The Indiana Pacers remain on top of the TSN.ca NBA Power Rankings, ahead of the usual suspects, the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. With eight wins in the past nine games, the Pacers have displayed their outstanding defence, allowing 82 or fewer points in five of those eight wins. Its been a while since the last update (due in part to holidays and technical issues with a location move), so there have been some dramatic moves, highlighted by the Toronto Raptors vaulting from 28 all the way up to 10. That the Raptors have gone 10-5 in the past 15 games, with entirely respectable losses at Miami and Indiana most recently, is one thing, but the softness of the teams below the top tier is what makes it possible for such a huge move up the list. Suddenly, though, a season that had talk about lottery picks and Andrew Wiggins is steering in the direction of a playoff spot, and possibly homecourt advantage in the first round. Other teams moving up include the New Orleans Pelicans, with a healthy Anthony Davis, going from 16 to 11 and, also getting healthier, the Washington Wizards are up from 17 to 12. The Sacramento Kings, with solid play from small forward Rudy Gay move from 26 to 20. Heading the other direction, the Los Angeles Clippers drop from six to 13, due largely to Chris Pauls shoulder injury. The Detroit Pistons have lost seven of eight and fall from 15 to 22; the injury-ravaged Los Angeles Lakers have lost eight of nine games and sink from 18 to 23 while the Orlando Magic have lost seven of nine, as well as starting centre Nikola Vucevic, and land at 29, from 19 in the previous update. . In Englands first game since its worst-ever World Cup showing, Roy Hodgsons side rarely looked like scoring against unambitious opposition and the breakthrough in the friendly only came when Raheem Sterling was tripped in the penalty area. . Playing in his fourth major league game, Polanco broke a tie in the 13th inning with his first homer, helping Pittsburgh to an 8-6 victory over the Miami Marlins after the Pirates had a ninth-inning meltdown.
http://www.cheaphornetsjerseysauthentic ... k-jersey.K. Subban has picked the right time of the year to go on an offensive tear. . On paper, it looks a little like Andre the Giant taking on a midget wrestler. It has all the makings of a rout with the Americans adding an eighth win in nine outings of this biennial event. The Yanks have eight players in the top 15 in the world while the Internationals have just one. . The Sochi organizing committee said in Fridays statement that the torch relay reached the North Pole on Oct. 19. Russian Polar explorer Artur Chilingarov, who led the mission, lit a special bowl at the North Pole sign.Lance Armstrong claims former International Cycling Union president Hein Verbruggen instigated a coverup of his doping at the 1999 Tour de France. Armstrong told Britains Daily Mail newspaper in an interview published Monday that Verbruggen insisted "weve got to come up with something" to explain his positive tests for a banned corticosteroid. Cyclings governing body, the UCI, appeared to ignore its own anti-doping rules when it accepted Armstrongs backdated prescription for a cream to treat saddle sores. That allowed Armstrong to continue in the race and he went on to win the first of his seven Tours, helping revive the sport after doping scandals wrecked the 1998 Tour. "The real problem was, the sport was on life support," Armstrong was quoted telling the newspaper. "And Hein just said, This is a real problem for me, this is the knockout punch for our sport ... so weve got to come up with something. So we backdated the prescription." Though Armstrong has acknowledged the prescription excuse in a television interview with Oprah Winfrey, he had not previously linked Verbruggen or other UCI officials with a coverup. Verbruggen, who served as UCI president until 2005, did not respond to phone messages on Monday. The Dutch official, who is still listed by the UCI as its honorary president, has long denied any collusion with Armstrong despite widespread claims the American rider was protected. Verbruggen was granted honorary membership by the IOC in 2008 after 12 years service, and will complete his duties as chairman of the Olympic Broadcasting Service after the Sochi Winter Games in February. The IOC responded cautiously to Armstrongs allegations. "It is hard to give any credibility to the claims of a cyclist who appears to have misled the world for decades," the Olympic body said in a statement Monday.dddddddddddd. "That said, the UCI is currently working on plans to investigate the matter more thoroughly and we await proper considered outcomes from this investigation rather than on rumour and accusation." Armstrong spoke out while the UCI is in the process of creating an independent commission that will examine alleged official collusion, and he is expected to be the star witness. Armstrong, who is seeking a reduction in his lifetime ban, told the Daily Mail that he would reveal details of how the UCI operated. "I have no loyalty toward them," he said. "In the proper forum Ill tell everyone what they want to know. Im not going to lie to protect these guys. I hate them. They threw me under the bus." In October 2012, the UCI decided not to challenge a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency verdict to strip Armstrong of his Tour titles and ban him for life. Verbruggens successor, Pat McQuaid, said the disgraced rider deserved to be forgotten by the sport. The UCI has been led since September by British official Brian Cookson, who defeated McQuaid in a presidential election where the Armstrong case and cyclings doping past were central issues. In a statement Monday, the UCI said its commission would "invite individuals to provide evidence." "We would urge all those involved to come forward and help the Commission in its work in the best interests of the sport of cycling," the governing body said. "This investigation is essential to the well-being of cycling in fully understanding the doping culture of the past, the role of the UCI at that time and helping us all to move forward to a clean and healthy future." ' ' '
