Kevin Love trade terms set, T-Wolves get Bennett, Wiggins, 2015 1st rounder

The trade everyone felt was going to happen is going to happen.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports that the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed to terms regarding a trade that would have Kevin Love join LeBron James and Kyrie Irving to form a new “Big Three” in Ohio.

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Bosh officially re-signs with the Heat

 

(Reuters) - The Miami Heat on Wednesday officially confirmed the re-signing of nine-time All-Star forward Chris Bosh, nearly three weeks after the move had been reported by multiple media outlets.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the team, though local media estimate the contract to be worth $118 million over five years.

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Jubilant Germany becomes world champions again

 

(Reuters) - Germany are champions of the world again after snatching victory against Argentina in the soccer showpiece with a superb extra-time goal from baby-faced Mario Goetze to lift the trophy for the first time since 1990.

Hatched from the agony of their recent near-misses, Germany's triumph secured a fourth World Cup title - their first since the country was reunited 24 years ago - with a nail-biting 1-0 win in Sunday's final at the sprawling Maracana.

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SWEET REVENGE, GOOD START FOR GILAS PILIPINAS

 

WUHAN – A gunslinger by the name of John Paul Dalistan made an impact as Gilas Pilipinas got to a triumphant start in the fifth FIBA Asia Cup Saturday, scrambling past old rival Chinese Taipei, 78-64, at the Wuhan Sports Centre here.

Dalistan, the official passport name of Rain or Shine stalwart Paul Lee, sparkled in his debut in a major international tourney, standing out with a clutch performance as the Nationals pulled off redemption against a team that shocked Gilas Pilipinas in the 13th FIBA Asia Championship at home turf at the MOA Arena last year.

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LeBron James returning home to Cleveland

 
(Reuters) - LeBron James is returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers four years after he left his home state to join the Miami Heat, he said on Friday.

The NBA's biggest star made the announcement in a first-person essay published in Sports Illustrated. It came in stark contrast to his televised decision four years ago for which he was heavily criticized.

Under a banner headline "I'm Coming Home", James explained his decision to go back to Cleveland after leading a star-studded Miami Heat team to two NBA championships and four Eastern Conference titles.

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National Basketball Association roundup

 
(The Sports Xchange) - LeBron James is returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers, announcing the move on Friday in a heartfelt letter that set off celebrations in the home state he infuriated in 2010 by fleeing via free agency to the Miami Heat.

"My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball. I didn't realize that four years ago. I do now," said James in an exclusive co-authored essay with Sports Illustrated.

"But this is not about the roster or the organization. I feel my calling here goes above basketball. I have a responsibility to lead, in more ways than one, and I take that very seriously. My presence can make a difference in Miami, but I think it can mean more where I'm from.

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Seasoned Germany expects to edge past Argentina

 

(Reuters) - Germans expect the experience that runs through their team to give them the edge over Argentina in Sunday's World Cup final after admitting they restrained themselves when they thumped Brazil in the semi-finals.

Germany ruined the samba nation's dream of winning the World Cup when they hammered Brazil 7-1 on Tuesday but forward Thomas Mueller revealed it could have been worse.

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Di Maria ruled out, Brazil try to get Thiago Silva back

 

(Reuters) - Brazil launched a desperate appeal to have skipper Thiago Silva's ban for their World Cup semi-final against Germany overturned on Sunday but Argentine hopes of seeing Angel Di Maria in action were ended by injury.

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THE TOP FIVE PBA POINTS GUARDS OF THE 2014 SEASON

Amidst the din of the magnificent 2014 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals, several issues have popped up in the PBA: the entry of Stanley Pringle in the 2014 Rookie Draft, the perceived controversy revolving around the draft lottery, and the whole officiating hullabaloo. These nearly take away the sheer enjoyment of seeing Justin Melton sky for a sublime alley-oop dunk, seeing AZ Reid drain big shots in overtime, or seeing James Yap morph into his MVP self after repeated underwhelming performances in the eliminations.

