even though his bruised left knee likely will keep him out for anoth

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Once he finally vanquished one of the greatest competitors in the history of his sport and fell to center court in celebration, a teary-eyed?Juan Martin del Potro turned the stands here into a mosh pit.He jumped into the stadiums front rows, letting his boisterous supporters hold him and revel with the man they had spent all afternoon exhorting during a 3-hour, 8-minute match against Rafael Nadal that was so emotion packed and well-played, it will sit in the memory banks for good.On a crisp Rio afternoon, del Potro defeated Nadal 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (5), sending the talented but often-injured Argentinian into the Sundays gold medal final. There he will take on defending Olympic singles champion Andy Murray of Britain, whose 6-1, 6-4 win against Kei Nishikori seemed coldly flat in comparison to the battle del Potro and Nadal waged later in the afternoon.I am living a dream, said del Potro, who in 2009 defeated Nadal and Roger Federer to win the US Open. He continued in his soft-voiced, broken English. It could be even better than the US Open tournament. My emotions are so high. After every match, the crowds make me cry.Asked to sum up the semifinal, del Potro was succinct: Against Rafa, you never know when you are going to win. He fights all the time. He never gives up.That has never been more true than during this tournament. Nadal has been battling his own injures -- to his back and wrist -- and also a crisis of confidence that has hurt the 14-time Grand Slam winners level of play. He dropped out of the middle of the 2016 French Open, didnt play Wimbledon and hardly practiced before Rio.Yet on Friday night, Nadal?and partner Marc Lopez?beat Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau of Romania 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 to win the doubles gold. And Saturday, he looked very much like the Nadal of old. After dropping his opening service game, he hung close to del Potro, then broke twice to win the first set.As the second set began, it was the Argentinians turn. Del Potro started dictating play with his singular weapon: a forehand that slingshots off of his racket with such force that it time and again left the unrelenting Nadal without answers. Del Potro would end this match with 18 outright winning forehands. He won at least two dozen more because his forehand was hit so hard that it drew an error.The fans couldnt get enough. They gave the circular stadium the feel of a World Cup soccer match, an electrified vibe that is rarely seen on the professional tour but that has been a staple in Rio.With del Potro and Nadal going deep in the third set, the Argentinians supporters shouted in Spanish or serenaded their favorite son by chanting his nickname -- Delpo! Delpo! Delpo! Much of the rest of the crowd -- largely Brazilian, clearly unhappy with fans rooting so hard for a player from rival Argentina -- replied with boos, screeching whistles or by breaking into their own chants in Portuguese.When they were done, their shouts echoed across the stadium with another name: Rafa! Rafa! Rafa!The match marched forward. Every time Nadal began making a run, del Potro could have folded, content with making the semifinals days after first-round upset win against top-seeded Novak Djokovic.But del Potro seemed to be playing with a mission. Not only for his country but for his own career. Seven years ago, when del Potro won the US Open, it was considered a good bet that he would soon challenge for the games No. 1 ranking.But then came the injuries. In 2010, del Potro had surgery on his right wrist. In a roughly two-year span ending in the summer of 2015, he went through three more operations, this time on his left wrist, which he uses to stabilize his penetrating two-handed backhand. The effects have been plain to see:Theres his backhand -- which he was forced to rework and now uses mostly for defense and change of pace. Theres his time on tour. One of the games most charismatic and well-liked players contemplated retirement while playing only 14 matches in 2014 and 2015. The Olympics, which he came into ranked a shockingly low No. 141, has been a chance to show he can still matter in mens tennis.For a player sidelined so frequently, the future will remain uncertain. But Saturday afternoon was about survival. The emotions and the crowd noise reached a crescendo in the final games. Del Potro broke Nadals serve to go up 5-4 and serve for the match. Nadal kept himself alive by breaking del Potro without losing a point. Del Potro then gained a string of three break points, but Nadal kept running, kept sending his spinning ground strokes deep into del Potros backhand. The Spaniard held serve and went up 6-5.Preparing to serve, del Potro stood at the baseline line for longer than normal. Perhaps he was thinking not only of the opportunities he had just missed but also of the last Olympics, when he suffered an epic semifinal loss to Federer, 19-17 in the third set.Then he bounced the ball a few times, tossed and struck a 120 mph serve. Game on. Soon the match was in a