SEATTLE - Over the final month of the season, Carolina took advantage of its opportunities to make a surprising entry into the NFL playoffs.Against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, the Panthers had few opportunities.The Seahawks scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and advanced to the NFC championship game with a 31-17 victory.The Panthers turned the ball over three times, setting up two Seattle touchdowns, while the Seahawks didnt commit a turnover.Well, certainly, we needed them to make some mistakes and that would help, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said. But it didnt happen, again credit to them. They did some really good things, we made some mistakes. We missed some opportunities. They did some things that lead to winning championships.The Panthers (8-9-1), who finished the regular season with a losing record, essential had been in a playoff mode since early December. They beat New Orleans, Cleveland and Atlanta to win the NFC South title then knocked off Arizona last week in the first round of the playoffs.They played together, they came together and they deserved to be here, Rivera said. Again, I know a lot of people dont agree with me, but thats too bad. Thats the way it is.It took Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson throwing for three touchdowns — all on third downs — to make the difference.Thats big. Third down is the money down, Carolina middle linebacker Luke Kuechly said. They do a good job running. And when you run well, that opens it up for them. He (Wilson) knows whats going on. Hes an intelligent guy, a smart guy. He knows where he wants to go with the football, he makes quick decisions.That first touchdown fit Russell Wilson to a T right there.The Seahawks (13-4) never trailed and became the first defending Super Bowl champion to win a playoff game the following season since New England in January 2006.Since that Patriots victory, three defending champions have earned byes only to lose in the divisional round, the last being Green Bay in the 2011 playoffs.Seattle will host either Green Bay or Dallas next Sunday for a trip to the Super Bowl.Carolina quarterback Cam Newton threw a pair of touchdowns to Kelvin Benjamin, but Carolina couldnt overcome the turnovers. The biggest blow was Kam Chancellors 90-yard interception return midway through the fourth quarter that gave Seattle a 31-10 lead.I dont know if a strong safety can have a better game than Kam did tonight, Seattle coach Pete Carroll said.After knocking off Arizona in the wild-card round last week, Carolina was trying to be the first team to reach a conference championship game after having a losing record in the regular season.Much like the previous three regular-season games between the two teams, Carolina made it difficult on Seattle. The best running team in the NFL this season was held to 100 yards rushing by the Panthers defence.Marshawn Lynch was mostly a non-factor aside from a 25-yard run in the third quarter that helped set up Steven Hauschkas 37-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter.But Wilson was outstanding, especially on third down. Wilson hit Doug Baldwin on third-and-9 on his TD catch in the first quarter.Jermaine Kearses 63-yard TD reception came on a third-and-7. And Luke Willsons 25-yard catch-and-run TD was on third-and-10.Wilson finished with a passer rating of 149.2, the second-highest for any game in his career. He passed for 199 yards on third downs.They just made big plays. It wasnt like they drove. It was just big plays that came back to bite us defensively, Carolina safety Roman Harper said. We will be better because of this. Everything is always something to learn from and we got to do that.Newton played well, but the turnovers overshadowed his performance. Newton finished 23 of 36 for 246 yards and added 37 yards rushing. Jonathan Stewart had been a key to the Panthers late-season surge, and rushed for 70 yards on 13 carries.Newton got away with testing All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman in the first quarter and watching Sherman dance away with his first career post-season interception.But Seattle took the lead after Carolinas second turnover of the first quarter. Michael Bennett disrupted the handoff between Newton and Stewart and Tony McDaniel fell on the loose ball at the Carolina 28. Wilson connected with Baldwin to take the lead and Carolina never pulled back even.NOTES: Seattle won its eighth straight home playoff game. ... Carolinas 132 yards rushing were fourth-most of any team vs. Seattle this season. ... Benjamin had two TDs in a game for the second time this season.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Mike Bibby Hawks Jersey . According to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, the New York Rangers winger skated with extras and goalies today. 