Heat huge win over the Cavaliers

The Miami Heat extended their win streak to 24 on a thrilling comeback victory. The scoreboard leaked fluid, causing a long delay. The home team, missing its top three scorers, built a mammoth lead over the defending NBA champions. A fan sprinted onto the court, hoping to convince LeBron James to come back home. The game was very exciting I thought that the Heats win streak would end.   When the Heat trailing by nine points entering the fourth quarter, James made a 3-pointer and layup before draining another long 3 to tie it at 77 with 10:28 left. After his shot dropped through the net, James turned toward the sellout crowd in Quicken Loans Arena and delivered any icy stare to many of the same faces who cheered him during his seven seasons as a member of the Cavaliers. James and his teammates have insisted the Lakers' record, once believed to be untouchable but now within their reach, isn't a goal. And for more than 30 minutes, they seemed disinterested and were on the verge of losing for the first time since Feb. 1. Miami trailed 67-40 with 7:44 left in the third quarter, and there weren't many signs that they were going to make it a game. But Shane Battier made three 3-pointers as the Heat closed the third quarter with a 28-10 run and the irrepressible James, who added 12 rebounds and 10 assists in 42 minutes, did the rest in the fourth as the Heat inched closer to history while matching the NBA's biggest comeback this season After the game cleveland would hope for a 2014 comeback to the Cavs.

Heat head to Boston looking to make it 23 in a row

No extra motivation needed when the hated Heat come to Boston. Lebron James’ 45-point masterpiece on their own floor that kept them from reaching the NBA Finals last year, Ray Allen swapping sides over the summer, and recent years of bad blood and great games would've had the Celtics ready Monday night. Now throw in the chance to end Miami's 22-game winning streak. The heat equaled the second-longest  winning streak in NBA history Sunday, pulling, away in the fourth quarter to beat the Toronto Raptors 108-91 back where it began on Feb. 3. Now it's on to Boston to face the rival Celtics, who ended the last winning streak this long and have won 11 in a row at home. James had 22 points and 12 rebounds for his career-best 32nd double-double of the season, Wade had 24 points and nine assists, and Allen scored 16 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter for the defending NBA champions. Chris Bosh finished with 18 points as the Heat matched the 22 consecutive wins recorded by the 2007-08 Houston Rockets. The NBA's longest streak is 33 games, set by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers. The teams have become regular postseason opponents, Miami knocking Boston out in both years since James and Bosh signed with the Heat in 2010. It took James' epic performance to help the Heat do it last year, when the Celtics had a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference finals. The Heat have faced the Celtics twice so far this season. They blew out Boston 120-107 in Miami on opening night, then lost 100-98 in double-overtime on the road on Jan. 27, the day Boston learned that Rajon Rondo needed knee surgery. Winners of two straight, the Celtics may be without veteran forward Kevin Garnett on Monday. The 15-time All-Star sat out Saturday's victory over Bobcats with a strained left thigh and is day-to-day. Miami blew it open Sunday behind Allen's 3-point shooting after Toronto tied it at 77 early in the fourth quarter.

Kobe getting treatment for high ankle sprain

Now, the Los Angeles Lakers are hoping the injury doesn't keep their star away from a playoff push for long. Bryant spent Thursday getting several hours of treatment on what he called the worst sprained ankle of his 17 NBA seasons, hoping to be healthy for Friday's game at Indiana. Although the Lakers offered no update on his condition after saying Bryant was out indefinitely, the NBA acknowledged Jones should have been called for a foul on the play that left Bryant crumpled on the court in Atlanta. The fifth-leading scorer in NBA history was hurt when he landed on Jones' foot with 4 seconds left after attempting a potential tying jumper in the Lakers' 96-92 loss to the Hawks on Wednesday night. Bryant rolled on the ground and eventually left the court in anger and pain, furious about Jones' questionable tactics in sliding underneath him while Bryant hung in the air. The NBA later said video replay confirmed Bryant was fouled. After review at the league office, video replay confirmed that referees missed a foul call on Jones as he challenged Bryant's shot and did not give him the opportunity to land cleanly back on the floor. Bryant should have been granted two free throws.  Bryant tweeted that his ankle was still very swollen and had treatment all day. The Lakers had the day off Thursday in Indianapolis, the final stop on their three-game road trip. As some Lakers players meandered in and out of the team hotel, Bryant was not seen. Bryant's shot would have tied the game if he made it, which means the no-call played a role in costing the Lakers a valuable victory in their playoff push. With 17 wins in 23 games before their loss to Atlanta, the Lakers (34-32) are a half-game ahead of Utah (33-32) for the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference. The team and Bryant did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Bryant is an uncommonly durable player who hasn't missed a game this season. Although Bryant has played through countless minor injuries to his ankles in recent years. Bryant thought Jones moved underneath him while Bryant was in the air for a potential game-tying fadeaway jumper, leaving Bryant with nowhere to land.

