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MIAMI -- It was arguably the signature moment of Alonzo Mournings career. Shane Greene Braves Jersey . He blocked a shot in the final minutes of Game 6 of the 2006 NBA Finals, then wriggled on the floor in what appeared to be celebration for a few seconds. Turns out, it was anger. Mourning was unimpressed by his chase-down block of Dallas Jason Terry with 8:55 left in the game where the Miami Heat would clinch their first NBA title. Instead, his memorable air-punching, arms-flailing reaction was borne from how Heat teammate Gary Payton had thrown the ball away seconds earlier and then argued with a referee at such a critical moment in the game. His fire was on full display in that moment. And it was that fire that led him to the Basketball Hall of Fame "So I had to sprint back to try to cover his butt for making that mistake, and I was mad," Mourning said. "Then I got up and I was like, Gary, what are you doing, man? Oh, I was mad. Maybe like two people really know why I was acting that way. The thing is, I was cursing Gary out. Thats what happened." After a career where he averaged 17.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocked shots, the 6-foot-10 Mourning will be part of the class enshrined in Springfield, Massachusetts on Friday night, when the surest bet in sports will be that his speech will exceed the 10-minute recommendation he was given for his remarks. "I think I deserve it," Mourning said, laughing. Few would disagree. He was a seven-time All-Star, is one of only eight players to win the defensive player of the year award at least twice, an Olympic gold medallist and has already had his No. 33 jersey retired by the Heat in a star-studded ceremony that went way longer than planned, slightly raising the ire of an Orlando Magic team that wasnt planning on a never-ending halftime that night in 2009. "He had to be the first one to have his jersey retired by this franchise," Heat President Pat Riley said. "He earned that, many times over." But Mournings story is more about the journey than any statistic or award. He was raised by a foster mother who took him and 48 other kids into her home. From there, Mourning became a star at Georgetown, then an NBA icon who couldnt even be derailed by a kidney disease that necessitated a transplant while still in the prime of his career, and finally a champion with the Heat. "You dont think about going to the Hall of Fame. Its your reward," Mourning said. "This was the last thing on my mind. I had an amazing career. The journey was spectacular for me, personally. If no one else saw it that way, then so be it." Mourning, 44, will be presented by John Thompson, his coach at Georgetown, and Riley, his coach with the Heat. Thompson and Riley are two of the people who Mourning credits most for making him what he is. The other is Fannie Threet, the foster mother who died last year at the age of 98 and the person who Mourning speaks with more reverence for than anyone else. Thompson, Riley and the woman he still calls "Miss Threet" might seem like three wildly different people, but Mourning sees parallels in them all -- mainly discipline, devotion and a balance between toughness and compassion. Add them up, you get Mourning, who plans to spend his speech thanking just about everyone he can remember. "Its the pinnacle of the sport," Mourning said. "And outside of the birth of my children and winning a championship, its the pinnacle of it all." Max Fried Jersey .com) - The Carolina Hurricanes hope to remain perfect at home in January on Friday night as they welcome the Vancouver Canucks to PNC Arena. Jeremy Walker Braves Jersey . The closer wasnt available. The road trip, a disaster to that point. https://www.cheapbraves.com/563o-jeff-burroughs-jersey-braves.html .Hammel pitched inside more and it helped him get into the seventh inning as the Colorado Rockies beat the San Diego Padres 3-2 on Friday night.GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Virginia coach Tony Bennett keeps pushing his sixth-ranked Cavaliers for more in what is already the programs best season in more than three decades. Next up is the chance to do something that even Ralph Sampson couldnt do: Win an Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title. Anthony Gill hit two free throws with 8.5 seconds left to help Virginia hold off Pittsburgh 51-48 in Saturdays semifinals, sending the Cavaliers to their first championship game in 20 years. Virginia arrived in Greensboro with its first outright regular-season title since 1981 and only its second No. 1 seed. The Cavs have just one title: the 1976 championship led by tournament most valuable player Wally Walker. "It would be great to put another banner and have that to share with them," Bennett said. "Wally sent me a text: We want some company." The Cavaliers (27-6) didnt have an easy time putting themselves in position for it, letting an eight-point lead slip all the way to one in the final seconds. But Gill, who was shooting 63 per cent from the line, calmly made both free throws after James Robinsons hanging layup that had made it 49-48. Pitt had a chance to tie with 4 seconds left, but Justin Anderson tipped Robinsons 3-pointer to Gill with 0.5 seconds left. Joe Harris scored 12 points to lead the Cavaliers, who shot 47 per cent against the fifth-seeded Panthers (25-9) to earn their first trip to the final since losing to North Carolina in Charlotte in 1994. "Theres no better feeling, of course, but well celebrate later," Anderson said. "Were to a point where we have a chance to make a run, not just in the ACC but the NCAA tournament, and we have to ... continue to be humble. This team cherishes that and this team understands that and well be fine." Virginia, which has its best win total in 31 years, will face the North Carolina State-Duke winner Sunday. Lamar Patterson and Talib Zanna each scored 15 points to lead Pitt, which was in its first ACC tournament. The Panthers, who were going for their first appearance in a league tournament championship game since winning the Big East title in 2008, shot just 37 per cent. Gene Garber Braves Jersey. The teams met only once this year, when Malcom Brogdon hit a 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left in a 48-45 road win on Feb. 2. This one came down to another tight finish, though the Cavaliers kept the Panthers at arms distance for most of the final minutes and maintained a fragile hold on the game. After trailing by eight, Pitt closed to within 47-44 and got a good look for the tie on Josh Newkirks 3-point attempt with 1:45 left, but never could level the game. "Neither team really made that many mistakes," Robinson said. "Every mistake that we did make, they capitalized on." Pitt got as close as 49-48 when Robinson stripped Brogdon and drove for a hanging layup over Akil Mitchell -- hitting it through contact from Mitchell but with no whistle --with 10 seconds left to set up Gills big free throws. Pitt coach Jamie Dixon thought Robinson shouldve been going to the line to tie it, too. "What can you do?" Dixon said. "We just watched it. Everybody saw it. I cant comment on anything else besides that. I cant state the obvious." Mitchell didnt put up much of an argument, saying he was a little surprised there was no whistle. "I wanted to contest it as best as I could," he said. "I definitely didnt want to foul. But, you know, they let it go." Virginia led 26-24 at the break and used a strong shooting start to the second half to finally build a working margin. The Cavaliers took their biggest lead on Gills hook shot to make it 45-37 with 9:30 left. But the Cavaliers suddenly went cold, going 6 minutes without a point while the Panthers started inching back into the game. Pitt opened its first ACC tournament with a 29-point romp against Wake Forest in Thursdays first round. The Panthers then dominated No. 15 North Carolina for much of Fridays quarterfinals, building a 20-point lead before having to hold off a frantic comeback attempt to reach the semifinals. Pitt lasted the longest of the three new league members. Notre Dame was eliminated in the tournaments first-round opener Wednesday, while N.C. State upset No. 11 Syracuse in Friday nights quarterfinals. ' ' '