sudden-death tiebreaker. The crowd kept at it, with their songs and their chants and boos. Del Potro went for broke. He nosed his way in front, flashing more aggression than his opponent, until Nadal finally pushed one last forehand wide.A match for the ages was done, and del Potro soon was jumping into the outstretched arms of his adoring fans.How fitting. They had carried him all day, pushing him forward with a force equal to his forehand. Nike Vapormax Mens Sale . Aside from the trilogy main event title fight, there are a number of intriguing matchups in the heavyweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions. Clearance Nike Shox . -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No. http://www.clearancenikeshoxcheap.com/ . Speaking Thursday on TSN 1050 Thursday, the Leafs GM also touched on the questions surrounding the teams leadership and the struggles of his big-name free-agent signing. “Its not from lack of effort from the coaching staff. Vapormax Plus Cheap . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night. Cheap Nike Shox Retro . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. MIAMI -- For one night at least, Dade County will be Wade County once again.When the Chicago Bulls (4-4) visit the Miami Heat (2-4) on Thursday, the lions share of the focus will be on Dwyane Wade, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard, 12-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA champion.Wade, the fifth pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, spent his entire career with the Heat until he bolted as a free agent this summer, landing in his hometown of Chicago.His decision saddened and disappointed thousands of Heat fans, who grew to love what Wade accomplished in Miamis colors.Wades return to his adopted home of Miami will be an event, as evidenced by the national broadcast on TNT.Im looking forward to it, Wade told ESPN after the Bulls beat the Orlando Magic on Monday night. Im looking forward to playing in the environment I played in for 13 years and competing against guys Ive played with and have relationships with.The Wade-in-Miami angle is so prominent that he talked about it even though there was another game to be played between the Bulls and the Hawks. The Bulls, in fact, lost 115-107 at Atlanta on Wednesday night. Bulls small forward Jimmy Butler led all scorers with 39 points, and Wade added 25.Meanwhile, the Heat (2-4) have been off since Monday and wont have to travel. That is a significant scheduling advantage for Miami, but it remains to be seen if Wade plays with a huge amount of emotion and if that will be enough to carry the night.The Heat, during the games first timeout, are expected to play a video montage of Wades highlights during his career in Miami.Ill definitely be appreciative of that moment, Wade said. It will be cool to see the love and support and people being thankful for what I did. Unless you are just cold-blooded, you are going to feel something.But its not like a retirement ceremony where I will have a chance to be real emotional. Im trying to beat their butt.The Bulls (4-4) are trying to get back to the postseason, after all. They missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2008.After the season, Chicago traded away star point guard Derrick Rose and watched center Joakim Noah and power forward Pau Gasol leave as free agents.ddddddddddddThe Bulls regrouped by signing point guard Rajon Rondo and getting center Robin Lopez in the Rose trade. They signed Wade to a two-year, $47 million contract after he felt, in essence, disrespected by the Heats two-year, $40 million offer.Rondo, Wade and Lopez were added to the Bulls nucleus, which consists primarily of Butler, the one star on the team who is still in his prime, and power forward Taj Gibson.Chicagos bench is led by forwards Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic and guard Isaiah Canaan.Bulls backup point guard Michael Carter-Williams made the road trip even though his bruised left knee likely will keep him out for another month.The focus on Thursday, of course, will be on Wade. And Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, for one, is looking forward to the game and to the montage that will honor his former star.That will be a special moment, Spoelstra said. Dwyane means a lot to myself and to all of us in Miami.The Heat, though, has enough to worry about in terms of actually winning games. They are 1-2 at home and 1-2 on the road.Point guard Goran Dragic leads Miami in scoring (18.0) and assists (6.2). Center Hassan Whiteside is averaging 17.5 points, 13.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. Reserve guard Tyler Johnson is playing well, averaging 14.5 points while making 51.6 percent of his shots.But Dragic, normally a terror while attacking the rim, is shooting just 43.9 percent on 2-pointers. And there is precious little in the way of perimeter shooting on this team once you get past Dragic and Johnson.Maybe that is one reason why Miamis starting small forward, Justise Winslow, said Wades arrival means little to him.It wont be emotional for us, said Winslow, who only played one year with Wade. We play against former players all the time. ' ' '