Allgemein » Antonios lead to 93-91 with 4:01 to play, lead

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Sandy Alderson is sticking with the New York Mets a€” and he might have some more money to spend.The team announced a contract extension Tuesday for Alderson that runs through 2017 and gives the general manager a chance to finish the rebuilding project he started four years ago.Obviously, were not at the point wed like to be in terms of our won-loss record and the overall success of the team, Alderson said on a conference call. I dont think were that far away. I really dont believe it is going to take a giant leap to get to a playoff-competitive level.Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon said the club exercised Aldersons option for next season and added two years to his deal. Wilpon said ownership is pleased with the job Alderson has done, and he has payroll flexibility to continue to improve the team through free agency or trades.I dont know whether there will be a dramatic spike or not. I dont feel that we will necessarily be constrained by the payroll next year, Alderson said.He did confirm that manager Terry Collins will return. Collins is under contract through next season, with an option for 2016.Hes done an exceptional job for us, I believe. Hes energetic. Hes passionate; his work ethic is second to none, Alderson said. Its been a pleasure to watch how the team has responded to Terry.New York (76-81) needs to win its final five games to avoid a sixth consecutive losing season since moving into Citi Field. Before the season, Alderson challenged the Mets to win 90 games, a number even hard-core fans found overly optimistic.The Mets are 301-342 under Alderson and Collins.We finally have gone through some of these rougher years, where the expectations that we have on ourselves moving into next year should be pretty high, captain David Wright said in Washington. Im very optimistic and excited about what the very near future holds, and Im glad those two guys will be able to kind of head this ship thats going the direction that were going.The 66-year-old Alderson said Tuesday he is grateful for the opportunity to stay on and credited his front-office staff.I understand not everything has gone according to plan, he said. I do believe weve made some progress toward our ultimate goals.Since replacing Omar Minaya as GM following the 2010 season, Alderson has pared the payroll from about $133 million that year to less than $92 million on opening day this season, which ranked 19th among 30 major league teams. But a thin farm system has improved under his watch, and the Mets gradually appear to be getting better a€” at least on the mound.By trading older players such as Carlos Beltran, R.A. Dickey and Marlon Byrd, Alderson acquired pitcher Zack Wheeler, catcher Travis dArnaud, second baseman Dilson Herrera, reliever Vic Black and top pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard.With injured ace Matt Harvey and reliever Bobby Parnell expected back from Tommy John surgery next year, the Mets have the makings of a quality staff that includes Wheeler, NL Rookie of the Year contender Jacob deGrom, setup man Jeurys Familia and young closer Jenrry Mejia.Very, very excited, Collins said before the Mets lost 4-2 to the Nationals. Were very, very close. ... Weve got a couple things weve got to get better at, but next year were going to be in the hunt, theres no doubt in my mind.The offence remains an issue.Alderson signed Wright to a $138 million, eight-year contract before the 2013 season, and the All-Star third baseman struggled with an aching shoulder this summer during the worst season of his career.Curtis Granderson, brought in as a free agent, has 19 homers and 62 RBIs after signing a $60 million, four-year deal. Fellow outfielder Chris Young, signed to a $7.25 million, one-year contract, was released in August after batting .205 with eight homers and 28 RBIs.Free agency is a crapshoot. And on the other hand, you expect to hit a certain number of times, Alderson said, acknowledging its an area where the Mets need to be more successful than perhaps weve been in the past.The player development side, weve done pretty well. Weve done pretty well in trades. Free agency is problematic a€” not just for us but for a lot of teams, he added.Alderson is expected to be in the market for bats this winter, especially at shortstop and left field. He also has a decision to make about the future of All-Star second baseman Daniel Murphy, likely due a hefty raise in arbitration.Murphy can become a free agent after the 2015 season.Weve got to be more productive offensively, but there are a lot of different ways to get there, Alderson said.Alderson was the architect of Oakland teams that won three straight AL pennants from 1988-90 and the 1989 World Series. He also was CEO of the San Diego Padres when they won consecutive NL West titles from 2005-06.