"It is after much consideration, thought and meeting multiple times with my family and coaches, that I am rescinding my verbal commitment to Ohio State," Walker wrote on his public Twitter account Tuesday night. "At this point, the relationship has changed. I've wrestled with this for a few months and truly wanted it to work out, however I do not think it's fair to Ohio State or myself to remain committed when my heart is telling me otherwise." Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Five-star running back Kareem Walker of Wayne (N.J.) DePaul has seemingly been on the fence with his Ohio State commit for the past month. 

On Tuesday, Walker, the nation's top running back, decided to reopen his recruitment. 

* Antonio Williams, Ohio State's latest commit, talks about his Buckeyes pledge, Kareem Walker: "I'm no backup plan"

"It is after much consideration, thought and meeting multiple times with my family and coaches, that I am rescinding my verbal commitment to Ohio State," Walker wrote on his public Twitter account Tuesday night. "At this point, the relationship has changed. I've wrestled with this for a few months and truly wanted it to work out, however I do not think it's fair to Ohio State or myself to remain committed when my heart is telling me otherwise. 

"I will be taking my visits and ultimately making a decision that will best serve me and my family. I will not be commenting any further on my recruitment until after I submit my (Letter of Intent) and enroll for spring semester. I need to focus on my team, my grades and my play." 

Walker had been committed to Ohio State since Jan. 12 when he announced during halftime of the Buckeyes win over Oregon in the national title game. 

There has been a ton of buzz around Walker's recruitment the last few weeks since he decided to take an official visit to Michigan. Walker told cleveland.com during an in-person interview in New Jersey last week that he was still 100 percent committed to the Buckeyes. 

"Everything has been said already. I don't really have anything else to say," Walker said. "I'm 100 percent committed, taking my visits to make sure that everything is 100 percent and everything is the best for me. That's that."

Things, obviously, have changed. And in his statement, Walker didn't mention whether he'd still officially visit the Buckeyes or consider Ohio State. 

Ohio State earned a commitment from four-star running back Antonio Williams of New London (N.C.) North Stanly on Oct. 18. Williams is rated in the 247Sports composite rankings the No. 7 running back in the 2016 class.

Williams Ohio State's only remaining running back in the Buckeyes' 2016 class. 

I've decided to decommit pic.twitter.com/T6HZ77p4Bg

-- Al[?]ightyReem (@_KareemWalker) November 4, 2015

See a recap of Tuesday's girls high school soccer regional semifinal action.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Here is a recap of Tuesday's high school girls soccer regional semifinal action across Northeast Ohio. See all regional final four brackets involving local teams.

Division I 

Region 1 

Walsh Jesuit 2, Strongsville 1 (2 OT): Jackie Audino's second goal of the game came in the 100th minute to lift the top-ranked Warriors past the Mustangs. Holland Erb delivered an assist on the play as Walsh, the state's top-ranked team in Division I according to the final coaches' poll, escaped with a regional semifinal win. The Warriors out-shot the Mustangs 29-2 and controlled play most of the game, but had trouble finishing plays. Dominique Dinardo scored a first-half goal for Strongsville. 

Mayfield 1, Massillon Jackson 0 (2 OT, 3 PK): The Wildcats advanced with a marathon victory against Jackson after two scoreless overtimes and two dead even sets of penalty kicks. Jackson missed a shot off the crossbar in the third set of penalty kicks to give Mayfield the victory.

Regional final: Walsh Jesuit vs. Mayfield, 3 p.m. Saturday at Nordonia.

Region 2

Medina 4, Magnificat 0: The Bees struck for two goals in the first half and added a third score in the second half while shutting out the Blue Streaks defensively. Liz Ash, Loren Sefcik and Janiece Joyner scored goals for Medina. The Bees advance to take on Perrysburg, which defeated Toledo St. Ursula Academy 2-1 in double overtime.

Regional final: Medina vs. Perrysburg, 3 p.m. Saturday at TBA.

Region 5

Lake Catholic 4, Hathaway Brown 0: The Cougars got goals from Kati Druzina, Nicole Bush, Kennedy Newhart and Ashley Bayer while Sammy Salatino dished out two assists.

Archbishop Hoban 3, Niles McKinley 0: Ashley Dobbins, Alex Sheldon and Jessica Wong scored for the Knights, ranked No. 1 in the Division II state poll.

Regional final: Lake Catholic vs. Archbishop Hoban, 3 p.m. Saturday at Ravenna.

Division II

Region 6

Ontario 3, Holy Name 2: The Green Wave jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the first half behind goals by Julia Dreher and Madison Alberty, but the Warriors rallied for two scores in the second half, getting the game-winner with 7:28 left.

Division III

Region 9

Kirtland 1, Warren Champion 0 (2 OT): Katie Straus scored the game-winning goal with 6:31 left in double overtime. The Hornets will take on Creston Norwayne in the regional final. Norwayne defeated Canton Central Catholic in overtime at Brecksville.

Regional final: Kirtland vs. Creston Norwayne, 3 p.m. Saturday at Twinsburg.

Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel will try to avenge his 30-0 loss to the Bengals. Watch video

BEREA, Ohio -- Browns coach Mike Pettine wasn't ready to turn the team over to Johnny Manziel on Monday, but by Tuesday, he had no choice.

That's because Josh McCown tossed and turned in his bed Monday night and woke up feeling worse on Tuesday than he had at any point since Sunday afternoon when Cardinals linebacker Kevin Minter drilled him in the ribs during Arizona's 34-20 victory.

By Tuesday night, McCown wasn't even able to participate in the Browns' light walk-through -- the only practice of the week -- and the Browns had come to the conclusion that Manziel will start Thursday night against the Bengals unless McCown has a miraculous turnaround.

In the early portion of practice open to the media, McCown chatted with Pettine without a helmet nearby. Later, when the injury report came out, the DNP next to his name spoke volumes.

The Browns will now work overtime preparing Manziel to start on NFL Network against the 7-0 Bengals, who beat him 30-0 last December when he wasn't ready for the big stage yet.

This time around, the Browns are confident he's more prepared.

"He's a different player,'' Pettine said before practice. "I think we saw that this year when he had to go into the Jets game. I thought he did some good things, made some mistakes, put the ball on the ground then had a week of preparation to get ready to Tennessee and went out and executed a gameplan. I just think we've all seen it from going back to the amount of work in the spring to training camp.''

Pettine said Manziel's patience in the pocket presence is the major difference from last year.

"When the rush became live, I think that's where you saw that he made his biggest improvement with his demeanor in the pocket,'' he said. "That it wasn't as frenetic, that his feet were calm. I just think he has a really good understanding of what we're doing, understands the plays, what's designed for what. All the intricate details, he has a much better grasp of and it's shown when he's been out there."

McCown, who gave a dozen clues during his afternoon locker room interview that he was in too much pain to play, believes his protege is up to the tall task.

"Absolutely,'' said McCown. "He was here last year, so he's been through two weeks of preparation for this team and on a short week as well. So he's drawing from those experiences, and just like any work week we'll work well together to make sure we're both prepared and ready to go. That doesn't change for us.''

If McCown wakes up on Wednesday feeling as bad as he did on Tuesday, he might not even be active for the game. If that's the case, Austin Davis will serve as Manziel's backup.

