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Miami Heat forward LeBron James reacts after making a basket to give the Heat the lead late in the second half against the Bost

Miami, down by 13 points with eight minutes remaining, rode LeBron James to a dramatic 105-103 victory over the valiant Boston Celtics.

The result gave the Heat their 23rd consecutive victory, the second-longest winning

streak in NBA history.

Now only the 1971-72 Lakers and their 33-game streak are ahead of the Heat, who somehow managed to escape when it appeared the Celtics, playing without Kevin Garnett, were about to end the streak behind a career-best night by Jeff Green.

James, who tied the score with 1:23 left, scored 13 of his team’s final 22 points and hit a jumper with 10.5 seconds left to put the Heat ahead.

Miami’s Shane Battier then blocked a drive by Green out of bounds with seven seconds left. Boston’s Paul Pierce then missed a fall-away 3-pointer from the right corner.

Miami’s Dwyane Wade grabbed the rebound and the comeback was complete.

“It means a lot to what we’re trying to build,” James said. “A tough-minded team on the road, it’s a hostile environment. We grew again tonight and that’s big for our team.”

Talking about what James did down the stretch, Battier said, “It’s just LeBron being LeBron. I don’t really have any other words that you guys haven’t already used before. He’s the best.

“You never take that for granted. Shame on anybody that takes (James) for granted,because he’s a special talent.”

Exactly five years earlier, the Celtics ended Houston’s 22-game streak and they almost did the same thing to the Heat.

But they scored just seven points in the final 8:26. James, who has been on fire during this streak, finished with 37 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds. Mario Chalmers scored 21 points and Wade had 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

The win did away with Miami’s formality of clinching the Southeast Division. Green, getting his second straight start, this time with Garnett sick, delivered the best offensive game of his career, scoring 43 points but none in the final nine minutes. ”Jeff was terrific,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said after TD Garden fans starting chanting Green’s name during the game.

“Yeah, I heard it,” Green said. “It’s a good feeling, but you just got to stay in the game. Think about the next play.”

Rivers wasn’t satisfied with the close loss, saying, “I believed we were going to win the game before the game. I thought we were going to win the game during the game. And I thought we should have won the game.”

RWANDA’S beach volleyball team participation in the Women Junior World Championship is in jeopardy after the national team was denied travel visas by Canadian embassy based in Nairobi.

The development was confirmed by the local volleyball federation’s Executive Director Gertrude Kubwimana on Friday.  She said, “We are still waiting for Canadian embassy to take a final decision on our applications. A few days ago, they denied us visas and since then, the government intervened,”

“So until now, the matter is being handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and we are yet to know the final stand on the team’s request for visas to enable them compete in the World beach championship,” Kubwimana said.

Kuwbimana added that the team was due to travel to Canada on Sunday and by press time, the team is not sure whether they will be able to represent the country in the global show piece.

However, Rwanda is not the only country which has been denied visas. The Burundian men’s team has also been denied visas to represent Africa in the championship.

If granted visas, the pair of Charlotte Nzayisenga and Denise Mutatsimpundu is to depart on Sunday for the Women Junior World Championship scheduled from August 29 to September 2 in Canada.

Nzayisenga and Mutatsimpundu were crowned African champions after beating South Africa in the final of the African Women junior Championship, held in Togo last month.

The pair has been undergoing intensive preparations in Rubavu, Western Province, under the tutelage of national volleyball team head coach Paul Bitok since August 12.

The top six countries at the African junior championship namely South Africa, Nigeria, Guinea Conakry, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Rwanda will be in the hunt for global glory in Canada.

Rwandan delegation to Canada will include an official from Sports ministry Emmanuel Bugingo as head of the delegation, Christian Hatungimana as head coach, and the two players.

Rwanda men’s U-18 Basketball team endured another painful defeat against Ghana on Monday as the boys lost 43-48, to record their third successive defeat at the ongoing Afrobasket U-18 Men’s Championship in Maputo, Mozambique.

