FIVE QUICK NBA THOUGHTS: 1. KEMBA WALKER (Bobcats): Walker is a little man with a huge heart. There are certain guys you come across in this gamewho just have that little extra something in their make-up and hes one of those guys. His team was down 16 in the second half against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night and he just willed his team to victory. He took over and dominated the game at the point of attack. You think back to his wonderful collegiate career at Connecticut and his ups and downs as a pro, playing for a less-than-stellar team. You cant keep him down for long. Hes become a respectable three-point shooter now and its opened his game up even more. There is still lots of room for improvement, but you wont find many guys in the game today who have his competitive spirit. I respect the guy. 2. MIAMI HEAT: I dont care what they say, but that was a necessary win for them last night against the Indiana Pacers. You dont want to let your top conference opponent have too much belief or confidence when it comes to the match-up. When youre the world champions, act like it and play like it and they did. It sets the tone for how you want to be viewed during the rest of the season around the league. Last year doesnt matter a bit anymore. Its all about the now and this win helps both in the short and long term. 3. ANDRE DRUMMOND (Pistons): I must confess that every day Im checking out Detroits box scores and watching their games when I have a free night. Drummond is simply fun to watch. Im not sure yet how much he truly knows how to play the game in all respects, but hes incredibly talented and gifted. On Wednesday night, he had another double-double with 14 points and 16 boards, eight of them offensive rebounds, against the Boston Celtics. Hes got major league, elite rebounding ability and he has the chance to be an impactful defender once he figures out schemes and tendencies of opponents. He can change shots in the lane at a high level and hes got two significant talents that directly change how you have to play as an opponent. 4. VINCE CARTER (Mavericks): Ill see him Friday night in Dallas and just cant believe its been 16 years since his rookie year with the Toronto Raptors. I feel old since its my 16th year as well as a Raptors broadcaster. Hes had the much better career, thats for sure. Wednesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies he had 14 points, four rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes. For a 16-year vet, hes still got game left and really knows how to play. Carter is a good teammate and fits Rick Carlisles system well. You see so many guys fall off the cliff when they get to this stage of their career, so its impressive that hes still able to play at a respectable level. 5. JJ BAREA (Timberwolves): It was a huge win for Minnesota over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night. Barea comes in and gives you something every game. On Wednesday, he put up 10 points along with five assists in the victory. He plays with great energy and determination when he plays and hes very difficult to keep out of the lane. Barea possesses good ball skills and shot-making ability. Hes undersized, but not undeterred. Wholesale Air Max 97 . -- Cheyenne Woods, the niece of Tiger Woods, shot a 2-under 69 on Tuesday to finish first in stroke-play qualifying at the Womens U. Air Max 97 Undefeated Fake .com) - The surprising Calgary Flames host the winless New Jersey Devils at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday. http://www.outletairmax97.com/mens-nike-...923288-300.html. -- John Senden never imagined it would take more than seven years to win again. Air Max 97 Outlet . Rockhold." Known as an aggressive striker, Belfort (23-10) instead paced himself as the engaged in the early going and showed restraint by not overcommitting against the larger Rockhold (10-2). But when the opportunity presented itself, Belfort delivered an incredible spinning heel kick that landed flush on Rockholds chin and sent him toppling to the floor. Air Max 97 Silver Bullet Fake . The 2010 batting champ showed what he can do when hes mostly healthy. Gonzalez homered, doubled and singled in his return to the lineup, and the Colorado Rockies snapped a five-game losing streak with a 13-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night.New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - After toppling top-seeded Virginia on Friday, the Michigan State Spartans will face the upstart Connecticut Huskies in the East Region Final at New Yorks famed Madison Square Garden. Watch Michigan State vs. UConn live on TSN with coverage starting at 1pm et/10am pt. Led by American Athletic Player of the Year Shabazz Napier, UConn has been playing above the No. 7 seed it earned in this tournament. The Huskies knocked off third-seeded Iowa State (81-76) in the Sweet 16, following a 77-65 upset of second-seeded Villanova. They are now attempting to reach the Final Four just three years removed from their surprising run to the 2011 national title. The Sweet 16 battle between Michigan State and Virginia was as advertised, with the fourth-seeded Spartans surviving with a 61-59 victory. The win was the sixth straight for Tom Izzos club, which includes their run to the Big Ten Tournament title. The Spartans are back in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2010, which was also the last time they made it to the Final Four. The 2010 trip to the Final Four was the second straight for MSU, which actually defeated UConn (82-73) in the 2009 semifinals before falling to North Carolina in the national title tilt. These teams have met twice since, with UConn winning both times to pull ahead in the all-time series, 3-2. The winner this time will take on No. 1 overall seed Florida in the Final Four next Saturday. UConn dominated in the first half and then held on in the second to pull off the upset of Iowa State. The Huskies led by as many as 17 points and shot 52 percent for the game, while holding scoring edges from both 3-point range (27-18) and the free-throw line (20-6). DDeAndre Daniels (13 ppg, 5.dddddddddddd rpg) came up big in the win, controlling the paint with a team-high 27 points to go with 10 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Daniels is clearly the most productive performer in close to the basket for the Huskies, who rely more on their talented backcourt. At the forefront of that game plan is Napier. The 6-foot-1 guard, who was a freshman on the 2011 national title squad, leads this years team in scoring (17.9 ppg), assists (4.9 apg), rebounding (5.9 rpg) and steals (1.8 spg). Ryan Boatright (12.1 ppg, 3.4 apg) and Niels Giffey (8.4 ppg, .514 3P percentage) provide depth and offensive punch out on the perimeter. After trading leads during the first 38 minutes of action on Friday, Michigan State was tied with Virginia at 51-51 with 1:49 to play. The Spartans then got a 3-pointer from Adreian Payne and a dunk from Branden Dawson to take control of the game, as they held on by hitting 5-of-7 free-throws in the final minute. Dawson compiled 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Payne had 16 points in the win over Virginia, as the frontcourt tandem powered Michigan State not just in that key stretch, but the entire game. The rest of the team managed only 23 points on 7-of-19 shooting. Leading the charge offensively is not a rare occurrence for Payne (16.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg), who is second on the roster in scoring, but getting such a productive effort from Dawson (11.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg) was a surprise, considering he is more of a complementary scorer. To defeat the Huskies, the Spartans will need better play from their key backcourt contributors -- Gary Harris (16.6 ppg) and Keith Appling (11.4 ppg, 4.5 apg), who combined for a mere eight points against Virginia. ' ' '