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INDIANAPOLIS -- Adam Vinatieri has warmed up to those chilly New England receptions. Sometimes, he hears cheers. Sometimes, he hears boos. Its all part of life as an ex-Pat in one of footballs fiercest rivalries -- even for a kicker who signed with the Colts eight years ago. "Its the (Red) Sox-Yankees, if you will, that kind of thing where I think both teams respect each other and know what comes to the table," Vinatieri said. The story lines in this annual series have traditionally started and ended with the quarterbacks -- Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and now Andrew Luck. But the ties run so much deeper, especially given Indianapolis ever-expanding list of former Patriots. In addition to Vinatieri, theres cornerback Darius Butler, who may replace injured starter Greg Toler in Saturday nights playoff game, with the winner advancing to the AFC championship game. Butler was New Englands second-round pick in 2009, and since joining the Colts in September 2012, hes intercepted eight passes and returned three for scores. "Youve always got something to prove," said Butler, who was cut by the Patriots at the end of training camp in 2011. "And its always special when youre facing a former team." Safety Sergio Brown spent two seasons with New England (12-4) before landing with Indy last season, too. If LaRon Landry doesnt clear the concussion protocol before kickoff, the special teams standout could be starting, too. And on Monday, the Colts added another New England fan favourite -- receiver Deion Branch, the Super Bowl MVP in the Patriots last title run. Saturday will be his first trip to New Englands visiting locker room, and Branch isnt entirely sure about how hell be treated by the fans who warmly embraced him for so many years. "I think so far its been a little 75-25 (positive)," Branch said, based on what hes heard about the fans reaction to signing with Indy (12-5). "Most everybody understands and they respect that, but then you have those die-hard fans." Massachusetts native Matt Hasselbeck is one of three Colts players -- along with left tackle Anthony Castonzo and right tackle Gosder Cherilus -- who played at Boston College, and he knows enough about the city and its fans to know the boos are nothing personal. "Its probably a sign of respect, deep down," said Hasselbeck, who was a New England ball boy when his father, Don, played for the Patriots. "I think Adam is one of the all-time sports icons in that area, I know he was to me when I was in college there. Those kicks, especially in the snow, were special moments." Vinatieris history didnt matter to some fans when he returned to Foxborough for the first time in November 2006. While former teammates and team owner Robert Kraft traded handshakes with Vinatieri, he heard boos along with the cheers. It probably wont be much different Saturday night. New Englands ties to Indy are limited. Coach Bill Belichick started his NFL coaching career with the Colts back in 1975 when the team was still in Baltimore, and offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia worked on the Colts staff in 1989 and 1990. The only former Colt on New Englands roster is receiver Austin Collie. "I look forward to seeing guys that Ive built relationships with there," Collie said. "But to me its just - weve got to win. Its all about advancing. Thats what my mindset is." The Colts concur. "Ive been over on that sideline for a lot of years, too, and I know what they bring to the table. Theyll have their team ready to play. The fans will be loud and crazy. Its playoff football," Vinatieri said. "Thats what its supposed to be like." Notes: Receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey (hamstring) was the only Colts player who did not practice Thursday. Coach Chuck Pagano said he expected everybody except Heyward-Bey to play Saturday night, though Landry still has to be cleared because of his concussion. Josh Morrissey Jets Jersey . Pierre last November, only to watch St. Pierre leave the UFC octagon with his welterweight title belt and a split-decision victory. Connor Hellebuyck Jets Jersey . -- The Vancouver Whitecaps remained unbeaten with a scoreless draw at the New England Revolution on Saturday. http://www.jetsauthentic.com/authentic-teppo-numminen-jets-jersey/ .J. - Henrik Lundqvist has done more than set a couple of franchise records for the New York Rangers this week. Nikolaj Ehlers Jets Jersey . Now he can be had by any team willing to pay his salary. According to a report from ESPN, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are shopping the veteran CB and plan on releasing him Wednesday if they cant find a trade partner. Laurent Brossoit Jersey . While Minnesota takes aim at its eighth win of November, the Canadiens will try to post just their third victory in nine games this