ge point right there." New Orlean

MONTREAL - After two years out of the NHL playoffs, there is new optimism among the Nashville Predators.A stunning turnaround aided by a coaching change, the addition of veteran forwards James Neal and Mike Ribeiro and the emergence of 20-year-old forward Filip Forsberg have put Nashville in first place in the Central Division going into the all-star break.Now they believe theyve got enough pieces to keep up their strong play through the second half of the regular season and do some damage in the playoffs.Absolutely, veteran centre Mike Fisher said Tuesday. We really believe in this group.We believe were a top team in this league and we are. Weve shown it thus far. Were really confident in the group we have, that we can win any night against other top teams.The Predators had not lost twice in a row this season going into a game Tuesday night against the Canadiens in Montreal, where they were without star goalie Pekka Rinne for a third game due to an injury expected to last three weeks.Backed by Rinne and an impressive defence group led by Shea Weber, the Predators are the NHLs stingiest team, allowing only 2.25 goals per game. But Nashville has been known as a tight defensive side in recent years.The surprise is that they are tied for fifth in goals scored per game at 3.0.Part of that stems from the decision last summer to let the conservative Barry Trotz go after coaching the team through its first 15 NHL campaigns and bring in a more attack-minded Peter Laviolette.Trotz is now performing wonders in making the Washington Capitals a winning, two-way club, while Laviolette will also be a coach of the year candidate for doing much the same in Nashville.Its good for both sides, said Weber. You see the success theyre having (in Washington) and that were having.There was a different feel coming into training camp this year with a new face and I think the guys have responded very well.The second part of the season will determine if the Predators are for real, but it looks like it so far.They certainly have the goaltending with Rinne, considered one of the best in the world.With Weber, they have the big No. 1 blue-liner every team wishes it had, and he is backed by a group that can defend and move the puck. Among them is emerging talent Seth Jones, the fourth pick in the 2013 draft.Only a few months ago, they didnt appear to have much up front, but then Forsberg turned into a nearly point-per-game player and a strong two-way player on the top line with veteran Mike Ribeiro, who so far has shown a new commitment to discipline after being bought out by Arizona due to behavioural problems.Hes been an excellent addition to our team, Laviolette said of Ribeiro, who is on pace for his first 70-point campaign since 2010-11. Terrific in the room, terrific teammate, terrific on-ice play.Forsberg, playing his first full NHL campaign, was acquired from Washington in March 2013 for Martin Erat and Michael Latta in what is looking to be a spectacular steal for Nashville.Fisher centres James Neal, a one-time 40-goal scorer picked up in a trade with Pittsburgh in June, and Colin Wilson, who is having a breakout season and will soon top his career high of 35 points.Veteran Olli Jokinen, signed from Winnipeg, is playing on the fourth line. Another reclamation project, defenceman Anton Volchenkov, brings his stay at home style to the third defence pair and being dumped by New Jersey.Fisher likes the teams chances.With the goaltending we have, and look at our back end: everyone can handle the puck and skate, he said. And you look at the mix, the young guys, the leadership, energy, the way we play.Were all excited about what we can do. Its a tough league and the playoffs are tough, but we feel weve got a lot of pieces and character and we can be successful.The Predators have won only two playoff series in their history, the last against Detroit in 2012.The optimism now stems from adding some offence to a team known for tight defence. That comes from Laviolette.Id say were more aggressive, said Fisher. We want to be hungry for pucks, to forecheck really hard.The way our defence can move the puck helps us offensively. And defensively, we want to be hard to play against. He wants us to play both ends. He wants us to make plays and be creative, but be responsible.It has worked so far, but Weber, the captain, knows there is a lot of hockey still be played.I was on this team a while back when we were in first place for a while too, he said. Weve had good teams since Ive been in Nashville.Its just been tough the last couple of years. Theres still a lot of season left and we have to keep it up. 