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2B Daily News – Thursday, June 6, 2013 NBA FINALS BASEBALL Big names caught in MLB drug probe AP photo Miami Heat's LeBron James goes through drills during NBA basketball practice, Wednesday in Miami. The Heat play the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the NBA Finals today. Lebron, Spurs meet again MIAMI (AP) — Before reaching the top of basketball, LeBron James was run over by the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs swept James' Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2007 NBA Finals, so long ago that the winning game plan focused on exploiting James' weaknesses. Those are nearly impossible to find now, and James essentially warned the Spurs that they shouldn't bother looking. The Spurs already know. ''He'll be a lot more of a problem than he was in '07, that's for sure,'' Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Wednesday. Tim Duncan told the beaten James minutes after that series that the league would someday belong to him, and he was right. The NBA's MVP guided Miami to last year's championship and the league's best record this season. Now the Spurs will try to take it back. But James is now the best player in the game, is surrounded by more talent in Miami than he ever had in Cleveland, and still carries the memory of the beating the Spurs laid on him six years ago. ''I have something in me that they took in '07. Beat us on our home floor, celebrated on our home floor. I won't forget that. You shouldn't as a competitor. You should never forget that,'' James said. He joined the Heat in 2010, experienced more finals failure a year later, then was finals MVP last year when Miami beat Oklahoma City in five games. Another title now would put him halfway to the four that Duncan and Popovich have won together. ''That's what I'm here for,'' James said. ''I'm here to win championships, and you're not always going to be on the successful side. I've seen it twice, A'S (Continued from page 1B) players who have been tied to a now-closed Miami anti-aging clinic under investigation by Major League Baseball. The right-hander missed the end of last season when he was suspended 50 games after testing positive for synthetic testosterone. Colon said he was unaware of the report until a reporter brought it up after the game because ''I don't like to see the news.'' He also declined to comment on a possible suspension. Milwaukee left fielder Ryan Braun, who has also been linked to the clinic, did not play because of a lingering thumb problem. Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said it had nothing to do with the latest suspension rumors. ''I understand why you want to bring this up, but this isn't an issue here,'' Roenicke said. ''And I know it is your job to do that, but it really isn't an issue. That is why I don't need to address it. Because there is nothing it.'' Yovani Gallardo (4-6) allowed six hits and five not being on the successful side.'' He was just 22 at the end of his fourth year in the league when he carried to the Cavs to their first finals appearance. But there were holes in his game, from an unreliable jump shot to an undeveloped post game, and the Spurs took advantage of every one of them. James shot 36 percent in the series, including a ghastly 10 for 30 in Game 4, and committed 23 turnovers. ''Well, LeBron is a different player than he was in '07,'' Popovich said. ''That was like ancient history. He was basically a neophyte at the time, wondering how all this stuff worked and how it's put together. We were very fortunate at that time to get him so early. But at this point he's grown.'' James wasn't interested in discussing much of that series, but he recalled the way the Spurs' strategy kept him from getting into the paint and dared him to shoot jumpers. There's no blueprint now that would encourage a guy who made 56.5 percent of his shots this season to shoot the ball. ''If you go under my pick-and-roll now, I'm going to shoot. And I'm confident I'm going to make every last one of them,'' James said. ''I'm just more confident in my ability