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MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Go ahead and count out the San Antonio Spurs as simply too old to win another title with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and coach Gregg Popovich. Theyre back anyway with the chance theyve wanted so very much the past six years. Parker scored 37 points in his best game this post-season, and the San Antonio Spurs finished off a sweep Monday night of the Memphis Grizzlies with a 93-86 win on Monday night for their fifth Western Conference title. "Its a great feeling," Parker said as he sat with the Western Conference trophy perched in front of him. "Since last year, I promised to him (Duncan) that we will go back, go back to the Finals and get an opportunity to win the whole thing and Im trying to do my best, try to be aggressive every night. I think everybody on the team, we really want to do it for him. We win the West and now its one more step. This is the hardest one." The Spurs now wait for either Miami or Indiana having swept two of their three opponents already this post-season, this the first sweep in a conference final since the Nets did it to Detroit in 2003. They also have won six straight in these playoffs, handing two straight losses to a team that had been undefeated on their own court in their best post-season in franchise history. Memphis finished off its best season ever swept by the very same franchise that needed four games to knock them out of their first playoff appearance back in 2004. "We will be back," Grizzlies guard Mike Conley said. Parker had his best game this post-season as he hit 15 of 21 and all six at the free throw line earning the Spurs and Duncan plenty of rest before Game 1 of the Finals on June 6. "Hes been amazing," Duncan said of Parker. "Every year he gets better and better and better. Hes been carrying us. You can see tonight he carried us the entire game." Duncan hugged Ginobili before heading off the court, celebrating the chance at a title that slipped away a year ago when the Spurs blew a 2-0 lead to Oklahoma City losing four straight. The 37-year-old Duncan finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. Kawhi Leonard added 11. "We want to get back there," Duncan said of making the finals. "Weve had some really close years where we fell right on the verge of getting back. It feels like forever since weve been there." Popovich said the fact they are back in the finals after a six-year drought is something hell think about once he hits the bed, though he already felt pretty good. "You dont expect that to happen maybe this late in the game with the same group," Popovich said. "Its tough to do, to maintain something that long. But it just shows the character of those three guys and their ability to play with whoever else is brought in around them. They deserve a lot of credit for that." Memphis coach Lionel Hollins had talked about how his Grizzlies needed to dig deep for something they didnt know they had to take the first step back into this series. But they couldnt outshoot the Spurs and got beaten once again at their own inside game. "We just never could gain control of the paint," Hollins said. "They controlled the paint." That the Spurs did as they shot 51.3 per cent (39 of 76) from the floor and outscored Memphis 52-32 in the paint, even though the Grizzlies had a 41-34 edge on the boards. Memphis led only briefly and the last at 6-4 as the Spurs took control early. Memphis stayed close only by getting to the free throw line, making more shots there (17 of 24) than San Antonio took (12 of 13). The Grizzlies also got a career-high 22 points from reserve Quincy Pondexter, 18 of those in the second half. Pondexter was the only player from Memphis to shoot over .500. Zach Randolph finished with 13, continuing his struggles at the line where he was 5 of 8, and Marc Gasol had 14. "We learned that winning isnt easy and winning championships is one of the hardest things you can possibly do," Pondexter said. "I think our guys really dug deep to get as far as we did, and San Antonios a tremendous team. Were going to take a couple pages out of their book." Duncan had taken care of the Grizzlies scoring the big points in overtime in each of the last two games. Parker took over this time as he hit 14 of his first 18 shots, and he hit the biggest shot with 9:15 left when he knocked down his lone 3-pointer over the outstretched arms of both Tony Allen and Randolph after Memphis gotten within 76-73 with fans sensing the most life out of the Grizzlies all night long. Parker and Duncan took turns making buckets before Parker got hit in the eye by Gasols outstretched hand after missing a shot. When Parker returned with 4:43 left, Gasol went over to him and Parker told him he was fine. Parker then hit a jumper with 4:13 remaining for an 89-81 lead. "He was outstanding the whole series, and he controlled the series with his penetration," Hollins said of Parker. "He made shots, made plays. One game he has 18 assists, today