The loss brings the morale of the whole team down, having started brilliantly against hosts Mozambique by thrashing them 62-34 on the opening day of the championship. They then went on to lose against Tunisia 38-43 and Mali 33-46. The final fixture in the group will be against the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The championships which kicked off August 16^th will run until 25^th the same month.

The Rwanda U-18 men’s basketball team went down 33-46 against Mali on Saturday to record their second successive defeat in the ongoing under-18 African Basketball Championship in Maputo, Mozambique. Prior to that defeat the Junior Hoops had lost against a strong Tunisia side the day before 43-38, to mark a frustrating anti-climax in group stage.

Day one of the championships had seen Rwanda beat hosts Mozambique 62-34 with better results predicted in the course of the campaign but the two consecutive losses have slowed down their momentum. Action continues on Monday as they take on Ghana. Their final fixture will be against DR Congo.

The competition ends on 25^th August with the winner qualifying to represent Africa at the U-19 world Youth championships to be held next year.

Day 1, Thursday

Senegal 73-69 Gaborone

Cote d’Ivoire  60-51 Angola

Mozambique 34-62 Rwanda

RWANDA’S Junior Hoops ensured a bright start to this year’s Afrobasket U-18 Men’s Championship after thumping hosts Mozambique 62-34 at Desportivo Indoor Stadium in Maputo.

After lifting the Zone 5 trophy, the junior hoops are planning to finish atleast among the top six.

With a brilliant start against hosts, Rwanda must maintain their good start against other Group A opponents DR Congo, Mali, Ghana and Tunisia respectively.

The team was scheduled to face Tunisia on Friday afternoon by press time. In Maputo, the team will be relying on the trio of point guard Olivier Shyaka, Mohammed Rafiki and Eric Ngenzi who were without doubt the team’s outstanding players against Kenya in the zonal qualification matches.

In other matches played on the first day; Senegal beat Gaborone 73-69 while Cote d’Ivoire edged out Angola 60-51.

THE Los Angeles Lakers have bolstered their championship credentials by landing six-time All-Star Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic as part of a blockbuster 12-player trade including the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers.

The deal thrusts the Lakers back into the mix of contenders for an NBA title as Howard, the face of the Magic franchise and a three-time defensive player of the year, joins Kobe Bryant, Spain’s Pau Gasol and Steve Nash in Los Angeles.

Howard’s move to Los Angeles concludes a drawn-out process during which the Magic’s top scorer and rebounder for each of the last six seasons went back and forth over his decision on whether to stay with the team.

The 26-year-old center, taken first overall by Orlando in the 2004 NBA Draft, had requested a trade before the 2011-12 season but then said in March he would stick with the Magic rather than test free agency.

But last month, he reiterated his desire to be traded and said if a move was not made, he would leave the team when his current contract expires at the end of next season.

The attention on his playing future was the most directed at any prospective free agent since three-time NBA most valuable player LeBron James went on national television to announce his much-publicised move to Miami in 2010.

Orlando gets guard Arron Affalo and forward Al Harrington from the Nuggets, forward Maurice Harkless and center Nikola Vucevic from the 76ers and forward Josh McRoberts and guard Christian Eyenga from the Lakers.

The Magic, who sent guard Jason Richardson to the 76ers, will also receive five draft picks, including three first-rounders, over the next five years.

The departure of Howard comes nearly three months after the Magic fired head coach Stan Van Gundy and mutually parted ways with General Manager Otis Smith.

Van Gundy had also clashed with Howard last season, at one point saying that his top player had wanted him fired.

It is the second offseason splash made by a Lakers team that has suffered two straight early playoff exits since capturing a 16th NBA title in 2010. The team added two-time NBA MVP Nash last month in a deal with the Phoenix Suns.

Philadelphia get twice NBA champion center Andrew Bynum from the Lakers and Denver land forward Andre Iguodala from the 76ers, who posted a “Thank You, Andre” message on their website with a photo of their former player soaring to the rim.

Iguodala, who has averaged 15.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game during an eight-year career spent entirely with the 76ers, will be counted on to help a Nuggets team that fell in the second round on the 2012 NBA playoffs.

