MIAMI -- It was an hour or so after the Miami Heat punched their ticket back to the Eastern Conference finals, and a question was asked about the perceived demise of Dwyane Wades abilities. LeBron James was not pleased. "Hes a Hall of Famer. He has two rings," James said. "He doesnt to prove himself to anyone. No one." Maybe, maybe not. But just in case, Wade ignored his aching right knee and put those oft-questioned skills on full display to earn his fifth trip to the East finals. Over the last 5 1/2 minutes of Miamis 94-91 second-round clinching win over the Chicago Bulls, Wade was the only Heat player with a field goal, going 3 for 3. He had three rebounds, half Miamis total in that span, along with his teams only blocked shot. And with two short floaters -- set up by the "Eurostep" move that hes made a trademark -- along with a strong dunk after a rebound, Wade offered a reminder that hes still more than capable of elite moments. "I always try to overcome," Wade said. "I understand certain things will be said. But Im harder on myself than anybody." Hes averaging only 13 points per game in this post-season, by far his lowest clip in nine trips to the playoffs, and simply could not care less about what the stat sheet says in that regard. Hes taken only 24 free throws in the entire post-season, which is one less than his single-game high from the line set back in the 2006 NBA Finals against Dallas. But when Wade is on the floor in these playoffs, the Heat are outscoring opponents by 10.4 points per game. When hes not on the floor, the Heat are outscoring opponents by 4.7 points per game. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra often brings numerical intricacies into his way of thinking, but he finds those numbers to tell a clear and simple story. "He never makes excuses for anything and hes giving us everything hes got and hes giving us minutes that help us win," Spoelstra said. "Thats the bottom line." If excuses were to be made, this baffling issue with Wades right knee would provide a decent supply of them. The saga is now in its third month, after he took some hits during games against Boston and Orlando back in March. He sat out a game March 24, with the Heat saying at the time that they did not believe the issue was all that serious. Wade later said it was three bone bruises around his right kneecap, and that it was basically all a case of wrong-place, wrong-time, bad luck. And the issue remains paramount now, even prompting some speculation before Game 5 that Wade would be sitting out the potential clincher to rest. Wade said that was not an option. "Its the time of year where youve got to do what you can," said Wade, who got the tape on his knee re-done before entering the game in the fourth quarter, because sweat loosened the original tape job and he wanted to be at his best for the comeback push. When the Bulls look at the tape of the closing minutes, when their chance to extend the series went awry, theyll likely wish that Wade wasnt out there. Wade was the only Miami starter to make a field goal in the final quarter, after the first five baskets of the last 12 minutes were made by Heat reserves -- sparking what became a 30-16 run to end the game, and the Bulls season. Then it was Wades time to be the closer, and he delivered. With Miami up 84-83, Wade set up on the right wing and was freed by a pick set by Shane Battier against Richard Hamilton, shook his way clear of Carlos Boozer and made a 10-footer. On the next possession, Wade used almost the same move to get down the middle of the lane, this time faking out Hamilton and Joakim Noah, for another short floater that put Miami up 88-84. The highlight came about 90 seconds later. Norris Cole missed a jumper, and Wade ran past Hamilton and Nate Robinson to get to the rim untouched in anticipation of a rebound. Wade went up, dunked the ball with two hands, landed and spun around in celebration. Knee pain, nowhere to be found. Doubted all season because of his declining numbers -- even though he was one of only four players in the league to average at least 20 points, five assists and five rebounds -- Wade made sure the Heat would close out Chicago and earn a trip to the East finals. "I have to overcome different things," Wade said. "This is a part of my journey and hopefully one day when I walk away from this game I get the respect that my game deserves, whatever that may be. So I just try to go out and do what I can for my teammates, hurt or not hurt, and try to win. Thats all." It was that answer that got James fired up. For 80 seconds, the leagues four-time MVP played defence in support of his teammate and close friend, as Wade sat to his left and just listened to the words of praise. "Its a Catch-22," James said. "If he doesnt play, then you guys are like, Why are you not in uniform? Its a playoff game. Why is he not playing? When he does play and hes not scoring 20 points, its D-Wade shouldnt be out there. I dont really care for it too much. ... As his teammate, as his brother, man, I love the fight he continues to give. When hes out on the floor, no matter what the stat sheet says, hes a threat." Cheap New England Patriots Jerseys . Didier Drogba gave away the penalty that put Senegal one goal away from a major upset, but the veteran striker will get another chance -- probably his last -- at the World Cup after Salomon Kalous injury-time strike sealed the Ivorians place in Brazil next year. Cheap Pittsburgh Steelers Jerseys . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. 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"Martyn is a highly-respected coach with experience at the top levels in England," said Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson. cheap nfl jerseys . -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL. PITTSBURGH -- There was a time when Ejuan Price wondered if his college career would ever end.Now that its fast approaching after six seasons, three different head coaches, a position change, one college degree earned and another on the way, the Pittsburgh defensive end almost doesnt want to cross the finish line.Almost.I look at it like, a lot of unfortunate things that happened to me were kind of like a blessing in disguise, Price said. I feel me being here right now is where Im supposed to be.Thats understandable. The Panthers are competitive, his NFL draft stock is rising and the 23-year-old is seventh in the country in tackles for loss and 12th in sacks.But he isnt the only late bloomer making an impact across the Atlantic Coast Conference.Well-traveled Syracuse wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo has turned out to be a perfect fit in head coach Dino Babers uptempo offense. The Maryland graduate transfer leads the ACC and ranks in the top 10 nationally in receiving yards (1,246), receiving yards per game (124.6) and receptions per game (7.9). Hes also second in the league with eight TD receptions and his 79 catches are tied for fifth in the country and he most among Power 5 receivers.Amba has been outstanding, Babers said. Hes been a pleasant surprise. Obviously, we had no idea hed be able to do the things that hes done.North Carolina senior receiver Bug Howard is suddenly in a much larger role since top deep threat Mack Hollins was lost for the season with a broken collarbone. Howard has had some good moments as part of four-receiver sets in 2015 and caught the winning touchdown with 2 seconds left to cap a wild comeback win against Price and Pitt in September.Howard -- now wearing Hollins No. 13 in his teammates honor -- was just getting started. He had 10 catches for 156 yards at Miami in the game Hollins was injured, had seven catches for 109 yards with a score against Virginia then had six catches for 120 yards and another TD against Georgia Tech. His streak of 100-yard receiving games ended at three in last weeks loss at Duke, though he still had a TD catch there, too.The 6-foot-5 target whose pet peeve is being mistaken for a player on the Tar Heel basketball team is finally living up to his massive potential. He already has a career-best 45 receptions with at least three games left to play. The NFL isnt out of reach either. The way Howard boxed out Pitts Ryan Lewis for the clinching score on Sept. 24 showcased the kind of ball skills that would translate well at the next level.Its a destinationn that might be in reach for Price too, one he doubted would materialize at times during his star-crossed career at Pitt.dddddddddddd Hes been around so long he originally signed at Ohio State when Jim Tressel was the Buckeyes coach before flipping to the hometown Panthers when Tressel stepped down that spring.Price is one of the emotional leaders for the surprising Panthers (6-4, 3-3 ACC) heading into their game against Duke on Saturday.Price made an immediate splash with the Panthers, collecting four sacks as a true freshman for Todd Graham in 2011. Then Graham left and a pectoral injury in 2012 forced Price to take a medical redshirt. New coach Paul Chryst moved Price to defensive end in 2013, intrigued by the explosiveness in Prices 6-foot, 255-pound frame. The experiment lasted all of six games before a back issue shelved Price yet again and he didnt play a snap in 2014 after tearing a left pectoral muscle during the offseason that required surgery.He tried to keep his spirits up during the long layoff, it wasnt easy when he was unsure about the payoff at the end.Its easy to be motivated for a couple days, Price said. But do it over and over and over and over, youve got to find a reason to stick with it.So the player teammate Brian ONeill likened to a Steady Eddie because of his relentlessness learned to train his mind as well as his body. Price knew he could be a force if he stuck with it. The reprieve came last fall. Finally healthy and emboldened by new coach Pat Narduzzi -- the programs third coach in four years -- to get to the quarterback, Price picked up 11.5 sacks while earning first-team All-ACC honors even though he hardly fits the mold of prototypical defensive end.He can bull rush you, ONeill said. Hes so low. You see how low he can get, how he gets leverage. Thats how he uses his height to his advantage.In February the NCAA granted Price a rare sixth year of eligibility. He picked up his degree in communications last spring and is currently working on one in administration of justice, fitting for a player whose long journey appears headed for a happy ending.All the blemishes in my past that got kind of looked down upon, Price said, Im thanking god for putting me in that position.---AP Sports Writers John Kekis in Syracuse, New York and Aaron Beard in Raleigh, North Carolina contributed to this report.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '