The Shoes That Won Last Night: NLDS Game Five, and NBA Pre-Season Action

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After a wild stretch of baseball the past few days, the MLB Divisional Series simmered down with the focus solely on one game. The Pittsburgh Pirates faced the St. Louis Cardinals in game five of their NLDS series. St. Louis won behind a big performance from Adam Wainwright and some clutch hitting from an assortment of players.

The NBA Preseason schedule continued as there were multiple games featured on the Wednesday night schedule. Dirk Nowitzki played well for the Mavericks in a win over the Grizzlies and there were a couple of nail-biters between the Knicks-Celtics as well as the Spurs and CSKA Moscow. Here are The Shoes That Won Last Night.

Rafael Canton is a freelance writer from Queens, NY and contributor to Sneaker Report. Anytime there is a conversation about the NBA, music, or nutella, he can be found in the thick of the discussion. He can be found on Twitter @RafelitoC7.

RELATED: The Shoes That Won Last Night: MLB Playoffs Heat Up, WNBA Finals Rout
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Player: Dirk Nowitzki
Game: Dallas Mavericks vs. Memphis Grizzlies

If you thought Dirk Nowitzki was finished, you must've not been watching the NBA last season. Dirk was on point in the Mavericks' preseason matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies knocking down his classic mid-range jumpers left and right. The German sensation finished with 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field while collecting six rebounds in just 23 minutes of action. Nowitzki looked fresh and seemed to be back in the NBA groove rather quickly in this game. Dallas would go on to win the game 95-90 after being up by as much as 23 points.

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Player: Rafael Nadal
Game: Shanghai Rolex Masters Second Round

Rafael Nadal celebrated his return to the number one ranking this week by dispatching Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-3 6-2 yesterday in Nike Air Max Courtballistec 4.3's. In a relatively easy match, Nadal moved on to the third round making slight work of Dolgopolov. Number one or Number won?

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Player: Raymond Felton
Game: New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics

Preseason usually doesn't mean much at all, but with some roster changes the Knicks need to start building some chemistry. Who better to get that going than their starting point guard Raymond Felton. The Anatomix Spawn wearing Felton had 11 points and 5 assists to help the Knicks to a big lead before the bench gave away most of the lead in a Knicks' close 103-102 victory.

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Player: Matt Adams
Game: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

Insurance is necessary in every case of life. In baseball, it matters even more. Matt Adams hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the eight to give the Cardinals a 5-1 lead and some insurance runs to help out Adam Wainwright and the pitching staff. Now the Cardinals are headed to the ALCS thanks to some timely hitting.

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Player: Patty Mills
Game: San Antonio Spurs vs. CSKA Moscow

The art of towel waving is great and all but it is a thing of the past. Patty Mills scored 14 points including the go-ahead bucket on a wing 3-pointer in overtime to help the Spurs win their first preseason game 95-93 over CSKA Moscow. The diminutive Aussie Mills was getting into the teeth of the defense with drives and might be moving up the depth chart so hopefully he just won't be simply a bench warmer this season. He might be able to retire the towel, or at least use it only for sweat related occasions.

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Player: David Freese
Game: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

Clutch players in the MLB deserve some kind of special signal so all opposing players realize that they should move cautiously. We know David Freese for his clutch work to help the Cardinals win a World Series, but it seems like the Pittsburgh Pirates must watch episodes of Keeping Up With The Kardashians when they're eliminated from the playoffs. Freese hit a two-run homer with two outs to put the Cards up 2-0 in the bottom of the second inning. That would be key in giving Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright some room for error with the run support.

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Player: Novak Djokovic
Game: Shanghai Rolex Masters Second Round

Injuries are like a game of Whac-A-Mole. They pop up at the most random times, but in some ways come with the territory of being a professional athlete. Novak Djokovic overcame an injury scare to beat Spain's Marcel Granollers and reach the third round of the Shanghai Rolex Masters Tournament. Djokovich landed awkwardly on his right foot early in the second set and had a medical timeout to deal with foot and ankle pain. Despite the pain, Djokovic ended up advancing with a 6-2, 6-0 victory.

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Player: Kevin Love
Game: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Toronto Raptors

Where is the love for Kevin Love and the Minnesota Timberwolves? Despite Love returning to health and his team adding some pieces there hasn't been much talk about the Wolves as a sleeper this season. The Wolves will definitely make noise if Kevin Love plays like how he did last night. Love finished with 20 points and 9 rebounds in just 26 minutes of action in the Wolves 101-89 victory over the Raptors. Expect Love and the Wolves to be successful if they can stay healthy.

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Player: Kekuta Manneh
Game: Seattle Sounders vs. Vancouver Whitecaps

The youth are taking over. Kekuta Manneh scored three times to help the Whitecaps to a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field last night. The 18-year old phenom helped the Sounders win in Seattle since coming into the league. Manneh’s hat trick was the first ever by a Whitecaps player since the club joined MLS in 2011. After that game, Manneh needs a shot glass of water.

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Player: Adam Wainwright
Game: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

Do Cardinals roar? If not, someone better tell Adam Wainwright that. The Cardinals ace put on a display pitching a complete game with just one run allowed and eight hits given up. Wainwright fanned six while putting the Cardinals on his back to take the ALDS series from the Pittsburgh Pirates in five games. Wainwright won both the first and last games of this series to bookend the Cardinals series win.

Rafael Canton is a freelance writer from Queens, NY and contributor to Sneaker Report. Anytime there is a conversation about the NBA, music, or nutella, he can be found in the thick of the discussion. He can be found on Twitter @RafelitoC7.

RELATED: The Shoes That Won Last Night: MLB Playoffs Heat Up, WNBA Finals Rout
RELATED:
 Shoes That Won Last Night: MLB Headlines with Four Games and NFL Monday Night Takes Place