Leading up to SportsCentres Year In Review on Christmas Eve, TSN and TSN. Casey Hayward Womens Jersey .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at LeBron James and the Miami Heat winning their second straight NBA championship. The Decision seems so long ago now. Its now been over three years since LeBron James sat down with Jim Gray to let the world know that he was taking his talents to South Beach, turning his back on his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers and signing with the Miami Heat to form - along with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade - the NBAs most hated triumvirate. Something strange, but compelling, has happened since then and it culminated in the Heats second-straight NBA Championship this past June. It took three years, but LeBron James finally found redemption. Few shed tears when the Heat fell to the Dallas Mavericks in six games in the 2011 NBA Finals. The sense of schadenfreude was palpable as Mark Cubans charges pulled the upset and left the Heat wondering what went wrong. When the team re-emerged in 2012 as Eastern Conference Champions and mowed down the Oklahoma City Thunder to claim the Heats second-ever NBA Title, there was a sense of inevitability. They were built to be the best and they were and there was nothing anyone could say otherwise. But something changed in 2013 and its hard to put a finger on it. The NBAs reigning champions, the leagues biggest heels in recent memory, underwent a transformation that few saw coming. Maybe it was the second act of Chris “Birdman” Andersen, the man once banned from the league on drug offences who signed in January and emerged as a catalyst for the club just before their 27-game winning-streak that took them into late March. Maybe it was watching Ray Allen, chartered member of the Boston Celtics “Big Three” shift into a supporting role with the Heat, coming off of the bench to provide key minutes. Maybe it was watching the team battle to a seven-game Eastern Conference finals victory over the upstart Indiana Pacers, the team that will most likely challenge their Eastern Conference crown come this June. If it was none of those, it was certainly Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Down 13 points in the fourth to the San Antonio Spurs and seemingly doomed to their second defeat in the NBA Finals in three seasons, James decided to take control of the narrative on his own, dropping 18 points in the final frame to help send the game into overtime, where the Heat came back for a 103-100 win to even the series for a third time. The Heats Game 7 triumph seemed like an inevitability after that, the aging Spurs deflated and resigned to defeat. In looking human, the Heat found humility. In humility, they found victory. Morgan Burnett Packers Jersey . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. Julius Peppers Packers Jersey . The 35-year-old former Strikeforce welterweight champion was let go on Monday following over three years with the company.(SportsNetwork.com) - Its been 21 long years since the Pittsburgh Pirates have been in this position. Who can blame them for wanting to stick around a little longer? Pittsburgh will continue its first postseason run since 1992 on Thursday when they start the best-of-five National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. "We know the Cardinals and they know us; there wont be any secrets," Pirates second baseman Neil Walker said. Of course, these teams are no stranger to one another, having played 19 times in the regular season. In fact from June 21 on, it was essentially a two-horse race for bragging rights in the NL Central before St. Louis eventually pulled away from Pittsburgh and captured its first division title since 2009 by virtue of a league-best 97-65 mark. So, the Pirates had to settle for a wild card spot, despite finishing above .500 (94-68) for the first time since that 1992 season. Nobody in the Steel City was complaining, though, as they hadnt experienced postseason baseball since Barry Bonds was roaming the outfield at Three Rivers Stadium. And Pittsburgh rewarded its fans on Tuesday, as Francisco Liriano fired seven innings of one-run ball and Russell Martin cracked a pair of solo home runs in the Pirates 6-2 win over Cincinnati in the NL wild card game. "We didnt talk about one and done, we talked about one and run," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "Win one and run to St. Louis." Pittsburgh had five All-Stars at this years Midsummer Classic, but none shined brighter than Andrew McCutchen, who continued to state his case as one of the best young players in the game. McCutchen hit .317 with 21 home runs, 84 RBI, 27 stolen bases, a .404 on-base percentage and .508 slugging percentage in 157 games. He became just the fourth major league center fielder since 1947 to have consecutive seasons of hitting .300 with a .400 slugging percentage and .500 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, joining Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Ken Griffey Jr. Veteran right-hander A.J. Burnett will get the call for the Bucs in Game 1. Burnett was only 10-11 this season, but pitched to a 3.03 ERA and is no stranger to postseason baseball. "It means a lot," Burnett said about getting the ball for Game 1. "I wouldnt want it any other way. Theyve come a long way, these men in here. Micah Hyde Packers Jersey. Step 2 was tonight. We have a lot of work still to be done, a lot of games to be played. It was a great win, a great step. Now we have to get ready for another series." Burnett has pitched to a 5.08 ERA in seven postseason games, but is 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA in his two Division Series outings. While Pittsburgh may be getting its first taste of postseason action since 1992, St. Louis is holding court in October for the third straight year and for the 10th time in the last 14 seasons. The Cardinals have won four playoff series in the past two seasons and have claimed two World Series titles in the past seven years. Amazingly, Mike Mathenys team keeps chugging along no matter what obstacles seem to be thrown their way. The Cardinals also enter the postseason hot, having won their last six games and 10 of the last 12 in the regular season. McCutchen may be the NL frontrunner for an MVP, but the Cards have a pair of candidates as well in catcher Yadier Molina and second baseman Matt Carpenter. In addition to being the best defensive catcher in the game, Molina has also become a more than capable bat in the lineup. This year, he hit .319 and drove in 80 runs. Carpenter was a real surprise, though, as the rookie earned an All-Star berth, hitting .318, while scoring a major league-best 126 runs. "I dont know where wed be without him -- having that leadoff hitter and having the kind of season that hes having and what hes done defensively," Matheny said of Carpenter. "Its just off the charts, as far as how good he has been and how much hes proven just what a solid baseball player he is -- no matter where we put him." The key for St. Louis will be jumping out in front on a hot Pirates team that seems to be gaining momentum by the day. And who better to do just that in Game 1 than NL wins leader Adam Wainwright, who won 19 games this season and pitched to a 3.00 ERA in three starts versus the Pirates. Wainwright was 4-0 in his final five starts, working seven or more innings in all of them except for a tuneup his last time out. "All in all, a Cy Young-caliber season," Matheny said. "Were not afraid to put him on the mound against anybody." Pittsburgh narrowly won the season series, 10-9, but lost six of nine in St. Louis. cheap nfl jerseys ' ' '