Cavs upset Celtics in Curtain-Raiser without LeBron

CLEVELAND (Reuters) – The Cleveland Cavaliers began the post-LeBron James era with a stunning 95-87 victory over the heavily favored Boston Celtics Wednesday.

Making the victory all the sweeter for jilted Cavaliers fans was the fact that their season-opening win came over the Celtics, something James and his new team the Miami Heat were unable to do in the NBA curtain-raiser Tuesday.

When James announced in July that he was "taking his talents to South Beach" to form a super team in Miami with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, it left Cavaliers fans crushed fearing a return to the bottom of the standings without the twice league MVP.

But for one night at least, the Cavaliers looked every bit a championship contender and the sellout crowd agreed erupting in wild celebration as the final buzzer sounded and confetti rained down from the rafters.

"I'm very proud of my guys tonight, there were times in this game when we got down double-digits and they could have just mailed it in but they didn't," Cavaliers coach Byron Scott told reporters.

"This is how we've got to play basketball. We played really hard all night long.

"We're going to enjoy this victory because it was big time for us, for us to win this game at home, to start the season off this way."

The Cavaliers had trailed by as much as 11 points but showed their mettle in the final minutes, taking an 86-84 lead on a J.J. Hickson layup.

Hickson led the Cavaliers with a game high 21 points while Daniel Gibson provided 16 points and eight assists coming off the bench.

Ramon Sessions chipped in with 14 points while Jamario Moon, who took over James locker and his starting place in the lineup added 10.

The Celtics, arriving in Cleveland off an emotional win 24 hours earlier, appeared to run out of steam down the stretch.

"I think their true strength is playing together," said Celtics Kevin Garnett. "They don't have the one go to guy but they do play well together.

"They play hard and when you don't match that you find yourself in trouble."

Rajon Rondo had 18 points and nine assists to pace the Celtics while Paul Pierce added 13 and Garnett contributed nine points and 15 rebounds.

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Heat's Atrocious Debut

Playing under Boston's 17 championship banners, the Miami Heat team set together to win its own NBA title couldn't win its first game, as the new Big Three lost to the old Big Three of the Celtics, 88-80 on Tuesday night.

James scored 31 points, but the other members of the trio struggled. Dwyane Wade was limited to 13 points on 4-of-16 shooting and Chris Bosh added eight points and eight rebounds. They combined for 15 of the Heat's 17 turnovers — eight by James, six by Wade and one by Bosh.

Ray Allen led Boston with 20 points, Pierce scored 19 and Kevin Garnett had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Those three joined together in 2007 and led the Celtics to the NBA title that season.

Boston led 45-30 at halftime, but Miami cut that to 63-57 after the third quarter behind James' 15 points in that period. A layup by James made it 83-80 with 1:10 left in the game. But Boston, which once led by 19, got the last five points on a 3-pointer by Allen and two free throws by Pierce.

Boston led 16-9 after one quarter, the first time since March 15, 2009, at the Philadelphia 76ers that the Heat scored nine points or fewer in a period. The last time James' Cavaliers scored nine or fewer points in a quarter was February 2, 2007, when they managed nine in the second against the Chicago Bulls.

Things got so bad for the Heat in the first half that Shaquille O'Neal, a notoriously poor free throw shooter, made the first two he tried as a Celtic. That boosted the lead to 41-22 with 2:13 left in the second quarter.

Miami then got a brief burst, scoring six straight points to make it 41-28. The last basket in that surge was a dunk by James on a backward pass from Eddie House, whose steal started their 2-on-none break.

That drew cheers from two Heat fans — one wearing a T-shirt with James' name on the back and the other with a jersey bearing Wade's name — but a fan wearing a green Celtics T-shirt, yelled, "He's supposed to do that. That is not impressive."

It was pretty impressive, considering how poorly the Heat shot in the first half against a quick, aggressive Celtics defense.

Miami missed 30 of its 41 shots, a paltry 26.8 percent. Boston went 17 for 38 (44.7 percent).
The Celtics lost Pierce with 4:32 left in the third period when he hit the floor and hurt his back as he was charged with a blocking foul on James, who made two shots and cut the lead to 55-45. Pierce returned with 10:43 left in the game with Boston ahead 64-57.

James came back to the building where he lost the last game of his Cleveland career in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. He then became a free agent after seven seasons with the Cavaliers and signed with the Heat.

That also was O'Neal's last game there, also with Cleveland. He was back in a Celtics uniform Tuesday and had nine points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes.

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At last, Miami set for Big 3 debut in Boston

MIAMI – Before leaving for the airport Monday and catching the flight to Boston, Dwyane Wade had a conversation with the friend he calls Larry.

