Terry helps Chelsea secure draw against Everton; Bournemouth beat Norwich

John Terry scored in the eighth minute of stoppage time to prevent Chelsea losing for the first time under Guus Hiddink on Saturday, recovering a 3-3 draw against Everton to complete an engrossing second half.

The captain saved the ailing Premier League champions, having scored an own goal at the start of a second half that produced all six goals.

Ramiro Funes Mori appeared to have secured Everton's first win at Stamford Bridge since 1994 when he scored in the 90th but the lengthy injury time allowed Chelsea to mount a comeback it seemed unable to produce in Jose Mourinho's final months in charge.

It was history repeating itself for Everton, who also drew 3-3 at Bournemouth in November by conceding in the eighth minute of stoppage time.

While Everton are 11th, the point does little to help Chelsea. Hiddink's side is still in 14th place, six points above the relegation zone and 14 from the top four Champions League places.

The game was best summed up at times by the snapshots of Roman Abramovich, wrapped up in a club coat featuring branding of the Champions League that Chelsea can surely only qualify for by winning the competition.

The Chelsea owner appeared bored at times in his executive box as the players he pays so well offered little in the first half.

Only Everton looked like scoring: Bryan Oviedo sidefooted wide, Romelu Lukaku cut through the defense but struck off-target and Kevin Mirallas beat Kurt Zouma but not Thibaut Courtois, who pushed away the low shot.

What the 45 minutes lacked in drama, the second half made up for.

Within five minutes of the restart Terry had managed to put the ball into his own net with a botched attempt to clear Leighton Baines' cross.

All the menace was coming from Roberto Martinez's side and it was rewarded with a second goal in the 56th minute, capping a flowing advance through the brittle home resistance.

Aaron Lennon sprayed the ball to Baines on the left flank and his crosswas whipped into Mirallas, who controlled the ball on the turn before striking into the net.

Abramovich turned to his phone and was seen frantically typing. He had already sent his Save Our Season plea to Hiddink, who was brought back last month after Jose Mourinho was fired.

"Going down," the Everton supported serenaded their hosts.

Bournemouth defeated Norwich 3-0 for their biggest win yet in their maiden English Premier League season.

On a four-match winless run, including losing at home to West Ham 3-1 on Tuesday, Bournemouth showed no sign of a hangover as they scored within 10 minutes. Dan Gosling bagged the opener, and Charlie Daniels doubled the lead from the penalty spot before halftime.

Benik Afobe, Bournemouth's record signing, finally delivered with the last goal 15 minutes from the end.

Newcastle United's new 12 million pound signing Jonjo Shelvey enjoyed a fine debut, contributing to both his side's goals, as the Premier League strugglers halted West Ham United's momentum with a nail-biting 2-1 win.

Newcastle were relieved to clamber out of the relegation places after two early goals from Ayoze Perez and Georginio Wijnaldum -- his ninth of the season -- saw them make an electrifying start to proceedings at St James' Park.

They had to hold on grimly in the dying minutes as Newcastle keeper Rob Elliot made a vital save from Cheikhou Kouyate.

Nikica Jelavic had put West Ham back in the game four minutes after halftime, when he latched on to a poor back pass from defender Chancel Mbemba.

In another match, James Ward-Prowse scored twice as Southampton beat West Bromwich Albion 3-0 at St Mary's on Saturday for a convincing third successive Premier League home victory.

The midfielder got Ronald Koeman's Saints off to a quick start with a goal from a free kick after five minutes and added his second from the penalty spot in the 35th after Matt Targett was fouled.

Dusan Tadic made it 3-0 in the 72nd minute in a game between two sides whose previous clashes had produced few goals.source: ibnlive

How Messi and Ronaldo changed football in the last decade

The Messi vs Ronaldo debate can finally take a break after the Argentine won his fifth Ballon d’Or title on Monday. Lionel Messi has now extended the record he already held with no other player having won the FIFA World Player of the Year award more than three times.

