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British fans love an underdog and, in Gael Monfils and Dominic Thiem, they will have two to get behind at the ATP World Tour Finals at London’s O2 next week. Should either of them manage to overcome the likes of new world No 1 Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic to win the title, it would go down as one of the most famous victories in the history of the event.Djokovic has won the past four editions; Roger Federer twice before him. You have to look back to 2009, when Nikolay Davydenko stunned Federer in the semi-final and defeated then US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in the final for an upset of comparable magnitude. Live Tennis: ATP World Tour Finals November 13, 2016, 12:00pm Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass Before that, in 2005, David Nalbandian became the first man not to have won a Grand Slam or Masters title to lift the trophy.Inspiration is few and far between then, although Monfils and Thiem can look to Dominika Cibulkovas surprise debut victory at the WTA Finals in Singapore last month. Her win over world No 1 Angelique Kerber in the final was a fairytale, but do Monfils and Thiem have what it takes to emulate her? Dominic Thiem is an up-and-coming talent They are paired with Novak Djokovic and Milos Raonic in the Ivan Lendl group at the O2, so the Frenchman and Austrian are up against it from the off.But with Djokovic faltering of late and Raonic withdrawing from last weeks Paris Masters semi-final against Murray with a leg injury, all hope is not lost. World Tour: Panel predictions See how our Sky Sports pundits think the ATP World Tour Finals will go and cast your vote At 30 years old, Monfils has plenty of experience and goes into the Tour Finals having won the Citi Open in July and recorded career-best results at both the US Open (semi-final) and Australian Open (quarter-final) this year. He also has a winning record of 3-2 over Raonic.His run in New York, in particular, should give him heart. The Frenchman did not drop a single set on his way to the last four, beating former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis and flourishing against compatriot Lucas Pouille in the quarter-final. A look at why Monfils is tennis showman However, there was the small matter of Monfils bizarre semi-final against Djokovic. The Frenchman tried every trick in the book against the Serb, with varying and sometimes hilarious results.He play-acted and fired balls almost into the crowd, but also hit some of the most spectacular winners Flushing Meadows had seen this year. He occasionally looked as if he might give up and received serve two feet inside the baseline, but then burst into life, sometimes crushing a return past the open-mouthed Djokovic.He double-faulted at 137mph, on second serve. He served 11 aces and 11 double faults. When he shook hands, having taken a set off the eventual runner-up, he was completely spent. Watch Thiems superb backhand Meanwhile, Thiem, at 23 years old, has four titles of his own this year across all three surfaces, in Buenos Aires, Nice, Acapulco and Stuttgart. He also reached the French Open semi-final.Thiems showings in Paris belied his years. The Austrian battled through four four-set matches, knocking out 12th-seed David Goffin in the quarters.But, like Monfils, his progress was stopped by Djokovic. Yet, unlike Monfils, Thiem was steamrollered by the Serb in straight sets, the Austrian picking up just seven games in the process. Monfils is capable of both the sublime and ridiculous When it comes to London, neither player will suffer the weight of expectation when they step on court, but they will find a different atmosphere to what they are used to.While Thiem will certainly not wilt under the bright lights, it is the Frenchman who is more likely to embrace the electric energy from the crowd and use it to aid his flamboyant style. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. If the fairytale follows Cibulkovas, and Monfils loses to Djokovic in the group and then meets the Serb in the final, hopefully he has taken note of Davydenkos triumph and will beat him when it really matters, at the 15th time of asking.Watch every day of the ATP World Tour Finals, from November 13-20, live on Sky Sports. Full schedule here. Also See: World Tour Finals on Sky Sports Stan the danger man World Tour Finals: The Groups Tour Finals at the O2 . The former world No. 1 Djokovic, who is the top seed here despite being ranked No. 2, snuck past 35-year-old Czech showman Radek Stepanek in four high- quality sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-5), on Centre Court. Djokovic appeared relieved when he converted on his first match point by swatting a cross-court forehand winner that just caught the line to end an affair that