Off the wire

BASKETBALL Floppers fined

Miami’s LeBron James and Indiana’s David West and Lance Stephenson were each fined $5,000 by the NBA on Thursday for violating the league’s anti-flopping policy. James and West were penalized for the same play during a messy Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals. James spun and fell and West tumbled toward the baseline during what looked like a poorly choreographed dance routine as the NBA’s MVP defended the Indiana forward. Stephenson was fined for exaggerating the contact after a slight elbow from Ray Allen following his basket, staggering back toward the sideline after making a short jumper. The NBA began fining players this year for the act of trying to fool referees into calling fouls when there had been limited contact. The Pacers’ 99-92 victory Tuesday was filled with such plays and marked by a combined 55 personal fouls. Steve Kerr, working the game as an analyst for TNT, said flopping has “been apparent throughout the series but I think it got worse” during Game 4. The league acted hours before Game 5 at Miami. Kerr said flopping was “unbecoming of star players.” Players were given a warning for a first offense during the regular season but are fined for the first flop in the postseason. The plays can be seen at nba.com/official.

Golden State Warriors All-Star forward David Lee has undergone surgery to repair a torn right hip flexor. The Warriors said the procedure was performed Thursday at the Vincera Institute in Philadelphia by Dr. William Meyers. Lee will start rehabilitation in the next 10 to 14 days. No further timetable on his recovery was announced. Lee hurt his hip in the playoff opener at Denver. The team originally called it a season-ending injury, but Lee played sparingly off the bench in the Game 6 clincher. After sitting out the first two games in the second round against San Antonio, Lee’s minutes increased over the final four games. Lee averaged 18.5points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the regular season, becoming Golden State’s first All-Star since Latrell Sprewell in 1997.

BASEBALL Brett to help hitters

Hall of Famer George Brett has been appointed the Kansas City Royals’ interim hitting coach as part of a shakeup aimed at pulling the struggling team out of its skid. The team announced the move before Thursday night’s game in St. Louis. Brett has helped the Royals in spring training for years but has turned down full-time job offers - including opportunities to manage - because he didn’t want to deal with the daily grind. The Royals, mired in an eight-game losing streak, haven’t scored more than three runs in their past six games. They are near the bottom of the league in runs, walks, home runs, RBI and just about every other hitting metric. Brett replaces Jack Maloof and Andre David, who have been reassigned to the minor league organization.

The St. Louis Cardinals purchased the contract of pitcher Michael Wacha to make his major-league debut against the Royals. The Cardinals optioned right-handed pitcher Michael Blazek to Class AAA Memphis. To clear space on the 40-man roster, left-hander Jaime Garcia was transferred from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL. Garcia is out for the season after shoulder surgery. Wacha, 21, was 4-0 with a 2.05 ERA that led the Pacific Coast League at Memphis. He’ll be the eighth rookie pitcher to appear on the Cardinals roster and the 10th pitcher age 25 or younger. Blazek was recalled Sunday from Class AA Springfield after lefty starter John Gast went on the DL with a shoulder injury, and did not appear in any games.

HOCKEY

Regehr extends contract

Defenseman Robyn Regehr has agreed to a two-year, $6 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Kings, passing up a chance at free agency this summer. The defending Stanley Cup champions announced the deal Thursday while the team traveled to Chicago for the start of the Western Conference finals on Saturday. Los Angeles acquired Regehr from the Buffalo Sabres on April 1, filling the physical void left by injured defensemen Willie Mitchell and Matt Greene. Regehr has played in 12 regular-season games and 13 postseason games for the Kings, providing physical defensive play and penalty-killing expertise. He also has three assists. The 13-year NHL veteran would have been an unrestricted free agent this summer, but General Manager Dean Lombardi said he would aggressively attempt to re-sign Regehr before then.

TENNIS Former women’s champion KO’d

Former champion Li Na of China became the highest-seeded woman eliminated at the French Open in Paris on Thursday as men’s top seed Novak Djokovic eased into the third round.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States beat sixth-seeded Li 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 in a second-round match stopped three times by rain. Djokovic, of Serbia, routed Argentina’s Guido Pella 6-2, 6-0, 6-2.

The weather has caused delays of more than three hours on Day 5 of the second tennis Grand Slam championship of the year. The match between third seed Rafael Nadal of Spain and Slovakia’s Martin Klizan was postponed by rain, and the match between defending women’s champion Maria Sharapova of Russia and Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard was suspended in progress.

Mattek-Sands, 28, matches her best performance at the French Open of two years ago in reaching the third round.

Djokovic, a six-time Grand Slam winner seeking his first French Open title, needed just 86 minutes to beat the 101st- ranked Pella. The Serb hit 29 winners compared with 10 for Pella and broke the Argentine seven times.

Sam Stosur, the 2011 U.S. Open champion, and former World No. 1 Jelena Jankovic were among those advancing to the women’s third round, while No. 16 Dominika Cibulkovawas another seeded player to fall.

Stosur defeated Kristina Mladenovic of France 6-4, 6-3. The ninth-seeded Australian had a 4-1 lead in the second set at the first delay on Court Philippe Chatrier and was able to close out the match before play was stopped again.

Jankovic, the No. 18 seed from Serbia, beat Spain’s Garbine Muguruza 6-3, 6-0. She’ll be joined in the third round by Argentina’s Paula Ormaechea, who beat No. 27 Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan, and No. 17 Sloane Stephens, who beat fellow American Vania King 6-1, 6-3.

Slovakia’s Cibulkova, a semifinalist four years ago, was eliminated by New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic in three sets.

No. 13 Kei Nishikori of Japan and No. 26 Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria were winners in the men’s draw. Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber also advanced in a walkover after Taiwan’s Lu Yen- hsun pulled out with a right ankle injury, while Romanian Victor Hanescu was leading his match 6-4, 6-6 when Russia’s Dmitry Tursunov retired.

A back injury to Venus Williams forced her and sister Serena to withdraw from the women’s doubles competition before their first-round match. Venus Williams lost in the opening round of singles to Poland’s Urszula Radwanska four days ago.

Sports, Pages 20 on 05/31/2013

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