This is why, in the middle of all this craziness, I want to shift the focus back on the players who have really made their mark this past season. For this particular piece, let’s focus on the best playmakers of the entire 2014 PBA campaign.

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Unseeded Pospisil and Sock claim surprise doubles title

 

(Reuters) - Unseeded Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock claimed a grand slam title at the first attempt after beating American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 6-4 3-6 7-5 in an enthralling men's doubles final at Wimbledon on Saturday.

The athletic duo looked undaunted against the 15-times grand slam champions and converted their fifth championship point to take the match in three hours and six minutes.

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Argentina beat Belgium, Brazil mulls Neymar absence

 
(Reuters) - Argentina beat Belgium 1-0 on Saturday to join Brazil and Germany in the World Cup semi-finals as the host nation was still reeling over the loss of star forward Neymar.

Argentina reached the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in 24 years after a brilliant eighth-minute goal by striker Gonzalo Higuain at the Brasilia national stadium.

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ONE TO GO FOR GRAND SLAM

 

San Mig Super Coffee got the buckets in the paint in the payoff period to carve out a 78-69 victory over Rain or Shine in Game 3 of the PLDT Home Telpad PBA Governors’ Cup Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Saturday.

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Germany break France's World Cup hearts again

(Reuters) - Germany broke French hearts for the third time in the World Cup when they triumphed 1-0 at the Maracana on Friday to become the first country to reach the semi-finals in four successive tournaments.
But, unlike the dramas of their memorable semi-final victories over France in Spain in 1982 and Mexico four years later, this success, secured by Mats Hummels' 13th minute header, lacked real excitement and was based more on solid defending and team work.

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Luiz stunner seals Brazil win over Colombia

 
(Reuters) - A stunning free kick from Brazil's David Luiz sealed a 2-1 win over Colombia in a frantic World Cup quarter-final on Friday, taking the hosts into a semi-final against Germany and keeping them on track for a sixth world title.

Captain Thiago Silva bundled in Neymar's corner at the back post to put Brazil ahead in the seventh minute before Luiz thundered home a dipping 30-metres free kick midway through the second half at the Castelao arena.

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Djokovic and Federer show that Big Four still rule

 

(Reuters) - When Novak Djokovic's flying forehand kissed the net and bounced into the corner, he let out a primal roar that echoed around Centre Court, the All England Club and probably all the way to his hometown of Belgrade.

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LeBron's agent meets with select teams

 

(Reuters) - The prospects of NBA fireworks loomed on the Independence Day holiday weekend as speculation grew on Friday about the future of four-time league most valuable player LeBron James.

James, who four years ago left the Cleveland Cavaliers in a messy divorce to join the Miami Heat, is a free agent and his representative has been quietly meeting with select clubs about the future of a player widely regarded as the world's best.

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Gigantic insect lands on James Rodriguez shortly after scoring for Colombia

 

James/Hamez Rodriguez scored his sixth goal of the 2014 World Cup during Colombia's 2-1 loss to Brazil, bagging a consolation from the penalty spot in the 80th minute.

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Pistorius has "heightened fight response", defense witness says

Double-amputee Olympic and Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius can't flee dangerous situations and has a "heightened fight response" due to his disability, a defense witness told his murder trial on Thursday.

Pistorius, who had his lower-legs amputated at birth, could face life in prison if he is found guilty of murdering his law graduate and model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, whom he shot and killed at his home in Pretoria on Valentine's Day last year.

His defense team have sought throughout the trial to portray Pistorius as a vulnerable individual who killed 29-year-old Steenkamp accidentally after mistaking her for an intruder hiding behind a closed toilet door.
The prosecution has argued that Pistorius is a gun-obsessed hot-head who regularly lost his temper with Steenkamp.

Sports psychology expert Professor Wayne Derman told the Pretoria High Court on Thursday that Pistorius had a life-long fear of crime and would be more likely to confront danger when standing on his stumps, as he was when he shot Steenkamp.

"He is not able to flee because of his disability, his fight response dominates his behavior ... resulting in an exaggerated fight response which culminated in this horrific tragedy," Derman said.

