PHOENIX -- Davey Johnson stood in front of a tarp in the visiting managers office, keeping his comments brief but thoughtful. Terry Porter Blazers Jersey . After a few minutes, he stepped away, hugged a few people and shook a few hands before taking a seat behind the desk. He may have ended his career on a losing note, but the 70-year-old Johnson was perfectly at ease after a big-league career that spanned six decades. A.J. Pollock beat out a run-scoring infield single in the eighth inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks sent the Washington manager into retirement with a loss by beating the Nationals 3-2 on Sunday. "Time to go home," Johnson said. "Put me out to pasture." Johnson already had his career commemorated during a ceremony in Washington and was recognized by the Diamondbacks before Sundays game, doffing his cap as he stepped out of the dugout. After taking the lineup card to home plate for the final time, he spent the next nine innings as he always does, offering positive reinforcement to his players while pulling the strings to get one last win. He ended up just short in the finale. After losing the series first two games, the Diamondbacks scratched out a pair of runs off Ryan Mattheus (0-2) in the eighth inning to finish the season at .500 (81-81). Martin Prado had a run-scoring single in the inning and Pollock dove into first safely after hitting a comebacker that bounced off Mattheus. David Hernandez (5-6) pitched a perfect eighth and Brad Ziegler closed out the ninth for his 13th save for the Diamondbacks, who played 1,538 innings this season to break the major league record set by the 1964 Yankees. It was a disappointing end to Johnsons career, but the Nationals still finished 11 games above.500 at 86-76 and are set up for success long after hes gone. "A good manager builds confidence in his players and we benefited from that because he never wavered, no matter how good or bad you were doing," Nationals right-hander Tyler Clippard said. "He always put you out there and expected you to succeed and, for the most part, I think we did." Johnson leaves with quite a legacy built over 17 years as a manager and 13 as a player. He won a World Series with the Mets in 1986 and joined Billy Martin as the only managers to take four teams to the post-season when he led the Nationals to the playoffs last season while earning his second manager of the year award at 69. He also went to the post-season with Cincinnati and Baltimore. Johnson was a four-time All-Star as a player, earned three Gold Gloves and won a pair of World Series rings with the Orioles in 1966 and 1970. He goes out on a losing note, capping a season of unfulfilled expectations for Washington. The Nationals won the NL East and had the best record in baseball last season, so the bar was set high, particularly with a loaded lineup like theirs. Washington dropped below .500 after a rough stretch around the All-Star break before making a September run, but couldnt catch the surging Atlanta Braves. Johnson finishes his career 1,372-1,071. "Im not dropping off the face of the earth," said Johnson, who will serve as an adviser for the Nationals. "Ill still be around. I might even see you guys." The Diamondbacks won the NL West in 2011 and were expected to make another run after boosting payroll following a post-season-less 2012. Arizona looked like a playoff team the first half of the season, leading the division most of the way, but faded down the stretch, drifting well behind the Los Angeles Dodgers after the All-Star break and never able to make up the ground. The Diamondbacks at least ended on a good note. Arizona scored in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Paul Goldschmidt after pitcher Tanner Roark had a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt. Zach Walters hit an RBI triple after Arizona third baseman Martin Prados throwing error in the sixth inning and Steve Lombardozzi put Washington up 2-1 with a run-scoring single. Roark allowed a run on three hits in seven innings. The Diamondbacks, like they have all season, never gave up, though, putting together a late rally that prevented their first losing season since 2010. "We as a team expected to be still paying right now," Diamondbacks shortstop Willie Bloomquist said. "I think that is where expectations need to stay. As a whole this year it has been disappointing even though we ended on a high note." Notes: Washington had won its previous four season finales. ... Johnson was 224-183 in three seasons with the Nationals. ... Goldschmidt had a single in the eighth inning to extend his hitting streak to 19 games. He also joined Mel Ott as the only NL players 25 under to hit .300 with 35 homers, 100 RBIs and 100 runs in a season. ... Members of the Phoenix Coyotes watched the game from the pool deck in right field. Portland Trail Blazers Jerseys . And fellow Leaf, Jake Gardiner, hiking in Whistler. Bill Walton Blazers Jersey . The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists detailed in a report how Russian and international journalists have been harassed and prevented from covering sensitive stories in Sochi such as the abuse of migrant workers and environmental issues. http://www.blazersteamofficial.com/Brandon-Roy-Blazers-Jersey/ .The other side of the Bruins special teams unit delivered in the end.Gregory Campbell netted the game-winner with less than 10 minutes remaining and the Bruins fended off a late four-minute San Jose power play to earn a wild 5-3 win over the Sharks.TORONTO - As over 20,000 shell-shocked Raptors fans finally exhaled, juggling their emotions after a bizarre evening at the Air Canada Centre, Dwane Casey laced into his team in a nearby locker room. His post-game pep talk will "remain in-house", which usually means it was R-rated in nature. Did this feel like a win, Amir