GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Instead of getting ready for Game 6 of t

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GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Instead of getting ready for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals, in what would surely have been a rocking Madison Square Garden, the New York Rangers quietly packed up their lockers and headed toward summer vacation. The pain and disappointment of Friday nights season-ending loss to the Los Angeles Kings was still palpable Monday as players went through exit interviews at the teams suburban practice facility, but one by one they took positive looks back on their unexpected post-season. After all, it had been 20 years since the Rangers played with the Cup on the line. "Its a little early," star goalie Henrik Lundqvist said. "I am proud of the team and what we did and how we overcame different challenges -- not only in the past couple of months but throughout the entire season. "We have a lot to be happy about, but right now youre still disappointed about not winning." Had they been able to score in overtime on Friday or in either of the first two games of the finals in Los Angeles -- which were both decided in overtime -- New York would have hosted Game 6 on Monday night. The series would have been 3-2, one way or the other, and Rangers fans would have been firmly behind their club as it moved closer to a championship. "The last two or three days have been even worse than today," forward Carl Hagelin said. "Now its kind of faded off. Its enough crying now. You cant cry much more. "It couldve been a game tonight, but were going to have to live another day." The Rangers have reached the conference finals in two of the past three seasons, and now have taken it a step further. Only a few veterans in their room, such as Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis, had gotten to the finals before this run. The collective experience they now share as a group could bode well. "Its hard to swallow right now, but give it a couple of weeks," forward Derek Stepan said. "I think well look back and well see how much fun we had as a group and be able to look at it and say, Hey, we played some really good hockey. "Weve got a good balance of guys. The organization did a good job of building this team, getting the young guys and getting the old guys. Weve got a good blend." As is always the case at the end of the season, changes will be made before the team gets back together for training camp in about three months. One player who likely wont be there is Richards, who has become a prime candidate to have his contract bought out by the Rangers to give the club much needed salary cap relief. New York has one remaining amnesty buyout available, and it must be used by July 1. The cap room that would be saved by getting Richards contract off the books could go a long way to signing potential free agents the Rangers have and others who could come in from other teams. "Were going to work on putting a good team on the ice, but every year is different," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. "Next years team is going to be different, and youve got to go through the same process. Its going to be a challenge to make the playoffs, and then you take it one series at a time." Richards took on a bigger leadership role after captain Ryan Callahan was traded to Tampa Bay for St. Louis in March. His voiced carried in the room even as his play declined as the playoff run got deeper. Vigneault limited his ice time to fourth-line minutes in the final two games against Los Angeles. "If you look at Brads overall season he had a real good year," Vigneault said. "In the final series, I dont know if it was a combination of some other guys might have been playing a little bit better than he was, but we had some decisions to make in Game 4 and Game 5." No decision on Richards status had been made by Monday afternoon, and he didnt speak to reporters to discuss what might lie ahead for him, either. Vigneault excelled in his first season as coach, after he replaced the fiery John Tortorella, and he will also be looking to win that elusive championship. The Rangers havent hoisted the Cup since their last finals experience in 1994. Vigneault took the Vancouver Canucks to the final step, too, only to fall to Boston in 2011. "Each year you play, your drive gets bigger and bigger," Stepan said. "This group has been close, and certainly that drive is going to be there for next year." Cheap NBA Jerseys China . His team rose to the occasion Sunday with a 3-1 victory over Sweden in the bronze-medal game. "The sting from yesterday is not something we hid from or pretend didnt happen," Dineen said. NFL Jerseys For Sale . - After sewage backups, toilet overflows and foul smells surfaced the past two years, nothing at the Oakland Coliseum surprises the home team anymore. http://www.wholesalechinajerseysforcheap.com/. This was one of them. Omar Infante homered and tied a career high with six RBIs to carry the Kansas City Royals over the Baltimore Orioles 9-3 on Sunday. Cheap China Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Fla. Cheap Jerseys USA . The NFL announced Friday that the Texans sixth-year veteran offensive lineman will replace Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jason Peters in the Jan. SAN ANTONIO -- "Beat the Heat!" had a whole new meaning in a sweltering start to the NBA Finals. The San Antonio Spurs handled the conditions, and the team, and it sure helped when a suffering LeBron James couldnt make it to the finish. Tim Duncan had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and the Spurs beat the Heat 110-95 on Thursday night in Game 1 at steamy AT&T Center. With an air conditioning failure making it feel like a sauna and causing James to battle cramps that knocked him out of the decisive stretch, the Spurs pulled away to win the opener of the first finals rematch since 1998. "After I came out of the game, they kind of took off," James said. "And it was frustrating sitting out and not be able to help our team." Manu Ginobili had 16 points and 11 assists, Tony Parker added 19 points and eight assists and the Spurs -- 6 for 6 in NBA Finals Game 1s -- shot 59 per cent. "Just very proud of my team," Parker said. "We kept believing, kept pushing. We know its not easy." They host Game 2 on Sunday -- likely in cooler conditions. James finished with 25 points but played only 33 minutes, and Miami was outscored 36-17 in the fourth quarter. "It sucks not being out there for your team, especially at this point in the season," James said. Dwyane Wade had 19 points and Chris Bosh added 18, but the Heat wilted in temperatures that soared to 90 degrees in the second half. "It was tough on both teams," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "They were pretty dead. We tried to get guys in and out. ... It was really hot out there." James, who had cramping issues two years ago in the finals, had to ask for a break in the fourth quarter and was getting treatment during a 15-4 Spurs run that turned around the game. James came back in and made a basket that cut it to two points with about 4 minutes left, but couldnt even run back on defence, promptly putting his hand up and lingering at the baseline until help arrived to take him off for good. "I think it felt like a punch in the gut when you see your leader limping like that back to the bench," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Danny Green followed with 3-pointer to trigger what became a 16-3 run to end the game. "You could see the heat was getting to a lot of guys. If I played as many minutes as he did, Id probably be cramping up, too," said Green, who scored 11 of his 13 points in the final quarter. The ccrowd chanted "Beat the Heat! Beat the Heat!" late in the game, which was just what the fans themselves were trying to do.dddddddddddd The Spurs said an electrical failure for the power that runs the air conditioning system had occurred. They apologized for the inconvenience but also seemed to poke fun of it, playing songs with "hot" in the lyrics over the sound system. Fans were trying to cool themselves on the hot night, a reminder of what it was like in the old Boston Garden when the Celtics and Lakers got together. The Heat are the first team since those Celtics of 1984-87 to get to four straight finals. They are well-rested after a relatively easy roll through the Eastern Conference playoffs, a key to keeping Wade healthy entering the finals. James was the MVP of the series last year when the Heat rallied from five points down in the final half-minute of regulation to win Game 6 in overtime, then won a Game 7 that was close the whole way for their second straight championship. A rematch was widely anticipated and was close almost throughout. The Heat led 86-79 after Boshs four-point play with 9:38 remaining in the game, but it was all San Antonio from there, and Wade said there were problems even beyond James absence. "Obviously, tonight we wouldve loved to have him in there to finish the game, but weve got to finish the game better," Wade said. The Spurs ended up extending their NBA-record streak to eight straight home playoff wins by 15 or more points. Their roster is filled with international players, such as Parker and Ginobili, who both said they were used to playing without air conditioning overseas. Bosh, scoreless in Game 7 last year, scored Miamis first five points in the Heats 7-2 start. But Ginobili came off the bench firing, making consecutive 3-pointers for an 18-13 lead. Wade and James combined for six straight points before Ginobili made another 3, and Patty Mills added one to close the first-quarter scoring and give the Spurs a 26-20 advantage. The Spurs committed nine turnovers while managing only 20 points in the third quarter, and Miami led 78-74 heading to the fourth. Notes: James joined Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant as the only players with 4,000 points and 1,000 assists in the post-season. ... Ray Allen moved past Bryant and Derek Fisher into second place on the career list with 49 3-pointers in the NBA Finals. Robert Horry, a former Spurs forward, is the leader with 56. ' ' '