Year 2015 was not really one of the best scoring years for Messi as he scored less than a goal per match - his lowest since 2011- but it was special because he scored those goals at crucial moments that led his team to win trophies. Who can forget his two brilliant goals against Bayern Munich that took his team to the Champions League final and ultimately to the title. His exceptional goal against Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final, where he made an amazing run from the midfield, was nominated for the 'FIFA Puskas Goal of the Year' award that was won by Brazil’s Wendell Lira.

Ronaldo made his La Liga debut with Real Madrid in 2009 and since then he and Messi have had the monopoly in the La Liga and also the game. Their spectacular individual performances have made other great players look ordinary and they have taken Barcelona-Real Madrid rivalry to a new level where El Clasico can’t be matched by any other contest in football.

While Ronaldo has been a goal-scoring machine with an incredible record of scoring more than a goal per game, Messi, who was already doing a great job at Barca, has been inspired to play even better and has broken almost every record in the League.

Messi became Barcelona's all-time leading scorer at the age of 24 when he broke Gerd Muller's record for the most goals scored in a single season (73), and in 2014 he also became the all-time leading scorer in La Liga. Everytime Messi breaks a record, Ronaldo comes up with a spectacular performance to show that they are at the same level.

Ronaldo has finished ahead for Messi in terms of goal-scoring in last two Spanish league seasons and also has the most impressive goal-scoring ratio in the league history.

One thing that makes Messi look better and a more complete player is that he has evolved himself into a playmaker and is great at building attacks. We have seen him make some brilliant assists to create goal-scoring opportunities for his team-mates against the best of defensive walls.

Ronaldo, on the other hand, is more athletic and a highly-motivated individual who is always trying to improve his game. While Messi is more of a team player, Ronaldo, once he gets the ball, likes to make solo runs and when near the goalpost is one the most dangerous players and can score goals from different angles and positions with his improvising style and quick feet movement.

As Messi won his fifth Ballon d’Or, just look at how these two players have polarised this title and have changed the game in last one decade.

Their ability to score goals relentlessly every game year by year makes them two of the greatest players of all time and they have created a wide gap between them and other players of this generation, which is very hard to fill. Kaka won the Ballon d’Or in 2007 and that was it. After that it has been just Messi and Ronaldo. It has been more than eight years that no one has come even close to challenge their dominance.

Had Argentina won the final of 2015 FIFA World Cup against Germany, the debate of who is the greatest of all time in football could have been much easier to settle. But Messi has not yet won a major tournament with his national side, so his club performance is the only criteria to judge. As a club player, he has been exceptional for Barcelona since making his senior debut in 2004; and at 28, he still has chance to win a World Cup to silence his critics who think he can only play for Barcelona because they are quite simply the best team in the world.

Ronaldo is going to turn 31 next month and it will now get really tough for him to catch up with Messi. Football as a game demands high level of physical endurance and Ronaldo’s game is also more about athleticism than flair, but his performance may decline with age and he might find it very tough to overhaul Messi’s records. He is getting a strong competition from Gareth Bale at Real Madrid, who will play the central role; and with the likes of Neymar and Luis Suarez reaching their peak at Barca, Ronaldo now has not just one player to beat.

With age on his side, Messi holds a big advantage against the Portuguese but Ronaldo has been a delight to watch on the field and can surprise us with many more records with his determination.source:ibnlive

Lionel Messi produces truly awful trash talk during Espanyol vs Barcelona

Though some might not like to admit it (read: Real Madrid fans), Lionel Messi is surely the best player in the world at the moment.

A treble-winner last season, the Barcelona superstar has nabbed 9 La Liga goals this season despite two months out injured. Likewise, his imperious performances have just inspired Barca to victory in their two-legged Copa del Rey clash with Catalan rivals Espanyol.

However, as the latest match up with the Blanquiazules has proved, not everything Messi does on the pitch is quite so impressive.

