LeBron James should be used to the NBA Finals by now

PHILADELPHIA -- Cody Asches rough night in the field ruined Cliff Lees effort on the mound. Fake Soccer Jerseys . Luis Jimenez hit a tiebreaking double in the sixth, Matt Shoemaker tossed five effective innings and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 on Tuesday night. Lee allowed four unearned runs and six hits, striking out seven in seven innings. He was hurt by Asches three errors at third base. "I know he wasnt doing it on purpose," Lee said. "He had some funky balls hit to him." Mike Trout went 1 for 5 with more than 4,000 fans in the crowd from his hometown of Millville, New Jersey. The two-time All-Star centre fielder grew up in the small town 45 minutes south of Philadelphia. Lee (3-4) took a 2-0 lead into the sixth, but Asches fielding and throwing errors led to four unearned runs. Collin Cowgill led off the inning with a double to left. After Trout struck out, Albert Pujols reached when Asche let his high bouncer go off his glove. Howie Kendrick walked to load the bases. Chris Iannetta then hit a bouncer to Asche, who pulled catcher Carlos Ruiz off the plate with his throw home. Grant Greens sacrifice fly tied it at 2. Jimenez followed with a two-run double on a 3-0 pitch, giving the Angels a 4-2 lead. "Its frustrating, not just for myself, but when you let a team down," Asche said. "Cliff was pitching well. He couldve gone all night." Asche has struggled in his first full season. Hes hitting .226 with a team-high six errors. "The kid had a tough night," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "That can happen. Well continue to work with him. A lot of things have been thrown at him." The Phillies have lost two in a row to fall three games below .500. They blew a 4-1 lead in the ninth in a 5-4, extra-inning loss to the Mets on Sunday. Closer Jonathan Papelbon wasnt available to pitch that day because he was sore after earning saves in the first two games of the series. Papelbon has drawn criticism from fans for not pitching. Sandberg said before the game the team needs its closer to be able to pitch three days in a row. Shoemaker (1-1) allowed two runs and three hits. He made his second career start and first this season. The righty was called up to replace Hector Santiago, who was sent to the bullpen after going 0-6 with a 5.19 ERA in seven starts. Ernesto Frieri pitched the ninth for his fifth save in seven tries. Domonic Brown hit a triple off reliever Fernando Salas and scored on Ruizs sacrifice fly in the seventh to get the Phillies to 4-3. Shoemaker retired his first nine batters before Ben Revere hit a hard single just past second baseman Kendrick. One out later, Chase Utley ripped an RBI triple into the right-field corner to make it 1-0. Angels manager Mike Scioscia challenged the safe call at third, but it was upheld following a replay review that took 3 minutes, 33 seconds. Ryan Howard hit an RBI single through the vacated hole at shortstop for a 2-0 lead. NOTES: The Phillies called up INF Cesar Hernandez from Double-A Reading to take Jayson Nixs spot on the roster. Nix was outrighted to Triple-A on Monday, but chose to become a free agent. ... The Angels optioned RHP Cory Rasmus to Triple-A Salt Lake. ... Sandberg said a Shake Shack hamburger at Citi Field gave him food poisoning during Philadelphias weekend series in New York.... RHP A.J. Burnett (2-2, 2.90 ERA) goes for the Phillies against RHP Garrett Richards (3-0, 2.80) on Wednesday. Authentic Soccer Jerseys . The stress, the waiting, the whispers about whether he doped during his stellar cycling career, all of it ended when - after nearly two years - federal prosecutors closed an investigation of him last week without bringing any charges. Soccer Jerseys For Sale . This weeks Raptors Report puts a bow on Gays brief, 10-month tenure in Toronto and ponders how his absence will affect the teams offence. Are they a better team without him? In addition to acquiring some valuable cap flexibility, what impact will the four incoming players have this season and beyond? Click here for the Dec. https://www.cheapsoccerjerseysjustwholesale.com/ . - Tiger Woods only made it through 10 holes Thursday — this time because of the weather, not his back.SAN ANTONIO - LeBron James should be used to the NBA Finals by now. After five trips to the championship series in eight years, it would make sense if he had a been-there, done-that attitude when stepping onto the sports biggest stage. He doesnt. On Wednesday James took a seat inside a makeshift interview area, sneaked a quick glance at the NBA Finals signage that was off to his left side, and beamed like a kid in a candy store. Just a couple years removed from being ripped for not delivering in the moments that decide championships, James seems more comfortable in these surroundings than ever. "Im blessed, man," James said. "Thats all I can say." And then, without stopping, the four-time MVP said much more. "This is my fifth appearance in a finals," he continued. "Im blessed. I was a kid who watched so many finals appearances and, you know, watched Michael Jordan and watched Shaq and Kobe ... we watched throwback finals games. ... I just wished maybe I could see the finals verbiage behind me and be a part of this." His wishes come true again Thursday night, when James and the Miami Heat open these finals against the San Antonio Spurs, the NBAs first championship-series rematch since 1998. The Heat are going for a third straight title, the Spurs are trying for their fifth crown since 1999. If Miami wins, the perception will be James came through. If Miami loses, the perception will be he didnt do enough. James knows thats the reality. He doesnt mind. "I play for my teammates, our team, the city of Miami, my friends and family, and I gave it all for that," James said. "And at the end of the day, win, lose or draw, Im satisfied with that. I dont get involved in what people say about me and my legacy. I think its actually kind of stupid." By now, the story behind James rise to a champion is no secret. He left Cleveland in 2010 because he felt Miami gave him a better opportunity to win titles. In 2011, when Miami lost to Dallas in the final round, James said he was relying too much upon proving his doubters and naysayers wrong. So the next season, he vowed to play the game the way he hadd in the past. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys. Championship No. 1 came in 2012, championship No. 2 came last season in an epic seven-game series against the Spurs, and now the shot at No. 3 is here. "Hes really taken his game to a whole other level," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. "Obviously as an individual hes grown, as a man, both on and off the court from his own experiences. So I think hes done a phenomenal job. ... If I sit back and look from afar, hes done an unbelievable job under the microscope that hes been under since he was 16 years old of doing things his way and been very successful at doing them." If James is feeling pressure right now, it doesnt show publicly. Away from the public eye, though, teammates have marveled all season about how someone who makes more than $50 million a year in salary and endorsements is working perhaps harder than ever. "Nothing he does is normal," Heat forward Michael Beasley said. "He practices wearing a weight vest. Does that sound normal?" James spent the majority of his question-answering time Wednesday laughing or smiling. Off-stage, he joked with a few other people, chatting and seeming as relaxed as he would if this was the eve of a Heat-Spurs game in January, not one in June. The Spurs are worried about stopping James, they know that wont happen. "We understand LeBron is the best player in the league and just physically hes just a monster," San Antonio forward Tim Duncan said. In 2007, when the Spurs swept Cleveland, James was still learning. In 2011, he felt like he absolutely had to win, and failed to get it done. In 2012 and 2013, he just played the game the way he felt it needs to be played. And its no coincidence that its all fallen into place since. "Every time I come up here and talk to you guys or I do something, you know, very well on the basketball floor or off the floor, my city is rewarded by that," James said. "My family is rewarded by that, my friends are rewarded by that, the kids and all the kids in the world that look up to me are rewarded by that. Thats enough to get me by. Everything else is extra credit." ' ' '