Vick's book tour canceled

The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback was scheduled to sign copies of his autobiography ''Finally Free'' at Barnes & Noble stores in Atlanta, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The March 26 appearance set for Exton, Pa., was listed as canceled on the company's website. A person with knowledge of the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. Vick served 18 months in federal prison for his role in running the dogfighting ring. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback agreed last month to a restructured three-deal with the Eagles to remain with the team. A former No. 1 overall pick by Atlanta, Vick was signed by Philadelphia in 2009 after missing two season while in federal prison. While there will always be staunch animal lovers who will never forgive Vick's role in running a dogfighting ring, he has been largely embraced in Philadelphia. He revived his career and rehabbed his image without the protests and anger that followed immediately following his release from prison. Since his release from prison in 2009, Vick has worked with The Humane Society of the United States to speak out against animal cruelty. He had made appearances at schools and spoken to students about the dangers of being involved in dogfighting.

Gun comments split family of Oscar Pistorius

A remarkably public feud erupted Tuesday within the family of Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee Olympian charged with murdering his girlfriend, as the runner and his relatives distanced themselves from comments his father reportedly made about guns and crime in South Africa. South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress, also waded into the family dispute. A spokesman for the party accused Henke Pistorius the runner's father, of racism for his observations reported in British newspapers about crime against white South Africans and the suggestion that the ANC government isn't adequately protecting them. The Pistorius family and the reputation management firm it has hired are working to head off any negative publicity or controversy that might possibly have a bearing on the outcome of the runner's case, which could see him jailed for life if convicted of premeditated murder. They quickly issued a statement early Tuesday morning saying the family is deeply concerned about the father's interview that  that it doesn't represent the views of Oscar or the rest of the Pistorius family. The Telegraph and Mirror newspapers quoted Henke Pistorius as saying the family owns handguns for self-defense. That is not unusual in South Africa. Two years ago, Police Minister Nkosinathi Emmanuel Mthethwa said the country of 49 million people had 1.7 million registered firearm owners holding 2.9 million guns. Oscar Pistorius had a police license for the 9 mm pistol with which he shot Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine's Day. The gun collectors' club, the Lowveld Firearm Collectors Association, which the runner joined last April said Pistorius also owned but hadn't yet licensed six other firearms for his gun collection. South Africa's Beeld newspaper reported that the runner's father, three uncles and grandfather also own 55 firearms between them ranging from handguns to rifles. Some of the guns are for hunting and some are for protection, the hand guns.

Female kicker tryout for NFL

Lauren Silberman lined up for a kick at NFL history, took a deep breath and booted the football. It barely went anywhere, traveling 19 yards, and she grabbed at her right leg.  Still, it was good enough to make her the first woman to try out at a regional combine, even if her day lasted all of two kicks. With the 36 other kickers all male a handful of scouts and more than two dozen media watching in complete silence at the New York Jets' practice facility. Silberman struggled for about 20 seconds to place the football on the tee before measuring her steps and then trying that second kick. This one went only about 13 yards. She then asked to see a trainer and left the practice field after injuring her quadriceps, and appeared to be slightly favoring her right leg. The ball certainly didn't go as far as they were in practices for her but she tried to work through the pain. She tried staying off it and waited for today. She didn't even take kicks in warm-ups, and, it's pretty hard to know that you'll be in pain, and she wanted to work through it and she certainly tried to, but she just couldn't do it today. Silberman, a former club soccer player at Wisconsin and ex-graduate student at MIT, appeared frustrated she couldn't complete her tryout. She had always been an athlete, and she had always been a gamer and  while fighting back tears. When she had the opportunity to be in the NFL, one of the world's most competitive leagues, she absolutely had to take the chance. Silberman waited outside the facility around noon with all the other kickers, whose names were read off alphabetically as they entered the indoor practice field. Each participant was then given time to warm up before being broken into groups to attempt three kickoffs and then a set of five field goals, the first starting from 35 yards all the way up to 55 yards. Silberman paid a registration fee about $275 and just needed to show up Sunday and take her best shot at impressing scouts. Entertainment network followed her every move. Silberman's goal was to try a 60-yard field goal. That thought was squashed just minutes into her tryout.

 

Idaho baseball fan is permitted to sue stadium over lost eye

An Idaho man who lost an eye after being hit by a ball during a minor league baseball game can move forward with a lawsuit against stadium owners and the team, the Idaho Supreme Court said. Bud Rountree was attending a Boise Hawks game in August 2008 when a foul ball struck him in the eye. Rountree in 2010 sued the stadium owners and the Boise Hawks, a Chicago Cubs farm team, for negligence in state court. Attorneys for the defendants asked the court to invoke the so-called baseball rule, a legal theory that limits the duty of stadium operators to fans hit by foul balls. In an opinion handed down last week, the court said that courts do have the authority to apply the rule but that it was declining to do so. Boise Baseball argued that Rountree tacitly consented to expose himself to the risk of being hit by a baseball by attending a game and by possessing a ticket that said on the back: "The holder assumes all risk and dangers incidental to the game of baseball including specifically (but not exclusively) the danger of being injured by thrown or batted balls." Boise Baseball warned that a decision against it could open the door to lawsuits by amateur and professional athletes "voluntarily playing sports like baseball, softball, basketball . . . despite the fact that there are inherent risks to these sports" that are known and consented to by players. An Idaho judge rejected those arguments, contending it was within the purview of the state legislature -not the court- to adopt the baseball rule if it chose.