Celtics G Rondo suspended two games after fight

WALTHAM, Mass. (AP) -- Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo was suspended for the third time this calendar year on Thursday when the NBA told him to sit out two games without pay for starting a skirmish that sent players sprawling into the courtside seats.

Rondo will miss Friday night's game against the Portland Trail Blazers and Sunday's against the Bucks in Milwaukee. He will also give up $200,000 in pay.

Celtics center Kevin Garnett was fined $25,000 for his role in the scuffle, and Nets forward Gerald Wallace was fined $35,000.

Rondo was thrown out of Wednesday night's 95-83 loss to the Nets in the second quarter when he shoved Nets forward Kris Humphries off the parquet to retaliate for a hard foul on Garnett. A shoving match ensued; Rondo, Humphries and Wallace were all ejected. 

Rondo spoke with the league on the telephone on Thursday and made his case.

''I told them the truth,'' he said after practice at the Celtics' workout facility in suburban Boston. ''I don't think I did anything dirty. I didn't try to start a riot. I don't think it was more than just a pushing war.''

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said in the afternoon that he was hopeful Rondo would not be suspended because no punches were thrown - or at least none caught on camera. But he said he feared the fact that the scuffle went into the stands could lead to a suspension. 

The decision was announced shortly before 6 p.m. by NBA disciplinarian Stu Jackson. 

Nets general manager Billy King said on a conference call that he didn't agree with the penalties and told Jackson so. 

Photo: Boston Celtics' Rajon Rondo, center, walks off the court after being ejected in the second quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets in Boston, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

He noted that Humphries had scratches all over his left shoulder; the Nets forward posted a picture of them on Twitter with the caption, ''Anyone know where I can quick get a Tetnis shot in Boston?''

Earlier, Rivers said on a radio show that he blamed Humphries for the incident. But the referees disagreed, with crew chief James Capers saying in a pool report after the game: ''Rondo initiated everything that proceeded after the foul.''

King also defended his player, who was not penalized on Thursday.

''I really could care less of what the Celtics say about Kris,'' King said. ''I just know what he does for us.''

Rondo was suspended twice last season after losing his temper - once when he threw a ball at a referee, and again during the playoffs when he chest-bumped an official while disputing a foul call. But, just as he did after those incidents, he insisted that he had learned his lesson about taking himself out of the game.

''I know I have to be out there with my teammates. That's the thing about it,'' he said. ''But I was sticking up for my teammates. I didn't try to start a fight.''

Rivers said he thinks Rondo now understands he is more valuable to his team if he can remain on the court.

''I don't think he went in there thinking, 'We're going to get in a fight,''' Rivers said. ''It's snap, it's quick, and it could happen to any of us, and it has happened to me.''

Rondo is averaging 12.9 points and a career-high 12.9 assists per game. He entered Wednesday night with a streak of 37 consecutive games with double-digit assists; that streak ended with his ejection, leaving him tied with John Stockton for the second-longest in NBA history. 

Rondo said he will work on controlling his temper but also denied that it was a problem. 

''I play the game the right way. I'm not a dirty player. Sometimes I let my emotions get the best of me, but I have no intention of hurting anybody,'' Rondo said. ''I go out there and compete every night, and that's how I play the game. I play the game hard; I play the game with an edge. I'm not a trash-talker. I don't play the game dirty. I play hard and when one of my guys are disrespected, I retaliated.'' 

Source: ph.nba.com

Australian clubs line up to lure Beckham

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Australian football clubs are queuing up to bring former England captain David Beckham to the country's A-League in January, despite the 37-year-old denying a deal is in the offing.

Perth Glory has "put its hat in the ring" and is readying a bid, wealthy owner Tony Sage told Monday's The Australian.

"Signing David Beckham would be up there... the number one thing other than my decision to buy Glory," said mining magnate Sage. 

"It's a huge commitment, but something I would love to pull off."

Beckham's management team on Friday played down talk of any move Down Under after Football Federation Australia said that the star player wanted to join an A-League club.

But FFA chief executive David Gallop insisted a deal could still be struck for a 10-match guest stint by the LA Galaxy midfielder.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Melbourne Heart and Adelaide United were also in the race along with an unnamed side that has already made a secret bid.

"Beckham would be a massive thing for tourism," said United chairman Greg Griffin.

"We've just put forward our position to the people we understand are representing him and we would like to take it further," Griffith told the Herald.

The FFA pointed out that earlier this year Italian World Cup winner Alessandro Del Piero's management tried to fight off speculation before he finally joined Sydney FC.

Beckham remains one of the biggest names in football and his presence in the A-League alongside Del Piero and ex-England striker Emile Heskey would help ratchet up the competition's image.

In another coup, the federation was expected to unveil an Aus$160 million four-year television deal later Monday, doubling previous broadcast rights. 

