Rotoworld: Oregon RB LaMichael James and Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon among top 10 players who are being overhyped for the 2012 draft.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
Arc: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods greeted their Sunday pairing at Pebble Beach with optimism. But the day would end happily only for one.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
Reuters“I came to Miami because of this young fella right here,” O’Neal said, indicating Wade. “I knew I wanted to make him better.”
Dallas’ fans both booed and cheered the trophy presentation, and Stern was jeered repeatedly.
Cuban stole the finals spotlight earlier in the day, getting socked with the fine for his complaints about the officials and general conspiracy theory. All of Dallas caught the Mavs’ us-against-the-world vibe: Signs supporting Cuban and suggesting a league conspiracy against the Mavs dotted the stands for Game 6, and fans screamed at Stern in his courtside seat.
But the series actually was controlled by Wade, who ascended to the most elite tier of NBA stars. He scored 121 points in three victories in Miami before capping it with one more tenacious win.
Riley wiped away tears while hugging his players, and Miami crowded onto the hastily assembled podium with the excitement of a high-school graduation.
Riley, who won his first ring since 1988, claimed he never considered the possibility Miami wouldn’t finish with four straight wins.
“I packed one suit, one shirt and one tie,” he said before the game. “That’s it.”
Riley tied John Kundla with his fifth title as a head coach. Only Phil Jackson and Red Auerbach have more, with nine apiece.
O’Neal, who fought foul trouble, was held to two of his worst career playoff games in the earlier Dallas debacles, and he endured another extraordinary struggle at the free-throw line in the series. None of it will matter to the Big Champ: He’ll take a special pride in winning his first ring without Bryant.
Their partnership resulted in three titles and four finals trips for the Los Angeles Lakers, but their clashing egos caused a power struggle that led to Shaq’s trade. O’Neal has no such problems with Wade, and their cohesion peaked in Miami’s four finals wins.
Riley, the slick-haired strategist who led the Lakers to four titles in the 1980s, now has vindication from those who criticized his decision to take over the club from coach Stan Van Gundy early in the season.
Leaning on Riley’s savvy in coaching veterans and defense, the Heat rolled through the postseason with surprising force — never even facing a seventh game. Riley now has seven rings, counting his single championships as a player and an assistant coach.
And the Heat’s roster is studded with stars who never won a title. Point guard Gary Payton reached the finals with three teams before finally grabbing the ring, while Alonzo Mourning played through 13 seasons, two retirements and a serious kidney ailment for a championship.
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Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, Posey, Haslem — all endured serious career troubles, and now they’re all champions, too.
Notes: The Heat became the first team to rally from an 0-2 deficit to win the finals since the NBA went to its 2-3-2 format. Only two other teams ever did it: The Boston Celtics in 1969, and the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977. ... Miami hadn’t won in Dallas since 2002.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
Paul Pierce has been around long enough to know what Rajon Rondo's performance can mean for the aging Boston Celtics.
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Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
