the second period, but Lack was sharp, making some

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MIAMI -- A questionable substitution by the coach, more foul trouble for the superstar, and bad free throw shooting by just about everybody ruined Oklahoma Citys chances in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. All that didnt wreck the Thunders hopes of winning the series. The Thunder trail the Miami Heat 2-1 after a 91-85 loss on Sunday in which they blew a 10-point lead in the third quarter. Kevin Durant went to the bench in foul trouble and Scott Brooks compounded the problem by yanking Russell Westbrook shortly after, both All-Stars watching when the game got away from the Thunder. Oklahoma City was in worse trouble in the last round, dropping the first two games against the San Antonio Spurs. So they know they can climb out of the hole theyre in this time. "This is another great opportunity to show what becoming a champion is all about. You know, its not something that ever has come easy," said guard Derek Fisher, who has won five of them. "Every team that has won a championship has earned the right to be champions. And so were faced with another opportunity again tomorrow night to come together as a team and be confident in who we are and figure out a way to come out here and win a game. You know, things turn a great deal in these series with one game, and we have the opportunity to turn it tomorrow." Game 3 turned quickly, mostly because of the Thunders own mistakes. Durant picked up his fourth foul with 5:41 left and the Thunder leading by six. Westbrook was taken out 40 seconds later for Fisher, who converted a four-point play before it all fell apart for Oklahoma City. The Thunder twice fouled shooters behind the arc, made only 6 of 11 free throws in the quarter, and when the game was getting away from his team, Brooks kept Westbrook parked on the bench for the remainder of the period. Westbrook appeared angry when taken out, slamming his hand against a chair. He said he was upset with himself, and Brooks said there was no issue between them Monday. "Thats over with. Were moving on to Game 4," Brooks said. "When Kevin got the fourth foul, that kind of changes the dynamic of that game because Kevin, I think he had 23 points at that time, things were going very well. So there was a lot of times that we had other things that we had to figure out. But I thought that stretch where we fouled the two 3-point shooters really was a big part of their comeback, and then we missed five free throws in that stretch, and as you know, were the best free throw shooting team in the league." Hard to tell in this series, though. The Thunder, who shot 80.6 per cent during the regular season, were only 15 of 24 (62.5 per cent) on Sunday and 54 of 77 (70 per cent) during the series. With a young core age 23 and under, the Thunder acknowledged some jitters before Game 1, but Durant said that isnt the problem now. "Weve just got to make them next game," he said. "I wouldnt say its nerves because we miss a free throw, and then hit a big 3 after that or get a big stop and then hit a layup. I dont know, man. Weve just got to do a better job next game. Hopefully we make all of our free throws." Durant has picked up five fouls in each of the last two games, forced to spend precious time on the bench and hurting his second-half aggressiveness as he tries to defend LeBron James. He said he didnt think all five on Sunday should have been called, but the Thunder need him to be careful to avoid further trouble, particularly with Sixth Man of the Year James Harden averaging only 11.7 points on 41 per cent shooting. Game 3 was bad for the Thunder. The overall situation, they said, could be much worse. "Weve still got four games to play, and at the end of the day, we win a game tomorrow, and then its the best of three with two games on our home court," centre Kendrick Perkins said. "As we all see, the team that gets the win always gets the momentum. At the end of the day, were just down one game, and its not the end of the world. "We take away a couple turnovers in the fourth quarter, a couple silly fouls that we made, and we missed nine free throws. We do that, our chances are high of winning the game." cheap nfl jerseys . -- A report commissioned by Joe Paternos family says the late coach did nothing wrong in his handling of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal and portrays Paterno as the victim of a "rush to injustice" created by former FBI director Louis Freehs investigation of the case for Penn State. cheap jerseys from china .J. Miles. While Cleveland was frozen to its core by an arctic blast of sub-zero temperatures, Miles put on a blistering performance, making a team record 10 3-pointers and scoring a season-high 34 in leading the Cavaliers to a 111-93 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night. http://www.wholesalenfljerseysplay.com/. -- Jacksonville Jaguars coach Gus Bradley has left the team following his fathers death. wholesale nfl jerseys . Prevailing wisdom has always suggested such, no matter the sport. cheap jerseys . Montreals Bouchard survived a scare from a 431st-ranked challenger from China, scoring a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Chen Tang Hao. Vancouvers Pospisil, who is seeded 28th, eliminated Australian Sam Groth with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win.GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Antoine Vermette scored late in the first period, Mike Smith stopped 23 shots and the Phoenix Coyotes got back to their defensive ways in a 1-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night. After some shaky performances coming out of the Olympic break, the Coyotes had a strong night in their own end, blocking shots and limiting scoring opportunities. Phoenix held Vancouver to 12 shots until midway through the third period. Smith made some tough saves down the stretch for his third shutout of the season and 27th in his career, helping Phoenix move ahead of Vancouver to tie Winnipeg for ninth in the Western Conference. Eddie Lack kept Vancouver in it with 31 saves, but the Canucks were unable get much going offensively to lose for the ninth time in 10 games. Both teams needed a jump-start after slipping down the Western Conference pecking order. Vancouver lost seven straight games before the Olympic break and followed a victory over St. Louis by losing to Minnesota, then Ottawa. Adding to the Canucks problems, Daniel Sedin, tied for the team lead in points, suffered a lower-body injury against the Senators and was out against the Coyotes. The team also dealt veteran goalie Robert Luongo to Florida earlier Tuesday. Phoenix has been inconsistent since starting the season strong, following wins against some of the NHLs best teams with losses against some of the worst. Despite saying they needed to play with urgency, the Coyotes have laboured since the Olympic break ended, earning one point in three games. Phoenix has had trouble holding leads, coughing it up five times in the past 11 games, including Sundays 4-2 loss to the Blues, when they gave up four goals in the third period..dddddddddddd Vancouver had a similar problem against the Senators, allowing four straight goals after going up 2-0. The Coyotes and Canucks played with a testiness expected between two teams scrapping for a playoff spot, with plenty of hitting, pushing and shoving throughout the first period. Phoenix had good pressure in the period and broke through late when Vermette fought off two Canucks and took a couple of swipes before knocking in a rebound for his 22nd of the season. The Coyotes kept up the pressure in the second period, but Lack was sharp, making some tough saves, particularly during an early Phoenix flurry. Vancouver couldnt find any holes in Phoenixs defence, though, going 13 minutes spanning the second and third periods without a shot on goal. The Coyotes thought they had a 2-0 lead when Mikkel Boedker scored midway through the third period. But it was waved off because Vermette, who was being held down by two Canucks players, was in the crease. It didnt matter the way they were playing defence and Smith was seeing pucks in his crease. Notes: A moment of silence was held before the game for two Phoenix police officers, including one who died, during a shootout on Monday. ... The Coyotes added what they hope will be a valuable scorer, acquiring Martin Erat and John Mitchell from the Capitals for forward Chris Brown, defenceman Rostislav Klesla and a fourth-round selection in the 2015 draft. ... Coyotes C Martin Hanzal did not play due to a lower-body injury. ... Vermette has scored 11 of his 22 goals this season against Canadian opponents. ... Vancouver plays at Dallas on Thursday in another game against a team fighting for one of the Wests last playoff spots. ' ' '