U-18 national boys team look set to take on the hosts Mozambique in their opening fixture of the Africa Youth Championships that kick off this Thursday the 16^th August 2012.  The team left for Maputo-Mozambique on Sunday evening for the competition that runs from August 16-25.

“It will not be easy for the players because they are only making their first appearance but they need not to use that as an excuse, but rather try to perform to the best of their ability, which I’m sure they are capable of,” Amanovic said before the team’s departure.

Over 20 teams including Egypt, Tunisia, and Nigeria will take part in the two-week tournament, and Rwanda Basketball Federation Secretary General Richard Mutabazi thinks the competition will give them a good measure of the country’s standing against the rest of the continent in terms of hoops youth development.

Rwanda qualified for the continental championship after defeating Kenya in two-nation Zone V qualifiers played in Kigali last month. The winner of the African championships will qualify to represent Africa at the U-19 world Youth championships to be held next year. Among the favorites to win it are Tunisia, Egypt, Angola and the hosts Mozambique

Comme à Pékin, les Etats-Unis ont eu raison de l’Espagne au terme d’un match d’une folle intensité (107-100). Quatorzième titre olympique pour les Etats-Unis. Le deuxième d’affilée.

Les Américains étaient les grands favoris pour le titre olympique. Ils ont tenu leur rang. Portée par Kevin Durant (30 pts, 9 rbs), boostée par LeBron James (19 pts), Kobe Bryant (17 pts) ou encore Chris Paul (11 pts), l’équipe américaine a en effet dominé l’Espagne en finale du tournoi olympique ce dimanche, à la North Greenwich Arena (107-100). Relativement discret depuis le début du tournoi, Juan Carlos Navarro a signé une première mi-temps de folie, avec 19 de ses 21 points et une action à 4 points pour entamer la partie. Pau Gasol a quant à lui pris le relais après le repos, avec 16 de ses 24 points en deuxième mi-temps. Le tout avec 7 passes décisives en prime. Gêné par les fautes (4 en première mi-temps), Marc Gasol a inscrit 17 points. Serge Ibaka (12 pts, 9 rbs) a été précieux aussi. Mais Team USA était tout simplement trop forte. Et ce même si Dwight Howard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Chris Bosh, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade et Blake Griffin manquaient à l’appel.
Juan Carlos Navarro rentrait trois tirs primés dans les quatre premières minutes de la partie (7-12). Kobe Bryant en rentrait deux quasi-consécutivement pour tempérer la furia espagnole (15-12). Il était imité par Carmelo Anthony (25-16) et Deron Williams se joignait à la fête des trois points (30-21) ! Les champions d’Europe grappillaient les points à l’intérieur et aux lancers-francs pour finir le premier quart-temps à -7 (35-27). LeBron James, Deron Williams et surtout Kevin Durant assuraient au scoring à la reprise et l’Espagne était rapidement dans la pénalité, avec notamment quatre fautes pour Marc Gasol et trois pour Felipe Reyes à la pause. Navarro et Rudy Fernandez sonnaient toutefois la révolte et les hommes de Sergio Scariolo passaient même devant par deux fois (37-39 et 41-42), avec une adresse insolente de loin (7/12 à 3 pts à la MT). Ils n’étaient courts que d’un petit point à la pause (59-58 MT).
Pau Gasol était remonté comme une pendule au retour des vestiaires. Il inscrivait 9 points dans les quatre premières minutes (15 dans le 3e QT) et l’Espagne était plus que jamais dans le coup (64-67). Mais un Laker peut parfois en cacher un autre, et Kobe Bryant semblait avoir réponse à tout (73-71). Le tandem Pau Gasol-Serge Ibaka continuait son chantier dans la peinture pour contrer le festival Kevin Durant et il n’y avait toujours qu’un point d’écart à l’entame du dernier quart (83-82). Très bon ce dimanche, Chris Paul inscrivait cinq points en quelques secondes pour mettre un bon coup derrière la tête aux Espagnols (90-84). Durant, à trois points, enfonçait le clou (93-86). A tout seigneur tout honneur, c’est au King, LeBron James, que revenait le privilège de couper la queue et les oreilles des Espagnols avec un trois points assassin (102-93, puis 107-100 score final). Dans quatre ans, LBJ et consorts tenteront sans doute la passe de trois lors des Jeux olympiques de Rio. Sans Kobe Bryant ni Coach K.

