GAME 7 COULD DETERMINE MIAMI'S LEGACY
(AP) — The Indiana Pacers say they've been ignored most of the season and really belong as one of the elite teams in the NBA. Tonight in Miami, the Pacers can prove that point with a victory over the defending NBA champion Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.
The Pacers forced the showdown game with a thorough 91-77 beat-down of the Heat Saturday night in Indianapolis. Paul George poured in a career playoff-high 28 points while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out five assists.
Roy Hibbert was a force in the middle at both ends of the court with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Afterward, Hibbert detracted from his own performance with some crude post-game comments. The NBA fined Roy Hibbert $75,000 for using a gay slur and cursing during his news conference after Game 6.
Hibbert issued a statement apologizing for his remarks, saying they were disrespectful, offensive and not a reflection of his personal views. Commissioner David Stern said that while Hibbert's apology is sincere, he fined him anyway.
If the Heat are to reach the NBA Finals for the third straight year, LeBron James will need some scoring help. He had 29 points Saturday night. But Chris Bosh added only five and Dwyane (dwayn) Wade had 10 in the loss. Bosh and Wade were a combined 6 of 19 from the field.
MALONE'S APPOINTMENT MADE OFFICIAL TODAY
(AP) — The Sacramento Kings have confirmed that Mike Malone will be their new coach and he will be introduced at a news conference today. Malone is the son of former NBA coach Brendan Malone and has been an assistant in the league for more than a decade. The younger Malone replaces Keith Smart, who was fired Friday.
GIANTS BREAK 7-GAME ROAD LOSING STREAK
(AP) — Chad Gaudin picked up a win in his first start in over three years and Brandon Belt broke a tie with a two-run pinch-hit double to lead San Francisco to a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, ending the Giants' seven-game road skid.
Gaudin (1-1) went six innings in his first start since Sept. 28, 2009 as a member of the New York Yankees. He allowed four hits and two runs, both coming on a two-run homer by David Freese in the fourth. Gaudin is temporarily replacing Ryan Vogelsong in the rotation. Vogelsong broke several bones in his right hand May 20.
Belt slammed the first pitch from reliever Randy Choate into the gap in left-center to bring in Brandon Crawford and Gregor Blanco for a 4-2 lead in the seventh inning. Crawford began the rally with a single off St. Louis rookie Tyler Lyons (2-1).
A'S CONTINUE TO ROLL AS THEY SWEEP CHISOX
Josh Donaldson's sixth-inning sacrifice fly ended a career-best 28-inning scoreless streak by Chicago starter Chris Sale, and the Oakland Athletics beat the White Sox 2-0 on Sunday for a weekend sweep.
Jarrod Parker (4-6) hung tough in an impressive pitcher's duel with Sale to win back-to-back starts for the first time this year. The right-hander matched his season high with seven strikeouts in 6 1-3 innings as Oakland won for the ninth time in 11 games.
Sale (5-3) lost for the first time in six starts since an April 18 defeat at Toronto. The White Sox (24-30) lost their season-high sixth in a row and matched a season-worst by falling to six games below .500.
