2014-03-31

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Cavaliers coach Byron Scott has no doubt Kyrie Irving should be the NBAs rookie of the year. "None whatsoever," he said. Hes not so certain when Irving will play again. Wearing an elastic brace on his sprained right shoulder, Irving was limited in practice on Monday and remains questionable for Tuesday nights game against the San Antonio Spurs. Irving did not take part in any contact drills during the workout as he recovers from an injury sustained during the Cavs 37-point loss to Milwaukee on Friday. Scott rested his star in New York on Saturday and may choose to sit him again. "I dont think theres any need to put him in harms way," Scott said. "If there still is an issue with it as far as pain or soreness, it doesnt benefit him to get out there and get that thing reinjured and miss the rest of the season or anything like that." As Scott provided an update on Irvings condition, the precocious 20-year-old took a break from a post-practice shooting drill to join the media half-circle around his coach. Irving put on a pair of headphones and peered through a TV cameras lens at Scott. "Are you recording this?" Scott asked his point guard. "Sounds good," Irving said. Irving was in good spirits and appeared ready to return to the floor to help the Cavs, who have dropped seven straight games, nine of 10 and faded from the playoff picture after being in contention just a few weeks ago. Irving did not speak with reporters, who monitored his every move after being allowed inside Cleveland Clinic Courts to observe. Irving, who pulled off his jersey as media members entered the gym to reveal the protective sleeve on his shoulder, shot free throws, hoisted 3-pointers and worked on his ballhandling skills. Shortly after practice ended, he was named the Eastern Conferences top rookie for the third straight month, an expected nod to the No. 1 overall pick who has been the leagues best first-year player almost from the moment the season started. Irving averaged 19.9 points, 6.7 assists and 5.0 assists in 15 games last month. Among Eastern rookies, he ranked first in scoring, 3-point percentage (.413), free-throw percentage (.881), assists fourth-quarter points (7.4). Hes averaging 18.9 points overall. If theres a better rookie, Cavs forward Antawn Jamison hasnt seen him. "I know Im biased, but just look at his body of work and the things that hes done," Jamison said. "Knowing that game after game opponents are trying to do everything possible to stop him. and to be getting 18 or 19 points per game, I dont see him not being the rookie of the year." Scott doesnt see anyone in Irvings class. "I dont think its even close," he said. Scott will have the final say on whether Irving plays against the Spurs, who have won seven in a row. He plans to talk to Irving before the game to make sure theres no lingering soreness or stiffness before making a call. Scott is relying on Irving to be honest with him. "He hasnt lied to me yet -- not yet," Scott said. "Hes been very honest with me on how he feels and I think that communication that we have will continue. When I was hurt I was hurt. Theres a difference between being hurt and being injured. I could play with pain and I know he can, too. But I just chose not to have him play the last game with pain." Clevelands slide has been especially agonizing for the 35-year-old Jamison, who came to Cleveland midway through the 2010 season thinking he might be the final piece to win the Cavs a title. But the past two years havent gone the way he hoped. It wasnt long ago that the Cavs were in the playoff discussion. That talk has been silenced. "Like everybody, I want to win," said Jamison, whose contract expires after this season. "I might not be here next year. It was tough to know that we were so close and instead of taking steps forward, we took dramatic steps backward. Its tough." Scott expects his team to play better at home than it did in Fridays 121-84 loss to Milwaukee. Following the game, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert expressed his frustration on Twitter: "One of those nights where I cant find the words to match the emotions (at least non-profane words)," he wrote. "Cavs fans deserve better. Much better." Scott echoed his boss sentiments and believes the Cavs, who lost 26 straight last year, will respond. "Weve been through this before and its been worse," he said. "For us to think that were going to stop playing and get ready for the draft is ludicrous. Were not going to do that. I dont think anybody in that locker room is going to do that. I would expect us to come out with a lot more fire and passion." wholesale jerseys . Segares played in 178 games over eight seasons, scoring 11 goals and adding 13 assists. Bone, a first-round pick in the 2010 SuperDraft, made 17 appearances in three seasons. cheap jerseys from china . The Texans moved to 3-0 for the first time in franchise history by beating old nemesis Peyton Manning and the Broncos on Sunday. Houston is one of three unbeaten teams left, along with Arizona and Atlanta, heading into Sundays game against Tennessee (1-2) at Reliant Stadium. http://www.chinawholesalenfljerseyscheap.com/ . You can watch Game 1 live on TSN at 8:30pm et/5:30pm pt. The young Thunder, with twin 23-year-old superstars in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, will play the bucking bronco trying to throw the Spurs when this rodeo kicks off Sunday in the Alamo City. wholesale nfl jerseys china . Schussler was crowned the new womens 3,000-metre champion with a time of four minutes 9.51 seconds. The Winnipeg native placed ahead of Christine Nesbitt of London, Ont. cheap nfl jerseys wholesale . 