The Otago Daily Times Online looks back at the week in sport.
All Blacks named best in world
The All Blacks won the team of the year award at the Laureus World Sports Awards, beating out esteemed opposition such as football's Barcelona FC and basketball's Golden State Warriors. It was the first time the All Blacks have won the award, being honoured for claiming their third Rugby World Cup title, although as Riche McCaw said, it was likely a reflection of their dominance over the four year period. Dan Carter also picked up some silverware, being named comeback athlete of the year.
30-year-old high school player
A 6' 9'' high school basketball player in Canada was drawing plenty of praise, until it was revealed this week that he was actually 30 years old. Jonathon Nicola arrived in Ontario after fleeing the violence in South Sudan, attending Catholic Central High School as a Grade 11 student. A mixtape on YouTube showed him to be a relatively skilful and agile big man. He was arrested earlier this week for being in violation of the Immigration Refugee Protection Act.
Highlanders lose second in a row
The Highlanders' five-match winning streak is now well and truly a distant memory, going down by a point to the Sharks after the bye week. In an awful game to watch, the Highlanders scored the only try, although played 67 minutes with 14 players after Jason Emery was shown a red card for a challenge in the air. They battled hard and a late drop goal that went wide could have won them the game, but it was not to be.
NBA playoffs get underway
Basketball's biggest league has entered its business end, with 16 teams now competing for the NBA championship. Look for the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors to contest the Western Conference, with the potential of Steven Adams' Oklahoma City Thunder causing a stir. In the East the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James, will be favoured by many, while the Miami Heat have been impressive in their first round wins so far.
Amazing finish
If you are a sports fan on social media, the chances are you've seen this video. If not, you want to watch it. The University of College Cork pulled off one of the most improbable wins in the 4x400m relay at the Irish Universities Athletics Association Championships, with runner Phil Healy running an epic final lap. More impressive was the fact that Healy was only asked to run the race 20 minutes before it began.
Leicester's race to the finish line
Leicester are on the verge of doing the improbable in the English Premier League although hit a stumbling block with a draw against West Ham. That allowed Spurs to close the seven-point gap at the top of the table to five, as they romped home to a 4-0 win over Stoke. With four games left, Leicester must remain the favourites, although with Spurs in such sparkling form, it is not yet a foregone conclusion.