"This is one of the reasons he's here and one of the reasons we did what we did with him from a contractual standpoint - is outstanding with his preparation,'' said Pettine. "We feel very confident if Austin did have to get in the game just because of the way he prepares himself. He takes a lot of those reps. He has a good eye for breaking down opponent defenses, what routes have worked, giving us feedback.''

Like Pettine before him, McCown refused to reveal if his ribs are broken, but it sure sounded like they are.

"Obviously when you're dealing with ribs and stuff that affects breathing and stuff like that, yeah, sleeping's not the easiest thing,'' he admitted.

And putting on a shirt?

"I don't do it as fast as normal probably,'' he said. "But, yeah, it's part of it. When you're dealing with ribs, you're careful with your movements for sure."

Perhaps the biggest clue was his revelation that he'll "probably (need) a little longer than a few days or a few weeks to let this heal.''

He said there are some things he can do to manage the pain, but "some of it just gets chalked up under the pain-tolerance type of thing and just time more than anything. So right now, we don't have that on our side as far as this game or really this season.''

McCown, who was driven to the ground on three straight plays Sunday, noted that the pain set in when the adrenaline wore off on Monday.

"There's a different feeling to it,'' said McCown, who moved gingerly at this locker.

McCown, an old-school tough guy, acknowledged that Pettine had to help him face reality.

"First and foremost he wants to win football games and he wants to do what's best for our team,'' McCown said. "If we feel like we're doing something that's not going to help our team then we'll react accordingly.''

As for McCown taking himself out of the mix on his own, he said, "I'm not wired that way. I just can't.''

Before the evening practice, Pettine was still holding out hope that McCown might have a chance and stating they they're "both taking the mentality that they're going to be the starter. As we get information that helps us make a decision and we feel comfortable acting on it, we'll do it."

But when they chatted during the special teams period inside the field house at the start of practice, they looked they already knew the answer. Soon after, McCown walked in toward the locker room, a sign that he wasn't going to be needed anytime soon.  

From the sound of things, McCown could miss more than just this game. If the Browns lose another game or two, it will likely be time to see what Manziel can do for the future.

On Monday, Pettine said "we're not at that point yet.''

But now, he might be there by default.

High School sports reporter Nate Cline and manager Kristen Davis win cleveland.com staff football picks for 2015 regular season.

Enter to win the cleveland.com high school playoffs pick-em contest presented by The University of Akron.Joe Noga, Northeast Ohio Media Group

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Reporter Nate Cline and High School Sports Manager Kristen Davis share the crown in the 2015 cleveland.com high school sports staff regular season football picks competition.

Cline, who started in last place after Week 1, quickly recovered to climb atop the rankings. Davis rode a steady performance from the opening kickoff to tie for first.

Think YOU can match the high school staff's regular season performance? We invite you to join our FREE playoff pick-em challenge presented by The University of Akron with a chance at a $500 Visa Gift Card grand prize.

Pick along with our experts and compete for weekly $100 prizes throughout the high school football playoffs. Click here to register for the contest.

2015 cleveland.com high school sports staff football picks standings

	Nate Cline	Kristen Davis	Tim Bielik	Matt Goul	Joe Noga	Robert Rozboril	Scott Patsko	Consensus
	109-41	109-41	108-42	107-43	105-45	105-45	104-46	111-39
Week 10	10-5	9-6	10-5	8-7	11-4	10-5	8-7	9-6
Week 9	10-5	11-4	12-3	11-4	12-3	10-5	11-4	13-2
Week 8	10-5	11-4	10-5	13-2	11-4	12-3	12-3	12-3
Week 7	15-0	13-2	13-2	12-3	13-2	12-3	14-1	13-2
Week 6	10-5	10-5	10-5	9-6	8-7	10-5	8-7	8-7
Week 5	10-5	10-5	9-6	9-6	8-7	9-6	8-7	8-7
Week 4	12-3	8-7	10-5	11-4	10-5	10-5	11-4	11-4
Week 3	12-3	10-5	10-5	10-5	10-5	10-5	10-5	11-4
Week 2	12-3	14-1	12-3	13-2	11-4	11-4	11-4	13-2
Week 1	8-7	13-2	12-3	11-4	11-4	11-4	11-4	13-2

With Copley lineman Arman Samouk, Columbia University gets a player with great size and strength who can still move rather quickly.

COPLEY, Ohio -- With Copley lineman Arman Samouk, Columbia University gets a player with great size and strength who can still move rather quickly. 

The 6-foot-0, 270-pound DT/OG has 77 tackles, of which 46 are solos and 22 are for a loss. He also has 10 sacks through 10 weeks. 

"As far as an interior lineman, he is as explosive and quick as I've seen," said Copley coach Scott Chouinard. "The way he moves, both laterally and in a straight line is very impressive for a guy his size." 

Chouinard also praises Samouk's maturity and sense of responsibility for what is important both in life and on the field. 

Samouk demonstrated those qualities by putting in the time and effort necessary to get noticed by an Ivy League school like Columbia, which he committed to on Oct. 2. 

"He has really high aspirations as far as academics," Chouinard said. "He wants to be a doctor." 

Samouk likes the city setting that Columbia provides, being in New York City, and brings with him motivation to learn and the work ethic necessary to put his best foot forward, academically and athletically. 

Follow our high school sports Twitter account @NEOvarsity and tag your high school sports Tweets and score updates with the #NEOVarsity hashtag.

Contact high school sports reporter Robert Rozboril by email (rrozboril@cleveland.com), on Twitter (@rrozboril) or on Facebook (facebook.com/rrozboril). Or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.

Josh McCown has been ruled out for the Bengals game, meaning Austin Davis will take over if Johnny Manziel can't finish the game. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns quarterback Josh McCown wasn't exaggerating Tuesday when he said he breathing, sleeping and moving were difficult with his rib injury.

McCown, who suffered the injury during Sunday's 34-20 loss to the Cardinals, has been ruled  out of Thursday night's game against the Bengals with the sore ribs. He's also still suffering from the right shoulder injury, but it's the ribs that are preventing him from taking on the 7-0 Bengals on NFL Network.

It means that fourth-year pro Austin Davis will back up Johnny Manziel, who was announced as the starter Wednesday morning.

Davis, signed by the Browns Sept. 7th after he was waived by the Rams and signed to a two-year extension Sept. 30th worth $4.173 million, went 3-5 in his eight starts with St. Louis last season. He threw 12 touchdown passes and nine interceptions en route to an 85.1 rating.

"Austin - this is one of the reasons he is here and one of the reasons we did what we did with him from a contractual standpoint - is that he's outstanding with his preparation,'' said coach Mike Pettine. "He's involved with the gameplan, (has good) interaction with the coaching staff and interaction with the other quarterbacks. We feel very confident if Austin did have to get in the game just because of the way he prepares himself.''

Davis can often be seen on the sidelines reviewing plays on the tablet next to McCown, who will likely be on he sidelines in streetclothes in Cincinnati.