3 (game coverage begins at 6:25 p.m. ET). For the first time ever, free live streaming of the game is available in Canada via CTV.ca. CTVs extensive coverage of Super Bowl XLVII from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, La. airs live nationally and in High Definition on Sunday, Feb. PARIS -- Chelsea opened the defence of its Champions League title by throwing away a commanding lead to draw 2-2 against Italian champion Juventus, while Barcelona needed two late goals from superstar Lionel Messi to win 3-2 against Spartak Moscow. Brazilian midfielder Oscar marked his first start for Chelsea with two long-range goals, but Arturo Vidal pulled a goal back close to halftime and substitute Fabio Quagliarella equalized late on. "We are disappointed and a little bit deflated to get in a great position to win the game and come away with only a draw," Chelsea manager Roberto di Matteo said. "We should have closed the game." Oscar scored his first when he received a short pass from Eden Hazard and arrowed in a shot that took a looping deflection off Leonardo Bonucci and flew past goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. His second goal less than two minutes later had no element of luck about it, beating Andrea Pirlo to the ball and executing a flick before curling a delightful effort into the top corner from just outside the area. "Its great to see we have a player like him in our ranks," Di Matteo said. Shakhtar Donetsks comfortable 2-0 win against Danish debutant Nordsjaelland took the Ukrainian side top of Group E, with Armenian forward Henrik Mkhitaryan scoring in each half with excellent finishes. In Group G, four-time champion Barcelona had Messi to thank as the Argentina forward took his season tally to 10 goals in seven games courtesy of a devastating 10-minute spell at Camp Nou. "To talk about Messi is to talk about excellence in football," Spartak coach Unai Emery said. "It is very tough to stop him." Cristian Tello opened the scoring for Barca in the 14th minute, before Dani Alves own goal in the 29th and Romulos strike in the 59th gave the visitors an unexpected advantage. But Messi, who scored 14 goals in last seasons campaign, tapped in Tellos pass in the 71st and headed in Alexis Sanchezs cross in the 80th to keep Barcelona undefeated in their last 17 home games in Europe. Last April, Messis failure to finish in the semifinal against Chelsea left him distraught and cost Barcelona a place in the final. For a while, Spartak looked like giving him more cause for disappointment, but he dug deep to give Tito Vilanova an enjoyable European debut as Barcelona coach since taking over from Pep Guardiola. "I think this game will do us good. It is easy to think that since we are Barcelona we will win with ease," said Vilanova, who helped Barcelona win the trophy in 2009 and 11 as Guardiolas assistant. "We were able to come back and win and that shows that the team still has the desire to win.&quoot; In the other group match, there was far less excitement as Celtic created little at Parkhead in a 0-0 draw with Benfica.dddddddddddd Manchester United made a good start following midfielder Michael Carricks seventh-minute goal, but failed to impress in a 1-0 win against Galatasaray. Portugal winger Nani missed a second-half penalty as United struggled to get going at Old Trafford. The Turkish side can consider itself unlucky, hitting the goal-frame three times, having two penalty appeals rejected and forcing a couple of good saves from David de Gea. "I think we expected a tough game. Galatasaray have a lot of experience," United manager Alex Ferguson said. "There was a lack of concentration at times and its unusual for us to be as frivolous with the ball." Ferguson was keen to avoid a repeat of last years embarrassment in which United fielded below-strength teams against reputedly weaker opposition and tumbled out at the group stage, but he still made six changes from Saturdays 4-0 win against Wigan. Although Shinji Kagawa and Robin van Persie returned to boost the attack, it was Carrick who settled the early nerves. He was tripped by Fernando Muslera as he rounded the Galatasaray goalkeeper, but still slotted the ball into the net while trying to regain his feet. Ferguson has been rotating his keepers this season, but can thank De Gea for a superb double save late on from Burak Yilmaz and Emre Colak. Romanian side CFR Cluj moved top of Group H after winning 2-0 at Braga from two first-half goals by Brazilian midfielder Rafael Bastos, who was once rejected by the Portuguese side. Bayern Munich, last seasons runner-up, missed a late penalty in its 2-1 win against Valencia in Group F. Bayern midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger opened the scoring in the 38th minute and teammate Toni Kroos powerful long-range strike gave the home side some breathing space. "Of course its always dangerous when its 1-0. The second goal was very important for us," Schweinsteiger said. Valencia substitute Nelson Valdez set up some late drama with an injury-time header, and there was still time for Bayern forward Mario Mandzukic to miss a penalty on his Champions League debut. Belarusian champion BATE Borisov won 3-1 at Lille in the other Group F match, stunning Lille through a slick display of counterattacking with former Arsenal midfielder Aleksandr Hleb pulling the strings. Midfielder Aleksandr Volodko, striker Vitali Rodionov and midfielder Edgar Olekhnovich scored in the first half. Center back Aurelien Chedjou pulled a goal back on the hour mark for the dispirited home side, which failed to progress from the group stage last season. ' ' '

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