MIAMI -- Players have an open disdain for back-to-back games in the regular season, even while understanding theres no way around them when trying to wedge 82 games into 170 days. Cheap Christian Kirk Jersey .So some teams are spending part of this preseason trying to get ready.NBA teams get to largely dictate their own preseason schedule, and nine clubs opted to have at least one set of back-to-back games on their exhibition slate. Most are going on this weekend, with five teams -- Toronto, Cleveland, Miami, Golden State and Chicago -- playing either the first or second night of a back-to-back on Friday.Its good practice for us, Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. We want to approach it the way were going to approach it a few weeks from now, because theyre coming. And so the way we mentally approach back-to-backs ... weve got to get excited about it. Even though deep down we know its exhibition, weve got to get into a mindset of how do we prepare mentally, how do we prepare physically.Most teams around the league avoided them entirely. And Torontos isnt a true back-to-back, per se -- the Raptors were playing Cleveland on Thursday, then stepping out of the NBA realm to play the Argentinian club San Lorenzo on Friday.The Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers are subjecting themselves to preseason back-to-backs twice. And it could be argued the Heat are playing three of the dreaded sets, when factoring in their open scrimmage on Monday night that was the prequel to Tuesdays preseason game against Brooklyn.I want our guys to feel a lot of different situations, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.Clippers coach Doc Rivers said he didnt mind them since they allow for more practice time, and he structured his schedule accordingly. Outside of his back-to-backs on Oct. 4 and 5 and Oct. 17 and 18, his team plays only twice during the 11-day span in between.I just think eight games is too many for guys, Rivers said. I think this is nice. You play guys minutes, almost all of them. You give some guys a rest in some of them. I think its good.The Heat, who open their first back-to-back in San Antonio on Friday, have two in the span of a week. That closely mirrors something that happens during the course of the regular season. The NBA has made strides in recent years to reduce how many times each club has to endure games on consecutive nights -- or the even-more-dreaded four-games-in-five-days, something thats now a rarity.Last year I hated it in the preseason, said Heat forward Justise Winslow, entering his second season. But now I realize the purpose of it, just so guys can feel it, feel what it feels like mentally and physically.Minnesota plays its preseason back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday. The other two teams with them on their exhibition schedule are Charlotte and New York, clubs that decided put them toward the end of their preseason slate.Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said it provides him with a chance to evaluate some players whose roles might still be unclear -- and that, as one might expect, stars like Carmelo Anthony wont log big minutes like they would in the regular season.I dont really anticipate playing Carmelo 35 minutes one night and 35 minutes the next, Hornacek said. So it might give an opportunity to some of these other guys, especially there are some of these guys trying to make the roster. Give them a little more playing time in those back-to-back situations to see what would happen if they were on your team. So for evaluation purposes its good but playing wise, you try not to kill these guys early.---AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney in New York contributed to this report. Cheap Josh Rosen Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Discount Cardinals Jersesys . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. http://www.cardinalsjerseyscheap.com/cheap-chase-edmonds-jersey/ . The head of USA Boxing came out swinging Tuesday with an open letter to Tyson -- a former Olympic hopeful himself -- that accuses the former heavyweight champion of trying to poach fighters who might be candidates for the U. LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska is unbeaten in mid-October and its No. 8 ranking is its highest in five years. Time for the fans and media to start scrutinizing just how good the Cornhuskers are.One narrative is that the Huskers have been just good enough to beat everyone on what thus far has been a light schedule and that their worthiness of a top-10 ranking is questionable. Another narrative is that a team that has dealt with the offseason death of their all-conference punter and myriad injuries is coming out on top after losing so many close games last year.Coach Mike Riley said Monday he tells his players the outside chatter means nothing and that whats happened so far will have little bearing on how the season is remembered.Were at a good point with our record right now. We love that record, Riley said. Whatever ranking that brings us right now is great. All this stuff is just fun for everybody else, and for us its exactly the record we want, and now we have to get better.The Huskers (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) probably need to get a lot better if they hope to survive the meat of their schedule, which begins after Saturdays home game against Purdue (3-3, 1-2).Back-to-back road games against No. 10 Wisconsin and No. 2 Ohio State come next, and theres a visit to defending West Division champion Iowa following home games against Minnesota and Maryland.Inconsistency on offense and poorly performing special teams are Rileys greatest concerns.The 360 total yards in Saturdays 27-22 win at Indiana were a season low and third lowest in Rileys 19 games at Nebraska. Take away Stanley Morgans 72-yard touchdown -- on a play in which two safeties ran into each other -- and Brandon Reillys 45-yard catch on a deflected ball, and the Huskers averaged just 3.5 yards a play.Tommy Armstrong Jr. threw two interceptions, a couple jet sweep plays nettted little despite looking promising and an offensive line reeling from injuries took another hit when left tackle Nick Gates hurt his ankle. Cheap Mason Cole Jersey. But as it did in the previous game, against Illinois, the offense put together a decisive drive in the fourth quarter against a worn-down defense. Terrell Newby did most of the work on a 15-play, 60-yard possession that took nearly 8 minutes off the clock and ended with a field goal putting the Huskers up five points with 45 seconds to play. Along the way, Nebraska converted a fourth-and-1 and survived a video review of a Newby fumble, which was ruled to have occurred after his knee touched the ground.The punt team continued to struggle. Caleb Lightbourn had a punt blocked for the second time, this one resulting in a safety, and Mitchell Paige had a 39-yard return to set up an Indiana touchdown.It was a bad day, Riley said. That teams job is to cover and protect, and we didnt do either of them. We have a lot of work to do there.He also lamented a missed opportunity on a 15-yard punt return by DeMornay Pierson-El that Riley said was one block away from going for a touchdown.Nebraskas defense, particularly the much-improved secondary, continues to be the strength of the team.The Huskers intercepted two passes against Indiana, giving them 11 through six games. Last year they picked off 10 passes in 13 games. They also had three sacks on Saturday.Safety Kieron Williams already seems to be heeding Rileys advice about not listening to those who judge the looks of the Huskers wins.Style points? What it looks like? Williams asked. I dont think it matters as long as you get the `W.---Online:AP college football website: http://collegefootball.ap.org Cheap NFL Hoodies Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping Jerseys NFL China Wholesale NFL Autographed Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping ' ' '