Spurs Jackson fined for Ibaka statement

Los Angeles, California : The NBA have fined San Antonio’s Stephen Jackson US$25.000 for threatening Oklahoma City’s Serge Ibaka on Twitter. 

Ibaka was involed in a confrontation with Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace on Friday which led Jackson, a friend of peace’s, to issue a threat to Ibaka on the social networking websites. 

“The recent public comment made by Stephen Jackson are absolutely unacceptable, cannot be tolerated and do not reflect the standarts held by the San Antonio Spurs, ” general manager RC Buford said on the team’s website. Jackson has a history of coming to the aid of Peace, most famously in the 2004-05 season when the then Indiana teammates were involved in a brawl with fans in Detroit. 

Jackson recived a 30-game suspension for that incident while Peace, then know as Ron Artest, was banner for the rest of the season

Thunder powers past Pacers to eighth straight victory

Oklahoma City’s high-octane offence has powered the team to the best record in the NBA, but it was defense that got the job done on Sunday as the Thunder rolles to its eighth straight win, a 104-93 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacer. 

Oklahoma City, who came into the game averaging more than 106 points, trailed the Pacers by four midway through the third quarter before seizing the momentum with a 17-3 run. Kevin Durant scored 10 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, while reserve Kevin Martin added 24 for Thunder, who are tied with San Antonio at the top of the Western Confrence with a record 17-4. 

David west made 21 points for the Pacers (10-11), who saw all of their staters reach double-figure scoring.  With last season’s leading scorer, Danny Granger, Sidelined with a knee injury, Indiana averaged less than 91 points per game coming into Sunday’s Contest, Wich is last in the NBA. The Pacers managed to stay closa before Oklahoma City kicked things into another gear.

 Durant began the game making just four out of 17 shots but missed only two of his last seven. Indiana pulled to 94-91 in the fourth quarter but the Thunder netted a couple of quick baskets and Russell Westbrook to quell the Pacers. Westbrook chipped in 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the defending

Messi breaks 40-year record

Lionel Messi broke Germa great Gerd Mueller's 40-year-old record for most goals in a year by scoring for 86th time in 2012 on sunday. The argentina forward scored twice to lead Barcelona to 2-1 win at Real Betis in the Spainsh league match.

His first was an individual effort in the 16th minute to equal mueller's mark, and he eclipsed the 1972 milestone with a familiar left-footed finish nine minutes later. Messi has scored 74 goals for Barcelona and 12 times for Argentina this year, and he has three more games iin which he can add to his tally before the end of the year. Muller scored 85 for bayern Munich and West Germany.

The 25-year-old Messi Passed Brazil great Pele's singel season milestone of 75 goals for Brazil and Santos in 1958 with his 75th and 76 th goals of the year on Nov. 11 to move into second place behind Mueller.

After his record 50 goals in the Spainish league last campaign, Messi has led Barcelona to the best start in the history of championship this season with 14 wins and a draw in the opening 15 rounds. The scoring ace has found the net 30 times alredy this season in all competitions for Barcelona.

He scored 73 times in all competitions for barcelona las season, beraking the previous European club record of 67 goals set by Muller in 1972-1973 and the prior world club mark of 70 established by Archie Stark of Bethlehem Steel in American Soccer Leangue in 1924-25

Fittingly, Messi scored his 73rd and final goal of the 2011-2012 season as Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in the Copa del Rey final in May to give then-coach Pep Guardiola his 14th title in his final game.

Coach Conte's retrun Juventus Beats Palermo

Defending champions Juventus clebrated coach Antonio Conte;s return with a win, beating Palermo 1-0 in Serie A on Sunday. Stephan Lichtseiner scored five minutes into the second half for Juventus, Which also hit the goalframe twice through Mirco Vucinic.

Palermo had a first-half strike from Fabrizio Miccoli ruled out for offside and also had Michel Morganella sent off 15 minutes from time after picking up his seconds yellow card.

It was Conte's first match back on the bench after serving a four month ban for failing to report match-fixing when he coatched Siena two seasons ago.

Juventus is now five points ahead of Napoli, which faces third-plsce Inter Milan later Sunday. Elsewhere, AC Milan continued its recent resurgence with its third consecutive league victory, winning 4-2 at Torino, but midfielder Nigel De Jong's season is over after he snapped his achilles tendon.

