James, Bosh, Wade carry Heat over Bulls, 101-93
Dwyane Wade was ailing, so LeBron James and Chris Bosh more than picked up the slack.
Then Wade found his groove at the perfect time, and the Miami Heat , the team put together solely to win championships, moved one emotional victory away from the NBA finals.
James scored 35 points, Bosh added 22 and the Heat beat the Chicago Bulls 101-93 on Tuesday night, taking a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
Game 5 is Thursday in Chicago, when the Heat can wrap up their first finals trip since 2006.
"Even though it took an extra five minutes, we held serve," James said.
Wade went scoreless for nearly 33 straight minutes, before making a jumper with 2:08 left in overtime to help Miami keep the lead. He had two blocked shots in overtime, and after James made a contested jumper with 29 seconds remaining for a six-point lead, Derrick Rose's layup was swatted away on the next Chicago possession.
At long last, it was over.
"My teammates kept telling me that I would make the biggest play of the game," Wade said. "They told me to stick with it, stick with it - and I did. The game is not won in the first minute, it's won in the last so I stuck with it and was able to do some things to help us get a victory."
Bosh scored the first four points of overtime, and the Heat - now 8-0 at home in the playoffs - never trailed in the extra session. James closed it with two free throws with 1.4 seconds left, his 12th and 13th of the night, all without a miss. Bosh was 10 for 11 from the line, and Miami outscored Chicago 32-17 in that department.
The Heat made their final 24 free throws.
Rose scored 23 points for the Bulls, who got 20 apiece from Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer. Chicago has lost three straight games for the first time this season.
But what this game will be remembered for was how the Heat rallied around Wade - then watched him save his best for the very end.
"We reminded him in one of the final huddles, this is his time," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
The 2006 NBA finals MVP was in the arena late Monday night, trying to work on some things in one of his customary playoff after-dark sessions.
Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. This seemed like it would be the latter.
Whatever answer he sought, he didn't find for much of Game 4. Wade made just 5 of 16 shots from the field, lacking his usual lift at the rim. He made a pair of free throws with 1:50 left in the first half for his seventh and eighth points, and didn't score again until overtime.
Better late than never.
That was just the start for the Heat.
"Hey, they're a great team," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "They compete. They play hard. They play great defense ... and they made plays at the end."
Chicago turned the ball over on consecutive possessions, Wade turned the second of those into a layup with 1:01 left for a 95-89 lead, and the Heat soon knew they were one win away from the title round.
Mike Miller scored 12 for Miami.
"I'm going to learn from it," said Rose, who tried to take personal blame for the loss.
The fourth quarter was pure theater, both teams clearly knowing - clearly relishing - the stakes.
Miami scored the first seven points for a 70-69 lead. Chicago took the lead back on a pair of free throws by Rose with 6:34 left, and Miami answered with a four-point possession - two free throws by Bosh after a flagrant foul against Boozer, followed by Miller making a jumper over Rose for a 78-77 edge.
Back and forth from there, with the lead, the momentum, control of the series, all seeming to turn every time the ball crossed midcourt.
"It's been a long time coming," Miller said. "I've been waiting for a game like this."
Rose had a chance with 28 seconds left, his jumper from the left side hitting the rim and eventually being corralled by Miller. The Heat called time with 23 seconds left, 18 seconds on the shot clock, everyone in the building probably thinking the play would be set up for James.
It was. And it never got a chance for liftoff.
Referee Bennett Salvatore called James for an offensive foul with 8 seconds left, saying Ronnie Brewer beat him to the spot as the two-time MVP tried to back down the right side of the lane.
So instead of winning the game late in regulation, James had to send it to overtime with defense. He guarded Rose on the final possession, forcing the Chicago guard into a taking a jumper that fell way short, and off to an extra 5 minutes they went.
"Just came up short," Rose said.
Rose finished 8 for 27 from the field, with seven turnovers.
"All I can do now is put it behind me and go forward," Rose said.
A day after being fined $50,000 for directing an anti-gay slur at a fan in Game 3, Bulls center Joakim Noah had six points and 14 rebounds in 45 minutes. And there seemed to be very little, if any, unusual rancor from Miami fans toward Noah.
