the mound for the first time Saturday since being shut down, with de

MINNEAPOLIS -- In a championship series filled with stars, Alana Beard sometimes can get lost with so much attention on Minnesotas four Olympians and the two MVPs in Los Angeles.Thats exactly what happened in the closing moments of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, and Beard hit a jumper from the baseline just before time expired to lift the Sparks to a 78-76 victory over the defending champion Lynx.With the defense collapsing on Candace Parker and Nneka Ogwumike in the paint, Beard found herself all alone in the corner. She took the pass from Chelsea Gray and knocked down jumper with Maya Moores in her face.As the ball splashed through, Moore put her head in her hands, and the Sparks celebrated a thrilling victory, their second on Minnesotas court this season.You may not recognize the importance of her statistically for us a lot of times, Sparks coach Brian Agler said. But her presence, her leadership, obviously how disruptive she can be defensively, and then for her to hit a shot like that, it was incredible.Kristi Toliver scored 19 points to lead Los Angeles and Parker had 14 points and nine rebounds in her finals debut. League MVP Ogwumike added 19 points for the Sparks in the opener of the best-of-five series.Sylvia Fowles had 18 points and 13 rebounds and Lindsay Whalen scored 18 points for top-seeded Minnesota. Moore scored all 18 of her points in the second half to move into first place on the WNBAs career finals scoring list, but the Lynx committed 16 turnovers and got caught scrambling on the final possession of the game.I think we were more worried about not letting anyone get to the hole, Fowles said. Im not sure exactly what happened on that last play to make her get wide open. But we learned from this.There was a time not too long ago when Beards name belonged on the marquee with players Parker and Ogwumike or Lynx stars Moore, Sylvia Fowles, Seimone Augustus and Lindsay Whalen. She was the national player of the year at Duke, the No. 2 overall pick by the Washington Mystics in 2004 and a four-time All-Star before injuries set her back.She re-emerged in Los Angeles as a defensive specialist, but she took center stage in Game 1. Before she hit the game-winner, Beard also had a spectacular block of a shot by Whalen and then a steal off an inbounds to set up Ogwumikes bucket for a 76-72 lead.Moore scored on a coast-to-coast layup to tie the score at 76 with 24.7 seconds to play, but she helped aggressively on Grays drive on the other end, leaving Beard open for just her second bucket of the game.I dont think Ive ever hit a game-winner, Beard said quietly. So its pretty cool. Pretty cool.NEW LOOK: In years past these two teams never could have met in the finals because both are in the Western Conference. But the league changed its playoff format this year and seeded all of the teams based on record, not geography. The result in the first year could not have been better for the league with the top two teams throughout the season meeting.I dont think its a fluke that were here now in the finals, Fowles said. Im loving this new format.PARKERS DEBUT: Parker has been one of the leagues brightest stars for years, but has never been able to reach the leagues biggest stage. She hit 5 of 12 shots and had three assists.At first obviously theres some nerves, but you kind of get lost in the game and just trying to execute, Parker said. We had to take it possession by possession because you never know whats going to happen.MOORES MARK: The Minnesota star was 0 for 4 in the first half, but made 7 of 10 shots in the final two quarters to move past Diana Taurasi for first place on the WNBAs career scoring list for the finals. She set the mark with 5:20 to play after hitting a jump shot and converting the three-point play.TOP 20: The WNBA hosted more than a dozen members of the top 20 players in league history for a halftime ceremony. Each player was presented with a ring to commemorate it. Whalen, Moore, Parker and Augustus all participated in the ceremony, and the league extended the length of halftime to allow them to receive their rings and then get back to the locker room to meet with coaches and teammates.UP NEXT: Game 2 is on Tuesday in Minneapolis. Shoes Canada Outlet . But the quarterback hopes to stay involved in football after officially calling it quits Tuesday. 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Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season. ATLANTA -- Seth Lugo wasnt taken until the 34th round of the 2011 draft and he had a 6.50 ERA with Triple-A Las Vegas before making his major-league debut at age 26 with the New York Mets in July.The unlikely rotation fill-in likely will have to continue his surprising success, though, if the injury-plagued Mets are to make it back to postseason.Lugo, who faces the host Atlanta Braves on Sunday, is 3-1 with a 2.19 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in four starts since joining the rotation by default. He is looking to build off a victory against Washington a week ago in which the right-hander gave up just one run on six hits over seven innings.With Matt Harvey lost for the season and Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz ailing, the Mets have plenty of rotation holes to fill.Lugo is helping plug one of them, taking Matzs spot.I think hes gotten stronger, manager Terry Collins said. Those young guys have really been exceptional. Theyve really made a difference.Lugo, a right-hander from Louisiana who pitched at Centenary College, relies on a curveball as his out pitch, but he can also crank his fastball up to 97 mph.I just tell myself, those are just hitters up there, Lugo said. I dont think about the names on the backs of the jerseys.Lugo has won his past three starts and has posted a 1.50 ERA in the stretch despite having to deal with a blister that needed patching by the training staff.With the Mets off last Thursday after 16 straight games, Collins started veteran right-hander Bartolo Colon on regular rest against the Braves on Saturday night to give Lugo an extra day between starts.I just try to go out there and give thee team a chance to win is all, said Lugo, who is 3-2 with a 2.dddddddddddd38 ERA in 13 games overall. If I stay in the strike zone, I think I have a chance. Right-hander Rafael Montero, another rotation fill-in, will start Monday in Washington against the Nationals, but the Mets are hopefully that they will have deGrom and Matz back soon.Both deGrom and Matz threw off the mound for the first time Saturday since being shut down, with deGrom doing so casually in Atlanta and Matz more intensely in Port St. Lucie, Fla.I really, truly think that they both might be a part of this here real soon, Collins said.DeGrom last pitched on Sept. 1, while Matz went on the disabled list Aug. 23.The main thing is to see how it reacts tomorrow, deGrom said. Its calmed down a lot.Lugo will be opposed in the series finale against the Braves by right-hander Williams Perez, who needs to make a positive impression to stay in the rotation.Perez, who is 2-2 with a 5.47 ERA, lasted just 2 1/3 innings on Tuesday at Washington while giving up eight hits and six runs in his first start since straining his right rotator cuff in early June.Perez was 7-6 with a 4.78 ERA last year as a rookie. He pitched four times against the Mets, going 1-0 with a 4.26 ERA.The Braves snapped the Mets six-game winning streak with a 4-3 victory in 10 innings Saturday night.The Mets, who have won 15 of their past 20 games, need a victory Sunday in their last game at Turner Field to take their sixth consecutive series. ' ' '