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ORLANDO, Fla. -- After enduring a rough stretch over the past two months, the Indiana Pacers will enter the playoffs on a bit of a roll. Rasual Butler and Chris Copeland each scored 19 points as the Pacers rested their key players and cruised to a 101-86 victory over the Orlando Magic in the regular-season finale for both teams. The Pacers sat three starters -- Paul George, Lance Stephenson and David West -- and played George Hill and Roy Hibbert sparingly. But they got good output from their understudies in the second half to put the game out of reach. It was the second time in two weeks Indiana won with starters on the bench. Coach Frank Vogel pulled all five starters during their victory over Milwaukee last week. "Theres always value in winning games, but anytime you have bench guys that have a chance to get extended minutes, thats really good for their rhythm and confidence," Vogel said. "Weve had pretty good health from our starters most of the season. So those bench guys havent had opportunities to get extended minutes like this. So the Milwaukee game was good and this game was good." The Eastern Conferences top seed ended the season winning three of four to shake off a nasty late-season slump. The victory was just Indianas 10th in their last 23 games. Still for a team expected to be one of the defending champion Miami Heats biggest impediments to a third consecutive NBA championship, its an encouraging boost for the post-season. The Pacers will open the playoffs against eighth-seed Atlanta. "Through all the ups and downs, were still locked into the No. 1 seed so we have to tip our hat for that," Hill said. "But its a new game now. Its playoff time -- 0-0. Its the first to 16 (wins)." The Magic trimmed what had been an 18-point, second-half deficit down to 12 in the fourth quarter before another late surge by Indiana helped secure the victory. Indiana also knocked down 11 3-pointers, and racked up 40 points in the paint. The Pacers didnt look short-handed as they went back and forth with the Magic in the first half, and took a six-point halftime lead. Evan Turner had 11 first-half points, including one of the Indianas six 3-pointers in the opening 24 minutes. The Magic played 11 players in the half, with nine of them scoring. Orlando struggled from the field, though, shooting just 37 per cent. Maurice Harkless led the Magic with 14 points, and ETwaun Moore added 13 for an Orlando team that ended the season losing 16 of 20 and had the fifth-worst record in franchise history. It was not a huge surprise for a franchise looking toward future. To help with the ongoing rebuilding process theyll have two lottery picks in Junes NBA draft. The plan is to add more building blocks around rookie guard Victor Oladipo, and big man Nik Vucevic. That doesnt mean there were any happy feelings Wednesday night. "Im pretty sure everybody in the locker room is tired of losing and its something that we dont want to do again next year," Harkless said. "Hopefully its something that we can fix." Now that their brief rest period is done, Hill said he feels like he and his teammates are ready for the challenge that awaits them. "Its going to be tough, but nobody gets us without having the advantage of being at home in a seven-game series," he said. "Its great without any back to backs, which is really the toughest part of the season. Its just great, now that we have some rest, our guys can prepare to go from game to game." NOTES: Orlando played without starters Jameer Nelson and Vucevic. Nelson missed his third straight game with a strained left groin, and Vucevic was out for the seventh consecutive game with a sore left Achilles....The Magic were just 7-42 this season when their opponent scored 100 or more points. Custom Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys . -- The San Francisco 49ers have re-signed cornerback Perrish Cox to a one-year contract. Joe Montana Jersey . It was a day that saw England slump off a World Cup field once again battered and bruised. This time there was no red card to wonder about, no goalkeeping error or individual mistake. They were thoroughly beaten by something they have nothing of – genuine world class ability. http://www.officialkcchiefspro.com/Marcu...efs-jersey/.The seventh-seeded Raonic was scheduled to play U.S. Open finalist Kei Nishikori of Japan, but was replaced in the Group B pool by Spanish substitute David Ferrer.Raonic, who was 0-2 at the year-end event, said he suffered the injury late in the first set of Tuesdays 6-3, 7-6 loss to Murray. Christian Okoye Jersey . The Mercedes duo of three-time Canadian Grand Prix champion Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg has won all six races to start the season, finishing one-two in the last five. Tyreek Hill Jersey .com) - John Wall supplied 24 points and 11 assists in leading the Washington Wizards to a 102-91 win over the New York Knicks on Christmas Day.COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. - Frank Thomas was always driven to excel, and that sure served him well. "I was never that blue-chip prospect," he said. "I had to outwork my opponents." Hard to imagine now that Thomas