to go through, the close ballgames that have been, he said.The

CHICAGO -- If there ever was a time to be sure that the Cleveland Cavaliers epic three-game win streak to finish the NBA Finals and beat the Golden State Warriors for the championship was a thing of a past, this weeks three-game losing streak -- capped by a 111-105 defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bulls on Friday -- hammered that point home.Weve got to get out of the honeymoon stage, a visibly frustrated LeBron James said after he had a personal 30-game winning streak broken for his teams when he totaled 20-plus points and 10-plus assists. Thats yalls headline for tomorrow. I know yall going to use it.James finished with 27 points and 13 assists, but he also had a season-high eight turnovers -- giving him 20 turnovers during the three consecutive losses.While he had a part in the Cavs undoing, it was Chicagos 78 points in the paint that really stood out as the reason for their demise. This came after Cleveland was outscored 68-34 in the paint during the first loss of the skid against the Milwaukee Bucks and 30-18 in the second loss against the Los Angeles Clippers.Youve got to play the game the right way, James continued. Youve got to battle every night like we aint won nothing. Last year is last year, and after ring night, its over with. Now its a new season and everybody is gunning for us every night, and we have to understand that. The honeymoon stage is over, and its time to play some real ball and be physical, especially in the trenches. Giving up 78 points is ridiculous. Weve got to man up. Everybody.Its the first three-game losing streak of Tyronn Lues tenure as head coach, after being elevated to the position at midseason last year.Weve got to do better, Lue said after the Cavs lead for the top seed in the Eastern Conference fell to just half a game over the Toronto Raptors. Concerned, I wouldnt say that. We are a good team, but right now, were not playing like it. Well be better, and thats on me to make it better.Lue pointed to his responsibility to come up with better schemes defensively, while also mentioning his players necessity to play better one-on-one defense.Cavs forward Kevin Love, who finished with 15 points on 5-for-14 shooting with nine rebounds while often matched against Chicagos Taj Gibson (23 points, 10 for 13 shooting, 11 rebounds), joined his coach in shouldering the blame.I think myself, I was bad tonight, Love said. I mean, just getting to those different rotations and being locked in. We needed to be more in tune with what were trying to do and have that next man up mentality.A night that started with a spectacle, as a pack of approximately 50 media members swarmed James with cameras to capture his pregame attire -- a full-fledged Chicago Cubs uniform to settle a World Series bet with Dwyane Wade -- ended with a despondent Cavs locker room.We dont want to drop three in a row, but its happened, Kyrie Irving?said. And now we figure out where we can get better, things that we need to correct and we move forward. Obviously, all of us are competitive players, were winners, and going forward we just got to be better. But theres no need for controversy or any of that or us overthinking it. Its just basketball.Weve got to go out there and just compete at a high level and do it consistently over a 48-minute game. Thats all. And I think right now, were doing it in bits and pieces. Were getting out to a good start in first quarters, were hitting guys [early], and sometimes the game can take a shift. But with that, weve got to keep playing and rely on one another.On Thursday, following the Cavs second loss in a row, James downplayed the significance of the rut they had found themselves in.The best thing about this league is you kind of always get an opportunity right away to be better, he said, pointing to the second night of the back-to-back ahead of them in Chicago. Now, three games in a row, thats something to talk about.Reminded of that quote postgame on Friday night, James simply quipped, Weve got to be better.Lue also was reminded of James quote after the loss to the Clippers, which read like an invitation for the media to question the Cavs should they not get back on track in Chicago.Well, now you got something to talk about, Lue said. And its not going to get any easier. Going to Toronto, going to New York, so if were not ready to play, were not ready to compete and take the challenge one-on-one, it will happen again. Ian Cole Jersey .Y. - General manager Billy King says the Brooklyn Nets are looking to add a big man and confirmed the team worked out centre Jason Collins, who would become the first openly gay active NBA player if signed. Cale Makar Avalanche Jersey .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. http://www.hockeyavalanche.com/authentic-peter-forsberg-avalanche-jersey/ . -- Cam Newton pranced into the end zone, placed his hands over his chest and did his familiar Superman pose. Nikita Zadorov Jersey . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. Lanny McDonald Avalanche Jersey .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. With the SEC East Division title now resting in Florida, No. 24 Tennessee looks to play to enhance its bowl credentials.Vanderbilt is playing for automatic bowl eligibility, though the Commodores still may get into the postseason even with a loss.And, of course, there is always the reward of beating an intrastate rival.Such is the situation when the Volunteers (8-3, 4-3 SEC) and Commodores (5-6, 2-5) face off at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. The SEC Network has the telecast.Until last weekend, the Vols were hoping that LSU would pin a third conference loss on Florida to give them an opportunity to play in the SEC Championship. Tennessee held the tiebreaker over the Gators to get the berth if each team finished with 5-3 marks.About halftime of the Vols 63-37 rout of Missouri last weekend, however, Florida was holding on for a 16-10 victory over LSU to finish conference play with a 6-2 record to snuff out Tennessees last opportunity.That may have been a downer, but coach Butch Jones doesnt see that as an issue this week.In terms of putting the East behind us, I guess the greatest illustration I can give you is that our players came out and played one of their best second halves in the second half against Missouri, he said. Im not naive enough to tell you -- they knew what had happened. They knew exactly the situation. We never addressed it, but kids are kids.They know. I think thats what defines who we are as a football program and what defines our players. We went out and had one of the best second halves.Its a bit early to see how things will eventually shake out in the bowl picture, but with a quarterback like Josh Dobbs and a receiver like Josh Malone, the Vols can be an attractive team. Dobbs has rushed for a team-best 660 yards and nine touchdowns and passed for 2,315 yards and 24 touchdowns with a 60 percent completion rate, while Malone is averaging 19.2 yards on 38 receptions.Thats if Tennessee can go into the postseason with nine wins and alonee in second place in the division, not tied with Georgia and Kentucky at 4-4.dddddddddddd.Theres a lot to be played for, Jones said. This has the makings to be a great, great, very, very special season. You look at all the great things that we have accomplished and all the great things that are ahead of us -- and I think also its a great illustration of persistence and resiliency of all the adversities that have gone through this season.I have never been through a season like this in 30 years of coaching in terms of the adversities, the injuries, the setbacks, the big wins, all that that goes into it.Vanderbilts Derek Mason could express similar sentiments.This group has earned the right as you look at what theyve had to go through, the close ballgames that have been, he said.The Commodores have done a remarkable turnaround after ranking 128th out of 128 FBS teams in total offense just a few weeks ago. After starting the season at 2-4, they have almost reversed that by winning three of their last five games.Last week against Ole Miss, they amassed 481 yards in total offense, their season high against an FBS opponent, and the 38-17 win over the Rebels were the most points they have scored against a conference opponent since Mason took over in 2014.In particular, Vanderbilts receiving corps stood out with Trent Sherfield gaining 73 yards on two receptions and Darius Sims getting 53 on just two grabs. C.J. Duncan had four catches and Caleb Scott three.They made some great plays, Mason said. They gave us chances to be successful. Theyve been maligned all year, so its good to see them have a breakout game.The win kept the Commodores hopes alive for getting to six wins and not having to depend on their academic credentials to get them into a bowl if not enough six-win teams are available to fill the slots.Why settle for second when first is available, Mason said. ' ' '