___AP freelance writer Ian Quillen in Washington contributed to this report. Cheap Basketball Shoes Free Shipping . Thats what he did over the past 2 1/2 years with the Washington Wizards. Wittmans approach helped turn the Wizards from pushover to playoff winners. Fake Basketball Shoes . 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OKLAHOMA CITY -- San Antonio fought off Father Time, the league MVP and an injury to its best player to return to the NBA Finals. The Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-107 in overtime Saturday night in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals to set up a rematch with the Miami Heat. San Antonio will host Game 1 on Thursday night and will try to avenge last years heartbreaking loss. San Antonio led Miami 3-2 before losing Game 6 in overtime, then dropping Game 7. "People keep talking like we werent close to winning, but we were ready to win last year," Spurs centre Tim Duncan said. "Were happy its the Heat again. Weve got that bad taste in our mouths still." A trio of 30-somethings led the way for the Spurs. Duncan had 19 points and 15 rebounds, Boris Diaw scored 26 points and Manu Ginobili chipped in 15 points and six rebounds for the Spurs. San Antonio pulled this one out despite All-Star point guard Tony Parker missing the entire second half and overtime with left ankle soreness. Popovich said Parker had been struggling with the ankle since Game 4 of the series. The Spurs overcame it the way they have for more than a decade -- with teamwork, passing and great performances by role players. "We didnt know how much Tony was hurt in his ankle," Diaw said. "But we didnt want to go to Game 7, and we didnt know if he would be ready to play if we did or if he would be 100 per cent, so we tried to get it over with tonight." It was the third-best playoff scoring effort of Diaws 11-year career and his best since 2006. "Boris was amazing," Duncan said. "He had an unbelievable game. Hes had a great series." Russell Westbrook had 34 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and six steals, and MVP Kevin Durant added 31 points and 14 rebounds for the Thunder. But Oklahoma City committed 20 turnovers that led to 33 points for the Spurs. Westbrook and Durant each had seven turnovers. "We started settling for too many jump shots," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "It just seemed like we couldnt get enough good looks at the basket. Defensively, they just had us scrambling around." San Antonio also handled Serge&nbbsp;Ibakas return from injury.dddddddddddd Oklahoma Citys defensive star missed the first two games with a strained left calf, but he returned to help the Thunder win the next two games and tie the series. The series featured five blowouts wins by the home teams, but the closeout game was a gem. Oklahoma City overcame a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime. "I have to be honest, this victory is really sweet because we know we played one hell of a team, and we take great satisfaction in that since theyre so special," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. In overtime, Duncans shot from the baseline rattled in to give the Spurs a 110-107 lead with 19 seconds to go. Durant missed a good look at a 3-pointer, and the Spurs rebounded and went to the line. Diaw missed the first and made the second free throw to make it a four-point lead for the Spurs. Westbrook missed a wild 3-pointer, and Spurs wrapped it up. San Antonio led by 12 early in the fourth quarter, but the Thunder chipped away at the free throw line after getting the Spurs into foul trouble. Back-to-back baskets by Westbrook and Durant cut San Antonios lead to 93-91 with 4:01 to play, leading to the frantic final minutes. Westbrook was fouled on a drive with 9.3 seconds to play. He made both free throws to tie the score at 101. Ginobilis fadeaway at the free-throw line against Westbrook missed, and the game went to overtime. Ginobili said the Thunder were a significant hurdle, and he expects them to be a roadblock in the future. "They are a pretty good team," he said. "They have so much talent, so much athleticism, so much future. They are a tough team." Notes: The Spurs had just two assists and missed all five of their 3-point attempts in the first quarter. ... Spurs C Matt Bonner started for the second straight game. He made just 1 of 5 3-pointers in the first half as the Thunder backed off of him. ... Westbrook had four steals in the first half. ... Thunder coach Scott Brooks was issued a technical foul in the third quarter. ... Westbrook made his first 10 free throws and 17 of 18 overall. ... Thunder G Derek Fisher, 39, played every minute of the fourth quarter and overtime. ' ' '