MIAMI -- For the first time since the shortened 1998-99 season, the NBA finalists from one season will open the following season against one another. Custom St. Louis Blues Jersey . Heat forwards Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem appreciate the irony. The NBA has made it official -- again -- saying Friday that Miami will visit the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas Day, only this time in the season-opener for both clubs. The Mavericks are expected to raise their championship banner before the game. The matchup is no surprise. It was also part of the NBAs initially released schedule, the one that had to be changed considerably because of all the time lost during the lockout. "I think everybody did it on purpose. But, you know, whatever for the ratings, right?" Bosh said Thursday, working under the assumption the long-awaited matchup would still happen as planned. "I use it as motivation. I know theyre going to be pumped up. Its the worst time to be at home for me. But everything happens for a reason, so were going to have to watch it, take it all in and just use that as fuel for the rest of the season." Dallas beat the Heat in six games in last seasons finals, winning the title on Miamis home floor. Chicago beat Utah in the 1998 NBA finals, then opened the next season on Feb. 5, 1999 against the Jazz -- although that was a much-different Bulls team, of course, following the retirement of Michael Jordan at the end of what was the franchises sixth championship run. Before then, the last time finalists from one year played Game 1 of the next season against one another was 1957, the Boston Celtics and St. Louis Hawks, according to STATS LLC. Clearly, emotions will not be in short supply in Dallas on Dec. 25. "You can only imagine how were going to feel, like we have something to prove again," Mavericks guard Jason Terry told reporters in Dallas on Thursday. "Can these guys do it again? Are they too old? All those questions will have to be answered." Haslem said that the Heat have been dealing with the pain of losing the finals throughout the entire off-season. But when asked what the chance to see Dallas in Game 1 of this season -- assuming the new collective bargaining agreement actually gets done next week like the league and its players plan -- the Miami native didnt add much in the way of hyperbole. "I dont remember what happened last year," Haslem deadpanned. "To me, its just the first game on the schedule, an opportunity to get out there and do what we love to do. ... Its going to be a great matchup. Its going to be fun." Custom Buffalo Sabres Jersey . Thompson, who won Olympic gold last month at the Sochi Games, edged Fanny Smith of Switzerland to win the final World Cup of the season and the overall title. Beau Bennett Penguins Jersey . Arenado left the game in the second inning after fracturing his left middle finger on a head-first slide into second base. Michael Cuddyer hit a home run for Colorado. Ramiro Pena, who replaced third baseman Chris Johnson in the third inning, led off the eighth with a double to the centerfield wall off Adam Ottavino (0-1).DETROIT -- When Brad Ausmus was a player -- which wasnt that long ago -- the mental aspect of the game always came pretty easily. "I always enjoyed the cerebral part," Ausmus said. "It was much more difficult to hit -- that was the part of the game I didnt really enjoy." Perhaps it was inevitable that Ausmus would become a manager, and hell have that chance now. The Detroit Tigers hired the 44-year-old former catcher to replace Jim Leyland at the helm of the three-time defending AL Central champions. Ausmus has little managerial experience, and the Tigers will entrust him with a talented roster that is expected to keep right on winning. "Im well aware that you dont generally get dropped into a situation like I will be this coming season," Ausmus said. "I understand Im very fortunate. That being said, Im not taking anything for granted. No details will be glossed over. Im not assuming anything going into the job." Ausmus, who worked in the San Diego Padres front office as a special assistant to the general manager, emerged as Detroits pick less than two weeks after Leyland stepped down. He takes over a team that has reached the AL championship series three straight years and should be well positioned for another big season in 2014. The Tigers lost to Boston this year in the ALCS. "Were not going to re-invent the wheel here. This is a pretty darn good team," Ausmus said. "I think I would be foolish to come here and try to make sweeping changes." Ausmus managed Israels team for the World Baseball Classic, but hes inexperienced as a manager compared to some other potential candidates. Ausmus played in the majors from 1993-2010. The Tigers also interviewed Padres bench coach Rick Renteria and Los Angeles Dodgers third-base coach Tim Wallach -- as well as Tigers hitting coach Lloyd McClendon. Detroit general manager Dave Dombrowski said hed planned to interview former Cincinnati Reds star Barry Larkin, but Larkin decided not to interview because he wasnt in a position to make the time commitment necessary for the job. If continuity was Detroits main concern, McClendon may have been the choice, but the Tigers acted a bit more boldly in hiring the Dartmouth-educated Ausmus, whose name also recently surfaced in connection with the Chicago Cubs job. "When we interviewed, we were -- not just me -- taken back at how impressive he was," DDombrowski said. Custom Montreal Canadiens Jersey. "It really became quite clear for us, that he would do an outstanding job for us. It was probably not where I started, but its where we ended, and we feel very good about that." There will be one important holdover on Detroits coaching staff. Leylands bench coach, Gene Lamont, will remain in that role. Ausmus agreed to a three-year deal with a club option for 2017. Lamont agreed to a two-year deal. Ausmus is 24 years younger than the man hes replacing, and he inherits a roster with a high payroll and several big names, including Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera. Hell have a chance to win right away, and hell have to deal with high expectations. "Anybody you hire has some risk attached to it," Dombrowski said. "Even a veteran manager that you bring in with a new club, where they are in their life, theres risk attached to that." The contrasts with the 68-year-old Leyland are obvious, and Ausmus will have to prove he can guide this star-studded team through the inevitable rough patches -- but it wasnt long ago that Ausmus was on the other side of that player-manager relationship. He played in 1,971 games with four different teams. He played for the Tigers for part of the 1996 season, and again from 1999-2000. "Ive got to be me," Ausmus said. "Jim Leyland -- great, Hall of Fame manager. Im not going to be Jim Leyland. I would never make an attempt to be Jim Leyland. Im going to be who I am." Detroit is one of at least three teams with first-time major league managers who should have a chance to win right away in 2014. The Washington Nationals hired Matt Williams to replace Davey Johnson. The Cincinnati Reds, who fired Dusty Baker after a 90-win season, went with pitching coach Bryan Price as their new manager. Ausmus is the latest former player to take over a contending team with little managerial experience. Mike Matheny succeeded Tony La Russa in St. Louis after the Cardinals won the World Series in 2011, and Matheny reached the NL championship series in 2012 and won the National League pennant this year. Former New York Yankees star Don Mattingly is the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team the Cardinals beat in the NLCS this season. "I was just playing the game three years ago," Ausmus said. "I have a pretty good understanding of how the locker room dynamic is." Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '