MIAMI -- Jack Ramsay served his country in World War II, coached Portland to the NBA title, was enshrined in the basketball Hall of Fame and became one of the games most respected and revered broadcasters. Jason Williams Kings Jersey . His life was, by any measure, complete. "Our father led the greatest life that one could lead," the Ramsay family said in a statement released Monday, hours after the man that just about everyone in basketball called "Dr. Jack" died in Naples, Fla., at the age of 89. No cause of death was announced, but Ramsay had fought several forms of cancer for many years and more recently was diagnosed with a marrow syndrome. Ramsay ended his broadcasting career with ESPN last year because of health problems and word came last week that he had been placed into hospice care. "From his coaching tenure to his broadcast work, Dr. Jack left an indelible mark on every facet of our game and on every person he came in contact with, including me," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. Added Miami Heat president Pat Riley, who was close to Ramsay for many years: "This is a very sad day for basketball, not just professional basketball, but the entire basketball world. The game has lost a giant." Ramsay coached in the NBA for parts of 21 seasons before embarking on a second career as an NBA analyst, eventually working for ESPN. He was diagnosed with melanoma in 2004 and later battled growths and tumors that spread to his legs, lungs and brain, as well as prostate cancer. Through it all, his affinity for fitness never wavered. Ramsay, who competed in at least 20 triathlons during his life, worked out regularly into his 80s, even as he battled the various forms of cancer. He often spoke of his love of swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. Even in his final year as a broadcaster, it wasnt uncommon for friends to marvel at how well he was moving about. "Jack was a great man," Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird said, "and I dont use that term lightly." Ramsay also spent several years late in his life caring for his wife, Jean, who was diagnosed in 2001 with Alzheimers disease. She died in 2010. "He was that rarest of men with a unique style that was inspirational and motivational about basketball and life itself," said Paul Allen, who owns the Trail Blazers. Ramsay enjoyed enormous popularity within the league. To commemorate his 89th birthday this year, Portland coach Terry Stotts wore a loud checkered jacket and open-collared shirt for a Blazers game -- a nod to Ramsays style of dress when he coached the club. "Jacks life is a beacon which guides us all," Bill Walton, who was on Ramsays 1977 title team in Portland, told USA Today in 2007. "He is our moral compass, our spiritual inspiration. He represents the conquest of substance over hype. He is a true saint of circumstance." John T. Ramsay was born Feb. 21, 1925, in Philadelphia and enrolled at Saint Josephs in 1942, eventually becoming captain of the basketball team for his senior season. He earned a doctorate in education from the University of Pennsylvania in 1949, which explains the "Dr. Jack" moniker. Ramsays began coaching Saint Josephs in 1955. He was wildly successful there, going 234-72 and taking the Hawks to the NCAA tournament seven times and the Final Four in 1961. "Great man," Orlando Magic guard Jameer Nelson, who played at Saint Josephs a generation after Ramsay departed, wrote on Twitter. "The Greatest Hawk ever." To Ramsay, the most significant part of the Saint Josephs years was this: "I met my wife there," he said. He was a founding father of sorts for the growth of the Big 5, the annual Philadelphia basketball series involving Saint Josephs, La Salle, Penn, Villanova and Temple. "The Big 5 was clearly the biggest thing any of those schools were involved in at that point," Ramsay said in a 2004 interview. Ramsay became coach of the Philadelphia 76ers in 1968, joined the Buffalo Braves in 1972 and brought his craft to Portland in 1976. With a team featuring Walton, Lionel Hollins and Maurice Lucas, he delivered an NBA championship in his first season, beating the 76ers in six games for the title. "It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and one that I will cherish forever," Ramsay said in 1997. Indeed, that was his lone NBA title. Walton got hurt the next year, crippling Portlands chances of getting back to championship form during that era. Ramsay coached the Blazers for nine more seasons without another trip to the Finals. He spent the final three years of his NBA coaching career in Indiana, resigning from the Pacers in 1988 after the team started 0-7. Ramsay was 864-783 in his NBA career and in 1996 was honoured as one of the leagues all-time top 10 coaches. And when Micky Arison bought the Heat, the first person he turned to was Ramsay, who wound up long being considered part of the franchises family and even accompanied them to the White House to celebrate winning an NBA title. "He will be sorely missed by us all," Arison said. When he left the Pacers, Ramsay carefully did not use the word "retire," and began working as a television analyst on 76ers games. Eventually, he worked on Heat television broadcasts for eight seasons before moving full time to ESPN for radio and TV commentating before the 2000-01 season. "So grateful that his path crossed ours," his former Heat broadcast partner Eric Reid wrote on Twitter early Monday. "Hall of Fame coach and man." Ramsays funeral is Thursday. Caleb Swanigan Kings Jersey . The match, billed as a "next-gen" encounter between two of the sports rising stars, lasted two and a half hours. The loss kept Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., from reaching a third fourth-round spot in Melbourne over the past four years. Kyle Guy Jersey . The Blue Jackets got goals from Cam Atkinson, Nick Foligno, Boone Jenner and R.J. Umberger and Curtis McElhinney posted his first shutout since 2011 in a 4-0 victory on Friday night. https://www.kingslockerroom.com/Tyler-Lydon-City-Edition-Jersey/ . With the Nets winning streak in jeopardy, Williams scored 23 points, 11 in the final six minutes, to lead Brooklyn to a 104-99 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Coach K said he hoped this game would live up to its billing. It did, and then some. Jerami Grant scored eight points in overtime to finish with a career-high 24 and Jim Boeheims No. 2 Syracuse stayed unbeaten, topping Mike Krzyzewskis No. 17 Duke 91-89 on Saturday in a matchup of the two winningest coaches in Division I history. The Orange withstood a tying 3-pointer in regulation and won before a Carrier Dome record crowd of 35,446. "It was just a great game," Boeheim said after career victory No. 941. "I dont think Ive ever been involved in a better game in here where both teams played at such a high level. Both teams just went after it. Weve had a lot of games that have been here that are great. Theres never been one as good as this one." C.J. Fair scored a career-best 28 points as Syracuse (21-0, 8-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) set a school record for consecutive wins to start a season. The Orange remained one of three undefeated teams in the nation, along with No. 1 Arizona and No. 4 Wichita State. "I knew for us to win I would have to contribute offensively," said Fair, who shot 12 of 20. "I was able to not force things once I got going. I felt I was the hot hand and my teammates kept giving me the ball." Grant took over in the extra period, slamming home three dunks as Duke was forced to downsize after Jabari Parker and Amile Jefferson fouled out in the final two minutes of regulation. "They were playing small. We knew we had a lot of mismatches around the court," Grant said. "After I got the first dunk, they just kept feeding me." Dukes Rasheed Sulaimon beat the buzzer in regulation with an off-balance 3-pointer that tied it at 78. The Blue Devils led 87-84 with 80 seconds left in overtime before Syracuse rallied. "Both teams played with so much heart," Krzyzewski said. "We were scrambling a lot because of our foul trouble and our kids scrambled well. They scrambled well enough to put us in a position to win ... Just a tough loss." Syracuse students camped out in the bitter cold for nearly two weeks and were part of a crowd that was charged up from the start for the first ACC meeting between these longtime powers. It was Dukes first game against the Orange in the Carrier Dome. Parker had 15 points and nine rebounds for Duke (17-5, 6-3). The Blue Devils, who had won five in a row, get their chance to avenge the loss in three weeks when the teams meet again at Cameron Indoor Stadium. "We just needed one more play, whether it was a rebound or a shot going in," said Andre Dawkins, who scored five points in overtime before fouling out in the final minute. "We just needed one play." From the moment Boeheim and Krzyzewski walked ontoo Jim Boeheim Court to a deafening roar and hugged at midcourt surrounded by a sea of orange, the atmosphere was electric. Dewayne Dedmon Jersey. Singing and acting star Vanessa Williams, a Syracuse alum and former Miss America, performed the national anthem. The game was chock full of story lines, well before the tipoff. Two Hall of Fame coaches and good friends with a combined 1,914 wins who had only met twice before on opposing benches, each winning once. Boeheims signature 2-3 zone defence vs. Krzyzewskis intense man-to-man. Fair, Syracuses leading scorer, vs. Dawkins, a fifth-year senior who leads the ACC in 3-point shooting. Parker vs. Syracuse point guard Tyler Ennis of Brampton, Ont., two of the most accomplished freshmen in the country. The game was tied at 78 after regulation, and there were two more ties in the extra session. Grant had three straight slams for the Orange, while Dawkins hit a follow and a 3 from the top of the key as Duke took a three-point lead with 1:20 left. Two free throws by Ennis got Syracuse within one and two more by Grant put the Orange up 88-87 with 39 seconds left. Dukes Rodney Hood missed a dunk attempt against Rakeem Christmas with 12.2 seconds remaining -- Hood wanted a foul but nothing was called. Two more free throws by Ennis as Jefferson fouled out made it 90-87. Sulaimon sank a pair of free throws for Duke to make it a one-point game with 9.4 seconds left. Fair made one of two from the foul line with 5.5 seconds to go. Duke scrambled to get off a last shot and Quinn Cook missed a rushed fling from the right wing at the buzzer as Syracuse escaped. Grant had 12 rebounds. Trevor Cooney and Ennis each scored 14 points for the Orange. Ennis had nine assists with two turnovers in a game in which both teams committed just eight and Christmas had seven points, 10 rebounds and six of Syracuses nine blocks. Sulaimon finished with 16 points. Jefferson, Dawkins, and Hood finished with 14 points for Duke, which made 15 of 36 on 3s. Syracuse led 38-35 at the break and Fair continued the play that made him the preseason pick for ACC player of the year. Parkers three-point play at 11:05 gave Duke a 56-54 lead, its first since just past the midpoint of the opening half. But just when he seemed set to spark the Blue Devils, Parker picked up two quick fouls to give him four and Dawkins was whistled for his fourth just over a minute later. Fair responded by scoring eight points as the Orange went up 66-59 with 6:37 left. Undaunted, Tyler Thornton rescued Duke with three 3-pointers in less than two minutes and Parkers basket underneath tied it at 70-all with 3:53 to play. Sulaimon hit two 3-pointers in the final minute of regulation. He got a chance at a four-point play, but missed the foul shot with 47.6 seconds left. ' ' '