As in, the Larry O'Brien Trophy. The one they give out for winning an NBA championship.

"I asked him where he's been," Wade said. "He's eluded me. He's been missing for a while."

Larry will be waiting for someone in June, and on Tuesday night the Miami Heat will take what they hope is their first steps toward winning him when a season of title expectations finally opens in Boston. Miami squares off against the reigning Eastern Conference champion Celtics in a matchup loaded with story lines.

LeBron James' opener with Miami after seven seasons in Cleveland. Wade's first time with James and Chris Bosh as his Heat running mates. Shaquille O'Neal — once a teammate to both Wade and James — playing his first game in Celtics' colors. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett motivated by a Game 7 loss to the Lakers in last season's finals. Miami's new Big 3 vs. Boston's not-so-new Big 3.

Oh, and the small fact that Wade and James were both ousted from the playoffs by Boston last spring, defeats that helped along their decision to play with one another.

"I think the NBA did an unbelievable job of picking a great first game," Wade said.
O'Neal says he believes it's just another game, noting that the only big games in which he's played in are the ones where "jewelry" — a ring — is up for grabs.

Not everyone is of that opinion.

"Once LeBron took his talents to South Beach, I think everyone got excited," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.

The Heat practiced one last time in Miami on Monday morning, followed by coach Erik Spoelstra gathering his team in the locker room for a quick meeting.

He didn't have to say much. Spoelstra brought Miami's 2006 championship trophy and reminded everyone of the season's lone goal.

"We're all ready for this because of how long the summer has seemed," Spoelstra said. "Seemed like it's taken forever to get to this point. But it's finally here. And finally we can have most of the talk about the game and not all these other things which people are interested in right now, which is normal. But let's play."

James feels the same way.

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Cain Velasquez Destroys Brock Lesnar in The First Round

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Cain Velasquez stopped Brock Lesnar late in the first round with a relentless flurry of punches at UFC 121 on Saturday night, claiming Lesnar's UFC heavyweight title.

Velasquez remained unbeaten by outpunching the fearsome Lesnar, the UFC's biggest star and top pay-per-view draw. After a frenetic opening minute featuring huge blows by both fighters, Velasquez kept pursuing the bigger champion and eventually staggered Lesnar across the octagon, with Lesnar stumbling to the canvas several times.

Lesnar (5-2) tried to cover up near the cage, but Velasquez mercilessly rained down blows on Lesnar and eventually broke his guard, forcing referee Herb Dean to stop the fight with 48 seconds left in the round.

While Velasquez (9-0) scarcely made a mistake in the entire fight, Lesnar was left cut and seriously bloodied from Velasquez's punches.

"What can I say? He was better than me tonight," Lesnar said.

Lesnar's third title defense came just four months after his return to the octagon following a yearlong bout with diverticulitis, an intestinal malady that threatened his life and forced him to revamp his training and diet. The former professional wrestler and football player adapted without losing the sheer bulk that makes him the toughest physical matchup in the UFC.

But he had never faced a fighter with the athleticism and well-rounded skills of Velasquez, the former Arizona State wrestler who trains at a famed kickboxing academy in San Jose. Velasquez also drew motivation from the chance to become the first Mexican-American heavyweight champion in a major promotion in either MMA or boxing.

Jake Shields also won a contentious split decision over Martin Kampmann in his UFC debut at Honda ( HMC - news - people ) Center, extending his career winning streak to 15 fights. Matt Hamill beat Tito Ortiz by unanimous decision to keep the former light heavyweight champion winless in the past four years, and Diego Sanchez beat Paulo Thiago by unanimous decision.

The UFC returned to the Los Angeles area for the first time in a year with its most anticipated event of the fall. The main event didn't disappoint - although many fans in the sold-out arena likely didn't expect the result after one round of pyrotechnics in the main event.

The first 30 seconds were nonstop action, with both fighters trading haymakers and kicks. Velasquez eventually pushed Lesnar back against the cage, testing both fighters' strength - and Velasquez held his own despite giving away 2 inches and roughly 30 pounds to Lesnar.

When the punching resumed, Velasquez landed most of the blows. Lesnar stayed in a right-handed stance, but might have had trouble seeing out of his left eye, eventually leading to his stumbles and tumbles against the cage.

Earlier, most fans booed when Shields' hand was raised after a slow, largely uneventful fight with Kampmann. Shields (26-4-1) hasn't lost an MMA fight since December 2004, going through eight promotions since that defeat.