"(Davis) has a good eye for breaking down opponent defenses, what routes have worked, giving us feedback, (saying) 'when I was in St. Louis, we did this and this,''' said Pettine. "He's into it. On a short week like this, our gameplans are more what we consider to be best hits. We would be very confident in Austin if he did have to get in the game."

In addition to McCown, six other Browns have been ruled out for the game, including four with concussions: Joe Haden, Donte Whitner, Brian Hartline and Andrew Hawkins. Safety Jordan Poyer is also out with his shoulder injury, leaving the Browns thin in the defensive backfield. Rookie Ibraheim Campbell will start in place of Whitner. Tight end Rob Housler has been placed on injured reserve with his hamstring and the Browns have promoted defensive back De'Ante Saunders to the active roster.

Saunders (5-9, 187) originally signed with the Browns in May as an undrafted rookie out of Tennessee State and spent the first eight weeks of the season on the practice squad. In 24 games at Tennessee State, he recorded 67 tackles, 15 passes defensed, nine interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown.  

Three Browns are questionable for the game: safety Tashaun Gipson (ankle), linebacker Nate Orchard (shoulder), and linebacker Craig Robertson (ankle).

Manziel, who participated fully this week, is listed as probable with his right elbow, something to keep an eye on during the game.

For the Bengals, starting right tackle Andre Smith is out with a concussion, starting left end Carlos Dunlap is questionable with a shoulder injury and linebacker Rey Maualuga is questionable with a calf injury. Eric Winston will start in Smith's place.

A strong effort against the Bengals in primetime could elevate Manziel's status for the remainder of the season.

BEREA, Ohio - The Browns lead the NFL in false starts with 15, a total not including one by a segment of the fan base following their Sept. 20 win over the Titans.

After Johnny Manziel's second of two long touchdown passes to Travis Benjamin some assumed the club would stick the young quarterback while ignoring weeks of evidence to the contrary. Mike Pettine was committed to Josh McCown and willing to start him against Tennessee even without a practice had he cleared the league's concussion protocol.

It proved an unpopular but correct call by the coach. McCown validated Pettine's choice and has been better than many expected, ranking 11^th in passer rating with 11 touchdowns to four interceptions. Compiling a list of why the Browns sit 2-6, quarterback play doesn't rate among the top four reasons.

Like so many Browns' quarterbacks of yore, however, the 36-year-old has taken a pounding in recent weeks. On Tuesday, he resembled Evel Knievel after jumping the fountain at Caesars Palace. His ribs ached. He had difficulty breathing and sleeping. Every movement appeared labored as he spoke the media. You didn't need to wait for Wednesday's announcement from the Browns to know Manziel was getting another shot at Bengals in primetime.

But unlike his last start, this one looks like a different opportunity for the polarizing backup from Kerrville, Texas. If Manziel plays well Thursday night, facing long odds against an undefeated opponent, he could earn a rack of games for a club and a regime badly in need of a spark.

Pettine has been hesitant to play Manziel for multiple reasons, the most important being he believes McCown gives the Browns a better chance to win. The coach stuck with his starter too long against the Rams as he absorbed an awful second-half beating. You can make an argument he did the same last week versus the Cardinals as McCown struggled through the second half after throwing three TDs prior to intermission.

If you didn't think everyone in the organization was put on notice following a three-game losing streak you knew it Tuesday as the Browns entertained trade talks for eight-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas. Embattled general manager Ray Farmer should be fitted for a pair of asbestos britches. Pettine's job security also appears tenuous if he can't give his bosses reason for optimism in the stretch run.

Manziel can supply it even without a win. Few expect the Browns to be competitive with a slew of key injuries and images of a 30-0 loss to the Bengals in Manziel's first start fresh in the memory banks. But the 22-year-old has made strides on the field even as another lapse of judgment off it sees him under investigation with the NFL.

He's demonstrated more poise and polish in completing 56 percent of his passes and throwing three TDs to one INT this season.

"When the rush became live, I think that's where you saw that he made his biggest improvement with his demeanor in the pocket," Pettine said. "That it wasn't as frenetic, that his feet were calm. I just think he has a really good understanding of what we're doing, understands the plays, what's designed for what."

Manziel must hang onto the football when the Bengals inevitably crash into him. The four fumbles in his first two appearances this season would give any coach and offensive coordinator pause. If he puts the ball on the carpet a couple times Thursday, Austin Davis might make his Browns' debut sooner than expected.

His big-play ability and threat as a runner, however, have been more evident than at any point a year ago. The fact he's played against the Bengals - a disastrous performance in which he was woefully unprepared - at least offers him a feel for the speed and tenacity of the opponent. We'll see if he's learned from his mistakes.

Everything about Manziel is exaggerated, the byproduct of relentless hype and coverage. (TMZ might have six reporters on site to chronicle any interaction with smokin' hot babes.) But a good outing can lift an entire team. Quarterbacks are like hockey goaltenders -- when they stop pucks with regularity even the power play looks better.

Ready or not, here comes Johnny Drama in primetime. If he plays with dash and energizes his teammates No. 2 could be No. 1 for the remainder of the season.

And, if crumbles again at least McCown's tenderized ribs will have had two weeks to recover.

Urban Meyer said Barrett could have his summer aid taken away as part of his punishment.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett could lose as much as $17,778 in aid if Urban Meyer revokes Barrett's summer scholarship over a drunken-driving charge, which Meyer has said could be one of Barrett's punishments.

Ohio State provided the detailed numbers of what that summer loss could mean on Wednesday after a request from cleveland.com. 

The full total includes a potential 12-credit course load for an out-of-state student like Barrett, who is from Texas. Even if Barrett would take no summer classes, he would stand to lose $4,110, according to the Ohio State numbers.

Room for the summer term is valued $2,710, so Barrett would not receive that money to apply to his off-campus rent.

Board is worth $1,400, so Barrett would not get that money to cover meals.

Tuition for the summer is $5,005 for a full load. An out-of-state student would pay an additional $8,663 for taking 12 credits or more.

According to an Ohio State spokesman, Barrett would not necessarily have to take any classes in order to take part in the summer workouts supervised by strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti. If he hits a GPA threshold and is on track to graduate, he would be able to work out without being in class.

If a player hasn't hit those marks, he could be required to take classes - three credits, six credits, 12 credits, whatever is needed - in order to work out with the team. The costs of six credits, for instance, would be half of the $5,005 and $8,663 out-of-state surcharge.

If Barrett took six credits, he would miss out on a total of $10,944. Three credits would cost him $7,527.

In the modern college football world, there is no missing out on those workouts. 

Barrett, 20, faces his initial court date on Tuesday for a charge stemming from a stop at a drunken-driving checkpoint last weekend while Ohio State was on a bye week. He has been suspended for Saturday's game against Minnesota because of the incident.

Meyer included the loss of scholarship as a possibility when discussing the Barrett charge for the first time Monday. Meyer has done that in the past with Ohio State players.

"He's also forfeited his scholarship for a term," Meyer said. "So when a kid has an issue like that, there's some type of punitive damage as far as missing a game or something and then they forfeit their scholarship at some point. They can earn it back."

Ohio State clarified Meyer's remarks Monday that the coach was referencing a summer loss of aid. A spokesman said the school cannot revoke a scholarship for the required fall or winter semester.

