THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Guus Hiddink will take over as Netherlands coach after the World Cup, when Louis van Gaal is stepping down, the countrys football association announced on Friday. Hiddink will lead the Netherlands until the end of the 2016 European Championship in France and then be replaced by Danny Blind. Blind and former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy were appointed as 67-year-old Hiddinks assistants. Hiddink said he was honoured to return for a second stint in charge after he led a talented young Dutch team to the World Cup semifinals in France in 1998, when it lost on penalties to Brazil. "With Danny Blind and Ruud van Nistelrooy, we have a strong team with a huge amount of football knowledge and experience," Hiddink said in a statement. "It is also a fantastic chance for me to prepare my own successors. In this way, the football vision of the Netherlands team can be preserved for the long term." Netherlands association director Bert van Oostveen lauded Hiddink as a coach with a treasure trove of international experience and success. "He has proved his skills as a coach for club and country," he said. Hiddink coached the Netherlands from 1995-98. He also led South Korea to an unexpected semifinal berth in the 2002 World Cup and guided an unheralded Russia to the last four of Euro 2008. Hiddink has coached a string of club teams including PSV Eindhoven, Real Madrid and Chelsea. He led PSV to three successive Dutch league titles from 1987-89, three straight Dutch Cup wins from 1988-90 and the European Cup in 1988. Returning to Eindhoven after the 2002 World Cup, he again won three national titles, briefly combining his work with PSV with coaching Australia, which he led to World Cup qualification in 2006 -- the first time in 32 years Australia reached footballs greatest stage. After that World Cup, Hiddink was hired by Russia and took the team to the semifinals of Euro 2008, knocking out the Netherlands in the quarterfinals. He briefly served as interim manager at Chelsea, leading the London club to FA Cup glory in 2010. . Vonn had another scary moment at Saturdays World Cup downhill in Val dIsere, ending up clutching her knee in pain after losing her balance and missing a gate. But she gave a reassuring answer shortly afterward, saying no new damage had been done to the surgically repaired knee, and that her plans for the Sochi Olympics were still intact. . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night.
http://www.footballcoltsteamprostore.co ... te-Jersey/. First-half goals by Will Bruin and Oscar Boniek Garcia sucked the life out of the Impact as the Houston Dynamo bounced them from Major League Soccers post-season with a 3-0 victory on Thursday. . -- Chad Labelle scored the winner 17:36 into the third period to give Medicine Hat a 2-1 victory over the Swift Current Broncos on Sunday and lift the Tigers into the second round of the Western Hockey League playoffs. . Chris Johnson singled with two outs off left-hander Jerry Blevins (1-1), and Schafer pinch ran. With a 2-2 count, Schafer ran on the pitch and Upton dropped a single in front of Bryce Harper. Schafer already was rounding third when Schafer bobbled the ball. OKLAHOMA CITY -- San Antonio fought off Father Time, the league MVP and an injury to its best player to return to the NBA Finals. The Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-107 in overtime Saturday night in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals to set up a rematch with the Miami Heat. San Antonio will host Game 1 on Thursday night and will try to avenge last years heartbreaking loss. San Antonio led Miami 3-2 before losing Game 6 in overtime, then dropping Game 7. "People keep talking like we werent close to winning, but we were ready to win last year," Spurs centre Tim Duncan said. "Were happy its the Heat again. Weve got that bad taste in our mouths still." A trio of 30-somethings led the way for the Spurs. Duncan had 19 points and 15 rebounds, Boris Diaw scored 26 points and Manu Ginobili chipped in 15 points and six rebounds for the Spurs. San Antonio pulled this one out despite All-Star point guard Tony Parker missing the entire second half and overtime with left ankle soreness. Popovich said Parker had been struggling with the ankle since Game 4 of the series. The Spurs overcame it the way they have for more than a decade -- with teamwork, passing and great performances by role players. "We didnt know how much Tony was hurt in his ankle," Diaw said. "But we didnt want to go to Game 7, and we didnt know if he would be ready to play if we did or if he would be 100 per cent, so we tried to get it over with tonight." It was the third-best playoff scoring effort of Diaws 11-year career and his best since 2006. "Boris was amazing," Duncan said. "He had an unbelievable game. Hes had a great series." Russell Westbrook had 34 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and six steals, and MVP Kevin Durant added 31 points and 14 rebounds for the Thunder. But Oklahoma City committed 20 turnovers that led to 33 points for the Spurs. Westbrook and Durant each had seven turnovers. "We started settling for too many jump shots," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "It just seemed like we couldnt get enough good looks at the basket. Defensively, they just had us scrambling around." San Antonio also handled Serge&nbbsp;Ibakas return from injury.dddddddddddd Oklahoma Citys defensive star missed the first two games with a strained left calf, but he returned to help the Thunder win the next two games and tie the series. The series featured five blowouts wins by the home teams, but the closeout game was a gem. Oklahoma City overcame a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime. "I have to be honest, this victory is really sweet because we know we played one hell of a team, and we take great satisfaction in that since theyre so special," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. In overtime, Duncans shot from the baseline rattled in to give the Spurs a 110-107 lead with 19 seconds to go. Durant missed a good look at a 3-pointer, and the Spurs rebounded and went to the line. Diaw missed the first and made the second free throw to make it a four-point lead for the Spurs. Westbrook missed a wild 3-pointer, and Spurs wrapped it up. San Antonio led by 12 early in the fourth quarter, but the Thunder chipped away at the free throw line after getting the Spurs into foul trouble. Back-to-back baskets by Westbrook and Durant cut San Antonios lead to 93-91 with 4:01 to play, leading to the frantic final minutes. Westbrook was fouled on a drive with 9.3 seconds to play. He made both free throws to tie the score at 101. Ginobilis fadeaway at the free-throw line against Westbrook missed, and the game went to overtime. Ginobili said the Thunder were a significant hurdle, and he expects them to be a roadblock in the future. "They are a pretty good team," he said. "They have so much talent, so much athleticism, so much future. They are a tough team." Notes: The Spurs had just two assists and missed all five of their 3-point attempts in the first quarter. ... Spurs C Matt Bonner started for the second straight game. He made just 1 of 5 3-pointers in the first half as the Thunder backed off of him. ... Westbrook had four steals in the first half. ... Thunder coach Scott Brooks was issued a technical foul in the third quarter. ... Westbrook made his first 10 free throws and 17 of 18 overall. ... Thunder G Derek Fisher, 39, played every minute of the fourth quarter and overtime. ' ' '