gravity as he leapt high into the air to take as sharp a slip catch

CLEVELAND -- The Cavaliers allowed their city to celebrate by raising a championship banner, while simultaneously helping to put to rest its long-standing losing reputation.After Cleveland waited more than four months since the teams Game 7 win over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals (and 52 years since the Browns title in 1964, representing the last pro sports title for the city), it was finally time to acknowledge the accomplishment on opening night before the Cavaliers game against the?New York Knicks.Theres been a lot of talk about the past lately, but tonight is about the present, league commissioner Adam Silver said as he handed out the Cavs championship rings from a display at center court that was topped with the Larry OBrien Trophy.Cavs principal owner Dan Gilbert was the first to receive his ring and was handed the microphone by Silver to address the sellout crowd.Youre the greatest sports city in the world, Gilbert said, about an hour before the Cleveland Indians would start Game 1 of the World Series against the Chicago Cubs on the other side of Gateway Plaza from Quicken Loans Arena. Thank you.When the Indians scored their first run against the Cubs during a timeout in the second quarter, the arena erupted in cheers followed by a Lets go Tribe! chant. The fans, including WWE superstar The Undertaker and Bow Wow, also ate up Gilberts words, cheering just as they did when the scoreboard showed highlights of Kyrie Irvings big 3, LeBron James big block and Kevin Loves big stop against the Warriors.When this is over and that banner goes up, theres only one thing left to do: Repeat, Gilbert said. James was the last of the Cavs players to receive his ring and also spoke to the packed arena as he fought back tears.This is for you guys, James told the crowd, repeating a message he screamed after the Cavs won Game 7 at Oracle Arena on June 19. This is all for you.James paused and then reminded Cleveland that it remains an underdog -- even in victory.If youre not from here, live here, play here, or dedicate yourself to Cleveland, then it makes no sense for you to live at this point, James said as he was serenaded by MVP chants. Cleveland against the world!He would go on to record a triple-double as the Cavaliers opened the season with a 117-88 win.?When it was time to raise the banner, several Cavs players ran their hands along the fabric as it was lifted from a metal casing cut into the shape of the Cleveland skyline up toward the rafters, where it settled just above the video scoreboard.The approximately 6.5-carat rings the owners, players, coaches and front-office members received were encrusted with more than 400 diamonds plus a one-carat diamond that adorns the top of the Larry OBrien Trophy that appears across the ring face.The ring also features 14K yellow gold and dark garnet accents to finish off the trophy and Cavs C logo details.A press release noted that the interior side of the ring features a line of seven gemstones to represent the seven games that comprised the 2016 Finals. Three white diamonds depict the Warriors wins, and four garnets represent the Cavaliers, symbolizing the first time in NBA history a team overcame a 3-1 series deficit to win the title.The rings were manufactured by Baron Championship Rings. Twelve of the 15 members of the championship team were at the game, including Dahntay Jones, who was waived by the Cavs on Monday and wore a sports jacket and slacks to the affair.Matthew Dellavedova, Timofey Mozgov and Sasha Kaun were also noted by the P.A. announcer in their absence.The Associated Press contributed to this report.? Dennis Rodman Spurs Jersey .C. -- When North Carolina freshman Ryan Switzer reported to training camp in August he was a little miffed to learn he was third on the depth chart at punt returner. Bryn Forbes Jersey . Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey last Sunday. The fine is the fourth this season for Goldson. He was fined $30,000 for a hit on the New York Jets Jeff Cumberland in Week 1. https://www.spurslockerroom.com/Demarre-Carroll-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Pierce was ejected in the third quarter of Indianas 103-86 win Monday. George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup, and Pierce hustled back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up. Derrick White Jersey . Pettersen, winner of last years Evian Championships, had nine birdies and three bogeys, holding off a series of challengers led by Marion Ricordeau of France. The second-ranked Norwegian made her season debut after missing the LPGA Tours opening event last month in the Bahamas because of a shoulder injury. Lonnie Walker Spurs Jersey . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Steve Saunders took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Web. Northamptonshire 89 for 2 (Cobb 39*, Duckett 24*) beat Birmingham 86 for 8 (Javid 34, Gleeson 3-12) by eight wicketsScorecard Such is Northants dominance in T20 cricket this year that it might take until the winter for them to face a real challenge.Certainly they encountered little resistance at Edgbaston. Although the teams went into the match equal on points at the top of the North Division, Birmingham were 25 for 5 after 37 deliveries and there is no way back from that. Its a little premature to suggest Northants have one foot in the quarter-finals, but they are very handily placed.But, by the time winter comes, the discussion over the future shape of the domestic T20 tournament will be coming to fruition. As things stand right now - and these things change like manifesto promises - the most likely result of those discussions is a two-division competition involving all 18 first-class counties and a system of promotion and relegation. It could start as early as next year, though 2020 and the advent of a new TV deal remains a more likely timeframe. The broadcasters would focus on the top division.Which all sounds pretty simple, doesnt it?Except such is the desire to ensure the product - yes, its a horrible word, but we have to be realistic - looks right, that the argument over how to populate the top division could become complex.While you might think that simply picking the quarter-finalists of the previous season was the most meritocratic solution, there are those who think the division should be decided by ground size. That way, they argue, the product will appear more glamorous on TV and the potential for extra revenue from ticket sales increases. It is, in essence, a way of introducing city cricket through the back door.But if the new-look competition does start next year Northants, in particular, cannot be denied. So consistently impressive has their T20 form been over the last few years - they won the competition in 2013 and reached the final in 2015 - that any formation that does not include them (and the other small counties who are out-performing their city neighbours with big grounds and even bigger senses of entitlement) will lack integrity. Merit must remain the only method for qualification.A similar discussion occurred ahead of the first year of the Premier League. Cambridge United were, at the time, the club with the small stadium that threatened to win promotion. As it was, they fell away and most of their best players were cherry-picked by bigger clubs. Northants supporters will be familiar with the sensation.Northants do have an issue with ticket sales, though. While Surrey, who could find themselves in the lower division, have sold 122,247 NatWest Blast tickets this season, Northants have sold just 16,477. Not for the first time, the cricket side of the club is being let down by the business side.Ticket sales have fallen off drastically around the country in the last couple of weeks. From a hhigh point, a month ago, where they were up 26 percent on 2015 levels (which was, in itself a record year), the relentlessly wet weather (and, perhaps, the rival attraction of the football) has reduced this figure to 8 percent.ddddddddddddThe plan to start the competition several weeks later in 2017 may help, but the last few weeks might prove a reminder that, if this competition is held in a window, it is a hostage to fortune. It could be ruined by a spell of wet weather the like of which we have just experienced.What Northants provide - in T20 cricket, at least - is a glorious reminder of the ability of sport to transcend financial muscle. So here, despite fielding a makeshift opening attack of part-time pros (Richard Gleeson combines his playing role with a community coaching role at the Lancashire Cricket Board, while Moin Ashraf has been signed on a short-term contract to cover for injuries to Rory Kleinveldt and Stone), they thrashed a side with a budget the like of which they can only dream.Birmingham, remember, have such a strong squad that they feel able to leave out players of the class of Varun Chopra (who scored an unbeaten 97 in his only T20 innings this season) and Jonathan Trott (who remains the highest T20 run-scorer in the clubs history, despite hardly having played for several years). Indeed, if you added up the salaries of those left out - and you could include Boyd Rankin, Tim Ambrose, Ian Westwood, Keith Barker and Chris Wright - it might not fall far short of the entire Northants salary bill.The better side won here. While Northants produced some moments of great skill - Richard Levi seemed to defy gravity as he leapt high into the air to take as sharp a slip catch as you could wish to see to dismiss Laurie Evans - Birmingham had what might politely be called a shocker: Jeetan Patels drop at cover to reprieve Josh Cobb on 1 was museum-quality awful.Perhaps they were a little unfortunate. Batting first on a pitch that had been under cover for much of the time since it was used for last weeks ODI, Gleeson gained just enough movement to trouble the batsmen. Luke Ronchi edged a beauty that left him, Ian Bell missed one that may have nipped in and Sam Hain, frustrated at his lack of progress, top-edged a desperate heave. Had the match not been reduced to 16 overs a side due to rain, Birmingham may well have struggled to see out their overs.Northants, recognising the tricky conditions, did not try to win with overs to spare. Instead Ben Duckett - a home-grown player who could well go on to represent his country - and Cobb, the third-highest scorer in the competition this season, played intelligent, mature innings. There were 21 balls to spare when Cobb clipped the boundary through mid-wicket that clinched the win. Crickets version of the Leicester City story continues. ' ' '