Chicago's lead was 46-44 at halftime, after some wild emotional swings - a 19-4 run by the Bulls, followed by a 29-9 spurt for the Heat, then capped by an 18-7 rebuttal by the Bulls to close the second quarter.
Game 2 star Udonis Haslem replaced Bosh with 3:49 left in the opening quarter, and for whatever reason, that was when the Heat began what became a 20-point turnaround over the next 10 minutes. They took a 19-8 deficit and turned it into a 37-28 lead, with Haslem on the floor the entire way.
Chicago grabbed the lead back, thanks to - who else? - the MVP.
Rose was 2 for 11 after getting blocked by James with 5:01 left in the half, and wouldn't remain quiet much longer. He blew past Mario Chalmers for a dunk with 2:03 left until halftime, then had an even better slam - getting free with a crossover dribble, then elevating past Joel Anthony at the rim - for another three-point play 25 seconds later to put Chicago back on top.
The Heat never led in the third quarter, but Chicago never pulled away.
The Bulls were up by eight and had possession with 3 minutes left, before Miami scored eight of the game's next 10 points to make a precarious deficit a bit more manageable and set up the unbelievable final quarter.
"Look, this series is an absolute bloodbath," Spoelstra said. "It's about as competitive and physical as it can be."
And down 3-1, Rose conceded nothing.
"They are beatable," Rose said.
Source: Sports illustrated
Tiger Woods expects his injuries to heal before US Open
Tiger Woods expects he will be "ready to go" for the US Open in mid-June despite injury problems with his knee, Achilles, calf and back.
Woods has been using crutches and wearing a protective boot on his left leg to ensure he will be fit.
But the 35-year-old remains doubtful for the Memorial Tournament that starts on 30 May in Dublin, Ohio.
Woods said: "I feel that, in the next week or so, I can start practicing pain free. That's where I'm at."
To Woods's relief doctors have not mentioned the possibility of further leg surgery.
"I've had four surgeries on it," said Woods. "Obviously, it's not what it was when I was little."
Woods expects to start fitness training again by the end of the week but will not be able to start hitting balls again until he knows how his leg responds.
If, as expected, he is unable to play in the Memorial, Woods would go to the US Open, which takes place from 16-19 June, with little competition under his belt, although he has been in that situation before.
In 2008, he had arthroscopic surgery after the Masters and did not play again until the US Open but still won the tournament.
Doctors discovered a double stress fracture in his left tibia in the weeks before the major but Woods ignored their advice Woods played and won at Torrey Pines in a play-off lasting 19 holes.
He says his left leg is not nearly as bad as it was then but Woods was forced to withdraw after only nine holes at The Players Championship this month.
He has also fallen out of the world top 10 for the first time in 14 years and is currently ranked 12th.
Woods said: "I haven't played. It's one of the reasons I've fallen as far as I have. When I did play, I haven't played well. Winning takes care of all of that."
Before speaking to the press on Tuesday, Woods posted on Twitter that he would donate $1m to his foundation if no reporters asked him about his leg.
He was asked about the injured limb but Woods later tweeted that he would donate the money anyway.
Usain Bolt set to start season, and ready for Tyson Gay
Olympic 100m champion Usain Bolt is confident he can beat rival Tyson Gay over 100m this season, gaining revenge for a surprise defeat last August.
World record-holder Bolt was struggling with a back injury when he lost to American Gay in Stockholm last year.
"Yes - Tyson beat me and he deserved it. As long as I am in shape, I have no worries," Bolt told BBC Sport.
Bolt makes his European season debut at Thursday's Rome Diamond League meeting, taking on Asafa Powell over 100m.
But he has his eyes on a meeting with Gay before the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, which start at the end of August.
"We're going to take the Diamond League as a stepping stone leading to the World Championship to determine how good my start is, what I need to adjust," he explained.
"If me and Tyson meet before the World Championship it would be good - to determine what I need to do and don't need to do."
Away from the track, Bolt cuts a more relaxed figure but he was far more focused when I met up with him in Jamaica recently than he had been in similar circumstances two years ago.