The trial was adjourned until Monday after state prosecutor Gerrie Nel asked for more time to consult one of the psychiatrists who participated in the evaluation of Pistorius to clarify technical aspects of Derman's testimony.

The murder trial resumed this week after a month-long break for Pistorius, known as 'Blade Runner' because of the carbon-fibre prosthetics he uses in competition, to undergo psychiatric evaluation.

The court heard on Monday that the athlete was not suffering from a mental condition when he shot Steenkamp, meaning he had the ability to distinguish between the rightful or wrongful nature of his actions.
Pistorius was once revered around the world as the ultimate example of triumph over adversity as he overcame his disability to compete alongside able-bodied athletes at the London 2012 Olympics.

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Murray's Wimbledon exit not so surprising, according to IBM analysis

Andy Murray's defeat at Wimbledon on Wednesday should have come as no surprise, according to a new IBM system that claims the Briton was a less aggressive player than opponent Grigor Dimitrov.

Computer giant IBM credited Dimitrov with 50 aggressive forehands to 44 for Murray during Wednesday's men's quarter-final match, in which Bulgarian Dimitrov knocked out last year's men's champion in straight sets.

While the two players almost tied on aggressive backhands, at 18 for Murray and 17 for Dimitrov, the Bulgarian scored a net 86 aggressive shots in total during the match, beating Murray's 71, IBM said in statistics provided to Reuters on Thursday.

This year's Wimbledon marks the first time IBM has used the system.
It was developed using data from last year's Wimbledon championship and U.S. Open, as well as this year's Australian Open, to identify four factors that define an aggressive shot.

They are: speed; landing location of the ball; distance the opponent had to move to get to the shot; and the opponent's position for the return.

A team of 48 tennis experts sitting courtside during a match then determine how aggressive a player's shot is compared to that of the other player, based on the criteria.

The statistics cannot be used to predict with certainty who will win a match, but they can help to analyze why a particular match against a particular player went the way it did, and also to prepare for an opponent, IBM says.

The U.S. company has had a partnership with Wimbledon for 25 years. Its analysis on aggressive shots is just part of a massive amount of data it has collected about matches.

"What we see is a trend in all sports that data is changing the game," Bill Jinks, an IBM engineer working on the project, said.

Canada's Eugenie Bouchard, who is ranked 13th in the world but beat Germany's Angelique Kerber, ranked 7th, on Wednesday to reach the women's semi-finals, said her coach looks at the IBM data.

The system calculated 38 aggressive forehands for Bouchard during the match against 29 for Kerber, and 23 aggressive backhands versus just 15 for the 7th seed.

"My coach has used them," Bouchard said at a press conference after the match. "(He) doesn't go into every specific detail with me, but gives me kind of a general sense of some things going on either with me or maybe the opponent I'm about to play.

"So I think he actually really appreciates them and uses them."- REUTERS

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Belgium World Cup match draws more U.S. viewers than World Series

More people in the United States tuned in to the U.S.-Belgium World Cup soccer match on Tuesday than they did for the World Series of baseball - the top championship game for the sport also known as the national pastime.

Disney-owned ESPN said it was the second highest rated men's soccer game, with about 16.5 million viewers, and that it bested its record for its streaming video app WatchESPN, with 1.1 million viewers.
Spanish-language broadcast network Univision said 5.1 million watched the U.S. play Belgium in the knockout match.


Belgium beat the U.S. 2-1 during extra time in the hard-fought contest, setting up the European team to go up against Argentina in the quarter-finals.

The number of people watching the U.S. and Belgium was likely much higher, given that scores of thousands jammed bars, restaurants and sports stadiums to view the contest. Nielsen, which provides TV ratings, measures only U.S. households.

The more than 22 million watching on Tuesday beat the number of viewers - some 19 million - who tuned in to see the Boston Red Sox win the World Series last year.

Still, soccer has a long way to go before it catches up in popularity with football. The National Football League's annual Super Bowl drew in more than 111 million U.S. viewers this year. - REUTERS

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