Gonzalo Aguirregomezcorta is a reporter for ESPNDeportes.com. The reporting for this piece was done in Spanish and Portuguese. The story was originally written in Spanish. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Vidigal favela has some stunning views.Its steep and narrow streets wind upward toward the sky. It is only from up there that you can clearly appreciate the beauty of a unique landscape. The mountains lie to the left, their peaks temporarily shrouded in rainless clouds. The vast Atlantic Ocean stretches out in front and, to the right, a number of small islands make the view even more beautiful. In the middle, a cluster of colorful, overlapping houses that, from this height, appear to be made from paper maché. In the background, the beach, where the sea laps the sand, and the sand gives way to asphalt which in turn gives way to tall glass buildings, in this place far from the favela.Up here, some people with torn shirts and weathered skin rest their forearms on the wooden balconies and cannot help but be taken in by the view every time they look out. A couple of kilometers away, the same views enjoyed by one of Rio de Janeiros more than 700 favelas will set you back 1,000 reais per night (around $300). In Brazil, luxury and poverty are close neighbors separated by nothing more than air. Down below, the haves; above, the have nots. They all share the same beauty.Filgueira is a military policeman who prefers not to admit how badly things are going for the federal police, who continue to make headlines thanks to protests in which they are campaigning for higher wages in line with the risks they face. Filgueira avoids the issue and, when he explains the main reason he enjoys his work in Vidigal, he points his finger and nods toward the landscape. As if this visual spectacle provides him with enough satisfaction while he does his job in one of Rios drug trafficking hot spots. Vidigal is better now, he told me, with some diplomacy.Near the entrance to the favela, a blue building is daubed with graffiti including a phrase that reads, All In | The Fight Institute. As if it were the slogan for everyday life in the community, Raff Giglio chose this name for the school he founded 20 years ago. Today, it is the cradle of Brazilian Olympic boxing. At the entrance, six little girls are trying to dodge a worn-out old ball. They burst out laughing. Giglio spends a little time with them while inside one of the volunteers from his academy teaches the boys. His mission is to offer them a solution to the difficult reality of life in Vidigal through free boxing lessons.He complains loudly, the government does nothing for the kids in the favelas. Alternately, his speech is interspersed with a genuine gratitude that comes from the pleasure of his work. The satisfaction of accomplishment, to receive a mission to one day go to the favela and be able to help the kids. Thats what Im doing. They pay me by winning a medal. Here, profe, theres the Olympic medal. Giglio has plenty to say on the subject of Esquiva Falc?o, whom he spotted as a youngster at a championship in S?o Paulo. Upon hearing shortly after that Falc?o had stopped competing, he took charge of the situation.He lived in the state of Espirito Santo. I brought him to Rio de Janeiro at the age of 17 to live in my gym, Giglio said. I gave him food, a shower, training so that he could continue boxing. In 2007, he took part in his first national championship where he won the silver medal. In 2008, he was called up to Brazils senior team, and from there things just continued upwards.Three Olympians, hundreds of lives cut shortFalc?os journey took him up beyond the heights from where you can contemplate Vidigals stunning views. He won the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where he lost to the Japanese fighter, Ryota Murata, by one point.When Esquiva arrived back from London, his first stop was Brasilia for a reception with the president of the Republic. Before going to Espirito Santo he came to Vidigal and headed to my gym: Hey man, the medal. I almost fell over, boasted Giglio. I produce champions, the national team doesnt create athletes. When the athlete becomes national champion, they get picked. Patrick [Louren?o] and Michel [Borges] are two examples, he added.Louren?o and Borges are set to compete in this edition of the Olympic Games on home soil, in front of their fans, a few kilometers from the place where they first honed their footwork before being selected for the national team. Giglio plays a crucial role in the chain of developing boxers. He sows the seed and waters it for years so that it is ready to change hands once it blooms. At the All in the Fight Institute they learn to be disciplined, to work hard, to disconnect from extremely difficult situations that often require them to set their passion aside in order to earn a living for their families.They are hard lives because they are all living in the favelas. They experienced very bad situations when there was drug trafficking and all those things, Giglio said. They are poor kids with no money who cannot afford a gym. Everything here is free and we give them an opportunity to pursue a better life. Here we work to educate through sport so that the kids have an opportunity that the government does not give them. We work to ensure they have a chance to continue as a good person, a person who is a good son, a good father, a person who can walk down the street with their head held high. They could also be a great boxer.The younger ones look up to Falc?o, Borges and Louren?o. The latter will compete in this edition of the Games in the 49-kilogram light flyweight class, while Borges will compete in the 81-kg heavyweight class.Donation of the dayThe volunteer who is observing the boys technique stops for a moment and hands Giglio two pairs of gloves. He looks at them from every angle, turns them around, puts them on his wrong hands and sets them aside ... all this while smiling from ear to ear.This donation came from S?o Paulo, he says.The fact that someone shares his altruistic cause is another battle won in his solitary work. The revenue to maintain the gym and the equipment used by the youngsters comes from donations by individuals or companies. They currently have no sponsor and any help is