es been dealing with of late. "We always want to be aggressive individually and as a team," Bosh said. "You know, I want to really get going early offensively in games, because it helps me, we play better, I think I play better. Just coming out being aggressive and just really looking f

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Jabrill Peppers pressed a phone against his right cheek, head bowed, and swayed from side to side.He picked his head up when he heard unexpected news.Wow. Hey, he said, tilting his head back with a huge smile upon finding out he was a Heisman Trophy finalist. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!The do-it-all, three-way dynamo had quite a year for No. 6 Michigan, and the team says he played 15 positions across offense, defense and special teams.But the nations most versatile star wasnt necessarily projected to be among the final five players up for the Heisman.I was in shock when I got that call, Peppers told The Associated Press. Im still in shock. Its surreal. When youre a child, you set goals and you work hard for things like this.The East Orange, New Jersey, native had to work harder than most. He was 7 when his father, Terry Peppers, went to jail and was 14 when his older brother and role model, Don Curtis, was shot and killed.Ivory Bryant , his mother, made sure sports ranked second behind school.His mother will join him at the Heisman Trophy ceremony on Saturday night in New York. He wasnt planning on inviting his father.With my dad, our relationship is still growing, Peppers said. Hes trying to get back on his feet.Peppers is a star who contributed this season in three facets of the game . In the rare moments he wasnt on the field, he was standing near coach Jim Harbaugh on the sideline, ready to roll when his name was called.Peppers won the Hornung Award as the nations most versatile college football player. On defense, the 6-foot-1, 205-pounder usually lined up as a linebacker after spending most of the previous two years as a defensive back.Michigans Charles Woodson is the only player to win the Heisman while primarily playing defense -- though, like Peppers, Woodson also played on offense and special teams.Its rare that defensive players are even among the Heisman finalists. Since 1986, the list includes just Oklahoma linebacker Brian Bosworth, Washington defensive lineman Steve Emtman, Miami Hurricanes defensive tackle Warren Sapp, Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu and Notre Dame linebacker Manti Teo.It means a lot to be a part of that group, Peppers said. I didnt finish the season as well as I thought and hoped I would, and there were a lot of guys that could have been finalists ahead of me.Many expect Peppers to skip his senior season to enter the NFL draft, though hes declined to talk about it because he doesnt want to distract from Michigans preparation for the Orange Bowl against No. 10 Florida State on Dec. 30.We have one more game to play and thats where my focus is, he said. I absolutely want to end the season on a good note and get the sour taste out of my mouth.The Wolverines closed the regular season with two losses in three games, including a stinging setback as a third-ranked team to second-ranked Ohio State, 30-27 in two overtimes. The Buckeyes beat their rival in part because they didnt let Peppers make any game-breaking plays on offense or special teams.Peppers did have seven tackles and intercepted a pass, but he had just four yards rushing on four carries. On special teams, he returned one kickoff for 44 yards and a punt for 5 yards.Harbaugh, though, wouldnt trade him for any player in college football.Hes an amazing player that does everything that anybody asks, any of the coaches or teammates ask him to do, Harbaugh said. Whether its play safety or corner or nickel or linebacker or quarterback or slot receiver or running back, punt returner, kick returner, he does it all and without hesitation, without flinching. He does it to the best of his God-given ability every time.---HEISMAN-DEFINING MOMENT: Like Woodson, Peppers returned a punt for a touchdown into the south end zone in Michigan Stadium for his signature play of the season. Peppers showed his speed, strength and agility on the 54-yard score in the fourth quarter that helped the Wolverines pull away to beat Colorado 45-28.BEST GAME: Peppers scored on a punt return, had a season-long, 55-yard kickoff, a 17-yard run and nine tackles, including a sack, against the Buffaloes, who are No. 11 going into the postseason.WORST GAME: In a loss 14-13 loss at Iowa, the Wolverines needed a spark and their best all-around player couldnt provide it. Peppers was held to 11 yards rushing on four carries, returned a kickoff just 16 yards, a punt 19 yards and made five tackles.PRO PROSPECTS: Unless he makes a stunning return to college, Peppers is projected to be among the top picks in the draft. He fits the profile of what NFL teams are looking for, a player they can line up against a slot receiver or send on a blitz. Peppers will also be viewed as an asset in the kicking game.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25---AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Hollywood, Florida contributed.---Follow Larry Lage on Twitter at www.twitter.com/larrylageAir Max 2018 Clearance . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. Cheap Air Max 2018 . -- Vincent Lecavalier got everything but the desired result in his return to Tampa Bay. http://www.cheapairmaxsaleonline.com/ . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. Cheap Air Max 2018 China . With the short-handed Warriors needing help from someone -- anyone -- to stop a three-game skid, ONeal returned from right knee and groin injuries that had sidelined him for four games and put up season highs with 18 points and eight rebounds. It was just enough to help lift Golden State to a 102-101 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Air Max 2018 Outlet . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast.MIAMI -- The last time Chris Bosh played against the San Antonio Spurs, he was offensively brilliant. It seems like a long time ago. During the Eastern Conference finals, Bosh found himself in a baffling slump, missing 26 of his last 34 shots and not even reaching the double-digit mark in scoring during any of his last four games -- the longest such drought for the All-Star big man since a five-game streak that began during the first week of his NBA career. All that, he hopes, will be forgotten now. A new series has arrived, and the stakes couldnt be higher when Bosh and the Miami Heat begin taking on the Spurs in the NBA Finals, with Game 1 set for Thursday night. "My confidence never goes anywhere," Bosh said. "It never wavers. Its always the same. I feel that Im always capable of playing well. This is a different circumstance. I take it as that, and I move on." Thats exactly what the Heat want to hear from their starting centre. For three years now, the Heat -- who have LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on the roster -- have routinely insisted that Bosh is Miamis most important player. And against a Spurs team that has a consummate big man in Tim Duncan, along with a combination of size and athleticism that can easily give any opponent fits, the Heat will surely need help from Bosh if theyre to successfully defend their title. "I like the way he left off last series," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Very comfortable. He looked comfortable. Even though he didnt necessarily convert a lot of his makes, it was more similar to his game. And hes proven it before that one series doesnt dictate necessarily what happens the next series, particularly when match-ups and styles of play are different." Bosh scored nine points in the Game 7 win over Indiana, his best total in the final four games of that series. He shot 1 for 6 in Game 4, 3 for 7 in Game 5, 1 for 8 in Game 6 and then 3 for 13 in the final game of the East title matchup. Thats 28 points, total, in four games. Hes scored at least that many on 106 single-game occasions in his career. A quick start in Game 1 of the finals is what Bosh is looking for now, if for no other reason than to forget what hes been dealing with of late. "We always want to be aggressive individually and as a team," Bosh said. "You know, I want to really get going early offensively in games, because it helps me, we play better, I think I play better. Just coming out being aggressive and just really looking for my spots that esstablishes me early.dddddddddddd And I think it propels me for the rest of the game." The irony here is that while Bosh is in the worst offensive slump of his season -- and most significant one of his career, arguably -- is that when Miami visited San Antonio on March 31, he was an offensive fireplug. With James and Wade sitting out that night because of injuries, Bosh was the No. 1 option, all the way to the end. And the Heat pulled off an 88-86 victory when Bosh made a 3-pointer over Tim Duncan with about a second remaining, capping what was a 23-point night. Bosh had 23 points in his very next game as well. Hes gotten to the 20-point mark -- and it was exactly 20 -- only one time in his 19 appearances since. "I spent a lot of time with Chris in his house. Were neighbours," Wade said, beginning to tell a story of how he and Bosh spent the night before Game 7 of the Indiana series. "And I told him, I said, Chris, it didnt matter if you scored 30 points a game up until this point. If you get in Game 7 and score two points and we lose, youll feel just as bad or worse than you feel now. So its all about Game 7, man. Its all about this moment. Lets do whatever we can." Bosh made two big jumpers during a critical stretch of Game 7, as the Heat started pulling away toward what became a rout. The stat sheet says he didnt do much else, but the Heat would argue otherwise. "He was playing with a great motor ... and that energy was contagious for everybody," Spoelstra said. The beauty of being on the Heat is that no one has to carry the load alone, a lesson that Bosh was reminded of during -- and even after -- Game 7 of the East finals. During the on-court trophy presentation, players got T-shirts and caps to wear in commemoration of the East title. Bosh tugged his shirt on over his jersey, then plopped the cap onto his head while scooping up his two young children in either arm. So when the brim of the cap dipped over his eyes, he asked someone nearby to adjust it because he didnt want to put either of his kids down and free up a hand to do it himself. Same goes on the court. If Boshs shot is struggling, someone nearby will try to help him out. But if his shot is going -- like when he averaged 15.8 points during Miamis four wins over Oklahoma City in last years finals -- then the Heat will be tough to beat. "We have to play well as a team, play well inside our system," Bosh said. "And the team that plays the best series is going to win." ' ' '