best scoring threat in years.The Devils also signed defensemen Karl Stollery and Andrew MacWilliam and right wing Carter Camper to a one-year, two-way contracts worth $575,000 each at th

Parity has struck the NBA playoffs, where the conference semifinals are all fit to be tied. The four current series are all knotted at one game apiece -- the first time thats happened in the second round of the NBA playoffs since the league went to its current format more than a quarter-century ago. For favourites like Miami, New York, San Antonio and Oklahoma City, home-court advantage has disappeared, and now its the underdogs who can control their own fates simply by taking care of business on their home floors. A wild weekend is ahead, without question. The Heat, Knicks, Spurs and Thunder are four of the leagues top five winningest road teams this season. That probably isnt being received as great news for Chicago, Indiana, Golden State and Memphis, the lower-seeded clubs who will be hosting pivotal Game 3s when NBA playoff action resumes on Friday and Saturday. "Pretty cool. The NBAs loving it," Heat forward LeBron James said. "When it comes to the playoffs, I always continue to say no matter how many games you win or lose in the regular season, once you get to the playoffs everybodys record is 0-0. So I think its great. I think its great for our fans, I think its great for the competition that every series is tied 1-1." After a first round with only two sweeps -- by Miami and San Antonio, the top seeds in the Eastern and Western Conferences -- the tone for the second round was set pretty quickly around the league. Miami lost Game 1 at home to a wounded and weary team from Chicago. San Antonio needed a huge comeback to beat Golden State in Game 1 of their series, then saw the Warriors simply come back and take Game 2. The Knicks lost Game 1 to Indiana before evening up their matchup, and the Thunder are likely feeling lucky that theyre not in an 0-2 hole after Memphis had plenty of chances to take the opening game of their series. "When you get this deep into the playoffs, theyre all good teams, theyre all very good teams more than capable of winning at home or on the road," Golden State coach Mark Jackson said. "So Im not surprised at all. Good coaching, good playing, you make adjustments and win games. Theyve all been great games." Big fourth-quarter comebacks, first by Oklahoma City and then by Memphis, decided the outcomes of the first two games of that series, where the cumulative score right now is Grizzlies 190, Thunder 186. The first two Spurs-Warriors games were pure theatre, with San Antonio winning a double-overtime thriller in Game 1 after rallying from 16 points down late in regulation. Road teams took Game 1s in the East semifinals, with Indiana and Chicago both winning by seven. And the home teams imposed their wills in Game 2 of both matchups, New York using a huge late run to beat the Pacers by 26, and the Heat outscoring the Bulls by an unbelievable 62-20 margin over a 19-minute stretch on the way to evening that matchup with a 115-78 romp. "Anybody can beat you on a given night and playoff basketball is no different," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. "I mean, everybody at this particular time is hungry even more. Nobody wants to go home so it becomes crazy basketball. Everybody is pumped up and ready to play." Then again, if you checked out how these teams fared against each other in the regular season, maybe you could have seen something as uncanny as this coming. There wasnt any real separation between the clubs then, either. The Bulls and Heat split four games against one another, as did the Knicks and Pacers, and Spurs and Warriors. The only exception was Memphis beating Oklahoma City in two of the three games they played this year -- and if they met four times, there would figure to be a chance that it could have been a 2-2 split as well. "Each team is working hard, trying to get wins," said Memphis guard Tony Allen, who was part of Bostons title-winning team in 2008. "They got the trophy on their mind so I believe that each series is probably going to go all the way to the end. You look at the eight teams that are left, all the teams have a shot." The Heat entered the playoffs as the overwhelming favourites to win their second straight title, and they remain that way in the eyes of oddsmakers even though theyll need to win one game in Chicago to reclaim the home-court advantage. Heat coach Erik Spoelstras eyes widened a bit Thursday when told that no second round in the NBA playoffs had ever opened quite this way. "Is that right? First time ever? Really? Wow," Spoelstra said. "Makes for great theatre. I know Im enjoying the other games, probably like other fans are enjoying ours. It shows how much parity there is and how little margin for error with the teams that are left. ... We had always felt there was up to six or seven legitimate, title-contending teams." The way things look, maybe theres eight now. "It looks like its the best eight teams in the NBA right now," James said. "So well see what happens." ------ AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney in New York, and AP Sports Writers Antonio Gonzalez in Oakland, Calif., and Teresa M. Walker in Memphis, Tenn., contributed to this report.Jeff Montgomery Jersey . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. Kevin McCarthy Jersey . P.A. Parenteau scored early in the third period to help the Avs edge Toronto 2-1 on Tuesday night. Cory Sarich also scored for Colorado (3-0-0), which is off to its best ever start. https://www.cheaproyals.com/1437a-brett-phillips-jersey-royals.html . -- Lou Brocks shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era. Paul Splittorff Jersey . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left. Kevin Appier Jersey . The winner Saturday will remain in the elite 10-team field next year. "We talked about wanting to be disciplined and stick with our game plan and good things will come," Draisaitl said, who had two goals for the victors.NEWARK, N.J. -- The New Jersey Devils have signed defenseman Ben Lovejoy?and?center Vernon Fiddler and re-signed three players in a big start to free agency.General manager Ray Shero announced the moves Friday, adding that defenseman Jon Merrill and forwards Beau Bennett and Devante Smith-Pelly were re-signed.Lovejoy got a three-year, $8 million contract that will count $2.67 million against the salary cap through the 2018-19 season. Hell make $2.5 million next season and in 2017-18 and $2.75 million in the final year of the contract.Fiddler, who played in all 82 games for the Dallas Stars last season and had 12 goals and 10 assists, got a one-year contract worth $1.25 million.The 32-year-old Lovejoy won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played in all 24 playoff games and had two goals and four assists.In coming to New Jersey, Lovejoy is reunited with his former general manager in Pittsburgh (Shero) and his minor league coach John Hynes, the Devils current head coach.Lovejoy said he had a lot of teams offering him contracts.The Devils were a situation where I was comfortable, Lovejoy said. I told teams all along that I didnt need to hit a home run. I wanted to come to a place where I felt wanted, where I was comfortable. I wanted to live and play on a team that was good, and I think the Devils were a perfect spot for me.The Devils did not give Merrill, Smith-Pelly and Bennett qualifying contract offers on Monday, but Shero was confident he would re-sign them.The 24-year-old Merrill received a two-year contract that will pay him $1 million this season and $1.275 million in 2017-18. He has appeared in 165 games with the Devils, scoring five goals and 25 assists. This past season, he had one goal and four assists in 47 games.ddddddddddddSmith-Pelly, who was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens in late February for former first-round pick Stefan Matteau, also got a two-year contract that will pay him $1.25 million this season and $1.35 million in 2017-18.Smith-Pelly set career highs with 14 goals and 11 assists in 64 combined games this season. He had eight goals and five assists in 18 games with New Jersey.I came in right away and the coaches put a lot of responsibility on me, Smith-Pelly said in a conference call. I thought I responded pretty well and it was a good spot. Ive bounced around with a couple of teams the past couple of years, I got some traction here and have a chance to stay at a spot thats [good].Bennett got a one-year, one-way, $725,000 contract. He was acquired last weekend from Pittsburgh for a 2016 third-round pick at the draft.Lovejoy replenishes New Jerseys blue line after the Devils traded Adam Larsson to the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday for left wing Taylor Hall. Hall gives the Devils their best scoring threat in years.The Devils also signed defensemen Karl Stollery and Andrew MacWilliam and right wing Carter Camper to a one-year, two-way contracts worth $575,000 each at the NHL level.MacWilliam, 26, spent last season with Manitoba (AHL) scoring one goal and 14 assists in 72 games.Camper, who will turn 28 on July 6, spent last season with Hershey (AHL), getting nine goals and 25 assists in 64 games.Stollery, 28, spent last season with San Jose (AHL) getting six goals and 18 assists and 65 penalty minutes in 67 games. ' ' '