he has 37 points. He was huge. But their team played well. Youve got to give them credit." The Grizzlies made one last run and got within three one last time when Gasol scored on a runner in the lane with 48.7 seconds left at 89-86. But Parker hit four free throws in the final 29.7 seconds to seal the victory for San Antonio and its first Western Conference title since the Spurs last NBA title in 2007. The Spurs made it impossible for Memphis to get off to a quick start as they had more points in the paint (16) than the Grizzlies scored in the first quarter as San Antonio went up 24-14 shooting 52.4 per cent (11 of 21). The Spurs cooled off a bit in the second quarter, missing six of seven shots in a stretch. Memphis got into the bonus early, and the Grizzlies used the free throw line to keep San Antonio from doubling up its lead by hitting 8 of 10 at the line. Even Randolph, who has struggled mightily at the line in this series, breathed a sigh of a relief when his first attempt went down, and he knocked down two straight. The Grizzlies also got a couple 3s from Bayless, the second after Memphis got its best break of the first half when officials called a 5-second call on the Spurs inbounding the ball. Danny Green missed his would-be buzzer beater, leaving the Spurs up just 44-38. Gasols frustration spilled over in the third quarter as he headed to the bench for a timeout when he smacked the press table with both hands. He also went to his knees when officials blew their whistles after he rebounded a miss. But Pondexter, who missed 23 games to a sprained left knee suffered Dec. 29 against Denver, kept the Grizzlies close almost singlehandedly as he scored 12 points in the third. "Were going to be better because we played against, to me, one of the greatest teams theres been in the past 15 years," Gasol said. Notes: Parkers previous best this post-season came in Game 3 when he had 32 points against Golden State in the semifinals. ... Teams are now 108-0 when leading a series 3-0. ... The Spurs now are 11-1 in closeout games since their last title in 2007. .. The Grizzlies had owner Robert Pera in the stands for only the second home game this season. ... The Spurs missed their first eight 3-pointers before Green finally hit in the third quarter. Cheap Alabama Gear . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. 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Despite the cost, effort and an improved steroid test, its possible that very few -- if any -- positives will be detected, Dr. Richard Budgett told The Associated Press in an interview. "We just dont know what the results from Torino will be," Budgett said. ATLANTA -- Nick Saban gathered his coaches for one final staff meeting before Alabama traveled to Atlanta for the SEC championship game against Florida on Saturday.His message: Ignore the distractions.There were rumors swirling that offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin was a candidate for the same position at LSU and that Houston wanted to interview him as a candidate for head coach. Backup quarterback Cooper Bateman had just been granted his release, and starting cornerback Marlon Humphrey wasnt going to be available because of an injured ankle. And all the while, a narrative was building outside the Mal Moore Athletic Facility that Alabama could afford a loss and still make the playoff.It drove Saban mad. He scolded the media early in the week, telling them in no uncertain terms that it was never OK to lose a game.According to Kiffin, Saban advised his coaches to keep the focus on the players and all the work theyd put in during the season. Kiffin recalled Saban saying, What a shame it would be to let Florida take that away, to let them be champs.Because thats all anybody would have talked about, Kiffin said. Nobody would have talked about the first 12 games.Real or imagined, this was the threat Alabama felt heading into the weekend. Winning was about respect. Remaining unbeaten meant no one could deny its No. 1 ranking.The talk about losing being OK was all a setup, an annoyed Ryan Anderson explained.We dont listen to that s---, man, the senior linebacker said.Instead, Alabamas 54-16 win over Florida did all the talking. The defense forced three interceptions, including a pick-six, and allowed a net of zero yards rushing on 30 attempts. Special teams blocked a punt and returned the deflection for a touchdown, and the Tides trio of Bo Scarbrough, Damien Harris and Josh Jacobs combined for 214 yards and three touchdowns rushing.From the outside, the outcome was predictable. Alabama did what it had all season in dominating every phase of the game. Come Sunday there would be no debate that Sabans squad would be No. 1 in the playoff rankings.But inside the locker room of the Georgia Dome, the mood was a mix of relief and defiance. Going wire to wire as college footballs No. 1 team wasnt something to celebrate. Instead, it represented a target on everyones back.Sophomore defensive lineman DaRon Payne said that this season was the same old