Though we can't fault his football, we can certainly call Leo up on his trash talk. In the middle of the second leg away at Estadi Cornellà-El Prat, Messi and Espanyol defender Álvaro were seen engaging in a catty verbal altercation.

But what did they say to each other? Well, Álvaro has now revealed all.source:mirror

Flyers Notebook: Bruins aren’t special, except on special teams

PHILADELPHIA — The Boston Bruins? Not that good anymore. Maybe even a shadow of that team the Flyers beat after being down 3-0 in a Stanley Cup playoff series a few years (OK, more than that) ago, and the one that came back and won the Stanley Cup the very next year (2011).

True, the Bruins have several players from those teams still hanging around, though star forward David Krejci is injured and missed Wednesday night’s game against the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center.

That’s only one reason the Bruins should be struggling, and coming into the Flyers game they were in fifth place in the Atlantic Division. They were also 21-15-5, which means they’re a few notches above the Flyers in the race for an Eastern Conference wild card spot at around the midpoint of the season. What’s so special about that ranking for the Bruins is that they’re only there because of special teams.

Even with Krejci out, the B’s came into the game at No. 1 in the league in power play efficiency, clicking on 28.1 percent of their power play attempts. They also excel in penalty kill, ranking seventh in the league in that category.

Compare that to a Flyers team that has been near the bottom of both categories basically all season long and you see the difference between a Bruins team that probably shouldn’t be where it is and a Flyers team that would like to get where the Bruins are when it comes to special teams.

“Special teams have been a downfall in some of our games,” goalie Steve Mason said Wednesday, referring to the Flyers’ rankings of 28th in power play and 24th in penalty kill. “We know that we need to be better at it. The special teams now in the NHL are so important. You can’t have a bad penalty kill and a bad power play on a nightly basis. ... This year we’ve struggled with it. It might be the position we’re in because of it.”

Of course, there is a sentiment in the Philadelphia locker room these days that basically everything’s getting better — the team, its level of consistency, its record and place in the standings, et. al.

But what of special teams?

“We’re still getting great chances,” Jake Voracek said. “We haven’t scored as much as in the past but we’re still getting great chances. We just have to find a way to score.

“If we do the things we’re capable of and we’re doing things that everybody knows what to do, then (penalty killers) can’t defend it. ... We have so many options there that if we execute it well it’s hard to stop us.”

• • •

Nick Schultz said he’d have family and friends in to see him play his 1,000th career NHL game Wednesday night against the Bruins. He feels fortunate to put on a show for them.

Schultz, 33, seemed to be at his career nadir when the Flyers offered him a one-year free agency deal in 2014. He understood he’d be coming in as an extra defender.

“I had the chance to sign on with Philly as a depth guy and was just fortunate there were some injuries and I got a chance to play and kind of keep going,” Schultz said. “It’s a good feeling to still be going on. You have to constantly keep proving yourself and prove your game. Regardless of what’s going on you have to play hard and show you can play.

“If that wouldn’t have happened I wouldn’t have had the chance to hit (1,000), necessarily.”

Schultz was re-signed last summer to a two-year deal with the Flyers.

• • •

A lot of time has passed since Zac Rinaldo apologized to his old Flyers teammate Sean Couturier for knocking him silly the last time the two got together. That was Oct. 21 in Boston. In that prior meeting, Couturier was along the boards, and Rinaldo, the former Flyers fireplug who was traded last June to Boston for a 2017 third-round draft pick, did to Couturier what he does best...

He knocked him silly.

Rinaldo would be excused with a game misconduct, but a day later would not be suspended by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety and Random Discipline. But even before that ruling came down, Rinaldo had already offered his regrets to Couturier, who would subsequently miss six games with a concussion.

“Hockey is hockey,” Rinaldo said. “It’s physical. ... And hitting is part of the game. Unfortunately, he got hurt on the play.”

That’s the only part of that play that Rinaldo regrets.