Shields joined the UFC after defending his Strikeforce middleweight championship in April, and UFC president Dana White has touted the San Francisco-based fighter as a likely challenger for Georges St. Pierre, the league's nearly unbeatable welterweight champ.

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Sharapova Engaged to Lakers’ Vujacic

The most eligible bachelorette in tennis is off the market.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova got engaged to her boyfriend, Los Angeles Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic, after he proposed on Tuesday night at his Manhattan Beach, Calif. home. The two had been dating for nearly a year. TMZ was the first to report the news. Sharapova's agent has since confirmed it to CNBC's Darren Rovell.

Sharapova and Vujacic first went public with their relationship last November when they were seen cuddling at a U2 concert in Los Angeles. Since then, the relationship has become the fodder of tabloids and paparazzi, as the athletes have been photographed together in Los Angeles and Italy, where they vacationed.

This summer, Sharapova invited Vujacic to join her in training at the IMG Academy in Florida. The backup guard for the two-time defending champions credited his girlfriend for helping him prepare for the upcoming basketball season.

Neither should be worried about the inevitable questions on whether marriage will negatively impact their games. Vujacic averaged a career low in points, rebounds, minutes and assists with the Lakers, while Sharapova struggled in Grand Slams and didn't live up to the high expectations following her comeback from shoulder surgery.

No wedding plans have been announced, but given that Vujacic's seasons in Los Angeles often last until mid-June, a post-Wimbledon date could be in the offing.

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Michael Jordan's Car for Sale for $430,000

Michael Jordan bought a 2007 Mercedes McLaren SLR 722? That's one of the best cars ever made. Nice move, M.J.

Wait, he's selling it after only driving it 962 miles? Seriously? You give me hope, Michael, and then you take it all away.

So, the McLaren can be yours for $430,000, which is a little dear for that brand even if the wheels were spun for fewer than a thousand miles (considering it cost around $475,000 new). The sellers are clearly factoring in the whole "Michael Jordan owned this car" addition.

The specs? Even three years later, this is one of the fastest things in the world. It has a 5 1/2-liter V8, it'll go from zero to just over 60 mph in 3.6 seconds, it runs with 640 horsepower and it will reach 209 miles an hour; and the rear-wheel driven monster is loaded with all sorts of carbon fiber bits so it's light as a feather in comparison to other supercars.

Also, Michael Jordan drove it. For a few hundred miles, at least.

Front...



Back...



Inside...



Engine...

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Top 10 Highest Paid Athletes in the World

Whenever I see how much athletes are getting paid every year, it makes me want to start my life over again and devote myself to sports. I’m sure a lot of us feel this way but since we can’t get a redo, we can at least gape at the numbers and tell each other what we would do with the cash. Now let’s take a look at the top paid athletes in the world.

1. Tiger Woods ($110 million)

Woods has earned almost $900 million in prize money, endorsements and appearance fees during his 13-year professional golf career and next year is poised to become the first athlete to earn $1 billion during a career. Woods racked up more than twice the earnings of any other athlete over the past 12 months despite being sidelined for eight months after knee surgery thanks to lucrative endorsement deals with Accenture, Gillette and Nike as well as a thriving golf course design business.

2. Kobe Bryant ($45 million)

Bryant secured his place among the NBA’s all-time greats when he won his fourth NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers in June. The Black Mamba’s popularity is at its zenith as his No. 24 jersey is the top seller in the U.S., Europe and China. Bryant pads his $21 million Lakers salary through endorsement deals with Nike, Upper Deck, Activision and VitaminWater.

3. Micheal Jordan ($45 million)

MJ retired as a player for the third and presumably final time six years ago, but he is still the most famous athlete in the United States. The Jordan Brand is approaching $1 billion in sales for Nike which turned Jordan into a marketing phenomenon. Jordan is on the short list of potential buyers for the Charlotte Bobcats where he is head of basketball operations and a minority owner.

4. Kimi Raikkonen ($45 million)

Formula One’s highest-paid driver finished a disappointing third in the World Championship standings last year after winning the title in 2007. This year has been even worse for the Iceman who sits in 10th place in the current standings. Ferrari resigned Raikkonen in September to a one-year contract extension keeping the Finn behind the wheel for Ferrari through 2010.

5. David Beckham ($42 million)

Becks is far from the best player on the pitch, but he is still the most famous which is why companies like Adidas, Giorgio Armani and Motorola pay him millions for his endorsement. Beckham spent five months on loan this year playing for AC Milan before his planned return to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy in July when the MLS season is half over.

6. LeBron James ($40 million)

The NBA’s MVP led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the league’s best record and had a playoff performance for the ages this year, but his team was bounced from the playoffs by the Orlando Magic in the Conference Finals. His free agency next summer has teams maneuvering to get under the salary cap in hopes of signing King James. The Cavs can offer the biggest contract under NBA salary rules, but James might go in search of a bigger market.

