CONCORD, N. Jason Pierre-Paul Jersey .C. - Kyle Busch needed an inch, and big brother wouldnt give it to him. The result? Two cars in the wall and a family feud that lasted the rest of the year. That wreck in the final segment of last years All-Star race nearly destroyed the relationship between Kurt and Kyle Busch. They hardly spoke to each other for almost seven months. They put aside their differences at a Christmas gathering that started with an edge but ended with the brothers teaming to win the championship round of "Pictionary." "Grandma asked for a Christmas present that we both get along and go to Christmas dinner together," Kyle Busch said Friday. "So that was her present." The Busch brothers are back at the scene of the accident this weekend, and at very different stages of their careers. As they head into Saturday nights US$1-million showdown, Kurt Busch has slipped off the radar while his little brother has rocketed to NASCAR stardom. Kyle has eight wins this season spanning NASCARs top three series and leads the Sprint Cup Series standings. Kurt has just one top-10 finish this season and is 22nd in the points. But if the 2004 series champion is jealous of the kid he calls "The Shrub," Kurt isnt letting on. "Im very happy for his success," Kurt said. "Sometimes you get on a roll and you are on it, and I encourage him to keep riding this wave because Mark Martin always says, Youve got to take the highs with the lows and draw a straight line." The low for the brothers came in this race last year, as they jockeyed for position in the final 20-lap sprint. With no points and a monster payday on the line, both were running hard for the checkered flag. Their version of what happened is similar: Kurt was passing Jeff Burton on the inside when Kyle darted below him to make it three-wide. Once they cleared Burton, Kyle thinks Kurt should have moved back up the track to give him space to slide through the corner. Kurt readily admits he didnt. "Instead of moving up to give him that lane, Im like If you want that low lane into the straightaway, you can have the low lane on entry," Kurt said. "So I went in in the normal spot instead of giving him plenty of room. That was an aggressive move (by Kyle), so that was an aggressive reaction on my part." And thats where things get sticky. Somebody is to blame for the wreck, and neither brother is willing to accept responsibility. "You can look at it and say it was my fault for making an aggressive move, but its the last segment of the All-Star Race and youve got to go," Kyle said. "Or you could say it was Kurts fault that he didnt give me enough room getting into the corner." "Theres still a 51-49, or 50-50 degree of blame," Kurt said. "When I talk to Kyle Busch fans, its definitely my fault. When I talk to Kurt Busch fans, its definitely his fault. It makes it fun. It was an exciting night for us to have that happen." It also set a series of events in motion that have drastically changed things for both brothers. That accident last year was the final straw for car owner Rick Hendrick, who was weary of dealing with Kyle Busch. He fired him about a month later to hire Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kyle was snatched up by Joe Gibbs Racing. The pairing with JGR has been perfect, and Kyle has had a dream start to this season. "To be the odd man out at Hendrick, that gave him motivation to go out and race hard and win and be like, Hey, I could be doing this for you," Kurt said. "But we know that right now Toyota and Gibbs is a strong combination and you throw in a 23-year-old that is on top of his game, it only makes sense that he is doing well." Kurt was on a similar roll in 2003 and 2004, when he won seven races and captured his first championship. But he seems stuck in neutral now, sputtering since his headline-grabbing start to the year. He tangled with Tony Stewart in the first practice of the year, and the scuffle spilled into the NASCAR hauler. It was Kurt who got the last laugh, though. He pushed teammate Ryan Newman past Stewart on the last lap of the Daytona 500 to snatch the win from him and give it to Penske Racing. Theres been hardly a peep out of him since. His Penske team has struggled to make the front of his No. 2 Dodge turn the way Kurt likes it. There also are handling problems, coupled with consecutive wrecks in Talladega and Richmond and then trouble with a wheel during a late pit stop last week in Darlington. The second-place run to Newman at Daytona was his only top-10 finish of the year. Hes been 33rd or lower four times this season. "On a good day, well finish 12th and thats not acceptable for me, for Penske Racing or the fans of the Miller Lite Dodge," he said. Kurt got hot late last summer, winning two of the first three races in August to put himself into championship contention. He made the Chase and finished seventh in the final standings, but knows hes got a lot of work to do to put himself in that position again. "We need those oddball things to stop happening to us," he said. "The rich get richer in this deal. If youre car is running good, you can overcome problems. We need to have a better car to do that." Hakeem Nicks Jersey . Simon handled American wild card Wayne Odesnik 6-3, 6-2, while Monfils was dismissed by 6-foot-10 Croat Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-2) on the hardcourts at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. No. 14 seed Marin Cilic of Croatia avoided an upset by defeating former world No. BenJarvus Green-Ellis Womens Jersey . Skinner skated around the net and tucked the puck between Howard and the right post to give the Hurricanes a two-goal lead in a game they won 3-0 at the RBC Center. 