FOXBOROUGH, Mass.
Radim Vrbata Jersey . - Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are aiming for their fourth Super Bowl title.Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs are going for their sixth NBA championship.Different sports. Similar dynasties.Theyre built and designed culturally very similarly, said Scott Pioli, head of the Patriots player personnel department during the championship seasons, knowing who the leader is and making sure that people are going to fit in with what the leadership wants and how they want to do it.Stability at the top is crucial to both teams success.Brady is in his 15th season, Duncan his 18th. Theyre humble superstars who set a team-first example.Bill Belichick has coached the Patriots to 11 division titles in the last 12 seasons and has home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs for the fourth time in five years. Gregg Popovich has led the Spurs to the playoffs in 17 of his 18 full seasons as coach.Longtime owners Robert Kraft and Peter Holt have made it clear who has authority — Belichick on the Patriots, Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford on the Spurs.And theres mutual admiration.Any successful franchise has good synergy between ownership, management and coaches, Popovich said. The Patriots obviously have that. Its a fantastic organization.Belichick returned the compliment.I love the way he coaches that team, the Patriots leader said. I admire it.Pioli is very familiar with both clubs.He was with the Patriots from 2000-08 and has had many discussions about team building with Buford, a close friend.Having a locker room that is dominated by the right kind of people and the right makeup is just as important as talent if you want to sustain championship level football or basketball, said Pioli, now assistant general manager of the Atlanta Falcons. The key (was) to make sure that we went out and got players that loved and were willing to commit to football the way that the head coach would. And thats what San Antonio does.Belichick and Popovich are the longest serving active coaches in their leagues. They demand precision in practices and games, stress team over individual success and treat their stars like their other players.When they mess up, Brady and Duncan hear about it.The Spurs and the Patriots have a collection of guys that are over themselves, said Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who became friendly with Belichick while coaching the Boston Celtics. Pop talks about that all the time, and so does Belichick: I need guys to be over themselves and about the team.Duncan passes to Tony Parker for baskets. Brady throws to Rob Gronkowski for touchdowns.When you have a superstar player that is humble and buys in and is willing to do whats best for the team, that sets the tone for the rest of the team, Patriots special teams star Matthew Slater said. Looking at Tim Duncan from afar, you definitely see that. And then being in the locker room with Thomas, its the same thing.That constant excellence has come in an era when parity and salary caps mitigate against it.The Patriots won Super Bowls in the 2001, 2003 and 2004 seasons. Since Brady became a starter in 2001, they have the best record in the four major American pro sports leagues with the Spurs second.The Spurs won NBA titles in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014. Since Duncan arrived in 1997, theyre first in winning percentage with the Patriots second.Your success is very much dependent on the person next to you and their ability and dependability in those two sports, Pioli said. Its about the players being able to respond to the great leader.Some luck helped.Brady was still available in the sixth round when the Patriots drafted him in 2000. Duncan was a cinch to be the No. 1 pick in 1997 and the Spurs got it even though the Celtics had the best chance to win the lottery.Both organizations have found veterans who could contribute.Marco Belinelli, Boris Diaw and Danny Green all helped the Spurs win the title last season after being traded or cut elsewhere.Linebackers Mike Vrabel and Larry Izzo joined the Patriots in 2001 and played key roles in all three championships. Running back LeGarrette Blount and linebacker Akeem Ayers have played well since their midseason additions this year.Bill needed smart players that were tough and low maintenance, Pioli said.There are, of course, differences in how the franchises have thrived.The longer you spend in this industry, you learn that there is not one formula for success in professional sports, Kraft said. What works for one organization doesnt necessarily translate to another. But what is important is that you find a formula that works best for you. Clearly, the Spurs have found a formula that works best for them.Just because Patriots assistant coaches learned from the master, success didnt follow them — Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, Josh McDaniels — when they became NFL head coaches.So why does New England keep winning?That comes down to three people, Slater said. Mr. Kraft, coach Belichick and Tom Brady.The Spurs have a similar foundation.What is the goal? Do you want to win just one championship or do you want to sustain it? Pioli said. When your core chemistry is hitting on all cylinders, thats when you have a chance to win championships.___AP freelancer Raul Dominguez in San Antonio contributed to this report.___Online: AP NFL website:
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www.twitter.com/AP_NFL href="http://www.hockeypanthersofficialonline.com/owen-tippett-hockey-jersey/" target="_blank">Owen Tippett Jersey . The Canadians led for much of the game before Argentina forced overtime in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter. Canada weathered the storm after squandering a lead with a series of made shots. "Its a fantastic win for our country with 11 first-time Canadian national team members," said head coach Roy Rana.
MacKenzie Weegar Jersey . The team reported the signing on its website Thursday, but said Friday the deal was off in "a mutual parting of the ways that had to do with the language of the contract.ARLINGTON, Texas -- A.J. Pierzynski and Mike Napoli had run-producing hits in the first inning against their former team and the Boston Red Sox got above .500 for the first time since three games into the season with a series-clinching 5-2 victory at Texas on Sunday. Napoli put the Red Sox ahead to stay with an RBI double, two batters before Pierzynskis two-run single. Both went to Boston as free agents after being in Texas -- Pierzynski was the Rangers primary catcher last season, and Napoli was there the previous two years. John Lackey (5-2) struck out nine while allowing two runs over seven innings. The big right-hander threw 75 of 105 pitches for strikes without any walks. Rangers lefty Robbie Ross (1-4) made it through 6 2-3 innings and a career-high 112 pitches, settling down after being down 4-0 after two innings. Koji Uehara, who also went from Texas to Boston in 2013, worked a perfect ninth for his ninth save straight save. The Red Sox (19-18) won the last two games in the series after being held to one hit by Yu Darvish Friday night. They have won six of their last eight games, and have a winning record for the first time since winning two of three in the season-opening series at Baltimore. Shin-Soo Choo homered for the Rangers, who have lost 10 of 14 overall and dropped seven of their last nine home games. Dustin Pedroias two-out solo homer in the seventh chased Ross, and was the first Red Sox hit since Jonny Gomes one-out single in the third. Ross faced the minimum 13 batters between that, with only one runner reaching on an error being wiped out on a double play grounder.
Jared McCann Jersey. . It was the second homer for Pedroia, who led off the game with a double before Napoli drove him home. Lackey, a Texas native, made his 20th road start against the Rangers, surpassing Seattles Felix Hernandez for the most. Lackey is 14-15 overall with a 5.71 ERA in his career against Texas -- those are his most losses and highest ERA against any AL team. Choos fourth homer was an opposite-field shot to left-centre in the fourth to make it 4-1. Mitch Moreland had an RBI double in the seventh before Lackey struck out his final two batters with two runners on base. Notes: Boston is 10-4 against left-handed starters. ... This is the earliest Boston and Texas have completed a season series, which the Red Sox won 4-2. The Rangers had won the series each of the previous five seasons. .... Texas is 31-18 vs. Boston since 2009, still the best record by any Red Sox opponent in that span. ... Red Sox 3B Will Middlebrooks was scratched with soreness in his right hand after being hit by a pitch Saturday night. The Red Sox said it was a precautionary move and expect him to be available for their next game Tuesday. ... Napoli has reached base in 31 consecutive games. ... Rangers 3B Adrian Beltre, shifted toward shortstop, made a back-handed scoop catch after running a long way for David Ortizs popup near the foul line to end the second. ... Boston is off Monday, its third of four scheduled off days in a 22-day span.
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