It's no secret that Bolt enjoys a party. In marketing terms, it has become part of the fastest man in the world's brand.
So I was expecting him to be central to some lively celebrations at his brother Sadiki's birthday party in a swanky nightclub in Jamaica's capital, Kingston. What I found was very different.
A strikingly slimmed down but broader-shouldered Bolt nodded his head to the tracks booming out from the speakers but stood on outskirts of the dancehall.
He had a drink in his hands but sipped it slowly, while those around him threw back the shots.
Two years ago, he had a drink in each hand, danced away until the early hours and lapped up the attention.
Two days after the party we sat down in a small hotel room, filled with PR people, cameras and bright lights. He was in a thoughtful mood and the most relaxed I had seen him in front of the camera as I asked about that defeat in Stockholm.
"For me last season was just a season. It wasn't a serious season," he said.
"We went out there and my coach told me that last season was a season for us not to do too much and try and rest up a little bit for the upcoming seasons - because these were going to be strenuous on my body.
"But this season I'm ready and I'm just working hard trying to get into shape."
The rivalry between Bolt and Gay is great for athletics. Before last August, some had questioned whether Bolt had any serious competition - something that clearly never crossed Bolt's mind.
"Tyson is like a track guru!" Bolt said with a wide grin. "I think he works harder than everybody. He said it: he doesn't drink, he doesn't party… I don't think he does anything but track!
"He does everything so well. He's so determined.
"When he runs you can see it in his eyes that he wants to win. He works hard and he's determined that he wants to be the best."
Gay isn't Bolt's only rival. He opens up his season on Thursday fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell, the 100m world record-holder from 2005 to 2008 and a man Bolt holds in a very high regard.
"He's a great person and he's fun to be around which a lot of people may not know because he doesn't show that on the track," Bolt said.
"Asafa has laid the foundation for Jamaicans in the 100m sprint."
Another Jamaican we should be looking out for is Yohan Blake. Bolt reveals his training partner is pushing him hard everyday.
"This kid is like a beast," said Bolt. "If you see him in training, he strives to beat me everyday in training.
"He works so hard and he's going to be really good in the future I promise - that's one thing I'm sure of.
"He tells me 'I'm going to beat you'. I keep telling him 'no! It's not going to happen'. That keeps me on my toes - because I see how hard that he works."
A day before our interview, we filmed Usain at the Jamaican Boys and Girls High School Championships.
Camera crews from Brazil, Japan, Switzerland and France, and others from the UK, filmed his every move.
As thousands gathered at the national stadium, cheering and screaming his name it was easy to forget that there was a time when Bolt was not a superstar athlete.
At the 2005 World Championships, he finished last in the 200m final, having picked up an injury, and in 2007 he was second to Gay. So what changed?
"I was young and I was kind of satisfied with the situation I was in," revealed Bolt. "Then I really sat down and me and my coach talked and he said, 'You can be the best, you can run fast times'.
"After the 2007 World Championships I said to my coach, 'How can I be a champion?' and he said, 'You have to get stronger, you got to be more focused on what you want'.
"So that's what I did I just changed a few things and that was it."
Those changes saw Bolt take his abilities to another level. He was suddenly doing things he never even dreamed he would achieve.
"I knew I could run 9.8 [seconds for 100m] probably 9.7 if I'm lucky - but I never knew I would be running 9.5. I never saw that!" he said laughing.
At his peak, experts questioned whether Usain had any motivation to really push himself. He was winning every race, and at times without looking like he was trying.
But as we talked about his strengths and the season ahead I sensed last season's defeat has ignited the motivation that others had questioned.
"I think I'm a little bit back from the past seasons," said Bolt. "But I always do better under a challenge. I always try to do extra better when I'm behind so that's kind of good in a way.
"When I'm under pressure I work even better."
And judging by his understated actions in the nightclub, Bolt has found the motivation and focus to make 2011 a comeback year to remember.
French Open: Kim Clijsters wins on return to Paris
World number two Kim Clijsters made heavy weather of her first French Open appearance in five years, overcoming Anastasiya Yakimova 6-2 6-3.
Clijsters conceded a break on the verge of victory, before finally disposing of the Belarusian in 80 minutes.