month.SAN ANTONIO -- Manu Ginobili and the San Antonio Spurs put together a dominant offensive performance on Sunday night. The final result was a 10-game winning streak and another year with 50 victories. Ginobili scored 21 points and Tony Parker had 18, leading the Spurs to a 122-104 victory over the Utah Jazz. San Antonio (50-16) became the first NBA team to reach 50 wins, extending its league record of consecutive seasons with at least that many victories to 15. Not that it means all that much to the veteran Spurs, who are focused on winning another title. "I dont really care," coach Gregg Popovich said. "You all have to have things to write about, I guess. Its better than losing 50, I guess. Were thinking about other things and weve just had a great group of guys for a long time. Thats reason weve been able to win. Records and that sort of thing, streaks arent really on anybodys mind." The Spurs (50-16) shot a season-high 62.8 per cent from the field while improving to 4-0 against the last-place Jazz (22-45) this season. "You give them the credit," Utah coach Tyrone Corbin said. "They are a great ballclub. They know who they are. They take the right shots. They had 31 assists, so the ball moved around very well. The guys who came off (the bench), they made tough shots. Our guys competed, they are just better at what they do at this stage. You just have to give them a lot of credit." Derrick Favors had a career-high 28 points for the Jazz, who have lost four straight. Gordon Hayward scored 17 and Trey Burke had 13 points. Parker also had seven assists and Tim Duncan added 16 points and six rebounds for the Spurs. Along with Ginobili, the teams Big Three combined to shoot 22 for 32. "Were getting our rhythm," Parker said. "Manu looks good, he looks healthy. Timmy, his outside shot is coming around. Were all doing little stuff. Now we all just to have to stay healthy." Its the second double-digit winning streak of the Spurs, who won 11 in a row in November. "Were in a great situation and its great to win (50 games), but the main goal is to win a championship," Parker said. The Spurs featured their inside game early on, and then went to their sharp outside shooting. Tiago Splitter had 14 points and 10 rebounds, Patty Mills and Marco Belinelli each scored 12 and Kawhi Leonard had 11 points. San Antonio was shooting 65 per cent from the field with 6 minutes left, holding a 108-90 lead following dunks by Splitter and Belinelli and jumpers from Leonard and Duncan.dddddddddddd. "Regardless of personnel, they all pass the basketball, the ball never stops," Hayward said. "They hit the open man and defensively theyre all where theyre supposed to be at." San Antonios initial 12 points came in the paint, as well as 14 of its first 15. It finished with 56 points in the paint, compared to 52 for Utah. The Spurs had assists on five of their first six baskets, punctuated by a running dunk by Leonard off a feed from Danny Green for a 12-6 lead with 7 minutes left in the first quarter. "Offensively we were sharp today as we were in the last few games," Ginobili said. "We were not as good defensively today. We made too many mistakes. We let them score a lot of points in the paint. We knew they were going to do that. But overall, I think we cant complain. It was a good game." After falling behind 15-8, the front court of Favours, Richard Jefferson and Marvin Williams rallied Utah for its only lead of the game. The trio scored nine points in a 13-4 run, capped by a 13-foot turnaround jumper by Favours that put the Jazz ahead 21-19 with 1:43 remaining in the first quarter. "This was a great night for me," Favors said. "My teammates did a good job of finding me in the post and in my spots, and I was hitting shots. Just one of those nights for me." After finding so much inside the paint early, the Spurs turned to their long-range shooting in the second quarter. San Antonio had five different players make a 3 while making all of their long-distance attempts in the second. Greens 3 from 26 feet gave the Spurs its largest lead of that half at 54-45 with 2 minutes remaining. "The first half we did a relatively good job up until the last four or five minutes of the half of keep them off the 3-point line," Corbin said. "But they had 30 points or so in the paint. So, we wanted to make an effort to try and keep them out of the paint, and we gave up 3-point shots. They made five right there and they just took off from there." NOTES: San Antonios previous shooting high was 57.5 per cent in a 126-96 victory over Cleveland on Nov. 23. ... The Spurs won 11 straight from Nov. 5 through Nov. 25, giving them a 13-1 record to open the season. ... Jazz G John Lucas III (sprained right ankle) was in uniform, but did not play after being listed as a game-time decision. ... Jefferson, a former Spurs player, was resoundingly booed during pregame introductions. ' ' '