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Nel alleged that the Olympic runner changed his aim with his 9 mm pistol to ensure that he hit Steenkamp as she fell back against a magazine rack in a toilet cubicle.DALLAS - Mavericks guard Jose Calderon was barely two minutes into his post-shoot around assembly with the media before he was blindsided by the first of many hugs from his former cohorts. Mavs shoot around had just let out and the Raptors were slowly filing onto the court at American Airlines Center when DeMar DeRozan ran straight to the far baseline, surprising his former teammate with a hug. Amir Johnson was next, followed by Jonas Valanciunas and several other Raptors players until finally, he was greeted by his old coach and good friend Dwane Casey. "Its always going to be a little bit of a different game for me after all those years in Toronto," Calderon said with a big smile on his face, which of course is nothing new, ahead of Friday nights contest against his former team. "I still have a lot of friends on the other team." Listen to all the action live on TSN 1050 Radio in Toronto, beginning at 8:30pm et. Traded to the Pistons in the three-team deal that netted the Raptors Rudy Gay last January, Calderon had spent his first seven-plus NBA seasons in Toronto. He remains the franchise all-time leader in assists and free-throw percentage, ranking second in games played, fourth in minutes and fifth in points. At the time it seemed like an inevitable, albeit saddening breakup. Bryan Colangelo had just acquired Kyle Lowry to pair with and eventually replace Calderon, whose contract was expiring. The trade was hardly a surprise but its one the Raptors are regretting nearly 11 months later. Gays time in Toronto was short-lived for obvious financial and stylistic reasons while replacing Calderons quietly dependable production has proven to be a challenge, one the Raptors hope Greivis Vasquez may help solve. The Raptors recorded 20 or more assists in 22 of 23 games with Calderon starting prior to last years trade however, they accomplished that feat in just 21 of 56 contests with Gay in the lineup. A lot has changed in 11 months, as Calderon noticed when putting together a list of dinner guests on Thursday. "Yesterday, I was trying to put together a list of guys who could come for dinner," he said. "And it was like okay, there are not so many guys." The point guard, who ended up hosting Valanciunas and seven members of the Raptors staff at his new home on Thursday night, has played with only six current Raptors. Only two, DeRozan and Johnson, were teammates with Calderon for more than a couple months (they played with him for just over four seasons.) "That happens all the time," the nine-year vet said. "Thats how the NBA works, even more now with the new GM in Toronto andd all the new management.dddddddddddd You knew changes were coming." For those who had the opportunity to play with him, to coach him, Calderon has been missed. "That was my point guard coming into the league," said DeRozan, in the midst of a career year. "And in the early stages of my career he really helped develop me into the player I am now. He helped me understand a lot and I commend a lot of my success to Jose." Inking a four-year deal with the Mavericks over the summer, Calderon and his family are getting comfortable in Dallas. In 24 games this season, the Mavs guard is averaging 11.9 points and 4.5 assists, making more threes per game (2.6) than he has before while shooting a career-best 47 per cent from long range. At 32 years of age, Calderon was the old man in Toronto, but in Dallas he fits right in. "I think its making my job a little bit easier playing with guys like Vince (Carter) or Shawn (Marion) or Dirk (Nowitzki)," he said. "They know how to play. For a point guard, being with guys who know to play all the time is easier, so I feel really comfortable out there with them for sure." As Mavs coach Rick Carlisle pointed out, its hard to believe how long Calderon has been in the league, especially for those that remember him as a raw, timid rookie out of Spain back with the Raptors in 2005. At that time Carlisle was coaching the Pacers and remembers the words of Lithuanian guard Sarunas Jasikevicius, who was familiar with Calderon having played against him overseas. "He came to me one day and said, that guy Calderon is a very resourceful player, hes better than you think he is," Carlisle recalled. "And he was right." "Joses had a really strong and solid career in the NBA," the Mavs coach continued. "Hell go down as one of the top European players ever." Both teams got their greetings and reminiscing over with early: Calderon with his old teammates, Carter with the Raptors media and staff and Casey with Carlisle, his former boss in Dallas. Once the ball is tossed up its all business for the Raptors, who are coming off a last-second overtime loss and are beginning a daunting four-game road trip. "Not [for] me," DeRozan said, asked if it will be difficult to face a player that has meant so much to him. "Not me personally, not at all. I understand that once we step on this court I could be playing against my mom and Im going to go out there and try to win." At 11-2, the Mavericks own the second-best home record in the Western Conference and have won 12 of the last 13 meetings with the Raptors in Dallas. ' ' '