The two-time finalist will face the Netherlands' Arantxa Rus next.
Rome Masters winner Maria Sharapova and fourth seed Victoria Azarenka also progressed, but former champion Ana Ivanovic suffered a first-round upset.
Clijsters, the Australian and US Open champion, had not played at Roland Garros since her 2006 semi-final defeat by Justine Henin.
Three tournaments went by during her break from the game, while she was absent last year through a foot injury.
The Belgian, who has missed another two months of action in the build-up to this year's event, admitted she was still getting reacquainted with the surface.
"I felt that I was moving aggressively but didn't always go to the lines as much as I would like to," she said.
"I was trying, but I was kind of just not on target as much as I would like to be."
Sharapova needed only 56 minutes to brush aside Croatian Mirjana Lucic and reach the French Open second round.
The seventh-seeded Russian, a semi-finalist at Roland Garros in 2007, broke for a 4-3 lead in the first set before taking nine successive games.
Lucic, ranked 94, crumbled and the errors soon mounted as Sharapova wrapped up the 6-3 6-0 victory in emphatic fashion.
Sharapova, won the Wimbledon title in 2004, the US Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008, will face France's Caroline Garcia for a place in the last 32.
Also advancing to the second round was China's sixth-seeded Li Na, who overcame a stumble in the second set to progress 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 against Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic.
Fourth seed Azarenka made more leisurely progress as she dispatched the Czech Republic's Andrea Hlavackova 6-3 6-3.
Yanina Wickmayer, seeded 21st, was similarly ruthless in seeing off Romania's Monica Niculescu 6-0 6-3, as 15th seed Andrea Petkovic had to save three set points to prevent 6-4 7-6 (7-3) win over Bojana Jovanovski heading to a decider.
However former world number one Ivanovic, who won the tournament in 2008 and reached the final in 2007, saw her French Open campaign ended at the earliest opportunity.
Unseeded Swede Johanna Larsson, ranked 64th in the world, surrendered the second set to love, but bounced back to upset the Serb 7-6 (7-3) 0-6 6-2.
Ivanovic was in tears after the defeat as she explained that a wrist injury, the latest in a run of health problems, had restricted her play.
"It is very frustrating. It's inflammation of the wrist but I didn't suffer it playing, I woke up with the problem. The bone has slipped and has caused friction. I'm very upset," she said.
Australian 24th seed Jarmila Gajdosova swept aside France's Virginie Razzano in business-like style with a 6-3 6-1 win.
Razzano's defeat on the Philippe Chatrier court came eight days after her coach and fiance Stephane Vidal died of a brain tumour.
"I grabbed all my courage. I don't have much. I'm very fragile," said Razzano.
"I feel lonely, and even though there are many people around me supporting me I still have the strength in me that keeps me standing up and moving on step by step."
Razzano confirmed that she intends to play at the AEGON Classic in Birmingham in June as she agreed with Vidal before his death.
Pakistan beat West Indies to square Test series
Pakistan completed a 196-run victory over West Indies in St Kitts to square the two-Test series at 1-1.
Pakistan 272 & 377-6 dec v West Indies 223 & 230 by 196 runs
Resuming at 130-5 in pursuit of an unlikely 427, the Windies lost Brendan Nash in the third over of the morning with only five runs added.
Skipper Darren Sammy hit 41 from 51 balls and Ravi Rampaul blasted two sixes in 20 but the Windies were all out before lunch for 230.
Before the Tests Pakistan captured the one-day international series 3-2.
US Treasury agrees to sell $5.8bn worth of AIG shares
The US Treasury has agreed to sell part of its stake in American International Group (AIG), as it winds down ownership of the global insurer.
The government plans to sell 200 million AIG shares at $29 (£18) each, a total of $5.8bn.
It stands to make as much as $7.1bn, if banks like those on Wall Street buy more shares from the US Treasury.
After the share sale, the government's ownership stake will fall to 77% from 92%.
"Today's announcement represents an important milestone as we continue to exit our stake in AIG," Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said in a statement.
"The decision to provide this assistance was exceptionally difficult, but it's clear today that it was essential to stopping a financial panic, preventing a severe economic collapse, and helping save American jobs."
