win its only NBA title.dddddddddddd Despite all the doubt, Golden State has overcome every obstacle it has faced this season -- from forward Brandon Rushs season-ending left knee injury in the home opener to centre Andrew Boguts sore left ankle throughout the year to All-Star forward David Lees hip in

DENVER -- Tom Brady returns this weekend to Denver, where he was bruised and battered in the AFC championship game last season.The Denver Broncos hit him nearly two dozen times that frigid January night.Von Miller parlayed his performance -- 2+ sacks, four QB hits and an interception -- into one of the greatest showings by a defensive player in Super Bowl history two weeks later, bringing home both the Lombardi and the Super Bowl 50 MVP trophies.Brady limped out of Denver, his visions of playing well into his 40s nothing more than a pipe dream unless the Patriots could find a way to fix his porous protection.They did.Bradys jersey is hardly soiled anymore and he has the Patriots (11-2) rolling again.Hes only been sacked 12 times this year, noted Denver defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, the architect of that January game. He hasnt been hit that much so the protection seems to be a lot better than they were last year.But he plays great all the time whether theres protection or not. We hit him a lot of times last year, but if you remember in the two games, he still came back at the end of both games. Hes a phenomenal quarterback. Theres nobody playing like him.A victory Sunday would not only give the Patriots an NFL record eighth consecutive division title, it would deal a severe blow to Denvers designs on defending its Super Bowl title.Clinging to the sixth and final playoff spot, the Broncos (8-5) will have to get through New England, Kansas City and Oakland, who are a combined 31-8, for that chance.Last year, we were one game out of not even making the playoffs and then we go ahead and win the Super Bowl, Chris Harris Jr. said.We kind of piggybacked on that, but we have to play better now. We have to start getting games rolling now and nothing will feel better than to get back on track by beating the Patriots.Miller channeled his inner Aaron Rodgers, imploring restless Broncos fans to relax.I mean, Im still going to be here, right? said the star pass rusher whose 13+ sacks are tied for the league lead.The question is whether he can get to Brady as he did last season when the Patriots spread out their offense and essentially asked Brady to be his own protector and get rid of the ball if an edge rusher came free.That philosophy worked against most teams, but the Broncos blew it up in the conference championship, hitting him a career-high 23 times, forcing him into 29 incompletions, two fourth-down flops and two interceptions, including one with 12 seconds left on a 2-point try that would have tied the game.The performance cost former offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo his job in the offseason.It also led Bill Belichick to entice veteran former Patriots assistant Dante Scarnecchia out of retirement to reassume the role.Add in LeGarrette Blounts huge season and some personnel changes up front and the Patriots have done a much better job protecting their 39-year-old QB whos been sacked just twice in the past month.Theyll find out just how much progress theyve made when they face the NFLs top-ranked pass defense and its best pass rusher in Miller on Sunday.Here are other things to watch:SIEMIANS GROWTH: Greg Knapp, Trevor Siemians position coach, said he agrees with Kubiaks tough-love approach to the young QB by demanding more of him.Siemian is showing us hes got a great knack to handle a lot of pressure, Knapp said. When a guys like that, you want to keep pushing him.Demaryius Thomas said Siemian can be great. He gets better and better every week. He hasnt been the healthiest guy this season, but hes been able to put out good footballs when hes hurt. I imagine when he has the time, guys get open, he can take us the distance.MILE HIGH STRUGGLES: The Broncos are the only team with a winning record against Brady (9-6), and theyve won seven of nine against him in Denver.By bucking that trend, Brady would set yet another NFL record. His 52 career victories in December are tied with Hall of Famer Brett Favre for most wins by a starting quarterback in any month.WHAT ABOUT BLOUNT?: As impressive as Brady has been throwing the ball, much of the credit for New Englands offensive success goes to Blount, who has a career-high 1,029 yards and an NFL-best 14 TDs.Because they play the pass so well, I think weve got to find ways to make yards in the run game, Brady said. Weve done a pretty good job of that this year.SOFT UNDERBELLY? The Broncos bugaboo this season is their run defense. After leading the league last year, theyve nosedived to 29th against the run, which thwarts their advantage of having the leagues top secondary and best pass rush.Linebacker Brandon Marshall (hamstring) was replaced by Corey Nelson last week at Tennessee and when Todd Davis (ribs) went out, fellow backup Zaire Anderson came in and had five tackles.He got thrown in there last week and we played our best half, Kubiak said.