FIVE QUICK NBA THOUGHTS: 1. Vans Slip On Clearance . KEMBA WALKER (Bobcats): Walker is a little man with a huge heart. There are certain guys you come across in this gamewho just have that little extra something in their make-up and hes one of those guys. His team was down 16 in the second half against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night and he just willed his team to victory. He took over and dominated the game at the point of attack. You think back to his wonderful collegiate career at Connecticut and his ups and downs as a pro, playing for a less-than-stellar team. You cant keep him down for long. Hes become a respectable three-point shooter now and its opened his game up even more. There is still lots of room for improvement, but you wont find many guys in the game today who have his competitive spirit. I respect the guy. 2. MIAMI HEAT: I dont care what they say, but that was a necessary win for them last night against the Indiana Pacers. You dont want to let your top conference opponent have too much belief or confidence when it comes to the match-up. When youre the world champions, act like it and play like it and they did. It sets the tone for how you want to be viewed during the rest of the season around the league. Last year doesnt matter a bit anymore. Its all about the now and this win helps both in the short and long term. 3. ANDRE DRUMMOND (Pistons): I must confess that every day Im checking out Detroits box scores and watching their games when I have a free night. Drummond is simply fun to watch. Im not sure yet how much he truly knows how to play the game in all respects, but hes incredibly talented and gifted. On Wednesday night, he had another double-double with 14 points and 16 boards, eight of them offensive rebounds, against the Boston Celtics. Hes got major league, elite rebounding ability and he has the chance to be an impactful defender once he figures out schemes and tendencies of opponents. He can change shots in the lane at a high level and hes got two significant talents that directly change how you have to play as an opponent. 4. VINCE CARTER (Mavericks): Ill see him Friday night in Dallas and just cant believe its been 16 years since his rookie year with the Toronto Raptors. I feel old since its my 16th year as well as a Raptors broadcaster. Hes had the much better career, thats for sure. Wednesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies he had 14 points, four rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes. For a 16-year vet, hes still got game left and really knows how to play. Carter is a good teammate and fits Rick Carlisles system well. You see so many guys fall off the cliff when they get to this stage of their career, so its impressive that hes still able to play at a respectable level. 5. JJ BAREA (Timberwolves): It was a huge win for Minnesota over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night. Barea comes in and gives you something every game. On Wednesday, he put up 10 points along with five assists in the victory. He plays with great energy and determination when he plays and hes very difficult to keep out of the lane. Barea possesses good ball skills and shot-making ability. Hes undersized, but not undeterred. Vans Old Skool Grey Sale . -- Kole Calhoun homered and drove in three runs, Albert Pujols also went deep and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Chicago White Sox 8-4 Friday night. Cheap Vans SK8 . In an interview with La Presse this week, the five-time Stanley Cup champion and three-time NHL scoring leader specifically took aim at wingers Thomas Vanek and Max Pacioretty, saying they cant show up in a 7-4 win over the New York Rangers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final and come up empty in Game 6. http://www.vanssalestore.com/vans-toy-story-clearance.html . Anything less than gold for either nation is considered a disappointment. Yet for Switzerland, advancing to the semifinal might be a victory in itself.EDMONTON - It was one of those games where they could have just shaken hands at the half.Mike Reilly ran in a pair of quarterback keepers as the Edmonton Eskimos secured a playoff spot, destroying the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 41-9 on Monday.With the win, the Eskimos improved to 10-5, the 38th 10-plus win season in franchise history.Reilly said it was nice to get the playoff berth locked down, although it is a home date that the squad is really seeking.It was one of our goals, for sure, so weve achieved that. But theres a lot of goals left on that board as well and next week now becomes an even bigger game and theyre all just going to continue to be like that the rest of the year, he said. Were happy that we clinched, but thats not where the goals for our season end. Weve got a lot of work left to do, but its a lot better feeling than it was about a year ago around here.The Eskimos led 37-0 at the half and head coach Chris Jones said it was a fine line between continuing to work on what the team needs to and running up the score.I told Mike (Reilly) at halftime, just run the plays like its 0-0 because were ramping up trying to get into the playoffs and make sure that were clicking, he said. We werent ever trying to run up the score and embarrass an opponent. Especially (Winnipeg head coach) Mike OShea, hes a good friend of mine.The Blue Bombers lost their sixth straight and seventh of their last eight games to fall to 6-9 after a 5-1 start to the season.It was a horrible feeling getting down that bad, said Bombers slotback Nick Moore. Weve had a lot of tough games and close games that we have lost. I dont really know what has happened.OShea said his team was simply slow off the start, and are in a precarious position as a result.I felt that we didnt have the right stuff, the right plan, he said. I thought we were out-coached in the first half. In all three phases, it seemed like nothing we were doing offensively was working.The players are frustrated enough to try and make a change. They understand that these are all must-win games for us now. We have to win our next three.The Eskimos struck first with six minutes remaining in the opening quarter as they marched competently downfield before capping off the drive on a one-yard keeper by backup quarterback Pat White to make it 7-0.A minute later the Eskimos had the ball back in scoring position as Bombers back Paris Cotton was stripped of the ball by Almondo Sewell and Edmontons Alonzo Lawrence scooped it up at the Winnipeg 29-yard line. The turnover led to a 21-yard Hugh ONeill field goal.Winnipegs offence for the first quarter was minus one yard.Edmonton increased its lead to 14-0 on a missed field goal early in the second quarter and a successful 33-yard kick six minutes in.The Blue Bombers looked to have caught a break with six minutes remaining as Edmonton punt returner Kendial Lawrence fumbled on his own 22-yard line with Winnipegs Carl Volny recovering. However, on the next play, Odell Willis stripped the ball out of quarterback Drew Willys hands and it bounnced around until it was picked up by Dexter McCoil who escaped several tackle attempts in an improbable 88-yard run into the end zone to put the Eskimos up 21-0. Vans Sk8 Hi Sale. It was Edmontons seventh defensive touchdown this season.The Eskimos kept coming and added to their totals with just under three minutes left in the first half as starting quarterback Reilly scored on a one-yard plunge. Just 10 seconds later, McCoil sacked Willy in the end zone for a safety to make it 30-0.Winnipeg continued to take costly penalties and were flagged for pass interference on Fred Stamps, leading to another one-yard Reilly touchdown plunge with four seconds remaining in the first half to make it 37-0.Edmonton had 217 yards in net offence and 20 first downs to Winnipegs 27 yards and two first downs in the opening half.Willy did not return for the second half as the Bombers QB was listed as having an upper body injury. Brian Brohm came in as his replacement.We just went out there in the second half and had to play like it was 0-0, Brohm said. We had to play our game and keep fighting. We had to play for pride. I think we did a better job doing that, playing hard in the second half. We just didnt have it for the win.The Eskimos added to their lead on the first possession in the second half on a 16-yard ONeill field goal.The Blue Bombers finally avoided the shutout midway through the third quarter on a 43-yard field goal by Lirim Hajrullahu, who added another 31-yarder with just over a minute left to make it 40-6. Edmonton responded with a punt single to start the fourth.Winnipeg added a 26-yard field goal five minutes into the fourth, the final scoring play of the game.The Blue Bombers return home to entertain the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday. The Eskimos hit the road to face the Roughriders in Saskatchewan on Sunday.Notes: Edmonton won the previous meeting between the two teams 26-3 on July 17 in Winnipeg… The Eskimos came into the game tied with Hamilton for the most wins on Thanksgiving Monday (1957-2013) in league history, each having recorded 17 holiday game victories… Edmonton running back John White missed some practice time during the week due to a hand injury, but was able to start… The Bombers were without one of their top offensive linemen in Glenn January, out with a back injury. Winnipeg also made a couple of key players healthy scratches in an attempt to shake things up, sitting out their top receiver from the past month in Aaron Kelly and the leagues touchdown and yards from scrimmage leader, Nic Grigsby…. The Bombers entered the contest having lost six of their last seven, despite having had the lead in 11 of their last 13 games… Eskimos DE Odell Willis played in his 100th career CFL game… The Eskimos honoured a pair of legendary offensive linemen from the five-in-a-row Grey Cup days, enshrining Hector Pothier and the late Bill Stevenson on the wall of honour at Commonwealth Stadium. In attendance for the event were a pair of quarterbacking greats from that era, Warren Moon and Tom Wilkinson. ' ' '