Source: msn.com

D'Antoni as the new head coach of LA Lakers

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The Los Angeles Lakers formally introduced Mike D'Antoni on Thursday as their new head coach, replacing Mike Brown who was sacked just five games into the season.

The 61-year-old D'Antoni, who is still using crutches after recent knee surgery, immediately started talking about winning championships. 

"I'm really happy to be here, excited," D'Antoni said. "We're built to win this year, this is not a project. We have a window and we're going to try to get through it." 

The Lakers fired Brown after getting off to a 1-4 start. Interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff then came in and Los Angeles won two out of the next three. 

Bickerstaff was expected to coach the Lakers' next game Friday against the Phoenix Suns. D'Antoni will likely take over behind the bench on Sunday. "I'm going to do everything in my power to make it a good decision," D'Antoni said. "The reality of the day is I have a great group of guys."

D'Antoni was asked about the NBA club's controversial decision to choose him over Phil Jackson, who coached the Lakers to five NBA championships in two separate stints.

"I was shocked before, now that's wearing off," D'Antoni said. "Phil's a great, great coach. The reality is, I'm extremely fortunate that we went this direction and I can't wait to get started."

UFC 154 Georges St-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit

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 Georges St-Pierre beats Carlos Condit, is open to possibility of facing Anderson Silva

 UFC 154 will be a special event for Georges St-Pierre, and earning a victory over Carlos Condit is the last step toward ensuring that this bout is one of the most memorable of his career.

Georges St. Pierre

This will be St-Pierre’s first fight in 19 months after tearing his ACL last year, and he will make his triumphant return to the Octagon in front of a hometown crowd in Montreal.

His challenger will be Carlos Conduit, who won the interim middleweight title by defeating Nick Diaz in February.

Carlos Condit

Here is everything you need to know about this fight.

Where: Bell Centre, Montreal, Québec

When: Saturday, November 17, 10 p.m. ET (main card)

Main Card
- Welterweight Championship: Georges St-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit
- Welterweight Bout: Marin Kampmann vs. Johny Hendricks
- Middleweight Bout: Francis Carmont vs. Tom Lawlor
- Middleweight Bout: Nick Ring vs. Costa Philippou
- Featherweight Bout: Mark Hominick vs. Pablo Garza

Preliminary Card (FX)
- Middleweight Bout: Patrick Cote vs. Alessio Sakara
- Light Heavyweight Bout: Cyrille Diabate vs. Chad Riggs
- Lightweight Bout: Mark Bocek vs. Rafael dos Anjos
- Lightweight Bout: Sam Stout vs. John Makdessi

St-Pierre’s Keys to Victory

St-Pierre is a master of the takedown, and he must prove early in this fight that he is still capable of exploding toward his opponent despite his knee injury.

If he can get Condit on his back early in each round, the fight has a strong chance of going his way.
Condit is a brilliant technical fighter, but his diverse array of strikes won’t matter as long as he is lying on the canvas.

This fight will depend mostly on how well GSP has recovered. If he is as explosive as he was before his knee injury, he will be victorious.

Condit’s Keys to Victory
Condit kept Nick Diaz guessing earlier this year with a dazzling series of kicks and punches, and that will be his road to victory against St-Pierre.

If he can avoid takedowns, stand up and strike with GSP throughout the majority of this fight, he has a chance to emerge with a win.

Condit is four inches taller than the Canadian, and his striking ability is greatly enhanced by his height advantage. By staying upright and at a distance, Condit can do serious damage.
The fight for Condit will be decided by how long he can stay off the mat. His chances at winning will increase with every second that he is able to stay on his feet.

Source: bleacherreport.com

Cung Le def. Rich Franklin

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UFC on FUEL 6 results: Cung Le def. Rich Franklin via KO at of 2:17 round 1 

Of all those taking in the main event of Ultimate Fighting Championship’s debut in China, no one looked more surprised with the finish than Cung Le – and he was the one responsible.

Known best for his spectacular kicks that seemingly come out of nowhere, it was a right hand, instead, that earned Le the most important victory of his career. In his first-ever UFC main event, the 40-year-old Le – who was born in nearby Vietnam – knocked out Rich Franklin at 2:17 of the first round in Saturday’s main event of UFC on FUEL TV, in Macau, the company’s first-ever event in the most populated country on the planet.

“That’s the biggest fight of my life,” said Le (9-2), who looked near tears in the moments immediately following the match.

Cung Le

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FIGHT NOTES: Four fighters each received $40,000 bonus awards – Gomi and Danzig for fight of the night, Le for knockout of the night, and Silva for submission of the night … The promotion returns to Montreal next Saturday for UFC 154, headlined by Canadian superstar and welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre facing interim welterweight champ Carlos Condit.

Source: http://sports.nationalpost.com