When last seasons NBA Finals ended, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich was all smiles. For a few minutes, that is. Popovichs first order of business after the seasons final buzzer sounded in Miami was to go and embrace Erik Spoelstra, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, giving everyone hearty hugs and offering genuine words of congratulations after the Heat topped his Spurs in Game 7 of one of the most dramatic, thrilling championship series in league history. The pain of losing started setting in later, and lasted for months. But now, the dream scenario for San Antonio has arrived. Starting Thursday, the Spurs get a rematch in the NBA Finals against the only team to ever beat them in a championship series. San Antonio will be holding home-court advantage, so if another Game 7 awaits, the Spurs will have the decided edge this time around. If that wasnt enough, the Spurs even got basically five full days between games to get healthy and prepare. It is, without question, everything the Spurs could have wanted. "We know what were going against," said Spurs guard Tony Parker, who added that he has great respect for what the Heat have done in this four-year run. "Its a great challenge." There are so many things that would seem like a distinct San Antonio advantage right now. First, while everyones better at home, the Spurs dominate in San Antonio, winning 103 times in their last 123 games there. Over the past four seasons, the Spurs are also 25-5 when having three or more days between games. Maybe most importantly, having nearly a week between the end of the Western Conference finals and the start of the NBA Finals gives Parker plenty of time to get his ailing left ankle ready to go for Game 1. "Ill do my best," said Parker, who didnt practice Tuesday but is hoping to play in the series opener, as the Heat expect he will. This is San Antonios sixth trip to the NBA Finals. The Spurs won it all in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007, the last title in that run coming when San Antonio swept a Cleveland team that featured a young LeBron James making his debut on the leagues biggest stage. James is no finals apprentice anymore. Hes been to the title round three times since, winning the last two. And James is quick to point out that the Spurs arent the only team fueled by hunger in this championship round. "Both teams have motivating factors," James said. "They have a motivating factor. We have our own." Losing the finals is one thing. Losing the way the Spurs did last June, thats something else. Forget Game 7 for a moment. Game 6 will be replayed for as long as there are replays, unforgettable for both how the Heat rallied and how the Spurs collapsed. A 10-point lead going into the fourth quarter was erased, in part because Mike Miller scored three points on one shot while wearing one shoe. And a five-point lead with 28.2 seconds left, well, you know the rest. Manu Ginobili misses a free throw. James makes a 3-pointer. Kawhi Leonard makes one of two free throws. James misses a 3-pointer. Chris Bosh out jumps Ginobili for the rebound. Ray Allen started backpedaling to the right corner, hoping for a chance. ABCs Mike Breen described what happened next like this: "Rebound Bosh ... back out to Allen ... his 3-pointer ... BANG!!! Tie game!" The Heat went on to win in overtime that night, then found a way to win Game 7 and the title, 95-88. When this season began, Popovich started camp by showing his team Games 6 and 7, painful as it was. "I try to learn something every game I watch," Popovich said. "Thats what we do." And while there were plenty of teams that looked like contenders this season, neither club was surprised that the end result is the first NBA Finals rematch since 1998. "We got wined and dined with some of the other teams that kind of popped up and showed greatness throughout the year," Allen said. "The Clippers looked great. OKC, they had their issues and then they popped up. Memphis looked good at the end of the year. Indiana was always hovering. But if you go back to the beginning of the year, most people said the same thing. Pop knew how to manage his team to get to this point. Same thing with us." In other words, maybe Spurs-Heat II was meant to be. "It was," Allen said. ___ Associated Press Writer Raul Dominguez in San Antonio contributed to this story Cam Newton Jersey . -- Billy Donovans bench came up big, bailing out top-seeded Florida in a tight game against what was supposed to be an overmatched opponent. Ryan Kalil Jersey .com) - The San Francisco Giants delivered plenty of big hits to tie the World Series. http://www.officialcarolinapantherspro.com/.com) - Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson lost an appeal to have his indefinite suspension overturned, the NFL announced Friday. DJ Moore Jersey . Both of Padakins goals came in the second period while Zane Jones added a single in the first period for Calgary (13-6-4). Hitmen goaltender Chris Driedger finished with 30 saves for the shutout. Custom Carolina Panthers Jerseys . Mika Zibanejad and Jason Spezza scored in the shootout to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 2-1 victory over Nashville on Saturday night.A few hours before the Sochi Games wrap up halfway across the world, Ronda Rousey and Sara McMann will meet in a cage in Las Vegas for the UFCs celebration of its own Olympic spirit. Judo bronze medallist Ronda Rousey takes on wrestling silver medallist Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170 on Saturday night. Former U.S. Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier headlines the undercard against UFC newcomer Patrick Cummins. Two female Olympians have never met in the UFC octagon, and Rousey jumped on the chance to accomplish another MMA first, even if its just 56 days after she was booed out of the octagon for refusing to shake hands after her last victory over Miesha Tate. "Im super stoked, and its even better its happening with the Sochi Winter Olympics," Rousey said. "It just seems like this is the absolute perfect time for it to happen." Rousey (8-0) has become one of mixed martial arts biggest stars since her UFC debut in February 2013, and shell soon be a movie star as well. But Rousey realizes she owes her fame and fortune to judo, which took her around the world and eventually to the Beijing Olympics six years ago. With her victory over Tate on Dec. 28 still fresh in her mind, Rousey returns at the Mandalay Bay Events Center against McMann (7-0), who won silver in freestyle wrestling at the Athens Games in 2004. "Its a big challenge," Rousey said. "Its the biggest one Ive had to this day. I think its showing how quickly the womens division is progressing. The men, theyve had a lot of Olympians and guys with Olympic backgrounds competing before, but this is the first time weve had two undefeated Olympic medallists fighting for a title." Rouseys Olympic experience defines everything she does in MMA. Her judo skills have been her defining strength in the octagon, where she grabs and throws opponents to the canvas seemingly at will before landing her signature armbar submission on every fighter she has ever faced. She also learned the discipline necessary to be successful in MMA from the decidedly unglamorous world of judo, where internal politics eventually soured hher on the sport.ddddddddddddAfter she picked up MMA a few years ago, she found it suited her perfectly. Its much the same story for McMann, who wasnt sure what to do after her wrestling career until she found a new sport. "I do it for different reasons, but (Rousey and McMann) come from sports where you dont really make any money," said McMann, who has a young daughter. "Youre just doing it because of love of doing it," she added. "But at some point, when you have to work full-time and you have a family, you cant do all those things. There are just not enough hours in the day. So if you can do what you love to do and train professionally and then spend time with your family, thats an awesome, rare thing to be able to do." Cormier has a similar story, taking his first professional MMA fight in 2009 only after making two Olympic wrestling teams and winning gold at the Pan-Am Games. After winning his first two UFC fights as a heavyweight, he has dropped down to light heavyweight to avoid having to fight his teammate, UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. Rashad Evans was scheduled to meet Cormier at UFC 170, but dropped out with a leg injury 10 days ago, opening the door for Cummins, who had to quit his job as a barista to take the fight on late notice. Rousey isnt worried about the quick turnaround after her third-round victory over Tate in the UFCs holiday show. That fight was her first in 10 months after taking time off to film the latest sequels in the "Expendables" and "Fast and Furious" franchises. "The movie stuff was fun, but by the time it was over, I was glad," Rousey said. "Thats why its good to do the movie stuff and fighting. By the time I was done filming, I was so ready to get back to the gym. I was sitting around Bulgaria, thinking, Man, I miss my gym." And Rousey insists she isnt plotting her escape from the sport, even while shes getting more calls for more movies and entertainment jobs. "Im a fighter," she said. "Thats why anyone in Hollywood is even interested in me at all." 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