The United States have suffered another injury blow ahead of the Olympics with the loss of Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin, who is now expected to have knee surgery ahead of the new NBA season.

CHRISTMAS DAY is the jewel in the crown of the NBA season but this year it will bring with it a bigger gift than ever: basketball’s return from the brink.

THE HEADLINES ebb and flow but this last week in American sport gushed in an entertaining torrent of confusion. It didn’t matter if the moment was glorious, seedy, violent or downright miraculous, skill and common sense ranked low and we, the humble onlookers, were all the better for it.

CARLOS BOOZER led the Chicago Bulls to victory after a superb late fightback by the Detroit Pistons took the game to overtime.

Anxious Americans expressed mixed feelings today as they watched the first shots of the long-awaited war with Iraq.