Basketball

By Simon Evans MIAMI (Reuters) - The Indiana Pacers threw open the NBA Eastern Conference finals on Friday, upsetting the Miami Heat with a 97-93 victory to level the best-of-seven series at 1-1. LeBron James scored 36 points for Miami but gave up two crucial turnovers down the stretch that cost the Heat, while Roy Hibbert top-scored for the Pacers with 29 points and Paul George added 22 and produced some outstanding defensive work. ...

* Series tied at 1-1 as teams head to Indiana * Late turnovers dampen stellar showing from James (Adds detail, quotes) By Simon Evans MIAMI, May 24 (Reuters) - The Indiana Pacers threw open the NBA Eastern Conference finals on Friday, upsetting the Miami Heat with a 97-93 victory to level the best-of-seven series at 1-1. LeBron James scored 36 points for Miami but gave up two crucial turnovers down the stretch that cost the Heat, while Roy Hibbert top-scored for the Pacers with 29 points and Paul George added 22 and produced some outstanding defensive work. ...

By Larry Fine (Reuters) - The star-studded U.S. national basketball team cannot afford to get complacent about being the sport's superpower given the pace of emerging talent around the globe, head coach Mike Krzyzewski said on Thursday. According to Krzyzewski, having the privilege of coaching teams that have boasted NBA All-Stars LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul does not come with a guarantee of beating competition. ...

(Reuters) - Most Valuable Player LeBron James of the Miami Heat and veteran Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers headlined the list of players selected for the All-NBA team, the league said on Thursday. Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs and Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers joined James and Bryant on the first team. James, who has won four of the last five league MVP awards, earned first team honors for a sixth consecutive season and seventh overall since entering the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 2003. ...

By Simon Evans MIAMI (Reuters) - The Indiana Pacers fell just short in the Eastern Conference finals opener but their gritty display pumped life into the NBA playoffs and let the defending champion Miami Heat know they have a battle on their hands. The ease with which the top-seeded Heat have brushed aside opponents during the regular season and playoffs has given an air of inevitability to this year's postseason, resulting in falling television ratings and plummeting interest. ...

By Larry Fine (Reuters) - Mike Krzyzewski said on Thursday he is returning for another term as the U.S. men's national basketball team coach with the aim of leading the squad to a third successive Olympic title at the 2016 Games in Rio. Krzyzewski, the Duke University coach who has amassed the most wins in U.S. college hoops, has a 61-2 record since taking over the U.S. national team in 2005, including Olympic golds in 2008 and 2012, and is riding a 50-game winning streak. ...

(Reuters) - USA Basketball is set to name its men's coach for the next Olympic cycle and all signs point to Mike Krzyzewski, who has already led Team USA to a pair of Summer Games golds, retaining the job. A news conference hosted by USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo to announce the selection has been called for Thursday at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, where Krzyzewski presides as head coach of the Blue Devils. ...

(Reuters) - The Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Draft Lottery and the top overall pick for the second time in three years on Tuesday. The Cavaliers were able to edge out the Orlando Magic, who had the highest probability of winning the top selection, as they continue to rebuild a franchise reeling from the loss of LeBron James following the 2009-10 campaign. "It's huge for us," Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert told reporters. "This is our third year in a row in the lottery. Hopefully it's our last for a long, long time. ...