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(SportsNetwork. Dave Szott .com) - The storied rivalry between the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks will add a new chapter Sunday afternoon when the two teams meet for Game 7 of this Western Conference first round series at AT&T Center. For the second time in the Tim Duncan/Dirk Nowitzki era, these two perennial titans will clash in a Game 7. In the second round of the 2006 Western Conference playoffs, Dallas prevailed in the critical final game. Since Nowitzki turned the Mavericks into a title contender, they are 4-0 in Game 7s. Duncans Spurs have won four titles under his stewardship and his San Antonio team is 2-2 in Game 7s. This series finale will be in San Antonio, which owned the best record in the NBA this season. "You play the whole season to have a Game 7 at home," Spurs guard Tony Parker said. If the Mavs, who won Game 2 in San Antonio, prevail, it will mark the sixth time a No. 8 seed has bested a No. 1 seed. It will also be the second time the dubious distinction happened to the Spurs, who fell in round one three years ago to the Memphis Grizzlies. Game 7 is necessary because the Mavericks defended their home court in Game 6 Friday night. Monta Ellis led a fourth-quarter surge and finished with 27 points Friday as Dallas forced a winner-take-all Game 7 in San Antonio with a hard-fought 113-111 victory. Ellis scored 12 of his 29 points in crunch time, but nearly wiped it all away when he threw an ill-advised pass out of bounds with 1.3 seconds remaining to give the Spurs one final look. Patty Mills off-balanced shot at the buzzer was well short and came after the clock struck zero. "My teammates just told me to be aggressive," Ellis said. "My team just believed in me, and I just had to go out there and respond." Nowitzki chimed in with 22 points and Dallas deep supporting cast came up with big plays down the stretch, notably former Spur DeJuan Blair. Parker netted 13 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Spurs, who led 81-76 entering the fourth and appeared in control before the Mavs rattled off nine straight points midway through the frame. Ellis hit a go-ahead 3-pointer during the run and Blair, who was suspended for Game 5 after kicking Tiago Splitter in the head the previous game, capped it with a three-point play for a 97-92 Mavericks lead with 4:25 to play. After some sensational play from Parker, the margin was one. Dallas Vince Carter made it a three-point game with two free throws, and Blair picked off a Parker pass intended for Duncan under the basket, forcing the Spurs to foul the rest of the way. Dallas made 5-of-8 free throws and hung on despite Ellis head-scratching turnover in the closing seconds. The winner will meet the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday. If its San Antonio, Game 1 of the conferences second round will be in Alamo City, but if Dallas prevails in Game 7, the series opener of the second round will be in Portland. Mike Stonebreaker .C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes used a strong third period to extend their winning streak to three games. Frank Oliver . The Suns termed Fridays surgery by team doctor Thomas Carter a success. No timetable was given for Bledsoes return but the team said in a news release that he "will pursue a possible return to action during the second half" of the season. https://www.cheapnfljerseyschina.co/chuck-oneil-jersey-for-sale/ .The Dallas Cowboys released Sam from the practice squad Tuesday, dropping the rush end as they prepare for several potential reinforcements to return to the defensive line.BOSTON - The Boston Bruins went to the TD Garden for Game 7 of their playoff series against Montreal knowing that someones season would end. They just never considered it might be theirs. "Oh, its tough to swallow," defenceman Johnny Boychuk said after a 3-1 loss to the Canadiens eliminated the Bruins. "We have such a good team. It shouldnt be." With two trips to the Stanley Cup finals in three years and the NHLs best record this regular season, the Bruins have established themselves among the leagues elite. Defenceman Zdeno Chara, forward Patrice Bergeron and goalie Tuukka Rask are all up for NHL honours. But in a seven-game series against their Original Six rivals, the Bruins couldnt find the form that helped them amass 117 points in the regular season. Chara was uncharacteristically indecisive on Montreal breakaway. David Krejci and Brad Marchand — key scorers in the two runs to the Cup finals — did not score a goal in these playoffs. "Maybe it was a lack of focus or I didnt bear down enough, but I didnt come up big when the team needed me and (its) very frustrating," Marchand said. "Its really tough. I think we expected to go all the way this year. Its very tough; its very disappointing. Its hard to really put into words. We expected a lot more." Coach Claude Julien said the team struggled to overcome injuries on defence to defenceman Dennis Seidenberg and Adam McQuaid. Don Shy. That left them relying on a lot of young players, including Dougie Hamilton and Torey Krug, who played well in the series, and Kevan Miller and Matt Bartkowski, who didnt. "You could see tonight that there was a lot of nervousness," Julien said. "This time of year, youve got to play your best hockey of the year. And I dont think we got to that point. I dont think we played badly but we certainly werent playing as well as we could to be a team that would move ahead." Despite the injuries, the Bruins coasted through the regular season to 54 wins, then eliminated the Detroit Red Wings in five games. After dropping the opener at home to Montreal, the Bruins came back to take a 3-2 lead in the series. But Montreals Olympic gold medal-winning goalie Carey Price shut the Bruins out 4-0 in Game 6 to force the series back to Boston for a decisive seventh game. And then he held them to a single goal in the finale. "When you know that you have a team that was so good and consistent throughout the whole season, and you have a good enough team to win more than one series," it takes a while to sink in, Chara said. "Its something that youre going to be thinking about. Ill be thinking about it for sure quite a bit." ' ' '