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MONTREAL -- Sebastien Vettel will be in a daunting spot when he lines up directly behind the all-but unbeatable Mercedes AMG duo of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton for the start of the Canadian Grand Prix. The defending champion saw his streak of three straight pole positions in Canada come to an end in qualifying on Saturday afternoon. Instead, Vettel will start on the second row when the race begins Sunday in what is forecast to be near-perfect 27C weather. The German posted the third-quickest lap for Red Bull, while Rosberg edged Hamilton for the pole. Vettels time of one minute 15.548 seconds on the 4.361-kilometre Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was more than a half a second behind the two Mercedes, who have dominated F1 since the introduction this year of turbo engines. "Im always confident when I step in the car that its good enough to make it, so well have to wait and see," Vettel said. "In terms of fighting with the car, its still not where I want it to be, still not yet behaving the way I prefer. "Its not like last year when I was stepping into a dream car and everything was smooth and perfect. This year, were not tickling the right spots yet." The 26-year-old Vettel won the last four F1 championships for Renault-powered Red Bull, and took the chequered flag at the Canadian Grand Prix for the first time last year. But how times have changed. The Mercedes team has now claimed all seven pole positions to go with victories in all six F1 races this season. And the long straightaways leading to tight turns and chicanes on the Gilles-Villeneuve track seem to fit the Mercedes package to a tee, with its superior engine power and solid braking. "It was very tight between third and sixth, so Im happy I got the last lap right," said Vettel, who finished ahead of a pair of Mercedes-powered Williams cars driven by Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa. The second Red Bull piloted by Daniel Ricciardo was sixth. "Its good to start third, right behind the Mercedes. Well see what we can do from there in the race." Rosberg won the day when he put up a best lap of 1:14.874 late in the last of three qualifying sessions and Hamilton fell short by less than a 10th of a second on his final run. "Nico did a better job today," said Hamilton, without a trace of the sullen behaviour he showed after coming second to Rosberg in qualifying two weeks ago in Monaco. There, Hamilton felt he was cheated out of a chance to win pole position when Rosberg pulled off late in qualifying, drawing a yellow caution flag. The two have since talked it over and announced that the animosity brewing since the start of the season was over and that they are friends again. Whether the truce holds will be seen when they start side by side on the front row for the race. Rosberg will have the upper hand if he keeps the lead. It may he tough for Hamilton to overtake on the tight track. "Its not that easy, especially with Nico so fast," said Hamilton. "Overtaking is going to be very difficult -- to overtake the same car as mine, especially when were so close in pace. "Ill do what I can. The thing is to try to get as many points as we can." In Monaco, where it is all-but impossible to overtake, Rosberg ended Hamiltons four-race winning run and took a four-point lead in driver standings. "I know its a track where hes really strong, so Im all the more happy that it worked out," Rosberg said of his teammate. "Having won the last race, it just helps a bit. "Lewis had that winning streak and to bring that to an end was important." Rosberg sees the race going the same way the others have, with the two Mercedes battling one another for the victory and the rest of the grid fighting it out for third spot. But Hamilton said his team cant be cocky, especially on a tricky, slippery track known for mishaps and upsets. "I dont think its just between the two of us," said Hamilton. "In qualifying, Sebastian wasnt as close as perhaps they might be, but their pace was good in the last race and I anticipate that theyll be quite strong. "So we definitely cannot disregard Sebastian or Red Bull. We need to be cautious still, and make sure we keep pushing." Red Bull and Renault were left scrambling with the engine change, while Mercedes came up with the best package of engine and car. The new 1.6-litre engines are decidedly quieter, without the high-pitched whine of past F1 cars, and theyre slower. Qualifying times were more than two seconds slower than last year, when Vettel took the pole in 1:12.425. It is still early in the 19-race season, and there is a small chance someone will find a way to close the gap with Mercedes before it is over. "Theyve been very dominant the first couple of races, but we are working hard," said Vettel. "Were completely motivated and we have a strong belief in ourselves. "I think thats the reason weve been so successful the last couple of years. So, rest assured, we wont give up." Vettel matched his best qualifying result this season, while both Bottas and Massa had their best placings. Massa has started no better than seventh on the grid and his best race finish was sixth. Cars were sliding on the slick surface both in the morning practice session and in qualifying. The first 20-minute qualifying ended with 16 seconds left when Marcus Ericsson crashed his Caterham, bringing out the red flags. Earier, Pastor Maldonados Lotus stopped on the track, ending his qualifying early. Esteban Gutierrez did not take part in qualifying after crashing his Sauber in practice. Cheap Adidas Shoes China . The 2010 batting champ showed what he can do when hes mostly healthy. Gonzalez homered, doubled and singled in his return to the lineup, and the Colorado Rockies snapped a five-game losing streak with a 13-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night. Discount Shoes China .com) - Generally you want to be the guy who replaces the guy who replaced the legend. http://www.brandshoescheaponline.com/who...ce-sale.html.ca. Hi Kerry, Welcome back! Im sure you heard Peter Forsbergs comments last week regarding Canadian referees in the gold medal game. Seems to me that he was questioning the integrity and impartiality. Discount Nike Air Max . -- Masahiro Tanaka knows that first appearance in a spring training game for the New York Yankees will be