inning. Only 57 of Lincecums 112 pitches were strikes. "Youve got to battle when you dont have your best stuff, your best command. And today was just that," Lincecum said. "Its kind of an ugly win, but Ill take it. Joe Mauer and Chris Parmelee drove in Minnesotas only runs in the third. Sandoval hit a three-run shot in the first, Hicks hit his eighth homer off Kyle Gibson (4-4) in the fourth and drove in another run on a flyout in the seventh. Gibson gave up five runs and five hits in five innings, working quickly and in command for most of his 72-pitch outing. He struck out four and walked none. "I really got beat on three pitches, which is the frustrating part," Gibson said. San Francisco opened its six-game homestand with some pop at the plate and slick manoeuvring on the mound. Hunter Pence extended his hitting streak to 10 games with an infield single after Angel Pagan doubled leading off the first. Pence was originally ruled out, Bochy challenged the call and umpires overturned it after a 33-second video review. Pagan was thrown out at home on Buster Poseys grounder, but not before third baseman Trevor Plouffes throw pulled Brian Dozier off second on what wouldve been an inning-ending double play. Then, Sandoval sent the first pitch he saw over the brick wall in right to put the Giants ahead 3-0. It was Sandovals fifth home run this season. "I just focused and tried to calm myself ddown a little bit more," Sandoval said.dddddddddddd Mauer hit an RBI triple and Parmelee drove in another run for Minnesota in the third to slice San Franciscos lead to 3-2. In the bottom of the inning, Pagan tripled and scored for San Francisco after shortstop Eduardo Escobar couldnt corral Pences grounder. Despite his lack of command, Lincecum kept the Giants in control. The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner, still searching for consistency as his fastball has faded in recent years, walked two and threw two wild pitches in the third without allowing a run. Sandoval fielded Gibsons grounder at third and threw out Escobar at the plate before Lincecum struck out Dozier to end the inning. In the fifth, Lincecum loaded the bases before getting Escobar to hit a weak groundout to first. Lincecums saved his smoothest inning for his final one, retiring the side in order before leaving to a standing ovation from the announced sellout crowd of 41,514. Left-hander Jeremy Affeldt tossed a scoreless seventh for the Giants. After Javier Lopez allowed two baserunners in the eighth, Jean Machi got pinch-hitter Josmil Pinto to ground into a double-play before pitching a perfect ninth for the save. "We were a little sloppy defensively and we missed plenty of opportunities to get some hits," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "A rough start for us here, and that team over there knows how to take advantage of you." NOTES: The Giants will wait until at least Saturday to decide if RHP Matt Cain, who strained his right hamstring Wednesday at Colorado, will make his next start Monday against the Chicago Cubs. Bochy said Cain "was bouncing around pretty good" in the clubhouse. ... Mauer and Posey, who have each won an MVP at catcher, both started at first base. ... Twins RHP Samuel Deduno (1-2, 3.53 ERA), originally slated to start Sunday, will take the mound on Saturday. Ricky Nolasco will pitch Sunday. ... Ryan Vogelsong (2-2, 3.62) goes for the Giants on Saturday and lefty Madison Bumgarner starts Sunday. ' ' '