“I texted him immediately,” he said of Courturier. “As soon as I got kicked out I texted him to make sure he was OK. The last thing I want to do is hurt anybody.” source:thereporteronline

Curry scores 38 but Warriors lose to Nuggets, 112-110

DENVER (AP) -- Stephen Curry was just about unstoppable in the fourth quarter, except near the very end.

Curry scored 20 of his 38 points in the final period but lost the ball under defensive pressure from Danilo Gallinari in the game's final moments, and the Denver Nuggets hung on to hand the Golden State Warriorstheir third loss of the season, 112-110 on Wednesday night.

''It was a great opportunity to try to tie the game or take the lead,'' Curry said about the last of his eight turnovers. ''Got stuck between looking for the open man and handling the ball, and one little mishandle and Gallinari got it.''

The defending NBA champion Warriors (36-3) had won seven straight since their previous defeat, 114-91 at Dallas on Dec. 30.

Harrison Barnes added 18 points and Klay Thompson had 17 for the Warriors.

Gallinari led the Nuggets with 28 points but it was his defense at the game's critical moment that made the difference, Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

''Gallo has proven this year he can guard most players on the floor,'' Malone said. ''And he did a great job. He got into a stance, forced a deflection, was first to the floor and comes out with the loose ball. Those are winning plays. Those are what separate teams and we had enough winning plays tonight where we were able to withstand the furious comeback that they made.''

Will Barton added 21 points for the Nuggets, who snapped a four-game losing streak to the Warriors despite being outscored 37-29 in the final period.

A dunk by Brandon Rush gave the Warriors a 68-64 lead, but Denver outscored Golden State 19-5 over the last 5 1/2 minutes of the third quarter to take a 10-point lead into the fourth.

The Warriors, however, kept chipping away as Curry led the charge.

Layups by Curry and Andrew Bogut cut the deficit to 102-97 with 2:05 remaining. Curry and Barton then traded 3-pointers before Darrell Arthur hit a jumper with a minute left for a 109-102 Denver lead.

But the Warriors fought back, getting a layup from Barnes and a 3 from Curry sandwiched around a Nuggets turnover, pulling to 109-107 with 37.1 seconds left.

And it appeared the Warriors had the Nuggets right where they wanted.

''That fourth was a barrage of 3s,'' Denver forwardKenneth Faried said. ''Steph stepped over halfcourt and made one and I was just like, 'Man, not this again.' But we held them off.''

With defense.

With the Warriors in position to tie or go in front, Gallinari stole the ball from Curry.

''I think he lost the ball and it came towards me and I just dove to the ball,'' Gallinari said.

He started a fast break that ended in Gary Harris, who finished with 19 points, being fouled and making a pair of free throws.

Thompson hit a 3-pointer with 3.4 seconds remaining to pull the Warriors to 111-110. They fouled Gallinari intentionally and he made one of two free throws, but Thompson missed a long jumper at the buzzer.

''It felt good,'' Thompson said. ''If I got my legs into a little bit more, I think it would have gone in. It was on line, it was just short.''

The Warriors, who trailed by as many as 10 earlier, pulled to 55-54 at halftime on Barnes' jumper in the final seconds of the second quarter.

Gallinari had 15 points in the first half, including a reverse layup that preceded Barnes' final shot in the second quarter to keep the Nuggets on top at the break.

TIP-INS

Warriors: F Draymond Green was not available because of a scheduled rest day. ... Curry hit a 3-pointer in his 93rd consecutive road game, extending his NBA record. ... Leandro Barbosa returned from a shoulder injury, seeing his first game action since Christmas. ... Barnes scored in double figures for a third straight game.

Nuggets: F J.J. Hickson was sidelined after undergoing a root canal earlier in the day. ... Denver added depth at guard by signing Sean Kilpatrick to a 10-day contract. ... Jusuf Nurkic left early in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. SOURCE:sports.yahoo

Luis Enrique: Messi would be a decisive center back

Lionel Messi would be the same decisive player in any position for Barcelona, his coach Luis Enrique has said.