During the financial crisis of 2008, the government's bailout of AIG totalled $180 billion.
It was widely criticised at the time, as taxpayers resented having to foot the bill for what they perceived as Wall Street excess.
The government is estimated to have paid around $28.73 for each share of AIG.
Tuesday's share sale translates into a profit of $0.27 per share for the Treasury and by extension, the taxpayer.
AIG made a profit of $269m in the first three months of 2011, compared to $1.8bn a year earlier.
It was hurt by a $1.7bn payout for disasters including Japan's earthquake and tsunami in March.
Foreign investment into Europe jumps thanks to US
Foreign investment into Europe grew sharply in 2010 to reach levels not seen since the global financial crisis began, a survey suggests.
This resulted in a record number of projects funded, while the number of jobs these helped to create rose by 10% to 137,000, said Ernst & Young.
A 24% rise in projects funded by US investors was behind the rise.
The report also suggested Western Europe would soon rival China for attracting foreign capital.
It said increased investment in Europe led to a 14% rise in the number of projects funded to 3,757, a record level.
"Following a significant decline in investment during the worst of the global recession, investors are now coming back in force to Europe, led by the the US," said Mark Otty at Ernst & Young.
'More attractive'
Measured by project numbers, Germany saw the biggest increase in foreign investment, with a 34% rise to 560 projects. This was two less than France but well below the UK, where 728 projects were funded by investors outside Europe.
Russia, Poland, Hungary and the Baltics also saw strong growth in foreign investment "reflecting the strong economic recovery in the region and its growing attractiveness to business", Ernst & Young said.
However, Portugal, Greece and Spain saw a fall in project numbers.
The car manufacturing sector saw the biggest rise in investment, with business services, renewable energy and software also benefiting.
Looking forward, the report said business executives saw Western Europe as a close second to China as the most attractive region to invest in, but expected the two be equally attractive in three years.
"Europe is now competing as an investment destinations with rapid-growth economies," said Mr Otty.
Figures published by the United Nations earlier this year showed that, in cash terms, France was the top recipient of foreign investment in 2010.
Measured by market capitalisation, the country attracted $57.4bn (£35.4bn; 40.6bn euros) in 2010, a slight fall on 2009 levels but still more than any other European country.
Belgium was the next biggest recipient, with $50.5bn invested, followed by the UK ($46.2bn) and Germany ($34.4bn).
US new home sales rise in April
US new home sales rose for the second month in a row in April, climbing 7.3% on the month before, figures show.
April sales came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 323,000 homes, the Commerce Department said, which was stronger than analysts had forecast.
But sales are still at historically low levels and April's figure was 23.1% below that of April 2010.
In February 2011, new-home sales had fallen to a rate of 278,000, the lowest since records began in 1963.
The better-than-expected improvement in April signals a slight pick-up in the depressed construction sector.
Weak recovery
However, in terms of total sales, new home sales represent only a small portion of the US housing market.
Sales of previously-owned homes unexpectedly fell by 0.8% in April to an annual rate of 5.05 million, the National Association of Realtors said last week.
Oversupply of used homes and a large inventory of foreclosed properties is undermining a recovery in the housing market, analysts say.
Despite mortgage rates being at historic lows and rock-bottom house prices, would-be homebuyers also face high unemployment and a weak economic recovery.
"Although the headline figure has moved sharply on a month-to-month basis, reflecting in part the impact of harsh weather in earlier months, the bottom line is that the new home market continues to bounce along the bottom," said Omair Sharif at RBS Securities in Connecticut.
Greece default would hurt other countries, says Moody's
Any Greek debt default would likely hurt the credit rating of other peripheral eurozone countries, the ratings agency Moody's has warned.
In a statement on the impact of a potential default, Moody's said such a default would also hurt Greek banks.
Moody's also became the latest agency to say any kind of restructuring of Greek debt would constitute a default.
Meanwhile, the Greek opposition leader has rejected the government's request to support a four-year austerity plan.
The plan would lay out deficit reduction measures that go two years beyond the next general election.