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Mired in an offensive slump, Lowry - the NBAs leader in taking charges this season - did what he has learned to do best, standing his ground and drawing a crucial offensive foul on the Cavaliers all-star point guard. Fast forward 30 seconds to the Cavs next possession, with the home team still trailing by three, Spencer Hawes - one of the leagues best passing big men - threw an interception, intended for Tyler Zeller and picked off by DeMar DeRozan. Rasheem Green Jersey . On a hot, sweaty day, the Hall of Famer looked cool and comfortable. MIAMI -- Dwyane Wade saw LeBron James was on the move and unguarded, so he lobbed the ball toward the rim and waited for the predictable outcome. The alley-oop looked easy -- just like everything else after halftime for the Miami Heat. James scored 32 points, Wade added 22 points and eight assists, and the Heat trailed by 11 early in the second half before running away to a 107-88 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. That alley-oop was one of the first salvos in what turned into a 59-26 run by the two-time defending champions. "Were an old team, man," Wade said. "It takes us a while sometimes to get the juices flowing. Playing against a lot of young teams, they come in loose, ready. Weve got to get our body going a little bit." Chris Andersen was 7 for 7 from the field and scored 15 points, and Chris Bosh added 12 points and nine rebounds for the Heat (27-8). Wade added eight rebounds for Miami, which got 11 points from Ray Allen. "We were able to turn the game around pretty fast," James said. Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 22 points and 12 rebounds, most of his numbers coming in the first half. Eric Gordon scored 15 and Tyreke Evans added 13 for New Orleans (15-18). "Give them credit. They came out in the third quarter and stepped up the pressure," Pelicans coach Monty Williams said. "They made a lot of tough shots but our guys, as a whole, weve got to grow up and understand that when you have a (good) half against a team, theyre going to come out and attack and put pressure." Thats precisely what happened. The Heat shot 61 per cent in the third, outscoring the Pelicans 32-21 and with James nearly outscoring them by himself, putting up 16 in the period. And in the fourth, the Heat wasted no time taking full control. Allens 3-pointer from the same spot where he connected with 5.2 seconds left in Game 6 of the NBA Finals started a 7-0 run to start the quarter, with the margin growing steadily from there in Miamis final game before setting out to play its next six away from home. "I was encouraged bby the second half," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.dddddddddddd "Thats a very talented team and in the first half we couldnt quite figure it out defensively." It was very much a tale of two halves. Davis had a double-double by halftime, 16 points and 10 rebounds in the opening two quarters -- only the second time the 2012 No. 1 pick has managed that in his career. He was dominant with seven offensive rebounds, three steals, two blocks and 7-for-11 shooting in that half, numbers that certainly wont hurt his shot at playing in the All-Star Game in New Orleans next month. And the Pelicans were giving Miami all it wanted. The Heat found themselves down by as many as nine in the first half and the Pelicans had a chance just before the break to push their advantage into double figures. Instead, two mistakes -- less than a second apart -- sent them into intermission up by only six. Evans was whistled for a discontinued dribble with 1.1 seconds remaining. Miami called a timeout to set up a play, James connected with Bosh on a 35-foot pass and Bosh got fouled while attempting a 3-pointer from the top of the key. He made all three free throws with 0.2 seconds left, and Miami got within 49-43 at the half. Mentally, that was a huge lift for the Heat. "Every possession is very key," James said. "That was a huge point right there." New Orleans scored the first five points of the third, getting the lead up to 11. Less than five minutes later, the lead was already gone, and the Heat were starting to roll. "They started making shots and the momentum switched," Davis said. "And they never looked back." NOTES: It was the 10th 30-point game of the season for James. The Heat are 9-1 when he scores that many. ... The Pelicans announced Tuesday morning that F Ryan Anderson, averaging 19.8 points, is out indefinitely with a herniated disk. He got hurt against Boston on Jan. 3. ... A fan seated courtside yawned in the fourth quarter. "You tired?" Wade asked her, causing the woman to laugh for about a minute afterward. 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