Luis Enrique says newly-crowned Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi would be decisive even if he played at center back for Barcelona.

The Argentina international collected the individual accolade for the fifth time in Zurich on Monday, beating Cristiano Ronaldo and teammate Neymar after a stellar year for club and country.

Messi's past wins, particularly in 2011 and 2012, came as a result of his exceptional form while playing in a false nine position, while the 28-year-old shone in Barca's treble-winning campaign last term from a wider role.

Luis Enrique, who has praised Messi's versatility in the past, does not believe his influence would change where he to play in any position on the pitch.

"I'm very happy. He's being recognized as the greatest player of all time and we're so lucky to have players like Neymar in these ceremonies as well," he said on Tuesday. "I think there are other players in my squad who deserve to be up there so I'm glad these players have such a strong future ahead of them. Whatever position he plays, he'll add to the team, as a goal scorer and providing assists. If you played him as a midfielder, a center back, he'd still be decisive.

"I think there were lots of players to help us have that incredible year and they also deserve these prizes but not everyone can win. It's down to the voters. It's all about winning titles as a club and the players know this is more important than any individual accolades."

Luis Enrique did not attend Monday's event in Zurich to collect his award for the best coach of 2015, but the former Celta Vigo boss maintains he was delighted to be the recipient.

"It's an honor which has come as a reward for everything the players and staff did last year. I'm very grateful to those who voted," he said.

Turning to Wednesday's Copa del Rey round of 16 second leg against Espanyol, Luis Enrique does not believe the performance of his side will be affected by the controversy of the first leg, in which two Espanyol players were sent off and striker Luis Suarez was issued a suspension for provoking his opponents after the final whistle.

"I've spoken to my players but nothing happened the other day that can't happen again, I've seen this kind of game many times in the past. I don't think it's affected the way my players are going to perform, they're all used to playing high-tension games like this. They have to keep calm and focus on what will happen on the pitch."SOURCE:goal

Ballon d'Or voters are lazy to ignore the Premier League

Superstars of Real and Barcelona get all the recognition but English game has important qualities that the La Liga giants lack

Out came the sticks when the Premier League suffered another shut-out in football’s global awards. Best league in the world? Thwack, take that. The English game was every bit as excluded as Sepp Blatter as the industry worshipped again at the twinkling feet of Barcelona and Real Madrid.

To have no players in the world XI elected by a representative ballot is worrying. To have no British player other than the Spain-based Gareth Bale on the 23-man Ballon d’Or short-list hardly suggests London, Manchester and Merseyside are magnets to the finest talent. But we can take comfort in all this from the distorting effect of La Liga-philia, which causes voters to automatically plump for Real Madrid and Barcelona stars at the expense of others in Europe.

Travelling from Real Madrid to Zurich this weekend offered a useful perspective. You go to Spain these days the way you might have toured a Hollywood studio in the 1950s. You leave with a glow after watching Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. But then you remember that Atletico Madrid are roughing both teams up at the top of the league, with a galactico-free team; or you scan the latest Premier League results and marvel at the volatility and unpredictability of a division lurching, against all odds, towards greater equality.

• Ballon d'Or - 13 things we learnt

Guilty is how I would plead to the charge of sometimes obsessing about where the most technically gifted players are. It is not only the genius of Messi and Ronaldo that draws the eye south. In Spain, you get to see Andres Iniesta, too, and Toni Kroos and Ivan Rakitic.

Plainly there is nothing in England, Germany or Italy to match the concentration of virtuosity at Spain’s two mega clubs. The Ballon d’Or short-list said it all: Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, with the third Barcelona forward, Luis Suarez, hammering on the door. The Fifa/FIFPro XI meanwhile contained eight from Real Madrid or Barcelona and one each from the Bundesliga (Manuel Neuer), Serie A (Paul Pogba) and Ligue 1 (Thiago Silva).