song and dance with everyone waiting on Alabama to fail.Thats always it, he said. They never like to see us on top.The Birmingham native added: Everybody is tired of seeing Bama win.Tim Williams calls Saban the fearless general.There are two types of coaches, Alabamas veteran outside linebacker explained. That players coach and that fearless general. And thats who he is.He just gives us the power to overcome fear.But its not just that. In going 13-0, Alabama has also overcome complacency. Sabans mind games, pushing mottos like Be where your feet are rather than looking ahead, have worked.Remember, this team wasnt always a sure thing. It lost its Heisman Trophy running back, 3,000-yard passer and first-round center from the year before. It saw the heart of its front seven vanish when middle linebacker Reggie Ragland and defensive linemen AShawn Robinson and Jarran Reed turned pro.Alabama didnt have the returning team of Clemson on paper, yet it was the consensus preseason No. 1 all the same.We knew we had a target on our backs at the start of the season, really the entire time, cornerback Tony Brown?said. So we knew we had to elevate our game because everyone would play us harder, and thats what we did every week, in the summer and all of that.If there was ever a season to slip up and let the pressure get to them, this was it.Before the season, thhere were issues off the field with a handful of player arrests, including that of star left tackle Cam Robinson.dddddddddddd Alabama didnt make it out of September before Week 1 starting quarterback Blake Barnett left the program. Then, in late October, star safety and team leader Eddie Jackson was lost for the season with a broken leg.Through it all, Alabama didnt flinch.It didnt matter that true freshman?Jalen Hurts had to learn on the job at quarterback or that the secondary had to rearrange itself with Minkah Fitzpatrick changing positions. Instead of a typical Alabama workhorse, the running game became a rotating cast of underclassmen. When Hurts and the offense struggled, the defense and special teams picked up the slack, scoring a ridiculous 13 non-offensive touchdowns.There were close calls at Ole Miss and LSU, but for the most part Alabama dominated. In eight ranked matchups, the Tide won by an average score of 41-16, and the defense didnt give up a touchdown during the month of November.Rather than rest comfortably as No. 1, Saban drilled home the idea that the playoff didnt start on Dec. 31. Rather, he preached, it was every game Alabama played.These guys have been challenged all year long, playoff game after playoff game, Saban said.According to Williams, the only team that could test Alabama was Alabama.Just dont beat ourselves, man, he said. Just trust in the system and the process. ... We just know that Alabama is built on that: grind, grind, grind. Fight, fight, fight on every play, no matter the circumstance.Theres a reason some racehorses wear blinders.Theres no room for distractions. Theres only the next step, nothing but what lies ahead.Its that way at Alabama.Ryan Anderson said there were times this season when he didnt even know whom the Tide were playing that week, that Saban had trained us to live in the moment.Asked what he thought of going undefeated, Anderson went blank.It was the same story when he was asked what going wire to wire as the No. 1-ranked team meant.We dominated the season we just finished, he said. We have a whole nother season now. Well celebrate tonight. But it is what it is.We didnt come this far just to participate.On Sunday morning, there was no watch party at the Mal Moore Athletic Facility. There was no spontaneous celebration. Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt walked in at 6:15 a.m. to get to work. Players came in around 2 p.m., well after the semifinal pairings were announced.The next nameless, faceless opponent for Alabama to dominate: No. 4 Washington on Dec. 31 in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta.Huskies coach Chris Peterson said he didnt even have to turn on film to see what Sabans team was about.It wasnt his idea to hold up a We want Bama sign in the background of ESPNs College GameDay set earlier in the season.Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for, Peterson said.With a month to prepare, it will be interesting to see what Peterson and his coaches come up with to try to stop the Tide.The SEC proved no match for Sabans squad. USC, which proved to be a Rose Bowl-caliber team, had its doors blown off by Alabama in the season opener, setting the tone for the rest of the season.If youre looking for a game plan to knock off the No. 1 team in college football, good luck.Williams advice?Bring your heart, man, he said. Because everyone on our team has heart. Like Coach Saban says, we have some hateful players, some competitors.He added: We know everybody wants to beat us. Were the No. 1 team, undefeated, have all these accolades going for us. So were going to get every teams best. 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