Dein erstes Forum » left-hander Eric Surkamp off wa

MIAMI -- This season may be the first time in 17 years that the New York Knicks can actually say they are better than the Miami Heat.New York, led by established standouts Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose and superstar-in-the making 7-3 center/forward/shooting guard Kristaps Porzingis, may be for real this time around.The old rivals -- more on that later -- will meet on Tuesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena, and the Knicks (11-9) are in a virtual three-way tie for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. They have won three in a row and eight of their past 11 and are just one game out of third place.Two games over .500 is nothing to get excited about for many NBA franchises, but it is nose-bleed country for the Knicks and their fans, who have had little to cheer about for nearly two decades.Put it this way, at no point in the past three-plus seasons have the Knicks been three games over .500, which is what they would achieve if they beat the Heat on Tuesday.New Yorks most recent win, 106-98 on Sunday night against the visiting Sacramento Kings, was not a thing of beauty. The Knicks built a 21-point lead before allowing a Kings 18-0 run.I dont think anybody on our team cares about stats -- the main objective is just to get wins, Knicks guard Brandon Jennings told the media when asked about the concept of winning ugly. But weve got to get better.While the Knicks are striving to provide a little more quality in their wins, the Heat arrive home with a 7-13 record that does not befit this proud franchise.They are in 12th place in the Eastern Conference. And while its early, they have dug themselves a hole if they plan to make the top eight and the playoffs.On the bright side for Miami, the Heat is coming off a successful 2-1 road trip.Youd love to go 3-0, said Heat center Hassan Whiteside, who had 28 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks in the trips finale, a 99-92 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night. But anytime you go positive on a road trip, thats motivation.Whiteside could have another big game against the Knicks, and here are two reasons why:First, Whiteside has big games against almost everybody lately, which is why he ranks first in the NBA in rebounds (14.9) and third in blocks (2.6). He is also averaging a team-best 17.8 points on 56.2 percent shooting from the floor.Second, New Yorks defense is not very good, especially against post players. Sacramentos DeMarcus Cousins had 36 points and 12 rebounds on Sunday, and Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns had 47 points and 18 rebounds on Wednesday.Tuesdays game will be difficult to handicap since the Heat is just 2-7 at home and the Knicks are 2-6 on the road.Injuries are another factor, mostly for the Heat.For Miami, small forwards Luke Babbit (hip flexor) and Justise Winslow (wrist) and shooting guards Dion Waiters (groin) and Josh Richardson (ankle) are expected to sit out. All four have started games this season.The Knicks are missing just one player, starting shooting guard Courtney Lee, who has missed two straight games due to a sprained left ankle.Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek told the media Lee was feeling better but still not 100 percent, which was especially noticeable on lateral movements.Now about that Knicks-Heat rivalry ...The last time the Knicks beat the Heat in a playoffs series was in 2000.That was Patrick Ewings last season in New York, and the rivalry pretty much ended with his departure. The Knicks have been mostly miserable in the post-Ewing era, winning just one playoff series in all this time, beating the Boston Celtics in the first round in 2013.Of course, the Heat won their second straight NBA title that year, so forgive them if they barely noticed New York winning a first-round series.But for those who are too young to fully understand the Heat-Knicks rivalry ... or for those too old to remember how captivating and thrilling it was, here is a CliffsNotes version of what went down in four glorious series in four consecutive years:The bitterness between the organizations began when coach Pat Riley, upset that the Knicks would not let him have enough of a say in personnel decisions, bolted to Miami.And in 1997, with Riley coaching the Heat and Jeff Van Gundy leading New York, there was high drama. New York led the conference semifinals 3-1, but the Heat came back to win 4-3.There should be an asterisk next to that series win, however. Due to a brawl in Game 5, the Knicks suffered several key