But there are other ways to judge vitality, beyond the clusters of megastars, which partly reflect the work of super-agents (Jorge Mendes especially), and Real Madrid’s ability to conjure out of thin air fantastical transfer fees and wages. As La Liga games flowed onto screens at the weekend, it was noticeable for example how many Spanish grounds are still stuck in the 1980s.

Premier League spectators would trade their ticket prices for those in the Bundesliga, or Spain, but would be slow to give up the dread that comes with English fixtures. A trip to Stoke? Oh, no. Watford coming on Saturday? That could be tricky. To judge a league solely by the stockpiling of household names at two vast institutions who won 5-0 (Real) and 4-0 (Barcelona) on Saturday is lazy.

• Blatter and Platini could still be banned for life

The voting can be lazy too, as Jamie Carragher has pointed out. Just as we are sucked into the neon of a Sunday night Barcelona game (that radiance, that creativity), so the electorate tick Fifa’s boxes for Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar without bothering to think much.

The world XI now has the feel of a team selected on auto-pilot – as it was last year when David Luiz somehow made it into central defence after being nutmegged too many times to count.

On Saturday in Madrid, Luka Modric took his former Spurs team-mate, Gareth Bale, to one side after Bale had scored a hat-trick against Deportivo de La Coruna. “I told him that if he keeps playing like this then I do not see any reason why he can’t be here in the top team and then go on to win it,” Modric said in Zurich. “He has all the possibilities. He is a great player. Powerful, quality, everything. I hope in the future he will be here.”

Some encouragement there for British, or Welsh football. But Modric, who made the world XI, is among those who followed the glamour trail from England to Spain, with Ronaldo, Bale and Suarez.

• The 20 most valuable Premier League players

The shift in power, he says, is undeniable: “When you look at this team [the world XI], it seems so. The best players are now playing in Spain. England has so many great players but La Liga is now number one. It is probably a little bit of everything really, the weather, the glamour, those two clubs. These two clubs are the best in the world and that certainly helps.”

From the Premier League, only David de Gea could make a case for inclusion, with Mesut Ozil making headway. Even then most would still argue for Neuer. Sergio Aguero, when fit, is elite class, but would not dislodge the reigning front three. Vincent Kompany in his pomp would have beaten Thiago Silva to a centre-back shirt. But Eden Hazard, the No 1 in England last year, has dropped away. Predictably, a move to Real Madrid is proposed as the cure for all his ills. Yaya Toure is on the slide. Kevin De Bruyne might come with a run, but it will be from a fair way back.

England’s top division is not the only one with a sore heart. In Germany, the formidable Robert Lewandowski is an also-ran in both the Ballon d’Or and world XI. Yet nobody would consider Bayern Munich vastly inferior to Real or Barcelona. The wailing comes chiefly from England, because the Premier League sold itself so heavily as the “best in the world,” before having to settle for the most competitive.

This phase will pass. Messi and Ronaldo will depart. The cosy agent tie-ups can be broken under challenge from other, super-rich clubs. The universal law that takes all top players to Real Madrid and Barcelona will find its counter-force.

Those two teams are spectacle, art, escapism. Yet many find Atletico just as interesting. And Zinedine Zidane’s big challenge at Real? “To make us play more like a team,’ Modric says. Stardom can buy you audience gasps, but not unity. There is so much more to the modern game than the uber-fame of the Ballon d’Or peacocks. And much of it can be found out there in the cold, in the shape of the Premier League.

Bold Scholes daring to criticise United

The marvelous economy of language with which Paul Scholes delivered his views on the big issues of the day was always cherished by Sir Alex Ferguson, who could expect an answer to a question in three words, or even fewer. Scholes hated verbosity almost as much he loathed people tip-toeing around the truth.

Ferguson drew on this extreme honesty to gauge the mood among senior players, especially when a member of the team had become disruptive. Nowadays Scholes is paid to give his opinions, which requires a bit more detail and longer sentences, but he is still setting an example to all United players with his directness.