featured only two service breaks. . - For a general manager who preaches building through the draft, Reggie McKenzie has struggled to find impact players his first two years in Oakland. http://www.oriolesapparelsshop.com/cal- ... rsey-c-12/. Messis 75th-minute goal answered some of the criticism the clubs all-time leading scorer had received for his lacklustre performances in the teams recent losses in the league, Champions League and Copa del Rey final. .S. Basketball Writers Association. McDermott, who finished his career at Creighton as college basketballs fifth-leading scorer, accepted the honour from Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson at AT&T Stadium, site of the Final Four. . The young man, never lacking confidence, thought he could be really good.MIAMI -- Indianas Paul George will play in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, which comes as no surprise to the Miami Heat. They were expecting him there all along. The Pacers announced Friday night that George has been cleared "to return to normal basketball activity," a decision made three days after he was concussed in Game 2 of the Indiana-Miami series. "Barring any unforeseen complications, he will play" on Saturday in Miami, the Pacers said. So that settled one lineup issue. The Heat now have a lineup decision to make. Greg Oden -- whose last post-season appearance was April 30, 2009 -- may be inserted into the Heat rotation after showing Miamis coaches in recent days that back issues that slowed him down for weeks may finally be a thing of the past. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra suggested that Oden "could" get some minutes, which would almost certainly come against Indiana centre Roy Hibbert. "If coach needs me, Im ready to play," Oden said. "Im definitely ready whenever he needs me." The series is tied at a game apiece, with Miami grabbing the home-court edge away by rallying for an 87-83 win at Indianapolis in Game 2. The teams have been off since, which figures to be a blessing of sorts for the Pacers -- who had several players limping and ailing late in that game, with Georges concussion the most notable malady. The back of Georges head was struck by Dwyane Wades knee as both were trying to get control of a loose ball during the fourth quarter of that game. George remained in the game but was basically a non-factor the rest of the way, and Miami owned the final minutes. The concussion came to light only after George revealed postgame that he briefly "blacked out." "I probably should have kept that to myself," George said. "It just made a mess. Thats something that, going forward, just keep that between myself and the training staff." The Heat never even considered the possibility that George wouldnt play in Game 3. "Why wouldnt he?" Heat star LeBron& James asked.dddddddddddd Wade said he wanted to see George out there, because competitors always want to play against the best, particularly at this time of year. And in these playoffs, no one has looked better on the road -- especially defensively -- than the Pacers, who still havent won even two consecutive home games in this post-season but have won five in a row away from home. Atlanta and Washington combined to shoot only 38 per cent at home against Indiana in the opening two rounds, averaging just 84.8 points per game. The Pacers havent exactly been offensive juggernauts in those games, averaging 90.7 points themselves, but the airtight defence was enough for Indiana to save its season by winning elimination games in both matchups. "We played at a high level in the Washington series, and those last two against Atlanta when we were down in the series, we played with great desperation," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "Our guys take pride in their defence. Thats probably why you see those numbers." Then again, the Heat present a bit more of a challenge than the Hawks and Wizards. "I dont know if the home court really matters right now in the playoffs," Spoelstra said. "Its more about your collective disposition, and youre imposing that identity on the other team. I think either team could win home or away." Miami is 5-0 at home in the post-season, winning by an average of 10 points per game and shooting nearly 50 per cent from the floor. Going back to last season, the Heat have won eight straight playoff games in their own building and since James joined the club theyre 35-7 at home during the post-season. Among those seven losses? The Pacers won at Miami in both 2012 and 2013. And thats why Miami knows having the home-court edge now hardly assures a series win. "Both teams can win on each others floor. Weve proven that the last couple years," James said. "We have to protect our home, but we cant go out there saying that just because were back home we get automatic wins. Weve got to play." ' ' '