Join us » Parkers putback with 3:06 left gave L.A

In a season of multiple firsts for Greater Western Sydney, another prestigious one looms tantalisingly within reach.With two more victories the Giants would secure an AFL flag faster than any non-Victorian club.Locked in to a home preliminary final showdown with Western Bulldogs on Saturday, GWS are hurtling towards the end of their fifth season.No club starting from scratch outside Victoria has won a flag that quickly.A Giants premiership this year would also create another record as none of the non-Victorian clubs won a flag in their first finals campaign.West Coast won their first flag in their sixth year in 1992 and added a second two years later.The two SA clubs got there almost as quickly, with the Crows taking seven years and Port Adelaide eight.The Giants were far from the fastest of the non-Victorian clubs to make a finals debut.West Coast made it in just their second season and the two South Australian clubs got there in their third.Some clubs had longer growing pains.Fremantle and the Brisbane Bears each had to wait till their ninth season before they got a taste of finals action.Brisbanes extraordinary hat-trick of titles from 2001-2003 didnt materialise until they became the Lions, having merged with Fitzroy in 1996.The two South Australian and West Australian clubs were built along different lines from the leagues two youngest clubs, Gold Coast and GWS, who were loaded with high draft picks but were relatively light on players with AFL experience.It (the list building method) was different, but whether the quality of player was any greater or less, thats subjective, said Giants general manager of football operations Wayne Campbell.But they didnt just go through the draft, they were given players essentially.Brisbane got the Fitzroy players that went up there that they could then either have or trade.It was done differently but all the sides had success relatively quickly.You look at Port Adelaide and Adelaide and West Coast when they came into the competition and when Fitzroy merged with Brisbane.They (all) had success in a relatively similar period of time (to the Giants), so its not unprecedented.THE WAIT FOR FINALS SUCCESS FROM NON-VICTORIAN CLUBS STARTING FROM SCRATCH:ADELAIDE*Year entered comp: 1991*Flags won: 2 (1997, 98)*How many seasons to make first final :3*How far in first finals campaign: Lost prelim finalBRISBANE (factors in Lions and Bears)*Year entered comp: 1987*Flags won: 3 (2001-2-3)*How many seasons to make first final: 9*How far in first finals campaign: Lost quarter-finalFREMANTLE*Year entered comp: 1995*Flags won: 0*How many seasons to make first final: 9*How far in fIrst finals campaign: Lost elimination finalGOLD COAST*Year entered comp : 2011*Flags won: 0*How many seasons to make first final: Yet to make finalsGREATER WESTERN SYDNEY*Year entered comp: 2012*Flags won: 0*How many seasons to make first final: 5*How far in first finals campaign: Through to prelim finalPORT ADELAIDE*Year entered comp: 1997*Flags won: 1 (2004)*How many seasons to make first finals: 3*How far in first finals campaign: Lost qualifying finalWEST COAST*Year entered comp: 1987*Flags won: 3 (1992, 1994, 2006)*How many seasons to make first final: 2*How far in first finals campaign: Lost elimination final Nike Vapormax Goedkoop . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. Nike React Element 55 Nederland . LOUIS -- Attorneys for the St. http://www.vapormaxsalenederland.com/nike-react-element-55-goedkoop-kopen/dames.html . Louis Blues teammates who would also be participating in the Olympics, Alex Pietrangelo felt right at home, no different in some ways to the travel experience of any old road trip – save for the length of the journey, that is. Nike Air Vapormax Flyknit 2 Heren . Peter Gammons, an analyst for Major League Baseballs network and website, drew the ire of hockey fans on Sunday when he criticized the two NHL teams on Twitter for their physical game the night before. Nike React Element 55 Dames . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. MINNEAPOLIS -- Nneka Ogwumikes short jumper with 3.1 seconds left gave the Los Angeles Sparks a 77-76 victory over the defending champion Minnesota Lynx for their first title in 14 years in the deciding game of the WNBA Finals on Thursday night.The league MVP joined her teammates in celebration as a stunned crowd slowly filed out after finishing with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Candace Parker had 28 points and 12 rebounds to earn MVP honors of the Finals. It was Parkers first WNBA title.Shes been through so much, Ogwumike said of Parker. Shes probably the most misunderstood person in the league. I told her I wanted her to get one. She had an awesome game tonight. Shes been our leader.Parker said she listened to one of Pat Summitts speeches before the game and that motivated her. Her former coach at Tennessee died in late June.She would have been proud of our rebounding. It came down to rebounding and defense, Parker said. I could hear her voice telling me to keep going. She was definitely present tonight.Rebekkah Brunson made one of two free throws with 23 seconds left to give the Lynx a 74-73 lead. Parker answered with a layup on the other end that Maya Moore countered with a jumper with 15 seconds remaining. Ogwumikes first try for the win was off the mark, but she worked her way over to the loose ball for another attempt that she coolly swished.Lindsay Whalens final shot from just inside halfcourt wasnt close, setting off Los Angeles celebration as Parker and Sparks owner Magic Johnson embraced in a long hug.Johnson spoke to the team after the loss at home in Game 4 on Sunday. His presence in Minnesota was all the more impressive considering the Dodgers, the other pro club hes invested in, were playing baseball in Los Angeles at the same time in Game 5 of their National League championship series.I told them the series wasnt over and that there was still a Game 5 to be played. They had to believe they could do it on a tough home court. This team Minnesota is tremendous, Johnson said. We just beat the champions so I give them a lot of credit to. Our leaders led us and we had a great coach in Brian and they believed all season long. I told them this was their year. I wanted them to do it for Candace Parker. She deserves to be a champion. Great group of ladies.Moore had 23 points and 11 assists for the Lynx, who fell short of matching the WNBA record of four championships. The Houston Comets won four straight titles from 1997-2000.The Lynx played in thhe finals for the fifth time in the last six years.dddddddddddd They won three.Parker finally had help with the scoring when reserve Chelsea Gray reeled off 11 consecutive points for the Sparks. Gray capped that run with a smooth up-and-under layup to put them in front 60-59 early in the fourth quarter. Parkers putback with 3:06 left gave L.A. a 71-63 lead, putting the Lynx in trouble.But Moore seized the moment with a 3-pointer that brought Minnesota within four points, and Parker forced an off-balance 3 on the other end.Whalen stole the ball from Kristi Toliver and finished the fast break with a layup to tie the game at 71, setting up the final flurry.On the next play, Ogwumike hit a jumper that appeared to come after the shot clock expired. The officials signaled for a review, but never looked at the basket and Los Angeles led 73-71 with just over a minute left.The WNBAs new postseason format with the field ordered by overall record regardless of conference sure worked well, leading to this classic matchup between the two teams that fought all summer for the top seed and featuring several of the leagues biggest stars.The game was remarkably close, with 11 lead changes and six ties in the first half alone. Moore gave Minnesota its biggest lead of the first 20 minutes with a pair of free throws in the closing seconds of the second quarter to make it 34-28.The Sparks had an opportunity for a surge when Sylvia Fowles exited with an injury to her right hand, scoring on a fast break while Fowles was wincing in pain by the bench and out of the play and then picking up a bonus point on a free throw for Lynx coach Cheryl Reeves technical foul.Augustus and Renee Montgomery knocked down 3-pointers from the top of the key down the stretch of the third quarter, though, and Fowles soon re-entered the game. She made her presence felt with a powerful take to the rim for a layup and a 53-47 lead.FOUL TROUBLEOgwumike joined Toliver and Essence Carson with three fouls in the first half and played less than 4 minutes in the second quarter.UNDER CONSTRUCTIONIf the finals return to Minnesota next year, the Lynx could have yet another place in which to try to pop the corks with a major renovation set for Target Center next summer. Theyll play across the Mississippi River in St. Paul at Xcel Energy Center, the hockey home of the Minnesota Wild. ' ' '