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She said the review of Fridays tragedy is continuing.SAN ANTONIO -- Back in December, when the San Antonio Spurs were breezing through one of the best starts in NBA history, coach Gregg Popovich laughed off the suggestion they might win 70. "Were not the Chicago Bulls," Popovich said then. By the end, the Spurs didnt even resemble themselves. Popovich admitted as much Saturday back in San Antonio, where the Spurs returned with the infamy of being just the fourth No. 1 seed to lose in the first round and the disappointment of wasting a 61-win season in the fading throes of the Tim Duncan era. Memphis finished off San Antonio in Game 6 on Friday night. It was a stunning upset that starred the more physical Grizzlies manhandling the Spurs aging frontcourt, including 36-year-old Antonio McDyess, who will likely retire this summer without an NBA championship ring in his 15 seasons. The Grizzlies, who served notice as one of the NBAs up-and-comers while pocketing the first playoff wins in franchise history, also stifled an offence that San Antonio revved-up this season and was among the NBAs best. On both points, Popovich lauded the youthful Grizzlies. But Popovich said theres no getting around that the Spurs were never the same after Duncan sprained his left ankle March 21 against Golden State, sidelining him four games. Three weeks later, Ginobili sprained his right elbow and played the Grizzlies wearing a bulky brace. Including the playoffs, San Antonio finished the season 6-12 after Duncans injury. "The only real factor that we wish we could have changed is that we really lost our rhythm at the end of the regular season with Timmy going down for all those game, followed by Manu," Popovich said. "Its not an excuse. Its a fact that we didnt really go into the playoffs with that rhythm or that mojo." It was cruel timing after the Spurs cruised for four months in near-perfect health, the four-time champions reclaiming their throne atop the Western Conference against all reasonable expectations. Even Popovich said Saturday that the Spurs revival was "something no one expected us to do." But cruel or not, late injuries have become familiarly fatal to the Spurs. After winning their last championship in 2007, San Antonio has since gone through each post-season with Duncan, Ginobili or Tony Parker hobbled or out altogether. Its playoff record since 2009 is 7-14, winning just one series in the last three years. "When Tim went down it was obvious ... that changed the rhythm. It changed our personality and the way we could play," Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said Saturday. The SSpurs know injuries are the way things go. Rob Gronkowski Youth Jersey. Take the Grizzlies, who handily beat San Antonio even without Rudy Gay, their second-leading scorer who watched the entire series from the bench wearing a sling. Buford said he doesnt feel the Spurs wasted an opportunity with the No. 1 seed. "I dont think it was squandered," Buford said. "We werent playing well at the time the playoffs happened. I dont think we squandered anything. I dont think anyone went out and gave away anything." Spurs players did not talk to reporters Saturday, but barring any major trades, the makeup of the team is set to be almost identical next season -- whenever that may be, given the possibility of a lockout. Duncan has one year remaining on his contract, and hes scheduled to make US$21 million in what could be the final season for arguably the greatest power forward ever. But his big upcoming payday hasnt quieted speculation that Duncan could walk away in the event of an extended lockout. Duncan turned 35 last week, and seldom looked older than while missing more than a few easy looks in the Memphis series. His 13.4 scoring average was a career low as the Spurs greatly diminished his offensive role. Duncan, who has been loathe to discuss his future, again batted away those questions following the Game 6 loss, saying he wasnt thinking about it. Popovich said he doesnt see why Duncan wouldnt return. "I havent talked to him about the next few years or what he plans on doing," Popovich said. McDyess said Friday night was likely his last game, and Popovich said he wont fight him to change his mind. Rookie centre Tiago Splitter was already tweeting McDyess best wishes on Saturday. Splitter is the seven-footer who played little this season but whom the Spurs expect to grow into a key part of their future. That immediate future includes Ginobili and Parker, who are both locked up for at least two more seasons. So is Richard Jefferson, who went scoreless in two games of the Memphis series and was benched in the second half of Game 6. Popovich said there will be changes but nothing drastic, calling talk of blowing-up the team "the most preposterous attitude" to have after a loss. He said time is still needed to reflect. Not just on what they need. But on what could have been. "Thats, to me, the luck part or fate that bothers us," Popovich said. "That we did have a heck of a season going. And we did have a team that was the best it could possibly be. And then with Timmy and Many having their problems, it took that away." ' ' '