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CHARLOTTE, N. Eddie Giacomin Jersey .C. -- When Michael Jordan speaks, people still listen. The Charlotte Bobcats owner praised his team during a pregame locker room speech Friday night, but warned his players its only going to get tougher from here on out. Jordan spoke directly about the Bobcats potentially making the playoffs -- something that seemed inconceivable five months ago for a team that was 7-59 and 21-61 the previous two seasons. "He talked to them about the progress that he had seen and praised them for their attitude and togetherness as a team," coach Steve Clifford said. "And he let them know, which I thought was perfect, the toughest part is ahead. We made our first step and it now gets tougher. It was a great message." A message that apparently inspired the Bobcats, currently seventh in the Eastern Conference. Al Jefferson scored 28 points, Kemba Walker had 20 points and 14 assists, and the Bobcats (29-33) defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 101-92 for their sixth straight win at home, surpassing their win total from the previous two seasons combined. It was an important win for the Bobcats, who improved to 3-0 this season against the Cavaliers and now own the tiebreaker against both Detroit and Cleveland, the ninth- and 10th-place teams in the East. "If that dont motivate you, I dont know what will," Jefferson said of Jordan addressing the team. Clifford said he asked Jordan to speak to the players before the game and he gladly accepted the invitation. He said players were "locked in" to every word Jordan spoke. "Lets face it, if youre coaching anywhere, he would be the first guy that you would say, Would you mind coming to talk to our team?" Clifford said. "Im saying hes our owner and, shoot, you are always looking for a little edge. I thought it was perfect." Said Jefferson: "He told us he was proud of us, but we have a long way to go. We cant be happy with what we have done so far. We have to continue to grow and get better." It was a huge loss for Cleveland. Dion Waiters and Luol Deng each scored 19 points for the Cavaliers, who began the night 3 1/2 games behind Atlanta for the final playoff spot in the East. They now trail Charlotte by 5 1/2 games. "It hurts," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "Especially knowing where were sitting and where theyre sitting right now, its a tough loss." Jefferson shot 12 of 18 from the field and reached 20 points for the 22nd time in his last 24 games. Chris Douglas-Roberts added 14 points, including four 3-pointers, and a season-high nine rebounds. Charlottes six-game home winning streak is its longest since a seven-game run in March 2010. "There are 20 games left and its time to start talking about the playoffs -- about not just qualifying but getting our team game-ready for the playoffs and guys getting their individual games ready," Clifford said. The Bobcats defeated the Cavaliers by six points in each of the two previous meetings this season without Jefferson, who sat out both games with a sprained ankle. Jefferson had 38 points against Miami and 34 in a win over Indiana this week, and was a big factor from the outset against the Cavaliers. He used a series of pump fakes and up-and-under moves to fool the Cavaliers, and continued to knock down his mid-range jump shot. The 6-foot-10 centre scored 18 points in the first half on 8-of-10 shooting to help Charlotte build a 55-50 lead at the break despite the Cavaliers shooting 55 per cent from the field. Cleveland took an 81-80 lead on a pair of free throws by Waiters with 7 minutes left in the game. But Walker matched that with two free throws of his own and knocked down a jumper to spark a 15-5 run that put Charlotte safely ahead. The Cavaliers shot just 32 per cent in the second half, and Charlotte held Kyrie Irving to 13 points on 5-of-17 shooting. Irving came in averaging 24.5 points in his previous four games in Charlotte. Waiters said its not too late for the Cavaliers to make a playoff push. But theyll need to play much better than they did Friday night. "We have a chance and a shot, so why not? Why not us?" Waiters said. "Weve got to have a sense of urgency. The clock is ticking. The games are running out. Making the playoffs is right there and weve got a great opportunity." NOTES: Bobcats guard Gerald Henderson missed his third straight game with a right calf strain. ... Anderson Varejao (back) and C.J. Miles (ankle) were back at practice this week but didnt make the trip to Charlotte, which meant Spencer Hawes and Tristan Thompson were left to defend Jefferson. ... Josh McRoberts added 11 points and seven assists for the Bobcats. Mats Zuccarello Jersey . The players spoke Jan. 13 during a Major League Baseball Players Association conference call after Rodriguez sued the union and Major League Baseball to overturn an arbitrators decision suspending him for the 2014 season and post-season. Martin St. Louis Rangers Jersey . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. http://www.therangersfanshop.com/Phil-Esposito-Jersey/ . But what about the officials? Every sport has officials and they also have stories about hard work and sacrifice but their accomplishments are seldom recognized by anyone outside their inner circle.SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Chad Knight said he was on edge. It never showed as he laced the biggest hit of his young life. Knight lined a run-scoring single to left field in the bottom of the seventh inning, and Westport, Conn., beat Northwest champion Sammamish, Wash., 14-13 in a wild game Friday to earn a spot in the U.S. championship game at the Little League World Series. "I went to the plate and I was a little nervous, but then I realized it was just any other at-bat," Knight said. "I just had to go out and put the ball in play. If we didnt score, I knew Alex (Reiner) would get the next three outs and we would score in the eighth inning." Connecticut beat Sammamish for the second time in a week to advance to play Chula Vista, Calif., on Saturday for a berth in the title game. Tijuana, Mexico, will face Tokyo for the international title. The World Series championship is Sunday. That crushing nine-inning loss to Chula Vista on Wednesday night was quickly forgotten when Knights ball landed safely, setting off a wild celebration near the pitchers mound at Howard J. Lamade Stadium "I was really just speechless because for us to compete and battle back was just amazing," said Knight, who also hit a solo homer to cap a seven-run rally in the fifth that tied it at 13. "It was our biggest comeback all year." The game marked the fourth time in Little League World Series history that two teams combined for 27 runs, and the 30 hits were the third-most in history. Charlie Roof started the winning rally by drawing a leadoff walk and Ricky Offenberg hit a one-out double down the left-field line. With five Washington players manning the infield and playing in, Max Popken then hit a one-hopper that Washington shortstop Jack Carper stabbed with pinch-runner Christopher Drbal breaking for home. Offenberg ran into Carper as the Washington player began to make a play for Drbal, who was tagged out in a rundown. Interference was called on Offenberg, leaving Drbal at third and Popken at first with two outs, and Knight followed with his winning hit. Im so proud of the kids, I cant even tell you," Washington manager Rob Chandler said. "We had extra infielders in. We were trying to do everything to win the game. Should I have walked Chad Knight? No, I shouldnt have. I wouldnt walk Knight if given a chance again, I would try to strike him out again." Washington scored 10 runss in the fourth on 11 hits to take what seemed like a commanding 12-5 lead, pounding a World Series record-tying eight straight hits off Connecticut starter Harry Azadian. Dan Girardi Rangers Jersey. . The barrage was stunning and matched the record set by Dominican Republic in 1992 and equaled by Chula Vista, Calif., in 2009. Adam Carper, Dylan Matsuoka, Jack Carper, and Dalton Chandler each had RBI singles, and Will Armbruester added a two-run single. Zack Olson tripled home two more to complete the hit parade and also added a run-scoring double later in the inning. "We stuck with Harry because Harry has always managed to pull himself out of it," Westport manager Tim Rogers said. "Give them a lot of credit, they kept hitting. The kids never gave up, one pitch at a time, and thats how we did it. We knew we could score, but of course, we didnt want them to get that far ahead." Undaunted, Connecticut stormed back with seven runs in the bottom of the fifth, hitting three home runs to tie it at 13. After Washington starter Chandler reached his pitch count and departed, Matt Stone singled, Matt Brown doubled off the left-field wall and 13-year-old Alex Reiner homered off Armbruester in relief. Reiners was a three-run shot and it was a surprise -- it was the first of his Little League career. Roof followed with a double off Jack Carper, Drew Rogers lined an RBI single to right, and Popken homered to right centre. Knight followed with a long home run to left to tie the game. "While it was going in, we were just yelling," Offenberg said. "I dont even think we were saying words. We were that excited. I dont think Ive been that excited." Connecticut scored three runs in the bottom of the third, helped by three Washington errors, to take a short-lived 5-2 lead. It was an impressive showing by Westport, which somehow put Grant Holmans game-winning, three-run homer for Chula Vista far in the rearview mirror. "Being so close -- at some point youre going to lose. It would be rare not to," Rogers said. "I expect them to compete and shake it off. I expect them to be competitive." In their first matchup in the World Series earlier in the week, Westport built a 9-2 lead over Sammamish through four innings, then hung on for a 9-7 win. Azadian had three hits and four RBIs in that one as Westport sent 12 batters to the plate and scored seven runs in the second inning. 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