to shoot the ball. ''But at the same time, I also have a lot more weapons this time around going against this team, where in '07 they loaded three guys to me a lot on the strong side of the floor. So like I said, I'm a better player, and you can't dare me to do anything I don't want to do in 2013.'' Duncan and James probably wouldn't have thought it would take so long to see each other in the finals again after their meeting in the hallway of Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena. San earned runs in six innings to lose for the fifth time in his last six starts. The A's broke a 1-1 tie with five runs in the seventh to win for the eighth time in their last 11 road games. Gallardo says a leadoff walk to John Jaso was the key. ''That hitter, I just wasn't as aggressive as I was throughout the whole game,'' Gallardo said. ''During that seventh inning, that is something dumb, I guess. I got away from what I was doing and the next thing you know I ended up walking him and getting into trouble.'' That's because Yoenis Cespedes and Jed Lowrie then singled to load the bases. Josh Donaldson, who finished with three hits, hit a two-run single to right field that gave Oakland a 3-1 lead, and Gallardo was replaced with Michael Gonzalez. Gonzalez got Seth Smith to fly out, but Moss smashed the first pitch he saw into the stands for his ninth homer of the season — Oakland's 12,000th overall — and a 6-1 lead. It was just the third hit for Moss in his last 31 at-bats and also snapped an 0for-9 skid. ''This game is so Antonio had built a quiet dynasty, winning four titles in nine years, and the core of Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili would keep giving the Spurs chances. But they couldn't get out of the West even while finishing with the best record in the conference the last two years, just as Cleveland couldn't in the East during James' last two seasons there. ''I hoped to be back here. Whether he would he here or not, I couldn't predict that,'' the 37-year-old Duncan said. ''Knowing the player that he was then and the trajectory he was on, I had no doubt he would be back here. I had no doubt he would be tops in this league at some point. And I'm glad and honored to be back here playing against him.'' The Spurs have been off since finishing a sweep of Memphis on May 27. The Heat were forced to overcome a rugged Indiana team and the struggles of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in a seven-game series that wrapped up Monday. That set up a finals between teams built in decidedly different ways but with mutual respect. While others around the league seethed, Popovich even called Pat Riley to offer congratulations after the Heat architect signed James and Bosh in 2010. It gives James a chance to pay the Spurs back for their 2007 romp, when they forced the Cavaliers into the worst offensive performance in finals history. ''I believe that after that finals he probably always obviously wanted to get back again. But I think he probably always wanted to get back and play them,'' Wade said. ''So obviously having this opportunity right now is probably something he always dreamed of, of getting back to the finals and playing the Spurs again.'' weird,'' Moss said. ''I definitely feel that my mindset's a lot better. I'm not pressing near as much. But today was actually the first day where I felt like I could take something from the game and build on it.'' Colon, coming off a five-hit shutout against the White Sox on Friday, wriggled out of two jams. With the score tied 1-1 in the fifth, Milwaukee had runners on first and third with no outs. But Gallardo was out at home when he tried to score on Jean Segura's ground ball to Donaldson at third. Carlos Gomez then grounded into a double play. In the sixth, Jonathan Lucroy hit a leadoff single and took second on WNBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Minnesota Los Angeles San Antonio Seattle Phoenix Tulsa W 1 1 1 1 0 0 L 0 1 1 1 2 4 Pct GB 1.000 — .500 .5 .500 .5 .500 .5 .000 1.5 .000 2.