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SAN ANTONIO -- This was no ordinary victory for Paul George and the Indiana Pacers. They know how difficult it is to beat the San Antonio Spurs. George scored 28 points and Indiana defeated San Antonio 111-100 on Saturday night, snapping an 11-game skid against the Spurs. "It means a lot," George said. "We havent won here since 2002. So it definitely means that were onto something. Something great is going on in here, if we just continue to keep on this path, we have a positive future." David West had 20 points and Lance Stephenson scored 15 for the Pacers, who enjoyed a 41-34 rebounding edge. Roy Hibbert and Luis Scola each had 12 points and 10 boards. "I couldnt be happier with how they played, particularly in the second and third quarter," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "Second quarter, getting back in the game, but in the third quarter, really busting it open. Tough to pick a star in the game with as many contributions as we got. Just great balance and a great team win." Kawhi Leonard scored 18 points for San Antonio, which has dropped three of five. Manu Ginobili added 16 points, Tony Parker had 13 and Tim Duncan finished with 10. Indiana had lost 12 straight in San Antonio and appeared headed for a bakers dozen early on. Ginobilis 3-pointer with 9:46 remaining in the first half gave the Spurs a 35-22 lead. It was their largest lead, but also the start of the teams fall as the Pacers starting five overwhelmed their counterparts. "We give a lot of credit to Indiana," Parker said. "They just played better than us." Indiana closed the first half on a 30-18 run and opened the second half with a 12-2 spree. "We had a good first quarter," Duncan said. "Second quarter they started making some shots and we werent able to keep up. We went cold, they heated up and got a little lead there. We just couldnt recover." Georges 3 gave the Pacers an 85-62 lead with 46.3 seconds left in the third. He was 4 for 4 from long range and also had six assists. George had nine points in the third quarter, and the teams starters had all but two of Indianas points in a 35-17 period. "We knew it was a long game," George said. "This is one team that never thinks were out of a game, no matter what the circumstances are. But we knew that we had to get stops and we had to match their energy." San Antonio held a 23-8 edge in second-chance points and a 34-26 advantage in points in the paint, but Indiana attempted 22 more free throws. The Pacers went 26 for 28 at the line, compared to 5 for 6 for the Spurs. "If you lose, you were less aggressive, and you didnt have the effort; thats all baloney," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "Thats psycho-babble. You dont think Patty Mills and those guys played hard? You dont think Timmy tried to play hard? Thats silly. They played better than we did. Its got nothing to do with effort." NOTES: The Pacers last victory against the Spurs was 100-99 on April 1, 2007, in Indianapolis. Their last victory in San Antonio was 92-82 on Jan. 4, 2002. ... Spurs C Tiago Splitter in the first half with tightness in his left calf. Splitter was questionable to play due to the calf injury, but got the start anyway. He finished with two points and two rebounds in eight minutes. ... San Antonio had not played since a 102-100 victory over Atlanta. Wednesdays game against Minnesota in Mexico City was postponed due to an electrical fire. ... Before a free throw late in the game, a fan yelled to referee Bill Kennedy, "Did they run out of medium and large shirts?" The muscular Kennedy turned to the crowd with a bemused look and smiled. Danny Lansanah Jersey . -- Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe was arrested outside Kansas City over the weekend on charges of speeding and possessing marijuana, throwing his status for a pivotal AFC West showdown against the Denver Broncos into question. Mike Alstott Jersey . Now its going to cost him -- four games and four paychecks. The Colts career sacks leader was suspended Friday by the NFL after violating the leagues ban on performance-enhancing substances. http://www.thebuccaneerslockroom.com/mike-alstott-buccaneers -jersey/ . They also designated outfielder Kenny Wilson for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. The 30-year-old Gillespie has played in 34 games with Seattle this season, recording a . Oniel Cousins Buccaneers Jersey . -- As expected, coach John Fox has officially ruled out Wes Welker for Denvers game against San Diego on Thursday night because of a concussion. Warren Sapp Jersey . And former Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson certainly knows his pain. "Its pretty hard to coach there without allowing some of these things to kind of affect you," Wilson told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun in his ESPN.The sold out ticket announcement for Sundays match between Rugby Canada and the New Zealand Maori All Blacks at BMO Field means it will be the largest crowd in modern Canadian rugby history. Billboards around Toronto and popup ads on the internet are heavy with the games tagline of Face the Haka, but past the attendance numbers and one of the worlds most famous pre-game rituals, a lot of uncertainty surrounds the match itself. The haka fully deserves the amount of clever marketing