Lance Stephenson drives in front of the faithful (Getty Images)

The New York Knicks, once thought of as the top threat in the East to defeat the mighty Miami Heat, are out of the playoffs. And they have one of their own to blame, following Saturday’s 106-99 Indiana Pacers win and series conquest in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Lance Stephenson grew up in Brooklyn hating the Indiana Pacers. After a rough start to NBA career, though, he grew into loving working for his adopted hometown and Pacer team, and he was likely more than cognizant of the criticism that arose from his time spent as Indiana’s top backcourt penetrator during the team’s Game 5 loss against the New York Knicks on Thursday. With George Hill out, the Pacers needed someone to step up on the perimeter, and Stephenson (13 points on 13 shots) could not step up. Game 6, however, was about as “up” as steps come.

Even with George Hill in the Pacer starting lineup, Stephenson put up a career-high 25 points in the contest, topping his previous playoff-high in points by halftime by dropping 16 on the Knicks. Working between New York’s smallish lineup, the former University of Cincinnati guard also weaved his way toward 10 rebounds in just 34 minutes, his fourth double-digit rebounding game of the postseason. And though the Knicks reverted to their old, winning ways – a small rotation, plenty of three-point attempts – the team just could not keep in front of the younger Indiana Pacers.

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Vitor Belfort gave fans in his home country of Brazil plenty to be happy about at UFC on FX 8 on Saturday, delivering a first-round knockout of Luke Rockhold that is sure to make UFC highlight reels for years to come.

Belfort held off Rockhold's takedown attempts early, and then set up to deliver a perfect knockout kick halfway through the round. Near the fence, Belfort landed a spinning kick to Rockhold's face. It landed flush, and Rockhold fell to the ground. Belfort finished with ground and pound. The fight was stopped at 2:32 in the first round.

It's Belfort's second straight win by knockout. He knocked out Michael Bisping in January, and before that, moved up to light heavyweight and lost a title fight to Jon Jones. His record is now 23-10. He already has a loss against UFC champion Anderson Silva, but is this fight enough to ask for another title shot? He wouldn't say.

"I'm here to fight. I don't pick fights. I accept fights," Belfort said after the win.

There was plenty of bad blood between the two before the fight began. Belfort is one of the UFC fighters who has an exemption to use testosterone replacement therapy. Rockhold viewed this as sanctioned cheating, and wasn't afraid to say so. The two had to be separated during Friday's weigh-ins as Rockhold got in Belfort's face.

This was Rockhold's first fight in the UFC. He is now 11-2, with most of his wins coming in Strikeforce, where he was the middleweight champion.

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George Hill's press conference, following his brilliant Game 4 performance (Getty Images)

George Hill will play in Indiana’s crucial, and potentially series-deciding, Game 6 against the New York Knicks on Saturday.

“We did everything by the book,” Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel told the media in the hours before his team’s match with the Knicks. Vogel told the media that his team’s medical staff, in concert with the NBA, put George Hill through all the proper paces as he recovered from a concussion suffered in Game 4 of his team’s series against the New York Knicks. Hill missed Game 5 because of that concussion, surprising most who witnessed both his brilliant play during the Game 4 win and affable demeanor post-game.

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Already crowned Ligue 1 champions, PSG strolled to a 3-1 win against Brest in David Beckham's final match in Paris before his retirement. Beckham was given a rare start and wore the captain's armband, along with a special pair of boots (pictured below) he designed himself with the names of each of his four kids and the shirt numbers he wore throughout his career. When he was subbed off in the 82nd minute, he was in tears as his 20-year career comes to an end at the age of 38.

Though PSG still has one more match at Lorient, PSG's president suggested this was, in fact, Beckham's last game and his emotional exit seems to back that up. Beckham assisted PSG's second goal against Brest with one of his signature corner kicks, which Blaise Matuidi headed into the net. After the final whistle, Beckham returned to the pitch all smiles and his teammates tossed him into the air.

If 2013 doesn't go down as the year Mother Nature won the FedEx Cup, it might just be the year of the weird drops.

That continued at the Volvo World Match Play Championship, when Nicolas Colsaerts found himself in a situation that you probably won't ever see again no matter how much golf you watch over the next few decades.

Colsaerts was playing Graeme McDowell when his tee shot on par-4 10th hole flew well out of play in the hazard. A rules official came over and determined that the nearest point of relief was where most golfers go to take relief; in a nearby bathroom.

The ball was dropped inside the toilet, and Colsaerts then was able to take relief from that spot, which means he was able to re-drop his ball close by without penalty because it lay in an unplayable position. Colsaerts then hit his approach shot on the green and rolled in the putt for par.

It was enjoyable watching Colsaerts and the rules official having a chuckle about the whole situation, and even cooler that he

The Spurs and Grizzlies tip off on Sunday afternoon (Getty Images)

The minds behind Ball Don’t Lie are going to preview each of the parings in the third round, with Kelly Dwyer going against character for a more genial take, Dan Devine bringing his inimitable mixture of both order and bedlam, along with Eric Freeman’s legendary look inside the reputations of some of the series’ key fixtures.

We begin with the San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies.

Which team do you think will win the series, and in how many games? Vote here to let us know what you think.

The Philippines (in blue) were too much for UAE. Image copyright Bob Guerrero. Unauthorized commercial use of this image is punishable by law.

It wasn't pretty, but it was what the Philippines needed: a win to keep their 2015 World Cup dream alive.

On Saturday night the Philippine Volcanoes hacked out a scrappy but gutsy brownout-marred 24-8 victory over UAE at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in front of hundreds of enthusiastic fans.

With the triumph the Volcanoes finish fourth in the HSBC Asian 5 Nations Elite Division behind champs Japan, Hong Kong, and Korea Republic. That means they remain in the top tier of Asian Rugby and can still qualify for the 2015 World Cup in England.

The Gulf nation is relegated to the second-tier Division One and will be replaced in the top tier by Sri Lanka.

The Philippines scored four tries from Christopher Hitch, Gareth Holgate, Graeme Hagan, and Matt Saunders.

Hitch began the scoring in the tenth minute by peeling off a ruck near the tryline and bursting over for a score. Alex Aronson's conversion attempt from a tough angle was just wide.

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Lots of Lulz in Toronto right now (Getty Images)

On Saturday morning Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Toronto Raptors were hot to trot for Denver Nuggets personnel chief Masai Ujiri, which is a smart trot to be hot for, considering that Ujiri once worked for the Raptors, and the reigning NBA Executive of the Year. Prior to that news, though, the team was leaning on stranger outfits to guide their search.

The Toronto Raptors had been rumored to be hot on Phil Jackson’s trail, not as a head coach, but for a job running the team’s front office. They’re also trying to figure out the direction of the franchise after yet another year lost to the middling depths of the low lottery, while sussing out a payroll that currently is set to send them into luxury tax territory next season. They also have until Monday, because of a contract deadline, to determine whether or not current general manager Bryan Colangelo will be the man to lead them out of the mess that, um, Bryan Colangelo just made.

It’s clear that Tim Leiweke (the new CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment) needs some help in figuring out what to do with the team his company owns, and any outside help is appreciated. Instead of going with a basketball mind, someone who has been there before or someone who is willing to think in hoop-related terms while minding this mess, MLSE has gone elsewhere. They’ve hired a head-hunting firm, weirdly. From the great Doug Smith at the Toronto Star:

While not officially on the job yet, Leiweke has been given all responsibility to determine Colangelo’s fate. The two men have met and discussed plans for the Raptors future but neither has spoken publicly about their feelings.