scrutinized. Fake Yeezy Boost For Sale . -- The Denver Broncos retired John Elways No.New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Isaiah Thomas scored nine of his 22 points in the fourth quarter to help the Phoenix Suns pull away from the New York Knicks in their 99-90 victory at Madison Square Garden on Saturday afternoon. Eric Bledsoe posted a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds while Markieff Morris chipped in with 19 points for the Suns, winners of two straight following a six-game slide. Carmelo Anthony returned to the Knicks lineup after missing Thursdays loss in Chicago and netted 25 points on 9- of-19 shooting. He also pulled down 11 boards, but it was not enough as New York fell for the 14th time in 15 games. Jose Calderon added 21 points but netted just two in a fourth quarter that saw the Knicks get outscored by 10. Final Score: Charlotte 104, Utah 86 Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Kemba Walker scored 20 points with six assists to lead the Charlotte Hornets to a 104-86 win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday. Al Jefferson posted 19 points with 10 rebounds and Gerald Henderson netted 17 points for the Hornets, who have won two straight on the heels of a four-game skid. Gordon Hayward paced the Jazz with 14 points to go along with six assists. Joe Ingles had a career-high 13 points off the bench and Derrick Favors also scored 13 points as Utah had its 10-game winning streak against the Hornets snapped. Rudy Gobert deposited 11 points with 12 rebounds in the loss. Final Score: Portland 114, New Orleans 88 New Orleans, LA (SportsNetwork.com) - So much for the Trail Blazers being sluggish following Fridays triple-overtime victory over the Spurs. There was no hangover for Portland, as LaMarcus Aldridge poured in 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 114-88 wire-to-wire drubbing of the Pelicans on Saturday. Damian Lillard, fresh off his 43-point performance against San Antonio, scored 17 points, and the Blazers led by as many as 34 by shooting 57.1 percent from the field over the first three quarters. Chris Kaman chipped in with 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting for Portland, which rolled to a fifth straight win heading into another tough road matchup against Houston on Monday. New Orleans had won three of four coming in, but the usually productive triumvirate of Anthony Davis, Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday combined to shoot 8-of-37 (21.6 percent) for a total of 19 points. Austin Rivers netted a team-high 21 points and Ryan Anderson added 16. Final Score: Atlanta 104, Houston 97 Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Kyle Korver scored 22 points on 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc to help the Atlanta Hawks to a 104-97 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday. Paul Millsap and Al Horford each chipped in with 14 points and DeMarre Carroll added 13 for the Hawks, who have won three straight and 12 of their last 13. Dennis Schroder tallied eight points with six rebounds and six assists in the place of Jeff Teague, who missed the game with a strained left hamstring. Houston lost back-to--back home games for the first time since November of last season and also had a 19-game home winning streak against Eastern Conference opponents halted.dddddddddddd Dwight Howard paced the Rockets with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while James Harden supplied 18 points and a career-high 14 assists. Jason Terry and Patrick Beverley each had 14 points in the loss. The Rockets acquired Corey Brewer from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Alexey Shved from the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, but both players were inactive. Houston dealt Troy Daniels and some cash to acquire the two wings. The Rockets waived Francisco Garcia to make room for their newest additions. Final Score: Dallas 99, San Antonio 93 Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Three of Rajon Rondos nine assists went to Monta Ellis, who scored 38 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 99-93 win over the short-handed San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night. Rondo also had six points and seven rebounds in his Mavericks debut, two days after he was acquired from Boston in a blockbuster trade. He missed eight of his 11 shots. Chandler Parsons added 16 points while Dirk Nowitzki and Devin Harris scored 13 apiece as Dallas earned its third consecutive win. The Spurs sat much of their roster after losing back-to-back triple-overtime games on Wednesday and Thursday. Missing Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Danny Green and Tiago Splitter -- among others -- the Spurs scored 30 points in the third quarter and had a 77-75 lead going into the fourth, but shot just 31 percent over the final 12 minutes. They have lost four in a row for the first time in almost four years. Marco Belinelli led San Antonio with 21 points, Aron Baynes scored 16 with 10 rebounds and Cory Joseph and Matt Bonner each had 14 points. Final Score: Denver 76, Indiana 73 Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) - Danilo Gallinari scored a season-high 19 points to lift the Denver Nuggets to a 76-73 win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday. Ty Lawson deposited 15 points with 10 assists and J.J. Hickson added 10 points off the bench for Denver, which has won two straight on the heels of a three-game skid. Timofey Mozgov pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds and tied a career high with five blocks in the win. David West led the Pacers with 19 points to go with 10 rebounds and C.J. Miles netted 16 points off the bench in the loss. Indiana has dropped 10 of its last 11 games. Final Score: LA Clippers 106, Milwaukee 102 Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Paul had 27 points and nine assists as the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 106-102 on Saturday night. Blake Griffin posted 24 points and eight assists, J.J. Redick netted 23 points and DeAndre Jordan pulled down 16 rebounds for the Clippers, who have won three of their last four games. Giannis Antetokounmpo tallied 18 points, nine boards and six helpers for Milwaukee, which had won three of its last four coming in. Paul netted nine of the Clippers last 11 points. ' ' '