Irving scores winner as Cleveland down Golden State
Cleveland: Kyrie Irving dropped a fadeway jumper over Klay Thompson with 3.4 seconds left as Cleveland came back on Golden State- just like they did last June in the NBA finals - to beat the Warriors 109-108.
The Cavs trailed 9480 early in the fourth quarter before rallying in front of a rowdy Christmas crowd. And as was the case in the finals, it was Irving, who made a 3-pointer in the final minute of game seven, who made the biggest basket. Golden State had one last chance but Kevin Durant lost his balance while coming off a screen and couldn’t get off a shot as time expired. LeBron James had 31 points and Irving scored 25 for the Cavs, who were down 3-1 in last season’s Finals before winning three straight and the championship - the first for a Cleveland team since 1964.
Earlier, Isaiah Thomas scored 27 points, Marcus Smart made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 47 seconds left as Boston blew a late lead before coming back to beat New York 119-114 in the opening game of the NBA’s Christmas Day schedule. The Knicks wiped out a late nine-point deficit with an out-of-nowhere 11-2 run in a little more than a minute, but Smart answered with his shot and Avery Bradley and Al Horford made big defensive plays afterward. -AP England warmweather training camp. Brisbane Broncos maestro Bennett, appointed to prepare England for next year’s Rugby League World Cup in New Zealand and Australia, was set to take 17 leading Super League players for a two-week training camp in Dubai in early January, next year. However, Super League club coaches have criticised the camp, claiming it would disrupt their preparations for the 2017 Super League season and the RFL seems to agree. “Following further discussions with Super League clubs, the England coaching staff and RFL have reflected on all views and concluded that the plans that are now in place would not deliver what was initially expected,” said a spokeman. The shock announcement further undermines the position of Bennett, who has also proposed a mid-year international in Sydney as an essential part of the World Cup buildup.” Bennett and the England management, which includes former national captains Kevin Sinfield and Jamie Peacock, had offered clubs £10,000 per player in compensation for the Dubai camp. Bennett is halfway through a two-year contract, but failed to get England into the Four Nations final at Liverpool last month, losing to the Kiwis and Australia in preliminary games.- Daily Mail Argentine media reported that the Davis Cup hero from last month believed he would not be fit enough to compete as he continues the rehabilitation of his left wrist - which has been a problem throughout his career. The player’s management has confirmed that the former US Open winner, now ranked 38th, will only start his ATP season in February but could not say at which tournament. “In 2017 I want to enjoy being healthy and knowing that I have the peace of mind. Know that luckily Davis Cup is at home. That makes me very calm,” Del Potro said of his upcoming season. -AAP title remains vacant. There has been a lot of speculation as to how the world heavyweight jigsaw puzzle will come together in 2017 in regards to who will fight who and when. “As we speak now, he is with his brother and he’s with his father and he’s training every day,” Peter Fury recently told Sports Media in Britain.
“He’s running, he’s training and he’s asking when I’m back in the gym. So he’s going to be back. Expect Tyson in the ring around April or May next year – he’ll be back. He’ll be back stronger, positive-minded. He has not lost anything, really.
“He’s coming back to not only get the belts, but to prove that he is the only heavyweight in the world. He is coming back with a vengeance and I expect that late on next year or the early part of the year after, he will be back fighting for the belts again. He’ll have a couple of fights – two or three fights – and he’ll be back fighting for the belts.” The Fury camp has highlighted WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, who makes a voluntary defence in February, as the No 1 target.Stuff