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The Netherlands is now the single greatest speed skating team at an Olympic Games after sweeping the womens 1,500-metre race at the Adler Arena Skating Center in Sochi. Kirk Gibson Dodgers Jersey . Jorien ter Mors set an Olympic-record time of one minute 53.51 seconds to win her first Olympic gold medal. Ter Mors just missed a short track medal Saturday, finishing fourth in the 1,500m. "It is bizarre that I can do this," said Ter Mors, who had to wait nearly an hour to know the gold was assured after skating in the ninth of 18 pairings. Veteran Ireen Wust failed to defend her Olympic title but still managed to win silver in 1:54.09. Wust now has six Olympic medals, including three gold and a victory in the womens 3000m in Sochi. "I admit Im a bit ticked," Wust said. "I had [a gold medal] in me. Maybe I was too keen, too concerned about lap times. You have got to be loose out there on the ice, and then the lap times will come. But I dont begrudge Jorien the gold." Lotte van Beek made it a 1-2-3 Dutch finish with a time of 1:54.54. The Dutch team actually had the top-four skaters as Marrit Leenstra finished with a time of 1:56.40. The Netherlands has dominated the proceedings, taking five gold and 16 medals so far in only eight races, eclipsing the record set by East Germany in the 1988 Games in Calgary. It also as swept events in the mens 500 and 5,000m in Sochi. No Canadian women were able to crack the top 10. Reginas Kali Christ placed 16th in 1:53.51. Christine Nesbitt, of London, Ont., finished 17th with a time of 1:58.67, Winnipegs Brittany Schussler was 26th in 2:00.65, while Brianne Tutt of Calgary, ended up 35th in 2:03.69. It was another disappointing event for Nesbitt, who finished ninth in the 1,000m — her signature event — on Thursday. Nesbitt won gold in that distance at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. She was the 1,500m world champion in 2012, and dominated the World Cup circuit two years ago. But injuries, a battle with coeliac disease and admittedly feeling the pressure of defending Olympic gold have all contributed to Nesbitts dismal season, where she failed to medal in any of the World Cup events. "I think one of the hardest things about winning is that because youve done it once people expect you do it again and again and again," said Kristina Groves, CBC Sports speed skating analyst and four-time Olympic medallist. "I think they forget how hard it is to do that. Nesbitt has had some struggles with injuries, with coeliac disease and that takes a toll over time. But I think she should be proud of this race. I know she was probably expected more but shes been through so much this season. "I thought she looked solid, just a little slow tempo toward the end. I think she should be proud of herself for coming here and giving herself the best chance she possibly could to win a medal for Canada." Sandy Koufax Jersey . - The Washington Wizards are in a great position to make the playoffs for the first time in six years, and John Wall has a lot to do with it. Jackie Robinson Jersey . -- As expected, coach John Fox has officially ruled out Wes Welker for Denvers game against San Diego on Thursday night because of a concussion. MIAMI -- Standing on the cusp of the NBA Finals has tended to agree with the Miami Heat in each of the last two seasons. When the Heat have gotten a game away from the title round, theyve finished the task as quickly as possible. And here they are again. A third straight Eastern Conference title is now just one win away for the reigning champions, though if the way this series has gone so far is an accurate indicator, that win will hardly come easily. The Heat -- without suspended forward Chris Andersen -- will visit the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night, leading the best-of-seven East finals 3-2 and in position to close out their new rivals on their own floor for the second straight season. "Were desperate, too," Heat forward and four-time NBA MVP LeBron James said Friday. "Were desperate to get back to the NBA Finals. So both teams are desperate in their own sense of theyre trying to keep their season alive and were trying to advance." The teams have alternated wins and losses through the first five games, and if that trend holds, then its the Pacers turn to prevail on Saturday and send the series back to Miami for a winner-goes-to-the-finals Game 7 on Monday night. If the Heat -- who have won each of their last six potential series-closeout games, including two in the 2011 and 2012 East finals -- win, then the championship round against the San Antonio Spurs will begin in Miami on Thursday. "You cant start thinking about opening up the invitation," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Thats over there. You cant even think about that." The Pacers saw their season end a year ago on their home floor, at Miamis hand, in Game 6 of a second-round series. So Indianas biggest source of motivation on Saturday may be the desire to avoid the indignity of watching Miami advance in Indianapolis for a second straight season. "Game 6 will really determine how much weve grown, because weve been in the same ditch, I guess, being in the same predicament," Pacers star Paul George said. "Going 2-2, losing in Miami, then coming back home and losing at home. So well see where were at. Weve done well all year, especially in the post-season, dealing with adversity and overcoming games where we didnt play as well as we wanted." The shirts in Indiana say "Gold Swagger" for a reason. Even down 3-2 against a team that hasnt lost back-to-back games since early January, the Pacers still have plenty of confidence, and it starts with a coach who came into the series insisting his club had genuine belief that it could knock off the champions. "Its not just false talk," Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. "Theres a reason Im confident. I like to tell these guys that Im not an optimist. Thats what my image is. Im a realist. And when I look around at what I see in the room when Im talking to this team, and what I see on the court, and the level of execution that were capable of ... it gives me real confidence in this basketball team. Our guys understand its not just happy talk. Hyun-Jin Ryu Dodgers Jersey. quot; Adjustments will be made by both sides before Saturday, of course. But at this point, its more than likely that the sides are out of ways to tactically surprise one another. A play here, a play there, that might be the difference, and that sort of thinking is shared by both sides. "Its about effort," Pacers centre Roy Hibbert said. "Its about who wants it more, who wants to get that offensive rebound, who wants to get that blocked shot, who wants to get the loose ball. We just have to come out with more determination. Its not anything the coaches can tell us, its about whats in here. Its lose or go home right now." Sometimes, its not even about what happens on the court. The Heat were losing 44-40 at halftime on Thursday in Game 5, when veteran Juwan Howard -- who appeared in seven games for all of 51 minutes this season after being re-signed by Miami -- went on a shouting spree in the locker room. James followed that up with a fiery, slightly profane speech of his own, and Miami went on a 30-10 run not long afterward that served as a springboard to victory. "His purity, respect level, the credibility that he has, it resonates with our guys and specifically it resonates with the guys in the locker room," Spoelstra said of Howard. "They hear what he says. It means something. And it was raw communication. Were at that point right now where it has to be real, has to be raw, has to be eye-to-eye. These are desperate times. Theres no looking back. Its either us or them." James said Friday that he couldnt even remember specifics of some things he had yelled the previous night. "Absolutely not," James said. "You just let the game speak for itself, I guess." Vogel said he expects that reserve forward Tyler Hansbrough, who sprained an ankle in the second half of Game 5, will be available on Saturday. Andersen, the backup big man who is 15 for 15 from the floor in the series and has made his last 18 shots overall, was suspended Friday night for shoving Hansbrough twice in the second quarter, then not backing away quickly enough for a referee who stepped in. Dwyane Wades aching right knee is still limiting him and Chris Boshs numbers are nowhere near what the Heat would want right now, so the defending champions arent exactly at their best, either. Still, the Pacers know that the challenge theyre facing now -- needing to go 2-0 against Miami in a three-day span to get to the finals -- is enormous. "One game at a time," George said. "We have to come home and play a good game. Everybody is going to have to step up and play a huge role. I know in the back of their mind they want to get the job done and be finished. So were going to have to come out and bring it." Or else, the Heat will be finals-bound, one more time. "The close-out game," Heat forward Shane Battier said, "is always the toughest." cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