suspensions, causing two missed games by Charlie Ward and one each by Ewing, Allan Houston, Larry Johnson and John Starks. That crippled the Knicks chances.In 1998, the Knicks got even, winning 3-2 in a first-round series again spiced by a fight, this time between Johnson and Alonzo Mourning.In 1999, the Knicks again beat the Heat 3-2 in the first round, this time on Houstons winning shot that bounced off the rim and off the backboard before finally falling through the net with just 0.8 seconds left. The eighth-seeded Knicks crushed the dreams of top-seeded Miami that year.And in 2000, the Knicks beat the Heat 4-3 in a conference semifinal. Ewing dunked on Miami in the final seconds of what was a one-point New York win -- a fitting way to end that era of this incredible rivalry.Will Heat-Knicks ever be that good again?Probably not, but the Whiteside-Porzingis matchup should be a very good one for years to come. Maybe a heated playoff series, a fight or two. ... You never know.Cheap NHL Jerseys . PAUL, Minn. NHL Jerseys 2020 . -- Matt Kuchar and Harris English ran away with the Franklin Templeton Shootout, shooting a 14-under 58 on Sunday in the final-round scramble to break the tournament course record. https://www.cheapnhljerseysjustwholesale.com/ . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. NHL Jerseys China . 24 Baylor in a Big 12 clash between teams trending in opposite directions. Andrew Wiggins made 10-of-12 from the foul line and scored 17 for Kansas (14-4, 5-0 Big 12), which capped a stretch of four straight games against ranked opponents unscathed. Authentic NHL Jerseys . Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe.NEW YORK -- Yu Darvish threw 46 pitches in a simulated game Wednesday and could return to the Texas Rangers rotation shortly after the All-Star break.Sidelined by shoulder discomfort since a June 8 outing against Houston, Darvish threw all his pitches during the three-inning game.Ball came out clean. Really tight rotation on the breaking ball. Sharp, Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. There were some breaking balls that were short that youd see him kind of act out on, that he didnt get them where he wanted to, but, again, thats the perfectionist in Yu. The ball had good movement at the plate, had some really nice darting life at the plate.Pitching coach Doug Brocail said Darvishs next step will be determined after the 29-year-old right-hander evaluates how he feels Thursday, when Texas finishes a four-game series against the New York Yankees. A minor league rehab assignment of about 60 pitches or another simulated game are both possibilities. But the Rangers wont put Darvish back in their rotation until after the All-Star break, when their schedule resumes July 15 at the Chicago Cubs.If he feels good enough to go on a rehab assignment, I wouldnt mind sending him on a rehab assignment. If hes reluctant, then well wait, Brocail said.Rangers teammates Jurickson Profar and Ryan Rua batted against Darvish, and Profar homered over the short right-field porch.I told him it doesnt count, `cause it only went 317 (feet), catcher Bryan Holaday said.Banister was impressed by the outing.I dont think there was another ball thaat was barreled up, he said.ddddddddddddDarvish missed last season following Tommy John surgery and is 2-0 with a 2.87 ERA over three starts since returning to the Rangers on May 28 after five rehab starts in the minors. He has 19 strikeouts and six walks over 15 2/3 innings with the Rangers.Curveball was really sharp, Holaday said. His sinker out there was just explosive. Great downward action, and it was late.In other news, Texas claimed left-hander Eric Surkamp off waivers from Oakland and optioned him to Triple-A Round Rock.The 28-year-old Surkamp adds depth to a Texas team that boasts the best record in the American League despite an injury-riddled rotation. In addition to Darvish, left-hander Derek Holland and righty Colby Lewis are on the disabled list.Surkamp is 0-5 with a 6.98 ERA in nine starts over four stints with the Athletics this season. He was designated for assignment on Monday.Surkamp was 3-1 with a 3.07 ERA in five starts for Triple-A Nashville this year. He is 4-8 with a 6.68 ERA in 52 games (16 starts) during his big league career. He also has pitched for the Giants, White Sox and Dodgers.Im sure that well mix him in as a reliever, Banister said. I like the arm.To create space for Surkamp on the 40-man roster, Texas transferred outfielder Drew Stubbs from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL. Stubbs has been out since May 7 with a sprain of his left small toe. ' ' '