NEW YORK (AP) ― A word of caution to anyone anointing the Cleveland Cavaliers as the NBA favorites.Yes, the Cavaliers are going to be good, no doubt. It’s impossible not to be with the game’s best player. But even LeBron James knows Cleveland has a lot of work to do.“We’re not ready right now. No way,” he wrote in his first-person essay in Sports Illustrated.Quite a different tone than when he arrived in Miami four years ago.Quite a different situation, too.While the player dominos continue to f

BRASILIA (AP) ― Luiz Felipe Scolari declined to make a decision on his future Saturday, saying it will be up to the Brazilian football confederation to decide whether he will continue as Brazil’s coach after the World Cup.Following Brazil’s 3-0 loss to the Netherlands in the third-place match, Scolari said he will let the confederation analyze his performance and decide whether he should remain as coach despite failing to succeed at the home tournament.The coach, who was loudly booed by the crow

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) ― Brazilians already downhearted at missing out on reaching the World Cup final watched in dismay Saturday as their national team lost to the Netherlands 3-0 in the third-place match.Across the nation, fans hoping for some measure of redemption were crushed as Brazil failed to score and said their only solace was that the country managed to put on a good World Cup show for the world.Brazilian soldier Julio Cesar Carioca compared his connection with Brazil’s team to life itsel

Robin van Persie and Daley Blind score early goals in 3-0 rout

RIO DE JANEIRO -- On the eve of the World Cup final, Argentina head coach Alejandro Sabella said his team would have to be focused, fast and cautious to play “the perfect match” against favorites Germany."We must have great concentration. We have to … occupy spaces very quickly. We (can’t) risk the ball in areas where we cannot take any chances,” especially against a physical and tactical rival with such a strong mindset, he said on Saturday at Maracana Stadium ahead of the team’s final practice

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Germany is not simply coming to the World Cup final off the biggest semifinal victory in World Cup history. Coach Joachim Low said Sunday’s final against Argentina was not even the biggest challenge that he has faced in his career. German football has been working up to this day for a decade, and Low is not afraid.“I have no fear whatsoever because I know it is going to be a match between two teams who have had fascinating duels in the past,” he said on Saturday at Maracana Sta

Brazil's traumatic World Cup ended with more pain on Saturday as they lost 3-0 to a superior Netherlands side in the third-place play-off at the Mane Garrincha National Stadium in Brasilia.Still struggling to digest their record-breaking 7-1 loss to Germany in the semi-finals, Brazil had a similarly disastrous start against the Dutch, with Robin van Persie opening the scoring from the penalty spot inside three minutes.With injured star Neymar watching on from the bench, Daley Blind then capitali

 Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari admitted on Friday that a traumatic last six weeks both on and off the field will mark him for the rest of his life."Lots of things have changed and have impacted on my life for better or for worse. In the coming days I will try to get on with my life, that I have left behind a little bit in recent days," said Scolari ahead of Saturday's World Cup third-place play-off against the Netherlands in Brasilia."I will talk a bit with my family about everything that hap

Zach Johnson tees off on the second hole during the first round of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, Thursday. (AFP-Yonhap)SILVIS, Illinois (AP) ― Zach Johnson, Rory Sabbatini and Brian Harman shot 8-under-par 63s Thursday to share the lead after the first round of the John Deere Classic.Johnson and Sabbatini played bogey-free golf, while Harman had nine birdies and one bogey on the par-71 TPC Deere Run. They led 2004 British Open champion Todd Hamilton, Australian Ste

BRASILIA (AP) ― Neymar became emotional when talking Thursday about the injury that ruled him out of the World Cup, saying that if the knee to his back had been slightly more to one side he “could be in a wheelchair” right now.The Brazil striker cried as he recalled the injury, saying “God blessed” him and prevented a more serious injury. Neymar had to stop talking for several seconds, lowering his head and putting a hand in front of his eyes.“It’s difficult to talk about a move that (happened)