enders this season, neither club was surprised that the end result is the first NBA Finals rematch since 1998

PHILADELPHIA -- The Dallas Mavericks had to work hard for an easy win. Shoes Ireland Free Shipping . Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 points, Shawn Marion had 22 and the Mavericks beat undermanned Philadelphia 124-112 Friday night, handing the 76ers their 10th straight loss. The Mavericks led from the start and never trailed, taking a 22-point lead and staying ahead by double digits most of the game. But they had to earn this one. "It was exactly the kind of game we expected," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "We expected it to be 48 minutes of hell with them chasing the ball all over the place. (Brett Brown) coaches his team harder than any coach in the league." A day after dismantling the roster and trading away Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes and Lavoy Allen, the Sixers had just eight players in uniform. Thaddeus Young scored 30 and Michael Carter-Williams had 25 for Philadelphia, which has looked toward next season and beyond since training camp. "They played hard," Brown said. "Were trying to identify athletes and how they compete." The Sixers, who have the NBAs second-worst record, made four trades before Thursdays deadline, giving up three players and a draft pick for five players and six second-round draft picks between 2014 and 2018. Theyre hoping for a top-3 draft pick and trying to clear space under the salary cap to make a run at quality free agents. "Were focused on building something for Philadelphia to put a program in a place to compete when it matters," general manager Sam Hinkie said. "And we feel that yesterday was just another step in that process." While the Sixers eye the future, the Mavericks are making a playoff push. Theyre in a tight battle with four teams for the final three playoff spots in the West. "They have a bunch of fast, athletic guys," Nowitzki said of Philadelphia. "Give them credit. They kept competing." Nowitzki hit consecutive 3s in the opening minutes. The Mavericks were up by 22 after Vince Carter nailed a 3 late in the first quarter, and made 16 of their first 21 shots. Sloppy play and a slew of turnovers by the Mavericks allowed the Sixers to make a run in the second quarter. They pulled within 55-50 following an 8-0 run and trailed 69-62 at halftime. "We knew they would make a run," Marion said. "They have talented guys. We kept our composure and were able to sustain the lead." After Philadelphia closed to within 77-73 in the third quarter, Nowitzki nailed another 3, the Mavericks scored nine straight and put the game away. At one point, Nowitzki and Marion were a combined 17 for 19 from the floor. Nowitzki made his first five from beyond the arc before missing two straight. Carter-Williams, a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year, Young and injured rookie Nerlens Noel are cornerstones for Philadelphia going forward. Young was disappointed he didnt go to a contender, but wouldnt let that affect his performance. He had 13 rebounds and took a career-high 29 shots, making 12. "This situation, I dont know how much worse it could get," Young said before the game. Young became just the second player to have at least 30 points, 13 rebounds, seven steals and six assists since steals became a stat in 1973-74. Hakeem Olajuwon had 38 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and seven steals along with 12 blocks for Houston vs. Seattle on March 10, 1987. Turner, a former No. 2 overall pick, and Allen went to Indiana for veteran Danny Granger and a pick. Hawes was traded to Cleveland for Earl Clark, Henry Sims and two picks. Eric Maynor came from Washington along with two picks from other teams. Byron Mullens was acquired from the Clippers with a pick for a protected second-rounder. NOTES: Carter-Williams had his eighth game of at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists. All other NBA rookies have eight combined. ... The Mavericks have won 13 of last 16 games vs. Philadelphia. ... DeJuan Blair had 18 points and Jose Calderon had 10 assists for Dallas. ... Maynor was the only new player in uniform and available. ... The Sixers already waived Clark. ... Granger showed up to Pacers practice Friday to say goodbye to former teammates. ... The Mavericks had 39 assists, their most since 40 vs. New Orleans on Nov. 11, 2003. Fake Shoes Ireland . -- Fantasy football owners and Denver Broncos fans can rest easy: Peyton Manning is back. Shoes Ireland From China .Y. - The Buffalo Sabres reassigned forward Sam Reinhart to the WHLs Kootenay Ice on Friday. https://www.shoesirelandsale.com/ . The game marks the rare occasion when two homegrown running backs, Jon Cornish of the Calgary Stampeders and Andrew Harris of the B.C. Lions, will start in the West Divisions battle for a Grey Cup berth.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 ttwo. Buy Shoes Ireland. 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 ' ' '