Juventus should have taken the lead in the 36th when Claudio Marchisio's shot was deflected straight to Vucinic, who side-footed the ball onto the right post from six yards with the goal gaping. The serie A leaders started to get into the game and again almost went in front two minutes from halftime when Arturo Vidal stole the ball off Jasmin Kurtic and put in a delightful through ball, which Alessandro Matri fired Straight at goalkeeper Samir Ujkani.

Vucinic hit the post again 30 secons after the restart before helping Juventus finally broke the deadlock five minutes later. Vucinic beat Steve Von Bergen to cheast down a long pass from Andrea Pirlo and Backheel it for the onrushing Lichtsteiner to free home,

After loss, Pacquiao faces tough choices

Manny Pacquiao has alredy achieved what most of his countrymen can only dream of : lifting himself out of wrenching poverty, securing a future for his children and becoming a figurehead for Filipinos all over the world.

Not content with just winning in the ring, Manny Pacquiao has also set about making his mark as a politician. 

now after his stunning loss to Juan Manuel Marquez at Las Vegas, 34-year-old is facing some of the toughest questions in his remarkable 17-year career, does his future lay in boxing, politics, showbiz, religion, or is there a new challenge on the horizon ?

"Being the king of boxing, being the highest oaid athlete in boxing... it goes with the territory" boxing analyst Ed Tolentino said "F Manny Pacquiao, the fame was too much handle. there was just too many things on his plate other than boxing"

The distraction was costly for Manny Pacquiao, who trained for only two month, compared to Marquez's 4-1/2 months.

During that time the mexican fighter bulked up and became more muscular to withsttand the Filipino's trademark furious blows that wew so damaging in their three earlier encounters, said boxinf commentator Ronnie Nathanielsz.

Manny Pacquiao grew up a survivor and fighter in the cutthroat world of property and competition in a country where half of the population live on US$2 a day and 3.000 leave for jobs overseas every day.

He left high school to work as a baker and a construction worker to earn money for his mother and siblings after his father left them. As a scawny teenager, he was a stowaway on a ship that took him from his southern hometown of General Santos City to the capital, Manila, where he took up boxing while working as a laborer.

After successful, and some less successful, loacl bouts, his international winning streak began inn 1999 at Thailand as a 112-pound fighter. In the next decade, he became a household name by clinching eight world titles in eight weight categories.

At home, he was declared a hero, "the people's champ" an inspiration to the legions of the poor and the man the rich and powerful wanted to rib shoulders with. As the titles, honors and money started pouring in, so diddistractions. Politicians, movie bit players and an assortment of hanger-on formed his huge entourage. 

In a nation where celebrities, money and politics equal a winning formula, Manny Pacquiao played his card by running for Congress in 2007 but lost. 

The most popular face in town, he turned to crooning his own songs. His Picture endorsed countless product. He's reguler on TV and hosts his own show. He's made a movie. His passion was cock fighting a traditional past time in the Philippines. 

Malaysia climax for Thaworn’s Order of Merit bid

Australian Marcus Fraser will take part in season ending Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia this weak hoping to leapfrog Thaistalwart Thaworn Wiratchant and claim his first order of Merit title on the Asian Tour. 

Second Place Fraser trails Thaworn by US$25.261,90 ahead of the $2 million event which starts on Thursday, with the Australian taking part after initially suggesting he may skip the event to play a One Asia tournament at home. 

Fraser has pocketed $652.344 fromhis limited 10 Asian Tour appearances this year an took part in OneAsia’s Australian Open last week allowing Thawaron to stretch his lead at the Thailand Golf Championships. 

Thaworn, who turns 46 later this mont, cloud have all but assured he woukd become the oldest golfer to win the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit title but a poor display with the driver on Sunday led to 77 and a disappointing tied 36th finish. 

Thaworn has won the queens Cup in Thailand, the Selangor Master in Malaysia and the Indian Open this years but despite his success, five players stabd a chance of preventing him adding a second Order of Merit title after his 2005 triumph. Fraser is without a win on tour this year but does have four top-four finishes in lucrative event co-sanctioned with the European Tour.