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE W L Pct GB Atlanta 3 0 1.000 — Chicago 3 0 1.000 — New York 2 1 .667 1 Washington 1 1 .500 1.5 Connecticut 1 2 .333 2 Indiana 1 2 .333 2 —————————————————— Wednesday's Result New York 75, Indiana 68, OT Today's Games Phoenix at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Logan Schafer's sacrifice bunt. But Colon got Yuniesky Betancourt to fly out and then struck out Juan Francisco. Colon's streak of 18.1 straight innings without allowing a run came to an end in the first when Gomez's triple to center field scored Segura for a 1-0 lead. Oakland tied the score at 1-1 in the fifth, as Lowrie scored from third when Smith grounded into a double play. MLS WESTERN CONFERENCE W FC Dallas 8 R. Salt Lake 7 Portland 5 Los Angeles 6 Colorado 5 Seattle 5 Vancouver 4 QUAKES 3 Chivas USA 3 L 2 5 1 5 4 4 4 6 8 T 4 3 7 2 5 3 4 6 2 Pts 28 24 22 20 20 18 16 15 11 GF 23 21 22 21 15 16 16 13 13 GA 17 15 14 15 12 13 17 23 26 EASTERN CONFERENCE W Montreal 8 New York 7 Philadelphia 6 Houston 6 Sport. K.C. 6 N. England 5 Columbus 4 Chicago 3 Toronto FC 1 D.C. 1 L 2 5 5 4 5 4 5 7 7 10 T 2 4 4 4 4 4 5 2 5 2 Pts 26 25 22 22 22 19 17 11 8 5 GF 22 23 22 19 18 15 16 9 12 6 GA 15 19 24 14 13 9 16 17 19 24 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. —————————————————— Wednesday's Result Philadelphia 3, Columbus 0 Saturday's games D.C. United at New England, 4:30 p.m. Portland at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Real Salt Lake, 6:30 p.m. Vancouver at Seattle FC, 7:30 p.m. NEW YORK (AP) — One by one, for three weeks already, players accompanied by their lawyers have been summoned to interviews as part of baseball's latest investigation into performance-enhancing drugs — and the process is a long way from finished. Some pretty big names, led by Alex Rodriguez, could be on the hot seat. A-Rod, Ryan Braun, Nelson Cruz, Melky Cabrera and Bartolo Colon are among the 20 or so players who may be disciplined for their links to the now-closed Miami antiaging clinic, Biogenesis of America. The players' union says it has been assured no decisions regarding discipline will be made until the interviews are completed. ''It would be unfortunate if anyone prejudged those investigations,'' union head Michael Weiner said in a statement Wednesday. And it appears the process has a while to run. Interviews with players started three weeks ago and are scheduled until the end of June, according to people with knowledge of the process who spoke on condition of anonymity because statements on those details weren't authorized. Dan Halem, Steven Gonzalez and Patrick Houlihan, lawyers in baseball's labor relations department, conducted several interviews, and some players haven't been scheduled. ''Every player has been or will be represented by an attorney from the players' association,'' Weiner said. ''The players' association has every interest in both defending the rights of players and in defending the integrity of our joint (drug) program. We trust that the commissioner's office shares these interests.'' MLB has been seeking the cooperation of Biogenesis founder Anthony Bosch since Miami New Times reported in January that it obtained what the paper said were records detailing drug purchases by Rodriguez, Cabrera, Cruz and Colon. Yahoo Sports reported that Braun, the 2011 NL MVP, was mentioned in the records. MLB sued Biogenesis and its operators in a Florida court in March, an attempt to pressure Bosch. A person familiar with the case told The Associated Press on Tuesday night that Bosch agreed to talk to MLB, a deal first reported by ESPN. MLB wants to speak with Bosch in the next few days, ''Due to ongoing litigation, it would be inappropriate to comment on any aspect of this matter at this time,'' Bosch's lawyer, Susy Ribero-Ayala, said in a statement. Among the players linked to the clinic, Cabrera, Colon and San Diego catcher Yasmani Grandal already have served 50-game suspensions following positive tests for testosterone announced by MLB last year. ''It looks like it could be getting to the bottom of this and finding some information that hopefully would help Major League Baseball as far as cleaning this game up,'' said