Costs of a full summer term, according to Ohio State

Tuition $5,005

Non-resident surcharge $8,663

Room $2,710

Board $1,400

* Costs based on current figures. Tuition will not go up in 2016, but the non-resident fee, room and board have yet to be determined.

Get the latest updates and analysis on the Cleveland Cavaliers' game against the New York Knicks.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers extended their winning streak to four games on Wednesday night, beating the New York Knicks, 96-86.

LeBron James led the way with 23 points. Mo Williams added 22. 

The Cavs (4-1) will continue their four-game homestand on Friday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Scoring Summary:

End of 3rd Quarter - Cavs lead Knicks, 70-69. The Cavs are led by Mo Williams, who has 18 points. LeBron James has added 12. The Knicks are paced by Carmelo Anthony's 15 points. Rookie Kristaps Porzingis has 13. 

End of 2nd Quarter - Cavs trail Knicks, 46-38. Sasha Vujacic has nine points while Kristaps Porzingis has eight. Carmelo Anthony has added seven points on 2-of-9 shooting. The Cavs are led by a trio of players -- LeBron James, Kevin Love and Mo Williams -- with eight points apiece. 

End of 1st Quarter - Cavs trail Knicks, 32-18. Sasha Vujacic and Carmelo Anthony each have seven points for the Knicks. Kristaps Porzingis has added four points. The Cavs are led by Mo Williams' six points. 

Named the smartest player in college football before the season by NFL.com, Kent State's Jordan Italiano is now a finalist for the 'Academic Heisman.'

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For those not completely convinced Kent State's Jordan Italiano is what NFL.com says he is -- "the smartest man in college football" -- more validation came recently from the William V. Campbell Trophy.

KSU's senior safety, who will start Thursday night when the Flashes host Buffalo at 7 p.m. in Dix Stadium, was named one of 12 finalists for the award considered 'The Academic Heisman' in college football ranks.

As a finalist, he is guaranteed an $18,000 stipend to continue his education in the field of biochemistry and pre-med concentration at Kent State. And if he is named No. 1 in the field, he will get another $7,000 for a total of $25,000.

"The $18,000 alone, I am very happy with that,'' Italiano said recently.

The state of Ohio is well represented on the 12-player list with Italiano, Hank Spencer from Mount Union, and Jacoby Boren from Ohio State also among the final dozen. The finalist will be featured at a dinner in New York on Dec. 8, when the winner will be announced.

"When I found out, I was very excited, very privileged to be a finalist for the Campbell Award," said Italiano, a 5-10, 210-pound native of Canfield, Ohio. "It was great news. After football, I'm going to apply to a bunch of different medical schools, and hope I get in somewhere."

One would expect Italiano to have his choice. But he did say that decision will not be an immediate one.

"I'll have the spring semester, then another year before I graduate,'' he said. "After football I'll have the opportunity to regularly shadow some doctors, try to see what their schedules are like and what they do. That's the plan.

"I have already contacted some doctors who said to let them know when I get the time, so they can help me. So I'm going to take full advantage of that.''

All this comes on the heels of Italiano being honored in the preseason by NFL.com, which annually ranks college football players from around the country in a myriad of categories.

Now, his focus is on finishing out this football season strong. The Flashes are currently 3-5, 2-2 and still holding hopes of becoming bowl eligible, which means at least a .500 record. With just four games left, victories have to start adding up.

"We want to put ourselves in place to be bowl eligible by the end of the year,'' Italiano said. "But that starts with focusing on the next game, not all the games after that. Right now, we're just focused in and locked in on Buffalo.''

Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson headline the PGA Tour's HSBC Champions in Shanghai this week. Here is the live leaderboard, TV schedule and more.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The HSBC Champions begins the meat of the PGA Tour's 2015-16 season tonight in Shanghai with the first World Golf Championships event. Here are the TV schedule, tee times, live streaming link, preview and more.

There are four WGC events, including the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron (June 30-July 3). The HSBC Champions is the fourth PGA Tour event of the season, and it is the first in which many of the stars will align, including Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, defending champion Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Henrik Stenson

McIlroy is in Shanghai, but was suffering from food poisoning Tuesday and Wednesday and his status was unclear.

World No. 1 Jason Day and Tiger Woods will not play. Day is home awaiting the birth of his second child. Woods is out indefinitely following another back procedure last week, his third in 20 months.

What: World Golf Championships HSBC Champions

Where: Sheshan International Golf Club, Shanghai, China.

When: Thursday-Sunday

Time zone difference: Shanghai is 13 hours ahead of the Eastern time zone.

TV schedule

Golf Channel will televise all four rounds. All times are Eastern Standard.
Wednesday: 10 p.m.-3 a.m. (live)

• Thursday: 8 a.m.-1 p.m. (replay); 10 p.m.-3 a.m. (live)
• Friday: 8 a.m.-1 p.m. (replay); 10 p.m.-3 a.m. (live)
• Saturday: 8 a.m.-1 p.m. (replay); 10 p.m.-3 a.m. (live)
• Sunday: 8 a.m.-1 p.m. (replay)

Live streaming link: Click here for Golf Channel's live streaming feed.

Leaderboard

Below are the live leaderboards for both PGA Tour events this week, including the Sanderson Farms Championships in Jackson, Miss.

Notable first-round groups (all times Eastern Standard): Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, Henrik Stenson, 8:45 p.m. Wednesday; Rickie Fowler, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson 9:45 p.m. Wednesday.

Tee times: Click here for a complete list.

Purse: $8.5 million. Winner's share, $1.4 million.

Defending champion: Bubba Watson

FedEx Cup points: 550

Preview: One year ago, Jordan Spieth wasn't even in the top 10 in the world and had only one win as a pro. Since then, the 22-year-old Texan has won seven times around the world, including the Masters and the U.S. Open, along with a Tour Championship that capped a record $22 million year. He is looked upon as the future of American golf. At least for now. (Associated Press) 

McIlroy sick: The roller coaster that constitutes Rory McIlroy's 2015 has taken another dip in China, with the Northern Irishman confined to bed with food poisoning before the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament. (The Guardian) 

Tiger Woods still on bed rest: Just before noon on Wednesday at his new Florida watering hole, Tiger Woods was scheduled to speak with the U.S. media for the first time since undergoing his second microdisectomy surgery.

He would have told the gathered scribes that it's "certainly disappointing," but that he anticipates a "full recovery," because that's what he said in a statement on his website following the September surgery, and no one stays on message better than Woods.

But Tiger was unable to explain any of this on Wednesday at The Woods Jupiter because of another "procedure" last month to "relieve discomfort" in his back.

Instead, he is on "bed rest" and will also miss his final design visit to Bluejack National outside of Houston this week. He has subtly downgraded his immediate competitive outlook from "as soon as possible" next season to having "no timetable."

Although that open-ended outlook isn't what fans were hoping for, it may be the most forthright assessment Woods has served up in some time. (Golfchannel.com) 

Billy Horschel withdraws: Billy Horschel flew halfway around the world, only to withdraw from the HSBC Champions with a sore back.

A PGA Tour official said the injury was not considered serious.

