oor midway through the first half, Williams took off his jacket and fired it into the

After the Cleveland Cavaliers cruised to an Eastern Conference crown last season -- ultimately breaking the citys 52-year title drought weeks later -- is the path to the NBA Finals just as clear for LeBron James & Co. in 2016-17?Can teams like the Toronto Raptors or improved Boston Celtics play spoiler?We asked our ESPN Forecast panel to predict which team will emerge as Western Conference champions in 2016-17. Then we totaled up the ballots, with a first-place vote receiving five points, a second-place vote receiving three and a third-place vote receiving one. (Heres how ESPN Forecast works.)To participate in the discussion, #ESPNForecast is the Twitter hashtag to use.?So who will rule the East? Read on.Eastern Conference champ projections1. Cleveland Cavaliers Proj. record: 57-25 First-place votes: 45 Points: 2312. Boston Celtics Proj. record: 51-31 First-place votes: 1 Points: 1143. Toronto Raptors Proj. record: 51-31 First-place votes: 0 Points: 574. Indiana Pacers Proj. record: 45-37 First-place votes: 1 Points: 14T-5. Detroit Pistons Proj. record: 45-37 First-place votes: 0 Points: 2T-5. Chicago Bulls Proj. record: 40-42 First-place votes: 0 Points: 2T-7. Atlanta Hawks Proj. record: 44-38 First-place votes: 0 Points: 1T-7. New York Knicks Proj. record: 40-42 First-place votes: 0 Points: 1T-7. Milwaukee Bucks Proj. record: 39-43 First-place votes:?0 Points: 1Jets Jerseys China . Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz. Lou Williams scored 25 points and the Hawks continued their offensive upswing as they rolled to an easy 118-85 victory over the Jazz on Friday night, winning their third straight and for the fourth time in five games. Keyshawn Johnson Jersey .ca! Kerry, Two nights after the Scott-Eriksson incident in Buffalo, the Bruins returned home to play San Jose. In that game, Zdeno Chara put a check on Tommy Wingels that clearly targeted his head. http://www.cheapnewyorkjetsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-wayne-chrebet-jersey .1 million pounds ($61.2 million) on Saturday, giving the beleaguered English Premier League champions a major lift. Mark Gastineau Jersey . As the crowd erupted, Davis knocked the ball off the glass and back into his hands. With 1:14 to go in overtime, Davis sixth block also became his 17th rebound. That, along with his 32 points -- which tied a career high -- proved too much for Denver to overcome, and the Pelicans held on for their third straight victory, 111-107 on Sunday night. Curtis Martin Jersey . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team.LAS VEGAS -- Midway through the first half, a frustrated North Carolina fan stood and screamed at Malik Monk.You can miss! she yelled, before pausing and changing tactics. Please? she added.Monk rarely complied, setting a Kentucky freshman record with 47 points and hitting the go-ahead 3-pointer with 16.7 seconds left to lead the sixth-ranked Wildcats past No. 7 North Carolina 103-100 on Saturday.If you watched that game, if you never liked basketball, youre going to start liking basketball, Kentucky coach John Calipari said. Like, wow.North Carolinas Justin Jackson nearly outshined Monk with 34 points, and his basket with 45 seconds left put the Tar Heels (10-2) ahead after trailing much of the second half.Monk responded with a right-wing 3 in transition to put Kentucky up 101-100 -- going against Caliparis wishes.Coach told me to drive, but I was hot and I shot it, Monk said.Good choice.After Isaiah Hicks only hit the backboard at the other end, Kentuckys DeAaron Fox hit two free throws with 1.9 seconds left.North Carolina got the ball in the front court with less than a second left. But Kenny Williams desperation 3 at the buzzer got lodged between the rim and backboard.Heck of a college basketball game if you dont care who won, North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. But I do care who wins. . Malik was off the charts.Monk hit 18 of 28 shots, including 8 of 12 3-point attempts, scoring in various ways in an electric performance that was the most points in Division I this season. Only Dukes Dick Groat (48 points) in 1952 has scored more against the Tar Heels.And Kentucky needed Monks huge effort to offset Jacksons four 3s and 10 free throws in a game played at a furious pace.Those are games you live for, Fox said.Fox added 24 points for Kentucky (10-1), which shot 54 percent from the field. North Carolina shot 53 percent. They combined for 37 assists and just 19 turnovers.The Tar Heels fell to 52-2 when they score 100 points under Williams and 180-4 when they shoot better than 50 percent.Joel Berry II returned from injury to score 23 points for the Tar Heels, but was slowed by foul trouble in the second half.The enthhusiastic crowd at the new T-Mobile Arena just off the Las Vegas Strip made it feel like an Elite Eight game.ddddddddddddThe quality of play in the CBS Sports Classic matchup gave it more of a Final Four feel.With two of the highest-scoring and fastest teams squaring off, Calipari joked earlier in the week he and Williams would be constantly yelling, Get back! on defense.In the 38th meeting between the schools, Monk dominated early and Kentucky raced to a 12-point lead. Jackson and Berry, who returned from a two-game absence due to a sprained left ankle, kept scoring off the dribble as North Carolina closed to 56-51 at halftime.There was hardly time to catch a breath. Kentucky took a 10-point lead in the second half. The Tar Heels rallied to tie it on Tony Bradleys two free throws with 2:51 left and went ahead on Jacksons 3 with 1:33 remaining.BIG PICTUREKentucky: Monk couldnt have put on a better display in a bigger setting, solidifying his star status and putting fear into Southeastern Conference opponents.North Carolina: The Tar Heels never slowed the pace and was happy playing up-tempo for 40 minutes. But foul trouble and the inability to contain Monk and others off the dribble cost them a chance at a big pre-conference victory.RECORD GREATJamal Murray (last season) and Terrence Jones (2011) held the previous Kentucky record for points in a game by a freshman with 35.TECHNICALLY UPSETLivid with the third foul called on Hicks while the forward was sprawled on the floor midway through the first half, Williams took off his jacket and fired it into the bench, earning a technical foul from referee Roger Ayers.He gets some of the worst breaks of any player Ive ever seen, Williams said of Hicks.UP NEXTIt gets no easier for Kentucky, which travels to rival No. 11 Louisville on Wednesday.North Carolina hosts Northern Iowa on Wednesday and Monmouth on Dec. 28 before its ACC opener Dec. 31 at Georgia Tech.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25.Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys ' ' '