San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy, who managed Cabrera last year. ''I always thought they should be a little stricter to keep these players from trying to beat the system and cheat. I'm all for stiffer penalties.'' Once MLB interviews Bosch and the players, it will have to determine what penalties to impose. ''WADA commends the decision of Major League Baseball to seek suspension of an estimated 20 players,'' World Anti-Doping Agency Director General David Howman said in a statement. ''More and more, information and evidence gathered in the investigative process is proving an effective means of uncovering doping in sport. MLB has approached this issue in a professional way, and the evidence gathered will undoubtedly be pivotal,'' Howman said. Any suspensions for first offenders would be put on hold if the union files a grievance, a process that would put the matter in front of an arbitrator and delay possible sanctions for weeks or months. Second offenders would serve suspensions during the grievance process. Baseball's drug agreement calls for a 50-game suspension for a first violation, 100 for a second and a lifetime ban for a third for positive tests for banned PEDS or their use or possession. The agreement also allows discipline for ''just cause'' for a violation not specified. MLB MLB American League West Division Texas ATHLETICS Angels Seattle Houston East Division National League West Division W 36 36 26 26 22 L 22 25 34 34 38 Pct .621 .590 .433 .433 .367 GB — 1.5 11 11 15 W L Pct GB Boston 36 24 .600 — New York 34 25 .576 1.5 Baltimore 33 26 .559 2.5 Tampa Bay 32 26 .552 3 Toronto 25 34 .424 10.5 Central Division W L Pct GB Detroit 31 26 .544 — Cleveland 30 29 .508 2 Minnesota 26 30 .464 4.5 Chicago 25 32 .439 6 Kansas City 24 32 .429 6.5 —————————————————— Wednesday's Results N.Y. Yankees 6, Cleveland 4 Oakland 6, Milwaukee 1 Chicago White Sox 7, Seattle 5, 16 innings Toronto 4, San Francisco 0 Chicago Cubs 8, L.A. Angels 6, 10 innings Tampa Bay 3, Detroit 0 Texas 3, Boston 2 Houston 11, Baltimore 7 Kansas City 4, Minnesota 1 Today's Games Tampa Bay (Ro.Hernandez 3-5) at Detroit (Scherzer 7-0), 10:08 a.m. Baltimore (Mig.Gonzalez 2-2) at Houston (B.Norris 5-4), 11:10 a.m. Texas (D.Holland 5-2) at Boston (Lester 62), 4:10 p.m. Minnesota (Pelfrey 3-6) at Kansas City (W.Davis 3-5), 5:10 p.m. Oakland (Straily 3-2) at Chicago White Sox (Quintana 3-2), 5:10 p.m. N.Y. Yankees (P.Hughes 2-4) at Seattle (Harang 2-5), 7:10 p.m. Friday's Games Minnesota at Washington, 4:05 p.m. Texas at Toronto, 4:07 p.m. Cleveland at Detroit, 4:08 p.m. Baltimore at Tampa Bay, 4:10 p.m. L.A. Angels at Boston, 4:10 p.m. Houston at Kansas City, 5:10 p.m. Oakland at Chicago White Sox, 5:10 p.m. N.Y. Yankees at Seattle, 7:10 p.m. Arizona Colorado GIANTS San Diego Dodgers East Division W 34 32 31 26 25 L 25 28 28 32 32 Pct .576 .533 .525 .448 .439 GB — 2.5 3 7.5 8 W L Pct GB Atlanta 37 22 .627 — Philadelphia 30 30 .500 7.5 Washington 29 30 .492 8 New York 23 33 .411 12.5 Miami 16 44 .267 21.5 Central Division W L Pct GB St. Louis 38 21 .644 — Cincinnati 36 24 .600 2.5 Pittsburgh 35 25 .583 3.5 Chicago 24 33 .421 13 Milwaukee 22 36 .379 15.5 —————————————————— Wednesday's Results Atlanta 5, Pittsburgh 0 Philadelphia 6, Miami 1 Oakland 6, Milwaukee 1 Toronto 4, San Francisco 0 Chicago Cubs 8, L.A. Angels 6, 10 innings N.Y. Mets 10, Washington 1 Colorado 12, Cincinnati 4 Arizona 10, St. Louis 3 San Diego at L.A. Dodgers, late Today's Games N.Y. Mets (Marcum 0-6) at Washington (G.Gonzalez 3-3), 4:05 p.m. Arizona (Kennedy 3-3) at St. Louis (S.Miller 6-3), 4:15 p.m. Philadelphia (Cloyd 1-2) at Milwaukee (W.Peralta 4-6), 5:10 p.m. San Diego (Cashner 4-3) at Colorado (Chacin 3-3), 5:40 p.m. Atlanta (Hudson 4-4) at L.A. Dodgers (Greinke 2-1), 7:10 p.m. Friday's Games Pittsburgh at Chicago Cubs, 11:20 a.m. Minnesota at Washington, 4:05 p.m. Miami at N.Y. Mets, 4:10 p.m. St. Louis at Cincinnati, 4:10 p.m. Philadelphia at Milwaukee, 5:10 p.m. San Diego at Colorado, 5:40 p.m. San Francisco at Arizona, 6:40 p.m. Atlanta at L.A. Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.