Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Andrei Kirilenko and Jason Terry

CHANDLER, Ariz. - The road to perfection reached a dead end in the Arizona desert. Now the New England Patriots are back where a Super Bowl championship — and an unbeaten record — barely eluded them seven years ago.Not that they dwell on their return to the place where the best season in NFL history slipped from their grasp.Its not where we play, its how we play, Tom Brady said Wednesday, and Im glad were here with the opportunity to do something really special.A win Sunday night against the Seattle Seahawks would even the Patriots record in Super Bowls at University of Phoenix Stadium at 1-1. New England is seeking a championship, not closure for its 17-14 loss to the New York Giants in 2008.Im sure it will be a cool story if we win, saying we came back to the same place, kicker Stephen Gostkowski said, but I dont think about that stuff. Im just looking to make the first kick that they send me out for.So when a receiver leaps for a pass at the opponents 23-yard line, dont expect the Patriots to have flashbacks to David Tyree trapping the ball against his helmet at that spot with Rodney Harrison draped over him.That 32-yard completion with just over a minute left, after Eli Manning kept the play alive by breaking free with defensive end Richard Seymour tugging at his jersey, set up the winning 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress.It took Patriots players a long time to get over how close they came to a 19-0 record. Then coach Bill Belichick met with his assistants.One day Bill walks in, running backs coach Ivan Fears said. He says, we got to move on guys, start smiling.Its a cornerstone of Belichicks philosophy. Lamenting misfortunes leads to more of them, Fears said.Fears, offensive co-ordinator Josh McDaniels and defensive co-ordinator Matt Patricia remain from the staff at the 2008 Super Bowl. Brady, Gostkowski and defensive tackle Vince Wilfork are the only players from that game still on the Patriots.It was a heartbreaker, Gostkowski said, but weve already played in (and lost) another Super Bowl since then, so I dont even sweat that. I have two kids and a wife and two dogs, and I didnt have any of that seven years ago. So life has changed a lot since then.The Patriots are staying in a different hotel, meeting in different rooms and practicing at a different site than in 2008. The retractable roof on the stadium was closed for that game. The current plan is to have it open Sunday.Everything is different, McDaniels said. That was a great season and we were trying to obviously win an incredible game and the Giants made one more play than we did. But I dont think that has anything to do with this week.The Patriots have made repeat visits to Super Bowl stadiums before. They lost the 1986 and 1997 games in New Orleans before winning there in 2002. But they had different coaches in each game, Raymond Berry then Bill Parcells then Belichick.Now Belichick is preparing for his sixth Super Bowl with the Patriots in his 15 years as their coach. Hes a football historian who prefers not to consider his place in it during the season.His coaching philosophy, he said, is to try to give the players a good plan and opportunity to play, to put them in a position that theyre able to be competitive and be aggressive and let the players play. I mean, theyre the ones that have won our games.Whether theyre playing in a city where theyve won Super Bowls — New Orleans, Houston and Jacksonville — or lost them.Safety Devin McCourty was playing at Rutgers when the Patriots lost the Super Bowl in Glendale. He admitted, with a shy smile, that he was rooting for the Giants.But he appreciated what the Patriots accomplished.I think every football fan saw the great things they did that whole year, McCourty said. It would have been incredible if they would have pulled that off and had a perfect season.Now hes one of 50 Patriots players who werent on the team then.This is a different team and we dont look in the past, Wilfork said. We never look back at the games weve lost or won in the Super Bowl.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Air Max 720 Scontate . Especially after he got ejected. "How many innings was that?" he wondered. Scarpe Nike Tn Squalo In Vendita . -- Aaron Rodgers looked fine on the practice field Thursday. http://www.airmaxshoponlineitalia.it/scontate-kevin-durant-outlet.html . -- The Chicago Bears agreed Tuesday to a one-year contract with defensive lineman Israel Idonije and are bringing him back for a second stint. Air Max Saldi Outlet . "First, I would like to offer my deepest and sincerest apologies for any harm I have inflicted on University of Missouri defensive lineman, Michael Sam," the statement read. Air Max Plus Saldi Sconti . Sundays game against the Colorado Rapids at B.C. Place Stadium has important implications in determining Major League Soccers playoff picture and will also mark the final game in the career of veteran South Korean defender Young-Pyo Lee.(SportsNetwork.com) - Canadian Anthony Bennett and the Cleveland Cavaliers open their season against the Brooklyn Nets tonight. Bennett became the first Canadian to be selected first overall in the NBA Draft this summer and joins fellow Canadian Tristan Thompson. Cleveland should be a much better team this season with All-Star Kyrie Irving running the show. The Cavaliers missed the playoffs for a third straight year last season and compiled a 24-58 record. Irving, Thompson and shooting guard Dion Waiters are expected to carry the load in 2012-13. Irving battled injuries last season and hopes to stay healthy for the new campaign. "This is the best Ive ever felt coming into a season," Irving said. "My goal is to become the best player in the league." Cleveland also inked much-maligned center Andrew Bynum. Cavs head coach Mike Brown is back with the team for another stint. Brooklyn won all three meetings with Cleveland last season and is 8-2 in the past 10 matchups in this series. The Nets have prevailed in four of their last five trips to the Q. The new-lookk Nets bolstered their lineup by acquiring Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Andrei Kirilenko and Jason Terry to play alongside Brook Lopez, Joe Johnson and Deron Williams.dddddddddddd The Nets appear to be a contender in the Eastern Conference and anything short of one of the top three seeds would be considered a disappointment. Brooklyn also tabbed Jason Kidd as its new head coach, although he will miss Wednesday nights game due to a suspension. He will miss two games after pleading guilty to driving while ability impaired. Lawrence Frank will coach the team the first two games. "Championship teams are built on being prepared, playing unselfishly and being held accountable, and thats how I expect to coach this basketball team," Kidd said. "I am truly excited about this next phase of my basketball career." Brooklyn went 49-33 last season and lost in seven games to the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs. After the Nets visit the Cavs, they will host the two-time defending champion Miami Heat at Barclays Center on Friday. ' ' '