was ever anything except a huge star. For Thomas, the 6-foot-5, 240-pound former Chicago White Sox slugger known as the Big Hurt, life has come full circle — from awe-struck rookie in 1990 to baseball royalty. Thomas was elected in January to the Hall of Fame, along with pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. Also to be inducted Sunday are managers Joe Torre, Tony La Russa and Bobby Cox, who were selected in December. "This is the top 1 per cent in all of baseball that gets in the Hall of Fame," said Thomas, the first player elected to the Hall of Fame who spent more than half of his time as a designated hitter. "As a kid, the big dream is being a professional. But to make it to the Hall of Fame? Come on, youve got to pinch yourself. Im very fortunate it happened for me, especially first ballot." Thomas won AL MVP awards in 1993 and 1994 and finished his 19-year career with a .301 batting average, 521 homers and 1,704 RBIs. He also won the 1997 AL batting title and helped show that in more recent times a power hitter could also be selective at the plate. Thomas played 16 years for the White Sox and established himself as the best hitter in franchise history. Hes the only player in major league history to log seven straight seasons with a .300 average, 20 homers, 100 RBIs and 100 walks. Heady territory for a guy who didnt take baseball seriously until he was 12 and many thought would end up as a star tight end in the NFL because of the devastating blocks he delivered. "Hitting was something I took very serious. The way I swung the bat at times, youd think I was 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds," said Thomas, who decided to focus solely on baseball as a sophomore at Auburn. "But I cared about getting hits and scoring runs. A lot of people didnt know that about my game. Yes, I hit a lot of home runs, drove in a lot of runs, but there were many days that I was just content getting singles and getting on base and letting the other guys drive me in." Just as impressive: Thomas, Babe Ruth, Mel Ott, and Ted Williams, are the only players in major league history to retire with a career batting average of at least .300, 500 home runs, 1,500 RBIs, 1,000 runs scored, and 1,500 walks. The effect of the Steroids Era was front and centre at last years induction ceremony. The 2013 class consisted of Jacob Ruppert, umpire Hank ODay and catcher "Deacon" White — all three had been dead for more than 70 years — and was picked by a select 16-member committee. It markeed just the second time in 42 years that members of the Baseball Writers Association of America failed to elect anyone.dddddddddddd Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Roger Clemens — all linked to steroids — didnt even come close in their first year of eligibility. That was not lost on Thomas. "I played in an era that people are going to be thinking about for a long time," said Thomas, who was plagued by injuries in his later years. "Im proud that I stuck to my guns and did things the right way, the proper way." Induction day probably will seem like a reunion of sorts for Maddux, Glavine, and Cox, who were mainstays together on the Atlanta Braves for a decade. "To have the opportunity to go in with two guys that were a teammate and a manager for a long time, guys that were such a big part of my career but also helped make me a better player, thats a great opportunity," Glavine said. "Every once in a while, Ill have some moments where its hard to get my brain around whats going on." Maddux was elected by an overwhelming margin, receiving 97.2 per cent of the votes from the BBWAA. He won 355 games, four straight Cy Young Awards and a record 18 Gold Gloves. Glavine, who was selected by nearly 92 per cent of the voters, had 305 wins and two Cy Young Awards. Both Maddux and Glavine relied on pinpoint control to get the job done, changing speed and location on their pitches to keep hitters guessing. Maddux won Cy Youngs from 1992-95 (Randy Johnson is the only other pitcher to win four straight), completing his impressive run with two remarkable years. During the strike-shortened 1994 season, Maddux went 16-6 with a career-best 1.56 ERA — the cumulative NL ERA was 4.21 — and the next year finished 19-2 with a 1.63 ERA. Glavine was on the mound when the Braves won Game 6 to clinch the 1995 World Series and give the city of Atlanta its lone major sports title. The lefty pitched one-hit ball over eight innings in a 1-0 victory over Cleveland. "I competed against those guys. They knew how to pitch," said Thomas, picked on nearly 84 per cent of ballots. "They were warriors." Considering the size of this induction class — it equals those of 1971, 1955 and 1953 as the largest ever — and the imposing credentials of the inductees, officials are expecting a very large crowd as the Hall of Fame continues the celebration of its 75th anniversary. Heck, theyll need extra seats just for Torres entourage. "Im looking forward to a huge turnout," said Thomas, whos from Georgia. "Im so happy and proud. To go in with the three most iconic managers of my time, it doesnt get any better than that, to be a part of that group." 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