10A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2016
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Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
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Playoff picture clearer
after Steelers comeback
Pittsburgh scores
with seconds left
Eliminated:
TENNESSEE
TITANS (8-7), JACKSONVILLE
JAGUARS (3-12), INDIANAPOLIS
COLTS (7-8).
Associated Press
AFC WEST
AP Photo/Tony Dejak
Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving (2) passes over Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) in the first
half of an NBA basketball game Sunday in Cleveland.
Irving clutch against Warriors
again as Cavs win 109-108
Pittsburgh won the AFC North in
spectacular fashion Sunday, scoring
the winning touchdown with 9 sec-
onds remaining to beat archrival Bal-
timore 31-27.
Antonio Brown reached over the
goal line after taking in a short pass
from Ben Roethlisberger for the
4-yard score. Brown was standing up
inside the 1, but somehow extended
the ball — barely — into the end zone.
The Steelers (10-5) scored 21
points in the fourth quarter. They
eliminated the Ravens (8-7) from
contention.
Defending Super Bowl champion
Denver was knocked out, too, with its
loss at Kansas City. The Broncos have
lost three in a row and five of seven.
The entire AFC playoff field is set:
New England, Oakland, Kansas City,
Pittsburgh, Houston and Miami.
The Steelers will be the No. 3 seed
in the AFC and host the No. 6 seed
during wild-card weekend on either
Jan. 7 or 8.
Kansas City secured a playoff spot
when the Ravens lost, and can still
win the AFC West.
Earlier this weekend, Atlanta beat
Carolina 33-16 , then the Falcons
clinched the NFC South title when
New Orleans beat Tampa Bay 31-24.
The Bucs’ loss also allowed the New
York Giants, losers to Philadelphia on
Thursday night, to clinch a wild-card
spot. Atlanta now has a chance in its
regular-season finale to clinch a first-
round bye after Seattle lost 34-31 to
Arizona.
Houston beat Cincinnati on Satur-
day night to clinch its second straight
AFC South title after Tennessee’s
38-17 loss to Jacksonville . The Tex-
ans also will host a wild-card game.
Green Bay won its fifth straight to
move closer to the NFC North title,
eliminating Minnesota with a 38-25
victory. The Packers moved into the
lead for a wild-card berth, and now the
Packers must wait to face Detroit for
the division crown on Jan. 1.
Miami beat Buffalo 34-31 in over-
time to move closer to its first play-
off berth since 2008. The Dolphins
clinched an AFC wild-card berth Sun-
day night when Denver lost to Kansas
City 33-10.
The regular season ends Jan. 1.
Here’s a closer look at the teams and
scenarios:
AFC EAST
Another rally, another win
By TOM WITHERS
Associated Press
CLEVELAND — With another clutch shot, Kyrie
Irving took the Warriors on a trip down memory lane.
Irving dropped a short, turnaround jumper over
Klay Thompson with 3.4 seconds left as the Cleveland
Cavaliers rallied just the way they did in June’s NBA
Finals to defeat Golden State 109-108 on Sunday in a
marquee Christmas matchup that more than lived up
to the hype.
Down by 14 early in the fourth quarter, the Cavs
chipped away and then put the ball in the hands of
Irving, whose step-back 3-pointer over Stephen Curry
on June 19 helped seal Game 7 and gave Cleveland its
first major pro sports championship since 1964.
This time, Irving went deep in the lane before spin-
ning and making his shot over Thompson, one of the
league’s best defenders.
“The kid is special,” LeBron James said of his team-
mate. “It was never in doubt.”
Golden State had one last chance but Kevin Durant,
who led all scorers with 36 points in his first game in
the league’s hottest rivalry, lost his balance coming off
a screen and couldn’t get off a shot as time expired.
Durant felt he was fouled by Richard Jefferson.
“I was trying to make a move,” he said. “I didn’t fall
on my own.”
James scored 31 points with a season-high 13
rebounds, Irving added 25 points and Kevin Love 20
for the Cavs, who were down 3-1 in the Finals before
storming back to stun a Warriors team that won 73
games during the regular season, but came up one vic-
tory short of winning their second straight title.
Thompson added 24, Draymond Green 16 and
Curry 15 — on 4 of 11 shooting — for the Warriors,
who had their winning streak stopped at seven and fell
to 9-1 against Eastern Conference teams.
The biggest present under the tree for basketball
fans this holiday was filled with drama, intensity and
more than a few moments that sparked reminders of
last season’s brilliant Finals.
“’It lived up to what everyone wanted it to,” James
said.
Irving drained a 3 from the wing that looked a lot
like the one he made on June 19, but his bucket over
Thompson had a higher degree of difficulty.
“That’s a really hard shot,” Warriors coach Steve
Kerr said. “I thought Klay played tremendous defense.
You don’t do anything different.”
The Warriors set up a game-winning chance for
Durant, but he stumbled with pressure applied by Jef-
ferson and fell to the floor and watched helplessly as
Cleveland’s fans roared and Cavs coach Tyronn Lue
clapped and screamed.
“We all think we’re fouled on every play in every
single game,” Jefferson said. “That’s why I say I know
the referees have a very hard job. I switched to his
body. He looked like he lost his balance. He was trying
to regain his balance and as soon as I saw him start to
stumble, I ran off.”
The teams will meet again Jan. 16 and then not
again unless they make it back to the Finals — a “three-
quel” that would be the first in league history.
To remind their guests of what happened in June,
the Cavs left a door propped open just down the hall-
way from Golden State’s locker room where a large
photo of James’ game-changing, career-defining block
of Andre Iguodala in Game 7 was on display.
The picture had been doctored with a Cavs champi-
onship ring taped over James’ left index finger.
If there was any doubt that this game meant more
than the other 81 to both squads and fan bases, Green
took care of that in the opening minutes.
After being called for his second personal foul,
Green stormed off the floor, cursing with every step on
his way to the bench. Green, whose suspension from
Game 5 of the Finals helped swing the series to Cleve-
land, was slapped with a technical and several of his
teammates came over to calm him down before things
got worse.
GRUMPY OLD MAN
Jefferson still has some hops at 36.
His dunk over Thompson in the fourth quarter
sparked a 14-3 run by the Cavs. Following the play,
Jefferson, who missed his first eight shots, was called
for a technical for winking at Durant.
“I was a little bit surprised by it, but I think they
were trying to rein it in,” said Jefferson, who was
ejected from a game earlier this week.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Golden State fell to 11-15 on Christmas
Day, 3-11 on the road. … Curry’s shooting a career-
low 40 percent on 3-pointers, but Kerr is confident
he’ll find his touch. “The great thing about Steph is
he doesn’t worry about it too much,” Kerr said. “He’s
got the confidence of M.J. (Michael Jordan). Very few
players I’ve ever seen can miss 10 shots in a row and
then make the next one like it’s nothing. Steph’s done
it his whole career.”
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
(13-2)
Remaining schedule: at Miami on
Jan. 1.
Division record: 4-1. Conference
record: 10-1.
Beat the Dolphins and clinch
home-field advantage throughout.
MIAMI DOLPHINS (10-5)
Remaining schedule: vs. New
England on Jan. 1.
Division record: 4-1. Conference
record: 7-4.
They got the win they had to have
in Buffalo and then the Chiefs’ win
that gave them a wild-card spot.
Eliminated: NEW YORK JETS
(4-11), BUFFALO BILLS (7-8).
AFC NORTH
PITTSBURGH
STEELERS
(10-5)
Remaining schedule: vs. Cleve-
land on Jan. 1.
Division record: 4-1. Conference
record: 8-3.
By beating Baltimore, the Steel-
ers won the division and will play in a
wild-card game.
Eliminated:
BALTIMORE
RAVENS (8-7), CINCINNATI
BENGALS (5-8-1), CLEVELAND
BROWNS (1-14).
AFC SOUTH
HOUSTON TEXANS (9-6)
Remaining schedule: at Tennessee
on Jan. 1.
Division record: 5-0. Conference
record: 7-4.
Tom Savage won his first career
start at quarterback to help Houston
clinch the division. They will play in
a wild-card game.
OAKLAND RAIDERS (12-3)
Remaining schedule: at Denver on
Jan. 1.
Division record: 3-2. Conference
record: 9-2.
Raiders must finish one game
ahead of the Chiefs.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (11-4)
Remaining schedule: at San Diego
on Jan. 1.
Division record: 5-0. Conference
record: 8-3.
Already guaranteed a wild card,
a series sweep of Oakland gives the
Chiefs a tiebreaker for the division,
but they no longer control the AFC
West race.
Eliminated: DENVER BRON-
COS (8-7), SAN DIEGO CHAR-
GERS (5-10).
NFC EAST
DALLAS COWBOYS (12-2)
Remaining schedule: vs. Detroit
on Monday night, at Philadelphia on
Jan. 1.
Division record: 3-2. Conference
record: 8-2.
The Cowboys have a Texas-sized
home-field advantage this postseason.
NEW YORK GIANTS (10-5)
Remaining schedule: at Washing-
ton on Jan. 1.
Division record: 3-2. Conference
record: 7-4.
The Giants got the help they
needed without having to wait for
Week 17.
WASHINGTON
REDSKINS
(8-6-1)
Remaining schedule: vs. New
York Giants on Jan. 1.
Division record: 3-2. Conference
record: 6-5.
Not eliminated, but still game back
of Green Bay for second wild-card
berth.
Eliminated:
PHILADELPHIA
EAGLES (6-9).
NFC NORTH
DETROIT LIONS (9-5)
Remaining schedule: at Dallas on
Monday night, vs. Green Bay on Jan.
1.
Division record: 2-2. Conference
record: 7-3.
The Lions can win the division
with a victory at Dallas and vs. Green
Bay. They also are in the running for
a wild card.
GREEN BAY PACKERS (9-6)
Remaining schedule: at Detroit on
Jan. 1.
Division record: 4-1. Conference
record: 7-4.
The Packers now sit in the sec-
ond wild-card spot, but one more win
makes them champions of the North.
Eliminated: CHICAGO BEARS
(3-12), MINNESOTA VIKINGS
(7-8).
NFC SOUTH
ATLANTA FALCONS (10-5)
Remaining schedule: vs. New
Orleans on Jan. 1.
Division record: 4-1. Conference
record: 8-3.
The Falcons not only have a divi-
sion title but will have a chance at a
first-round bye with a win against the
Saints.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
(8-7)
Remaining schedule: vs. Carolina
on Jan. 1.
Division record: 3-2. Conference
record: 6-5.
The Bucs are on the outside look-
ing in and need lots of help.
Eliminated: NEW ORLEANS
SAINTS (7-8), CAROLINA PAN-
THERS (6-9).
NFC WEST
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (9-5-1)
Remaining schedule: at San Fran-
cisco on Jan. 1.
Division record: 2-2-1. Conference
record: 5-5-1.
First-round bye might be bye-bye
for the Seahawks.
Eliminated: ARIZONA CAR-
DINALS (6-8-1), LOS ANGELES
RAMS (4-11), SAN FRANCISCO
49ERS (2-13).
SCOREBOARD
BASKETBALL
Vince Dulcich Tournament
Tuesday’s Schedule
Girls
11 a.m.: Rainier vs. Estacada
12:45: Sandy vs. North Marion
4:30: Hockinson vs. Philomath
6:00: Redmond vs. Astoria
Boys
2:30: Rainier vs. Hockinson
4:15: Molalla vs. Heritage
7:45: Astoria vs. The Dalles