7. Phil Mickelson ($40 million)

Playing second fiddle to Tiger Woods has proven very lucrative for the world’s second-ranked player. His most lucrative deal is with Callaway, which signed Mickelson to a five-year extension this year. Other sponsors include Barclay’s, Exxon, KPMG and Rolex. Mickelson has won $54 million in prize money during his career, third all-time behind Woods and Vijay Singh

8. Manny Pacquiao ($40 million)

Pac-Man hogged the boxing spotlight over the past year with victories in two blockbuster fights against Oscar De La Hoya in December and Ricky Hatton in March that combined generated more than $100 million in pay-per-view revenue in the U.S. A member of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, Pacquiao plans to run for political office when his days in the ring are over.

9. Valentino Rossi ($35 million)

The Doctor won his eighth World Championship in 2008 after two straight years of falling short of the title. The biggest star in motorcycle racing earns $16 million annually from his contract to ride for Yamaha and his earnings more than double when you count licensing income, bonuses and endorsement deals with the likes of energy drink Monster.

10. Dale Earnhardt Jr. ($34 million)

Earnhardt was chosen as Nascar’s most popular driver for a sixth straight year in 2008 despite winning only one race during the past two seasons. His merchandise sales were twice the total of any other driver. Earnhardt’s biggest personal sponsorship deals are with Adidas, Chevrolet, Polaris, Wrangler and Nationwide Insurance, which he added this year.

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Season Preview 2010 – 11

Whether the Heat are a smash success in Year One won't depend on highlight reels, unless the sports TV shows suddenly develop an appetite for stops, steals and blocks.

You know: ratings-challenged, pass-the-remote-control defense.

It's certainly not our intention to bore you over the next several paragraphs, but be warned, the following is not about "The Decision" or whether Miami will win 70 games or any of the vortex of intrigue stuff that's currently consuming Miami.

From the first day LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh pulled on the same uniform, defense became the buzzword within the organization. Since each player is a proven 20-point scorer, offense is a given. And because they instinctively share the ball, we'll even assume this season won't lapse into a tug-of-war over whose "team" it is.

But what about shutting down the other guy? Can Miami make it hard for the other team to score points and, by extension, keep up the offensive pace of the Big Three? That's what championship teams are made of. That's what Pat Riley sold successfully to the Lakers of the 1980s (along with no-rebounds, no-rings) who, like this Miami team, were stuffed with stars. Defense will make or break the Heat in the interim, until Riley finds a way to surround his three-man core with a better cast.

"That's going to be our focus," James said. "Maybe the fans and the media won't be focusing on it, but we will."

The encouraging news, aside from defense being embraced by the Big Three, is that defense has been a Heat hallmark the last few years. While dumping salaries in preparation for last summer's free-agent haul, the Heat survived and even reached the playoffs with defense (and a helping of Wade, too). Certainly, the Heat's tendency to slow the tempo had something to do with Miami allowing only 94 points a game last season, second only to the Bobcats.

But defense was Miami's only chance to save face during the salary-dumping process, and defense served the club well, keeping Miami in most games and allowing them to even prosper, to a degree, in a weak Eastern Conference. Once Wade bought into the concept, his teammates followed and made the job easier for Erik Spoelstra, a first-time head coach who needed to make a mark for himself.

When the Celtics traded for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen two years ago and teamed them with Paul Pierce, the immediate response was scoring wouldn't be a problem for the suddenly rejuvenated Celtics. Well, Boston won a title that year with defense, which was overlooked among the fuss. And defense helped Boston return to the NBA Finals last summer. So much for the idea that offensive superstars can't or won't concentrate a fair amount of energy and effort on the other end of the floor.

But Miami didn't trade for a KG, and on the current roster, only James and Wade ever made the All-Defensive team (both made it twice, with Wade being named to the second team). Bosh was a member of some atrocious defensive teams in Toronto.

What the Heat could use is a Bruce Bowen-type, someone handed the responsibility of doing the dirty work and being a tough guy and enforcer. But only Udonis Haslem comes close to that definition. Does Joel Anthony become that player? Mike Miller? (Just kidding.) And with the possible exception of Anthony, there's no shot blocker anywhere. You hardly expect such senior citizens as Juwan Howard and Zydrunas Ilgauskas to get enough minutes to be a defensive presence, let alone make a defensive impact.