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapletonPJ Tucker Rockets Jersey . "Were just throwing s--- at the wall hoping something sticks," said Tortorella about the possible line combinations for Fridays game against Columbus. 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William Carrier opened the scoring for Cape Breton (6-4-2), but Andrew Ryan tied the game and Brent Andrews put the Mooseheads (8-6-0) in front for good with a short-handed goal at 13:49 of the second period.OAKLAND, Calif. -- Forgive the San Antonio Spurs if they arent that excited about holding a 3-2 series lead over the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals. After all, theyve been ahead twice before. If the Spurs want to close out the Warriors in Game 6 on Thursday night at rowdy Oracle Arena, theyll have to do what neither team has in this series: win consecutive games. Golden State also is 4-0 after a loss in the playoffs. "Nobody talks about getting this over with like youve got a rash," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Like you can take a pill or put some cream on it, its going to be gone. This is a war. Theyre a class team. They bust their (butts) at both ends of the floor. Its not about getting rid of anything. Its about going and playing and thats about it." San Antonio has increasingly shown its veteran savvy the last three games, and Golden State has looked like its finally wearing down from all its injuries. Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and the rest of the Spurs overwhelmed the Warriors in Tuesday nights 109-91 win in San Antonio. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson -- described by Coach Mark Jackson as the "greatest shooting backcourt in NBA history" -- combined to score just 13 points on 6-of-22 shooting. Curry has refused to use the left ankle he sprained late in Game 3 as an excuse, but anybody who has watched can clearly see he has been slowed by the injury. Thompson, who failed to even attempt a 3-pointer for the first time all season Tuesday, has been shut down by San Antonio since scoring 34 points in Game 2. Neither Curry nor Thompson was made available to speak to reporters during the teams light shootaround Wednesday in Oakland. The rest of the Warriors insist theyre not worried about the "Splash Brothers" or the teams ability to respond. "Were never going to quit. Were never going to die. Weve got a lot of fight left. This isnt the end," Warriors forward Carl Landry said. "Actually, were excited about having the opportunity to play in a Game 6. Everybody in that locker room is excited and ready." The odds are not in Golden States favour. Teams that have won Game 5 of a best-of-seven series that was tied have gone on to win the series 88 out of 99 times. However, those teams are 50-49 in Game 6. The Spurs have won 11 of 12 best-of-seven series when leading 3-2. The last time the Warriors came back from a 3-2 deficit was against the Chicago Bulls in the 1975 Western Conference finals, when the franchise went on to win its only NBA title.dddddddddddd Despite all the doubt, Golden State has overcome every obstacle it has faced this season -- from forward Brandon Rushs season-ending left knee injury in the home opener to centre Andrew Boguts sore left ankle throughout the year to All-Star forward David Lees hip injury in the first round against Denver. "We are our habits and we have a tight-knit group that is able to make adjustments, own it when they dont play well and bounce back," Jackson said. "I have no doubt that will take place again." The Spurs are getting production from others besides Parker and Duncan, and that might be the biggest turnaround in a series that has been full of them. The length of Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green has bothered Curry and Thompson. Duncan and Tiago Splitter have put Bogut in foul trouble in two straight games, and San Antonios team defence has displayed the "maniacal" effort that Popovich has preached in leading the franchise to four NBA titles. "Thats how its supposed to be," said Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, who is starting to find success as a facilitator with his shot not falling. "We are not a team thats going to have somebody scoring 40 every game that we can rely on. We need everybody to contribute because we are not the most talented team in the league, so we need a contribution from everybody." Standing in the way of a second straight Western Conference finals appearance for San Antonio is a gritty Golden State team that has nothing to lose. Jackson is relying on a phrase he has repeated since the playoffs started: few people expected the Warriors to be a serious contender in the preseason, so theres no pressure on his players, who echoed those sentiments. For a franchise that has made the playoffs just twice since 1994, the Warriors are relishing the opportunity to push the conference semifinals to a decisive Game 7, which would be in San Antonio on Sunday. "Its almost like an NCAA tournament game," Landry said. "We just have to go out there and never take any possessions off. After the game, we shouldnt have anything left. We shouldnt even be able to walk to our cars. Everything should be left out on the floor." ' ' '