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It was only a short few weeks ago that the debate was raging across the NFL. Had Tom Brady and Bill Belichick finally met their match? Was the Patriots dominance over the AFC East – and most of the AFC itself -- over. Had Belichick finally outsmarted himself by relying too heavily on Brady without surrounding him with much actual talent? At the time, the Patriots were 2-2 with wins over Oakland and Minnesota, a loss to division rival Miami and an absolute shellacking at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs that produced an avalanche of critics and naysayers. (A confession ... yes, that was yours truly on the Oct. 1st Sportscentre, arguing with Tim Graham that Brady was no longer an elite NFL quarterback, based on his play during the first four weeks of the season.) Since then, New England has rattled off five wins in a row, outscoring opponents by an average of more than 18 points per game. Brady has been restored to his rightful place in the football universe and Patriots once again look like a force that will be hard to stop come December and January, erasing any doubt about what kind of threat they pose to the AFC by trouncing Denver. Before Sunday, the Broncos only loss had come in overtime to Seattle, but Peyton Mannings magic disappeared in New England, as it so often does, against the Bill Belichick defence. A healthy Rob Gronkowski has made a huge difference for New England. But to average more than 40 points per game on a team that was criticized for its lack of overall talent is about as remarkable as the manner in which the Patriots have overcome other injuries over that span. The most obvious answer comes down to coaching, with Sundays win over the Broncos illustrating the two most convincing points in the case for Belichick as the greatest NFL head coach ever. First, the manner in which New England was able to declaw the Broncos offence doesnt speak to the Patriots level of talent as it does to the fact that Belichick sees something in a Manning offence that others arent able to exploit. Secondly, it illustrates a signature of Belichick teams which traditionally get better as a season rolls along. Players improve and emerge between September and December, which is exactly what we saw back in 2001 when the Patriot greatness under Belichick first emerged. In that season, Belichick took a team that had been 5-11 the previous year, overcame an 0-2 start and led it all the way to the Super Bowl with a roster that wasnt exactly full of Hall of Fame players. In fact, the only one may have been the quarterback, a sixth-round pick whom few expected much of when he started and won a game for New England in Week 3 which sparked a remarkable turnaround. The quarterback of the other team that day? None other than Peyton Manning. The same Manning whose Broncos team looked like a sure thing to return to the Super Bowl this season, before being humbled by the Patriots. The Broncos were built to make a Super Bowl run, a veteran team stacked with talent, experience and depth. No one would say that about this edition of the Patriots. But would anyone really be surprised anymore if its them, and not Denver, thats playing for the Super Bowl come February? Trent Brown Patriots Jersey . - The width of Alec Martinezs shin guard was the difference between the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks in their playoff series opener. Isaiah Wynn Jersey .Y. -- Phil Jackson lost out on his preferred coach, but hes working hard on keeping his star player. http://www.authenticpatriotsfanatic.com/c-111-patriots-cordarrelle-patterson-jersey.aspx. Its not intended to be some magical formula and doesnt apply any context, like, for example, taking injuries into account. This remedial statistical method has gone 9-5 in picks through the first three rounds. Troy Niklas Jersey . Burkes Flames are one of several teams involved in heavy trade speculation going into next Wednesdays 3pm et deadline, with the most prominent name in play being forward Michael Cammalleri. Jeremy Hill Patriots Jersey . Dancevic won his singles match on Friday, defeating Go Soeda 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-1, to even the best-of-five series at a game apiece. World No. 18 Kei Nishikori defeated Peter Polansky in the opening match, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - LeBron James is home. It doesnt matter that he only shot 5-of-15 in his first home game in front of a raucous crowd at Quicken Loans Arena in four years, or that he turned the ball over eight times, or even that his Cavaliers lost. What matters, is that hes home. Carmelo Anthony spoiled James homecoming, scoring 25 points to lead the New York Knicks past Cleveland on Thursday, 95-90. James long anticipated return to Cleveland didnt go quite according to plan, but there are 81 more regular season games to go for the new-look Cavs to sort things out. Kevin Love, acquired in a blockbuster deal from the Timberwolves, had 19 points and 14 rebounds in his first action in a Cleveland uniform, while returning star Kyrie Irving led the way with 22 points and seven assists. The four-time MVP James famously left his hometown for the Miami Heat following the 2009-10 season. He led Miami to four straight championship appearances, winning two, before signing with Cleveland this offseason. It was a huge night, said James. It was exciting for the fans, exciting for the city. Now we can just play regular basketball. James finished with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists in the setback. The Cavs are 2-6 in season openers with him in the lineup. My turnovers, some of them were careless and some of them were chemistry. Im throwing passes where I was hoping some of my teammates would be. After leading 67-64 through three quarters, the Knicks used a 10-1 run midway through the fourth to create a nine-point cushion. Anthony capped the surge with a 3-pointer, and the lead was 80-71. With 2:20 to play, Love hit a 3-ball from the left wing to pull the Cavs within five. Cleveland then forced a 24-second violation and Irving hit a circus layup. Love could have tied it with another 3 from the left wing on the next possession, but hit the front rim. At the other end, J.R. Smith got a floater to fall to give the Knicks some breathing room with 48 seconds to play. Anthony followed a James layup with a difficult baseline jumper wwith 25.dddddddddddd9 left, and Irvings 3-ball at the other end spun around the rim and fell out. Jason Smith secured the rebound, and the game for the Knicks. They showed a high level of trust and confidence in each other, said new Knicks head coach Derek Fisher. They showed a lot of patience and composure, and those are the types of things we need as we move through this season. Earlier, Love carved out space underneath for an open layup on Clevelands first possession of the game, entering the scoring column just 13 seconds in. Anthony then scored six straight points at the other end around a pair of James missed jumpers. James first field goal of his return came at 6:30 of the first on a trademark outlet pass from Love. James absorbed a foul from Anthony in transition and muscled in a layup but missed the ensuing free throw out of a timeout. His layup was part of a 14-2 Cavs run that Shane Larkin finally ended with a pull-up jumper seven minutes in. Cleveland assisted on nine of its 10 field goals in the first quarter and led 25-18 after one. The lead reached 11, but New York clawed to within three midway through the second after Quincy Acys layup and tied it late in the period on J.R. Smiths 3-pointer. It was 42-42 with time winding down in the half when Irving threw an alley-oop to Tristan Thompson just before the buzzer sounded. James finished the opening half 1-for-9 from the floor with four turnovers, but Cleveland led 44-42. The Knicks were the hot team out of the break, opening the third quarter on a 9-2 run to go in front, 51-46. They never trailed after that. Game Notes This was the first game of James career that he had at least eight turnovers, fewer than 20 points and fewer than five assists ... James and Irving both logged more than 43 minutes of playing time ... New Yorks bench outscored Clevelands, 41-12 ... Jason Smith and Iman Shumpert both scored 12 for the Knicks ... Prior to the game, the Knicks announced that point guard Jose Calderon would miss 2-to-3 weeks with a strained right calf. 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