CLEVELAND -- John Axford had other choices where he could pitch next season. Minnesota Vikings Jerseys . The Indians closed the deal. Axford, who had 46 saves for Milwaukee in 2011 but lost his closers job last season and was traded to St. Louis, finalized a $4.5 million, one-year contract Thursday and will close for Cleveland in 2014. The 30-year-old Axford had other teams interested in signing him, but he decided to join the Indians because of their turnaround in 2013, a strong clubhouse and manager Terry Francona, who sold Axford with his typical straightforward approach. "He was very, very up front with me about the team, the organization, the city," Axford said. "It just sounded to me like a situation I want to be a part of." Axford replaces two-time All-Star closer Chris Perez, who was released in October after Cleveland made its first playoff appearance since 2007. Axford agreed to the contract with Cleveland earlier this week, and completed the deal after taking a physical on Wednesday. The right-hander can earn another $1.75 million in performance bonuses based on games finished: $250,000 for 38 and $300,000 apiece for 43, 48, 53, 58 and 63. The Indians initially considered filling the closers role within the organization -- right-handers Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen were the top candidates -- and pursued several veteran free agents before working out a deal with Axford. The Indians werent scared off despite Axford struggles last season, when he started horribly and was demoted by the Brewers before eventually being traded to St. Louis in August. "We thought he was the right guy to take a chance on," Indians general manager Chris Antonetti said. "We feel like we added an experienced, power arm to the back of our bullpen." Antonetti said the team wasnt reluctant to give the job to Shaw or Allen, its just that Axford was a better option and the club feels he can "bounce back" and be an elite stopper again. Axford attributed some of his early problems last season to pitching in the World Baseball Classic. He was throwing hard from the get-go and went through a "dead arm" period when his velocity dropped following the WBC. But after making some adjustments, Axford settled in and posted a 2.92 ERA in his final 71 appearances with the Brewers and Cardinals. "I dont like to make excuses," Axford said. "I really enjoyed pitching for my country, but I really dont think my arm was ever ready for the start of the regular season. I had a dead arm and my velocity was down in those first few games of the regular season. But when you give up four home runs and have an ERA of 22 after four games, you cant be surprised that youre not the closer anymore." Axford has a 22-19 career record with a 3.29 ERA and 106 saves in 281 relief appearances. He said being a free agent "was fun, but it was difficult." Ultimately, he thought the Indians were the best fit for him because they provided a chance to close again and Cleveland is just a 4 1-2 hour drive from his home in Ontario. It also helped the Indians are on the rise after earning a wild-card spot in 2013. "There were certainly other teams in the mix," Axford said. "They had a great season last year. It seemed like a team I would want to pitch for." Mike Hughes Vikings Jersey . Rookie Marek Mazanec made 39 saves for his first NHL victory and the Predators beat the Chicago Blackhawks 7-2 Saturday night. Daniel Carlson Vikings Jersey .500 were once common achievements for the Dallas Mavericks. Now, both are season highs as Dallas slowly works its way back into playoff contention in the Western Conference. http://www.thevikingsshoponline.com/Youth-Jalyn-Holmes-Vikings-Jersey/ .com) - They didnt meet in the regular season, so Sam Houston State might be saying it won the de facto title game between the two Southland Conference co-champions Saturday.OAKLAND, Calif. - Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr often reminds his players the morning of a big game that they better be ready for a tough test that night.Regardless of the opponent, his team seems to deliver almost every time.The NBA-leading Warriors responded to the challenge again Monday night, getting contributions from all over and using a smothering defensive effort to rout the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-91.Coach always comes in and says, Hey, this teams pretty good, said Warriors forward Draymond Green, who had 11 points and 13 rebounds. Every time we break the huddle, Ill be like, Hey, were pretty good, too.Harrison Barnes scored a season-high 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry scored 19 points each as the Warriors (27-5) bottled up Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the rest of the Thunder.Golden State held Oklahoma City to 30.6 per cent shooting, including 5 for 28 from 3-point range.I just think were in a good groove, Kerr said.The rejuvenated Thunder (17-18) missed a chance to move above .500 for the first time this season.Westbrook scored 22 points, and Durant had 14 points and 10 rebounds on a night when everything seemed to be a struggle. The Warriors led by 20 at halftime and never let the Thunder get close after that.Durant shot 3 of 16, and Westbrook finished 5 for 21 from the floorWe didnt play well tonight, theres no way around it. They outplayed us. Theyre the best team in basketball, Thunder coach Scott Brooks said.Help is on the way for Oklahoma City and its All-Star tandem.The Thunder acquired shooting guard Dion Waiters from Cleveland in a three-team trade that was announced during the game. Oklahoma City sent the Cavaliers a protected 2015 first-round draft pick and moved reserve Lance Thomas to the New York Knicks.The Warriors, meanwhile, continue to set the league pace regardless of whether theyre at full strength.They extended the best start in franchise history — even with centres Andrew Bogut (right knee) and Festus Ezeli (left ankle) out — by shutting down an Oklahoma City team that had been surgging since Westbrook and Durant returned from injuries. Kendall Wright Vikings Jersey. Thompson made his first four shots and scored 13 points in the first 3 1/2 minutes, pleasing the white shirt-wearing sellout crowd of 19,596. But Thompson, Curry and Green all picked up two fouls and went to the bench before the end of the first quarter to stall the momentum.At least for a little while.Durant, who scored 30 points in the first half of a loss at Golden State on Dec. 18 before spraining his right ankle, missed his first seven shots. The rest of the Thunder struggled to sustain a rhythm as the small-ball Warriors switched every pick-and-roll and used their pace-and-space offence to pull away.Give them credit, but we missed some shots as well, Durant said.Golden State led 65-45 at halftime — with everybody from Curry and Thompson to Barnes and Justin Holiday coming up big — and never let the Thunder seriously threaten in the second half.Holiday finished with 12 points for the Warriors, who shot 46.6 per cent. Golden State has won four in a row.___TIP-INSThunder: Durant was selected Western Conference player of the week for last week. ... The Thunder are 0-3 against the Warriors this season. The teams are scheduled to play one more time in Oklahoma City on Jan. 16.Warriors: Golden State has won 12 consecutive home games and is 14-1 at Oracle Arena this season. ... Reserve forward Brandon Rush was sent home by team doctors before the game with flu-like symptoms.BARNES UNMASKEDBarnes shed the protective mask he had worn the past few weeks to protect his broken nose. He said he stopped wearing it after falling behind in a post-practice shooting contest against Andre Iguodala and Leandro Barbosa. Not a big fan of the mask, said Barnes, who shot 8 of 14 and made all five of his 3-point attempts.SCOTT TRIBUTEA moment of silence was held before the game for Stuart Scott, the longtime anchor of ESPNs SportsCenter who died of cancer Sunday. Afterward, many fans yelled one of his signature catchphrases, Boo-yah!UP NEXTThunder: At Sacramento on Wednesday.Warriors: Host Indiana on Wednesday. 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