This, from him after the FA Cup third-round, is about as candid as its gets: "The [United] players looked bored themselves. There's no spirit, there's nobody having a go at each other, there's no smiling, there's no entertainment.”

By the standard dressing room code, Scholes is going too far here. But in the real world he is going just far enough, and more ex-players need to join him, even if they are paranoid about turning into Liverpool, where criticism from retirees flows more freely. Everyone at United knows the club is on dangerous ground. Bravo to Scholes for having the courage to say so. SOURCE:telegraph

Lionel Messi wins 2015 Ballon d'Or ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar

Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi was awarded the 2015 Ballon d'Or at Monday's gala event in Zurich.

Messi, 28, had finished behind long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo in both 2013 and 2014, but was a clear winner of FIFA's top individual honour for a record fifth time in his career.

After a year in which Barca won five trophies including the Champions League and La Liga title, the Blaugrana No. 10 had been an overwhelming favourite to take the prize.

Voting for the Ballon d'Or award is by men's national team captains and head coaches, along with international media representatives selected by France Football magazine.

Barca coach Luis Enrique won the men's Coach of the Year award, ahead of Bayern Munich's Pep Guardiola and Chile manager Jorge Sampaoli. Neither Luis Enrique nor Guardiola attended the event.

The FIFA Women's World Player of the Year went to Carli Lloyd of the U.S. women's team over Japan midfielder Aya Miyama and recently retired Germany striker Celia Sasic.

The women's Coach of the Year award was won by United States national coach Jill Ellis.

The ceremony at the Kongresshaus in Zurich was hosted by TV presenter Kate Abdo and Northern Irish actor James Nesbitt.SOURCE:espnfc

Griz come back to beat Celtics, 101-98

The Grizzlies have searched most of this season for a magical win to provide momentum toward stringing together a significant winning streak.

Perhaps their 101-98 come-from-behind victory over the Boston Celtics Sunday evening in FedExForum will do the trick.

Memphis (21-18) erased a 21-point, second-half deficit and improved its record to three games above .500 for the first time in a month. Coach Dave Joerger & Co. still aren't performing to their potential.

However, the Griz no longer are finding ways to lose. They again tossed aside adversity and took another victory given this was the third time in the past four games that the Griz won while shooting less than 40 percent.

"It wasn't pretty, yet for a Memphis fan, a Grizzlies fan, we found a way to make it the way that we do it," Joerger said. "We ground them down, and we just kept coming and coming."

The Griz unleased a dogged defensive effort in the second half when they amassed countless deflections, snared a disproportionate number of rebounds and increased the physicality to take the Celtics out of a run-and-gun, free-flowing comfort zone.

Boston (19-18) opened the game and couldn't seem to miss. But after shooting 57 percent in the first quarter, the Celtics made just 24 of 65 field goals (.369) over the final three periods.

"It's never going to be easy," Griz swingman Tony Allen said after collecting one of the Grizzlies' three double-doubles with season highs in points (15) and rebounds (10). "We aren't just going to come in and dust people on the floor. We just aren't that type of team. We are the type of team that competes. It is a game of runs and it's all about how you weather the storm. I thought we weathered the storm."

Memphis' 21 turnovers threatened to take the air out of its dramatic rise in this game. But the Griz overcame the mistakes by dominating the glass with a 58-39 rebounding advantage.

Plus, forward Zach Randolph brought his super sub routine by amassing his 10th double-double with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Center Marc Gasol had 11 points and 11 boards.

Point guard Isaiah Thomas' 35 points weren't enough for Boston to hang on.

"We let them punk us, and they did," Celtics reserve guard Marcus Smart said. "They just became the more aggressive team."

Memphis trailed by 21 points early in the third quarter, but used an 18-2 run to get back in the game. Mario Chalmers converted a three-point play that finished a stretch when the Griz scored 14 unanswered points.

The deficit was 63-58 at that point. Boston extended its lead back to 12 points but Randolph even buried a 3-pointer that helped the Griz cut the Celtics lead to 76-68 when the fourth quarter began.

