LISBON, Portugal -- Atletico Madrids only previous European Cup final appearance branded the club with the nickname that has come to encapsulate its penchant for misfortune. Beating Real Madrid in the Champions League final on Saturday may finally put that moniker to rest. Atletico was on the cusp of winning the European Cup on its first appearance in the final in 1974, leading Bayern Munich 1-0 in extra time after Luis Aragones curled home in the 114th-minute at Heysel Stadium. The Spanish club was clinging on until defender Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck stepped up to smash home a powerful right-footed equalizer from outside the area in the 120th-minute. Without penalties to decide the champion, a replay was scheduled just two days later in Brussels. But having experienced the title slipping from its grasp in such fashion proved too much for Atletico, and it lost 4-0 to a team featuring Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Mueller. Following the defeat, president Vicente Calderon termed Atletico "the jinxed ones" or "pupas." "We practically had the trophy in our hands," said Atletico goalkeeper Miguel Reina, father of Spain international Pepe, reminiscing of what could have been before Schwarzenbecks low shot beat him. The loss seems to have had a long-lasting effect on the club. "Atleticos history may have been different with that title, which was the first for Bayern," said former striker Jose Eulogio Garate, who played in that final 40 years ago. Atleticos history is filled with success and clouded by unnecessary turmoil and disorder. Such is Atleticos knack for dramatics that the team hymn includes the phrase: "What a Way to Suffer." One of the most famous advertising campaigns in Spain featured a young child looking up at his father to ask "Daddy, why do we support Atleti?" The father looks off in thought before the phrase "Its hard to explain" takes over the screen. During its Spanish league title winning run this season, Atletico did the near unthinkable -- it did not stumble or implode as might have been expected. Instead, coach Diego Simeones team showed the verve of a champion and a knack for coming through when it counted to secure a fourth major trophy since 2009/10 -- following two Europa League titles and a Copa del Rey. "The club is growing. Were pushing forward, building a stronger team, getting better -- despite the economic differences in this league," said Simeone, who has also relied on one of the top qualities of the 1974 team -- strength on the counter attack. Atletico won the Intercontinental Cup after Bayern spurned its invite, and it has an impressive trophy haul overall: 10 Spanish league titles, 10 Copa del Reys, one Cup Winners Cup, two Europa Leagues and two European Super Cups. "Its been seven or eight years now that pupas doesnt follow us anymore," Atletico president Enrique Cerezo said after the club secured its first league title since 1996 last Saturday. "When Calderon labeled the team that, it certainly was at that time. Maybe now they should call us the good luck ones." That could be difficult as Atletico almost seems to embrace the nickname at times, like when it celebrated the 40th anniversary of its lone European Cup final defeat last week. "Atletico does represent something different, something special," said Spanish coach Javier Irureta, who played against Bayern. "Usually they only organize homages for champions, not for the losers. "But the club is like that." Cheap Wild Jerseys China . The Raptors general manager has his list of possible draft selections whittled down to a handful ahead of Thursday nights NBA draft in Brooklyn, New York. 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The Raptors maintained their spot atop the Atlantic Friday after defeating the Wizards, 96-88, for their second win in a row.Melbourne, Australia (SportsNetwork.com) - World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and defending champion Stan Wawrinka both breezed into the third round at the Australian Open on Thursday. The four-time Aussie titlist Djokovic won the first nine games and needed just 84 minutes to dispose of Russian Andrey Kuznetsov 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena. Overall I executed the game plan, said Djokovic. Everything I intended to do, almost 100 percent, from every second in my game, serve, baseline play, aggressive shots and aggressive returns. He [Kuznetsov] dropped his first-serve percentage a lot in the second set and obviously allowed me to have a lot of looks at the second serves. That, as well, gave me an opportunity to step in and just swing through the ball. The reigning Wimbledon champion Djokovic captured three straight Aussie crowns from 2011-13. His next step toward becoming the second man to win five Aussie Open titles will come Saturday against 31st-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, who handled Japans Go Soeda 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) at Melbourne Park. The fourth-seeded Wawrinka extended his winning streak at this major to nine with a 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 win over Romanian qualifier Marius Copil. The tight affair saw the champ win just four more points than the game Copil, playing in his first Grand Slam main draw. It was quite a tough match, said Wawrinka. Happy to get through, especially in three sets. Condition wasnt easy today. Quite hot, really fast on the court, and he was playing great. He was serving big, putting lots of pressure. Wasnt playing my best tennis, but Im happy the way I fight today. Wawrinka has reached the third round in Melbourne seven years running. His next opponent will be Finnish left-hander Jarkko Nieminen. Fifth-seeded Kei Nishikori fell behind early against Croat Ivan Dodig, but wound up pulling out a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, 7-6 (7-0) victory, while eighth-seeded Canadian Milos Raonic topped American Donald Young 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 and ninth-seeded former French Open runner-up David Ferrer overcame Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. Feliciano Lopez, seeded 12th, trailed by two sets to Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, staved off a match point in the third and advanced when Mannarino retired due to heat exhaustion in the fourth.ddddddddddddLopez was leading 4-0 in the fourth prior to Mannarino calling it quits, as Lopez moved on in 4-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 4-0 fashion. American John Isner reached the round of 32 with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-4 decision over Austrian Andreas Haider-Maurer. The 19th-seeded Isner avoided a date with No. 13 Roberto Bautista Agut, who was ousted by Luxembourgs Gilles Muller 7-6 (7-5), 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 on Day 4. In other second-round action involving seeds, 6-foot-8 Pole Jerzy Janowicz upended No. 17 Frenchman Gael Monfils 6-4, 1-6, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, 6-3, No. 18 Frenchman Gilles Simon bested Spaniard Marcel Granollers 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 6-4, and American Steve Johnson pulled off a mild upset with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 pasting of No. 30 Colombian Santiago Giraldo. Johnson will next square off against Nishikori, last years U.S. Open runner-up. Also on Thursday, Nieminen doused German Matthias Bachinger 7-6 (7-4), 7-5, 7-5; Canadas Vasek Pospisil overcame Italian Paolo Lorenzi 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 6-4; Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez bested Colombian Alejandro Gonzalez 6-1, 6-3, 6-3; and German Benjamin Becker came all the way back to dismiss long-time Aussie favorite Lleyton Hewitt 2-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. The 33-year-old former world No. 1 Hewitt is a two-time Grand Slam champion and former Aussie Open runner-up. Becker should have his hands full with the big- serving Raonic on Saturday. The third round will get underway Friday, as second-seeded former world No. 1 Roger Federer will face Italian Andreas Seppi, third-seeded former top-ranked star Rafael Nadal will battle Israeli Dudi Sela and sixth-seeded three-time Aussie Open runner-up Andy Murray will tangle with Portuguese Joao Sousa. Federer owns 17 a mens-record major titles, including four at the Aussie Open. The 14-time Grand Slam winner and reigning French Open king Nadal beat Federer in the 2009 final and is a two-time runner-up here, including last year when he was stunned by Wawrinka in the finale. Also on Day 5, seventh-seeded former Wimbledon runner-up Tomas Berdych will take on Serb Viktor Troicki and 10th-seeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov will be opposed by former Melbourne runner-up Marcos Baghdatis. 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