Johnson was asked after it was all said and done. "Of course," he exclaimed, taking issue with the question. "What? Yes! Did I check the box score wrong? We definitely won." "Does it feel like a win? What?" The box score read 115-113, a pivotal win for the Raptors, who took a 3-2 series lead Wednesday and now sit on the cusp of advancing to the Conference Semifinals, but you wouldnt know if from taking in the head coachs post-game discourse. "You wouldnt want to hear it," Casey said, asked about his emotions as his team squandered a 26-point lead in allowing the Nets to score 44 during a fourth-quarter collapse that was very nearly fatal. "We just didnt play smart. They are a very veteran team, they are going to take advantage of the mistakes you make. We wrote the book on the mistakes in the fourth quarter." "Every mistake that you could think about, we made in the fourth quarter." Just about. The Raptors lead was 22 going into the final frame before their previously spotless performance began to unravel in a hurry. With a lineup of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and reserves Andray Blatche, Mirza Teletovic and Alan Anderson for all but eight seconds in the quarter, the Nets hit 13 of their 21 shots, including five of nine attempts from three-point range. They got into the paint and to the line at will, putting on a clinic offensively. Veterans Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett did not play a second. With just over three minutes remaining, Torontos nightmare became reality. The sellout crowd that had rocked the building all night, the mob of white-shirted Raptor zealots that shouted "Broooook-lyn" minutes earlier - mimicking a chant made famous at Nets home games - they went dead silent. The Nets Johnson drained a three to tie the game and Toronto was on the ropes. Visions of their franchise-worst 27-point collapse in a December loss to Golden State flashed through everyones mind. Infamous Raptors losses of the oh-so-painful past, the beloved Maple Leafs and their tragic Game 7 demise. The city has seen it all. So how would this team let them down? Toronto led by five with nine seconds left, a semi-comfortable scenario provided they refrain from doing something uncommonly foolish. Just dont give up a three or commit a foul. Naturally, they did both. As Williams swung the ball to Anderson in the corner, the Raptors Johnson lunged at him, committing his sixth foul and surrendering the rare four-point play, Brooklyns second of the quarter. With six second to go, the Raptors now up by three, Casey opted to play it safe and send Blatche to the line for two shots. The right call. Intentionally missing the second free throw, Blatche was able to secure his own rebound before letting the Raptors off the hook in tossing the ball away. "We cant livve that way," said an irate Casey after the game. C.J. McCollum Jersey. "We cant make this many mental mistakes." Buzzer sounds and the Raptors win. The Raptors win? They had mucked it up in just about every way you could imagine, like a greatest hits of Raptor blunders, but they pulled it out. If that seems out of character with what weve come to expect from this franchise, so be it. Isnt that just the perfect representation of a season, an improbably playoff run that defies all semblance of logic? "We made some boneheaded mistakes," Johnson admitted, "but we finished off the game and thats all that really matters." This is a different team producing different results and a point guard who has a lot to do with that change in fortune. "Honestly, hes a hell of player, man," DeMar DeRozan said of Kyle Lowry, who scored 36 points, a playoff career-high, also matching the most hes ever scored in an NBA game. "Hes just a dog. He makes you want to bring your A-game every single night because you know hes going to lay it out there with them." With DeRozan blanketed by multiple defenders all night, Lowry took over. Tied with a minute left, Lowry hit the biggest shot of the night, a step-back three-pointer, followed by another dagger from inside the paint on the subsequent possession. "Sometimes it calls for that situation," said the point guard. "Usually its [DeRozan] doing that but tonight the way they played him it gave me an opportunity to get to the basket and get some shots off down the stretch. Our teammates count on me and him to make the right decisions, make the big plays and tonight it was fortunate enough they were guarding him tightly and I got it going a little bit." Lowry wouldnt let his team lose, willing them to their most important victory of the campaign, and no one seems the least bit surprised, nor should they. "Every time hes out there on the floor Im going to give it my best effort," DeRozan added, "because I know hes going to do the same." "We know theres not going to be no big blowouts either way because both teams are going to fight until the end," he continued. "It just shows you how much weve matured over the season and understanding what we have to do to stay in games and closeout games." DeRozan became the first Raptors player to reach the 20-point plateau in four straight playoff games since Vince Carter in 2001, scoring 23 on Wednesday thanks in large part to another impressive showing from the free throw line, where he was 12-for-13. For the first time in nearly 13 years that Raptors have taken the advantage in a playoff series, now they look to close it out in Brooklyn on Friday. "Were happy we won today but weve got to do a better job Friday," said Jonas Valanciunas, who had 16 points and six rebounds Wednesday. "Were here, were excited about being in the playofffs, somewhere we havent been before, a young team, expecting mistakes," Casey said. "Weve got to crack the whip and learn from it. This is a hell of a time to start learning, going into Game 6 of the playoffs." ' ' '