Britain won their first Olympic basketball game in 64 years and did so in style by thumping China 90-58 on Monday to the roars of the home crowd in their last contest of the London Games.

The only other Olympic victory for Britain came in the 1948 London Games when after finishing 0-5 in the group, they beat Ireland in a classification game that put them in 20th place.

The lopsided Group B victory came in a clash of winless teams, but it was an emotional triumph for Britain and veterans Robert Archibald and Nate Reinking who were playing their last game for their country.

“I’m extremely proud of the way they played today,” Britain coach Chris Finch told reporters. “They came out with fire in their belly to get a win and make a little bit of history.

“Certainly it is what we needed, what the basketball community in general needed.”

The victory for 43rd-ranked Britain over number eight China gave the hosts a 1-4 record in Group B and sent the Chinese home at 0-5.

The British team’s best known player, Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng, said getting the win for his longtime team mates meant more to him than anything.

“Seeing Rob crying at the end, it meant a lot to me,” said Deng.

Britain were in command from the start, using a 12-0 run to seize a 22-12 lead and never looked back.

Kieron Achara led the team with 16 points as everyone contributed. Reinking scored 12, Archibald had eight points and Deng registered six.

“Hopefully we showed everyone that we have potential,” Deng said. “I think the game will be more popular and there will be more attention to it.

“We’ve come a long way.”

Britain had gamely challenged two other strong teams earlier in the tournament, taking Brazil (ranked 13th) and Spain (second) to the wire.

Deng hoped that this taste of Olympic success might lead to more kids taking up the game.

“There’s a lot of kids out there spending a lot of time not doing anything,” he said. “You never know if by having more facilities and attention to the sport what kids you might interest.”

Above all, Deng said his lasting memory of the victory at the Olympic Basketball Arena would be tied to his team mates.

“For Rob and Nate we made history,” he said. “To have the last game at the Olympics and go out with a win, I’m extremely excited for those guys.”

A nasty, bad-tempered joust with Argentina’s basketball team woke up the sleeping giants from the U.S. on Monday, spurring them to a 126-97 victory that earned a top-seeded berth in the quarter-finals.

Players from both sides were knocked down in a closely-fought first half and they often glowered at each other as the contest turned into a rout for the Americans who had narrowly beaten Lithuania in their previous game.

The muscular LeBron James threw an arm out at one point to sweep experienced Argentine Manu Ginobili off his feet.

After going to intermission locked in a 60-59 struggle, Argentina were buried under a flurry of three-pointers from Kevin Durant.

Durant, who made 8-of-10 three-pointers in the game, nailed four from beyond the arc in a third-quarter stretch that took the U.S. lead from 12 points to 24.

The quarter ended with more physical combat as Carmelo Anthony hit the floor doubled up in pain after making a three-pointer to send the Americans into the fourth session with a 102-76 advantage.

It seemed a fight might break out at that point as several players from both teams approached each other near mid-court before being separated.

GOLD IN 2004

Argentina won the gold medal in 2004 and are the only nation apart from the U.S. to win the Olympic title since the triumphant American ‘Dream Team’ was launched at the Barcelona Games in 1992.

Early in the fourth quarter, Russell Westbrook was given a technical foul for taunting an Argentine player after slamming a dunk through a basket.

After that the game carried on to a peaceful finish.

Durant led the Americans with 28 points. James added 18 while Ginobili scored 16 points as Argentina’s high scorer.

The win helped the Americans complete a 5-0 record in Group A and they now face Australia (3-2) in Wednesday’s quarter-finals.

Argentina (3-2) next meet arch-rivals Brazil (4-1) while Group B winners Russia (4-1) play Lithuania (2-3) and France (4-1) take on Spain (3-2).