The Griz kept chipping away until the game was tied at 87 with 3:36 left to play. Memphis converted all 12 of its free throws in the final three minutes. The foul shots combined with defensive stops helped the Griz take a 97-92 advantage with 27.9 ticks remaining.

"We forced them to go double bigs the whole game with how we played in the first six minutes of the game," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "It caught up to us at the end with their physicality - not only on the glass and in the paint but also in their pushing catches out."

Randolph started the third quarter after playing off the bench in the first half.

The Griz trailed 53-38 by halftime and the deficit would have been much worse if not for Randolph's strong play in the paint.

He collected 12 points and seven rebounds on 5 of 9 shooting.

In making seven of their first 10 shots, the Celtics played fast and free. Their ball movement looked dizzying to the Grizzlies' defense. Memphis fell behind 34-16 after the opening period. The Griz played with a 19-4 deficit in the game's first six minutes after misfiring on eight of nine shots from the field.

The Griz kept missing shots but kept getting the ball back to the tune of 21 offensive rebounds. Add to that nine blocked shots and the Grizzlies' grind was wide-spread.

"We could be a good team. We just need to focus on our defense," Randolph said. "We're missing our best point guard and some of our best players and some of our best shooters. So we just have to keep playing and keep grinding."

The Griz were again with Mike Conley (Achilles) and Courtney Lee (sore left hip). Conley missed a third straight game but said he plans to return Tuesday when the Griz host Houston Rockets.

The Griz have a chance to win three straight games for the first time since they won four in a row Nov. 13-20.

"We have to earn everything we do," Gasol said. "We have to push through things. That's crucial for us." SOURCE: commercialappeal

Elton Brand wants to give back, signs with 76ers to be mentor

Elton Brand signed a contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, with the hope he can be a mentor to rookie Jahlil Okafor.

Brand writes in a first-person piece for Sports Illustrated's "The Cauldron" that he's not coming back because of financial considerations or to win championships, but instead to repay "what's owed, about making sure that the young men who follow in my footsteps get what they're entitled to [and what I haven't always given them]."

"`I know I can affect change and be a part of something,'' Brand said before the 76ers played Minnesota. "I might not make it to the end when it's really, really good around here. But I can be a part of something as a player.''

The 36-year-old Brand played last season with the Atlanta Hawks, averaging 2.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 36 games, but he has not played this season.

Brand writes that he never tried to mentor players in the past because he was "following the NBA blueprint that had been engrained in me from the beginning: Play well, keep your head down, offend as few people as possible, and get paid."

He hopes to be a "positive influence" for the 76ers, specifically with Okafor, who he writes is "a good kid with a good heart." Brand also mentions Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid.

"I think I can be serviceable,'' Brand said.

The 76ers suspended Okafor for two games last month after videos surfaced of the team's first-round draft pick being involved in scuffles in Boston after a game against the Celtics. Okafor, who turned 20 on Dec. 15, is averaging 17.3 points and 7.7 rebounds.

"He's not unlike most 20-year-olds you probably know, and he's definitely not at all different than most of his fellow players. Hell, if camera phones were around when Brad Miller, Ron Artest and I were Jahlil's age, we might've been banned from the league altogether, never mind suspended for a few games," he writes.

Brand makes it clear that he's not signing with the 76ers "to hold Jahlil's hand -- or anyone else's, for that matter -- because that's not what he needs. But I do believe my experience and wisdom can benefit him and my other young teammates.

"It's about communicating with them like men, starting to grow together, and -- hopefully, eventually -- winning some ballgames. That's what [general manager] Sam Hinkie and I talked about when he approached me about joining the team, and what has me so excited about this opportunity."

In 16 NBA seasons, Brand averaged 16.1 points and 8.6 rebounds. The Chicago Bulls selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1999 draft.

To make room for Brand on the roster, the 76ers waived forward Christian Wood. source:espn