The Malaysian Insider :: Sports
The Malaysian Insider :: Sports |
| Miami Heat win second straight NBA crown Posted: 20 Jun 2013 08:54 PM PDT  The Miami Heat repeated as National Basketball Association (NBA) champions with a 95-88 win over the San Antonio Spurs in the decisive seventh game of an epic series. Miami's LeBron James, the sport's biggest star playing at the peak of his powers, had a game-high 37 points and pulled in 12 rebounds in a dominant performance while Dwyane Wade had 23 points. James, named most valuable player of the Finals, shot 12-of-23 from the floor, including 5-of-10 three-pointers to lead Miami to their third NBA title and his second just two nights after the Heat's championship defence almost ended abruptly. San Antonio, chasing a fifth NBA title, were just seconds away from clinching the championship on Tuesday before Miami staged an extraordinary comeback to win in overtime and force a decisive seventh game. The visitors made a great start on Thursday, opening up a seven-point lead in the first quarter and by three late in the third quarter but came up just short. Tim Duncan scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Spurs while Kawhi Leonard had 19 in the winner-take-all clash that had whipped basketball fans into a frenzy of excitement during a wildly fluctuating series full of escalating drama. Courtside tickets for Thursday's game were selling on the secondary market for up to $30,000 (RM96,000) and the game lived up to the hype with both teams fiercely contesting every possession. Miami made yet another slow start and trailed by seven points less than five minutes into the game, a sloppy pass from James allowing Duncan an easy dunk. A trademark turnaround jumper from Wade indicated the veteran from the Heat's 2006 title-winning team was in an aggressive mood and the introduction of Chris Andersen into the game injected some more energy into the Heat. A pair of three pointers from Shane Battier brought roars from the crowd as Miami built an 18-16 lead by the end of the opening quarter.
James took a rest for the opening three minutes of the second quarter and the Spurs kept close. With just under seven minutes left in the half, the teams were tied at 27-27, both shooting 11-30 from the field. The brief rest paid off as James quickly gave Miami a six-point lead - he was fouled while scoring, putting away the free throw and then followed up with a three pointer from deep. But while the Heat were moving the ball well, typically, San Antonio kept close, helped by a huge three pointer from Gary Neal before a Duncan lay-up leveled the game at 40-40 with 1:55 left in the half. Wade ended a fine first half performance with a fall-away jump shot to give the Heat a 46-44 lead at the break after scoring 14 points on 7-12 shooting and grabbing six rebounds. James drained his third three-pointer early in the third quarter but two jumpers from the an impressive Kawhi Leonard, who had grabbed 10 first-half rebounds, ensured the Spurs kept with the pace. Danny Green, who had been struggling with his shooting, sank a three-pointer to put San Antonio briefly a point ahead with 5:27 left in the third but James responded with two long rangers of his own, his five three-pointers a personal best in an NBA Finals game. The Spurs led by two but Mario Chalmers beat the buzzer at the end of the third with a 30-footer to take Miami into the final quarter of the season with a 72-71 lead. A Battier three gave the Heat an early four point cushion and a Wade basket extended the lead to six with 7:14 remaining. But San Antonio again responded and when Leonard drained a three-pointer it was a two-point game with two minutes left. Chalmers missed two free throws but with 27 seconds left James delivered the killer blow with a vital jump shot and then made sure of victory when he snatched a Manu Ginobili pass, was fouled and put away both his free throws. Wade added another from the free throw line before the crowd erupted in celebration. - Reuters, June 21, 2013. |
| Spain romp to record 10-0 win over Tahiti Posted: 20 Jun 2013 06:29 PM PDT
Fernando Torres scored four times and David Villa claimed a hat-trick for the world and European champions at Rio's hallowed Maracana, with David Silva adding a brace and Juan Mata also finding the net. No team had previously won by 10 goals at an international FIFA event, with Hungary (9-0 against South Korea at the 1954 World Cup, 10-1 against El Salvador at the 1982 World Cup) and Yugoslavia (9-0 against Zaire at the 1974 World Cup) the co-holders of the previous record. Tahiti, who sit 138th in the FIFA ranking, equalled their heaviest defeat - a 10-0 demolition by New Zealand in 2004 - but Spain fell short of matching their 13-0 annihilation of Bulgaria in a 1933 friendly. "It's a very nice result. The difference between the two teams was too great," said Spain coach Vicente del Bosque. "But we played our game and they have a way of playing that is correct. They're a very noble team." Spain will be assured of a place in the semi-finals if Nigeria avoid defeat against Uruguay in Salvador later in Group B. The same outcome would also end Tahiti's mathematical chance of reaching the last four. Tahiti coach Eddy Etaeta said the reception his part-time players had received from the Brazilian crowd represented a "great victory". "We've won the hearts of the fans," he said. "'Obrigado' (thank you, in Portuguese) to everyone." Del Bosque made no less than 10 changes to his starting line-up, with only centre-back Sergio Ramos keeping his place in the team from the 2-1 win over Uruguay. Tahiti's players presented their opponents with necklaces and pendants prior to kick-off, but the pleasantries did not last long, as Torres beat goalkeeper Mickael Roche at his near post to give Spain a fifth-minute lead. Roche was drafted into the Tahiti team in place of Xavier Samin, who shipped six goals against Nigeria, and the newcomer momentarily looked set to play the hero, saving at Torres' feet and repelling Santi Cazorla's half-volley. His resistance did not last long, however, as Spain ran in three goals in the 14 minutes before half-time to banish any hopes of a shock result. Silva found the bottom-left corner from Villa's pass in the 31st minute, with Torres dinking the ball over the advancing Roche and rolling home before Villa got on the score-sheet from Silva's low cross. Tahiti surprisingly enjoyed 37 percent of possession in the first half, but Del Bosque added another attacking player at half-time in Jesus Navas and Villa soon made it 5-0 from a low Nacho Monreal cross. Torres completed his hat-trick in the 57th minute, side-footing home from Navas' cut-back, before Villa matched his strike partner by tapping in after Roche allowed a long pass to squirm through his grasp. Mata drove in Spain's eighth shortly afterwards, and although Torres then put a penalty against the crossbar, he quickly atoned by rounding Roche to roll in his fourth goal. Navas teed up his new Manchester City team-mate Silva for the record-breaking 10th goal in the 89th minute, by which time Spain's celebrations had become rather sheepish. - AFP, June 21, 2013. |
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