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PORTLAND, Ore. -- Erik Spoelstra knows what its like to win NBA championships (twice) and what its like to miss the playoffs.While the Miami Heat arent in position to soon claim another NBA title, Spoelstra would like to think theyre heading in the right direction.Its been an up-and-down season, but I really like this group we have, said the ninth-year head coach, whose Heat are 7-12 but won two in a row heading into Saturday nights matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. We have a lot of talented, exciting young players (with whom) were building and developing our Heat culture.We knew what we were getting into at the start the season (with the loss of Dwyane Wade). The record isnt what we want it to be, but that hasnt tempered the optimism or excitement about the group moving forward.Miami -- which is 5-4 in its last nine games after a 2-8 start -- ranks on the low end in the NBA in most offensive categories, including scoring (28th), field-goal percentage (27th), 3-point percentage (25th) and free-throw percentage (30th). The Heat are improving, though, averaging 107 points the past four games, including a 111-110 win at Utah on Thursday night.It has taken a little bit of time with the offense, Spoelstra told the Portland Tribune. The guys are getting more comfortable, more confident.Center Hassan Whiteside ranks among the top 10 in the league in rebounds (first, 15.1), blocked shots (third, 2.56) and field-goal percentage (.559, ninth) while averaging a team-high 17.7 points.Ive really enjoyed watching Hassan embrace the responsibility of being a great player, Spoelstra said. What hes learning now is the responsibility on all levels to impact winning. Thats with a commitment every single day to attention to detail, work ethic and mental approach that the entire locker room sees.The Trail Blazers offense was in high gear in a 131-109 victory over Indiana Wednesday night. But it was improved effort at the defensive end the players wanted to talk about.When we play well defensively -- when we fly around, have active hands, get deflections -- we can get out and run, said point guard Damian Lillard, who ranks sixth in the NBA in scoring with a 28.2-point average. It shows the kind of shots we can get and the kind of game we can play.Portland (10-10) reached a season high in points going up against an Indiana team that came in leading the league in steals (9.6) and opponents turnovers (16.9), was second in opponents 3-point percentage (.328) and third in blocked shots (6.2). Against the Blazers, the Pacers had three steals, forced seven turnovers, allowed the Blazers to shoot .375 from 3-point range and blocked four shots. The seven giveaways were a season low for Portland.When you have a game with seven turnovers against a team like that, it shows you can in with the right mentality, Lillard told the Portland Tribune. Fake Nike Shoes From China . The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. Fake Nike Shoes . The incident occurred at 19:56 of the second period of the Kings 4-2 road win over Edmonton on Sunday. Nolan punched Oilers forward Jesse Joensuu in the jaw in front of the Kings goal during a scrum. https://www.nikeshoeschina.us/ . The 15th-ranked Canadian men lost the opening two games of their European tour: 19-15 to No. 17 Georgia and 21-20 to No. Nike Shoes From China . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win. Nike Shoes From China Outlet .Y. -- Paul Byron and Matt Stajan scored as the Calgary Flames started a five-game road trip with a 2-1 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon. Former teammates and rivals -- including three of his India captains -- on the life and skills of Mohammad Shahid.Zafar Iqbal, former India captain:??All of us from one generation are very sad today. We have lost one of our teammates, one of the best players to have ever played for India, one of the most talented and generous. But even more than that, I will always think of him as my partner -- Shahid and I played together for seven years.We had a very strong bond, though he was four years younger than me, joined the team after I did and was a shy and a simple guy. We played up front together and whenever we would meet again, we would talk about the old days -- the good and the bad. And have a laugh.He was a terrific player, and throughout his stint with the national team, at the Olympics and I always thought he was such an extraordinary dribbler and the reason he didnt score many goals himself was because he was just too fast. He would do all the work for us up front, and be the creator, make the defence go one way, and then pass the ball the other onwards to his teammate who would score. For instance, at the 1980 Olympics, our top scorer was Surinder Singh Sodhi, but I would say that almost every goal of his was created by Shahid.When I think about it now, if Shahid hadnt played as well as he did in 1980, we would have been in great trouble. Against Spain and Poland [both pool matches were drawn 2-2, while India beat Spain 4-3 in the final] and Soviet Union [which India won 4-2], he thrived in the opponents defence, he was simply brilliant. They just couldnt understand what he was doing. His turning was extraordinary. Entire defences would be wrong-footed. He was a genius.I had a chance to meet him once when he was in hospital and remember him asking me, Zafarbhai, aapka golf kaisa chal raha hai (How is your golf going on)? I told him not to get anxious about the hospital and the ICU and he replied, Nahin, zaroor theek ho jaayenge (Dont worry, I will recover). Even then his condition was quite critical. Last night, I rushed back from Aligarh to see the family. We knew that it was all over. Goodbye, partner, rest in peace.MM Somaya, former India captain: This has come as an absolute shock to all of us. We played together for about 10 years and he was my teammate in three Olympics [1980, 1984 and 1988]. I went to see him about two-three weeks back, and I had mentally prepared myself for this day. But it is still too shocking for all of us.During my time, he was the best and most gifted of hockkey players.dddddddddddd He was a crowd-puller, and he was a great attraction for the crowd. More than that, he was an excellent person too. He was serious on the field, but away from it, he was always in a light-hearted mood. He always kept us regaled with his jokes.V Baskaran, former India captain: Today I lost a great friend. He was my room partner during the four-nation event in Kuala Lumpur in 1979. He was just 19 years old, but such a skilful player. He was taking on the great defenders of the world -- Munawwar uz Zaman, Akhtar Rasool. I dont think anybody in current hockey can compare to him.Shahid didnt like to mark. He would just say to me, Mera ball de dena, jo kuch karna hoga, main kar loonga (Just give me the ball, and leave the rest to me). He also played very well in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, where his duel with Australian captain Ric Charlesworth was brilliant. Charlesworth was the inside right, and he kept trying to bottle up Shahid. But he never felt any pressure. In fact, it was always his opponents who felt the pressure.He was a great team-man and a great soul.MK Kaushik, former teammate and former Indian womens team coach: Weve lost a great player to say the least. The way he used to dribble past defenders, taking them on the wrong foot, was completely incredible. He was talented, hard-working and confident on the field. He had a great sense of humour and more importantly was a great human being. For me the loss is even more profound since we shared a very close friendship. He was the No. 1 player of his time and his contribution to Indias performance at the 1980 Olympics is unforgettable.Ric Charlesworth, former Australia captain: Im deeply sad to hear about Shahids demise. He was one of the most wonderful, skillful and mesmerizing players Ive ever played against. He certainly did give me a tough time. In the early 1980s when Indian hockey was at its strongest for the last time, he was the central plank of it. For India, Ajitpal [Singh] was a marvellous organizer and creator in the middle of the field, then there was Zafar Iqbal who had dangerous penetration. Shahids ability to deceive and create something out of nothing was amazing. Also impressive was his ball control. With him around we never knew what to expect. You would think he was going one way but he would change course before you knew it.(As told to Debayan Sen and Susan Ninan) ' ' '