Horschel tweaked his back before leaving Florida for the final World Golf Championship of the year. The 2014 FedEx Cup champion gave his back two days of rest and tried to stretch it out Tuesday before a practice round before deciding it was not worth risking injuring it more.

Horschel was replaced by Cameron Smith of Australia in the 78-man field at Sheshan International. (Associated Press)

Who's hot? Kevin Na, Justin Rose and Chris Wood are the hottest golfers in the early portion of the PGA Tour season. (Golf.com)

The fourth-round draft pick saw action Sunday in relief of concussed Donte Whitner. Watch video

BEREA, Ohio - Tashaun Gipson knows what it means to capitalize on an opportunity late in a rookie season.

The undrafted free agent earned a shot at meaningful snaps in 2012 due to injury and parlayed it into a Pro Bowl appearance a year ago. His fellow Browns safety Ibraheim Campbell isn't expecting to take a similar direct route to individual acclaim, but he's anxious for his first start Thursday against the Bengals.

"You can't really ask for more than this to start in the National Football League on primetime television," said the Northwestern product who's replacing a concussed Donte Whitner. "It is a huge opportunity, and I am looking forward to it."

Little has gone to script for a Browns' secondary which touted itself as one of the league's best in preseason. Injuries and ineffective play have chipped away at the unit's reputation. Both Whitner and corner Joe Haden remain in the NFL's concussion protocol, while versatile reserve Jordan Poyer is still out with a shoulder injury.

Enter Campbell, who received his first defensive snaps Sunday in relief of Whitner during the Browns' 34-20 loss to the Cardinals and played reasonably well, making five tackles. The analytics website ProFootballFocus.com graded the sturdy 5-foot-11, 209 pounder as one of the club's top-five performers.

Noted for his aggressive play, Campbell was sound in his technique and sure with his tackling - which has been an issue for the Browns during their 2-6 start. He had a crunching hit on Cardinals' receiver Larry Fitzgerald in the fourth quarter.

"I thought that he came in and did some great things - something to build on, something to let you know that this guy can play football," Gipson said of the fourth-round pick. "I never doubted him . . . He fits that mold, that downhill going-to-run-through-you player attitude. I think that he made some good physical tackles, something we can build on coming into this week."

The undefeated Bengals present a major challenge for a defender making his first start.

Cincinnati ranks third in scoring (28.3 points) and fifth in total offense (394 yards). Campbell likely will draw some assignments against tight end Tyler Eifert, who's becoming a weapon in the Bengals offense with 381 yards receiving and six touchdowns.

The knock on Campbell has been his coverage skills - not uncommon with strong safeties - and he figures to get tested by Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton.

"I think the multitude of threats that they have and the fact that he spreads the ball around well is something that you have to stay aware of," Campbell said.

Chris Antonetti, Indians president of baseball operations, said it was a tough decision to decline Ryan Raburn's $3 million option for 2016.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Chris Antonetti thanked Ryan Raburn for his service, but felt his $3 million club option for 2016 could be put to better use as the Indians plung into the offseason with the idea of improving their offense.

Antonetti, president of baseball operations, said it was a tough decision not to exercise Raburn's option.

"He ended up being a really meaningful contributor to our team and the success we've had over the last three years," said Antonetti. "He was a really good teammate; a guy who really made an impact in our time with us.

"That made the decision really difficult, but a lot of this comes down to timing and where we are in the offseason. We felt we were best served by not committing that $3 million to that spot on the roster."

Raburn will receive a $100,000 buyout from his original two-year $4.48 million contract extension that he signed near the end of the 2013 season. He joins teammates Mike Aviles, Gavin Floyd and Ryan Webb on the free agent market.

In 2015, Raburn hit .301 (52-for-173) with 16 doubles, eight homers and 29 RBI. He faced left-handers almost exclusively, batting .325 (49-for-151) against them with eight homers.

Raburn, 34, hit .400 (16-for-40) from Aug. 1 through the end of the season with four homers and seven RBI in 18 games. He had just 22 at-bats against right-handers.

This was Raburn's third season with the Indians. He excelled in 2013 when he made the club after coming to spring training on a minor league deal. In 2014 Raburn slumped, but bounced back this year. The Indians have other right-handed hitters to face lefties in Chris Johnson and Jerry Sands.

"There were a lot of factors that came into play in the decision," said Antonetti. "I don't think any one carried the day. It doesn't take away what Ryan accomplished and the success he had with us. We felt, given the timing and where we are right now, we just wanted to have a little more flexibility as we headed into the offseason."

The Indians went 81-80 this year, finishing third in the AL Central, after many experts picked them as a preseason favorite to make the postseason. Pitching was not the problem.

The Tribe finished the year with a 3.67 ERA, second lowest in the AL. The rotation had the fourth lowest ERA at 3.94 and the bullpen had the second lowest at 3.12.

Defensively, they finished with the second best fielding percentage in the league. It represented a big reversal after they committed the most errors in the big leagues in 2014.

The problem was offense. In the AL, the Indians ranked sixth in batting average, 11th in runs, 12^th in batting average with runners in scoring position, 13^th in homers and 15^th in batting average with the bases loaded.

None of that was Raburn's fault, but in Antonetti's end-of-the-season meeting with the media he said one of the team's primary goals was to improve the position player side of the roster. In other words he wants more offense.

"We have an entire offseason in front of us to find ways to improve our roster and figure out what the best composition will be for us going into next year," said Antonetti. "I don't expect the roster we have here today to be the same as when we show up in Goodyear for spring training.

"We will continue to try and improve our team. As I said at the end of the season most of our focus will be on the position player side."

Antonetti expects to open the season next year with a payroll close to the $88 million he started this season with. Based on current multiyear commitments and players eligible for arbitration, he could have between $15 million and $20 million to gamble on free agents. Raburn's $3 million option helps fill that pot.

Rich Gannon has seen some good things in Johnny Manziel but isn't ready to christen him a completely different player yet.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- While the world is poised for the new and improved Johnny Manziel Thursday night against the 7-0 Bengals on NFL Network, CBS analyst Rich Gannon pumped the brakes on that narrative a bit.

Asked if he feels a lot better about Manziel heading into this game than he did last year, the former NFL MVP quarterback told cleveland.com, "no, how could I? He's played only a handful of snaps in our league. We're not really going to know until we see more of his body of work.''

He hopes last year was humbling for Manziel, but he can't say for sure.

"He went through a very difficult time,'' said Gannon. "You hope that changed his study habits, his preparation, the attention to detail.''

But to win the respect of his teammates and coaches, Gannon said, Manziel has a long way to go. He's started only two games since his disastrous debut against the Bengals last season, a 30-0 route on Dec. 14th that wrecked the Browns' playoffs hopes.

"Johnny has to play at a high level and do it on a consistent basis,'' said Gannon, who studied all of the Browns games this season and called their game in Baltimore. "No one's going to say if he goes out Thursday night and throws for three touchdowns and 300 yards that this guy has arrived. That would be foolish, but you want to see gradual, steady improvement.

"You want to see a guy that's trending in the right direction. You can't throw for three touchdowns one week and three picks the next. He's got a ways to go before he'll be at that point.''