Greece received a 110bn euro (£96bn; $155bn) bail-out from the European Union and International Monetary Fund last year.
'Wrong recipe'
Greece's European partners had demanded cross-party support for the plan after talks last week on possible further bail-out measures.
Antonis Samaras, leader of the New Democracy party, said he believed the austerity demanded by Brussels would hurt the country's economic recovery.
"I am not going to agree to this recipe, which has been proven wrong," said Mr Samaras after meeting Prime Minister George Papandreou.
The right-winger instead wants to cut taxes in order to stimulate an economic recovery.
"The government lacks the courage to restart the economy and is not considering a renegotiation," he added.
"It is repeating the same mistake, and exceeding the limits of the Greek economy and of our people."
The government has a majority in parliament and does not rely on opposition support for its current austerity budgets.
'Looting'
But Mr Papandreou faces even more opposition from the left.
The head of the Communist party, which is influential with trade unions, refused even to meet him, while Alexis Tsipras, leader of the Left Coalition party, called on him to resign.
"I didn't come to discuss the looting of Greek society with Mr Papandreou," said Mr Tsipras. "I came to tell him that he must not... go ahead with this crime against the Greek people."
Meanwhile, Greece's second biggest union Adedy, which represents civil servants, announced plans for a general 24-hour strike in June.
"This policy must stop now," the union said in a statement, referring to budget cuts including public pay cuts, civil service redundancies and an increase in VAT.
"These measures will bring down the living standards of small and medium classes by over 20%."
'Adverse implications'
There has been increasing speculation that Greece could be allowed to restructure its debt.
On Monday, the Luxembourg Prime Minister and head of the eurogroup, Jean-Claude Juncker, said that a restructuring would involve a delay in repayments and a cut in interest payments, but would only be granted if the Greek government met strict targets.
In its statement, Moody's said: "It is apparent that the longer the current state of uncertainty affecting Greece persists, the greater the temptation on the part of both the Greek and the euro area authorities to try to undertake some form of debt restructuring - in other words, to allow Greece to default.
"Moody's believes that a default is likely to have adverse credit rating implications for Greece, possibly some other stressed European sovereigns, and the Greek banks, regardless of the efforts made to achieve an 'orderly' outcome.
"The full impact on Europe's capital markets would be hard to predict and harder still to control. The fallout would have implications for the creditworthiness (and hence the ratings) of issuers across Europe."
Meanwhile, Greece's cost of borrowing in bond markets has continued to rise steadily, as expectations of an eventual default rise.
The yield on its 10-year bonds rose above 17% on Tuesday, up from 15.3% a week ago.
Chrysler repays $7.6bn in government loans
US car giant Chrysler has repaid $7.6bn (£4.7bn) in US and Canadian government loans that helped it stay afloat in 2009, six years ahead of schedule.
The repayments include $5.9bn to the US and $1.7bn to Canada.
Plummeting sales forced Chrysler, alongside its Detroit rival General Motors, to turn for help during the global downturn.
US President Barack Obama called the repayment a "significant milestone" for the US auto industry.
The carmaker was able to make the repayments with cheaper loans from institutional investors and banks, which, it said, would save hundreds of millions of dollars a year in interest payments.
However, the US government stills holds a stake in the company.
"Less than two years ago, we made a commitment to repay the US and Canadian taxpayers in full and today we made good on that promise," said Chrysler chief executive Sergio Marchionne.
"Paying back the loans, along with the financial community's investment in our refinancing packages, marks another step in the company returning as a competitive force in the global automotive industry."
Return to profit
US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said: "Chrysler's early repayment of its outstanding [government] loans is an important step in the turnaround of this company and the resurgence of the auto industry".
The carmaker posted a quarterly profit in the first three months of this year for first time since 2007.
It made a net profit of $116m for the period, thanks to the success of its newer models and the overall recovery in global demand for vehicles.
Chrysler was forced into bankruptcy protection in the summer of 2009.
Upon its emergence, Italian carmaker Fiat bought a 20% stake in Chrysler. It then increased this first to 25% and then to 30% earlier this year, before taking a 46% shareholding last month.
The company has shared its technology and management with Chrysler, helping the American firm to turn around its fortunes.