Defense will come into play when the rivalry between Miami and Orlando hikes up a few hundred degrees. Sure, the Magic will certainly scramble to find ways to play the Big Three straight up. Just the same, who's going to do anything against Dwight Howard, except collect fouls?

The topic of interior defense might crop up a time or two in games against the Celtics (KG) and Lakers (Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol), perhaps the only other teams standing in the way between Miami and the Larry O'Brien trophy.

In reality, until the Heat luck into a Ben Wallace-type down the line, defense will be conducted by committee, each player doing his part to cover for one of the few Heat concerns this season.
"It's about how we perform as a team," Bosh said, "despite all the attention given to individuals."
We'll remember that when Orlando is spoon feeding Howard in the low post, and Kobe is licking his lips.

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Miami Heat’s Championship DNA?

Not everyone will consent with their methods, a four-part series — Inside the Heat: Championship DNA probably won’t endear them to the masses in places like Boston, Chicago, Orlando or even Los Angeles.

But their sheer disdain for any reasonable limit to the expectations they’ve placed on themselves is both refreshing and frightening at the same time.

They’ve already created a cottage industry out of their own hype — ESPN.com’s “Heat Index” launched Monday and it’s only a small piece of the massive coverage plan various media outlets have in store for this team.

Some people would argue that touting your “Championship DNA” in October is wildly presumptuous.

I’m having a hard time reconciling the words of both Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, each of whom has tried to cover the expectations in recent weeks by claiming that the hype, and the subsequent backlash, surrounding this team is media generated as opposed to an inside job.

That’s nonsense.

These guys didn’t have any problem embracing the hype in July, so don’t pass off the responsibility for it all now. There’s nothing wrong with chasing championships. I don’t think anyone, not even their biggest critics, and begrudge them for that.

It’s just that there seems to be so much sizzle riding the back, at least for now, of so little substance.

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Do You Believe in Magic?

We do things differently around here. And that means watching preseason NBA games. That’s right. Our eyes are on the prize from the moment training camp begins, even on the preseason games.

And after watching the Orlando Magic demolish the New Orleans Hornets to christen their new arena, the plush Amway Center, we have to ask, what happened to the buzz surrounding this Magic team?

A year ago this time they were the crew most of the pundits assumed would step into the void at the top of the Eastern Conference, surpassing both Cleveland and Boston for supremacy on the other side of the aisle of Kobe Bryant‘s Los Angeles Lakers.

Dwight Howard had assumed his position as the league’s most dominant defensive force and his supporting cast was as good as it had ever been, led by a healthy Jameer Nelson, a recharged Vince Carter and an anxious Rashard Lewis, who never seemed concerned with proving his worth.

For a long time last season those pundits looked wise. The Magic shook off some early season uncertainty and by the playoffs they were back to looking like the team that had fallen to Bryant and the Lakers in the 2009 NBA Finals.

They mowed down to the Bobcats and Hawks in the first two round of the playoffs, toying at times with a Hawks team that won 53 games and owned one of the top four playoff seeds in the East.

Then, inexplicably, some eight games into their postseason run the power went out in Orlando.
A nightmare matchup against a hungry Boston team, the same one (sans an injured Kevin Garnett) they’d eliminated in the East semifinals in Game 7 a year earlier, exposed the Magic’s flaws. We all promptly shoved them aside and watched the Lakers and Celtics battled throughout an epic, seven-game series for the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Instead of the Magic reloading this summer and checking into a penthouse suite in the East, they watched as the Miami Heat put together a dream team of their own and the Celtics reloaded for another run at the Finals.

But that doesn’t mean we should just discount the Magic, does it?

Clearly, the Magic have more going on than just trying to restore the luster the franchise enjoyed as recently as two years ago. Whether or not this crew is up to the task remains to be seen.
Using each of the past two seasons as a guide, The Magic would appear to be in the perfect position to upset the favorites and find their way back to the Finals to see if they can finish what they started in 2009.

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Who’s Next?

NEW YORK (AP)—The Lakers’ Kobe Bryant will earn another ring and Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant will snatch the MVP award away from LeBron James.

Those are among the opinions of NBA general managers who voted in the ninth annual NBA.com GM survey, which was released Wednesday. Los Angeles was decided on by 63 percent of the respondents to repeat as champions, with 33 percent of the vote going to James and the new-look Miami Heat.

Durant, the MVP of the U.S. victory in the world basketball championship, received 67 percent of the MVP vote. James, the two-time MVP, was picked by only 4 percent.

Top pick John Wall was the overwhelming favorite for Rookie of the Year, claiming 68 percent.
The GMs picked Boston—a unanimous choice in the Atlantic—Chicago, Miami, the Lakers, Dallas and Oklahoma City as division champions.

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