In breaking down Manziel's 28-14 victory over the Titans in week two, his first career victory, Gannon saw some things that encouraged him. That day, Manziel completed only 8-of-15 attempts, but two were touchdowns of 60 and 50 yards to Travis Benjamin.

"That first TD touchdown pass was as good as it gets,'' said Gannon, a four-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl participant. "Everything about it was good. He's working from under center, takes a nice good deep drop, he's in rhythm, he trusts his feet, the ball comes out on time. The pocket collapses around him, there's no sense of panic.

"You can see it in his body, he does a great job with the read and getting the ball up and down quick. And there's no indecision and that's what you want to see. You want to see more of those throws from Johnny in the pocket. When I saw that throw, I thought to myself, "my gosh, if you see more of them that's terrific.''

But he's not ready to say Manziel is a completely different player from the one who was thoroughly humiliated last year by the Bengals just yet. Old habits die hard, especially when the pressure is on.  

"I don't know how you could say that when he hasn't played enough,'' said Gannon. "The biggest concern I have with this guy is if you really go back and study his film, at Texas A&M, so many of the big plays came off of movement, came off of scrambling. They weren't rhythm plays. He didn't drop back three steps and throw the ball. He didn't drop back five steps and release the ball. He dropped back and made a guy miss and ran around and threw the ball 30 yards across the field.

"I want to see him throw in rhythm. I want to see him trust the protection. I want to see the ball come out on time. I want to see the anticipation, the accuracy, the decision-making, all of these things that you need to have to function in a pro-style offense. I'm not being critical, but in fairness, how much have we really seen of the guy?''

Pettine, for one, seems to be all in on Manziel these days, despite the fact his second-year pro was recently involved in a disturbing roadway incident, admitted to drinking, and is under review by the NFL for a possible violation of the league's personal conduct policy.  

 "He's a different player,'' said Pettine, who's working closely with the offense this year. "We saw that this year when he had to go into the Jets game. I thought he did some good things, made some mistakes, put the ball on the ground then had a week of preparation to get ready for Tennessee and went out and executed a gameplan.''

He said the biggest improvement has been in his demeanor in the pocket.

 "It wasn't as frenetic, that his feet were calm. He has a really good understanding of what we're doing, understands the plays, 'If I get pressure, I know I'm working this side, if I get zone I'm going to work a high-low against this defender.' All the intricate details, he has a much better grasp of and it's shown when he's been out there."

Even Manziel is confident he's come a long way since that beatdown by the Bengals, who roughed him up all day and jubilantly rubbed their fingers together in the now-defunct money sign. After Bengals coach Marvin Lewis called Manziel "a midget'' on a radio show that week and later apologized, an unprepared Manziel completed 10-of-18 attempts for 80 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions for a 27.3 rating. He also rushed five times for only 13 yards.

He was sacked three times and went three-and-out on six of his 10 possessions. He managed just five first downs, and converted 1-of-10 third downs. He produced just 107 yards, fewest since the Browns dropped 26 on Buffalo in 2004.

Afterwards, he admitted it was an epic fail on his part.

"Obviously, that was not the first career start I would have hoped for or expected when the Bengals came to our stadium last year,'' he said Wednesday. "I did learn from it and I feel much more confident in my abilities now because of the progress I feel like I've made over this season. My experience in that game from last year should help me (Thursday) night."

Gannon believes the Bengals -- bolstered by the return of disruptive weakside linebacker Vontaze Burfict -- will try to squash Johnny Football just like they did last year.  In addition to Burfict, Manziel will have to deal with a strong push up the middle from Geno Atkins, who's five sacks are tied for the NFL lead for interior linemen, and defensive end Carlos Dunlap, who's fifth in the league with 6.5 sacks. Manziel has already fumbled four times in his limited play this season.

"The big thing is, you've got to hit him,'' said Gannon. "He's not the biggest guy and you've got to hit him and try to get the ball out. But he's got to play smart. There will be some times where he'll get fooled, there will be some plays that look ugly and you just want to make sure that you don't turn a mistake into a huge, huge issue.

"If you miss a hot read or something is not there, throw the ball away and live for another down. Don't turn one mistake into a traffic accident where you miss something and you throw it and it gets returned for a touchdown.''

Although the Bengals are 22nd in total defense and 23rd against the pass, they're seventh in the NFL in points allowed (18.9) and second in TDs in the red zone.

 "They get push up the middle and they get speed off the edge and against a quarterback like Johnny, you want to make sure there's no rush lanes,'' said Gannon. "A lot of quarterbacks, you know exactly where they're going to be in the pocket. With this guy you don't, and even when you think you have him, he can make you miss. His escapability his maneuverability are as fine as there is and that's a big part of who he is.  But you look at the last game, Cincinnati had a really really good plan for how to deal with him.''

Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther revealed to Bengals.com after the shutout that he had studied Manziel's Texas A&M games against LSU and Missouri and noticed that they bottled him up on the left side.

"They kind of moved him one side and kept him in the pocket,'' he said. "Those were his worst two games in college, so you could see obviously what their plan was, to keep him in the pocket or move him to a side where he wasn't throwing. You had to go look at all of the resources of everything to try to get a feel for this guy."

Since that time, Manziel has attempted only 50 more NFL passes, including a career-high of 24 in the opening day loss to the Jets in relief of a concussed Josh McCown. With the Browns struggling to run the ball this season, Manziel might be forced to throw a lot more than he ever has -- and he won't have Brian Hartline or Andrew Hawkins, who are both out with concussions.

"Every time out is going to be a new learning experience for him, and every time out is going to be a new learning experience for the playcaller (John DeFilippo) because you think you know what he's good at, but until you really see how he responds, you don't know,'' said Gannon. "I think they've got a pretty good sense what he's comfortable with, and I think you really try and formulate a gameplan that accentuate his strengths and minimizes his weaknesses.''

You can bet Guenther and his guys know exactly what those are.

The Cleveland Cavaliers unveiled their new black sleeved jerseys for Wednesday's national television game against the New York Knicks.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers unveiled their new black sleeved jerseys for Wednesday's national television game against the New York Knicks.

The new jerseys, which received plenty of reaction inside Quicken Loans Arena and on social media, are part of the Cavaliers uniform collection that includes 8 different looks.

LeBron James clearly wasn't a fan. After missing a free throw in the second quarter, James ripped the sleeves on each arm so he could have more freedom while shooting. 

Here is a sampling of the reaction on Twitter:

Here is a recap of Wednesday’s high school boys soccer regional semifinal action across Northeast Ohio.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Here is a recap of Wednesday’s high school boys soccer regional semifinal action across Northeast Ohio. See all regional final four brackets involving local teams.

Division I 

Region 1 

St. Ignatius 4, Solon 0: Stephen Milhoan, Alex Gotsky and Adam Collins each scored before half as the Wildcats (19-0-1) continued their postseason shutout streak. They have outscored five playoff opponents 33-0.

Green 1, Shaker Heights 0: The Bulldogs, ranked ninth in the state coaches poll, got their fourth shutout of the postseason.

Regional final: St. Ignatius vs. Green, 12 p.m. Saturday at Brecksville.

Region 2

Strongsville 1, Medina 0: Jared Anderson scored off an assist from Brandon Price on a counter attack with 10 minutes  to play, allowing the Mustangs (13-4-3) to advance to the regional final. Jared Schulte had his ninth shutout in goal.

Regional final: Strongsville vs. Toledo St. John’s, 12 p.m. Saturday at Sandusky Perkins.

Division II

Region 5

Lake Catholic 2, CVCA 1: Colin Kane gave the Cougars an early lead, and Nick Rieple scored the game-winner 11 minutes before halftime.

Regional final: Lake Catholic vs. Alliance Marlington, 12 p.m. Saturday at TBA.

Region 6

Bay 3, Lexington 0: The Rockets got goals from Cade Gergye and Logan Schmit and rolled into the regional final.

Regional final: Bay vs. Elida, 12 p.m. Saturday at TBA.

Division III

Region 9

Beachwood 4, Cortland Maplewood 0: The Bison got three goals from Asaf Roth and another from Shai Yulish to each reach the regional final, there they will meet Canfield South Range for the second straight year. The Bison lost in overtime last season.

Regional final: Beachwood vs. Canfield South Range, 12 p.m. Saturday at TBA.

LeBron James tore his sleeves and ripped apart the Knicks in the fourth quarter Wednesday night at The Q. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio - When Clark Kent rips his shirt and the red "S" shows on his chest, he's Superman right then and there and the bad guys are in trouble.

James' metamorphosis didn't have the same immediacy Wednesday night, but he did tear his sleeves and eventually lead the Cavs to a 96-86 victory over the New York Knicks.

Feeling constricted by the Cavs' alternative, T-shirt-like jersey, James angrily tore both sleeves in the second quarter as he and his teammates struggled to shoot. And in the fourth quarter, he scored 11 of his game-high 23 points, putting away a Knicks team that led for virtually all of the game's first three quarters.

James contributed five rebounds and three assists, but was obviously uncomfortable with his shot. He was 9-of-23 from the field and 1-of-5 from three-point range, fidgeting with his sleeves until ultimately deciding to rip them after missing a three-pointer with 7:06 remaining in the first half and the Cavs trailing by nine.

James' uneasy feeling was predictable.

The black, short-sleeved jerseys with the Cavs' "C" dominating the front is one of eight uniform patterns the team planned to wear this season. 

According to the Cavs, it was their choice to wear the shirts, though the NBA re-introduced the unique jersey concept a couple seasons ago. Cleveland's players - including James - were consulted before deciding to wear them, according to the team.

This matters because, of course, James publicly stated his displeasure with the restriction of the sleeved jersey in March of 2014 as a member of the Miami Heat, when he said "I'm not a big fan of the jerseys."

"Every time I shoot it feels like it's just pulling right up underneath my arm," James said at the time, following a rough shooting night (6-of-18) in a loss to the Spurs. "I already don't have much room for error on my jump shot. It's definitely not a good thing."

A Cavs spokesman said "that's why the players, including him, were consulted."

Whatever the case, the shirts - which the Cavs intended to wear again - didn't cost them. James delivered a steal and dunk off a fastbreak with 7:03 left for a 79-75 lead, and closed out the Knicks with a vicious cut to the hoop and slam with 2:06 to go.

Earlier Wednesday, James said he's "tried to get the ball out of my hands a lot more" this season, choosing to create off passes and allow teammates (like Kevin Love) to flourish rather than dominate the ball like he did last season.

So of course, against Knicks James was noticeably dribbling the ball up the court and handling it earlier in sets than perhaps at any point in this young season.

"LeBron is already playing MVP basketball," Cavs coach David Blatt said before the game. "But he's doing it in a way so as to help his teammates raise their level. That sort of speaks to how great he is in this game."

The Cavaliers trailed the Knicks by 14 after one quarter but won, 96-86, Wednesday night. LeBron James did his thing and received help from, among others, Mo Williams.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- LeBron James scored 23 points and Mo Williams 22 as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the New York Knicks, 96-86, Wednesday night at The Q. Cavs reserve Tristan Thompson had 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Here is a capsule look at the game after a DVR review of the ESPN telecast:

Winning, Inc: The Cavs (4-1) have won four in a row.

Not here: The Knicks (2-3) lost for the first time in three road games.

Tempting fate: The Cavs have prevailed in back-to-back games in which they trailed, 32-18, after one quarter. On Monday in Philadelphia, they rallied to defeat the 76ers, 107-100.

Of Wednesday's game, ESPN studio analyst Jalen Rose said: "The Cleveland Cavaliers were lucky the New York Knicks were in town. You can still find a way to win on your home floor after you got off to such a poor start.''

Rose could have said the same about facing the Knicks in Madison Square Garden, or about facing the 76ers at home or on the road. Those two outfits simply are not very good.

At the same time, the Cavs have a legitimate explanation as to why they needed to grind out the two victories: injured guards. Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert have not played this season, and J.R. Smith played five minutes against the 76ers before exiting. Smith remained sidelined against New York.     

Cavs keys to victory:

Team

*Defense for 2 1/2 quarters.

The Knicks built their first-quarter cushion on 62 percent shooting from the field. They sank jumpers from all over the floor in part because of the Cavs' lack of focus/energy/hustle/intensity.

The Cavs didn't seem to lock in defensively until midway through the second quarter. Once it happened, the Knicks had all sorts of issues in halfcourt sets. The Knicks finished at 39.3 percent from the field (33 of 84).

Credit the Cavs for, among other things, disrupting New York's attempts to run the triangle by clogging passing lanes and getting physical with the passer.      

*Fastbreak disparity.

The Cavs misfired repeatedly on jumpers outside the paint, especially in halfcourt sets. As the most glaring examples: Through 24 1/2 minutes, they went 1-of-16 from 3-point range.

The Cavs were able to compensate for the poor jump-shooting by generating 24 points on the break. Meanwhile, once the Knicks' field-goal accuracy inevitably fell off, they had nothing. They finished with zero fastbreak points. None.

Yes, the Cavs did a solid job of preventing run-outs. But most of the Knicks'  fastbreak issues stemmed from the harsh reality that they are not equipped to run.

Individual

*LeBron

The King shot 9-of-23 from the field and 4-of-7 from the line, and he scored most of his points inside 5 feet. Regardless, the Knicks couldn't stop him when necessary.

With 9:22 remaining in the fourth quarter, LeBron re-entered the game for what turned out to be the last time. The Cavs trailed, 75-72.

When he exited with 36 seconds left, the Cavs led, 96-86.

Part of the quality fourth quarter was a 3-pointer from the left wing against his  friend Carmelo Anthony. The release occurred with 6 seconds on the shot clock and 4:07 on the game clock. The basket gave the Cavs an 87-79 lead and was LeBron's second 3-pointer in 17 attempts this season.

LeBron scored 11 in the fourth and guarded Anthony for stretches.

With 7:07 remaining in the second quarter, LeBron missed a 3-pointer that dropped him to 4-of-11 overall from the field. On the way back on defense, LeBron angrily ripped the short sleeves from his black uniform top. It has been well-documented that LeBron dislikes uniforms with sleeves.

LeBron had five rebounds, four steals, three assists and one block and posted a +14 in 35 minutes. Two of the steals were interceptions of Knicks passes in the halfcourt that turned into run-out slams. He finished with three fastbreak dunks.

*Williams

He was 8-of-19 from the field, but most of the makes happened when the Cavs were in a lull. He had six rebounds and four assists.

With 2:05 left in the fourth, Williams worked off a Thompson screen and darted toward the lane from the left. Upon moving under the basket, Williams bounce-passed to LeBron for a slam and 93-82 lead. (In what almost certainly was a designed play, LeBron stayed near the timeline on the right side before dashing into the paint. Anthony forgot about him.)

*Thompson

He achieved the double-double in 21 minutes. He grabbed four offensive rebounds and was a +15 in 26 minutes.

ESPN analyst Hubie Brown said: "You say: Why did they give this young guy all that money ($83 million contract entering the season)? Because of games like this.''

Late in the fourth, Thompson out-hustled Robin Lopez for the rebound of a Williams miss. Thompson passed to Matthew Dellavedova, who scored on a fake-alley-oop runner.

Three of Thompson's four field goals were assisted by Dellavedova.

*Delly

He shot 2-of-7 for five points but had seven assists and three rebounds in 27 minutes.

Immediately after the fake-alley-oop runner, Dellavedova seemingly was headed down the court. As Lopez prepared to inbound the ball to Jose Calderon, though, Delly cut back in front of Calderon enough that Lopez double-clutched and put the ball on the court for a turnover.

Brown said: "That's why you love players like Dellavedova. Not only with the assists and the beautiful floaters, but he's a heady player.''

Stat of the night: Delly's +/- for the first five games are +1, +29, +23, +8, +13. 

LeBron James' huge fourth-quarter outing helped the Cavaliers produce their fourth consecutive victory with a 96-86 win over the New York Knicks at The Q on Wednesday. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio - It's not how you start; it's how you finish, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have one of the best finishers in the league.

LeBron James' huge fourth-quarter outing helped the Cavaliers produce their fourth consecutive victory with a 96-86 win over the New York Knicks at The Q on Wednesday.

James led his team with 23 points, five rebounds, three assists, four steals and a block in 35 minutes.

For the second consecutive game, the Cavaliers came out flat in the opening quarter. They allowed the Knicks to shoot 62 percent and put up 32 points in the quarter as they built a 15-point lead.

Cleveland (4-1) would claw back into the game to stay within striking distance. The Cavs were finally able to get over the hump by capturing their first lead of the game, 70-69, with 51 seconds remaining in the third.

From there, the team with the best player had the advantage. Guard Mo Williams drove to the basket and found a slicing James for an emphatic one-handed slam to seal the game and put the Cavaliers up 11 with 2:02 left to play. James took over the game in the fourth, scoring 11 of his points in the quarter.

Williams had 22 points, six rebounds and four assists. Kevin Love supplied 11 points and 12 boards.

New York (2-3) finished the game shooting 39 percent from the field. Cleveland has held its opponent to 44 percent or lower in all five games this season.

Clicking well

With the limited reps gathered in what was a condensed, low-minute preseason for the Cavaliers' starters, James admitted he didn't foresee them clicking this well this early.

"We still haven't done anything," James said, "but the way we've started is a little more surprising than I would have thought."

James rips new jersey 

The first time in the team's history, the Cavaliers debuted black-sleeved jerseys. There was mixed feelings as to how they looked, but apparently they didn't feel so good.

While in the midst of a 4-for-11 shooting performance in the second quarter, a frustrated James was irritated with the snugness around his armpit area. He ripped open his sleeves to give himself more room to maneuver. He's never been fond of the jersey style, and his actions on national television certainly showed that hasn't changed.

"Every time I shoot, it feels like it's just pulling right up underneath my arm," James said back in March of 2014 while a member of the Miami Heat. "I already don't have much room for error on my jump shot. It's definitely not a good thing."

During the game, an NBA official told cleveland.com he wasn't sure if a fine was warranted or not, saying, "It's not exactly a normal occurrence."

It might have been the first and last time the Cavaliers play with those sleeved jerseys.

Bench play

Cavs guard J.R. Smith missed his first of a two-game rest period to nurse a right knee bruise suffered in a win over Philadelphia on Monday. Richard Jefferson was inserted with the starting five. He scored nine points.

Jefferson's departure from the second unit took away some of the bench firepower. Cleveland put up a respectable 21 bench points, but it was its second-lowest total of the season.

Cavs big man Tristan Thompson was a monster as he contributed 10 points and 12 rebounds off the bench.

"Our bench is important," James said. "It doesn't matter who's in our out. Our bench is going to be key for our team so now it's just another opportunity for someone to step up with J.R. being out two games. So, I think our bench is taking that challenge."

Carmelo Anthony had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, and rookie teammate Kristaps Porzingis chipped in 13 points and four boards.

What's next

The Cavaliers are on of a four-game homestand with three more on deck. The Philadelphia 76ers will be looking for payback on Friday after losing to the Eastern Conference champs on Monday in Philly.

The Cleveland Browns cashed in on Johnny Manziel's versatility to stay in the game against the Cincinnati Bengals -- Bud Shaw's Sports Spin.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns moved the ball offensively when they changed the tempo of the game with a hurry-up third down play and when they let Johnny Manziel operate out of the pocket.

Using Manziel out in a traditional offense would be fine - OK, not really -- if the Browns could run the football.

 Though the Browns rushed for a respectable 53 yards in the first half, the Browns running game doesn't make a single defensive coordinator sweat. Certainly it doesn't make anyone sweat like Ray Farmer.

Manziel looked more poised than he did at any point in the December disaster against the Bengals. I know, how could he not?

But he made some good throws and even better decisions on the drive that resulted in Travis Coons' field goal. Then easily topped himself on a 92-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown pass (outside the pocket) to Duke Johnson Jr. that cut into the Bengals' lead and made it 14-10.

Manziel's best play before a terrific throw to Johnson might've been a step up in the pocket and slide to the right on the longest completion of the half to Gary Barnidge just before halftime.

Cleveland Browns coach Mike Pettine stands on the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Gary Landers)Gary Landers 

The problem in the second half is the Browns, trailing 14-10,  are probably going to have to match touchdowns with the Bengals to have any chance.

They can blame themselves in part after making it easy on Cincinnati by jumping offsides on a fourth-down play near the goal line.

Dumb play call, dumber mistake by Randy Starks, who lined up offsides. And it wasn't his first.

It wasn't as dumb as Starks taunting penalty earlier on the derive. You have teammates for a reason. They're part of your success.

Celebrate great plays with them. Don't stand over a running back and taunt him, especially when you haven't exactly produced a highlight reel of positive plays this season.

Assuming we can all agree this season will soon be about next season if the Browns lose this game, Manziel's work was at least promising.

 You don't have to see a franchise quarterback to see why the Browns could justify going with Manziel if he continues to play as he did in the first half.

The caveat: if this season is about Mike Pettine trying to save his job, he will probably go back to Josh McCown as soon as McCown can breathe and sleep, or at least one of the two.

If Jimmy Haslam wants to guarantee Pettine's return, maybe the head coach makes a different decision. Jimmy?

Actuallty, Manziel played so well that if he can put another half together like this one Pettine will have no choice.