attention its receiving but to only look forward to a ceremony and not the subsequent 80-minute match is the sporting equivalent of a bride caring too much about her wedding and forgetting about the marriage itself (insert stat about current divorce rate...). Sunday is a loaded match, as its only the fifth time in history Canada has faced the haka/played the Maori, and a heavy personnel change for both sides since their last meeting in November 2012 makes the exact game difficult to predict. The Maori All Blacks have named arguably their strongest side, signaling clear intentions and demonstrating how the program is being used in a high performance direction alongside the All Blacks. The Maori, working closely with the national team selectors, have named a clear seasoned leader in each position to help develop the younger players surely destined for the full All Blacks jersey. Canadians will recognize a few Maori players named in the starting 23 from the All Blacks at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, and will especially remember the name Zac Guildford as he dotted down four times against the Canucks in their pool match in Wellington. This tour serves as a great opportunity and redemption for gifted Guildford after a spate of alcohol-related incidents saw his contract with the New Zealand Rugby Union almost terminated. Because the game on Sunday falls outside the IRBs November international window, Canada has exercised their right to hold off on naming a lineup until the morning of the game. Gripping their cards so close to their chest makes the game very hard to preview from a media standpoint, but it also signals how seriously they are taking this match - even though its not a full international test. Canada lost all four of their matches to the Maori since 2003 but have narrowed the differential every time and the game at Oxford last year was the closest yet. In front of packed grounds at Iffley Road, home of Oxford University, the normally convincing Maori werent for the full 80, racking up too many penalties but still earning a 32-19 victory. A very late try out wide to the Maori in that game meant the eventual score line did not reflect the Canadians efforts, who were still within a converted try of a scalp with eight minutes remaining. Had the Canadians been slightly better with ball in hand and ball retention, the game could have been even closer. But two veery different sides will line up on Sunday compared to a year ago.dddddddddddd The kickers who combined for 32 points in that match are gone, the Maori have a new coach, a new captain and only one returner in the front row in their 23 and Canada are missing eight of their top players because of professional commitments. 14 of the 30 players who started for Canada or the Maori last year are completely gone from their 26-man rosters due to non-selection, injuries or not being released by professional clubs. With so many question marks in terms of specifics, one has to step back and compare the front of the jerseys as opposed to whos wearing the numbers on the back. The culture and history of the NZ Maori runs deeper than the traceable bloodlines of each player on their team, and much deeper than what any outsider could comprehend. This is partially why the haka stirs so much intrigue; it gives everyone else a taste of the fierce pride of the Maori culture that is normally subliminal behind their laid back and friendly demeanor. At a press conference on Wednesday, the word culture passed the lips of Maori captain Tim Bateman and new Maori coach Colin Cooper countless times. A former Maori player, coach Cooper spoke of his teams mana, a Maori word meaning honour, and how it would help bring his team together. "The challenge is coming here on a short turnaround to take on Canada in their backyard. What will help us probably is that were Maori and (that) will galvanize us - team unity will be brought together by our culture." This culture and mana means it usually doesnt matter which 23 players fill the Black jerseys, an expectation is there. Canadas coach Kieran Crowley, who played and coached with Cooper at Taranaki in New Zealand, hopes establishing a clear pathway to the Canadian national team will help develop a strong team culture. "When I first began (coaching Canada), I couldnt see a clear path. Weve worked hard to do that and now I can. This will help create team culture and most importantly, consistency." Crowley said consistency remains Canadas focus and will be how he will measure his teams long-term success. Hopefully, this Canada/USA New Zealand Maori Tour will become an annual fixture on the rugby calendar as it is sponsored by AIG, who are looking to grow the sport into a lucrative North American frontier. If so, it would provide an ideal medium for both programs to develop exactly what the two coaches identified - culture and consistency. Canada would have a perfect benchmark to measure itself as a program too, and New Zealand is given an opportunity to grow the All Blacks brand globally while still protecting and sharing the Maori culture on its terms. The tour also presents an opportunity to strengthen the culture within the Maori squad - everyone knows the value of a good road trip. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '
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