welcome for Giglio, who describes himself as a dreamer who came close to throwing in the towel.I went through some very tough times when I thought about quitting, he says. I have a family, I have daughters, four daughters, and several times I thought I had to look for work, I had to earn money for my family. Something told me not to stop, to keep going: work and things will turn out well.I carried on and carried on some more, and the lesson was just that, to believe in the dream and continue working with discipline.The discipline he learned in judo, he passes on to his boys. The intense stubbornness that has earned him a name not only in Vidigal but outside the favela he made his home two decades ago. He used to have his gym in Leblon, closer to Copacabana. He lost it as a result of problems with the local authorities and settled in this community where he has rebuilt his emotional and professional life.The sun sets in the west, but looking from the east it has been hidden behind the mountains for some time. The lights come on at the foot of Vidigal. Darkness descends, but not before delivering a festival of colors beneath the illuminated mantle of those overlapping houses. Another day draws to a close and some people sit and watch the womens soccer match between Brazil and China (3-0) with a cheap beer.Others head home with bags in hands while some cars give way to others due to the narrow road. The motorcycles do their own thing. Giglio closes the doors of his gym. There are no girls playing at the entrance now, just a constant stream of adults. Filgueira, the military policeman, insists on jumping in our car and escorting us to the exit of the favela. Cheap Shoes Fake . I cant pinpoint a date, but I do remember a player from my youth. 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"I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. HOUSTON -- The Houston Rockets overcame their inability to make defensive stops by running over the Brooklyn Nets on the offensive end.James Harden had 36 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds to lead the Rockets to their seventh straight win, 122-118 over the Nets on Monday night.Theres 82 games -- every game isnt going to be perfect, Harden said. Youve got to figure out ways to win, and thats what we did tonight.Eric Gordon scored 24 points on 6-for-10 shooting on 3-pointers, and Ryan Anderson added 19.for the Rockets. Houston shot 17 for 43 on 3s, making at least 10 for an NBA-record 24th straight game.Brook Lopez scored 26 points and Sean Kilpatrick added 17 for the Nets.They made some plays and we didnt, Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson said. It couldve gone either way.Jeremy Lin returned to action for Brooklyn for the first time since Nov. 2 when he suffered a strained left hamstring. Although Lin did not start, he played 20 minutes off the bench, scoring 10 points.Atkinson said Lins presence on the court helped Brooklyns offense by keeping the team organized and said he was glad Lin didnt try to do too much following a five-week absence.I felt a lot better than I thought I would with my wind, but I struggled with the rhythm, Lin said. The shots, the feel and getting back out there -- you practice all these shots, but I got in there and it felt like I was shooting a football.Brooklyn trailed for much of the game until Joe Harris tied it at 118 with a layup with less than 40 seconds remaining.Gordon gave Houston a two-point lead with a free throw with 11.9 seconds left, and the Rockets came up with a key steal on the ensuing inbound pass. Gordon then made two more from the line and the Rockets held on for the win.We were just lackadaisical, Gordon said. Luckily, we made some plays in the end that helped us win. We definitely need a wake-up call, but we know what we need to do. Its good that we get a win, but theres all the little things that we need to do to be a better team.The Rockets improved to 7-0 in December while knocking Brooklyn down to 1-5 in the month. The Nets havent won on the road since Nov. 12.Houston outscored Brooklyn by five in each of the first two quarters to take a 53-43 lead at the half.ddddddddddddBrooklyn cut the lead to five to start the fourth quarter.I think we can look at ourselves in the mirror and say individually we could have done a better job, and as a team, we could have done a better job, too, Anderson said.TIP-INSNets: C Justin Hamilton missed his second straight game with migraines. Atkinson said he will be reevaluated in a few days. ... The Nets scored 42 points in the third quarter, the teams most points in a quarter this season.Rockets: Houston allowed 68 points in the paint, a season high for their opponents. ... Harden passed Eric Sleepy Floyd (2,363 assists) for seventh on the franchises all-time assists list. ... Trevor Ariza had three steals and two blocks for Houston.COVERING LOPEZThe Rockets struggled to contain Brook Lopez for the entire game. Rockets coach Mike DAntoni switched gears and let veteran center Nene play 24 minutes off the bench and starting center Clint Capela less than 19 minutes.When asked if Nene was a better matchup for Lopez than Capela, DAntoni didnt hesitate.Much better, much better, DAntoni said. Nenes more experienced, more bulk. Clint will learn through this stuff, and Brook is a very good offensive player, really good offensive player. They all had their hands full with him.WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIMEUntil he came up with his only rebound of the game with less than 16.9 seconds remaining, Lopez was nearly held without a rebound for the first time since March 26, 2011, when he went without a rebound in 31 minutes against Atlanta.I need to be more aggressive getting to the glass, Lopez said. Im not trying to make any excuses -- I need to do better in that category.HONORING SCOLANets forward Luis Scola, who played with Houston from 2007-12, was honored by the Rockets after the first quarter as part of the teams celebration of its 50th season. A video tribute featuring interviews from Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady and Shane Battier was played and Scola was given an ovation when shown on the videoboard.UP NEXTNets: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.Rockets: Host Sacramento on Wednesday night. ' ' '